Nov. 7, 2019: Riyadh agreement: Full text; Problems, aspects, significance – Houthi missile hits Mokha – 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
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
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp12b Sudan
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
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**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
Geschoss auf Mokha: cp17 / Missile at Mokha: cp17
(** A P)
Document of the Riyadh Agreement Between the Legitimate Government and the Southern Transitional Council
The two sides of this agreement,
Who met under the auspices of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 20/8/2019 to 24/10/2019, in response to the Kingdom's call for dialogue to discuss differences, prevail with wisdom and dialogue, renounce division, stop sedition, and unite ranks:
The Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen is committed to the three references: the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its operational mechanism, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and Security Council Resolution 2216 and the relevant resolutions and the decisions of the Riyadh Conference.
Confirming the role of the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia, responding to the request of His Excellency the legitimate, elected President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to protect Yemen and its people from the continued aggression of the Houthi militia backed by the Iranian regime, and to build on the political, military, security, relief, and developmental successes, and on top of all these restore control to most of Yemen's territory.
Out of the necessity to activate state institutions, the two parties declare their full commitment to the following:
Activating the role of all Yemeni state authorities and institutions, in accordance with the political and economic arrangements contained in Annex I of this agreement.
Reorganizing the military forces under the command of the Ministry of Defence, in accordance with the military arrangements contained in Annex II of this agreement.
Reorganizing the security forces under the command of the Ministry of Interior, in accordance with the security arrangements contained in Annex III of this agreement.
Upholding the full citizenship rights of all Yemeni people, to reject regional and sectarian discrimination, and to reject division.
Stopping abusive media campaigns of all kinds between the parties.
Uniting efforts, under the leadership of the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy, to restore security and stability in Yemen and confront terrorist organizations.
Forming a committee under the supervision of the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia, to follow up, implement, and achieve the provisions of this agreement and its annexes.
The participation of the Southern Transitional Council in the government delegation to consultations on the final political solution to end the coup of the Houthi terrorist militia backed by the Iranian regime.
Upon the signing of this agreement, His Excellency the President of Yemen will issue his directives to all state agencies to implement the agreement and its provisions.
Annex I: Political and Economic Arrangements
- The formation of a government of political competence seating no more than (24) ministers whose members are appointed by the President in consultation with the Prime Minister and the political components, provided that the ministerial portfolios shall be equal between the southern and northern provinces, within thirty days of the signing of this agreement. Those selected for the ministerial portfolio should be recognized for their integrity, competence, and experience, and did not engage in any hostilities or incitement during the events in Aden, Abyan, and Shabwa. Members of the government will be sworn in by the President the day after its formation in Aden.
- His Excellency the Yemeni President shall appoint, on the basis of the criteria of competence and integrity, and in consultation, a governor and director of security of Aden governorate within fifteen days of the signing of this agreement, and the appointment of governors of Abyan and Al-Dhale’a within thirty days of the signing of this agreement in order to improve the efficiency and quality of work.
- The Prime Minister of the current government will begin his work in the interim capital Aden within 7 days of the signing of this agreement to activate all state institutions in the various liberated provinces to serve Yemeni citizens, and work on the payment of salaries and financial benefits to employees of all military sectors. The state's security and civil affairs shall be in the provisional capital Aden and all liberated governorates.
- His Excellency the Yemeni President shall appoint, based on the criteria of competence and integrity and in consultation, governors and security directors in the rest of the southern governorates, within 60 days of the signing of this agreement.
- Management of state resources, ensuring the collection and deposit of all state revenues, including oil, tax, and customs revenues in the Central Bank of Aden, spending under the budget adopted in accordance with Yemeni law, and submitting a transparent periodic report on its revenues and expenses to parliament for evaluation and monitoring, and the contribution of regional and international experts and specialists to provide the necessary advice.
- Activating the Central Authority for Oversight and Accountability and strengthening it with honest and professional figures and reconstituted the National Anti-Corruption Authority and activating its oversight role.
- Restructuring and activating the Supreme Economic Council and strengthening it with competent, experienced, impartial and independent individuals, and associated with the Prime Minister to support fiscal and monetary policies and fight corruption.
Annex II: Military Arrangements
- The return of all forces – which moved from their main positions and camps towards Aden, Abyan, and Shabwa governorates since the beginning of August 2019 – to their former positions with all their personnel and weapons, and to be replaced by security forces belonging to the local authority in each governorate within 15 days of the signing of this agreement.
- Assembling and transporting medium and heavy weapons of various types from all military and security forces in Aden, within fifteen days from the date of the signing of this agreement, to camps within Aden identified and supervised by the leadership of the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy, and removal of these weapons is allowed only under approved plans and under the direct supervision from the Leadership of the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen. These weapons include in particular tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, Katyusha rockets, heavy mortars, thermal rockets, and heavy and medium-caliber armed vehicles.
- Transfer of all government military forces and Transitional Council military formations in Aden governorate to camps outside Aden governorate, determined by the leadership of the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen, within thirty days of the signing of this agreement, and directing them under approved plans and under the direct supervision of the leadership of the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen, excluding the First Presidential Protection Brigade, which is tasked with protecting the Presidential Palace and their surroundings and securing the movements of His Excellency the President, and providing security protection to the leaders of the Southern Transitional Council in Aden under the supervision of the leadership of the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen.
- Unifying the military forces contained in paragraph (3), numbering them and including them in the Ministry of Defense and issuing the necessary decisions, and distributing them in accordance with the plans adopted under the direct supervision of the leadership of the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen, within 60 days of the signing of this agreement.
- Reorganizing the military forces in the governorates (Abyan and Lahj) under the command of the Ministry of Defense, with the same measures that were applied in Aden province, within 60 days of the signing of this agreement.
- Reorganizing the military forces in the rest of the southern governorates under the command of the Ministry of Defense, with the same measures that were applied in Aden province, within 90 days of the signing of this agreement.
Annex III: Security Arrangements
1. Police forces in Aden governorate are responsible for securing the governorate while reorganizing government forces and the formations of the Transitional Council according to need and the security plan, and for selecting their elements according to competence and professionalism and work on their training, and to be linked to the governorate security chief and numbered as security forces of the Ministry of Interior, within 30 days of the signing of this agreement
2. Reorganization of special forces and counter-terrorism forces in Aden governorate, selection of new elements of the Legitimacy forces and the formations of the Transitional Council, and work to train them, appoint a commander, and number them as security forces under the Ministry of Interior, taking into account the confidentiality of terrorism combat elements, to carry out counter-terrorism operations and to participate in securing Aden, within 30 days of the signing of this agreement
3. Reorganization of the forces responsible for protecting installations in a unified force under the name “Installations Protection Force” within 30 days of the signing of this agreement, as follows:
The members of the Force are selected on the basis of the competence of the current military forces protecting installations, from the legitimacy forces, or formations of the Transitional Council.
This force is to fully protect the civilian installations, the government headquarters, the central bank, the ports of Aden, Aden airport, the refinery and the headquarters of the branches of ministries and state institutions in Aden.
This force is linked to the Ministry of the Interior and is designated as its security force.
4. The Installation Protection Force, within 90 days of the agreement, will protect the remaining civilian and vital installations in the rest of the liberated governorates, the ports of Mukalla, Al-Dhabba, Al-Mocha and Balhaf facility
5. Unifying and redistributing the security forces, numbering them, including them under the Ministry of Interior, and issuing the necessary decisions, within 60 days of the signing of the agreement
6. The reorganization of security forces in Abyan and Lahj governorates under the leadership of the Ministry of Interior with the same measures that were applied in Aden province, within 60 days of the date of the agreement
7. Reorganization of security forces in the rest of the southern governorates which are not on the lists of the Ministry of Interior under the leadership of the Ministry of Interior, with the same measures that were applied in Aden province, within 90 days of the signing of the agreement.
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/58
(** B P)
The Riyadh Agreement: Saudi Arabia Takes the Helm in Southern Yemen
The most important aspect of the Riyadh Agreement that was signed in the Saudi capital today between the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) is that, if fully implemented, it will mean that Saudi Arabia will assume ultimate responsibility for southern Yemen politically, militarily and in terms of security, with the United Arab Emirates relinquishing its authority over its Yemeni proxies there. The STC, the southern separatist group that has to date been funded and supported by the UAE, is to be absorbed into the Yemeni government, which itself will become answerable to a Saudi committee overseeing the implementation of the agreement.
Political Aspects of the Agreement
On the political front, the most important aspect of the Riyadh Agreement is the plan to form a new government including representatives from the STC, which from its inception in May 2017 until now had refused to recognize the Yemeni government’s sovereignty and regularly challenged it for control of southern governorates.
The agreement seems aimed to improve government decision-making and make it more inclusive. It attempts this by mandating that posts at the cabinet table be filled by properly qualified technocrats well known for their integrity. While these ministers will be politically affiliated – with cabinet seats also evenly split between northerners and southerners – the candidates must have previously refrained from engaging in “inflammatory propaganda”. Importantly, these ministers must be agreed to by consultations among the various anti-Houthi political forces
At the governorate level, as well as calling for a new governor of Aden, the agreement also specifies that new governors will be named for Al-Dhalea and Abyan governorates within 30 days of the agreement being signed. The singling out of these two southern governorates is notable; as historic rivals, they are also currently bastions of support for the main parties to the agreement, Al-Dhalea for the STC and, to a lesser extent, Abyan for the Hadi government
In regard to public finances, the agreement stipulates that all state revenues (including oil exports, customs, etc.) shall be deposited in the central bank in Aden – an attempt to end the recent practice of several governorates collecting and keeping these revenues for local spending purposes. The Riyadh Agreement states that transparency will be ensured through having all public spending subject to parliamentary oversight
The Riyadh Agreement’s mandates for government reforms, reasserting government control over revenues and resources, and the activation of supervisory agencies, would portend a house-cleaning of corruption and ineptitude that have stifled the government. However, the agreement does not include any clauses related to the high-level bureaucracy
In specific regard to the STC, the Riyadh Agreement represents the first official recognition of the group as a political entity by Saudi Arabia.
Military and Security Aspects of the Agreement
The Riyadh Agreement calls for a widespread overhaul of the structure and composition of military and security forces across southern Yemen, with the apparent aim to unify command and control. Officially, most of the recomposed units will be under the Yemeni government ministries of defense and interior, but ultimately all units – save a presidential guard unit tasked with protecting both the president and STC leaders – will take directions from Riyadh. This reconfiguration is, according to the agreement, slated to be staggered over a 90-day period – an extremely ambitious timeline in an environment as fragmented as southern Yemen.
The immediate focus of the agreement is to reset the clock on territorial advances made during clashes between STC- and Yemeni government-affiliated forces that began in August this year.
The Riyadh agreement then focuses on securing Aden. All heavy weapons in the city held by any party – including tanks, armored vehicles, missile launchers and the like – are to be moved to bases under Saudi control within 15 days and cannot be redeployed except under Saudi approval and guidance.
The military and security component of the Riyadh Agreement seems clearly intended to project a new reality of Saudi security control in southern Yemen. While the text of the agreement repeatedly makes reference to the “coalition” which began the regional military intervention in Yemen, given the UAE’s continuing withdrawal of forces the only significant power left in the consortium is Saudi Arabia. The Riyadh Agreement thus enshrines a new military dynamic; one where Riyadh assumes full oversight of all anti-Houthi forces in southern Yemen, most importantly supervising the movement of, and weapons supplied to, STC-aligned forces that had previously been beholden to Abu Dhabi.
Looking Ahead
While the Riyadh Agreement should position Saudi Arabia as the uncontested authority in southern Yemen, many factors still stand against the agreement’s success.
The agreement must also deal with the unwritten technicalities of how it should be implemented – By Maged al-Madhaji
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/8324
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Preparing for a Failed War
The recent Riyadh agreement was an effort by the Saudis and Emiratis to define future zones of influence in Yemen.
However, the accord is really little more than a power-sharing agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, through their respective proxies. At the same time, its vagueness means it carries the seeds of more divisions among Yemeni parties and could be a prelude to new conflicts.
The deal is not only the outcome of a month-long negotiation process between Yemeni parties, but also part of broader understanding between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. It is a result of efforts led by Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, who since last March became the Saudi official in charge of the Yemeni file.
After more than four years of conflict, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are more than ever convinced that the costly Yemen war should end. This is especially true after increasing international criticism that the Arab coalition has caused major civilian casualties and following attacks by Ansar Allah, better known as the Houthis, against Saudi targets. This pushed the Arab coalition partners to search for a new approach to organize matters among the factions aligned with them, and in that way create separate zones of influence for both countries.
According to the Riyadh agreement, the UAE-backed STC is to be a part of the legitimate government, while its armed forces will be integrated into the forces of Yemen’s Ministries of Defense and Interior. Through the STC’s participation, the agreement will give the UAE a say in the new government in Aden. On the other side, the Saudis will oversee implementation of the agreement, both politically and on the ground. In this context, the UAE will withdraw its troops from Aden and hand over control to Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the Saudis will be responsible for interpreting the agreement’s articles in case of a misunderstanding.
The agreement contains annexes covering political, economic, military, and security arrangements. Accordingly, all steps in the deal center on dividing authority between the two parties. However, the representation of south and north Yemen used in the agreement is one of its problematic points. That is because most of the political forces in Yemen that claim to represent large geographical areas in fact only do so because they have the means to mobilize and enjoy support from regional powers. None were democratically elected to represent the people or areas that they claim to represent. This applies to the Houthis, the STC, and factions in Hadi’s government, including the Islah Party. In effect, the agreement reduces the aspirations of Yemenis to parties that do not necessarily enjoy significant popular backing in their areas of control.
Another mistake made in the agreement, one that is similar to all the agreements signed following the uprising against the late president ‘Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011, is that it fails to adopt an inclusive approach. The Riyadh agreement ignores several factions, including southern factions that are not aligned with the STC.
On the political front, the agreement deals with the current political elites, who are authorized to run affairs for unknown period of time. Yet these elites have lost legitimacy because many have extended their time in office beyond their prescribed mandates.
The agreement also suffers from keeping Yemen under the trusteeship of regional powers, as it deprives the state of any sovereignty. Several articles emphasize Saudi supervision of the new government that will be formed as a consequence of the Riyadh agreement. In addition, it legitimizes the Saudi-UAE military presence in areas of Yemen, including the easternmost governorate of Mahra that is under Saudi control. This means that Saudi Arabia and the UAE will continue to have the latitude to intervene in internal Yemeni affairs.
After five years of war in Yemen, the situation in the country is no longer a matter for Yemenis. Instead, it has turned into a proxy conflict for regional powers – by Ahmed Nagi
https://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/80282
My remark: More in cp6.
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Mercenaries Intensify Targeting of Ad-durayhimi, Hodeidah
The homes of citizens of the besieged city of Ad-durayhimi in Hodeidah governorate were heavily bombarded by US-Saudi paid fighters.
According to a local source in the city, the Saudi-mercenaries targeted the city with more than 80 artillery shells in the continuous and intense shelling, which destroyed houses. Two women were injured by shrapnel from artillery shells in Al-Swaiq area of At-tohayta district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9643
(A K P)
UN Mission chief condemns Hodeida truce violations
Chief of the United Nations Mission to Support Hodeida Agreement (UNMHA), Abhijit Guha, deplored on Tuesday violations to the UN-sponsored Ceasefire in Hodeida.
Guha called on all parties to support the UN ceasefire monitoring mission and to provide freedom of movement to the UNMHA personnel to do their duties, according a statement posted on the UNMHA Chief’s Facebook page.
“We condemn any violations committed by air, sea and land in areas agreed by the Hodeida agreement,” said Guha.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-34092
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Tuesday, November 5th, 2019
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9631
(A H P)
[Sanaa gov.] Hodeidah Governor Reviews the Humanitarian Situation due to the US-Saudi Aggression
Hodeidah Governor, Mohammed Qahim, discussed with the Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, on Tuesday, the efforts of the Coordinator in the framework of the UN humanitarian plan to face the disastrous humanitarian situation in the province.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9634
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON NOVEMBER 7, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-november-7-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON NOVEMBER 6, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-november-6-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON NOVEMBER 5, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-november-5-2019-map-update/
(B K P)
Deal In Yemen
While considering the recent development, a ray of hope of emerges from the ruins of Yemen. If the government can agree on a power-sharing formula with the southern separatists, then it should not have any problem signing an agreement of such nature with the Houthi rebels. While suggesting so is easy, the external players involved may not agree to find such a solution for Yemen because of the sectarian war they are fighting on the soil of many a country.
It is about time for the foreign powers to stop fighting the proxy war on Yemen’s soil.
https://nation.com.pk/07-Nov-2019/deal-in-yemen
(B K P)
The art of listening in Yemen's war
While the tragic war is often portrayed as a clash between two branches of Islam and regional rivals, “the roots of this conflict are much more local, and they have a lot more to do with the political economy, struggles, and frustrated regionalism,” says Jane Kinninmont, a Middle East specialist at Chatham House in London.
The main route out of the conflict lies in listening and then deliberation among all Yemenis.
The task of defining the bonds of statehood for Yemen will rely on all sides to listen to the grievances of others.
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2019/1106/The-art-of-listening-in-Yemen-s-war
(* B K P)
A small step toward peace in Yemen
Eurasia Group Middle East experts explain what the deal between President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government and the Transitional Political Council for the South (STC) means for the country's broader civil war and the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
What are the prospects for a broader peace?
Should the agreement hold, the creation of a stronger, more coherent southern front could help pave the way for negotiations with the Houthis. Moreover, the newly empowered STC faction is less inclined than the government to escalate the conflict with the Houthis, as it is primarily concerned with gaining more autonomy.
Meanwhile, Hadi's Saudi backers are also seeking de-escalation. They will likely pressure him to stick to the agreement with the STC and move toward talks with the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia has suffered the most fallout from the conflict in neighboring Yemen, in the form of frequent rocket attacks launched by the Iranian-backed Houthis against Saudi oil infrastructure. The conflict has also helped to fuel the kingdom's rivalry with Iran.
The Saudis are taking an increasingly pragmatic stance on regional foreign policy matters following the Abqaiq attacks, concerned about the impact of the deteriorating security outlook on investor confidence and public opinion
https://www.eurasiagroup.net/live-post/small-step-toward-peace-yemen
My comment: I fear the authors think the Saudis would be more sound than they really are.
(A P)
Yemen [Hadi gov.] explores Russian pressure upon Houthi militia to permit maintenance of Safer oil reservoir
Yemen’s Ambassador to Moscow Ahmed al-Woheishi met on Wednesday with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
Al-Woheishi’s conversations with Bogdanov aimed to explore Russia’s role in pressuring Houthi militia to allow the UN’s team to visit to the Safer floating oil tank off Hodeidah coast to conduct an assessment of its state as a preliminary step to make the needed maintenance to prevent the potential collapse of the reservoir.
My comment: This was a very long story of mutual accusations.
(A P)
The Fourth Yemen Exchange Conference Concludes
The fourth Yemen Exchange conference, hosted by the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, was held October 21-26, 2019, in Beirut, Lebanon.
The conference offered a platform for a diverse range of Yemeni speakers and foreign experts to present their views and expertise on Yemen-related subjects and recent developments. Over 30 Yemeni speakers from across the political spectrum were invited to shed light on the five-year conflict, with Chatham House rules allowing for open and frank discussions.
Speakers included political representatives of local parties to the ongoing armed conflict, government officials, senior representatives of political parties, former presidents and ministers, economic, political, and security experts, tribal leaders, former governors, artists and journalists.
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/news/8295
(* B K P)
Yemen’s Dirty War: A Q&A with Pulitzer Winner Maggie Micheal
While the war has received limited coverage by most international and mainstream media outlets due to security and financial constraints, during 2018 and 2019 a team of Associated Press journalists spent months investigating Yemen’s Dirty War. Maggie Micheal, Nariman El-Mofty, and Maad al-Zekri won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
GIJN’s Arabic Editor Majdolin Hasan interviewed Micheal, an Egyptian journalist based in Cairo, who explained how the Pulitzer-winning project was pitched, produced, and published. Following is an edited version of their conversation.
Was there any particular methodology you followed that helped you get so close to these stories?
It started with extensive research, as we needed to build on what was already reported — not just start from scratch. Then we dug for sources and began to move out into those corresponding circles, including researchers, think tanks, activists, and local reporters. The second circle was shaped by former officials, friends, relatives, family members. The third circle was people who were directly involved in the story, so those who had first-hand accounts of what we were looking for — a victim or someone directly involved in abuses, a witness, or an official in charge.
Then we heavily relied on Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram in reaching out to people because we knew people are always worried about speaking on the phone. When we had a shortlist of sources, we started planning a visit. When our team was done with drawing the circles and maps, we did a series of interviews that sometimes took hours with a single person, recording, taking notes, then transcribing, and keeping all notes in one folder.
How did you prove the story of torture against former and current detainees in the UAE prisons in Yemen?
We used testimonies from former detainees, those who were tortured and those who witnessed the torture of others. We were able to document the torture through officials who worked in the prisons; I met with them (detainees and officials) and took down first-hand accounts of what was happening.
You covered torture in Houthi prisons as well. Did you approach this story differently?
The Houthi prisons’ story was easier to dig into than the Emiratis because it was widely acknowledged locally, even if it was largely ignored by international media. Also, the detainees we met were in safer areas and were able to speak freely, while those held by the Emiratis were still living in areas under UAE control in southern Yemen. For the Houthi prisons, we managed to obtain a rare video showing one of the leaders confessing the torture.
Give us your tips on dealing with sources, how you convinced them to talk, and how you protected them.
As a rule, if we quoted sources speaking on the condition of anonymity then each piece of information needed at least two to three sources to be able to use the information in the story. Often I used Maad’s help to confirm and other times I was assisted by other sources. I always give them assurance that their names, titles, and jobs will remain secret. I show them my previous work, and I also show them that I am interested in confirming what I already know.
https://gijn.org/2019/11/06/yemens-dirty-war-a-qa-with-pulitzer-winner-maggie-micheal/
(* B H K)
JEMEN: IHRE GESCHICHTE, UNSERE VERANTWORTUNG
Rund 12.000 Zivilisten sind in den vergangenen vier Jahren bei Luftangriffen im Jemen getötet worden. Gemeinsam mit prominenten Unterstützer*innen fordert Ärzte der Welt in einem neuen Video einen vollständigen Stopp von Waffenlieferungen an die Konfliktparteien.
„Ich habe niemanden mehr zum Spielen, sie sind jetzt alle im Himmel.“ – Die Schauspielerin Catherine Deneuve, die Sängerin Annie Lennox und andere Prominente erzählen in dem Film die Geschichte der kleinen Alanoud. Bei der Bombardierung ihres Hauses hat die Vierjährige ihre Eltern, ihre Brüder und ihren Onkel verloren.
Die Sprecher*innen richten in dem Clip eine deutliche Forderung an die Politik: Sämtliche Rüstungsdeals mit Mitgliedern der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Militärkoalition müssen umgehend gestoppt werden.
Der Kurzfilm „Jemen: Ihre Geschichte, unsere Verantwortung" basiert auf der Dokumentation „Jemen: Kinder und Krieg" der Filmemacherin Khadija Al-Salami. Er wurde von acht jemenitischen und internationalen Nichtregierungsorganisationen unterstützt, darunter Ärzte der Welt und Oxfam.
(* B H K)
Film: Yemen: Their Story, Our Duty
An array of UK and French celebrities, including actor Charles Dance, singer-songwriter Annie Lennox, legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve and French World Cup footballer Vikash Dhorasoo, feature in a new charity film calling on the governments of the UK, France and US to stop fuelling the war in Yemen through arms sales.
Four-year-old Alanoud lost her entire family in an airstrike in Yemen in 2017. "I don’t have anyone to play with, they're all in heaven now," she says sitting on the rubbles of her house. Her story is also our responsibility. To alert on the role of the UK, US and France in the war in Yemen and put an end to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, Charles Dance, Annie Lennox, Catherine Deneuve, Sofia Aram and Vikash Dhorasoo have lent their voice to amplify Alanoud’s . The 5 celebrities call upon the UK, US and French governments to stop fuelling the war in Yemen, by suspending their arms exports to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkBgAW_NG1M
https://mwatana.org/en/their-story-our-duty/
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(* A H K)
SAUDI-LED SIEGE ON YEMEN LEAVES A HUMANITARIAN DISASTER
More than 40,000 cases – according to an official report issued in mid-August by the Salvation Government – of people suffering from incurable diseases were died, while it could have been avoided had it not been for the closure of Sana’a airport.
One out of ten cases of this number die on the road between Aden and Sana’a, Sana’a and Sayun It takes 15 to 25 hours to travel.
The report pointed out that this number of deaths have occurred since the aggression countries announced the total closure of the airport on August 6, 2016.
Official data issued by the Ministry of Health, Transport and Human Rights, mid-August 2019 that (8) thousand people with kidney failure need kidney transplants abroad.
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/saudi-led-siege-on-yemen-leaves-a-humanitarian-disaster/
(A K P)
Resentment of UN Ignoring Siege of Sana’a International Airport
[Sanaa gov.] Officials expressed resentment at the United Nations ignoring the continued US-Saudi siege on Sana'a Airport and turning its back on the thousands. "Three years ago the airport was closed and we are in this way in organizing and conducting nation flights at a rate of three to four flights a day," Abdullah al-Hamdani, head of Sana'a airport's air traffic control, told Almasirah.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9635
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(B H P)
EU unterstützt Jemen mit 79 Millionen Euro zur Stabilisierung des öffentlichen Lebens
Die Europäische Kommission hat heute (Donnerstag) ein mit 79 Millionen Euro ausgestattetes Paket zur Unterstützung Jemens angenommen. Damit will die EU einen Beitrag dazu leisten, die öffentlichen Dienste in Bereichen wie Gesundheit und Bildung aufrechtzuerhalten und Möglichkeiten zur Existenzsicherung zu schaffen.
Die EU-Unterstützung wird zunächst jemenitischen Gemeinschaften wie Gemeinderäten helfen die Gesundheitsversorgung, den Zugang zu Trinkwasser und Nahrungsmitteln, Krankenhausversorgung und Sanitäreinrichtungen zu verbessern und in Bildung investieren zu können.
(* B H)
EU supports Yemen with €79 million to sustain public services and generate job opportunities
The European Commission has today adopted a €79 million package to support Yemen, where violent conflict has created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and devastated livelihoods since 2015. This support will help to sustain public services, such as health and education, and to develop livelihood opportunities.
Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, said: "Yemen is a country torn by conflict and ravaged by violence, but it is also a country full of resilience and entrepreneurship. In addition to the EU's humanitarian assistance to the people of Yemen, investing in development is crucial. Today's package worth €79 million will support health services, access to water, food and education, as well as improve the livelihoods of people."
The EU support will focus on two areas. First, it will help Yemeni communities such as local councils to improve health services, access to drinking water and food, primary and hospital care sanitation and invest in education. It will furthermore promote better revenue collection and spending, as well as better waste management.
Second, it will stimulate the private sector, especially small-scale economic actors, for example in the sector of agri-businesses. This will support people's ability to secure their livelihoods and boost their resilience in a country where the economy has essentially halted due to five years of conflict.
https://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-6220_en.htm
(* B H)
FINDING COURAGE IN THE MIDST OF THE YEMEN CRISIS
Tearfund’s News Editor, Andrew Horton, spoke with a Tearfund partner to get unique insights about the Yemen crisis, and find out more about the challenges the Yemeni people face.
Andrew: How hard is it for Tearfund partners and other humanitarians to work in Yemen?
Partner: At first you will always face challenges. So you have to prove over time that you are neutral, that you're impartial and that you apply those principles from the beginning, and don't change them – to demonstrate integrity from the start. But at the same time, respecting cultural factors and values to somehow create that acceptance by the communities where you work. But it can be quite a rollercoaster: some days you’re accepted, the next you’re viewed badly.
I think the advantage in us working with Tearfund is that we are able to engage in areas where maybe other humanitarian groups won’t go because they are considered to be insignificant or not known. And I think this is the advantage. Tearfund is known.
Andrew: How are the Yemeni people coping with this crisis?
Partner: There is a huge sense of fatigue. The biggest challenge is anything from depression to burn out. I think in the beginning of the crisis people were looking for hope in their family and their social groups, which is very important in Yemen. But now families are breaking up and so social and family support is being destroyed. That is unusual for this society as community accountability and social support is typical for Yemenis.
Andrew: How are the younger generations coping with the crisis in Yemen?
Partner: For many young people in Yemen they have always known war and conflict. What they are not familiar with is that this crisis is taking everything away that they could dream of.
They feel robbed of purpose and identity, and that is the biggest crisis. The war is also making them vulnerable and exposed to people who come with harmful ideologies and radicalism. So even though young people are open-minded and questioning, we're also seeing some of them being radicalised and recruited into armed groups.
https://www.tearfund.org/en/2019/11/finding_courage_in_the_midst_of_the_yemen_crisis/
(B H)
Thalassaemia patients have renewed hope through support provided by the Emergency Health and Nutrition Project
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, through the Emergency Health and Nutrition Project (EHNP), are providing life-saving support to thalassemia patients in Yemen.
In 2019, blood bags provided reached almost 45 000 bag, along with laboratory reagents critical to ensuring safe blood transfusions further strengthening the capacity at the blood transfusion centres across the country.
In Yemen, a country ravaged by war, the treatment of thalassemia is a rare but much needed miracle. This is why the support provided is essential. With regular blood transfusions needed by these patients, safe blood saves lives and improves health.“The centre receives 60–70 patients suffering from of thalassemia and anemia every day. Once a case is examined, the patient is referred to the blood transfusion centre to receive a blood transfusion,” said Muktar Alkubati, manager of the Yemeni association for Thalassemia patients and genetic blood in Yemen.
Due to shortages in blood supplies, centres such as this one struggle to meet the demands for blood transfusions.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/14726
(* B H)
ECHO and WHO partnership meets critical trauma needs in Yemen
The conflict in Yemen continues to intensify, sparking multiple frontlines across the country. Since 2015, an estimated 70 000 men, women and children have either lost their lives or suffered serious injuries as a result of the conflict. These injuries threaten to debilitate thousands physically and financially — especially those who do not have immediate access to trauma care.
The injection of 5 million euros from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) is dedicated to supporting trauma care, emergency medical services and surgical mobile teams in Yemen, while strengthening the hospital referral system in country. With the support of the Milan-based nongovernmental organization EMERGENCY — WHO and ECHO are working to provide effective and timely trauma support in Yemen.
“The conflict in Yemen is a harsh reality that continues to evolve and escalate and EMERGENCY, and WHO, with the support of its partner ECHO, are working to strengthen access to life-saving specialized surgical care for the conflict-affected population. The opening of a surgical centre for war victims in Hajjah will allow reaching out to a large population in need of war surgery,” said Emanuele Nannini, EMERGENCY's Deputy Director of Operations in Milan.
This lifeline of funding aims to target over 30 000 beneficiaries, support over 40 surgical team specialists and provide incentives to almost 300 health workers.
Though many deaths have occurred due to noncommunicable and communicable diseases, a large number of deaths also happen outside of the health system, like conflict-related trauma. Trauma patients are part of the reason why hospital resources are so overstretched.
Bed occupancy, prescription of medicines and other health needs of trauma patients add an additional burden on facilities that are also overwhelmed with patients suffering from non-war injuries or diseases. Conflict-related injuries have consequences that reverberate even after the patient is discharged. Trauma patients with serious injuries who are not treated immediately risk living with life-long disabilities that threaten their health and livelihoods, affecting their capacity to earn a living, lead a normal life and contribute wholly to society.
(* B H)
UNO: Alle 11 Minuten stirbt ein Kind im Jemen
Das UNHCR teilte am Dienstagabend dazu mit, in dem Krisenland sterbe alle zehn Minuten ein Kind. Die meisten stürben an Wasser- und Nahrungsmittelmangel. Im Jemen leben etwa 11 Millionen Kinder, die fast alle auf humanitäre Hilfe angewiesen sind. Laut Mark Lowcock, dem stellvertretenden Generalsekretär der Vereinten Nationen für humanitäre Angelegenheiten, steht der Jemen vor der schlimmsten humanitären Katastrophe in der Geschichte.
https://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i49658-uno_alle_11_minuten_stirbt_ein_kind_im_jemen
Mein Kommentar: Das ist schon seit langem bekannt.
(B H)
Film: WFP is helping millions in Yemen who are fleeing conflict, forced to abandon their land , homes and jobs . @WFPYemen's food assistance has so far prevented famine. It must continue
https://twitter.com/WFP/status/1192172550685691906
(A H)
As Yemen Crisis Worsens Project HOPE, The Humanitarian Alliance for Yemen Launches Medical Mission
In response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen, the Humanitarian Alliance for Yemen is set to deploy a new short-term medical mission early this month.
Led by MedGlobal, the new medical mission will commence today and end on November 23, 2019, with the overall objective of providing emergency healthcare and educational services to vulnerable populations in the Hadhramout and Ma’rib governorates in Yemen.
Throughout the mission, an internationally diverse and skilled team will be volunteering in the Yemeni cities of Seiyun (Hadhramout) city and Ma’rib city. The 23-member medical team will provide services like internal medicine, surgeries, medical trainings, and hold daily lectures and workshops to cover the most critical medical topics and daily challenges in local healthcare facilities
(B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen Humanitarian Fund - Third Quarterly Dashboard (Jan-Sep 2019)
In 2019, 24 donors have contributed a total of $162 million (m) to the Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF). Between January and September, the YHF allocated $130m to 43 humanitarian organizations implementing 80 life-saving projects across all sectors of need through one Standard Allocation and three Reserve Allocations. Over 6m people (cumulatively) are supported through humanitarian assistance funded by the YHF in 2019 so far.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-fund-third-quarterly-dashboard-jan-sep-2019
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H)
"Wir leben nicht, wir überleben" - Alltag im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen
Der Jemen ist Schauplatz der aktuell größten humanitären Katastrophe weltweit. 24 Millionen Menschen brauchen Schutz und humanitäre Hilfe. Für die Familie des vierjährigen Khaleds bedeutet es: "Wir leben nicht, wir überleben". Deswegen schenkt die UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe, nationaler Partner des UN-Flüchtlingshilfswerkes (UNHCR), mit ihrer neuen Kampagne Schutz.
Khaleds Familie kämpft täglich um Arbeit, Nahrung, und Sicherheit. Und wenn Khaled von Schule spricht, meint er nicht etwa ein Gebäude in dem er vielleicht bald lernen und mit anderen Kindern spielen kann, sondern er meint die Notunterkunft, in der seine Familie untergebracht ist. Seine Familie floh innerhalb des Jemen, wie mehr als 3,6 Millionen Jemeniten auch. Fünf Jahre Krieg haben das Land an den Rand des Kollapses gebracht
Diesen Schutz hat der UNHCR schenken können: so wurden in dieser und andere Notunterkünften Trennwände, Küchen und Toiletten eingerichtet, um die Lebensbedingungen erträglicher zu machen. Das UN-Hilfswerk ist darüber hinaus in allen zwanzig von den Konflikten vor Ort betroffenen Regionen vertreten und versorgt die Menschen mit lebenswichtiger Hilfe
https://www.zeit.de/angebote/was-tun/uno-fluechtlingshilfe/index
(* B H)
International Organization for Migration: IOM Yemen Quarterly Update - Q3: July - September 2019
The unstable security situation not only posed risks for displaced communities, but also led to access constraints for IOM teams and service providers. Despite this, IOM continued to operate throughout this “crisis within a crisis”. Additionally Yemen continues to be a major country of transit and destination for irregular migrants predominantly from the Horn of Africa. From July to September, 23,403 migrants arrived in Yemen, making the total number of arrivals recorded by IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) since the start of 2019 to be 107,781.
OPERATIONAL ENHANCEMENT UPDATE
Since the end of 2018, IOM has put enormous focus on enhancing its response capacity in Yemen. This effort continued in the third quarter of 2019 through the development of sub-offices and ongoing human resource expansion.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-quarterly-update-q3-july-september-2019
(B H)
International Organization for Migration: IOM Yemen: Situation Report September 2019
In September, the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Rapid Displacement Tracking tool (RDT) tracked the displacement of 17,046 families, bringing the total number of people displaced in 2019 to 364,332. As a result of increased fighting, the highest new displacements were recorded in Taizz (6,888 ind), Al Hudaydah (4,410 ind) and Aden (3,199 ind). In addition to conflict, natural hazards like heavy rains and floods continue to affect Yemeni people. Displaced people already living in makeshift shelters are among those worst affected, finding themselves displaced for the second, third or fourth time.
IOM supports the most vulnerable groups throughout Yemen, including displaced people, conflict-affected communities and migrants through offices in Sana’a, Aden, Al Hudaydah and Marib and satellite presence in all 22 governorates.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-situation-report-september-2019
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(* B P)
Iran’s Networks of Influence in the Middle East
Chapter Five: Yemen
Iran’s interests in Yemen are to threaten and bog down at a limited cost its rival Saudi Arabia but also to establish a forward presence in the strategic area of Bab al-Mandeb
The Houthis have welcomed Iranian assistance and maintain a privileged relationship with Hizbullah
Iran’s contribution to the Houthis’ battlefield performance has been limited, but its provision of advanced weaponry is indicative of more ambitious goals
Iran’s relationship with the Houthis (otherwise known as Ansarullah, or ‘Helpers of God’) has passed through three distinct phases – attraction, assistance and alliance – over the course of the past decade. Prior to that, there were three decades of sporadic visits and communications. In 1979, Badr al-Din al-Houthi, the founder of the movement, arrived in Iran in search of refuge. Several more visits followed, including by his son Hussein in 1994, during Yemen’s civil war. Those visits and the relationships that grew out of them paved the way for the current relationship with Tehran.
Following the upheaval of the Arab Spring in 2011, Tehran began providing money, weapons, support and training to the group. After the Houthi takeover of the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014 and the subsequent intervention by Saudi Arabia, Iran started supplying heavy weapons and delivering significant economic support. It has become committed to the Houthis’ survival and their ability to project power throughout the region – particularly into Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, the Houthis have a parallel relationship with Lebanese Hizbullah. The Houthi satellite channel, al-Masirah, is headquartered in Beirut; Houthi leaders increasingly travel to Lebanon, where reports suggest they have been gifted a number of residences; and there have been, and likely continue to be, Hizbullah trainers on the ground in Yemen. Hizbullah does not manage the relationship between Iran and the Houthis.
https://www.iiss.org/publications/strategic-dossiers/iran-dossier/iran-19-07-ch-5-yemen
My comment: The whole study, in cp9a. Obviously because of propaganda bias, the role of Iran in their relation tot he Houthis is exaggerated here. My remark: For IISS, read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Institute_for_Strategic_Studies.
(A P)
Houthis continue imposing illegal taxations on Yemenis
Owners and workers of a carpentry workshop in Jibla district of Ibb, in central Yemen, exchanged fire with the Houthis gunmen when the first refused to pay illegal taxations.
However, later, the Houthis gunmen brought more militants and assaulted the carpenters, abducted them and conditioned to pay taxations for releasing them.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-34113
(A T)
Ministry of Interior and Security Services: Arrest a number of serious criminal elements belonging to the so-called #al_Qaeda in al-Baydaa province. Procedures for the al-Qaeda criminal cell will be completed and the remaining details will be revealed later.
https://twitter.com/YemenEdge/status/1192135540017188866
(A P)
Houthis official threatens public teachers with dismissal
Houthi-affiliated leader in Ibb province has threatened to dismiss public school teachers following their objection to mobilize schoolchildren to attend a Houthi religious event.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-34093
(A P)
Zakat Authority distributes assistance to 60,000 cases in Hajjah
Chief of the General Authority for Zakat Sheikh Shamsan Abu Nashatan, and Governor of Hajjah province Hilal al-Sufi Tuesday inaugurated in the city of Hajjah the distribution of Zakat assistance to 60,000 beneficiaries in the province.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3077863.htm
(A P)
Yemen's capital Sanaa is entirely green as the Houthi militants are marking the birthday anniversary of prophet Muhammad. They've collected millions to please a dead man, but never reconsider their actions and stop their war to help people who are dying from hunger and diseases.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1192592982429577216
I suppose you could say the same about the celebration of Christmas in many countries.
https://twitter.com/joneslinda/status/1192602170916581377
(A P)
PM discusses preparations to mark Prophet's birthday
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3077875.htm
(A P)
HAJJAH PROVINCE CONTINUES ITS CELEBRATION ON THE OCCASION OF ANNIVERSARY BIRTH OF THE PROPHET
(A P)
SAADA PROVINCE CONTINUES ITS CELEBRATION ON THE OCCASION OF ANNIVERSARY BIRTH OF THE PROPHET
(A P)
Sanaa Int'l Airport celebrates Prophet's Birthday
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3077876.htm
(A P)
Film: A night portrait of the capital Sana'a wearing her green dress in celebration of the birth of the great Prophet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4DRZzPUbQ4
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Mehr über den Vertrag von Riad: cp1 / More on the Riyadh agreement: cp1
(* A P)
FIRST COUP AGAINST RIYADH AGREEMENT, TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL THREATENS HADI’S GOVERNMENT WILL NEVER RETURN TO ADEN
”Hadi’s government will not return to Aden, but the prime minister will return to pay salaries until we consider the return of the government, said Mansour Saleh, deputy head of the Southern Transitional Council media department.
Saleh said in an intervention on the Saudi channel Al Hadath that the agreement does not talk about the return of the government, but talking about the return of the prime minister within a week.
“We will not allow the dissolution of southern forces in the Ministry of Interior and Defense and there will be a merger but under the supervision of the Transitional Council”.
(A P)
Al-Jaadi: Our hands are still outstretched to everyone
Member of the presidency of the Southern Transitional Council and assistant secretary general, Fadl al-Jaadi confirmed that the South is an inclusive country.
Al-Jaadi wrote on his Twitter account that "whether before or after the “Riyadh Agreement” our hands are still outstretched to everyone who wants to join us in the struggle for our just southern cause and the sacrifices made by the martyrs."
"We said it and we say it again, the South is for all who believe in self-determination and the restoration of the independent State, away from mercenaries and opponents' tools." he stressed.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/14722
My comment: „outstretched to everyone”? He himself makes clear that it’s just “for all who believe in self-determination and the restoration of the independent State”. LOL.
(* B P)
Was ist das Friedensabkommen von Riad wert?
In der saudischen Hauptstadt unterzeichnen die Konfliktparteien ein Friedensabkommen für den Südjemen. Das viel größere Problem mit den Houthis bleibt ungelöst. Doch vielleicht kommt auch in diesen Konflikt Bewegung.
Allerdings eröffnet die Übereinkunft nur den Ausweg aus einem der Konflikte, die den Jemen verheeren. Der schwerwiegendste, der Houthi-Konflikt, ist von der Übereinkunft nur indirekt betroffen.
Dass die Übereinkunft selbst am Ende ein Erfolg wird, ist allerdings nicht ausgemacht. Wie schon bei vorigen Abkommen im Jemen werden Probleme erwartet, wenn es darum geht, die Vorgaben in die Tat umzusetzen. Und es gibt genug Schlupflöcher für Sabotage, Verzögerung oder Finten.
So schwingt bei westlichen Diplomaten noch deutliche Skepsis mit, wenn sie erklären, die Einigung könne „als Formelkompromiss“ funktionieren und positive Wirkung entfalten. „Das Gute ist, dass beide Seiten es als Erfolg ansehen und verkaufen können“, sagt ein jemenitischer Beobachter, der den Separatisten nahe steht. Damit ist gemeint, dass die Eingliederung der Separatisten-Milizen möglicherweise nicht über den Grad hinausgehen wird, der für beide Seiten zur Gesichtswahrung gerade so nötig ist.
Sollte ein solches Arrangement halten, wäre das ein Erfolg für Muhammad bin Salman, der im Jemen auf eine Zeit zum Teil schwerer Rückschläge zurückblickt. Denn Saudi-Arabien soll über die Verwirklichung des Abkommens wachen – und würde zur dominierenden Macht im Südjemen, der zuvor fest in der Hand der Emirate war. Das saudische Militär des Königreichs hat seine Präsenz in Aden schon vor einiger Zeit verstärkt. Doch auch in dieser Hinsicht gibt es offen Fragen. Zum Beispiel, ob die Emirate tatsächlich alle ihre Hebel im Südjemen bereitwillig aus der Hand geben?
Auch sind die grundsätzlichen Probleme nicht gelöst. Hadi ist weiter verhasst, korrupt und schwach. Vertreter der Separatisten machen schon jetzt deutlich, dass das Abkommen von Riad vor allem den aktuellen Konflikt um Aden beilegen soll. Noch ist lange nicht besiegelt, dass diese Sache aufgehen wird. „Wir sind jetzt in einer besseren Ausgangsposition“, sagt einer von ihnen – von Christoph Ehrhardt
(* B P)
Kleiner Schritt Richtung Frieden
Regierung und Separatisten wollen sich die Macht teilen. Der Deal könnte die Front gegen den gemeinsamen Gegner einen: die Huthi-Rebellen.
Nicht nur für den STC ist der Deal ein Erfolg. Das in der saudischen Hauptstadt Riad unterzeichnete Dokument ist auch in Saudi-Arabiens Interesse, das den Kampf gegen die vom Iran unterstützten Huthi-Rebellen anführt, der eigentlich auch von den Separatisten unterstützt wird. Die Anti-Huthi-Koalition drohte durch die internen Kämpfe zu zerbrechen.
https://taz.de/Krieg-im-Jemen/!5639272/
(* A B P)
Einigung im Südjemen: Auftakt zur Befriedung des ganzen Landes?
Die jemenitische Regierung und der "Südliche Übergangsrat" haben ihren bewaffneten Konflikt beigelegt. Die Vereinbarung könnte die Befriedung des gesamten Landes anstoßen. Doch das fordert weitere Anstrengungen.
Kommt nach dem kleinen nun der große Durchbruch? Immerhin: Fast parallel zur Vereinbarung zwischen der jemenitischen Regierung unter Präsident Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi und den Rebellen des Southern Transitional Council (STC, dt.: Südlicher Übergangsrat) kommt es nun womöglich auch zu Gesprächen zwischen der saudischen Regierung und Vertretern der Huthis.
Saudische Interessen
Saudi-Arabien hat mehrere Motive, um die Gespräche im Süden zu moderieren. Der ehemalige saudische Botschafter in Washington, Turki bin Faisal, hatte Anfang November in einem Interview mit der Website Al-Monitor offen den schlechten Ruf des Landes eingeräumt. "Es ist offensichtlich, dass Ereignisse wie der 11. September (2001) und der Mord an Jamal Khashoggi einen stigmatisierenden Effekt auf das Königreich haben und wir die ersten sind, die darunter leiden", so der ehemalige Diplomat.
So könnte die Vermittlung im Jemen ein Schritt sein, den ramponierten Ruf des Landes wiederherzustellen. Allerdings ist Saudi-Arabien nicht nur Moderator, sondern auch Partei. Die nun wieder hergestellte Einheit im Süden könnte auch dazu dienen, die gemeinsame Front gegen die Huthis zu stärken, heißt es in einer Analyse des katarischen Nachrichtensenders Al-Jazeera.
Ebenso könnte sie aber auch dazu dienen, die in Verhandlungsposition der Regierung, des STC und internationalen Militärkoalition unter saudischer Führung gegenüber den Huthis und dem sie unterstützenden Iran zu stärken
Mögliche Auswirkungen im Südjemen
Offen ist, was die nun geschlossene Vereinbarung zwischen Regierung und dem südlichen Übergangsrat für den Jemen bedeutet. Die Vereinbarung berge Risiken, so der katarische Politanalyst Said Thabet im Interview mit Al-Jazeera. Durch die Vereinbarung verleihe die Regierung den Aufständischen des STC, der für die Abspaltung des südlichen vom nördlichen Landesteil eintritt, Legitimität.
So hat die nun getroffene Vereinbarung zwischen Regierung und dem Südlichen Übergangsrat günstige Voraussetzungen für die Befriedung des Jemen geschaffen. Dass sie aber hält und sich dann auch auf die Gespräche mit den Huthis auswirkt, ist nicht ausgemacht. Die Diplomaten sind gefordert.
https://www.dw.com/de/einigung-im-südjemen-auftakt-zur-befriedung-des-ganzen-landes/a-51142448
(* A B P)
Gute Nachrichten aus Jemen: Ein bisschen Frieden ist in Sicht
Die Separatisten im Süden und Jemens international anerkannte Regierung haben sich auf eine Machtteilung geeinigt. Mit etwas Glück könnte das Abkommen den Anfang vom Ende des jahrelangen Krieges einläuten.
Riad übernimmt die Hauptrolle
Zumindest auf dem Papier hat Saudiarabien diese drängende Frage gelöst. Während Wochen hatte Riad zwischen Präsident Hadi und den Separatisten vermittelt.
Die Umsetzung des Abkommens wird von Saudiarabien überwacht, während die Emirate ihre Präsenz in Jemen weiter zurückfahren.
Erfolg für Separatisten
Auch wenn sie ihr Ziel eines unabhängigen Staates nicht erreicht haben, bedeutet das Abkommen auch für die Separatisten einen Erfolg. Bisher wurden sie und ihre Interessen von Riad nicht anerkannt. Nun werden sie womöglich auch am Tisch sitzen, wenn es im Rahmen der Uno-Friedensgespräche darum geht, einen Ausgleich mit den Huthi zu finden.
https://www.nzz.ch/international/in-jemen-ist-ein-bisschen-frieden-in-sicht-ld.1520230
(B P)
Eine Front weniger
Die Separatisten und das Präsidentenlager waren verfeindet. Jetzt aber verbünden sie sich gegen die Huthi-Rebellen.
Hadi, der seit seiner Flucht aus der Hauptstadt Sanaa 2014 meist im Exil lebt, soll nach Jemen zurückkehren und von Aden aus regieren. Vor allem aber soll die neue Einigkeit zwischen Regierung und Separatisten genutzt werden, um geschlossen gegenüber den Huthi-Rebellen aufzutreten - und das nicht nur auf dem Schlachtfeld: "Diese Vereinbarung wird, so Gott will, zu umfassenderen Gesprächen zwischen den Konfliktparteien in Jemen führen, um eine politische Lösung zu finden und den Krieg zu beenden", sagte der saudische Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman nach der Unterzeichnung des Abkommens.
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/jemen-eine-front-weniger-1.4670710
(* B P)
The Beginning of the End of Yemen’s Civil War?
For the first time in years, a viable pathway to peace in Yemen is in view. But obstacles remain, chiefly the gaps between the conflict parties’ positions.
The Riyadh Agreement places Saudi Arabia at the epicentre of Yemeni deal making. Khaled bin Salman will oversee its implementation and thus help shape the new government and security structures. The Saudis have also assumed coalition command in the south from the Emiratis
Meanwhile, in the north, discussions between the Huthis and Saudis over a de-escalation of cross-border attacks and front-line fighting have been inching along since September. If these talks succeed, a reduction in the conflict’s intensity could be a starting point for a nationwide ceasefire and facilitate the opening of political talks between the rebels and a more broadly representative government delegation. The Saudis thus have a chance to bring the various channels of negotiation together into a national political process under UN auspices.
The Riyadh Agreement, however, bears hallmarks of past intra-Yemeni deals that have failed. It is loosely worded, likely because vagueness was required to induce the rivals to sign it, and it leaves a number of questions around implementation unanswered. For example, the deal calls for both formation of a new government and a series of security sector reforms in Aden within 30 days of signing. The reforms include the formation of new mixed security forces, the removal of military units from the city and the transfer of heavy weapons to sites that the Saudis will oversee. But the deal does not specify in which order the parties are to take these steps.
Most importantly, neither side seems to have fully bought into the compromise to which they agreed on paper.
In common with past deals, delays and mutual recriminations can be expected once implementation begins. A return to fighting in the south is certainly in the realm of the possible.
A pivot to national political talks is by no means guaranteed, either. The Huthis say that talks with Riyadh are going well but that the Saudis are moving too slowly doing their part in de-escalation. They also report Saudi troop buildups along key front lines and worry that the Riyadh Agreement may presage a concerted military push against them.
In any case, lasting peace will not come easily to Yemen – by Peter Salisbury
https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/yemen/beginning-end-yemens-civil-war = https://lobelog.com/the-beginning-of-the-end-of-yemens-civil-war/
and also, thread. https://twitter.com/peterjsalisbury/status/1191805781445926912
(* B P)
Is the Riyadh deal dividing Yemen?
As a matter of fact, even though this deal was made to cover up the rifts and cracks that have formed between the UAE and Saudi Arabia with respect to Yemen and Iran in the last few months, if the parties are reasonable, it can also be the start to ending the Yemen war. In other words, it can be described as the lesser evil.
This attempt may allow life in Yemen to normalize, even if for a certain period of time, however, it will also pave the way to Yemen’s division as north and south, as was the case in 1967. There is no doubt that the UAE has been striving to realize this plan from the very beginning. However, the opposition of the coalition-backed Yemeni legitimate government and Saudi Arabia to this plan has triggered quests for a new formula. Because, in addition to the many reasons for the Yemen war, one of the most important realities was Saudi Arabia’s threats from Yemen to the southern borders. As a matter of fact, these threats had gone as far as capital Riyadh. Thus, Saudi Arabia long resisted the UAE’s intentions.
According to the alliance in Riyadh, the UAE will withdraw for now and, under the guarantee of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the new administration – that is claimed to represent all of Yemen – will take over in the south.
Yet, it is also clear that Saudi Arabia will not accept this all the way. Because for the time being, they have no plan on how to end the Iranian-backed Houthis’ domination in the north. This will lead to the emergence of new scenarios in the future.
The Yemen issue has turned into a small example of the U.S.’s failed Iraq intervention in 2003 – by Zekeriya Kursun
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/columns/zekeriyakursun/is-the-riyadh-deal-dividing-yemen-2047224
(A P)
Nasser Arrabyee: This is not about Yemen at all. This is all about trying to heal the big rift between Saudi Arabia and UAE after the war within the war in Aden. The best thing they can do by all this is to make MBS and MBZ look like allies when they are really enemies. Optics not substance!
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1192017479704489984
(A P)
Ali AlAhmed: RiyadhAgreement will be shattered in few weeks. Mark my words.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1191893087984988160
(A P)
Robert Carter: This deal is not a step towards peace. It empowers a group which aims to divide #Yemen at any cost. Yet, the public are told western-backed #Saudi coalition invasion of Yemen is to "save" them.
https://twitter.com/Bob_cart124/status/1191824341371117576
(* B P)
Riyadh Agreement Delivers Political Gains in Yemen, But Implementation Less Certain
An even more worrisome obstacle is the utter lack of trust between the two parties, who did not negotiate the agreement face to face. Instead, Saudi negotiators have been going back and forth between them since August 20, and the signing ceremony may be the first time the parties have been in the same room since violence erupted this summer. This level of distrust may limit their ability to meet the document’s call for organizing under a single political and military chain of command, even with Saudi mediation.
POLITICAL WINS
The four-page agreement cites the common objective of defeating the Houthi rebels, then lays out a series of general mandates that grants each party the legitimacy it seeks.
Moreover, the document indicates that individuals involved in the fighting in Aden since August are not eligible for ministerial appointments. Although this clause was meant as a confidence-building measure, it excludes some powerful figures and may have the unintended effect of steering them toward the role of spoilers in the future.
The agreement also fails to deal with other issues that will inevitably arise when trying to unify rival forces.
Adding to the confusion, the sequencing of various components is unclear and is widely believed to be one of the factors behind the agreement’s dela
THE BURDEN IS ON THE SAUDIS
Indeed, implementation will likely fall entirely on Riyadh’s shoulders. To demonstrate unity of purpose, Emirati crown prince Muhammad bin Zayed had a front-and-center seat next to Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman at the signing ceremony. Yet the UAE is not mentioned in the agreement
Meanwhile, Hadi-STC discussions about implementation seem far off. During today’s ceremony, President Hadi and STC head Aidarous al-Zubaidi left the signing to lower-level officials and do not appear to have shaken hands.
BRINGING FIVE PARTIES TO THE TABLE
On a positive note, if the agreement is implemented even partially, it has the potential to create better conditions for UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, since any comprehensive peace talks he is able to convene would now include parties that might otherwise act as spoilers – by Elana DeLozier
(B P)
Film: Holding to the areas of influence in Yemen threatens the Riyadh agreement
Observers expressed their fear of the implementation of the terms of the Riyadh agreement, which was signed recently by the Transitional Council and the Yemeni government under Saudi auspices, Yemeni observers justified their fear by the refusal of the forces in control to give up their areas of influence and their weapons to enter into an alliances with other parties in order to create a state of stability in the country, considering that unifying the army is the most important step if there is a real intention to implement the Riyadh agreement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiQLHPf2lHw
(* B P)
Will Yemen's southern peace deal really help end the war?
It remains to be seen if agreement to halt infighting in the south means a broader peace is on the horizon, experts say.
One of the main components of the agreement is to absorb STC's militia and integrate fighters into the forces of the ministries of defence and interior. Hadi's government will also return to Aden and equally share power with STC officials.
But some analysts are sceptical about the peace initiative.
Southern trap?
From the perspective of Hadi government, ending the southern conflict with its rival was an important step in keeping Yemen intact and dealing with the Houthi rebels.
However, the government strategy is "hopeful at best", said Said Thabet, a Doha-based analyst on Yemen.
By entering into such agreement with the STC, Yemen's government is legitimising its rival and giving it a voice in deciding "the unity or dismemberment" of the state, he said.
"This strategy will backfire entirely because the STC is not interested in unity at all. And because of this agreement, the STC will find itself in a position to create the political conditions to establish its sought-after South Yemen state," Thabet told Al Jazeera.
Gamal Gasim, a Yemeni American professor of political science at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, said the divisions in Yemen reflect the conflicts in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia and the UAE on one hand and Iran on the other.
Houthi negotiations?
But that said, the strategic objective of the agreement could boil down to two plausible scenarios in the minds of the Saudi and UAE leadership, according to Gasim.
Unifying the warring allied factions can strengthen the coalition's hand in battling the Iran-aligned Houthis, which have scored several military victories against Saudi forces in northern Yemen in recent months, he said.
"The other option is to maintain this alliance and use it to strengthen the Saudi-Emraiti political positions in possible negotiations with Iran and its Houthi clients," Gasim told Al Jazeera.
Thabet said dividing Yemen would create two vassal states - one beholden to Saudi influence in the north and the other under a UAE patronage in the south. He argued this type of scenario for Yemen was inevitable.
"Such eventuality will ultimately benefit both Saudi Arabia and the UAE in keeping Yemen perpetually weak and divided, which has been their ultimate goal all along," said Thabet – by Ali Younes
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/yemen-southern-peace-deal-war-191105131251313.html
(* A P)
Yemen Government prepares to return to Aden
Yemen’s Prime Minister, Maeen Abdulmalik, said on Wednesday that his government is currently preparing to return to return Aden following reaching an agreement with southern rebels.
“The government’s return to Aden is the first task that follows signing of the [Al-Riyadh] agreement,” said Abdulmalik in a press interview with the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat Daily Newspaper.
He indicated that the government’s return to Aden has to be associated with a recovery plan to restore public services, alleviate the peoples’ suffering and retrieve the state departments’ work.
He explained that the government has set up a priority-list and an urgent package of procedures to normalize the situation in Aden and reestablish the state presence.
He added that the Al-Riyadh agreement represents a significant achievement to unify the internal front of the legitimate government in a way that maintains integrity of the country and focus efforts to combat the Houthis rebels.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-34111
My comment: Look, not more peace, but more war: “and focus efforts to combat the Houthis rebels”.
(A P)
Speaker of the Parliament Sultan Al Barakani and other Yemeni officials prepare for convening sessions of the House of Representatives in #Aden, #Yemen's interim capital.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1192131673305047040
My comment: The separatists always had seriously protested against this parliament. And now, they will not???
(A P)
Yemeni parliament praises role of Kingdom and bless Riyadh Agreement
The Presidency of the House of Representatives praised the role of the Kingdom's leadership and its keenness on the security, safety, stability and unity of Yemen.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1995439
(A K P)
Saudi Forces in Aden to Secure the Legitimacy
Saudi soldiers were witnessed for the first time in the streets of Aden since the UAE forces left the capital.
The Saudi royal forces arrived at the city to implement conditions in the framework of the Agreement on behalf of the Arab coalition to support the legitimacy.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/14715
(* A P)
Hadhramout leaders demand 50% of the South's share of government
Hadramout’s political and tribal leaders demanded 50 percent of the south's share of the central government, as recognized in the National Dialogue Outcomes of 2013-2014, according to a letter obtained by Almasdar online which was delivered by representatives of Hadramout’s political and tribal leaders to the office of the President of the Republic in Riyadh on Sunday.
The letter highlighted that Hadhrami leaders have so far not been included in any political agreement, and that any group claiming to represent Hadramout without considering Hadramis opinions or inputs does not represent them at all.
The letter reiterated the Hadrami demand for the establishment of an independent Hadhramaut region with full autonomy as a prerequisite for their adherence to the (Hadi) government’s legitimacy and the non-use of political violence in state matters.
A broad meeting of political and tribal leaders was held in Riyadh on Sunday to discuss Hadramout’s future, coinciding with the imminent signing of the Riyadh agreement.
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/57
My comment: The next problem is arising. The separatists of course think the whole south’s share oft he government must be theirs.
(A P)
Council of Ministers discusses recent developments about Riyadh Agreement
The Council of Ministers held an extraordinary session Monday presided over the Prime Minister Dr. Ma’een Abdulmalik to discuss the last developments about Riyadh Agreement which is set to be signed tomorrow, Tuesday.
The Prime Minister detailed the Cabinet’s members on the content of Riyadh Agreement, affirming that it is paving the way to a new stage in which the government will be in control of the military and security decision and capable to function effectively.
The Cabinet has blessed the Riyadh Agreement and the efforts made by the brethren in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to contain the recent events in Aden and reach to this accord to establish national alignment to counter the Iranian scheme, eliminate the Houthi coup and reinstate the legitimate authority, regain the state’s institutions.
(* B K P)
Long-held aspirations for autonomy in South Yemen erupted into deadly conflict between separatists.
Saudi Arabia creates a military coalition to prop up Hadi's forces.
Aden is declared Yemen's de facto capital.
[Overview article]
https://www.brecorder.com/2019/11/06/541725/south-yemen-separatists-clashes-to-cooperation/
and three articles showing the Houthis’ viewpoint:
(* A P)
HADI AND TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL GOVERNMENTS SIGN VAGUE AGREEMENT IN RIYADH
Hadi’s exiled government in Riyadh and the pro-Emirati Southern Transitional Council signed this evening the Riyadh agreement in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, which is a document prepared by Saudi and UAE intelligence that gives the coalition full trusteeship of the coalition’s countries over the South, and it removes most of the powers of the Hadi’s government to appoint leaders or manage the security and military files.
However, this agreement is still absent from the Yemeni public opinion and has not been published officially, where the lack of presence of government representation reflects the inferior dealings by the Kingdom to the Yemeni parties.
The House of Representatives and leaders of Hadi’s government and other leading officials were not allowed to participate in the signing ceremony, which was attended by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Zayed, that confirms this agreement is Saudi-Emirati making and it does not meet the problems of conflicting Yemeni parties.
and
(A P)
AL-HOUTHI: THE FAILED MOEVENPICK AGREEMENT CONFIRMS THE ILLEGALITY OF THE AGGRESSION ON YEMEN
A member of the Supreme Political Council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, said that the aggression coalition failed the Mofambique agreement that was achieved under a UN umbrella before the start of its aggression, then today officially confirms that there is no validity or legitimacy for the justification of the aggression against the independent Republic of Yemen.
Mohammad Ali al-Houthi added that there was no difference between what the aggression coalition claimed yesterday and today, but to confirm the arbitrariness and criminality.
He pointed out that there is a Saudi-Emirati dispute that reached the level of fighting between their militias hired from Yemen as well as the Saudi has delayed the agreement almost 60 days, which means more like the period Democratic Transition.
The member of the Supreme Political Council pointed out that the agreement, although it does not mean the people, confirms the illegality of the aggression on Yemen.
My comment: Moevenpick?? Mofambique?? https://www.movenpick.com/en/press/news/detail/accorhotels-to-raise-a-flag-in-southeastern-africa-with-its-first-mozambique-property/???
And
(A P)
YEMEN’S ANSARULLAH SLAMS AGREEMENT BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA, SEPARATISTS IN SOUTH
The so-called Riyadh agreement, that excluded Ansarallah movement, has been condemned by several officials in Yemen. Senior member of Supreme Political Council, Mohammed Ali Alhuthie, described the deal as an agreement between agents of foreign aggressors to his country.
Yasir Alhowari, Ansarallah senior official, also condemned the agreement, underlining that it is a consolidation of the country’s occupation by the Saudi-led coalition.
Ansarallah says any deal threatening Yemen’s unity and independence is unacceptable. It says the so-called Riyadh deal has no legal basis as it was not signed by Yemeni representatives.
(* B P)
Film: Hopes for peace in Yemen as government, separatists agree to halt fighting
Yemen's internationally-recognised government has signed a power-sharing agreement with separatists in the south. The deal was brokered by Saudi Arabia - and aims to end months of violence between government forces and UAE-backed fighters. The standoff was complicated by the fact that the UAE and Saudi were fighting with the government against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in other parts of Yemen. And the Saudis' battle against the Houthis has yet to end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLjtwlt3Bs4
(A P)
Film: Yemen: Aden residents react to peace deal between Yemeni govt and UAE-backed forces
Residents of the southern Yemeni city of Aden were optimistic about the recently signed peace deal between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the forces supported by the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, which formally ended months of infighting between the two parts of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi forces. "God willing, we will reform the country and see improvement, prosperity, and progress", said Abdullah Mohammed, a resident of the southern port city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ststxRzqQe8
(A P)
Feature: Yemenis wish permanent peace after Riyadh deal signed
But the Riyadh deal pushed the ordinary Yemeni people to continue their quest for permanent peace and stability to include the whole war-ravaged Yemeni provinces.
"The deal that was signed in Riyadh is a good achievement to end the conflict in southern Yemen and it encouraged people to seek permanent peace," said a youth activist Anwar Ihab.
He said that "stability will prevail in Aden and the southern provinces that witnessed waves of armed confrontations during the past months."
A street vendor Salem Ahmed told Xinhua that a number of positive outcomes of Riyadh deal were noticed in Aden province just one day after ending the signing ceremony in Riyadh.
"No security chaos or tension in Aden and things headed towards de-escalation in Aden and other provinces," said Salem.
Citizens in Aden are looking forward to seeing qualified officials leading the government institutions in their city and continuing to provide them with basic living services.
"We are without salaries for two months. Some families are struggling to find one meal in Aden after the cut of their monthly payments," said an Aden-based citizen Hisham Yahya.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-11/06/c_138533663.htm
My comment: I think articles like this one should tell a propaganda narrative.
and
(A P)
Southerners [i.e.: supporters of separatists] celebrate Riyadh agreement in several cities of the South (Photos)
Thousands of people took to the streets of several main southern cities on Tuesday night to celebrate the signing of Riyadh agreement between Yemen's government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) under the sponsorship of Saudi Arabia in broad Arab and international presence.
The Southerners consider the Saudi-brokered deal as a real victory of the southern cause after long and costly struggle.
The participants highly valued the key role played by the STC in giving legitimacy to the national cause of the southern people, congratulating the STC for being a legitimate representative of the South in any negotiations on Yemen future as stipulated in the agreement.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/14711
And how UAE media tell it:
(A P)
Yemen power-sharing deal hailed as an 'important step'
US president Donald Trump and the UK join others in supporting the agreement
Celebrations in Yemen
Hundred of people took to the streets of southern Yemen to celebrate the power-sharing deal.
“The event deserves to be celebrated. We came from different areas in Hadramawt to take part in this celebration in the centre of Al Mukalla city," Mohamed Bahadad told The National.
He said people were "optimistic because the agreement was brokered by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, whom we extremely trust".
In the southern provinces of Aden, Abyan and Shabwah, people celebrated at home with fireworks and traditional dances.
“It is time to leave our pains, we having experienced bitter times, it is time to think about development and reconstruction," said Majed Mahdi from Abyan.
Citizens in Aden were out in cafes and markets celebrating, saying they believe the deal represents a new chapter for the country's stability and security.
"The agreement is a huge political victory for the Southern Cause. We have been struggling for years to let the region and the world listen to our voice in South Yemen," Saleh Al Shourafi said while sitting in a cafe in Al Tawahi district.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemen-power-sharing-deal-hailed-as-an-important-step-1.934006
and
(A P)
Deal for Yemen’s south is an important achievement
Agreement demonstrates ability of all parties to address problems through dialogue
The signing of a breakthrough deal to bring peace to Yemen’s south is an extremely important and positive development as it refocuses the Yemeni governments’ energy into fighting Iran-backed Al Houthis.
Unrest in the south, which pitted the government led by Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi against the Southern Transitional Council, had distracted the Saudi-led coalition from the battle against Al Houthis.
The deal also put to rest any false information of a rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
This not only shows a united front in the war against Al Houthis but shows that eliminating the Al Houthi threat remains a top priority for the UAE, which has been an indispensable member of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
https://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/deal-for-yemens-south-is-an-important-achievement-1.67644126
My comment: The main goal seems to be more war against the Houthis, not achieving more peace for Yemen.
And by a Saudi news site:
(* B P)
Power-sharing agreement: A new page in the history of Yemen
Tensions between Yemen’s pro-secession Southern leadership and the internationally recognised government are easing now that a power-sharing deal has been reached, which halted clashes between the anti-Houthi coalition that had resurfaced decades of internal turmoil.
The new arrangement - signed in Saudi Arabia - calls for an equal number of ministries between each of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
“The deal was obviously meant to defuse tensions between the STC and the Yemeni government, which is a welcome step,” Fatima Al-Asrar, a Yemen analyst at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told Arab News.
“But any deal reached on the south needs continuous dialogue ... to avoid the same scenario repeating itself.”
The spark for the violence in Aden was a Houthi attack on a military parade in Aden on Aug. 1 that killed more than 30 STC soldiers.
Rightly or wrongly, some southerners felt that Hadi’s government had failed to share intelligence on Houthi threats.
However, the final outcome of the National Dialogue Conference did not address the demands of the separatists and the Houthi militias.
Against this historical backdrop, the proposed equal division of ministries between the southern and northern provinces under the Riyadh Agreement augurs well not just for southerners, but for all Yemenis.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1579871/middle-east
My comment: By a Saudi news site. Of course, this mainly reaches to propaganda. Most remarkable to me: Stating that Hadi’s 2013/14 National Dialogue Conference had failed because it „did not address the demands of the separatists and the Houthi militias”.
(A P)
Yemen PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Riyadh Agreement is an Opportunity to Overcome Obstacles, Restore State
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik stressed that Saudi Arabia’s efforts towards his country go beyond simply mediating the conflict to finding a sustainable solution.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat via e-mail, he stated that the priorities of the government after the Riyadh agreement will be to restore the regularity and functioning of state departments and institutions.
Responding to the British ambassador’s earlier remarks on it being possible to separate Iran from the Houthi militias, Abdulmalik said that the relationship between the two is much stronger than some international parties envision.
The prime minister touched on other aspects of the Riyadh agreement, concessions made and salaries of state employees.
“The Riyadh agreement was not a passing event or an easy task, but an important achievement that reunifies the internal front of the legitimacy (internationally-recognized political forces in Yemen), and rearranges its priorities in a way that preserves the integrity of the country and meets the demands of all national forces,” Abdulmalik said.
More so, the prime minister pointed out that the power-sharing agreement between the internationally-recognized government headed by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and the STC helps focus the fight against the Iran-backed Houthi insurgency in Yemen.
(A P)
Presidential advisor: Al-Riyadh agreement is a milestone to state retrieval
The President’s Advisor and former foreign minister, Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi, said on Tuesday that the Al-Riyadh agreement will mark a milestone for the government of Yemen and the Saudi-led coalition to reinstate the government.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-34091
(A P)
Bin Farid: Riyadh agreement led to UNSC recognition of STC
Head of the Southern Transitional Council Office for Foreign Relations in Europe, Ahmed Omer Bin Farid confirmed that welcoming the Riyadh agreement by the UN Security Council is a recognition of the STC.
Bin Farid wrote in a tweet that this recognition is an important outgrowth of the Riyadh agreement, adding "that alone is a great achievement for our national cause that has not entered the international corridors since 1994."
http://en.adenpress.news/news/14728
(A P)
Foreign Minister stresses Saudi Arabia favors dialogue to settle any issue
The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr. Abdullatif Bin Rashed Al-Zayani has lauded the signing of the Riyadh Agreement
Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan too welcomed the deal and stressed that Saudi Arabia favored dialogue to settle any issue
Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomed the signing of the Riyadh Agreement
the Arab League praised the signing of the Riyadh Agreement.
The United Arab Emirates has welcomed the Riyadh Agreement.
and also https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1978416/arab-world-welcomes-signing-riyadh-agreement-yemen
(A K P)
Iran: Aden Deal Not to Help Crisis in Yemen
The Iranian foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that the agreement signed between fugitive President Mansour Hadi and the UAE-backed separatists in Southern Yemen will not help soothe the crisis in the war-torn country.
"Signing such documents will not help resolution of problems in Yemen and it will be a step to prolong Saudi Arabia and its allies' occupation in Southern Yemen directly or through their proxy forces," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said on Wednesday.
He advised Saudi Arabia to give a positive response to the initiative presented by Mahdi al-Mashat, the president of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, on the halt of recirocal attacks rather than making decisions for groups that have no authority.
"As stressed many times, the Islamic Republic of Iran believes the first step to resolve the crisis in Yemen is stopping the war and bloodshed and removing the cruel siege on the Yemeni people, and the next step is holding Yemeni-Yemeni talks to attain an agreement for the political future of the country," Mousavi said.
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980815000385
and also https://ifpnews.com/iran-raps-deal-between-yemens-former-government-separatists
(* B P)
Total site used as a prison in Yemen
Part of the Balhaf gas liquefaction plant, shut down since the beginning of the war in 2015, was requisitioned by the United Arab Emirates.
On the coastal road linking eastern Yemen to the rest of the world, along the Gulf of Aden, the Balhaf factory looks like a spaceship on the beach. The French group Total is 39.6% shareholder of this huge gas complex, operated by the local company Yemen LNG.
This industrial site was shut down in the spring of 2015, from the beginning of the war in Yemen.
For two years, testimonies collected by the organization Amnesty International, by the panel of experts on Yemen of the United Nations as well as by NGOs and activists Yemeni reported the existence of a place of detention in Balhaf administered by Emirati forces at a military base. It was built by the UAE in mid-2017 on part of Total's industrial site, requisitioned at the official request of the Yemeni government.
A report released Thursday (November 7th) by the Arms Observatory, SumOfUs and Friends of the Earth today supports this information, citing two new testimonies of prisoners, one of whom claims to have been beaten, denied treatment and threatened with death. in Balhaf. Le Monde collected two other concordant testimonies from an ex-convict and the family of a second, indicating that people were still locked in Balhaf in mid-2019.
The existence of a "temporary detention cell" in the base is confirmed in Le Monde by an official of the Arab-led Arab coalition in Yemen. It would serve as an airlock for detainees transferred to Moukalla prison (east). It is part of a larger network. As early as 2017, the Associated Press and the NGO Human Rights Watch documented the existence of several unofficial places of detention in the hands of UAE forces and their Yemeni allies in the south of the country.
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
Security Council Press Statement on Yemen
The members of the Security Council welcomed the signing of the Riyadh Agreement between the Government of Yemen and the Southern Transitional Council on 5 November 2019. They welcomed the mediation efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, recognizing that this Agreement represents a positive and important step towards a comprehensive and inclusive political solution for Yemen.
The members of the Security Council reiterated their full support for the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, to work with the Yemeni parties to pave the way for the resumption of comprehensive and inclusive negotiations
https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sc14017.doc.htm
(A P)
Women peace leaders share their perspectives on peace in Yemen
A diverse group of twenty Yemeni women peace leaders from across Yemen and the diaspora convened for a two-day meeting in Amman on 29 and 30 October 2019. The meeting organized by the Office of the Special Envoy for Yemen aimed at consulting and gathering Yemeni women's perspectives on political and security arrangements, as well as on the agenda for the transition in Yemen.
Coming from governorates across Yemen, representatives of at least seven different women's peace networks, including young women and independent women, participated in the meeting
https://osesgy.unmissions.org/women-peace-leaders-share-their-perspectives-peace-yemen
(* A P)
Saudi-Arabien verhandelt mit Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen
Saudi-Arabien führt nach eigenen Angaben Gespräche mit den Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen, um ein Ende des Krieges in dem Land zu erreichen. „Wir hatten seit 2016 einen offenen Kanal mit den Huuthis und setzen diese Gespräche für Frieden im Jemen fort“, sagte ein ranghoher saudi-arabischer Beamter heute vor Journalisten und Journalistinnen in Riad.
Es war die erste offizielle Bestätigung eines Dialogs zwischen beiden Seiten. Weitere Details zu den Gesprächen nannte der saudi-arabische Beamte nicht. Die Huthi-Rebellen äußerten sich bisher nicht.
https://orf.at/stories/3143326/
(* A P)
Riyadh in talks with Yemen rebels, Saudi official says
Riyadh is in talks with Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels in a bid to end the country's civil war, a Saudi official said Wednesday in the first official confirmation of dialogue between the two sides.
The comment comes after Saudi Arabia brokered a power sharing agreement between Yemen's internationally recognised government and southern separatists, which observers say could pave the way for a wider peace deal.
"We have had an open channel with the Huthis since 2016. We are continuing these communications to support peace in Yemen," a senior Saudi official told reporters.
"We don't close our doors with the Huthis."
The official, who declined to be named, gave no further details on the talks but the development came after rebel missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities spiked over the summer, followed by a lull in recent weeks.
There was no immediate comment from the Huthi rebels
Washington too is in talks with the Huthis, Assistant Secretary of Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker said during a visit to Saudi Arabia in September.
He did not say whether the Americans were holding talks separately with the rebels, but analysts say they were likely happening in consultation with Saudi Arabia, a key ally of Washington.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-7655151/Riyadh-talks-Yemen-rebels-Saudi-official-says.html = http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/riyadh-has-open-channel-with-yemen-rebels-saudi-official/article/561212
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran
Siehe / Look at cp9a
(* B P)
IRAN AND SAUDI ARABIA IN THE MIDDLE EAST:LEADERSHIP AND SECTARIANISM(2011—2017
Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have never been at a desirable level. Iran’s1979 revolution, the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the Arab Spring in turn increased the disagree-ment between the two regional powers. This article examines the relationship between Iran and SaudiArabia in the Middle East between 2011 and 2017. Both countries claim to have leadership over otherIslamic Muslim countries in the Middle East, in which Iran as a Shia state and Saudi Arabia as a Sunni-Wahhabi state have multiple ideological and political conflicts that have drawn opposing interests for each other.
As a result, new multifactor regional international situation involving Iran and Saudi Arabiaarose, to analyze which it would make sense to apply the general scientific analytical methods (logical,typological, inductive-deductive methods, etc.), and a number of specific methods for direct study ofinternational relations, including those based on a systemic approach.
The author examines the two powerful Middle Eastern countries with an emphasis on instrumen-tal sectarianism as an important component of the regional order transformation proсess, understandingIran as one of the superior powers of the region in the context of Islamic discourse and the same role ofSaudi Arabia with strong tendency in the framework of Arab discourse. It was concluded that Iran andSaudi Arabia have ambitions for a larger share of the new Middle East and from the viewpoint of reli-gious perspective, are instrumental in expanding their influence in the Middle Eastern countries – by Diansaei Behzad
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(B E P)
BOYCOTT SAUDI ARAMCO IPO
Aramco, the world’s #1 climate polluting company, will likely offer 1-2 percent of its shares for sale, raising as much as $20-$40 billion in a nasty marriage of carbon and cash.
Tell the international banks — JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, HSBC and Credit Suisse — working on the deal: Don’t buy stock in environmental destruction, war crimes and human rights abuses.
Dear JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, HSBC and Credit Suisse,
As people concerned with the planet and human life, we ask you to sever all involvement with Saudi Aramco and not purchase shares in the company.
https://www.codepink.org/aramco
(* B E P)
Investing in oil giant Aramco equals support for Saudi Arabia's brutal regime
Before Western investors pile in, they ought to consider how Saudi Arabia has changed in the nearly five years since its previous ruler, King Abdullah, died, as a new report by Human Rights Watch shows.
Even without the report, the Aramco initial public offering comes with some red flags.
The first shares are being offered only on Saudi Arabia's small stock exchange, and there are reports that domestic investors are being pressured into buying them.
Mohammed bin Salman has promoted a US$2 trillion valuation for the company, even though international analysts say that may be a third more than it is worth.
But the political risks may be even graver. As Human Rights Watch documents, Mohammed bin Salman's much-hyped push to modernise the kingdom has been accompanied by some of the most brutal and arbitrary repression in its history.
International investors may believe themselves immune from such treatment. They shouldn't be so sure.
Among those caught up in the Saudi sweeps are US citizens and one of the world's most prominent investors, Alwaleed bin Talal.
Anyone buying into Saudi Arabia has to be prepared for the reckless adventures and strong-arm tactics of its 34-year-old ruler.
(A P)
Saudi Ambassador: Dialogue can resolve Yemen’s crisis
The Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, Mohamed Al Jaber, said on Wednesday that the Al-Riyadh agreement proved that Yemen’s crisis can be resolved through dialogue.
Al Jaber voiced these statements in an interview with the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat Daily Newspaper.
He said that the agreement would form a starting point for a new phase in Yemen characterized by security, stability and development.
Al Jaber revealed that the Saudi diplomatic mission plans to resume its full work from Aden to provide support to the Yemeni government.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-34112
My comment: Does he mean a dialogue with the Sanaa government??
(* B E P)
Es festigen sich Allianzen illiberaler Staaten
Es könnte der größte Börsengang aller Zeiten werden, wenn Saudi-Arabien wie geplant noch in diesem Jahr einen kleinen Anteil an seinem bisher staatlichen Ölkonzern Aramco an Investoren verkauft.
Die Begeisterung für den Börsengang ist verhalten. Eher scheint das Gefühl zu überwiegen, dass man es sich nicht leisten kann, nicht dabei zu seien, wenn ein kleiner Anteil an dem profitabelsten Unternehmen der Welt veräußert wird und das Königreich mitten in einer Phase mit wirtschaftlichen Schwierigkeiten in vielen Teilen der Welt Milliardeninvestitionen auf den Weg bringt. Aber vielen Investoren reicht die Transparenz des Unternehmens nicht - die Schätzungen, wie viel das Unternehmen wert ist, weichen um 1000 Milliarden Dollar voneinander ab.
Saudi-Arabien setzt darauf, in einem auf lange Sicht schrumpfenden Markt für Rohöl mit seinen außerordentlich niedrigen Produktionskosten alle Konkurrenten auszustechen. An der Börse wird sich zeigen, ob das ausreicht – von Paul-Anton Krüger
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/meinung/aramco-boersengang-saudi-arabien-1.4666870
cp9 USA
(A K P)
Four #Saudi F-15s and a #US B-52H while conducting a low pass over Prince Sultan Air Base
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1192336904798298112
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1192335974312878080
My comment: The US cooperating with Saudi killers.
(* A P)
U.S. accuses two former Twitter employees of spying for Saudi Arabia
Two former employees of Twitter and a third man from Saudi Arabia face U.S. charges of spying for the kingdom by digging up private user data and giving it to Saudi officials in exchange for payment, a complaint from the Department of Justice shows.
The indictment points an unusually public finger at Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally that maintains warm ties with President Donald Trump despite its spotty human rights record.
The charges also put Silicon Valley companies in the spotlight once again over how they protect the intimate details they collect about their users, including from employees with no legitimate reason for accessing the information.
and
(* A P)
Saudi Arabia Recruited Twitter Workers to Spy on Users: U.S. Investigators
The Saudi government recruited two Twitter employees to get personal account information of their critics, prosecutors said Wednesday.
A complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco detailed a coordinated effort by Saudi government officials to recruit employees at the social media giant to look up the private data of thousands of Twitter accounts.
The accounts included those of a popular journalist with more than 1 million followers and other prominent government critics.
It also alleged that the employees — whose jobs did not require access to Twitter users’ private information — were rewarded with a designer watch and tens of thousands of dollars funneled into secret bank accounts. They were charged with acting as agents of Saudi Arabia without registering with the U.S. government.
investigators alleged that a Saudi working as a social media adviser for the Saudi royal family, recruited Twitter engineer Ali Alzabarah by flying him to Washington, D.C., for a private meeting with an unnamed member of the family.
“Within one week of returning to San Francisco, Alzabarah began to access without authorization private data of Twitter users en masse,” the complaint said.
The effort included the user data of over 6,000 Twitter users, including at least 33 usernames for which Saudi Arabian law enforcement had submitted emergency disclosure requests to Twitter, investigators said.
https://apnews.com/2a04ef6d767347b1bb4308c66e65a8c6 = https://time.com/5720508/saudi-arabia-twitter-workers-spy/
(* B K P)
The U.S. Can and Must End the War on Yemen
William Burns calls on the president to end the war on Yemen.
Burns is right that the Trump administration could bring the war to an end. The U.S. has the leverage to push the Saudis and their allies to halt their campaign, if the administration were willing to use it. That has been true for the better part of three years under Trump, just as it was true under Obama before that. It would be the right thing to do for U.S. interests and for the people of Yemen. It would extricate the U.S. from an atrocious war that it has been illegally involved in for more than four and a half years, and it would help to halt a conflict that has cast Yemen into the abyss. Ending the war on Yemen would also reduce regional tensions significantly. Most important of all, it would create an opening to avert widespread starvation and to combat the country’s massive cholera epidemic.
Unfortunately, as we all know only too well, the president is not interested in doing the right and smart thing. He is determined not to end U.S. involvement and he refuses to cut off the arms sales and other military assistance that keep the war going – by Daniel Larison
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-u-s-can-and-must-end-the-war-on-yemen/
(A P)
US State Dep.: Agreement in Southern Yemen
The United States welcomes the signing of the Riyadh Agreement between the Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG) and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) yesterday in Riyadh. We are hopeful that with this agreement, all parties will work together to end the conflict and to achieve the peace and stability that Yemen’s people deserve
https://www.state.gov/agreement-in-southern-yemen/
(A P)
Pompeo commends Saudi Arabia’s role in facilitating deal between Yemen govt, STC
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed gratitude toward Saudi Arabia’s role in facilitating an agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), according to a statement by a State Department spokesperson.
(A K P)
Bernie Sanders: If Trump was serious about a solution to the horrendous conflict in Yemen, he would have signed our War Powers Resolution into law and ended illegal military support to the Saudis. Instead, he vetoed it. Thousands of Yemeni children have died on his watch.
https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1191780691979186177
referring to:
Donald Trump: [Riyadh agreement] A very good start! Please all work hard to get a final deal.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1191762155022012416
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
(* B P)
Iran's network of influence in Mid-East 'growing'
The fact that Iran has stealthily built up a network of non-state alliances right across the Middle East, often referred to as "proxy militias", is nothing new.
the 217-page report by the IISS, entitled "Iran's Networks of Influence in the Middle East", provides unprecedented detail on the extent and reach of Iran's operations in the region.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran," says the report, "has tipped the balance of effective force in the Middle East in its favour." It has achieved this, argue its authors, "by countering superior conventional forces with influence operations and use of third-party forces".
The key ingredient here has been the Quds Force, the external operations wing of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iran would very much like the US to leave the region and to replace it as the dominant military power. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in particular, have no intention of letting that happen.
Yemen
When Yemen descended into war in late 2014, there was very little Iranian involvement.
But after Saudi Arabia intervened in March 2015 with an air campaign aimed at dislodging the Houthi rebels from areas they had taken over, Iran stepped up its support.
The IISS report maintains this includes the supply of advanced weaponry as part of Iran's aim to "bog down at a limited cost its rival Saudi Arabia but also to establish a forward presence in the strategic [Red Sea] area of Bab al-Mandab".
The report concludes that Iran is unlikely to change course while Mr Trump remains in the White House and will "continue to seize opportunities to expand its third-party capability".
As Tehran feels the squeeze from sanctions reinstated by the president last year in an attempt to force it to negotiate a new nuclear deal, the temptation among hardline factions to lash out will only grow.
The bottom line is this: after 40 years of steadily recruiting, funding and arming its network of alliances, Iran is now in a far stronger position than it would appear.
Yes, the sanctions are biting and its population is suffering the effects. Economically, Iran is in a dreadful place. But the IRGC's Quds Force has built up a system of alliances that allows it to bring about maximum effect for minimum cost.
Strategically, through the network described in the IISS report, Iran has become a force to be reckoned with.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50324912
and the full IISS report: https://www.iiss.org/publications/strategic-dossiers (Introduction only; paywalled)
My remark: For IISS, read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Institute_for_Strategic_Studies
My comment: Part on Yemen: Look above in cp5. There is a lot of propaganda involved here. Just a little bit: „Iran would very much like the US to leave the region and to replace it as the dominant military power.“ Certainly this would be an unrealistic goals. By claims like this, the permanent US intervention should be justified.
(* A K P)
Royal Saudi Naval Forces are participating in a maritime exercise hosted by US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) that spans from the Gulf of Aqaba to the northern Arabian Gulf. The exercise began on November 3 and serves to maintain regional security and freedom of navigation. NAVCENT Commander Vice Admiral Jim Malloy stated, “We all recognize that as navies, the maritime has extreme value in promoting stabilization, security and promoting the flow of commerce back and forth.”[3]
(A P)
Iran's response to US economic terrorism opposite of Trump's belief: FM Zarif
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran gives a response to the United States’ policy of pursuing “economic terrorism” and “blackmail” in a way quite opposite of what US President Donald Trump was led to believe.
(* B P)
Houthi Haven: Why Iran's Proxy Warriors Have Flourished in the Era of Trump
Trump's maximum pressure campaign has pushed Iran to escalate its support for the Houthis and the United States to accelerate its sanctions regime in response, creating a self-perpetuating cycle with no end in sight.
The U.S. administration hoped that by limiting Iran’s resources, the regime would be unable to continue its support for groups like the Houthis. In their attempts to stifle these relationships, the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign has severely damaged Iran’s economy, leading to a reduction in Iran’s defense budget, skyrocketing inflation, and an increase in healthcare costs.
These realities, however, have not affected the Iran-Houthi relationship in ways the administration has intended. The Houthi movement, unlike other groups in the region, was an anti-colonialist group at its inception and did not initially have strong ties with Iran; but as the administration continues to strangle Iran’s economy and add to the country’s already heightened sense of besiegement, the Iran-Houthi bond has grown.
Labeling the conflict in Yemen as a “proxy war” belies the origins of the Houthis, which unlike Hezbollah, did not rely on Iran’s support from the outset. The Houthi phenomenon was born out of growing encroachment from foreign forces into a traditionally isolated society. Saudi benefactors financed countless Wahhabi madrassas in northern Yemen in an attempt to undermine the Shia-affiliated Zaydi’s, whose strongholds are tucked under the Kingdom’s southern border.
The relationship in the late 2000s and early 2010s was minimal, and at times, contentious.
From Associate to Accomplice
Several Trump officials have stated that their main priority concerning Iran is to moderate its regional behavior. From the Iranian perspective, such objectives harken back to the 1979 revolution, which was partially a response to the Shah’s cozy relationship with the United States. Since then, Iranian officials have operated under the notion that the United States and its allies are dedicated to undermining the Islamic Republic. Trump’s maximum pressure campaign has only exacerbated these sentiments and has pushed Iran to double down on its regional policies.
In the wake of the breakdown of negotiations at the UN General Assembly, the administration has imposed a new set of sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank in attempts to stem the flow of funds to Iran’s allies in the region. In continuing these policies, the administration seems to miss the actual effects of their strategy and instead, has doubled-down on a pressure policy that contradicts Trump’s goals and undermines any constructive attempts to stabilize the region – by Shervin Ghaffari
(A P)
Iran threatens US forces and allies who host American troops
A spokesman for Iran’s armed forces has threatened a “crushing response” against any U.S. aggression and allies who host American troops.
“Any place and any point of any territories which host the US and its allies’ interests will be threatened (in case of any war) and the Islamic Republic has proved that it has the capability to do so,” Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi said during a Sunday interview with Iranian Fars News Agency.
“Even if a country does not directly participate in any possible war but its territories host the enemy, we consider that country as a hostile territory and will treat it as an aggressor,” he said during the interview. “If an aggressor makes a strategic mistake, that aggression will be confronted with the strongest and the most crushing response.”
My comment: The headline and ist implications are propaganda. Iran does not „threaten“ US forces, but claims there will be a heavy response in case of war, i. e. in case of an US attack. Of course, in case of an US-Iranian war this would include US forces in other countries as well.
(* B K P)
Spiegel-Artikel über den Iran und das Atomabkommen – Ein Lehrstück in Sachen Propaganda
Heute lernen wir wieder, dass der Iran das Atomabkommen erneut verletzen will. Aber die Medien erzählen nicht die ganze Geschichte, wie ein Blick in den Spiegel-Artikel dazu zeigt.
Im Gegensatz zu dem, was uns die Medien erzählen, verstößt der Iran damit aber nicht gegen das Atomabkommen. In Artikel 26 wird dem Iran erlaubt, sollte ein anderer Staat einseitig wieder Sanktionen verhängen, seine Verpflichtungen nicht mehr zu erfüllen. Der Iran ist also seit dem Beginn der US-Sanktionen im November nicht mehr an seine Verpflichtungen gebunden.
Trotzdem hat er das Abkommen bis Mai 2019 einseitig eingehalten und auch seine nun gemachten Schritte sind Kleinigkeiten und haben eher symbolischen Charakter. Der Iran reichert mehr Uran an, als erlaubt und er reichert es stärker an, als erlaubt. Jedoch ist die Anreicherung viel zu gering für Atombomben und die Inspektionen finden weiterhin statt. Der Iran bleibt also sehr transparent, obwohl er es nicht tun müsste.
Trotzdem lesen wir heute in allen deutschen Medien Überschriften, wie diese bei Spiegel-Online: „Brüchiges Abkommen – Iran kündigt weiteren Verstoß gegen Atom-Deal an“.
Ein herrliches Beispiel für Meinungsmache! Der Spiegel teilt mit, das Abkommen sei „brüchig“ und wirft dem Iran sofort einen „weiteren Verstoß“ vor. Was lernt der Leser? Der Leser denkt danach: „Der Iran bricht immer wieder das Abkommen, darum ist es brüchig. Böser Iran!“
(A P)
Iran’s nuclear countermeasures meant to salvage JCPOA: Envoy to UK
Iran’s envoy to the UK says Tehran’s phased cuts in its commitments under a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal are only aimed at salvaging the very agreement, which was undermined in the wake of the United States’ withdrawal and the Europeans’ failure to boost trade with Iran.
Hamid Baeidinejad made the remarks in a televised interview on Sky News on Tuesday, a day after Tehran announced a fourth step in downgrading its contractual obligations under the deal, formally named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“We’re doing this because we want to salvage the nuclear deal from total collapse,” he said. “Because, in fact, the other sides have not been able to live up to their obligations, and Iran is resorting to certain actions to ensure” that the deal will stand.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/11/06/610501/Iran-nuclear-third-step-retaliation
(* B P)
Film: Today marks the anniversary of the U.S.-#IranHostageCrisis. Rarely in the past 40 years have tensions been as high between Washington and Tehran. @CrisisGroup suggests a better way forward
https://twitter.com/CrisisGroup/status/1191360169428561925
(* B P)
Israeli Army’s Boasts of Preparedness Against Iran Have Quickly Turned to Alarm
Benjamin Netanyahu may not be the only Israeli exaggerating the seriousness of the situation for his own purposes
It seems that senior defense officials, who until recently emphasized the IDF’s preparedness and the enemy’s weakness, have adopted Netanyahu’s line. Last week Kochavi said the threats against Israel were getting worse.
The differences between the declarations make you wonder: Does Israel really face threats it has never known before? Have its achievements in averting war eroded, or was the pride in them exaggerated from the start? Is somebody maybe exaggerating the seriousness of the situation for his own purposes?
Netanyahu is now fighting for his political life after twice failing to form a new government, and in light of the draft corruption indictment. Netanyahu says the security tensions require a unity government led by him
For its part, the military wants the defense budget passed so Kochavi can implement his own multiyear plan. For now, this plan is being paid for by diverting funds within the IDF.
(A P)
Kuwait conveyed messages from Iran to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain: official
Kuwait’s deputy foreign minister Khaled al-Jarallah said on Tuesday that Kuwait conveyed messages from Iran to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain regarding the situation in the Gulf region, and “until now no answers have emerged”.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(* B K P)
Tory ministers have approved £2bn in arms sales to repressive regimes since last election
The government has signed off nearly £2bn worth of arms sales to repressive regimes in the two years since the 2017 election, official figures show.
Saudi Arabia, which has been widely condemned by the international community for its offensive in Yemen, benefited from £719m in UK licences for bombs, missiles, fighter jets, sniper rifles, ammunition.
The government says the UK’s arms control regime is one of the strictest in the world, but Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry told The Independent that it needed immediate reforming.
“This is yet more evidence that this Tory government and this Tory prime minister are prepared to throw all concern for human rights out of the window when it comes to trying to fill the financial black hole being created by their commitment to a sell-out Brexit,” she said.
“A Labour government will immediately reform our arms export regime to ensure we are never again selling arms to countries using them to break international humanitarian and human rights laws.”
(A P)
UK government welcomes new Yemen peace agreement
The UK welcomes the signing of the Riyadh Agreement between the Government of Yemen and the Southern Transitional Council.
Recognising the difficult political, humanitarian and security situation in the South of Yemen, we applaud the efforts of Saudi Arabia in seeking to re-establish security and stability in the region.
We fully support the Saudi-mediated Riyadh Agreement
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-welcomes-new-yemen-peace-agreement
(B K P)
Department for International Development: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund: Yemen Programme
WHAT SUPPORT IS THE UK PROVIDING?
The Yemen CSSF programme supports the UK’s priorities and objectives for the country including
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/conflict-stability-and-security-fund-yemen-programme
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(* B E K P)
Rheinmetall wollte Geschütze auf Kriegsschiff im Embargoland Eritrea nachrüsten
Eine interne Mail beweist: Rheinmetall sagte den Militärs der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate Anfang 2017 zu, ein Upgrade für Geschütze auf einem Kriegsschiff zu liefern, das in Eritrea stationiert war – trotz eines UN-Embargos. Ein Experte spricht von einer möglichen Straftat. Rheinmetall weist Kritik zurück. Recherche mit Correctiv.
Für den Rüstungskonzern Rheinmetall ist das Geschäft mit den Militärs im Nahen Osten ist wichtig - so wichtig, dass die Konzernherren dafür einen eigenen Statthalter eingesetzt haben. Er residiert im 14. Stock eines Büroturms in bester Lage von Abu Dhabi in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten (VAE). Von dort soll er den Überblick behalten über die verzweigten Geschäfte, die Rheinmetall in der Region unterhält. Kein leichter Job – aber am frühen Morgen des 16. Februar 2017 kündigte der Statthalter einen besonders gewagten Schritt an, per E-Mail: die Lieferung von Rüstungstechnologie nach Eritrea.
Die Mail vom Februar 2017 gehört zu einer Sammlung von Dokumenten, die der stern und das Recherchezentrum Correctiv einsehen konnten. Es geht um Marinegeschütze des Typs MLG 27, die Rheinmetall im schwäbischen Oberndorf baut. Insgesamt 30 von ihnen hatte Rheinmetall seit 2009 an die Emirate geliefert, für Korvetten des Typs Baynunah und Schnellboote der Ghannatha-Klasse. Doch im Jahr 2017 musste sich Rheinmetall mit Mängelrügen der emiratischen Marine auseinandersetzen. In diesem Zusammenhang kündigte der Rheinmetall-Statthalter in Abu Dhabi in seiner Mail vom Februar 2017 an, man habe "einer Bitte der Marine zugestimmt, ein zusätzliches Schiff (in Eritrea!) mit unserem Upgrade-Set umzurüsten, um ihnen in ihrer Mission zu helfen".
Wie gesagt: Rheinmetall weist den Vorwurf des Embargobruchs zurück. Aber der Tübinger Anwalt und Rüstungsexperte Holger Rothbauer fordert nun die Ermittler auf, sich des Falls anzunehmen: „Bei Rheinmetall war bekannt, dass die Ausfuhr von Rüstungstechnologie in ein Embargoland wie Eritrea gegen geltendes Außenhandelsrecht verstieß“, sagte der Anwalt. „Damit haben die Verantwortlichen offenbar mit Vorsatz gehandelt und somit möglicherweise eine Straftat begangen. Bei ihr wäre bereits der Versuch strafbar. Darum muss hier jetzt die zuständige Staatsanwaltschaft von Amts wegen ermitteln.“
https://www.stern.de/wirtschaft/news/rheinmetall-wollte-geschuetze-auf-kriegsschiff-in-eritrea-nachruesten-8987214.html = https://correctiv.org/aktuelles/korruption/2019/11/07/rheinmetall-celle/
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
In the course of less than a week since November 1, over 25 #Bahrain'i youths (and counting) have been arrested without cause across various villages in the course of the AlKhalifa regime's latest wide-scale spree of arbitrary arrests (photos)
https://twitter.com/PrintempsArabeS/status/1192178336874803201
(A P)
DUBAI RULER ACCUSED OF CHILD ABUSE AT LONDON’S HIGH COURT
Protesters descended on England’s High Court yesterday (4 November) for the 20-month anniversary of the illegal kidnap of Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.
The protesters were awaiting the arrival of the Dubai ruler at the High Court ahead of a fourth hearing of a bitter custody battle over Sheikh Mohammed’s young children with Princess Haya bint Hussein. Princess Haya fled Dubai earlier this year following her meeting with Princess Latifa and Mary Robinson, a meeting seen by many as a failed attempt by the Dubai ruler to whitewash the kidnap of Princess Latifa.
David Haigh a human rights lawyer acting for Sheikha Latifa said “It is now 20 months since an elite commando unit made up of hundreds of armed state security personnel, helicopters and planes was sent by the UAE and India to attack a small US-registered yacht in international waters, kidnap Latifa al Maktoum, and take her back to involuntary captivity in Dubai.
(A P)
Russia welcomes signing of Riyadh Agreement document between Yemeni legitimate government and Southern Transitional Council
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1995427
(A P)
European Union: Statement by the Spokesperson on the latest developments regarding Yemen
The conclusion of the agreement between the Government of Yemen and the Southern Transitional Council reached in Riyadh under the auspices of Saudi Arabia is an important step towards de-escalation and peace for Yemen and for the region. Today the country is closer to reaching a negotiated and inclusive peace settlement that puts an end to the ongoing conflict, which has led Yemen to become the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The European Union encourages the signatory parties to seize this window of opportunity to resume work towards a negotiated and sustainable peace under the auspices of the United Nations
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(A E P)
Qatar has overcome Saudi-led embargo, emir says
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani says his country has overcome the Saudi-led economic blockade and achieved high economic goals.
Addressing the Shura Council, which advises the Qatari ruler on draft laws, Sheikh Tamim said on Tuesday that Qatar had overcome the “negative impacts” of the regional embargo.
“As a result of the efforts to cut expenditure and increase efficiency, the big budget deficit in 2017 was turned into a surplus,” the Qatari emir said. “We have been able to restore the state reserves to levels higher than the pre-blockade levels.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/11/05/610463/Qatar-Saudi-Arabia-embargo-overcome
cp12b Sudan
(* B K P)
Sudan im Krieg
Seit dem 8. September gibt es im Sudan eine »zivile« Regierung, die zahlreiche Probleme zu bewältigen hat. Das Land ist international hoch verschuldet, und die Wirtschaft liegt am Boden, hinzu kamen jüngst Zerstörungen durch Flutkatastrophen und der Ausbruch einer Choleraepidemie.
Ungeachtet dessen beteiligen sich die Sudanesische Armee (SAF) und mit ihr die seit der Verfassungserklärung inkorporierten paramilitärischen Einheiten der Schnellen Unterstützungskräfte (RSF) an den Kriegen im Jemen und in Libyen.
Am 4. November berichtete das Portal davon, dass der militärische Sprecher der Ansarollah, Jahja Sari, zwei Tage zuvor in Jemens Hauptstadt Sanaa auf einer Pressekonferenz den Verlust auf sudanesischer Seite seit Teilnahme am Krieg 2015 auf 4.253 tote Soldaten beziffert habe. Der Sprecher der SAF, Amer Al-Hasan, wies diese Zahlen als »haltlos« zurück. Zudem bekräftigte er, dass jüngste Angaben des Middle East Monitor, denen zufolge sich die 10.000 sudanesischen Soldaten aus dem Jemen zurückziehen würden, »unzutreffend« seien. Statt dessen erklärte er, dass die SAF »an allen Fronten im Jemen stationiert« seien und ihr Aufenthaltsort »nicht offengelegt« werden könne. Kritik am Vorgehen der Armee ist aus Khartum nicht zu erwarten. Das Militär sicherte sich in der Verfassungserklärung die Posten des Innen- und Verteidigungsministers
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/366282.hintergrund.html
(* B K P)
It’s Time for Sudan to Stop Fighting the Saudi War Against Yemen
Saudi Arabia and the UAE exploit Sudan’s sanctioned economy by recruiting thousands of paid Sudanese mercenaries — mostly children.
Over 8 thousand Sudanese have been killed or injured by Yemeni forces on the front lines.
The US maintains heavy sanctions against Sudan as a “state sponsor of terrorism” while arming Sudanese troops to fight in Yemen.
No one has sent more troops to die in Yemen than Sudan — and for what?
No effective army? Just buy one
In 2015, Sudan’s central bank in Khartoum received two deposits totaling $2.22 billion from state officials in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. (It’s worth mentioning that Qatar dropped out of the Saudi-led coalition against Yemen after Doha’s fallout with Riyadh in 2017.)
Furthermore, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi control the vast majority of shares in the Bank of Khartoum with Dubai Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, and Sharjah Islamic Bank in Abu Dhabi functioning as the three main shareholders. Sudan’s then-president Omar al-Bashir also reportedly personally accepted $90 million from Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman entirely outside of the state budget records.
Fast forward to 2019. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir left office after popular protests and a military coup. Whether Riyadh and Abu Dhabi played a direct role in orchestrating Bashir’s outsing is another story. It didn’t take long, however, for the Saudis and UAE to again pledge their support in the form of $3 billion in aid: $500 million in cash deposits to Khartoum’s central bank and the remainder in petroleum products, foodstuffs, and medical supplies.
Sudanese people: Riyadh and Abu Dhabi’s cannon fodder of choice
Subject to crippling US economic sanctions since 1997, Sudan isn’t exactly in any position to refuse cash. Of course, that cash doesn’t come without certain expectations.
According to Brigadier-General Saree, Sudan has several thousand troops currently stationed inside his country:
1 thousand in Aden and Lahj, including Yemen’s main airport in Aden
2 thousand along the Yemen-Saudi border near Mojza
5 thousand along the Yemen-Saudi border near Samtah
Six brigades along Yemen’s west coast totaling 6 thousand
Saree reiterated that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are exploiting the Sudanese people for their own gain and feeding them propaganda to continue sending their men to die.
Exporting atrocities and war crimes from Darfur into Yemen
The invading Sudanese troops have carried out several crimes and massacres against Yemeni people, as documented by the United Nations panel of independent experts.
Rape — and systematic weaponized rape — are both commonplace in areas under UAE control with Sudanese forces.
Janjaweed fighters have killed some 300 thousand civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region and now these same fighters have invaded Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition.
Sudan also has a habit of sending children as young as 14 to fight in Yemen. Estimates suggest that roughly 40% of the 14 thousand Sudanese troops stationed in Yemen are children. An anonymous member of Yemen’s Awlad Zeid tribe told The Independent last year:
“They treat the Sudanese like their firewood.”
By exploiting Sudan’s sky-high inflation rate and heavily sanctioned economy, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi can offer a promising salary of about $487 per month for a 14-year old newbie to $539 for an experienced Janjaweed officer. If a soldier sees combat, he can earn an additional $188 to $289 each month.
Washington breaks its own arbitrary sanctions to arm Sudanese troops
If anyone needed any further proof that the United States wields sanctions as a weapon of control, look no further than Sudan.
Washington has inflicted crippling sanctions on Sudan’s fragile economy since 1997, labeling the African country a “state sponsor of terrorism.” In 2017, Washington lifted minimal sanctions, almost merely symbolically, and doubled down on its state sponsor of terrorism label in August of 2019 when Khartoum sought additional sanctions relief.
Lifting sanctions on Sudan would allow the country to build up its own economic sustainability and encourage foreign investment. Ultimately, Sudanese civilians would be far less likely to voluntarily enlist to fight on Riyadh’s behalf out of mere financial desperation – by Randi Nord
https://geopoliticsalert.com/sudan-troops-yemen
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp10, cp11
(* B K P)
Under shroud of secrecy US weapons arrive in Yemen despite Congressional outrage
Aden is controlled by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, whose main partners are continuing to ship American-made weapons into the country despite bipartisan outrage in Congress over the way the US is backing Riyadh in this bloody and bitter conflict.
This footage showing the unloading of a variety of US-made arms -- which was filmed illicitly at the offloading site, then obtained and verified by CNN -- is itself contentious. Multiple witnesses told CNN that Yemeni authorities, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have been arresting and questioning those they suspect of leaking it to the media.
Using whistleblower accounts and port documents CNN has identified the ship which offloaded the US weaponry in Aden last week as the Saudi-registered Bahri Hofuf. Looking at tracking data, the vessel's last recorded location was in the Saudi port of Jeddah on September 17, before it sailed to Port Sudan, arriving the following day.
Secrecy surrounds the flow of weaponry to Yemen's conflict
Violating US arms agreements
In February, a CNN investigation revealed that Saudi Arabia and the UAE -- key US allies -- had transferred American-made weapons to al Qaeda-linked fighters, hardline Salafi militias, and other fighting factions in Yemen, in violation of their agreements with Washington.
Oshkosh Defense, the manufacturer of one of the armored vehicles (MRAPs) seen in the latest shipment, told CNN that the firm "strictly follows all US laws and regulations relating to export control."
Last month, CNN revealed that US MRAPs had been distributed, in contravention of arms deals, to militia groups including the UAE-backed separatists.
Under the UAE and Saudi Arabia's arms sales agreements with the US, American-made MRAPs are considered "proprietary technology," which neither party was supposed to let out of its control.
Recipients of US weaponry are also legally obligated to adhere to end-use requirements which prohibit the transferring of any equipment to third parties without prior authorization from the US government. That authorization was never obtained.
A State Department official told CNN that the American government takes all allegations of the misuse of US weaponry very seriously but insisted "there is currently no US prohibition on the use of US-origin MRAPs by Gulf coalition forces in Yemen."
CNN has found multiple instances this year where that weaponry was diverted, in defiance of end-user agreements.
US hold on arms to UAE
Speaking exclusively to CNN, multiple congressional sources now say the US government has placed a hold on the latest outstanding MRAP delivery to the UAE while the Pentagon continues its investigation.
What this latest Saudi delivery of American weaponry to Aden proves is US military hardware is still flowing into Yemen – By Nima Elbagir, Salma Abdelaziz, Mohamed Abo El Gheit, Florence Davey-Attlee and Ed Upright, CNN
https://us.cnn.com/2019/11/05/middleeast/yemen-saudi-us-arms-footage-intl/index.html
and
(A P)
Pentagon Declines to Comment on Video Showing US Weapons Arriving in Yemen – Spokesman
US media reported earlier on Wednesday that newly obtained video footage shows an Oshkosh armored vehicle and other US-made military hardware being unloaded from a ship under the cover of darkness in the early morning hours at the port in the southern city of Aden.
The Pentagon declined to comment on Wednesday when asked about the authenticity of a newly published video that reportedly shows US-made heavy weaponry arriving in southern Yemen last week.
"We cannot comment on the authenticity of the video", a spokesperson for the US Department of Defence said.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(A T)
Former al-Qaeda commander declares himself Daesh leader in southern Yemen
Bin Talib, former leading figure in al-Qaeda, declared himself successor to Baghdadi
A senior al-Qaeda leader in Yemen’s southern province of Hadhramaut had appeared on Monday to declare himself the successor to Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad.
Local sources affirmed that a former Al-Qaeda commander known as Bin Talib showed in Sayun city and opened fire on a public market in defiance of the pro-Hadi forces.
The sources explained that the al-Qaeda leader, who subsequently turned towards the surveillance cameras, revealed his face, and showed the vest he was wearing on his chest.
According to the sources, Bin Talib was moving freely in the middle of the market, amid the disappearance and absence of any Hadi forces and the coalition in the city.
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Hate-filled rants of an ignorant politician
Gabbard should re-educate herself on the ground realities in the Middle East
It is obvious that Saudi Arabia is her favorite go-to punching bag during her campaign rhetoric and she doesn’t seem to care if there is any truth in what she has to say about the kingdom.
With such a stain on Modi’s background, it is unfortunate that Tulsi Gabbard choses to ignore this and instead targets Saudi Arabia with her toxic rabble-rousing.
Is it her hatred of all things Muslim? Or is it her affiliation with India’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)? Perhaps it is time Gabbard re-educates herself on the realities on the ground in the Middle East before making such caustic or foolish statements.
https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/hate-filled-rants-of-an-ignorant-politician-1.67540858
(A P)
Al-Muallimi: We recall sacrifices, heroism of our brave soldiers along with their brothers of coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen to preserve capabilities of Yemeni people and their legitimate government against coup militias
Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to the United Nations Ambassador Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Muallimi praised the brave soldiers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who make sacrifices and who are heroes beside their brothers from the forces of the coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen to preserve the capabilities of the Yemeni people and their legitimate government against the coup militias, recalling those who sacrificed their lives in order to contribute to peacemaking around the world.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1994883
and also https://www.arabnews.com/node/1580331/saudi-arabia
(A P)
Yemeni expats thank Saudi Arabia for positive mediation
Members of the Yemeni expatriate community have expressed jubilation after Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Southern Transition Council (STC) signed an agreement in Riyadh on Tuesday.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1579716/saudi-arabia
and
(A P)
Film (Arabic): The Riyadh agreement welcomed by the legitimate government and the Southern Transitional Council
A large number of Yemeni citizens welcomed the signing of the agreement between the Southern Transitional Council and the legitimate government
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtbDUXi7k-w
(A P)
More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors“ propaganda
http://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302800539
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
Nov. 5: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.0./1464810987002595/
(A K pS)
Coalition airstrikes kill several Houthi rebels in Hajjah
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/11/06/coalition-airstrikes-kill-several-houthi-rebels-in-hajjah/
(A K pH)
Sare’e: Aggressive Forces Continue to Escalate in Various Fronts with 52 Airstrikes
mostly on Saada province during the past 48 hours.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=9632
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp1b
(* A K)
Houthis fire missiles at Yemen's Mokha port, military coalition says
Yemen’s Houthi movement fired missiles and drones at the Red Sea port city of al-Mokha on Wednesday, causing deaths and injuries and damaging a hospital, forces in the anti-Houthi military coalition said.
There was no immediate confirmation of the rare attack on a coalition naval base from Houthi-run media or the spokesman for the Saudi-led Sunni Muslim alliance that has been battling the Iran-aligned movement in Yemen for more than four years.
“The Houthi militia backed by Iran ... (used) ballistic missiles and exploding drones. Most of them were intercepted and some fell on residential areas, a displaced persons camp and a health center run by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF),” the pro-coalition joint military command of the western coast said in a statement, without mentioning whether military targets had been hit.
A hospital run by MSF, or Doctors Without Borders, in al-Mokha was damaged during an attack on nearby buildings, the international aid group said in an emailed statement. No staff or patients were injured but medical activities are currently suspended, MSF said.
Military sources and the statement said several people were killed. Three residents told Reuters by telephone that 10 people had been killed, including civilians, and that a fire broke out at military warehouses located near a hospital in the port.
Reuters could not immediately verify the deaths.
Two Yemeni military sources told Reuters that three missiles had been intercepted but a fourth had struck the warehouses.
Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LU5MYpNb3A
and
(* A K)
Yemeni officials: Rebels missile, drone attack kills 8
Yemen's rebels staged missile and drone attacks Wednesday on forces allied with the country's internationally recognized government in a Red Sea town, killing at least eight people, including three civilians, and causing large fires, military officials said.
Wadah Dobish, a spokesman for government forces on Yemen's western coast, told The Associated Press at least four missiles fired by the Iran-backed rebels struck warehouses used by the allied force known as the Giants Bridges in the port town of Mocha. He said their defenses intercepted at least three other missiles.
Dobish said at least three Houthi drones also took part in the attack, which caused huge explosions and fires that spread to residential areas. The media arm of the Giants Bridges force posted footage online showing flames and explosions were heard apparently from the warehouses.
Officials said at least 12 people, mostly fighters, were wounded in the attacks.
A statement from the government forces on the western coast said the attacks also targeted a refugee camp and a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in the town.
The medical aid group did not immediately respond to an AP request seeking a comment.
Houthi officials, meanwhile, said Giant Bridges fighters fired dozens of shells at the rebel-held town of Durayhimi, just south of the Hodeida port city.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
The escalation could jeopardize a U.N.-brokered cease-fire in Hodeida.
and
(* A K)
10 killed in Houthi missile attack on Yemen's Mocha
The Iran-allied Houthi rebels fired a number of ballistic missiles against pro-government military bases in Yemen's Red Sea coastal city of Mocha on Wednesday evening, leaving 10 people killed, a security official told Xinhua.
"Around four ballistic missiles were fired by the Houthi rebels against different military bases and civil institutions in Mocha," the pro-government security source said on condition of anonymity.
Two of the ballistic missiles struck the food warehouses of the pro-government military forces, leaving six people killed and several others injured, the source added.
The Houthi-fired ballistic missiles also targeted a military base of the pro-government Giants Brigades, he said.
Residents confirmed to Xinhua that explosives-laden drones were used during the Houthi attack against Mocha.
They said around four civilians were killed when an explosives-laden drone struck their residential neighborhood.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-11/07/c_138534158.htm
and
(* A K)
Houthi missile strike on Yemen military base kills 6, forces hospital closure
Patriot air defense system intercepted 4 of 6 missiles fired at Mokha military base, source said
Six people, including four civilians, were killed in an attack by Yemeni rebels on a military base in the Red Sea coastal town of Mokha, medical sources said on Thursday, November 7.
The strike also damaged a hospital run by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and forced its operations to be suspended.
Medics said six people, including four civilians, were killed and 26 wounded.
“The Patriot air defense system intercepted three missiles, while a fourth landed in the military base,” said the military source, who declined to be identified.
The source said the attack destroyed a weapons storage facility used by pro-government forces.
The rebels have made no claim of responsibility.
MSF said there were no casualties among their staff or patients.
“The hospital in Mokha was damaged as a result of an attack on a nearby facility, and work there has been suspended for the time being,” a representative told AFP.
https://thedefensepost.com/2019/11/07/yemen-houthi-missile-strike-mokha/
and
(* A K)
Aid group says hospital hit during Houthi attack in Yemen
An international medical relief agency said Thursday that a hospital it runs in western Yemen was damaged by a recent attack. Yemeni military officials blamed the Houthi rebels for the drone and missile attack that targeted buildings near the hospital, causing huge explosions that killed at least eight people.
In a statement, Doctors Without Borders said they closed the hospital because of the attack, but said there were no reports of deaths or injuries among its patients. They were transferred to other health facilities in the Red Sea city of Mocha.
Wadah Dobish, a spokesman for Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said the Houthi attack struck warehouses used by a government-allied force late Wednesday, causing a huge fire.
Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, says its hospital opened in August last year, offering free services to war-wounded people and surgeries.
Abdel-Rahman Ahmed, a general doctor at the hospital, told The Associated Press that: “The patients fled after a huge explosion from the missile attacks on a weapons warehouse shook the area.”
The hospital in Mocha is basically the only functioning facility providing support to thousands of severely malnourished children, either from Mocha or the large displaced community who fled to Mocha over the past year to escape fighting in other areas.
https://apnews.com/ed2f489d489740ac87b77aa3ce427e75
and
(* A H K)
Int'l medical aid group MSF suspends activity in Yemen's Mocha after attack
International medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) suspended its activities in Yemen's port city of Mocha on Thursday after its clinic was attacked.
"A hospital run by MSF was damaged after an attack on nearby buildings in Mocha," the group said in a statement on Twitter.
"No staff or patients were injured in the attack, but medical activities are currently suspended," it said.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-11/07/c_138536681.htm
(A K)
The al Houthi movement bombed a bridge in Dhaleh governorate in southern Yemen on November 3 along a road connecting the al Houthi controlled-capital, Sana’a, and Aden. Al Houthi militants previously attempted to destroy a bridge in Zayla village in Dhaleh government a week ago in order to block Hadi government-aligned forces’ advances into the area.[2]
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(A)
Film: UAE committed new war crime in #YEMEN . UAE has dumbed fifty thousands tons of poisons to annihilate the fishes in the Yemeni territorial waters. This is video to ADEN COAST.
https://twitter.com/Mohammedalbokh5/status/1191742828357017600
My comment: This looks like a conspiracy theory; there could be an other reason for it.
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-594-yemen-war-mosaic-594
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-594 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-594:
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/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected aur raids:
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