Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 586 - Yemen War Mosaic 586

Yemen Press Reader 586: 14. Okt. 2019: Die Blockade der Saudi-Koalition gegen Nordjemen – Spaltungen bei den Unabhängigkeits- und Autonomiebewegungen des Südens – Südjemen: Konflikt geht weiter

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Oct. 14, 2019: The Saudi coalition blockade against Northern Yemen – Divisions within the Southern independence and autonomy movements – Southern Yemen: Conflict continues, talks still without results – and more

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Klassifizierung / Classification

Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

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

cp2 Allgemein / General

cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government 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

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade

cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner

cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage

cp13d Wirtschaft / Economy

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(Kein Stern / No star)

? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating

A = Aktuell / Current news

B = Hintergrund / Background

C = Chronik / Chronicle

D = Details

E = Wirtschaft / Economy

H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions

K = Krieg / War

P = Politik / Politics

pH = Pro-Houthi

pS = Pro-Saudi

T = Terrorismus / Terrorism

Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject

Einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:

Yemen War: Introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke

Neue Artikel / New articles

(* B H K P)

Film by Bernie Sanders: Some argue that the U.S. is not really engaged in hostilities in Yemen. But when Yemenis see "Made in USA" on the bombs killing their children, it’s very clear that the United States is part of this horrible war. This must end.

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1183113768126959617

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

(** B H K P)

How to starve out a country

The Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthis fight a war of attrition. The strategy of economic warfare doesn’t change the military equation, but has devastating effect on civilians. A visit to a country scarred by famine, disease and neglect

The situation is bound to get worse. In the coming weeks, food rations will be further diminished for 12 million people, while 2.5 million malnourished children will be excluded from primary services. At the end of October, drinking water programs will be closed and 19 million people will lose access to medical assistance, including one million women who depend on the United Nations for reproductive health.

In essence, Yemen, the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the UN, risks becoming a country where families consist of eight, ten, or thirteen starving children all under the age of five. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that the UN was forced to suspend most of the country’s vaccination campaigns in May. The supply of medicine has been stopped and thousands of health workers are no longer receiving financial support.

Plans to construct 30 new nutrition centres have been shelved while 14 safe houses and four specialized mental health facilities for women have closed. A treatment plant that purifies the water used to irrigate agricultural fields was shut down in June. Lise Grande, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen for the United Nations, described the situation with very harsh words. “All of us are ashamed by the situation. It’s heart-breaking to look families in the eyes and say we have no money to help.”

The situation is bound to get worse. In the coming weeks, food rations will be further diminished for 12 million people, while 2.5 million malnourished children will be excluded from primary services. At the end of October, drinking water programs will be closed and 19 million people will lose access to medical assistance, including one million women who depend on the United Nations for reproductive health.

In essence, Yemen, the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the UN, risks becoming a country where families consist of eight, ten, or thirteen starving children all under the age of five. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that the UN was forced to suspend most of the country’s vaccination campaigns in May. The supply of medicine has been stopped and thousands of health workers are no longer receiving financial support.

Plans to construct 30 new nutrition centres have been shelved while 14 safe houses and four specialized mental health facilities for women have closed. A treatment plant that purifies the water used to irrigate agricultural fields was shut down in June. Lise Grande, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen for the United Nations, described the situation with very harsh words. “All of us are ashamed by the situation. It’s heart-breaking to look families in the eyes and say we have no money to help.”

At a conference in Yemen last February, the UN and other humanitarian actors working in the country were promised 2.6 billion USD to meet the urgent needs of over 20 million people. To date, less than half of the amount has been received. “We are fighting cholera, diphtheria. The war has revived diseases that had disappeared years ago. Diphtheria is highly contagious, and families do not have money for the fuel needed to get to medical centres,” continues Dr. Abdullah Aji in Sana'a hospital. “In normal conditions, a vaccine would be enough to contain the epidemics. But everything is missing here. The blockade prevents the entry of medical specialists and essential supplies.”

Since the beginning of the war in 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has imposed a naval and air blockade in the north of the country, preventing access to primary goods.

The road to the north, leading to the border with Saudi Arabia, towards the Houthi stronghold in the city of Saada, crosses remote spaces, valleys, mountain villages, and rural areas with refugee camps scattered between mountains and deserts, that are often without electricity and water. Here the huts are built with leaves and mud. Almost all of the displaced people in the Khamir camp come from Saada, which since 2015 has been consistently bombed by the coalition as a military target. Being the home base of the Houthis, the whole city has been considered a target, including civilians and those seeking to escape.

The war has produced endemic unemployment, the disappearance of millions of jobs, and the collapse of the currency. The Saudi-led coalition has employed a strategy of surrounding and starving out areas. This is most apparent in the port city of Hodeida, a critical point for the provision of humanitarian aid and other necessities and therefore the centre of a fierce battle.

According to a study by the London School of Economic (LSE) on the effects of the war on agriculture in the early years of conflict, agricultural crops and farmlands were frequently hit in areas like Shabwa and Mahwait, close to the road that leads to Sana'a, a crucial route of transport coalition forces are trying to take control over.

Reports have shown that the Saudi-led coalition strategy seeks to destroy food production in Houthi-controlled areas. This strategy of economic warfare, damaging agriculture and controlling food imports, is aiming to besiege and starve the population. This hypothesis was confirmed at the beginning of September by the group of experts established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in a report that denounces war crimes committed by the parties in the Yemeni conflict.

UN experts write that the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition that supports it on the one hand, and the Houthi rebels on the other, have been using indiscriminate air strikes, torture and sexual violence for years, in addition to blocking humanitarian aid and resorting to hunger as a constant method of warfare.

This strategy has been perpetrated for years and has caused the collapse of the Yemeni Rial and a steep rise in inflation. This led to the rapid depletion of foreign exchange reserves and therefore major cuts in spending by the Central Bank of Yemen, as underlined in the report of the World Peace Foundation at the beginning of September.

The victims are exposed in the unprecedented, scandalous violence of their visible skeletons. The Yemeni war sees no solutions, rather it sees the fragmentation of alliances, the emergence new actors in the field, and the call of new demands. The regional powers roll the dice, each following their own agendas amid the humanitarian tragedy that serves as a fertile environment for radicalization – By Francesca Mannocchi (with photos)

https://magazine.zenith.me/en/society/war-and-famine-yemen

(** B H K P)

Houthis Vow Retaliation As Saudi Naval Blockade Sparks Fresh Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen

Saudi Arabia has stepped up its seizure and detention of ships carrying food and fuel into Yemen, sparking shortages that experts warn will push the country’s civilians into even more dire straits.

Recent political developments have offered a glimmer of hope to some that the end of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen may be near. But a new report by the United Nations Development Programme shows that a recent tightening of the Saudi-led Coalition’s blockade against the country, and the fuel shortages it has sparked, not only are exacerbating Yemen’s humanitarian crisis but also are slated to make Yemen the world’s poorest country by 2022.

In the nursery at the Maternity and Childhood Hospital in Amran, doctors and families alike fear that fuel shortages will lead to power cuts, plunging the ward into darkness and rendering its life-saving machines inoperable. One mother in the ward diligently watches a heater placed near her infant, knowing that it the electricity-powered medical device stops, her child will die.

Dr. Hadi Al-Hamzi, the director-general of the hospital, said that 30 infants could die if their incubators stop for just two hours. He added, “We have a severe shortage of generator fuel, and we have no prospect of getting more in the coming days.” Mohammed Mujahed, the director of Amran Governorate’s Health Office, warned that intensive care for pregnant mothers and nurseries in the province could be stopped in a matter of hours if no generator fuel is secured.

The Saudi-led Coalition has stepped up its seizure and detention of ships carrying food and fuel into Yemen and the effects of those seizures are already being felt by ordinary people. Thousands of Yemenis already facing acute food shortages could die, as stocks of stored food dwindle and cannot be replenished. Sultana Begum, a representative of the Norwegian Refugee Council humanitarian organization, told Reuters that “fuel shortages in Yemen exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the country and lead to unacceptable levels of suffering.”

For 40 days, the Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has continued to hold 13 ships loaded with oil derivatives at sea, preventing them from entering the port of Hodeida. The UN has already inspected and licensed the ships in compliance with a decision issued by the Saudi-backed Hadi government that requires customs duties to be paid in Aden before ships can discharge in Hodeida.

As in other regions, in Sana’a lines as far as the eye can see have become a common sight, as people queue at gas stations hoping to secure fuel. Government-imposed rationing has been enforced and only 40 liters (about 10 gallons) of fuel are allowed per vehicle every six days. Many gas stations have already been forced to close as a result of the shortages, and black-market fuel now costs three times the official price.

Garbage trucks have not been able to operate either, leaving enormous piles of uncollected rubbish littering major cities, including Sana’a, a city already struggling to cope with cholera amid a doubling of its population since the war began.

Fuel and food and health

The impact of the Saudi-led sea blockade has already reached Yemen’s hospitals. Dr. al-Mutwakil, the minister of health based in Sana’a, said operations and intensive care departments in a number of hospitals are about to close owing to the shortage of oil derivatives and the prevention of their access to Hodeida port.

Ministry spokesman Dr. Yousef al-Hadhri said in a statement that more than 120 hospitals, 3,000 health centers, private hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, and blood banks are at risk of “catastrophe” if the Coalition continues to prevent the arrival of oil derivatives.

Aside from its acute effects on Yemen’s hospitals, the fuel shortage is causing a public health crisis, as spikes in cholera and other waterborne diseases are expected on account of the inability of water filtration systems to operate and trucks to deliver safe drinking water, as well as desalination plants that are unable to operate without fuel.

Fuel is needed not only to power the generators that have been the sole source of electricity for hospitals since a widespread blackout hit in 2015, but also for transportation. Shortages have caused fuel prices to spike up to 200 percent in some areas, making the transportation of life-saving aid to communities-in-need more expensive. Deliveries that used to take one day now take three days, as trucks have to wait for fuel, resulting in major delays in getting food and medicine to the most vulnerable communities – by Ahmed Abdulkareem

https://www.mintpressnews.com/yemen-retaliation-saudi-naval-blockade-humanitarian-crisis/262285/

(** B H K P)

Treibstoffblockade im Jemen legt die Krankenhäuser lahm

Die Blockade lebensnotwendiger Hilfsgüter durch die saudisch geführte Koalition hat katastrophale Folgen insbesondere für den Gesundheitssektor.

Während die Mainstream-Medien nur damit beschäftigt sind, Präsident Trump zu verurteilen, weil er US-Truppen aus Syrien abzieht, steht der Jemen vor einer nationalen Gesundheitskrise. In mehreren Großstädten im Jemen werden die letzten funktionierenden Krankenhäuser ihre Türen schließen und keine Dienstleistungen mehr für Patienten erbringen. Geopolitics Alert sprach mit dem Sprecher des jemenitischen Gesundheitsministeriums, Dr. Jusuf Al-Haidari, um die Auswirkungen dieser Krise zu diskutieren.

Stellen Sie sich vor, wie die Gesellschaft in den Vereinigten Staaten zum Stillstand käme, wenn eines Tages die Tankstellen einfach trocken lägen. Die Leute könnten nicht zur Arbeit fahren. Familien könnten kein Essen kochen. Die Häuser hätten kein heißes Wasser zum Reinigen oder Baden.

Für ein Land, das wie der Jemen belagert wird, bedeutet der Triebstoffmangel auch, daß Krankenhäuser geschlossen werden müssen. Die meisten Krankenhäuser haben ihre Arbeitszeiten reduziert, und die anderen bereiten sich darauf vor, vollständig zu schließen.

„Es gibt Hunderttausende von Patienten, wenn nicht Millionen, die schnell oder langsam sterben werden, sie werden unter Schmerzen sterben. Wer wird Millionen von Jemeniten, die Transport benötigen, um die Krankenhäuser zu erreichen, mit Benzin versorgen? Wer wird die 6000 Patienten mit Nierenversagen zweimal pro Woche zum Gesundheitszentrum bringen? Wer wird den Privatsektor, der Behandlungsdienste für etwa 60% der Bevölkerung erbringt, mit Kraftstoff versorgen?“, sagte der Sprecher des Gesundheitsministeriums, Dr. Jusuf Al-Haidari, gegenüber Geopolitics Alert.

Die ärmsten Gemeinden in den ländlichen Gebieten des Jemen, wie Hodeidah, sind am stärksten gefährdet, da sie sich den Transport zu funktionierenden Krankenhäusern in Sanaa in fünf Stunden Entfernung nicht leisten können.

Krankenhäuser schließen im Jemen – und die Medien schweigen

Dr. Al-Haidari erklärte, daß in einem Land mit wenig Gesundheitsinfrastruktur nur 50% des Gesundheitssektors in Betrieb sind, während sich die Zahl der Menschen, die nach der Aggression und Belagerung Gesundheitsdienste benötigen, verfünffacht hat.

Praktisch betroffen von der aktuellen Krise sind:

Krankheiten als Waffe

Die saudische Koalition hat nicht nur ihre Aggression fortgesetzt, sondern auch die Schlinge um die Katastrophenhilfe und Gesundheitsversorgung des Jemen weiter zugezogen, um die verletzlichsten Zivilisten im Jemen umzubringen. Krebspatienten, Nierenpatienten, Schwangere, Kinder und ältere Menschen sind mit den schlimmsten Folgen konfrontiert.

Viele Menschen wissen vielleicht nicht, wie sich der Kraftstoffmangel und die Blockade auf alle Aspekte der jemenitischen Gesundheitsversorgung auswirken.

95% der Medizinprodukte in staatlichen jemenitischen Krankenhäusern haben ihr Haltbarkeitsdatum überschritten, aber Ärzte müssen mit ihnen arbeiten, weil es keine Alternative gibt. Patienten mit chronischen Krankheiten wie Diabetes (500.000 Patienten), Herzerkrankungen, Nierenversagen (6000), Nierentransplantationen (3000), Krebs (60.000) und anderen chronischen Krankheiten haben aufgrund der hohen Preise auf dem kommerziellen Markt keinen Zugang zu ihren Medikamenten. Der Staat ist aufgrund der Blockade nicht in der Lage, eine kostenlose oder erschwingliche Alternative anzubieten.

Wie der Sprecher des Gesundheitsministeriums Al-Haidari sagte, sterben jeden Tag Dutzende von Menschen am fehlenden Zugang zu lebenswichtigen Medikamenten.

Aufgrund der Zerstörung der jemenitischen Infrastruktur, wie der Wasserversorgung oder der Abwasserentsorgung, breiten sich im Jemen Epidemien wieder aus, die seit Jahrzehnten verschwunden waren. Im Zuge der Cholera-Epidemie wurden bis zum 5. Oktober 2019 2.099.531 Menschen infiziert.

Erinnern Sie sich an die Welle der Berichterstattung über das sogenannte „letzte Krankenhaus in Aleppo“? Es überrascht nicht, daß von diesen Journalisten weit und breit keiner zu finden ist, wenn jetzt das jemenitische Gesundheitssystem aufgrund der illegitimen Aktionen von Washington, Riad und Abu Dhabi zusammenbricht.

Eine einfache Google-Suche zeigt im Gegenteil, daß beworbene Artikel, die von Medien der saudischen Koalition stammen, im Gegenteil saudische „Hilfe“ für den Jemen loben – von Randi Nord

https://www.solidaritaet.com/neuesol/2019/42/jemen.htm

The original English version already had been published Oct. 7: https://geopoliticsalert.com/yemen-fuel-hospitals-close

(** B P)

Divisions restrict Southern Transitional Council, UAE ambitions in Yemen

Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council emerging as a dominant force in the south has shifted the country’s political dynamics. The faction faces opposition not just from President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s government but within the southern movement itself.

Though it presents itself as the legitimate representative of southern Yemen, Nabil al-Boukiri, an independent Yemen affairs analyst, told Al-Monitor that the Security Belt is entirely funded and trained by the UAE, which seeks a friendly independent southern state to control the port city of Aden.

The STC shares the UAE’s hatred of the Islamist al-Islah party in Yemen. The UAE has used the Security Belt to occupy the south, most recently moving to occupy the island of Socotra on Oct. 4.

Fernando Carvajal, a former member of the UN Security Council Panel of Experts, told Al-Monitor that despite some divisions within the organization, “there are no overt conflicts. The leadership has so far done a good job keeping Salafi elements and tribal loyalists united for now.” He added, “The STC and Security Belt Forces are interdependent. The weakening of one will weaken the other, financially or with regard to popular support.”

Yet while the UAE-backed factions have maintained a degree of cohesion, other southern movements threaten their agenda with diverging aims. Some seek full governorate autonomy, while others back the federal project or oppose the STC’s representation of the southern movement.

“The divisions are among the other southern components of the movement, such as the Baum faction and the South National Council faction supporting the federal project of Yemen and other southern components,” said Boukiri.

Since the STC's coup attempt on Aden Aug. 10, such differing visions for southern Yemen have threatened to trigger disputes and conflict in the event the STC gains further control of the south.

External factors trigger further divisions across the southern political landscape.

“Mahra is the biggest challenge for the STC because of the role played by Oman. Local tribes don’t want conflict, so they maintain limited representation within the local STC group, while still retaining ties to Oman,” said Carvajal. He explained they are playing a balancing act between both sides, as Oman traditionally wielded strong influence over Mahra's elites.

“Parts of the Abyan Hirak [movement] have yet to align with the STC because they still have hope for Hadi, who is from Abyan. Part of Hirak in Shabwa is funded by Hadi through his strongest allies, also preventing STC monopoly over Hirak in this oil-rich province,” he added.

These parts of the southern movement in Abyan and Shabwa that are independent from the STC originate from the original Hirak formed in 2007

There are currently dozens of southern movements operating outside the STC’s command. Yet due to the extensive UAE support for the STC and its secessionist militias, it is still the dominant southern faction.

Loud calls for governorate autonomy come from within Hadramawt, as Hadrami elites displaced by those working with the UAE fight to reclaim their lost influence.

Independent Yemeni researcher Fuad Rajeh told Al-Monitor that divisions across Yemen's southern governorates could give rise to further demands for independence.

“Oil-rich Hadramawt, which has a land area of more than 193,000 square kilometers, would seek autonomy,” said Rajeh. “Its leadership has been warning the STC against any moves. Mahra in the far east and Yemen's second largest province will join Hadramawt and seek autonomy.”

While there may be popular support for southern secession, the UAE’s ties to the STC have generated much opposition toward it. Yet without crucial UAE support for the Security Belt, it will very likely implode.

“The UAE does not know the nature of Yemeni society well and therefore operates in the wrong way. These divisions are the result of an Emirati effort that does not serve Yemen, its security and stability, nor is it in the interest of the UAE,” Boukiri added – by Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/10/yemen-southern-movements-divisions-uae-influence.html

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

(B H)

Photos: Cholera-infected children receive medical treatment in Sanaa, Yemen

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/12/c_138467029.htm

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

(A K pS)

Houthis renew shelling of joint forces in Hodeidah

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13515

(A K pH)

Tihama people demand punishment of rapist mercenaries

Mercenaries of Tariq Afash guilty of rape and murder in Tihama

Young people in Tihama, on the the West Coast of Yemen, have demanded UAE-backed mercenary leader Tariq Afash to extradite the perpetrators of a rape against a refugee girl in the Al-Matina area of Tuhita district, and demanded the extradition happen within 3 days.

https://www.uprising.today/tihama-people-demand-punishment-of-rapist-mercenaries/

(A K pH)

Yemeni forces shoot down drone collecting intelligence for Riyadh in Hudaydah

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/10/13/608585/Yemeni-forces-allies-shoot-down-Saudiled-surveillance-drone-in-Hudaydah

(A K pH)

In Hodeidah, a child was killed with a cluster bomb of the US-Saudi remnants in Hais district. US-Saudi forces targeted civilians' houses and properties in Ad-durayhimi city with artillery shells. US-Saudi mercenaries launched an infiltration attempt toward eastern Hais.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9259

(A K pS)

Houthis continue breaching Hodeida ceasefire

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33661

(A K pH)

Film: Traitors continue to breach the #Sweden Agreement and bombard mortar shells belonging to a number of factories in the # Kilo 16 area

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=378366359737288

(A K)

Pro-gov't forces clash with Houthis in Yemen's Hodeidah

Pro-government Yemeni forces announced on Friday that an attack launched by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah was aborted after brief clashes.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/11/c_138464666.htm

(A K pS)

Houthis continue to shell joint forces in Hodeidah

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13506

cp2 Allgemein / General

(* A K P)

Interactive Map of Yemen War

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(* A K)

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON OCTOBER 13, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-october-13-2019-map-update/ https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-october-13-2019-map-update/

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON OCTOBER 12, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-october-12-2019-map-update/

(* A K)

"Mothers of abductees", reveals the death and injury of 25 kidnapped from Ibb in Dhamar prison bombing

The Association of Mothers of Abductees in Ibb province revealed that 21 residents of the province were killed and 4 wounded in an attack by Saudi-led coalition fighters on a Houthi prison in Dhamar more than a month ago.

According to a statement issued by the Association at the end of a vigil this morning in the city of Ibb, this number of abductees died in the raid after being abducted and hidden by the Houthis for years.

On Sunday morning, the Association of Mothers of Abductees held a vigil in the central city of Ibb to coincide with the 40 days of the victims of the targeting of the Community College prison in Dhamar.

The statement blamed the Arab Coalition for the crime of targeting the abductees, and the Houthi armed group was fully responsible for the crime.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172681

(* B K P)

The Gulf Attempts to Save Face as The Dominoes of War Fall in Yemen

It is clear that the international community and the United Nations have no positive vision in dealing with the Yemeni crisis or in ways to reach the end and provide treatments that satisfy all parties in Yemen, confirming that the major countries are still turning a blind eye to Saudi and Emirati crimes against the people. This is what we see through the confusion and the continuation of raids and cluster bombs that are falling daily in all Yemeni provinces.

Today, after a difficult period of aggression on Yemen, we see dominos of aggression falling day after day, and the geopolitical volatility of the Gulf, increasingly in the field of air warfare.

First: the equation of Yemeni flight, which broke and neutralized the Patriot systems, and the latest Aramco strikes in the Saudi depth of Abqaiq and Khurais.

Second, The development of the missile system: The development of ballistic missiles reached great rates in the light of the available capabilities.

Third: On the ground level, the major military fronts on the Yemeni-Saudi border were broken along with the Saudi army and its mercenaries. The most recent operation was the Victory of God, Fourth: The UAE’s fears against any targeted attacks on Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or elsewhere.

Fourth: The UAE’s fears against any targeted attacks on Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or elsewhere.

We note that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and the United Kingdom for the first time to varying points of view, according to messages in the scenes and test the Swedish agreement, are closer than ever to withdraw out of the quagmire, which comes after a year over convictions of the futility of a comprehensive military solution.

The Yemeni crisis will not change and change unless there is a strategic deterrent that guarantees the Yemeni people sovereignty, security, and stability – BY MAJED AL-WASHLY

https://ahtribune.com/world/north-africa-south-west-asia/war-on-yemen/3568-dominoes-of-war-fall.html

My comment: A pro-Houthi view.

(* B K P)

The Saudi-Iran conflict and Pakistan

The Gulf states, though rattled by the sheer brazenness of the attacks, also seem averse to the eruption of a full-scale war as it could damage their energy infrastructure, obstruct maritime cargo lanes and dramatically ratchet up the cost of the war. Diplomacy should, therefore, take centre stage. This is where Pakistan comes into the picture.

A few hiccups notwithstanding, Islamabad’s association with both Tehran and Riyadh has remained meaningful. Prime Minister Imran Khan is trustworthy, has no axe to grind and is flamboyantly spontaneous. His remarkable speech at the 74th UNGA session has manifestly added to his stature and he can approach both Tehran and Riyadh self-assuredly.

Indeed, the Prime Minister promptly initiated a diplomatic move in this regard after President Trump invited him to intervene in the matter. He met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the UNGA session in September and then held talks with Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. It is now time to move up a gear.

The Prime Minister should present a multi-pronged diplomatic plan to the Saudi and Iranian leadership, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President Trump.

The Secretary General should ask the Security Council, which has the requisite legal authority, to nominate a team of impartial weapons and forensic investigators with an unambiguous mandate to probe the Abqaiq and Khurais attacks. This is essential as no action should be taken against anyone without irrefutable evidence.

A UNSC-sponsored ceasefire should take effect in war-stricken Yemen whereby both Riyadh and the Houthis should stop targeting each other. Likewise, oil tankers in the Gulf waterways should not be attacked by the parties to the conflict. A m

As a parallel development, aid should be allowed to reach the 14 million distressed Yemenis to avert a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. A separate comprehensive plan should be devised in this connection

Evidently, the success of the peace initiative greatly depends on the efficacy of the humanitarian endeavour in Yemen.

During the investigations, Prime Minister Imran Khan should visit Iran and Saudi Arabia to keep the leadership of the two countries updated. A core group of senior Pakistani diplomats should assist him.

Once the investigation report is presented to the Security Council, further action could be contemplated as per the edicts of International Law.

This peace initiative by Prime Minister Imran Khan has the capacity not only to tame the chaos in the Middle East but also to catapult Pakistan to a position of eminence and respect. Pakistan possesses the requisite diplomatic finesse to act as the diplomat-in-chief of the Muslim world. It is time to put that finesse to good use – By Shariq Jamal Khan

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2078539/6-saudi-iran-conflict-pakistan/

(B P)

Journalists' Union: 25 violations against media freedoms during the third quarter of this year

The violations identified by the syndicate were divided between kidnappings with 12 cases 48%, attacks with 5 cases 20%, prohibition of work and photography by 4 cases 16%, threat of harm in two cases 8%, trial in one case 4%, and one case of torture 4%.

The legitimate government committed 9 cases with its various bodies and formations, 36% of all violations, while gunmen and supporters of the Transitional Council committed 8 cases 32%, the Houthi group committed 5 cases 20%, and unknown persons committed 3 cases 12%.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172604

(* B K P)

Why Iran and the U.S. are at an impasse and how to reduce Mideast tensions in spite of that

Why? The reality is that neither the United States nor Iran is serious about negotiations, despite the obvious advantages for both countries in reducing the tensions between them.

Trump wants to hold direct talks with Iran, but only while continuing to pursue a policy of maximum pressure and sanctions. That won’t fly with Iran. In Iran’s view, by pulling out of the nuclear deal, Trump left the negotiating table, and by sanctioning Iran’s supreme leader and foreign minister and designating the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, he killed any chance for negotiations.

The ill-advised U.S. policy of maximum pressure revolves around a central misconception that it will put enough economic pressure on Iran to force it to accept Trump’s maximalist demands.

Iran, for its part, is demanding concessions from the United States that the current administration is highly unlikely to agree to. Before any talks, Iran wants to reinstate the JCPOA and eliminate all sanctions that were reimposed after the nuclear deal. These are rational requests given that the JCPOA, the most comprehensive nonproliferation agreement in the history of nonproliferation, was ratified as U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 and that Iran was in full compliance with the terms and conditions of the deal. However, since Trump has frequently called the nuclear agreement “the worst deal ever” and a “disaster,” accepting Iran’s precondition for talks is probably a non-starter — especially with his 2020 reelection campaign looming.

Given the impasse between Iran and the United States, the most immediate and realistic step toward reducing tensions in the Middle East would be to set aside the idea of negotiations between the two countries for now and instead focus on facilitating direct negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia to discuss, among other things, putting an end to the devastating war in Yemen.

An alternative to bilateral talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia would be for the U.N. secretary-general to take initiative and invite both countries, as well as member countries of the European Union and permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to hold a dialogue aimed at ending the bloodshed in Yemen.

Such talks would of courses benefit the Yemeni people, but they could also go a long way toward reducing tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia – by Seyed Hossein Mousavian

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-10-11/iran-sanctions-trump-talks-nuclear-saudi-arabia

(A K pH)

Aggression Forces Launch Dozens Of Airstrikes, Ground Attacks In 2 Days

https://sabanews.net/en/news3075503.htm

(* B K P)

Reden statt Schießen

Die Angriffe auf das Herzstück der saudischen Ölindustrie haben Auswirkungen weit über die beiden Konkurrenten Iran und Saudi-Arabien hinaus. Eine Analyse aus der International Crisis Group nimmt alle betroffenen Staaten in den Blick. Vor allem eine diplomatische Offensive zur Beilegung des Bürgerkriegs im Jemen könnte die Kriegsgefahr in der Region noch entschärfen.

Die Nichtregierungsorganisation International Crisis Group (ICG) hat in der jüngeren Vergangenheit mehrfach vor einem regionalen Flächenbrand gewarnt, sollte es im Nahen und Mittleren Osten neben dem Kriegsschauplatz Jemen eine weitere militärische Konfrontation zwischen den USA und Saudi-Arabien auf der einen und Iran auf der anderen Seite geben.

Die Nichtregierungsorganisation International Crisis Group (ICG) hat in der jüngeren Vergangenheit mehrfach vor einem regionalen Flächenbrand gewarnt, sollte es im Nahen und Mittleren Osten neben dem Kriegsschauplatz Jemen eine weitere militärische Konfrontation zwischen den USA und Saudi-Arabien auf der einen und Iran auf der anderen Seite geben.

Kann der Flächenbrand überhaupt noch verhindert werden? Und wenn ja, wie? Die von früheren Regierungschefs, Außenministern, Diplomaten und Wirtschaftsvertretern getragene ICG zeigt in ihrem „360-Grad-Rundblick“ die unterschiedlichen Interessen in der Krisenregion auf und skizziert eine mögliche Lösung.

Wie auch immer: Die USA und ihre Verbündeten werten die Attacken vom 14. September als Angriff auf das Herz der saudischen Ölproduktion und die globale Ölinfrastruktur – egal ob indirekt durch Stellvertreter beziehungsweise Verbündete Teherans oder direkt durch das iranische Regime. Die USA und Saudi-Arabien stehen nun vor der schwierigen Frage, wie sie auf die Herausforderung reagieren sollen, ohne eine regionale Kettenreaktion auszulösen, die neben dem Iran auch den Jemen, Irak, Syrien, den Libanon und Israel erfassen könnte.

Zwischen Krieg und Frieden – Schlussfolgerungen

Nach den Angriffen auf Abiqaig und Khurais ist die Gefahr eines großen regionalen Konflikts, der vom Iran über die Arabische Halbinsel, den Iran, Syrien und Israel bis ans Mittelmeer reicht, zweifellos so groß wie lange nicht mehr. Ein unkalkulierbarer Faktor ist in diesem Zusammenhang auch die erratische Politik von US-Präsident Trump.

Vor diesem komplexen Hintergrund erscheinen die von den Huthi-Rebellen geforderten direkten Verhandlungen mit Riad tatsächlich als Königsweg aus der Kriseneskalation. Denn der jemenitische Bürgerkrieg ist ein destabilisierender Faktor für den gesamten Nahen und Mittleren Osten. Außerdem entwickeln die Huthis mit Hilfe Irans modernere Waffensysteme, die ihre Nachbarn in der Golfregion zunehmend bedrohen. Die vergangenen Jahre haben gezeigt, dass es keine Alternative zu einem Verhandlungsfrieden gibt.

https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/konjunktur/research-institute/geopolitische-analyse-reden-statt-schiessen/25105498.html

(* B H K P)

Yemen, un Paese "sotto tortura" da 5 anni ormai prossimo a diventare il più povero del mondo

Lo Yemen è "sotto tortura" da anni per un conflitto sanguinoso che ha innescato la più grave crisi umanitaria dalla Seconda guerra mondiale. E' di oggi la notizia secondo la quale diventerà anche il Paese più povero al mondo, se la guerra dovesse continuare in un prossimo futuro.

Le ragioni di un conflitto così lungo e spaventoso

Lo Yemen - al di là del racconto quasi esclusivamente "umanitario" che se ne fa, tra i civili uccisi, gli sfollati, gli stupri, il colera... - ha una sua grande rilevanza strategica. Non ci vuole molto a capire la portata cruciale di questo Paese: basta dare uno sguardo alla carta geografica, per capire le ragioni per cui i gruppi jihadisti come Al Qaeda abbiano avuto facilie accesso e perché gli USA e l'Arabia Saudita coalizzati siano lì a tutelare i loro enormi interessi interessi.

Quando la posizione geografica gioca un ruolo ostile.

Il destino di un popolo non è mai disgiunto dalla posizione geografica dove ha radicato la sua storia, la sua cultura, la sua economia. Gli yemeniti, dunque, non godono di una situazione geopolitica "amica". La riconquista del porto di Hudaya, città portuale assediata dalla coalizione USA-Arabia Saudita per essere strappata dalle mani delle forze armate filoiraniane degli Houthi, non ha altro scopo se non quello di riconquistare una postazione di importanza strategica sulle rotte che solcano il Mar Rosso. In particolare, c'è da tener d'occhio lo stretto di Bab el Mandeb, dove tutti i Paesi che si affacciano su quel mare, colossi economici regionali come l’Arabia Saudita e Israele, non possono prescindere dal volume di traffici commerciali che si muovono proprio lì. Un luogo che - se si osserva ancora una volta una carta geografica - altro non è che il cancello d'ingresso del Canale di Suez.

https://www.repubblica.it/solidarieta/emergenza/2019/10/11/news/yemen-238251083/

(* B P)

From Aug. 2015: Yemen: Another Somalia in the Arabian Peninsula

The Yemeni conflict has both internal and external dimensions. The main catalyst of the internal roots of the conflict is the unequal development interventions among the Yemeni regions that generated fragmented governance structures and disordered societies which in reality fabricated very fragile relations. This has led certain groups of the Yemeni citizens accumulate catalogue of grievances, therefore, justify their opposition against the state. Not only the internal drivers, but, and without doubt, since the creation of the modern Yemeni state, it has been a laboratory of external initiatives and multiple interventions that complicated the situation and shaped the Yemen’s state political dynamics. This prepared the state to pass through political, social, and economic turmoil which broke the hope and aspiration of the citizens. This study argues that the genesis, drivers, and actors of the Yemeni conflict are varied from one to another, yet the major drivers of the conflict are local, but the roles of external actors who persistently engaged in the conflict for political reasons remain apparent. It dismisses that the external actors, both from the region and beyond will bring peace and stability to Yemen. The study proposes possible solutions to some critical issues include: how inclusive Yemeni state can stand on its feet vis-à-vis its quest for long lasting political stability to overcome the very weaknesses of its institutions, thus, strengthen the capacity of the state in the long-term.

https://www.academia.edu/15061934/Yemen_Another_Somalia_in_the_Arabian_Peninsula?auto=bookmark

cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A K P)

[Sanaa gov.] Yemen President warns Saudi-led coalition ‘not to seize fuel shipments’

President of the Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat on Sunday warned the Saudi-led coalition for the second time “not to seize imported fuel shipments in the Red Sea”, considering it as “an arbitrary measure aimed to disregard suffering of the Yemeni people.”

http://en.ypagency.net/137332/

(A K P)

[Sanaa gov.] Deputy PM Calls UN To Intervene To Release Held Oil Ships

Deputy Prime Minister for Services and Development Dr. Hussein Maqbouli called for the United Nations’ intervention to release the imported oil derivatives ships held by Saudi-led coalition to alleviate the worsening humanitarian situation.

https://sabanews.net/en/news3075845.htm

(* B K P)

Yemen’s Cholera Outbreak Is About to Get Worse

Yemen’s cholera epidemic and humanitarian crisis threaten to get even worse.

Higher fuel prices not only raise the cost of food in a country devastated by war and wracked by famine, and they also contribute to the health crisis by affecting how much fuel people can use to power generators and water pumps. Without fuel to run water pumps and water trucks to bring fresh water, Yemeni civilians cannot get clean drinking water and risk contracting cholera or other waterborne diseases. At least 18 million people in Yemen lack access to clean water, and that is a result of repeated attacks on Yemen’s infrastructure, including water systems and sewage treatment plants. As the report notes, more than 620,000 cases of cholera have already been identified so far this year. There will likely be hundreds of thousands more by the end of the year. Save the Children explained in their statement that the government’s requirement to pay the duty in Aden has caused both delays in delivering goods and an increase in their cost.

The fuel shortage further compounds the health crisis in Yemen by attacking public sanitation. A lack of fuel means that sanitation workers can’t remove trash, and so it piles up in the streets of the capital and contributes to the spread of disease.

Once again, a decision by the Hadi government has imposed greater hardship on the people of Yemen when they are already in the midst of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. This is the same government that the U.S. supports and has been trying to force back into power – by Daniel Larison

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/yemens-cholera-outbreak-is-about-to-get-worse/ = https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2019/10/12/yemens-cholera-outbreak-is-about-to-get-worse/

(* A K P)

Aggression Coalition Holds Tenth Oil Derivatives Tanker, Ignoring Repercussions

The coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has detained a new oil derivatives tanker to be added to other vessels, which are banned from entering Hodeidah port for about 60 days ago, ignoring warnings of "catastrophic humanitarian consequences."

An official source at the Yemeni Petroleum Company announced Friday that: "The aggression alliance has seized a new ship not caring about the warnings of the company and various vital sectors and services."

The official source in the company explained that "the number of oil derivatives tankers that are detained by the coalition to this day has increased to 10 tankers. The coalition has prevented their entry into the port of Hodeidah for the 57th day without any justification."

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9253

(A K P)

[Hadi] Government addresses UN with a letter defending decision to collect duties and customs for shipments of oil derivatives

The Yemeni government has defended its decision to supply customs duties and taxes on shipments of oil derivatives before any shipment is imported, including those destined for the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah.

This was made in a letter sent by the Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdullah al-Saadi, to Mark Lowcock, under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and relief coordinator.

According to the Economic Committee's Facebook page, the letter clarified the nature and objectives of the government's resolution 49 for 2019.

The letter accused Houthi militias of causing a fuel crisis in areas of submission and hampering the government's efforts to pay civilian salaries.

The government said in its letter that Resolution 49 is a traditional revenue sovereign law in force in all countries of the world, which the coup has disrupted its implementation during the past period.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172633

and also https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1943941/yemen%E2%80%99s-legitimate-govt-stresses-adherence-collect-oil-imports-duties

My comment: This is putting upside down. By this means the Hadi government tries to make money and to impose its claimed “legitimacy” in northern Yemen.

And

(A K P)

Yemen’s [Hadi] government: ready to supply fuel to Houthi-controlled areas

Yemeni government is willing to provide fuel to Houthi-controlled areas for lower prices than the ones set by the militants, Saudi state agency SPA reported on Saturday.

Yemen’s permanent representative to the United Nations Abdullah Al-Saadi told the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock about the decision.

The private sector in Houthi-controlled areas is ready to follow through the decision of importing oil and fuel from the Aden refinery solely, but they are “being pressured by the Houthi militants,” he added.

Fuel traders are being continuously pressured by the militia to violate rules, Al-Saadi added.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1568171/middle-east

My comment: This sounds like bullshit.

(A K P)

YPC: Aggression Continues Detain Oil Tankers for 57th Day

Yemen Petroleum Company confirmed on Friday that the aggression coalition continues to hold oil ships for more than 57 days and prevents them from reaching the Hodeidah port to cover the citizens needs.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9241

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51F98WvGpRw

(* B H K)

As a reminder: Group of Eminent Experts: Siege on Yemen Contravenes Law, Creates Largest Humanitarian Crisis in the World

The UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen confirmed that the economic and military siege imposed on Yemen by the coalition had devastating effects and produced the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

The recent report of the Group of Eminent Experts showed that access restrictions imposed by the coalition, such as the naval blockade and the closure of Sana'a International Airport, both contributed significantly to the deterioration of the Yemeni economy and reinforced the current humanitarian crisis, including increased Obstructing the delivery of relief supplies.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9263

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B H)

UNDPYemen: In #partnership with @USAIDMiddleEast, @SFDYemen and @SMEPSYEMEN, we minimize the impact of #war on #Yemenis by: investing in human and natural capitals; helping Yemenis lead dignified lives; and preserving critical services and goods.

https://twitter.com/SMEPSYEMEN/status/1183376629797666816

My comment: Partnership with USAID = Dancing with the devil.

(B H)

Save a Family in Yemen!

Human Needs Development-HND, is a Yemeni nonprofit organization based in the capital of Yemen, Sanaa.

HND aims to prevent and alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable people in Yemen in the face of absence of most human basic life’s needs such as foods, water, education and health.

For more information about HND please visit our FACEBOOK OR TWITTER !

https://fundrazr.com/SaveAFamilyInYemen?ref=ab_24MCHhsUvly24MCHhsUvly

(* B H)

Film: War in Yemen above the clouds

A remote village high mountainous in the region of Harraz in Yemen has not managed to escape the devastating economic impact of the war.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWHqhKmC1Ho = https://www.middleeasteye.net/video/war-yemen-above-clouds

(A H)

Al-Razi hospital administration in Abyan governorate warns of stopping operations completely as a result of lack of medical staff and supplies. More than 30 doctors stopped working in the hospital because their salaries were not paid.

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1183014707390640129

(B H)

Film: Family Emergency Kits for Yemen

GlobalMedic packed 1440 Family Emergency Kits for war affected families in Yemen. Each kit contained a household water purification unit, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, oral rehydration salts and a solar light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dnRtuo0sF0

(* B H)

UN Development Programme: Solar Energy Programming - Operational Guideline

Yemen, is now one of the world’s most energy insecure and poor country, with most of the country lacking sustainable access to energy. Even before the conflict, rural areas holding 75% of the national population had only 23% energy access rates. The ongoing conflict has made the situation dramatically worse, it is estimated that the access to electricity had dropped to below 10 percent due to extensive damage to the national grid and fuel shortage across the country. In general, energy supply in Yemen for many years has been very limited due to weak generation capacity, limited access, high electricity losses from the grid, and increasing demand. Energy access in Yemen has been heavily dependent on local diesel generators to meet the needs of social services, businesses, as well as irrigation pumping needs of farmers.

The collapse of electricity combined with price and the severe shortage of fuel needed to operate social services, businesses and household generators (for those who can afford them) has restricted most people access to basic social services such as healthcare, water supply, education, as well as lighting and the ability to power home electric appliances. Yemen is therefore left with the option of solar systems, serving better-off households, farmers, small to medium-sized enterprises; however, it is still used in smallscale.

UNDP realized that there is a need to have an operational guideline that will support solar programming in other agencies, private sector, and local communities.

https://www.ye.undp.org/content/yemen/en/home/library/solar-energy-programming-operational-guideline.html = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/solar-energy-programming-operational-guideline

(B H)

WHO and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation working together to fight malnutrition in Yemen

WHO and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) are working together to fight malnutrition in Yemen. This valued partner has generously donated critical funding in the amount of EUR 2 million in support of the nutrition response in Yemen.

https://scalingupnutrition.org/news/who-and-the-italian-agency-for-development-cooperation-working-together-to-fight-malnutrition-in-yemen/

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

(B H)

Relief and Development Peer Foundation: RDP is Supporting IDPs – But Still More in Jeopardy

In a life of a displaced family – only children pay the price!

Many parents have displaced to safer areas, trying to protect their little children from the intensified armed conflicts, yet children still face an imminent risk of famine and death.

What if a family header was greatly suffering from oral cancer?

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/rdp-supporting-idps-still-more-jeopardy

(A H)

Two children die in a fire in a camp for displaced people in Marib governorate

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172665

(* B H P)

Yemenis in Cairo: Neither refugee nor citizen

Once in Egypt, Yemeni citizens can access healthcare and government schools on the same footing as the locals, but little else is available. Receiving an asylum seeker’s yellow card provides protection from detention and deportation, yet many of the people who spoke to Egyptian Streets said they struggled to see the use of the card, and had chosen not to renew it given the few services available, and the fact that they found their cases did not progress.

UNHCR External Relations Officer Christine Beshay told Egyptian Streets that while Yemeni nationals can be recorded as asylum seekers in Cairo they will not be considered for refugee status determination, “in line with regional UNHCR policy.”

Media attache to the Yemeni embassy Baligh al-Makhlafi told Egyptian Streets that the total number of Yemeni nationals in Egypt is not officially recorded, yet he estimated around 40,000, some of whom he said will be passing through Egypt, some staying. As of April this year around 9,067 Yemenis have registered with UNHCR Egypt as asylum-seekers, says Beshay, adding that this figure is up from 3,428 in 2017.

Media attache to the Yemeni embassy Baligh al-Makhlafi told Egyptian Streets that the total number of Yemeni nationals in Egypt is not officially recorded, yet he estimated around 40,000, some of whom he said will be passing through Egypt, some staying. As of April this year around 9,067 Yemenis have registered with UNHCR Egypt as asylum-seekers, says Beshay, adding that this figure is up from 3,428 in 2017.

Despite the thousands of files belonging to Yemeni citizens in UNHCR’s Cairo offices, as of 2018 only 19 were granted full refugee status.

Meanwhile, if Yemenis do not hold a yellow card, they are required to renew a residence permit at a costly rate of LE1,000 every six months. What’s more, Koboul and Anjila told me that many Yemenis find they are unable to work officially, since Egyptian employers are required to prove that Yemenis have skills which are not available from Egyptian laborers to do the job before hiring employees of other nationalities.

This means that while lots of people leave Yemen with savings, Anjila and Koboul said, these start to dwindle away, as work in the informal sector, mostly in restaurants, or as brokers, can come with wages as low as LE1,000 to 2,000 a month.

Meanwhile, the support for Yemenis is limited, and don’t help their professional circumstances

While Yemeni refugees struggle to obtain official recognition, some, like Ameen, may begin seeking a more dangerous route across North Africa and the Mediterranean – by Emma Scolding

https://egyptianstreets.com/2019/07/08/yemenis-fleeing-the-forgotten-war-find-themselves-forgotten-in-cairo/

(* B H)

UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 11 October 2019

UNHCR Sub Office (SO) Aden distributed emergency items including mosquito nets, water buckets, jerry cans, soap, and plastic sheets to 300 IDP families affected by heavy rains and floods in Aden and Lahj governorates. Assessments are still ongoing to identify families in need of support. Meanwhile, some 1,000 families who were displaced due to fighting were also assisted across the southern districts of Hudaydah, Taizz, Hadramaut, Al Mahrah and Shabwah governorates.

Despite widespread fighting in the country, the humanitarian crisis and risks of abuse – the number of new arrivals to Yemen has spiked this year. The International Organization for Migration estimates that some 97,096 people have arrived in the first eight months of 2019 and 37,224 between April and May;

UNHCR’s Protection partner Intersos manages two reception centres for refugees and asylum-seekers with specific needs in Lahj and Aden governorates

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-11-october-2019 = http://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/UNHCR%20Yemen%20Operational%20Update%20-%2011OCT19.pdf

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

(A P)

Professor at Sana’a University Abducted, His Family Appeals to Houthis to Release Him

Head of Gynaecology & Obstetrics Department at Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in Sana’a University Professor Tawfeeq Al Busaili was abducted on October 9 in the rebel-held capital Sana’a by an armed group affiliated with Houthi militia.

Al Busaili’s family said in a press release that they were shocked by the inhumane way he was abducted, saying the armed group did not take his scientific profile or age into consideration.

https://republicanyemen.net/archives/21397

(A P)

This past week in #Yemen, a journalist has been threatened and intimidated by the Houthi militia. He wrote the militia sent gunmen to a house he is building and ordered to confiscate his property in Sanaa. In Shabwa province, 2 journalists were arrested by pro-government forces.

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1183452295100370944

(A P)

Menschenrechtler: Bahai im Jemen werden verfolgt

Angehörigen der Bahai-Religion im Jemen drohen nach Einschätzung von Menschenrechtlern künftig Abschiebung und Vertreibung. Am Dienstag werde in dem Bürgerkriegsland über das Todesurteil gegen den Bahai Hamed bin Haydara entschieden

Die klagende Staatsanwaltschaft fordere Maßnahmen, um den Bahai die Ausübung ihrer Religion im Jemen gänzlich zu verbieten, so die Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (GfbV) am Sonntag im deutschen Göttingen. Zudem sei der Fall richtungsweisend für 25 weitere laufende Strafverfahren gegen jemenitische Bahai.

Haydara wurde 2018 aufgrund seines Glaubens vor einem Huthi-Sondergericht verurteilt. Die offizielle Anklage basiert den Menschenrechtlern zufolge „auf unbegründeten Vorwürfen der Apostasie und der Spionage für Israel“.

https://religion.orf.at/stories/2992883/

(A P)

USCIRF Raises Alarm Over Reports that Houthi Court in Yemen May Deport Baha’is

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is alarmed over reports that a Houthi court in Yemen may deport and confiscate the assets of its Baha’i citizens. A Houthi judge has called for an appraisal of the Baha’i community’s assets ahead of an October 15 court hearing for its leader, Hamid bin Haydara, who was adopted in 2018 by USCIRF Commissioner Andy Khawaja as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoner of Conscience Project.

https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/press-releases-statements/uscirf-raises-alarm-over-reports-houthi-court-in-yemen-may

(A P)

Injured in clashes between tribal and Houthi gunmen charged with confiscating land in Ibb

Armed clashes took place in Ibb province on Sunday between tribal and Houthi gunmen who were commissioned to confiscate vast areas of land belonging to citizens.

Local sources told Al-Masdar online that the clashes used light and medium weapons between tribal gunmen and Houthi elements in Jabal al-Muram, southwest of Ibb City.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172680

and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33692

(A P)

Mohammed al-Houthi speaks on following path of Martyr President Ibrahim al-Hamdi

Commemoration of 1977 assassination of Yemeni president attended by top Yemeni officials

Al-Houthi pointed out that those who kill the Yemeni people today in the Saudi-led aggression coalition are the killers of al-Hamdi yesterday, those whobstood against al-Hamdi’s project of liberation and independence.

“The Gulf states do not understand the right to have their own independent decision because their decision depends on the Americans,” he said.

He noted that closed files in the assassination must be reopened for the truth and that the nation could only develop on the basis of justice.

https://www.uprising.today/mohammed-al-houthi-speaks-on-following-path-of-martyr-president-ibrahim-al-hamdi/

(A H P)

Yemeni Ambassador In Tehran Discusses Cooperation With ICRC

Yemen’s ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran Ibrahim al-Dailami on Saturday discussed with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representative in Tehran Reto Stocker the cooperation aspects in the humanitarian field.

https://sabanews.net/en/news3075841.htm

(A P)

Parliament Resumes Convening On Saturday

https://sabanews.net/en/news3075839.htm

(* A P)

Houthis Kidnap Civilians in Five Yemeni Governorates

Iranian-backed Houthi militias have intensified crackdowns on residents and travelers in five Yemeni provinces over the past few days, according to residents and human rights sources.
The Houthi campaigns targeted several opponents in the governorates of Al-Jawf, Sanaa, Dhamar, Taiz, and Al-Bayda, in continuation of the group's policy aimed at terrorizing the population.
According to the sources, the Houthi repressive actions extended to reach the educational and health sectors through arbitrary dismissal decisions from the civil service against dozens of employees.
The sources pointed out that the dismissal decisions targeted more than 200 employees in the Office of the Ministry of Education under the group's control, as well as six doctors in the province of Mahweet.
Meanwhile, the Houthi militias affirmed they had arrested 64 civilians in just ten days in the provinces of al-Jawf, Taiz, Dhamar, al-Bayda, and Taiz, claiming they were loyal to the legitimate government and the coalition supporting it.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1943641/houthis-kidnap-civilians-five-yemeni-governorates

My comment: As claimed by a Saudi news site, must be read with caution.

(A P)

[Hadi gov.] Minister of Human Rights: 320 women still detained in Houthi militia prisons

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172602

(A H P)

#Houthi militia fires many doctors and assistants from Al-#Mahweet Province's Al-Rujum City Hospital for their unwillingness to attend what Houthis call cultural courses. These are courses are meant to teach and promote Houthi sectarian ideas and beliefs!

https://twitter.com/Yemen24/status/118287438748310323

referring to https://twitter.com/RiyadhAldubai/status/1182745566515793927

(A K P)

FM Warns Of Any Military Escalation South Of Red Sea

Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf on Friday warned of the repercussions of targeting an Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea.

“Such irresponsible provocative acts give an opportunity for external parties to increase the intensity of differences between some countries in the region,” Sharaf said in a statement.

https://sabanews.net/en/news3075500.htm

(A K P)

Jemen: Ansarallah-Bewegung kritisiert amerikanische Truppenaufstockung in Saudi-Arabien

Angesichts der durch Washington angekündigten Truppenaufstockung in Saudi-Arabien hat die Ansarallah-Bewegung bekräftigt, dass das, was die USA mit 14000 Soldaten nicht erreicht hätten, könnten sie auch mit mehr Soldaten nicht erreichen.

"Mohammed Ali Al Houthi", ein Mitglied des Zentralrats der Ansarallah-Bewegung, schrieb am Freitagabend auf seinem Twitter, statt Soldaten in den Nahen Osten zu entsenden, und dort noch mehr Mord zu begehen und noch mehr Blutvergießen zu verursachen, solle die US-Regierung zur friedlichen Koexistenz der Völker und zur Ausweitung von Demokratie beitragen.

https://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i49313-jemen_ansarallah_bewegung_kritisiert_amerikanische_truppenaufstockung_in_saudi_arabien

(A K P)

Yemen Not Concerned About Increasing US Forces In Middle East: Al-Houthi

A member of the Supreme Political Council Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said, “The Yemeni people doesn’t get worried about increasing the US troops in the Middle East.”

Al-Houthi added “It would be better for Trump, his administration, to send out plans for joint coexistence, equal citizenship and democracy, instead of sending more thousands of US military personnel and war and destruction for their allies or free people to the Middle East region.”

https://sabanews.net/en/news3075547.htm

and

(A K P)

Al-Houthi calls on US to ‘learn from Vietnam’ as US announces deployment in Saudi Arabia

Head of Yemen's Supreme Revolutionary Committee has called on the US to "learn from Vietnam" after Washington announced plans to deploy about 2,000 additional troops to Saudi Arabia.

An “increase in numbers does not mean victory,” Mohammed Ali al-Houthi warned in a series of tweets, adding the US should also learn from its “useless wars” in countries such as Yemen and Iraq.

The official vowed that the Yemeni nation would continue its resistance against Saudi Arabia and other countries which are supported by the US in their war on the impoverished nation.

“Your previous forces, weapons and military commanders, which proved that the US is killing the Yemeni people, did not frighten us,” he said.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/10/12/608496/Learn-from-Vietnam

(* B K P)

Houthi movement

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Islamic political and armed movement. For the tribe in northern Yemen, see Houthi tribe. For other uses of Ansar Allah, see Ansar Allah.

The Houthi movement, officially called Ansar Allah, "Supporters of God”, and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamic political and armed movement that emerged from Sa'dah in northern Yemen in the 1990s. The movement was called Houthis because its founder is from the Houthi tribe.[44] They are of the Zaidi sect, though the movement reportedly also includes Sunnis.[45][10][46] Under the leadership of Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, the group emerged as an opposition to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they charged with massive financial corruption and criticized for being backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States[35] at the expense of the Yemeni people[47] and Yemen's sovereignty.[48] Resisting Saleh's order for his arrest,[49] Hussein was killed in Sa'dah in 2004 along with a number of his guards by the Yemeni army, sparking the Houthi insurgency in Yemen.[50] Since then, except for a short intervening period, the movement has been led by his brother Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.[49]

The Houthi movement attracts its Zaidi-Shia followers in Yemen by promoting regional political-religious issues in its media, including the overarching U.S.–Israeli conspiracy and Arab "collusion".[51][52] In 2003, the Houthis' slogan "God is great, death to the US, death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam", became the group's trademark.[52] Houthi officials, however, have rejected the literal interpretation of the slogan.[53]

The movement's expressed goals include combating economic underdevelopment and political marginalization in Yemen while seeking greater autonomy for Houthi-majority regions of the country.[54] They also claim to support a more democratic non-sectarian republic in Yemen.[55] The Houthis have made fighting corruption the centerpiece of their political program.[35]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houthi_movement

(A P)

Martyrdom of former President Ibrahim al-Hamdi commemorated

President of Yemen was assassinated 42 years ago in Saudi plot

Yemeni political movement the Nasserist Reform Organisation had on Thursday marked the 42nd anniversary of the martyrdom of President of Yemen Ibrahim al-Hamdi, with an event at the Cultural Centre in the capital Sana’a.

“During the period of President Al-Hamdi, in which he came to build a future state, our wickes neighbour Saudi Arabia, carried out an assassination plot against him in,” said Sultan al-Sami, a member of the Supreme Political Council.

https://www.uprising.today/martyrdom-of-former-president-ibrahim-al-hamdi-commemorated/

(A K P)

Al-Houthi: We Support Any Solution to End Conflict in Taiz or Elsewhere

Member of the Supreme Political Council Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi affirmed support to any solution leads to ending conflict in Taiz or any other province.

We are with any solution that many ends conflict in Taiz province or elsewhere,” Al-Houthi said on Twitter late on Thursday. “We did everything we could to prevent conflict in the province, but Islah party imposed the battle.”

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9233

and also https://sabanews.net/en/news3075458.htm

(* B P)

Houthis eliminate the last potential challenge to their ideology; bookshops

As part of their efforts to eliminate any thing and everything that has the potential to be a source of challenge to their radical Shia Islamic ideology, Houthis are closing bookshops and bookstores in their areas of control in north Yemen.
"The Houthi militia has stormed bookstores and bookshops here because they want no books opposite to the Shia Twelverist ideology on display," a source in the militant-controlled capital Sana'a told Saba.
He said the militia wants books that glorify the theocratic dynasty of Hashemites (Houthi ancestors) to be on view.
Other sources, on the condition of anonymity said the extremist militia is inflicting its sectarian books, (which exude with dynastical racism, bigotry and instigation of murder of oppositionists,) on the front of bookshops and bookstores.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13503

My comment: As described by an anti-Houthi pro-southern separatists news site.

(B K P)

Prisoners in the war: A new episode of Houthi crimes

As the Houthi coup militia intensifies its shelling and targeting of the joint forces' positions in the Duraimi district, south of Hodeidah, western Yemen, it suffers from a shortage of terrorist elements due to the successive defeats it has suffered during the past months. The coup group tends to force state employees to join the fighting, and has also sought the use of prisoners to make up for this shortfall.

A Yemeni source in one of the jails of the coupists said in press statements that the Houthis released a large number of prisoners after signing statements confirming their joining of the fronts to fight in the ranks of the Houthis and overturn the penal provisions and give them the title of Mujahideen.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13504

My comment: As described by an anti-Houthi pro-southern separatists news site.

cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B P)

A revolution on the airwaves: after Al Qaeda, radio in Yemen's Mukalla is experiencing a renaissance

More than 12 new radio stations have popped up across Mukalla since UAE-backed forces ousted Al Qaeda from the city

Journalists at those stations say their programmes mean they can spread awareness about vital issues such as education and disease, and prepare locals for destructive cyclones that often hit Yemen’s coastal areas.

But Nama is just one example of an increasing number of radio stations that have emerged in Mukalla over the past three years. One reason for the rapid growth in new stations is the peace and tranquillity that residents of Mukalla and other neighbouring cities have enjoyed since UAE-backed Yemeni troops ousted Al Qaeda militants in April 2016. It has also become

https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/a-revolution-on-the-airwaves-after-al-qaeda-radio-in-yemen-s-mukalla-is-experiencing-a-renaissance-1.923081

My comment: By an UAE news site, of course praising the role of the UAE.

(A P)

The Security Forces in Aden foiled an attempt at smuggling 10,000 passports to Taiz

The discovery came at a time when the Ministry of Interior refused to issue new passports to thousands of southern soldiers who were injured in the war, who needed to travel abroad for treatment.
While the injured soldiers are suffering from their wounds the legitimate governments' representatives continued to show no mercy towards its soldiers and have been trading with the passports and the soldiers’ lives.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13513

My remark: By the separatists’ news site.

(A P)

[Separatist militia leader] Maj.Gen.Ben Berek :The Interior Ministry Emplyees will soon be paid their wages

A senior leader in the Southern Transitional Council announced that the Ministry of Interior salaries in Aden are ready to be distributed. The salaries of the Ministry of Defense will follow. The salaries are scheduled to be paid as soon as possible.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13512

(A P)

The STC is Practicing what a responsible Leadership does to Achieve the Peoples' will

Member of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council Lutfi Shatara reiterated that the STC’s team in Jeddah, headed by its leader Major General Aidroos Al-Zubaidi, is doing what a responsible leadership does to achieve the will of the people of the south, which is to restore their independent state.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13511

My comment: This statement shows that there hardly will be any peaceful solution to the conflict in Southern Yemen.

(A P)

Chairman of Shabwa Local Leadership: Today the South Has the Will and Determination Different from Previous Years

In a brief encounter with Sheikh Ali Al-Slimani, chairman of Shabwa local leadership, we talked about the dignity and honor of the south with an honorable figure of the south. We asked him a few questions which he answered willingly.

What is the vision of the Southern Transitional Council?

The council has a clear political and diplomatic vision about the southern cause and southern independence. Our constitution draws a road map with central bases that gather all southern leaderships and figures to guarantee the dignity and rights of the south that our people sacrifices a lot for gaining them. today, everyone should work and support the unified plan to provide all southern citizens with daily living essentials and services that became a nightmare for us all due to the poor economic conditions and corruption of the legitimacy government that works on increasing our suffering. Now, it is time to stop all this corruption and unjust.

We will remain together at the same side for the south and the southern flag, regardless those enemies of the south. https://en.smanews.org/chairman-of-shabwa-local-leadership-today-the-south-has-the-will-and-determination-different-from-previous-years (* A K P)

UAE deploys three new brigades to Abyan

Deployment coincides with Saudi power grab on Security Belt militia

The UAE occupation forces on Saturday pushed three military brigades to Abyan province, southern Yemen, local sources reported.

According to local sources, the UAE sent three military brigades that were brought from the West Coast Front, left Aden and arrived in the Sheikh Salem area on the outskirts of Zinjibar city in the past hours.

The sources confirmed that the UAE’s dispatch of military brigades to Abyan comes in conjunction with the appointment of Ahmed Nasser Salem al-Asiri as commander of the so-called Security Belt forces in Abyan, replacing Abdul Latif al-Sayed. Earlier, Al Sayed already rejected a decision to appoint an officer called Yasser al-Yafei as his successor,

The sources explained that the position of al-Sayed about the decision was not clear, and was likely made under the pressure of the UAE.

Tribal sources also suggested that the new commander al-Asiri’s appointment comes within the framework of Saudi orders, stressing the association of the commander to al-Qaeda and to the Saudi intelligence service.

Saudi Arabia has a strong influence within the militias of, which recently enabled it to reach Aden with the aid of Hadi’s forces about a month ago, before the UAE was able to bomb them on the outskirts of Aden.

https://www.uprising.today/uae-deploys-three-new-brigades-to-abyan/

(A P)

President Hadi orders completing arrangements to operate Arryan airport

PresidentAbd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi gave instructions to the Governor of Hadramout Maj. General Faraj al-Bohssoni to get final arrangements accomplished to re-open Arryan international airport to serve the population of the governorate and entire Yemen.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172679

(A K P)

UAE-backed militants abduct two government officials

The militants kidnapped on Tuesday commander of the bodyguard to the Minister of Interior, Al-Khadr Jadeeb, his brother Nasser Jadeeb and two of his escort in Abyan.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33662

(A P)

Socotra Demands Muslim Brotherhood Governor to Leave

On Thursday October 10th, 2019, a massive demonstration marched the streets of Hadibo, capital of Socotra governorate, demanding Ramzy Majrous, Muslim Brotherhood governor, to leave in addition to rejecting Al-Eslah Policies in the Archipelago.

https://en.smanews.org/socotra-demands-muslim-brotherhood-governor-to-leave

My comment: Separatists’ propaganda narrative. „Socotra“ here is: separatists’ supporters; “Muslim Brotherhood Governor” = Hadi government governor.

(A P)

Socotra residents remove UAE flags from public areas

Authorities and residents ban together to destroy symbols of Emirati occupation

https://www.uprising.today/socotra-residents-remove-uae-flags-from-public-areas/

(B P)

UAE illegally seizing land in Socotra island

Report reveals Emiratis stealing land on protected natural reserves

Media sources have revealed that the UAE-appointed ruler of the Yemeni island of Socotra, Khalfan al-Mazrouei, is in the process of acquiring 150,000 square meters of land on the Dixam plateau, a protected area in the center of the island.

US website Lobelog cited the Hadi regime governor of Socotra island as saying that the UAE ruler on the island “has extended his control over land in the protected Dixam Plateau in the center of the archipelago.

In his remarks, the governor accused the UAE-run Khalifa Bin Zayed Charitable Foundation of carrying out suspicious acts on the island under the guise of humanitarian action.

These charitable organisations hide a more devious objective: buying the allegiance of Socotra’s residents, and enabling UAE traders and investors to conduct business on the island under their cover.

“They have enabled UAE and other GCC citizens to purchase plots of Socotra land, despite a government decree banning the sale of any land on the island, ” he said.

In the same context, the website said that the political situation makes protecting the island’s ecosystem more difficult.

https://www.uprising.today/uae-illegally-seizing-land-in-socotra-island/

and also https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/uae-occupation-extends-over-lands-of-socotra-island/

(* B P)

Saudi-Emirati coordination aids effort to normalise Aden’s situation

The widening circle of the rejectionists of the Jeddah dialogue casts doubts on the “legitimacy” camp’s ability to implement the agreement.

Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz’s recent visit to Abu Dhabi seems to have ended manoeuvring by the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islah party and the so-called legitimate government camp in Yemen.

Reports indicated that coordination between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates helped towards normalising the situation in Aden through an agreement on security and military arrangements.

There are indications of a Saudi role in Aden to implement the agreement and oversee restructuring of government institutions, in addition to arrangements related to the deployment of the Security Belt Forces to maintain security in Aden under the supervision of Saudi forces. All other paramilitary forces would have to transfer out of Aden.

As part of the agreement, there will be no withdrawal from Aden of UAE forces operating within the Arab Coalition. The United Arab Emirates would continue to play a role and Saudi forces would have a more prominent position in implementing the Jeddah Agreement and protecting government institutions expected to return to Aden.

The UAE news agency said Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Saudi Prince Khalid discussed “strategic cooperation, coordination and joint action in defence and military affairs” in a meeting October 6. They also talked about “challenges facing the Arabian Gulf region and their repercussions on the security, stability and efforts of its peoples and countries,” the report said.

The meeting took place in the context of ongoing Saudi-Emirati coordination and was expected to contribute to the success of the Jeddah Agreement on political and military levels.

There appeared to be progress in the Saudi-sponsored dialogue process but there are many points of disagreement that may take weeks to resolve before a final agreement is signed.

https://thearabweekly.com/saudi-emirati-coordination-aids-effort-normalise-adens-situation

My comment: Obviously, there still is no agreement between the Hadi government and the separatists, as had been claimed.

and

(* B P)

Iran-Qatar-backed talks in Muscat perceived as ‘fomenting discord’ in Yemen’s southern provinces

“Regardless of the results of the Jeddah dialogue, the situation in the southern provinces will not be the same as before the talks," said Mansour Saleh, deputy head of the media department of the Southern Transitional Council.

The internationally recognised government of Yemen and the Southern Transitional Council have yet to reach clear points of agreement in Saudi-sponsored talks.

Mansour Saleh, deputy head of the media department of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), said negotiations with the government continued. There has been an initiative put forth by Riyadh but it has yet to be approved by the government. Saleh did not reveal the terms of the initiative.

Speaking to The Arab Weekly from Cairo, Saleh said: “Regardless of the results of the Jeddah dialogue, the situation in the southern provinces will not be the same as before the talks, since it became obvious that the legitimate government is unwilling to reach solutions to end the crisis.

“Rather, it has put itself in an embarrassing position between choosing to go along with the [Arab] Coalition’s initiative or joining the Qatari-Iranian-Turkish axis, which is blocking the confrontation with the Houthis.”

Saleh said the STC was willing to give self-rule to south Yemen until the end of the fight against the Houthi rebels and then begin negotiations for a comprehensive solution.

He said that the STC has dealt responsibly with the Arab Coalition’s efforts and hopes that the government would leave the “square of betrayal and not depend on projects which are hostile to the Arab project.”

“If the negotiations fail, the Transitional Council and the southerners in general have their cause for which they have sacrificed so much and they will defend it until victory,” Saleh said. “Searching for peace based on the right of the southern people to restore their state and determine their political future remains our first goal.”

Observers say prolonging the Jeddah negotiations proves some regional parties are trying to hinder efforts at closing the ranks of the anti-Houthi camp. This was shown in the government’s refusal to meet with the STC after a call for talks in August and its manoeuvrings stalling negotiations.

https://thearabweekly.com/iran-qatar-backed-talks-muscat-perceived-fomenting-discord-yemens-southern-provinces

and

(* A K P)

STC accuses Islah Party of derailing negotiations

Separatists vow to stop Saudi-backed reinforcements

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council has on Saturday accused the Saudi-backed Islah Party of trying to derail consultations between the separatist movement and Hadi’s government-in-exile in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

One of the Council’s leaders, Jamal bin Attaf, said that the military reinforcements dispatched by Islah Party’s military leader Ali Mohsen al-Ahmer to Shoqra city of Abyan province “is evidence of the party’s attempt to thwart Jeddah dialogue.”

He explained that Islah militias had sent 20 military patrols from Ma’rib province to the city of Shoqra, which – as he said – confirms their pursuit of undermining the advanced steps in the Jeddah consultations.

Attaf stressed “the Southern Transitional Council will not stand by quietly towards these provocations and will take urgent measures to stop the reinforcements.”

https://www.uprising.today/stc-accuses-islah-party-of-derailing-negotiations/

and

(* A K P)

A government source said most of them were incorrect. Al-Jazeera publishes draft of Jeddah agreement submitted by Saudi Arabia

Al-Jazeera published what it said was a draft agreement, submitted by Saudi Arabia, to solve the problem of the coup by the so-called "Southern Transitional Council", backed by the United Arab Emirates, in the city of Aden and Abyan.

The draft, proposed by Saudi Arabia, includes several securities, military, AND political provisions and guarantees for the implementation of the agreement, the channel said, as well as the parties to the agreement, the Yemeni government, the Transitional Council and other southern components.

The draft calls for the formation of a 50-50 unity government between northern and southern Yemen, with President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi appointing the prime minister and ministers of sovereign portfolios.

The draft includes the integration of military and security formations into the structures of the ministries of defense and interior, Saudi Arabia oversees the structure of the security forces and establishes a neutral security force to oversee the transition, as well as the absorption of the Transitional Council and southern components in the government and local authority.

It also provides for the involvement of the STC and southern components in the negotiations for a comprehensive political solution.

According to the terms of the draft, the agreement obliges the signatories not to form any forces outside state institutions, and the kingdom will form a political team in Aden to oversee the implementation of its provisions.

The "Al-Masdar Online" attempted to confirm the authenticity of the terms of the proposed draft, but an informed source declined to comment and merely said that "most of them are incorrect."

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172662

and

(* A K P)

Military source: Pushing forces from the presidential protection towards Shaqrah to return to Aden according to a Saudi-Emirati-Yemeni agreement

A military source told Al-Masdar Online that a large force of presidential protection is scheduled to arrive later in the town of Shaqra in conjunction with the arrival of military units of the same forces on Saturday evening in the coastal town east of Zanzibar, east of Abyan province in the south of the country.

The source said that a presidential protection force comprising military vehicles and soldiers is scheduled to move in the coming days towards the Shaqra area to support government forces stationed in Al-Orqoub mountain range and Qarn al-Kalasi.

But the source said that the push of the presidential protection forces to Shaqra comes in preparation for an agreement to arrange the military and political situation in the provinces of the south, will be signed by the Saudi-Emirati-Yemeni consensus in the coming days and will lead to the return of units of the presidential protection forces to the Palace of Ma’ashiq, in conjunction with the formation of a government comprising the most prominent forces of the Southern Movement, including the Southern Transitional Council, the Hadramout Conference and the Southern National Coalition.

Early Saturday evening, a military force of the "Presidential Protection" comprising about 50 military personnel and a number of military vehicles and armored vehicles arrived in Shaqra, the first batch of presidential protection forces being pushed to the area of Shaqra, the last military point of government forces towards Aden.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172663

My comment: I doubt if any formal agreement really will work on the ground.

(* A K P)

Behind the scenes of Jeddah dialogue. Yemeni doubts Abu Dhabi's acceptance of a settlement ending the rebellion of its followers in Aden

A state of anticipation prevails in Yemen in the wake of initial leaks on the contents of a draft agreement Saudi Arabia seeks to reach between the legitimate government and the so-called "Southern Transitional Council", which is supported by the United Arab Emirates, and leads to allowing Riyadh a leading role in Aden, at the expense of Abu Dhabi, in the light of Yemeni doubts about the latter could accept the abandonment of its influence in the interim capital, as part of a settlement ending the crisis that began months ago.

Perhaps the recent statement of the leader of the "transitional" reinforces these doubts, as the president of the so-called "General Assembly" in the UAE-backed Transitional Council has warned to disavow any results that the Jeddah dialogue might produce unless it guarantees what he described as "independence of the South", in light of leaks over proposals put forward by Saudi Arabia would include the "separatists" in the government, in exchange for arrangements for the government to return to Aden.

Ahmed Saeed bin Brik, president of the so-called "General Assembly" of the Transitional Council, said in a tweet on his Twitter account that "unless we have in front of the eyes of our negotiating delegation in Jeddah the issue of independence and self-determination of the people of the South, let the far and wide will know that there will be no solution but to fulfill the sacrifices we have made. "The wounded, the suffering and the suffering of our people during the last five years."

The newspaper "Al-Arabi al-Jadid" quoted sources described as close to the government to say that the Saudi proposals put forward include the inclusion of "transitional" in the government, in the context of a number of security and political arrangements, which would lead to his retreat from adopting the "separation", as a condition for entering into the government.

The proposals include the deployment of Saudi troops in Aden, which oversees security arrangements, at the expense of Abu Dhabi, which has been the top of the coalition's influence in Aden for years, sources said.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172570

(* A K P)

UAE ship leaves Aden oil port loaded with military equipment and soldiers

An Emirati ship loaded with soldiers and heavy equipment left the oil port, west of Aden, on Thursday noon, a military source told Al-Masdar Online.

The source said that tanks and cannons were transported by trucks to the oil port in Buraiqa before leaving the interim capital in the south of the country at noon Thursday without specifying their next destination, but the source said that the troops are likely to join the redeployment operation according to an agreement supposedly sponsored by Saudi Arabia.

According to the source, the equipment of the UAE forces that left the oil port was stationed at al-Anad military base in Lahj province north of Aden and another was stationed at the headquarters of the Arab Alliance west of the coastal city.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172562

(A K P)

Source in "Tahita": Gunmen from Tarek Saleh's forces kill a citizen and injure others after they tried to rape a woman

A civilian was killed and three others, including a woman, were injured after gunmen from forces led by Brigadier General Tariq Saleh tried to

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172600

(A P)

Parliamentarians from the southern provinces deny their relationship with statements issued under the name "Southern Bloc"

Parliamentarians representing representative departments of southern Yemen's provinces have denied any connection to statements made by the Southern Bloc in the House of Representatives.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172569

(A P)

Saudi-backed forces arrest southern Yemeni journalist

Jamal Schneiter arrested by Islah militias

https://www.uprising.today/saudi-backed-forces-arrest-southern-yemeni-journalist/

(A P)

Hadramaut governor arrives in Saudi Arabia from UAE

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172573

(A K pS)

Man badly beaten in Hadramout for having Al-Zubaidi's photo

A man was badly beaten with rifle butts and his car's windshield was also broken by gunmen of the first military region in Seyon district, Hadramout on Friday morning.
Local news websites reported that the man was severely beaten and taken to an unknown destination for a photo of the president of the Southern Transitional Council, Aidroos Al-Zubaidi affixed to his car.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13507

(* B E P)

Film: When I first crossed this desert border between #Yemen & #Oman before the war, there was barely a vehicle in sight. Now the "no man's land" between them is a massive jam of trucks heading *into* Yemen. No wonder rival groups seek to control this lucrative entry point

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1182689608435486721

(A K P)

A high-ranking commander of #Saudi-backed Hadi forces defected to Houthi-led Yemeni army. He is Colonel Naji Saleh al-Sayadi, assistant commander of the so-called 1st Brigade in Haradh.

https://twitter.com/Sunkway_China/status/1182664746073501697

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

(A P)

Ayatollah Khamenei: Richtiges Ende von Jemen-Krieg hat positive Auswirkung auf die Region

"Iran schlägt seit langem einen Vier-Punkte-Plan zur Beendigung des Jemen-Krieges vor und wenn dieser Plan ordnungsgemäß endet, könnte er sich positiv auf die Region auswirken", sagte der Führer der Islamischen Revolution beim Traffen mit dem pakistanischen Premierminister.

Der pakistanische Premierminister hat sich am Sonntag mit dem Revolutionsführer Irans in Teheran getroffen.

https://de.irna.ir/news/83516051/Ayatollah-Khamenei-Richtiges-Ende-von-Jemen-Krieg-hat-positive

und auch https://parstoday.com/de/news/iran-i49326-revolutionsoberhaupt_empf%C3%A4ngt_pakistischen_regierungschef

(A P)

Iran's Plan Can End The War In Yemen, Khamenei Tells Pakistan's Imran Khan

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said during a meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday October 13 that a "proper end" to the war in Yemen, will leave a positive impact on developments in the region.

Khamenei said, "a four-point solution offered by Iran has been on the table for a long time" and suggested that it could put an end to the war in Yemen. However, he did not elaborate on the details of his peace plan.

The plan Khamenei referred to was briefly summarized by Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in a November 9, 2017 tweet as: "cease-fire, humanitarian assistance, ultra-Yemeni dialogue, and an inclusive government for 2.5 years that

https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-s-plan-can-end-the-war-in-yemen-khamenei-tells-pakistan-s-imran-khan/30214511.html

End of Yemen War Would Positively Affect Region

Imran Khan says Pakistan does not want a conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia and believes that issues should be resolved through dialogue

Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei underlined the need for efforts to resolve the Yemen crisis, stressing that a halt to the devastating war would significantly promote regional peace and security.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran proposed a … peace plan to end the Yemen war long ago and if this war is put to an end properly, it would have a positive impact on the whole region,” the Leader said during a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Iranian capital on Sunday, his website reported.

https://financialtribune.com/articles/national/100325/end-of-yemen-war-would-positively-affect-region

(* A K P)

Riyadh holds talks with Houthis in effort to break Yemen deadlock

Both sides willing to lower tensions after attack on Saudi oil facilities

Saudi Arabia has been holding talks with Houthi rebels for the first time in more than two years in a sign Riyadh wants to de-escalate hostilities in Yemen in the wake of last month’s attacks on its oil facilities. The “back-channel” negotiations began after the Iran-aligned Houthis announced on September 20 that they would cease drone and missile attacks on the kingdom, people briefed on the talks said.

A western diplomat said the missile and drone attacks on the Saudi oil facilities were key to the shift in Riyadh’s position. “If the Yemen war hadn’t existed, Iran wouldn’t have been able to distract away from its responsibility for the attacks,” the diplomat said. Another factor behind Riyadh’s shift has been the weakening of its coalition after the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia’s main ally, announced in July that it was drawing down its troop presence in Yemen, people familiar with the matter said.

After the Houthis said they would halt missile and drone attacks into the kingdom, Riyadh agreed to halt its bombing raids over four Houthi-held cities, including Sana’a, the capital. The Houthis, meanwhile, have released nearly 300 prisoners, including three Saudis. These are seen as confidence-building measures, and discussions are going on over other initiatives, such as lifting a coalition blockade on fuel imports to the Houthi-controlled north through Hodeidah port and allowing the rebels to use Sana’a airport. This could begin with so-called mercy flights to allow the sick and wounded to leave for medical treatment. One person briefed on talks said this week the coalition agreed that four tankers waiting off Hodeidah would be able to enter the port. Another person said there had been positive indications on the lifting of the fuel blockade but nothing had been finalised. “It’s very fragile but I think both sides have an interest in it working,” the diplomat said. “It’s not peace in Yemen, we are possibly talking about end of daily bombardments across the country and missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, while the UN tries to move on with a political agreement.”

https://www.ft.com/content/0e924804-ec31-11e9-85f4-d00e5018f061

(* A K P)

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is working on a comprehensive settlement between Saudi Arabia and the al Houthi movement following an al Houthi ceasefire offer, according to Al Jazeera. Griffiths’ plan will call for militia withdrawals overseen by the UN, an end to cross-border attacks, and an end to threats to maritime navigation in international waters. The UN has not commented on the alleged proposal.[2]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-october-11-2019

(A K P)

Local authority in Taiz opens west and east of the city crossings and awaiting Houthi response to its opening

The local and military authorities in Taiz announced the opening of the west and east of the city in an advanced move that requires the Houthi group to open the two crossings on their side.

Local sources told Al-Masdar Online that the local authority represented by the Province's undersecretaries Abdul Qawi Al-Mekhlafi, Abdul Karim al-Sabry, Brigadier Abdo Farhan al-Mekhlafi, advisor to the Axis command, and the presence of MP Abdul Karim Cheban, chairman of the Legitimacy Committee in the negotiations to open roads, opened the ports west and east of Taiz city. for their part.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172626

and

(A K P)

Nabil Shamsan: The Houthis must open the entrances east and west of Taiz

[Hadi gov.] Ta'izz Governor Nabil Shamsan confirmed the local authority's of the province positively deals with any serious move by Houthi militias to open the city's outlets, which have been closed for five years.

"Once the Houthis officially announce and open the crossings by them, the crossings on our side will be ready because we are not the ones who are closing the crossings and we have directed the axis command to do so," Nabil Shamsan said on his Twitter page.

Arif Jamel, deputy of Taiz province, expressed surprise at the way the local and military authorities announced the opening of the ports east and west of Taiz city before the final agreement with the other side.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172661

and

(A K P)

As a last resort, volunteers may take suicidal risk to break Houthi siege on Yemeni city

After the failure of negotiations with Houthis to end the five-year long siege on Yemen's Taiz, volunteers from the government-held downtown now consider risking their lives to break the siege by staging a peaceful march to the other (militant-controlled) side of the city.

"We have been contacting fellow Taizi activists including pro-Houthi ones in the [Houthi-hed] Hawban part to get them to pressure Houthi leaders to lift the siege because the siege is hurting everyone across the frontlines, but to no use," said Mohammed Ali the most popular social media activists in the downtown on his Facebook page.

"We, the city volunteers, may finally march across the dividing line to break the siege, even if we pay our lives as a price," he said in a post liked by thousands.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33660

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

(A P)

Since the promotion of the seminar was published, a systematic attack was launched by #MBS digital supporters. They are targeting the seminar, the university @UNSWLaw @HumanRightsUNSW ,

@Sophiemcneill , & the speakers including myself @MsSaffaa @rawanarraf

https://twitter.com/FatimaYazbek1/status/1183190900467363840

(B P)

This infographic shows how #MBS policies aim to develop #SaudiArabia! 128 Saudis were killed in #AlQatif btw 2011-2019; 41 were executed, 22 during attacks on villages, 16 were assassinated, 10 died under torture & 10 during attacks on peaceful protests

https://twitter.com/FatimaYazbek1/status/1183337882628448256

(B P)

Film: This always happens in #SaudiArabia: #Saudi regime forces raid residential neighborhoods and chase civilians' vehicles without reason. They also have the green light to fire live bullets if they want. This happens only in #Qatif

https://twitter.com/AlahednewsEn/status/1183103133637074946

Film: Only in Saudi Arabia, the ruling family, its media and its electronic flies stand with the freedom of the people of neighboring countries to obtain justice and dignity, and against violence in dispersing the demonstrators, as if they were with humanity, while in Qatif, this was completely different when the people demanded their legitimate rights, and they were suppressed with live bullets.

https://twitter.com/nashetqatifi/status/1181293741090512896

(A K P)

Report: Saudi dismisses commander over Houthi attack in the kingdom

Sources have disclosed to the Houthi-aligned Northern Border Fronts news centre that the Saudis have dismissed Brigadier General Musa Bin Dhaher Al-Balawi, commander of joint operations in the Najran region, after the Houthis completed two military attacks on the region in recent months.

The Yemeni Press Agency reported Al-Balawi was dismissed due to the “fiasco and the crushing defeat” suffered by the Saudi forces – which include mercenaries – at the hands of the Houthi operation, dubbed “Victory from God” .

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191011-report-saudi-dismisses-commander-over-houthi-attack-in-the-kingdom/

(B P)

Film by Press TV Iran: Saudi Arabia mocked online following tourism advert.

https://twitter.com/Presstvuk/status/1182580204591550464

#SaudiArabia has been ridiculed online since opening up to world tourism. But what is not so funny is their ongoing destruction of the REAL Arabian legacy - #Yemen's ancient tourism industry and heritage sites. #BoycottSaudi

https://twitter.com/Bob_cart124/status/1182619494184898560

(* B E K)

Saudi Arabia loses $2bn of output after oil attacks: Report

Saudi Aramco's crude oil output may have fallen by 1.3 million barrels per day, Financial Times reports

Saudi Arabia has lost about $2bn in crude production in the aftermath of the attacks on its oil plants last month, according to a report by the Financial Times.

The country suffered a major setback from the attacks

While the kingdom has worked to restore its oil production to the levels enjoyed prior to the attacks, analysts have questioned whether the country can manage that, as well as how it might be able to prevent such attacks in the future.

The kingdom said that its oil output had fallen by about 660,000 barrels per day (bpd); the newspaper reported the loss may to be closer to 1.3 million bpd.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-loses-2bn-output-after-oil-attacks-report

and

(A E K)

Oil attacks to hit Saudi growth, but damage may be partially offset: World Bank

The attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities last month are expected to impact economic growth this year, the World Bank said in a report, adding that the decline could be partially offset by a boost in government spending in the non-oil sector.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-arabia-economy-worldbank/oil-attacks-to-hit-saudi-growth-but-damage-may-be-partially-offset-world-bank-idUSKBN1WP18X

(* B P)

Saudi Arabia – Out of the frying pan and into the fire

The accession of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to the leadership of the Middle East monarchy has plunged the region deeper into conflict and intensified a divisive sectarian narrative

Syria

Yemen

Initially presented as a rapid conflict, in which victory for the Saudi-sponsored President Hadi would be a matter of weeks, the war has now been going on for four years. Humiliated on an almost daily basis despite its vastly superior military might and the support it has gathered from a coalition of Arab countries as well as covert alliances with Western superpowers, Saudi Arabia is yet to see victory.

Embittered by the resilience of Houthi fighters, Saudi troops have resorted to attacking civilian targets and infrastructure and inflicting maximum pain on the population in a bid to force it to turn against the Ansarullah.

Mirroring Israeli tactics in Gaza, the Saudi army has been relentlessly attacking hospitals, schools, and neighbourhoods causing untold loss of life and destruction.

Although civilian casualties are without a doubt the more pressing issue in this disastrous war, there is a pernicious aspect to the targeted attacks that reveals a worrying trend in Saudi’s foreign and domestic agenda.

History and the Arabs

As leaders of the country of the two holy cities of Islam Mecca and Medina, Saudi rulers have endeavoured over the past two decades to destroy many of the cities’ ancient historical sites known to have housed both the Prophet (pbuh) and his family and companions and many of the early Muslim believers.

Turning point

https://www.ihrc.org.uk/publications/the-long-view/tlv-vol1-issue3/24293-saudi-arabia-out-of-the-frying-pan-and-into-the-fire/

cp9 USA

Siehe / Look at cp9a

(* B K P)

America Only Making Things Worse In Yemen: Report

The increased US military support for Saudi actions in Yemen is part of a larger policy shift by Trump and his top advisers since he took office, in which Trump voices constant support for Saudi Arabia and perpetual criticism of its regional rival, Iran.

American complicity in the Yemen war goes beyond providing training and intelligence support, and selling billions of dollars in weapons to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which has become Washington’s largest weapons buyer. The US is looking the other way while its allies commit war crimes and avoid responsibility for instigating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Since Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in war in March 2015, the United States gave its full support to a relentless air campaign and bombs hit thousands of targets, including civilian sites and infrastructure, with impunity.

From the beginning, US officials insisted that American weapons, training and intelligence assistance would help the Saudis avoid causing even more civilian casualties.

But this was a lie meant to obscure one of the least understood aspects of US support for Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen: it’s not that Saudi-led forces don’t know how to use American-made weapons or need help in choosing targets.

They have deliberately targeted civilians and Yemen’s infrastructure since the war’s early days – and US officials have recognized this since at least 2016 and done nothing .

Trump has offered virtually unqualified support for Saudi leaders, especially Mohammed bin Salman, who is the architect of the disastrous war in Yemen.

https://sabanews.net/en/news3075887.htm = https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/america-only-making-things-worse-in-yemen/

My comment: From the Houthi government’s news site. Well, this is how it is.

(A P)

US Department of State: Under Secretary Hale’s Travel to the UAE and Saudi Arabia

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale will travel to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia October 12-18. During his trip, the Under Secretary will meet with senior government officials from both countries, as well as with the President of the Government of the Republic of Yemen, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He will discuss bilateral and regional issues, including the conflict in Yemen.

https://www.state.gov/under-secretary-hales-travel-to-the-uae-and-saudi-arabia/

(* B K P)

To put America first, end US support for the war in Yemen

The increasingly complicated nature of this conflict, which has fueled a humanitarian crisis, only further highlights how crucial it is that the United States end its support for the Saudi military campaign.

No, ending U.S. involvement won’t solve all of Yemen’s problems. But, at the very least, it’ll stop making them worse — the Saudis are emboldened by our support. As long as we write checks, provide intelligence, and send weapons, there’s no reason to think they’ll ever come to the negotiating table to stop the fighting.

The U.S. can help facilitate a dialogue but, ultimately, a political settlement in Yemen isn’t essential to our national security. We can deal with the threat that groups such as al Qaeda and ISIS pose without anyone’s assistance, including the Saudis.

This war has been raging for four years, and one reason Yemenis have had to wait so long for a resolution is America's totally unnecessary involvement. For their sake and ours, we must put an end to our meddling – by Jerrod A. Laber

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/to-put-america-first-end-us-support-for-the-war-in-yemen

(A K P)

What America's betrayals of Kurdistan and Yemen have in common

His acquiescence to Turkey's interests mirrors perfectly his support for the Saudi intervention in Yemen: in both cases, he sided with the dominant regional power seeking to crush a popular ethnic uprising in a neighboring country that they feared could spill over into their territory.

America's initial support for the Yemen war was far less enthusiastic than it ultimately became under Trump.

f there is any strategic rationale whatsoever for his support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen and for Turkey's incursion into Syria, it is that both allies are regional rivals of Iran. Unfortunately, as with Saudi Arabia's catastrophic Yemen war, the Turkish war in Kurdistan is likely to push its victims into Iranian arms, and inflame its domestic insurgency to boot.

https://theweek.com/articles/870869/what-americas-betrayals-kurdistan-yemen-have-common

My comment: Blaming Trump for a small retreat from the Middle East theatre of war is seomewhat odd. For decades, the US violently interfered there and created a horrible mess.

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

(* B P)

OPINION: The most disastrous mistake since 2003 invasion of Iraq

The attack on Saudi Arabia has exposed the extreme vulnerability of other U.S. allies in the region. The United Arab Emirates reportedly undertook an inventory of the threat and found the results alarming.

They have pulled back their forces from Yemen, where they were fighting in coalition with Saudi Arabia, and have sent a delegation to Tehran to discuss maritime security.

The attack has underlined the continuing human catastrophe of the war in Yemen. The need for a non-military solution has never been more obvious or urgent.

Yet, despite all these changes, a great deal remains unchanged. The United States perseveres in its "maximum pressure" campaign, squeezing the economy of Iran with extreme financial sanctions. Washington claims that its policy is working, although Iran is showing no sign of collapse.

President Donald Trump continues to proclaim his interest in a high level meeting with Iran's leaders, while Iran continues to insist that no meeting will be considered unless and until the United States removes sanctions.

In short, all of the fundamental differences that potentially lay behind the series of military actions culminating in the Abqaiq attack, are still in place.

The U.S. decision to withdraw from the JCPOA was the proximate cause for this sequence of events. Depending on how this plays out, that decision may come to be seen as the most disastrous U.S. foreign policy mistake since the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 – by Gary Sick

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/10/c32101c3e6b9-opinion-the-most-disastrous-mistake-since-2003-invasion-of-iraq.html

(A K P)

Iran’s Expanded Missile Arsenal Presents Challenge for U.S., Saudi Arabia

Tehran’s military capabilities have grown, as Pentagon deploys antimissile systems and troops

The U.S. announcement on Friday that it is delivering more missile-defense systems and troops to Saudi Arabia intensifies a face-off with Iran—which has warned that an attack on the country would trigger an “all-out war.”

The Islamic Republic would be a vastly different opponent than it was when the U.S. last targeted the country directly in 1988. Iran now has thousands of missiles, many of them able to reach Israel, into the Mediterranean and, in some cases—according to the U.S.—evade Saudi defenses. (paywalled)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/irans-expanded-missile-arsenal-presents-challenge-for-u-s-saudi-arabia-11570959055

My comment: Propaganda bias: High. There is no “challenge” to the US: US territory is 8,000 miles distant to Iran. But, the US claims the whole planet is within the range of US security interests – thus justifying intervention everywhere.

(A P)

Ayatollah Khamenei : US Hostility Raised IRGC’s Esteem

The Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Americans helped increase the esteem and glory of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps with their hostile behavior and “aggressive faces”.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9266

(A P)

Insecurity on international waterways would harm Saudis, allies: Expert

Increasing insecurity in international waterways in the Persian Gulf and in the Red Sea would harm Saudi Arabia and its regional and Western allies more than anyone else, analysts say.

An expert told the Press TV on Saturday that attacks on an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea on Friday would finally leave the oil-rich kingdom and its allies in the region worst off as they use the waterway and other routes in the region more frequently than Iran.

“This attack would be to the detriment of Saudi Arabia and allies more than it could harm Iran,” said the expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding, “They transfer tens of millions of barrels of oil each day through these waterways but Iran’s export of oil, as they claim, has almost been reduced to zero.”

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/10/12/608502/Iran-Saudi-Arabia-insecurity-waterways-expert

(A P)

Putin says neighbors should respect Iran’s interests as an established power

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on Arab countries and others in the Middle East and in the Persian Gulf to begin to recognize Iran’s rights as a traditional regional power.

In an interview with three major Arabic-language TV channels published on Saturday, Putin urged Iran’s neighbors to respect the country’s interests in the region.

He called Iran a country that has “existed on its territory for thousands of years,” according to an English translation of remarks published on the website of Russia’s RT news channel.

He reiterated that Russia wants to maintain close cooperation with both Tehran and other countries in the region despite the tensions that have grown over the past years.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/10/12/608536/Russia-Putin-Iran-neighbors-tensions

(A P)

Pakistan als Vermittler zwischen Iran und Saudi-Arabien

Der pakistanische Ministerpräsident Imran Khan ist am Sonntag in der iranischen Hauptstadt Teheran eingetroffen, um zwischen dem Iran und Saudi-Arabien zu vermitteln.

https://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/pakistan-als-vermittler-zwischen-iran-und-saudi-arabien/45294848 = https://www.bzbasel.ch/ausland/pakistan-als-vermittler-zwischen-iran-und-saudi-arabien-135794190

und

(* A P)

Ruhani begrüßt Pakistans Vermittlung zwischen Iran und Saudis

Der pakistanische Ministerpräsident Imran Khan hat am Sonntag in Teheran einen erneuten Versuch begonnen, im Konflikt zwischen dem Iran und Saudi-Arabien zu vermitteln. "Wir sind sowohl mit dem Iran als auch mit Saudi-Arabien befreundet und wir wollen keinen Krieg zwischen diesen beiden Ländern", sagte Khan am Sonntag in Teheran in einer gemeinsamen Pressekonferenz mit dem iranischen Präsidenten Hassan Ruhani.

Ruhani begrüßte die Vermittlungsversuche Pakistans. "Jede Form von gutem Willen wird unserseits mit gutem Willen erwidert", sagte er. Die regionalen Konflikte könnten in der Tat nur über politische Kanäle gelöst werden.

Khan erklärte, die Probleme zwischen Teheran und Riad seien "zwar komplex", sollten aber trotzdem im Dialog gelöst werden. Er werde deswegen nach seinem Teheran-Besuch nach Riad weiterfliegen. Zuvor wollte Khan noch den obersten Führer der Islamischen Republik, Ajatollah Ali Chamenei, treffen.

https://www.handelsblatt.com/dpa/wirtschaft-handel-und-finanzen-ruhani-begruesst-pakistans-vermittlung-zwischen-iran-und-saudis/25111844.html = https://www.onvista.de/news/ruhani-begruesst-pakistans-vermittlung-zwischen-iran-und-saudis-285016313 = http://www.finanztreff.de/news/ruhani-begruesst-pakistans-vermittlung-zwischen-iran-und-saudis/17961893

(* A P)

Pakistan's Khan says he will try to facilitate Iran-Saudi talks

Pakistan will do its utmost to enable talks between arch regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday in Tehran, adding that he will travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

“Pakistan does not want conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia...I am happy to facilitate talks between Tehran and Riyadh...I am very hopeful as I had constructive talks with the (Iranian) president,” Khan told a joint news conference with President Hassan Rouhani, broadcast live on state TV.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-pakistan/pakistans-khan-says-he-will-try-to-facilitate-iran-saudi-talks-idUSKBN1WS0B2

(A P)

Pres. Rouhani says military, political interference in countries of region catastrophic

President Hassan Rouhani during his meeting with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan referred to tensions raised against the nations of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and especially Yemen in recent years and highlighted that military and political interference in regional countries has had disastrous results so far which this approach is not beneficial to the countries of the region.

https://en.irna.ir/news/83515933/Pres-Rouhani-says-military-political-interference-in-countries

(A P)

Irans Parlamentspräsident: Amerikaner hemmen internationale Beziehungen

Der iranische Parlamentspräsident gab an, dass die USA internationale Beziehungen hemmen und unterstrich die Bedeutung von Dialog unter den Regierungsverantwortlichen verschiedenen Staaten.

https://parstoday.com/de/news/world-i49321-irans_parlamentspr%C3%A4sident_amerikaner_hemmen_internationale_beziehungen

(A P)

Iran says ready for talks with Saudi, with or without mediation

Iran is prepared to hold talks with regional rival Saudi Arabia with or without the help of a mediator, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, ahead of a visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Asked about reports that Khan, due to arrive in Iran on Sunday, may try to mediate between Tehran and Riyadh, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said: “I am not aware of any mediation,” according to state broadcaster IRIB.

“Iran has announced that, with or without a mediator, it is always ready to hold talk with its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, to get rid of any misunderstandings,” Mousavi added.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-saudi-pakistan/iran-says-ready-for-talks-with-saudi-with-or-without-mediation-idUSKBN1WR0F8

(A P)

Iran Not to Sit for Talks with Saudis on Behalf of Yemenis

Iran’s government spokesman says Pakistan has announced its readiness to mediate between Tehran and Riyadh, but Iran won’t act as the representative of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement in possible talks with Saudis.

He further touched upon remarks by Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir who had said the Saudi king had not talked to Iran about Yemen and would not do so, and that the issue of Yemen was completely related to Yemenis.

“We do not deem it necessary to enter into talks with Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Yemenis or in their absence because we are sure that the Yemenis are well capable of defending their rights in diplomatic negotiations with other countries,” he added.

https://medium.com/ifp-news-iran-front-page/iran-not-to-sit-for-talks-with-saudis-on-behalf-of-yemenis-d859ee47305e

(* B K P)

Waging war on Iran would be madness

All nations the US doesn't control are on its target list for regime change, especially challengers to its hegemonic aims like China and Russia, along with oil rich ones like Iran and Venezuela.

That's what US hostility toward these countries is all about, not because of a national security threat they pose - other than supporting multi-world polarity, conflicting with US hegemonic unipolar aims, a notion whose time has passed.

Iran can't match US military power, but its capabilities can hit back hard against aggressors anywhere in the region.

Attacking Iran would come at a great cost to all nations involved. US chickenhawk politicians and bureaucrats, including Trump, know nothing about warmaking.

If Iran is attacked militarily, the region would likely boil over much more than already, including the US and Israel paying a stiff price, greater than Pentagon commanders consider acceptable.

The notion of limited war on Iran is wrongheaded. Its authorities said if Iranian oil exports are halted, its military will block maritime operations of other regional countries through the Hormuz Strait, accounting for around 20% of world supply.

Pressured to stay the course by Trump regime hardliners, Riyadh is waging war it can't win.

How much longer will ailing king Salman put up with the incompetence of his favorite son - in over his head against superior Houthi forces?

From capabilities they've shown so far, they're likely able to do significant more damage to Saudi infrastructure, notably its crown jewel oil facilities - maybe its cities as well if war continues endlessly – by Stephen Lendman

http://www.pravdareport.com/opinion/142825-war_iran/

(A K P)

In implementation of directives by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince, additional reinforcements of troops and defense equipment received in the framework of Saudi-US joint work

An official source at the Ministry of Defense stated that, in implementation of directives by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Supreme Commander of all military forces and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and based on the historical relations and the established partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, it was decided to receive additional reinforcements of troops and defense equipment within the framework of the joint work between the Kingdom and the United States of America to maintain regional security and face any attempts that threaten stability in the region and the global economy.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981364

(A K P)

Bahrain supports directives by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince on receiving additional reinforcements of troops in the framework of Saudi-US joint work

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981385

(* A K P)

Vereinigte Staaten verlegen 3000 weitere Soldaten nach Saudi-Arabien

Im Konflikt mit Iran schicken die Vereinigten Staaten zahlreiche weitere Soldaten nach Saudi-Arabien. Außerdem würden unter anderem zwei Patriot-Raketenabwehrsysteme und zwei Kampfjet-Geschwader zur Verteidigung des Landes dorthin verlegt, teilte das Pentagon am Freitag mit. Zusammen mit anderen Entsendungen innerhalb des vergangenen Monats handele es sich um eine Truppenverstärkung von insgesamt 3000 Soldaten in der Region.

Das Pentagon betonte am Freitag: „Die Vereinigten Staaten streben keinen Konflikt mit dem iranischen Regime an.“ Man werde aber ausreichend Kräfte in der Region vorhalten, um auf Krisen zu reagieren und um Truppen sowie Interessen des eigenen Landes zu schützen.

https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/usa-verlegen-3000-weitere-soldaten-nach-saudi-arabien-16429069.html

und auch https://www.arte.tv/de/afp/neuigkeiten/usa-stationieren-3000-zusaetzliche-soldaten-saudi-arabien

und

(A K P)

Saudi-Arabien wird US-Schutz vor Iran bezahlen – Trump

Riad hat sich laut US-Präsident Donald Trump bereit gezeigt, den Schutz durch die zusätzlichen US-Truppen, die nun im Lande stationiert werden sollen, zu bezahlen.

„Wir schicken zusätzliche Kräfte nach Saudi-Arabien. Saudi-Arabien hat auf meine Bitte hin zugestimmt, uns für alles zu bezahlen, was wir tun, um ihnen zu helfen. Und wir schätzen das“, sagte er am Samstag.

https://de.azvision.az/news/70535/saudi-arabien-wird-us-schutz-vor-iran-bezahlen-%E2%80%93-trump.html

Mein Kommentar: Die US Army als Söldner, die man mieten kann / muss.

(* A K P)

U.S. says deploying more forces to Saudi Arabia to counter Iran threat

The United States announced the deployment of additional American military forces to Saudi Arabia on Friday to bolster the kingdom’s defenses after the Sept. 14 attack on its oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh have blamed on Iran.

The large deployment, which was first reported by Reuters, includes fighter squadrons, an air expeditionary wing and air defense personnel, the Pentagon said. Together with the 200 forces to Saudi Arabia announced last month, the deployment totaled about 3,000 troops, it said.#

In a bid to better shield Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said it was sending two additional Patriot batteries and one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD).

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters the deployments were designed to deter Iran.

“We thought it was important to continue to deploy forces to deter and defend and to send the message to the Iranians: Do not strike another sovereign state, do not threaten American interests, American forces, or we will respond,” Esper told reporters during a press briefing.

Trump said the United States would not bear the expense of the deployment. “Saudi Arabia, at my request, has agreed to pay us for everything we’re doing,” he told reporters.

It was unclear whether some of the newly announced troops might replace other American forces expected to depart the region in the coming weeks or months (with film)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco-attacks-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-military-to-send-significantly-more-troops-to-saudi-arabia-sources-idUSKBN1WQ21Z

My comment: Oh my goodness. And: “what the United States has described as defensive moves”: The US is “defending” what? Saudi Arabia? It’s head-chopping autocratic islamist monarchy?

And

(A K P)

Film: Trump @realDonaldTrump says US soldiers are on sale to #SaudiArabia against the money will be pay by Saudis ,Now US army is mercenary killer on rental basis.

https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/1182893811787284480

And

(* A K P)

Thousands of US troops deploying to Saudi Arabia: Pentagon

"[Defense] Secretary Esper informed Saudi Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Muhammad bin Salman this morning of the additional troop deployment to assure and enhance the defense of Saudi Arabia," said Chief Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman in a statement on Friday. "Taken together with other deployments, this constitutes an additional 3,000 forces that have been extended or authorized within the last month."

“We have been concerned, based on what we hear from partners and allies in the region, about continued Iranian behavior,” Esper said at a Pentagon news conference on Friday.

“There are things that we pick up, if you will through intelligence, that we thought it was important to deploy forces to deter and defend and to send the message to the Iranians do not strike another sovereign state,” he added.

“Do not threaten American interests, American force or we will respond,” Esper warned. “And I’ve said time and time again do not mistake our restraint for weakness. If you will, you will regret that.

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the deployment to Saudi Arabia was "for the purpose of defense of our interests and assets in the region and also re-establish deterrence with respect to Iran in the wake of an attack on Saudi Arabia."

The U.S. is sending two fighter squadrons, an air expeditionary wing, two Patriot Batteries, Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, and a High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) to Saudi Arabia. The air expeditionary wing can be comprised of tankers, fighters, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft a U.S. official tells ABC News.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/thousands-us-troops-deploying-saudi-arabia-pentagon/story

And

(* A K P)

Film: Department of Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper discuses deploying 14,000 additional forces to Saudi Arabia.

"Taken together with other deployments, I've extended or authorized 14,000 additional U.S. forces to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense/status/1182699422813175810

(* B P)

The Unwanted Wars

Why the Middle East Is More Combustible Than Ever

Yet the conditions for an all-out war in the Middle East are riper than at any time in recent memory.

A conflict could break out in any one of a number of places for any one of a number of reasons.

Because any development anywhere in the region can have ripple effects everywhere, narrowly containing a crisis is fast becoming an exercise in futility.

When it comes to the Middle East, Tip O’Neill, the storied Democratic politician, had it backward: all politics—especially local politics—is international. In Yemen, a war pitting the Houthis, until not long ago a relatively unexceptional rebel group, against a debilitated central government in the region’s poorest nation, one whose prior internal conflicts barely caught the world’s notice, has become a focal point for the Iranian-Saudi rivalry. It has also become a possible trigger for deeper U.S. military involvement.

There is a principal explanation for such risks. The Middle East has become the world’s most polarized region and, paradoxically, its most integrated. That combination—along with weak state structures, powerful nonstate actors, and multiple transitions occurring almost simultaneously—also makes the Middle East the world’s most volatile region.

ACT LOCALLY, THINK REGIONALLY

The story of the contemporary Middle East is one of a succession of rifts, each new one sitting atop its precursors, some taking momentary precedence over others, none ever truly or fully resolved. Today, the three most important rifts—between Israel and its foes, between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and between competing Sunni blocs—intersect in dangerous and potentially explosive ways.

Together with the region’s polarization is a lack of effective communication, which makes things ever more perilous.

Yet in so many other ways, the Middle East functions as a unified space. Ideologies and movements spread across borders: in times past, Arabism and Nasserism; today, political Islam and jihadism.

Accordingly, local struggles quickly take on regional significance—and thus attract weapons, money, and political support from the outside.

STATES OF CHAOS

Along with the Middle East’s polarization and integration, its dysfunctional state structures present another risk factor. Some states are more akin to nonstate actors: the central governments in Libya, Syria, and Yemen lack control over large swaths of their territories and populations. Conversely, several nonstate actors operate as virtual states, including Hamas, the Houthis, the Kurds, and the Islamic State before it was toppled.

Weak states cohabiting with powerful nonstate actors creates the ideal circumstances for external interference. It’s a two-way street—foreign states exploit armed groups to advance their interests, and armed groups turn to foreign states to promote their own causes.

Washington became a central player in a regional and international game that it purportedly wanted nothing to do with.

A similar scene has played out in Yemen. Since 2004, the north of the country had been the arena of recurring armed conflict between the Houthis and the central government.

Washington, still in the midst of negotiations over a nuclear deal with Tehran, which Riyadh vehemently opposed, felt it could not afford to add another crisis to the brittle relations with its Gulf ally.

Despite its misgivings about the war, Washington thus threw its weight behind the Saudi-led coalition, sharing intelligence, providing weapons, and offering diplomatic support. As in Syria, the Obama administration looked to limit U.S. aims. It would help defend Saudi territorial integrity but not join Riyadh’s anti-Houthi fight or get sucked into an Iranian-Saudi battle. As in Syria, this effort largely was in vain. The United States could not cherry-pick one part of the war: if it was with Saudi Arabia, that meant it was against the Houthis, which meant it would be against Iran.

With such ongoing risks, the debate about the extent to which the United States should distance itself from the region and reduce its military footprint is important but somewhat beside the point. Should any of these scenarios unfold, the United States would almost certainly find itself dragged in, whether or not it had made the strategic choice of withdrawing from the Middle East.

The more consequential question, therefore, is what kind of Middle East the United States will remain engaged in or disengaged from – by Robert Malley

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2019-10-02/unwanted-wars

My comment: This is quite interesting, but rated only *, as: the author tires to whitewash the US here. The US is not „dragged“ into Middle East wars, but the US itself ist he most active foreign force which actively fanned most of all Middle East wars, took side, made billions by arms sales… The US is not a poor victim of a Middle East swamp, it is the main creator oft har swamp.

(A K P)

Iranian security official: Evil acts in international waterways won’t go unanswered

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), has condemned the Friday morning attack on Iran’s SABITI oil tanker in the Red Sea and voiced Tehran’s firm will to give a crushing response to the evil act in international waterways.

“Banditry and wickedness in the international waterways aimed at destabilizing movement of trade vessels will not go unanswered,”

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/441064/Iranian-security-official-Evil-acts-in-international-waterways

(A K P)

Iran decries 'cowardly attack' on oil tanker

An Iranian government spokesman on Saturday described as a “cowardly attack” an incident that Iranian media have called the apparent targeting by missiles of an Iranian-owned oil tanker, and said Iran would respond after the facts had been studied.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-tanker/iran-decries-cowardly-attack-on-oil-tanker-idUSKBN1WR05D

(A K P)

Saudi Arabia says it received distress message from damaged Iranian tanker: SPA

Saudi Arabia said it received a distress message on Friday from a damaged Iranian tanker in the Red Sea but the vessel kept moving and switched off its transponder before it could provide assistance, state news agency SPA reported on Saturday.

SPA said the Sabiti tanker did not respond to many communications from the Saudi authorities. Saudi Arabia was committed to the security and safety of navigation and international laws, it said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-tanker-saudi/saudi-arabia-says-it-received-distress-message-from-damaged-iranian-tanker-spa-idUSKBN1WR0C1

and

(A K P)

Spokesman for Border Guards: Saudi Arabia Affirms Its Commitment to Security and Safety of Maritime Navigation and International Agreements and Norms

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981240

(* A K P)

Iran meldet Raketenangriff auf Tanker – Öl läuft aus

Das iranische Ölministerium meldet eine Explosion auf einem iranischen Öltanker im Roten Meer. Demnach wurde das Schiff von zwei Raketen getroffen. Die Reederei dementierte Berichte über ein Feuer an Bord.

Zwei Geschosse sollen einen iranischen Öltanker im Roten Meer vor der Küste Saudi-Arabiens getroffen haben. Das meldeten iranische Medien am Freitag, während es aus Saudi-Arabien zunächst keine Informationen über das Geschehen gab. Die Explosion habe zwei Lagerräume auf dem Schiff beschädigt und Öl laufe nun in der Nähe der saudischen Hafenstadt Dschidda ins Meer, meldete das iranische Staatsfernsehen. Bei dem getroffenen Tanker handele es sich um die „Sabity“, schrieb die amtliche Nachrichtenagentur Irna unter Verweis auf die nationale Tankergesellschaft NITC.

Die Geschosse hätten das Schiff etwa 96 Kilometer von Dschidda entfernt getroffen, so Irna. Wer sie nach Einschätzung der iranischen Behörden abgefeuert haben könnte, wurde nicht bekannt gegeben.

https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article201724256/Nahe-Saudi-Arabien-Iran-meldet-Raketenangriff-auf-Tanker-Oel-laeuft-aus.html

und

(* A K P)

Iranischer Öltanker im Roten Meer von Raketen getroffen

Nach Angaben der Nationalen Iranischen Tankergesellschaft (NITC) handelt es sich um den Rohöltanker Sabiti.

Saheb Sadeghi, ein Sprecher die NITC, sagte in einem Telefonat mit dem staatlichen englischsprachigen Sender PressTV, dass die Raketen aus der Richtung Saudiarabien gekommen seien. Belege für einen Beschuss gab es zunächst nicht. Im Laufe des Freitags zog die NITC ihre Darstellung des Vorfalls zurück. Ein Sprecher sagte, die Ursache der Explosionen sei unklar.

Der Sprecher des Aussenministeriums in Teheran, Abbas Moussavi, sagte, der Tanker sei zwei Mal von einem Ort nahe der Schifffahrtstrasse im östlichen Roten Meer getroffen worden. Er liess damit offen, ob ein möglicher Angriff von der Küste ausgegangen sein könnte oder etwa von einem Boot. Inseln gibt es in dem Seegebiet nicht. Die Untersuchungen zu den Details und Urhebern dieses «gefährlichen Aktes» dauerten an. Er machte sich damit eine Schuldzuweisung in Richtung Saudiarabien nicht zueigen.

https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/ausland/naher-osten-und-afrika/oeltanker-im-roten-meer-von-raketen-getroffen/story/16306231

und

(A E K)

Ölpreise steigen nach Bericht über Explosion auf iranischem Tanker

https://www.msn.com/de-de/finanzen/top-stories/öl-ölpreise-steigen-nach-bericht-über-explosion-auf-iranischem-tanker/ar-AAIBzXN

und

(A E K)

WidsomTree: Erneuter Tankerangriff befeuert geopolitische Risiken

Wir glauben, dass die Spannungen in der Region nicht nachlassen. Daher sollte eine höhere geopolitische Prämie bei Öl eingepreist werden.

https://www.fundresearch.de/kommentar/wisdomtree-erneuter-tankerangriff-befeuert-geopolitische-risiken.php

(* A K P)

Iranian Foreign Ministry denies reports that the oil tanker was targeted with missiles fired from Saudi territories

https://twitter.com/alihashem_tv/status/1182583108744503296

(* A K P)

Iran says oil tanker struck by missiles off Saudi Arabia

Two missiles struck an Iranian tanker traveling through the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia on Friday, Iranian officials said, the latest incident in the region amid months of heightened tensions between Tehran and the U.S.

There was no word from Saudi Arabia on the reported attack and Saudi officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Oil prices spiked by 2% on the news.

“This latest incident, if confirmed to be an act of aggression, is highly likely to be part of the wider narrative of deteriorating relations between Saudi and the U.S. and Iran,” private maritime security firm Dryad Maritime warned.

“It is likely that the region, have being stable for the last month, will face another period of increasing maritime threats, as the Iranian and Saudi geopolitical stand-off continues,” it added.

Iranian state television said the explosion damaged two storerooms aboard the oil tanker and caused an oil leak into the Red Sea near the Saudi port city of Jiddah. The leak was later stopped, IRNA reported.

The state-run IRNA news agency, quoting Iran’s National Iranian Tanker Co., identified the stricken vessel as the Sabiti. It turned on its tracking devices late Friday morning in the Red Sea, putting its location some 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Jiddah, according to data from MarineTraffic.com. The ship is carrying some 1 million barrels of crude oil, according to an analysis from data firm Refinitiv.

https://apnews.com/55f68b50763c40eeb25ee19027573d86

and

(* A K P)

Iranian oil tanker damaged by explosions near Saudi port city

Owner says two blasts onboard Sabiti were ‘probably caused by missile strikes’

The tanker was heading to Syria to unload its cargo. Two of the main oil tanks on the ship were hit by two separate explosions 20 minutes apart from what has been described as missiles. The attack occurred at 5am local time.

Iranian state-controlled news agencies said the Sabiti had been targeted in a terrorist attack, a claim that raises the prospect the ship was hit as a reprisal for previous Iranian-attributed attacks on international shipping in United Arab Emirates ports, as well as the cruise missile strikes on two major Aramco oil installations in Saudi Arabia on 14 September.

Confirming Tehran viewed Friday’s incident as a deliberate act of aggression, a Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said: “Those behind the attack are responsible for the consequences of this dangerous adventure, including the dangerous environmental pollution caused.”

He added: “The details and factors behind this act will be investigated and will be announced after the results are reached.”

Suggestions that the oil company was blaming Saudi Arabia at this stage were denied.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/11/iranian-oil-tanker-on-fire-after-blast-near-saudi-port-city-report

and also https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-tanker/iran-oil-tanker-hit-off-saudi-coast-may-have-been-missiles-iran-reports-idUSKBN1WQ0G0

and

(A K P)

Sabotage acts against Iranian oil tankers in Red Sea not new: FM spokesman

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman reacted to Friday’s explosions on an Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea.

Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said that the crew are safe and the ship is in a stable condition despite being targeted two times in less than half an hour.

“In the past months, some other sabotage acts against Iranian tankers had been carried out in the Red Sea and investigations are underway into their perpetrators,” Mousavi said.

“All the responsibilities of this measure, including environmental pollution in the region, falls on those behind this dangerous adventure,”

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/151078/Sabotage-acts-against-Iranian-oil-tankers-in-Red-Sea-not-new

and

(A K P)

Russia: too early to assign blame for explosion on Iranian tanker: RIA

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-tanker-russia/russia-too-early-to-assign-blame-for-explosion-on-iranian-tanker-ria-idUSKBN1WQ129

and

(* A K P)

Oil prices jumps 2% after Iranian oil tanker explosion raises supply concerns

Oil prices jumped by 2% on Friday after Iranian news agencies said a state-owned oil tanker was struck by two missiles in the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia, raising the prospect of supply disruptions from a crucial producing region.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil/oil-prices-jumps-2-after-iranian-oil-tanker-explosion-raises-supply-concerns-idUSKBN1WQ02L

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

(A K P)

‘Babylon must fall’: SNP conference calls for an end to UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia

THE SNP autumn conference has called for an immediate end to UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which continue to be signed-off by UK Government ministers despite being ruled illegal.

The conference floor passed by acclaim a motion describing the £4.7 billion in sales to Saudi Arabia for use in its war on Yemen “morally unacceptable and unlawful”.

Moving the motion, SNP national executive member Rhuaraidh Fleming said it was "shameful that the UK is complicit in the worst humanitarian catastrophe this century".

https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/14801/babylon-must-fall-snp-conference-calls-end-uk-arms-sales-saudi-arabia

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

(* A K P)

Deutschland will nicht mehr alle gemeinsamen Waffendeals stoppen

Bei Rüstungsprojekten mit Frankreich soll Deutschland nur noch dann einen Export stoppen dürfen, wenn 20 Prozent der Teile darin deutsch sind. Details sind noch unklar.

Geht es darum, in welche Länder Waffen exportiert werden dürfen, sind die französische und die deutsche Regierung bisweilen unterschiedlicher Meinung. So hat Deutschland nach der Ermordung des Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi Ausfuhren nach Saudi-Arabien gestoppt – zum Ärger Frankreichs, geht es dabei doch auch um gemeinschaftliche produzierte Waffensysteme wie den Lufttanker Airbus 330 MRTT.

Gleichzeitig verhandeln beide Länder seit längerer Zeit einen Vertrag für künftige gemeinsame Rüstungsprojekte

Nach Informationen der Nachrichtenagentur AFP aus französischen Regierungskreisen kamen beide Seiten überein, dass Deutschland Ausfuhren französischer Rüstungsgüter nur blockieren kann, wenn diese mehr als 20 Prozent deutscher Bauteile enthalten.

https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2019-10/waffenexport-embargo-deutschland-frankreich-saudi-arabien

Mein Kommentar: Also sind die Deutschen jetzt bei Flugzeugen, die die Saudis im Jemenkrieg einsetzen, wieder dabei. Pfui teufel.

(A K P)

Nina Hagen:Solidarität und Hilfe für die Menschen in Jemen! Schon wieder wurden Waffen im Wert von 1 Milliarde Euro an die Jemen-Konfliktparteien genehmigt. Helft uns, die Waffenexporte zu stoppen, um den Hunger zu beenden! Hunger wird als Waffe eingesetzt. Erhebe auch Du Deine Stimme gegen Waffenexporte und kämpfe mit uns gegen Hunger und Leid im Jemen

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=10100331522

https://www.aktiongegendenhunger.de/waffenexporte-stoppen-hunger-beenden?fbclid=IwAR3PYHJQZpyfanmGaMbnF9Inewk6SeL3Vhfs8IfSchyOkEkA6G0M1JQBGS8

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

(* B K P)

CANADA’S MINISTER OF WAR

The Liberal government also has to answer for its support for Saudi Arabia, which is engaged in a horrendous war in Yemen. The UN has said that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is “the worst in the world” with an estimated 24 million people in need of assistance and protection, and famine threatening hundreds of thousands. In September, Yemen’s Houthi rebels released footage showing captured Canadian-made light armoured vehicles, indicating clearly that the armoured vehicles exported to Saudi Arabia through Trudeau’s approval of a Harper-era deal are being used in this bloody war. The Liberal government was forced to launch a review of the arms contract after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabia in 2018. There has been no update on this review and human rights organizations have written a letter to Trudeau saying that this has brought “the sincerity of the effort into question.”

http://peoplesvoice.ca/2019/10/07/canadas-minister-of-war/

(A P)

Putin offers to help ease Gulf tensions before Saudi trip

Russia can play a positive role in easing tensions in the Gulf following a spate of attacks in the region, President Vladimir Putin said in comments published on Sunday before his first visit to Saudi Arabia in over a decade.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-russia/putin-offers-to-help-ease-gulf-tensions-before-saudi-trip-idUSKBN1WS0F7

(* B K P)

What to expect from Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia

It is not only the geopolitical landscape but also the gradually broadening agenda for bilateral talks that stir up interest in Putin’s trip. Both countries’ officials reported intense preparatory work ahead of the leaders’ meeting.

Moscow and Riyadh will also have to address a wide range of regional security issues from the Gulf to Syria to Yemen. Putin's visit coincides with the Saudi authorities’ efforts to ease tensions in the Gulf region.

The Yemen issue particularly stands out as a grave security concern. Lavrov voiced Moscow’s official position on the matter by noting that inclusive talks are “the only way to resolve the difficult situation in Yemen, which, according to the United Nations, is facing a humanitarian disaster.” Although Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates declare efforts to seek alignment on Yemen, they have been largely fruitless so far. Given the on-the-ground situation, Russia is leaning toward the UAE and the Southern Transitional Council, which seized power from the Aden-based government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Nevertheless, Moscow has maintained contact with all the players, including the Sanaa-based alliance led by Houthis. The policy of equidistance contributes to Moscow’s working contacts both on a local and regional scale, and Russia expects to work this position during Putin’s visit.

The Syria peace process will be a key item on the Moscow-Riyadh agenda

Russia has emerged as a major outside player claiming to preserve its presence in the Middle East

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/10/russia-saudi-putin-expectations.html

(A K P)

France asks Saudi-led invaders not to use French weapons in Yemen

President Macron requested Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to refrain from using French weaponry

French President Emmanuel Macron said, at a press conference held Thursday in Lyon, that he had asked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to no longer use French-made weapons in attacks against Yemen.

“France has important partners in the region, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and they have significantly reduced their participation in Yemen to a lower level,” Macron said.

He added: “Since my election, we have asked clear commitments not to use weapons that fall within the framework of our cooperation on the Yemeni stage, and we have reduced the number of relevant contracts.”

https://www.uprising.today/france-asks-saudi-led-invaders-not-to-use-french-weapons-in-yemen/

My comment: ????? What an imbecility is this?? Buy, it, pay it, do not use it?? Arms simply are used for killing and destruction – you cannot build houses or farm with them. It’s the responsibility and crime of France, when these arms are used in the Yemen war.

(* A K P)

Al-Houthi Dismisses Macron’s Comments, Proves Use of French-made Weapons in Yemen

Al-Houthi said that the French president's assertion that “his country has asked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates not to use French-made weapons in Yemen, and that French weapons are not used in attacks basically misguided reality.”

Political Council member refuted the Macron 's allegations, saying, "the French Hercules howitzer is used along the Yemeni land border, displacing more than half a million residents of the border districts."

Meanwhile Al-Houthi has proved the use of French weapons in the Yemen war. "To assure President Macron that the French Caesar is what the Saudis are using, we have attached to you the link of the National Guard channel and the statement of the commander of the Saudi artillery battalion in a field broadcast.”

https://youtu.be/nmKbs4I3LFQ

“In addition to a link of the Egyptian site promoting Caesar howitzer to purchase it from France,” he added.

https://youtu.be/-m9LbV1Rug4

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9232&cat_id=1

My comment: Macron is ridiculizing himself. The use of French armour in the Yemen War has been proven at many occasions:

https://made-in-france.disclose.ngo/en/documents/

https://disclose.ngo/en/article/french-made-ships-are-enforcing-blockade-starving-millions-yemeni-civilians

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-france-arms/french-made-tanks-and-howitzer-canons-used-in-yemeni-war-disclose-idUSKCN1RR1D3

(* B K P)

Film: Conflit au Yémen : «La France continuera à vendre ses armes»

Emmanuel Macron a demandé, le 10 octobre, que l'armement français ne soit pas utilisé au Yémen. La France est accusée par de nombreuses ONG de vendre des armes à l'Arabie Saoudite et aux Émirats arabes unis, impliqués dans ce conflit. Une déclaration tardive et peu crédible, selon notre invitée Céline Jrizi, géopolitologue. Elle rappelle que la France est un important exportateur d'armes, et que cette prise de parole présidentielle ne servira qu'à tenter de calmer les critiques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2JHcaweZWU

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

(* B K P)

Waffen für die Welt

Saudi-Arabien gibt mit 67 Milliarden US$ 8,8% seines BIP für das Militär aus und führt damit das Ranking der Top 15 an. Wer viel Geld für Waffen zur Verfügung und selber nur begrenzt Ressourcen zur Fertigung hat, der wird in den Rüstungsschmieden der Welt zukaufen...
Deutschland nimmt mit einem Wertmarktanteil von 5,6 Platz 5 im Ranking der Top-Waffenexporteure ein.

Betrachtet man den Waffenhandel mit Sicht auf die gesamte EU, hat man das Gefühl, dass internationale Konflikte eher befeuert statt entschärft werden. Im Jahre 2017 lieferte die EU Kriegsmaterial im Wert von 156 Milliarden Euro aus. Das ist mehr als das Dreifache der deutschen Rüstungsausgaben. Hier hat Frankreich mit 102 Milliarden Euro die Nase vorn, gefolgt von Spanien und Italien mit jeweils 21 und 9,5 Milliarden Euro. Deutschland beteiligte sich mit 6,2 Milliarden Euro und belegt Platz 5. Der größte Abnehmer der EU war 2017 Saudi-Arabien mit einem Volumen von 17,3 Milliarden Euro, gefolgt von Indien mit 12,2 Milliarden Euro.

https://nnz-online.de/news/news_lang.php?ArtNr=263664

(* A K P)

Air Force awards contract for $16M drone-killing microwave weapon

The Pentagon has awarded a contract worth nearly $16.3 million to Raytheon for a prototype high-power microwave weapons system, officials announced this week.

The system is the first direct energy weapon said to be able to destroy certain types of drones, Popular Mechanics reported Tuesday. The system uses microwaves that emit "radio frequencies in a conical beam," destroying a drone's circuit with "a burst of overwhelming energy," the publication said.

“It's not a thermal effect, it's an electric-field effect that is basically imposed on the electronics to either upset or permanently damage them. And the effect is essentially instantaneous," Raytheon's missile systems' chief technologist for directed energy, Don Sullivan told the outlet.

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/air-force-awards-16m-drone-killing-microwave-weapons-system-contract

(* A K P)

HOUTHIS CAPTURED FRENCH-CANADIAN GUIDED MISSILES DURING RECENT OPERATION (PHOTOS)

Developed by European missile company MBDA, the ERYX ATGM was designed to counter armored vehicles, bunkers, pillboxes and even for limited use as an anti-aircraft weapon.

https://southfront.org/houthis-captured-french-canadian-guided-missiles-during-recent-operation-photos/

(* B K P)

Spain does millions business with arms sales to countries at war

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates or Israel have paid large sums for the purchase of all types of weapons. The NGOs grouped in the Arms Under Control campaign demand that urgent measures be taken.

Saudi Arabia, main customer

As stated in various reports prepared by Amnesty International, Intermon Oxfam, Greenpeace and FundiPau (members of the Arms Under Control platform), between January 2015 and June 2018 - last date available with updated data from the Secretary of State for Commerce , which has not yet submitted the report corresponding to last year's total - licenses were granted to Spanish companies to make sales of defense material to Saudi Arabia for a total of 2,483 million euros, while in that same period exports were made for 2,046 million euros.

https://www.publico.es/politica/venta-armamento-espana-negocios-millonarios-venta-armas-paises-guerra.html

cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner

(* B K)

SAM calls on Yemen and Saudi Arabia to uncover the fate of thousands of fighters on the kingdom's borders

SAM organization called Saudi authorities and the legitimate government on Friday for the fate of thousands of Yemeni fighters on the kingdom's southern border.

In a statement posted on its website, the organization called on the Yemeni government and Saudi authorities to reveal the fate of thousands of fighters killed, wounded or captured, on the kingdom's border in northern Yemen's Sa'da province.

The organization held the two governments "legally and morally responsible for the fate of these citizens who were recruited to fight there."

It added that she received dozens of reports from parents asking about the fate of their missing children on the Yemeni-Saudi border, and despite the publication of phone numbers belonging to the brigades command and urged parents to contact it to inquire about the fate of their children, but many parents reported that these numbers do not respond.

The organization said that it "did not receive an official response" from the Yemeni Ministry of Defense, while a source close to the ministry said that "the northern border fronts do not belong to the Yemeni Ministry of Defense financially or administratively, and that the kingdom has taken over the process of establishing, financing and appointing its leaders."

According to the statement, the organization reached out to leaders of the Fatah Brigade to find out the fate of some of the fighters, stating that they know the names of the wounded, survivors and some of the dead, and do not know enough information about the names of the missing and prisoners.

Sam called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to intervene

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172601

(A K P)

113 Recruits Secede From Aggression Camps, Return Homeland

[Sanaa gov.] Interior Ministry in the National Salvation Government on Friday said that 113 recruits in ranks of Saudi-led aggression coalition, including leaders, returned to the homeland during the past 10 days.

“The security services have facilitated the return of those misled persons to their villages and homes in several provinces,” the ministry explained in a statement.

https://sabanews.net/en/news3075498.htm

cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage

(A P)

DC WELCOMES NEW CULTURAL INSTITUTE FOR YEMEN WITH OCT. 25TH CONCERT

Now, a new cultural center in the nation’s capital announces its arrival with a concert designed to celebrate Yemeni heritage.

The Yemen Cultural Institute for Heritage and the Arts (YCIHA) announces its launch on Oct. 25, 2019, when it presents “Vibrations from Yemen: Traditional and New Sounds” featuring renowned artists Ravid Kahalani of Yemen Blues and oud master Ahmed Al-Shaiba. The event, hosted at the Eaton Workshop, will feature traditional Yemeni beats and highlight modern eclectic interpretations of Yemeni chants and instruments

https://www.themarkaz.org/dc_welcomes_new_cultural_institute_for_yemen_with_oct_25th_concert

cp13d Wirtschaft / Economy

(B E P)

Economist: The scarcity of the Yemeni riyal and political factors behind the improvement in the local currency

For the second day in a row, the currency exchange market witnessed a marked improvement in the local currency against the foreign exchange basket, which an economist attributed to political and economic factors.

Workers in exchange shops in several Yemeni provinces reported a decline in the price of one dollar to 580 Yemeni riyals from the value of which exceeded 600 riyals in the past days, while the price of the Saudi riyal reached 153 decreases from 160 riyals.

Economist Mustafa Nasr, head of the Center for Economic Studies and Media said "There is also an economic factor in the scarcity of the Yemeni riyal in the market, as the delivery of salaries has been suspended for several months for military personnel of the internationally recognized government,".

"One of the economic reasons is that importers of oil derivatives stopped importing after the recent government requirements, and this led to an abundance of dollars against the Yemeni riyal," he said.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172682

(* B E K)

Assessing Oil and Non-Oil GDP Growth from Space: An Application to Yemen 2012-17

This paper uses an untapped source of satellite-recorded nightlights and gas flaring data to characterize the contraction of economic activity in Yemen throughout the ongoing conflict that erupted in 2015. Using estimated nightlights elasticities on a sample of 72 countries for real GDP and 28 countries for oil GDP over 6 years, I derive oil and non-oil GDP growth for Yemen. I show that real GDP contracted by a cumulative 24 percent over 2015-17 against 50 percent according to official figures. I also find that the impact of the conflict has been geographically uneven with economic activity contracting more in some governorates than in others.

https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2019/10/11/Assessing-Oil-and-Non-Oil-GDP-Growth-from-Space-An-Application-to-Yemen-2012-17-48690

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

(* B T)

Wikipedia: Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen

The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen refers to the armed conflict that started in 1998 between the Yemeni government with United States assistance, and al-Qaeda-affiliated cells in Yemen. The strife is often categorized as a sub-conflict in the greater Global War on Terror.

Government crackdown against al-Qaeda cells began in 2001, and reached an escalation point on 14 January 2010, when Yemen declared open war on al-Qaeda.[10][11] In addition to battling al Qaeda across several provinces, Yemen is also contending with Shia insurgency in the north and militant separatists in the south. Fighting with al-Qaeda escalated during the course of the 2011 Yemeni revolution, with Jihadists seizing most of the Abyan Governorate and declaring it an Emirate. A second wave of violence occurred throughout early 2012, with militants claiming territory across the southwest amid heavy combat with government forces.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda_insurgency_in_Yemen

cp15 Propaganda

(A P)

Yemeni President appreciates Saudi efforts to help his people against Houthi rebellion

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981806

(A K P)

Rights group demands UNHRC to stop Houthis abuses against Yemeni children

The Yemeni Human Rights Abuses Watch Alliance, a group of local human rights advocates demanded on Tuesday the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to take effective action to stop abuses carried out by the Houthis against Yemeni children.

Mawahib Al-Hamzi, a female human rights advocate and a member of the Yemeni Human Rights Abuses Watch Alliance said that the Houthis have intentionally engaged the children in the ongoing armed conflict and exposed them to death, sexual abuse and abduction.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-33663

My comment: Yes, obviously the Houthis commit al these violations. But, here this seems to be another “human rights organization” which had been created by Hadi government or Islah Party affiliates for anti-Houthi propaganda. Google “Yemeni Human Rights Abuses Watch Alliance”, you just get this match. And Mrs. Al-Hamzi seems to be closely connected to other stunt “Human rights organizations”: http://www.iunwatch.org/international-alliance-peace-development-uae-new-trick-geneva/ and https://ww.egyptindependent.com/parliamentarians-activists-welcome-sisis-speech-on-amending-ngos-law/

(A P)

[Hadi gov.] Defense Minister: Yemenis won’t accept Imamate, colonial schemes to come back in any way

Yemen’s Defense Minister .Lt Gen. Mohammed Al-Mqdashi said, “The national battle has been imposed by the insurgent Houthi militia in an attempt to bring history back that our great Yemeni peoples rejected and will never allow the Imamate and colonial schemes to come back”.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/10/12/defense-minister-yemenis-wont-accept-imamate-colonial-schemes-to-come-back-in-any-way/

(A P)

Yemeni [Hadi] Government Condemns Turkish President's Statements on Operations of Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen

The Yemeni government today denounced Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement in which he falsely compared between Turkey's violation of the sovereignty and independence of Syria and the operations of the Saudi-led coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen against Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia.
The Yemeni government described the statement of the Turkish president as "provocative", according to the official Yemeni News Agency.
It stressed in a statement that the operations of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen came on the basis of the principle of self-defense in Article (51) of the Charter of the United Nations, the Charter of Arab League, and the Joint Arab Defense Treaty, which was reinforced by Security Council resolution 2216.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981259

My comment: LOL.

(A P)

Yemen's [Hadi gov.] Interior Ministry Accuses Houthis of Coordinating with Qaeda, ISIS

The Yemeni Interior Ministry accused on Friday Houthi militias of “direct coordination” with al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists to carry out sabotage attacks in areas falling under the control of the legitimate government.
“We have information confirming the coordination between the rebels, ISIS and Qaeda with an aim of executing terrorist attacks against the government,” Interior Ministry official Maj. Gen. Mohammed Salem bin Aboud al-Sharif told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The General described the coordination as “strong and accurate” aiming to undermine the stability and security of the country.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1942286/yemens-interior-ministry-accuses-houthis-coordinating-qaeda-isis

My comment: This is strange propaganda, as Houthis and AQAP / IS are archenemies. On the other hand, ties and cooperation between AQAP and the Hadi government and anti-Houthi forces is well known.

(A P)

KSA Confirms Support for Rule of Law to Promote International Humanitarian Law

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has affirmed its support for the rule of law, which promotes respect for international humanitarian law for the betterment of humanity.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981133

My comment: LOLOLOLOL.

(A P)

Al-Iryani: UNDP’s report impedes Yemenis unify their fronts to topple coup

Minister of Information Muamar al-Iryani has said the report of UNDP warns of continuation of Yemen’s crisis over Houthi militia coup against the government to 2022, a matter makes Yemeni people the poorest in the world.

He called all to beat Houthi militia and rescue Yemeni people from this fate and ending the humanitarian crisis, which is labeled by the UN the worse in the world.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/10/11/al-iryani-undps-report-impedes-yemenis-unify-their-fronts-to-topple-coup/

My comment: LOL. ??? The headline is contrary to the text. They both are odd, anyway. The Yemen crisis is not „over Houthi militia coup against the government“ (the UNDP report does not tell this), but predominantly over the Saudi aerial war and blockade.

(A P)

Europe’s heedless foreign and security policies

European countries say they base their foreign policies on values – but doing so has led to inconsistency in how they treat international partners. Consequently, Europe has taken the wrong stance on military exports, the Iran nuclear deal and the U.S.-China trade dispute. Recent events, however, may have provided a wake-up call.

One consequence of such value-driven policies is Europe’s web of restrictions on military equipment exports. These constraints render the development of an efficient European defense industry impossible, thereby hindering Europe’s ability to defend itself. As a result, the continent lacks international credibility.

Tehran maintains that Israel must be destroyed and supports terrorist activities abroad through Hezbollah and other organizations. It instigated the catastrophic civil war in Yemen and continues to support the Houthi rebels there, who also have attacked Saudi Arabia with Iranian support.

As opposed to Tehran, Riyadh did not start the war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has become embroiled in the conflict for defensive reasons, yet it is continuously criticized for its role. While there is room for criticism of Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen, the fundamentalist regime in Tehran deserves at least as much condemnation.

https://www.gisreportsonline.com/europes-heedless-foreign-and-security-policies,politics,2993.html

(A P)

Yemeni Defense Minister Appreciates KSA's Stances Towards Facing Dangers Against His Country

Yemeni Defense Minister Lieutenant General Mohammad Ali Al-Maqdashi has appreciated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's fraternal stances and support to help his country and its people to restore their state being controlled by the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia.
Al-Maqdashi has praised the sacrifices of the KSA along with the armed forces in his country in the facing these dangers

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1980927

(A P)

More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors” propaganda

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981765

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMIFDLN2SGc

http://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302794267 and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/13516

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981083 and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/13514

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981082

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981013

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

(* A K pH)

Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day

Oct. 12: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1570973586./1439111719572522/

Oct. 11: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1570973586./1439111262905901/

Oct. 10: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1570973586./1439110762905951/

Oct. 9: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1439110169572677/

Oct. 8: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1439108639572830/

Oct. 7: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1439108012906226/

Oct. 6: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1439107579572936/

(A K pS)

Coalition warplanes strike Houthi militia in Hajjah

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/10/12/coalition-warplanes-strike-houthi-militia-in-hajjah/

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

Siehe / Look at cp1b

(* B K)

Houthi threat to Saudi Arabia’s oil industry

From oil fields to export terminals, these drone attacks demonstrate the vulnerability of Saudi oil infrastructure. But to what extent are the Houthis able to target them?

The sophistication, precision, and range (Abqaiq being 1,150 kilometres north of Yemen) of the September 14 attacks far exceed anything the Houthis have done before. Iran, however, is known to have been supplying and training the Houthis in using and managing drones. They operate primarily the Qasef-1 attack drone, which is identical to the Iranian Ababil-2/T, and can deliver a 45kg warhead up to 150 kilometres.

Analysts have counted 58 Houthi drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, of which most targeted airports in nearby Abha, Najran and Jizan. But drone strikes on an airport in Abu Dhabi in July 2018 and on the East-West pipeline in May 2019 (over 800 kilometres away) show an upgrade in sophistication and range. In late 2018, the UN found the use of a new drone they named ‘UAV-X’ (which may be what the Houthis refer to as ‘Samad-2/3’), conceivably able to carry an 18 kg warhead with shrapnel up to 1,500 kilometres.

Saudi officials have also reported 200 ballistic missile attacks, but the exact number is likely to be significantly higher. The Houthis are provided with crucial components from Iran to build missiles, according to a UN report. Iran also provides advisers that assist in construction and tactics.

Revenues from the Saudi oil industry accounts for 87% of budget revenues, 42% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings – this puts into perspective how sensitive Saudi Arabia is to disruptions in oil flows. A fact not lost on the Houthis. High-impact attacks, like the ones on Abqaiq and Khurais, are highly unlikely to become a regular event.

However, it is highly likely that the Houthis will increasingly execute low-impact attacks on critical Saudi oil infrastructure. Saudi Arabia can compensate for disruption inflows as it holds a lot of oil in store, and has a lot of spare capacity in pipelines and stabilisation plants. But a large number of low-impact attacks would cause significant damage over the medium to long-term as cost of repairs and defences accumulate. It would also challenge Saudi Arabia’s credibility as a reliable oil supplier, and its role as a swing producer.

https://globalriskinsights.com/2019/10/houthi-threat-to-saudi-arabias-oil-industry/

(A K pS)

Houthi-laid mines removed from newly liberated areas of al-Dhale

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13518

(A K pS)

Dozens Houthi militants incl. leaders killed in Sa’ada

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/10/14/dozens-houthi-militants-incl-leaders-killed-in-saada/

(* A K pS)

A Houthi booby-trapped boat attacks the port of Midi, injuring a TV reporter and a number of soldiers

On Saturday evening, a Houthi booby-trapped boat attacked the port of Midi in Hajjah province in northwestern Yemen, injuring a television reporter and a number of members of government forces present at the port.

A military source told Al-Masdar Online that a booby-trapped boat attacked the port and exploded the moment it arrived.

According to the source, the government forces were unable to deal with the boat because it was not aware of its presence until it was located at a close distance from the port.

According to the Al-Masdar online correspondent, the explosion of the booby-trapped boat caused shrapnel injuries among the soldiers who were near the scene of the explosion, and Mohammed al-Khaiwani, a correspondent for "Balqis" television, was injured in the explosion, where he was hit in the face by shrapnel.

While the military source said that the explosion did not result in deaths, he said that the injured were nine, and the injuries were light.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172664

and

(A P)

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate condemns the targeting of Balqis correspondent in Midi (photo)

https://twitter.com/NabilAlosaidi/status/1183472594542047233

(A K pH)

Oct. 12: In Sa'ada, Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted different areas of Razih district.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9259

(A K pH)

Two Children Injured by Saudi-mercenaries’ Fire in Al-Dhalae

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9265

and also https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/fires-of-aggressions-mercenaries-hit-two-displaced-children-in-al-dhale/

(* B K pS)

Iran und Houthis wollen den Jemen in das Vietnam der Saudis verwandeln

Dem Iran nahestehenden Fernsehsender veröffentlichten Videos, in denen saudische Soldaten gedemütigt wurden und die nicht zufällig an den Vietnamkrieg erinnern.

„Von houthi- und iranfreundlichen Medien veröffentlichte Videos, scheinen Hunderte von saudi-arabischen Kämpfern zu zeigen, die von den Houthi-Rebellen im Jemen besiegt wurden. Sie erschienen [Ende September] einen Tag, nachdem Gerüchte aufgekommen waren, die Houthis hätten drei Brigaden aufgerieben und Tausende von Soldaten gefangen genommen. Dies geschah wiederum zwei Wochen nach dem Drohnen- und Marschflugkörperangriff auf die Ölverarbeitungsanlagen in Abqaiq. Die USA haben den Iran für den Angriff verantwortlich gemacht, und es sieht so aus, als ob die wahre Botschaft des Jemen lautet, dass er zu Riads Vietnam werden wird.

Die Houthis, die von iranischen Medien als legitime Streitkräfte des Jemen bezeichnet werden, sagen, sie hätten am Freitag [den 27. September] eine Operation mit dem Namen ‚Gottes Sieg‘ begonnen und dabei Fortschritte erzielt.

http://www.politik24.de/iran-und-houthis-wollen-den-jemen-in-das-vietnam-der-saudis-verwandeln/2019/10/ = https://www.mena-watch.com/iran-und-houthis-wollen-den-jemen-in-das-vietnam-der-saudis-verwandeln/

Mein Kommentar: Das liegt schon länger zurück – die deutschsprachige Berichterstattung ist nicht immer gerade schnell. – Tatsächlich kämpft der größere Teil der legitimen Armee auf der Seite der Houthis – diese Tatsache passt nicht ins übliche Propagandaschema.

(A K pS)

Film: Engineering Units of the Yemeni Army cleared about one hundred landmines and explosive devices laid by #Houthis in Alnaka'a front in the province of Sadaa, north #Yemen.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1183122026560741376

(A K pS)

Floods unearth landmines in Lahj

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13509

(A K pS)

Tens of Houthi rebels killed and injured in Hajja province

Dozens of the Iran-backed Houthi rebel militia on Friday were killed and injured while attempting to infiltrate positions under the control of the Yemeni national army [in fact: Saudi-paid anti-Houthi militia] in north-western province of Hajja.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/10/11/tens-of-houthi-rebels-killed-and-injured-in-hajja-province/

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172603

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB0k-9qy1Yk

(A K)

Houthis launch attack against gov't-controlled areas in southern Yemen

Scores of Houthi fighters launched a large-scale attack against areas controlled by the government forces in the country's southern province of Dhalea on Friday, a military official told Xinhua.

"The Houthis attempted to seize back a number of sites they had lost during the past days fighting near Qataba district of Dhalea province," the military source said on condition of anonymity.

Pro-government forces positioned in Qataba and the surrounding areas confronted the Houthi attackers and repulsed them, said the source.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/11/c_138464422.htm

(A K pH)

Saudi Aggression Fires Artillery At Citizens’ Houses In Marib

The shelling hit al-Mahjaz area of Serwah district, destroying citizen’s home completely and damaging other houses.

Separately, the coalition’s mercenaries fired artillery shells at houses of residents in Haradh district of Hajjah province, injuring three women and damaging a number of the houses

https://sabanews.net/en/news3075464.htm

(A K pS)

5 civilians injured by landmine planted by Houthi militias in Qa’taba, north of Al-Dhale’a

Five civilians were injured Thursday when a mine planted by Houthi militias exploded in the area of "Zubairiyat" in the district of Qa’taba in the north of al- Dhale’a province in southern Yemen.

According to local sources, a landmine planted by Houthi militias exploded in a car

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/172563

https://twitter.com/ycmhrv/status/1182924898685145094 (with photo)

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

(A D)

Film: Engineering and Creative Projects Exhibition in Taiz University

The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Taiz in southern Yemen inaugurated the activities of the Engineering and Creative Projects Exhibition for the Department of Mechatronics and Robotics in the College, the participants interacted with the creations of the college students who presented several scientific projects between inventions, innovations and development programs, including; The car project and many others, according to the organizers of the exhibition, the university will develop these projects by providing the necessary support from businessmen in the province to serve the inventors and creators and benefit the community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3cyHiXihT0

(-)

Photo: Mountains of Taiz in the rainy season.

https://twitter.com/HanaalShowafi/status/1183337740022226946

(* B)

Socotra, the island-garden threatened by the war in Yemen

Next to the repercussions due to the war there are also the transformations that the island is undergoing in recent years due to other causes. In recent years, some typhoons have hit and caused serious damage, especially to some coastal areas.

Typhoons are a symptom of ongoing climate change and indeed in Socotra, as everywhere, average temperatures are rising and there are long periods of drought. Then there is the breeding: the goats have significantly increased in number and are left free to graze on the island. Result: they also feed on endemic species, which thus no longer reproduce and Dracena itself is at risk. To this is added a, albeit still limited, deforestation and the presence of alien species in the numerous watercourses; and then the overfishing of marine resources, also due to fishing boats coming from other nations; the increase in the population, from 42 thousand inhabitants in 2004 to current ones, estimated at 60 thousand or even 80 thousand. And to make matters worse, pollution due to plastic. And so we will have a picture perhaps not even complete of the situation. The UNESCO, taking note of all this, has launched an appeal for the preservation of the island and has launched a campaign to make it known by the title "Connect2Socotra".

https://altreconomia.it/socotra-guerra-yemen/

(-)

Film: And the talented @Mohammed_Farid0 lights our Friday with a new song. But this time song is written & composed by his father who is playing oud in this video.This family fights war with art. Lots of people in #Yemen created a parallel life to cope with war times!

https://twitter.com/HanaalShowafi/status/1182671106077011969

(A P)

Yemen Denounces Qatar Charity's Funding to Print Distorted School Textbook

The Yemeni government [Hadi gov. at Aden] has denounced the funding being carried out by Qatar Charity for printing textbooks for Yemeni schools under the control of the Iranian-backed Al-Houthi terrorist militia.
The Yemeni Ministry of Education said in a statement that "Al-Houthi terrorist militia backed by Iran used, since its coup against legitimacy, to distort and change the curricula of public education in the Republic of Yemen in line with its malign sectarian ideology."
It condemned the funding made by Qatar Charity to print those poisonous and destructive curricula for the Yemeni student's ideology, belief, patriotism and future, stressing that these curricula lay the foundation for intellectual, religious and societal extremism.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981110

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1981111

My comment: The most extremist text books are used in Saudi Arabia.

(C)

Quand le Yémen donnait au monde le café

Toutes les semaines, chronique de la vie quotidienne, sociale et culturelle dans les pays arabes.

https://www.liberation.fr/planete/2019/10/12/quand-le-yemen-donnait-au-monde-le-cafe_1756990

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-585-yemen-war-mosaic-585

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-585 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-585:

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/

Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected aur raids:

https://yemen.bellingcat.com/

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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