Jan. 31, 2020: Introduction to the Yemen conflict (in German) – Yemen in 2019 – Can Saudi Arabia leave Yemen in 2020? – Concerns because of fighting is on the rise – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-620b-yemen-war-mosaic-620b
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a1 USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf: Deutsch / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf: German
cp9a2 USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf: Englisch / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf: English
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13d Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Ältere einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Older introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
Neue Artikel / New articles
(** B H K P)
Der vergessene Konflikt in Jemen - Was Sie wissen sollten | Teil 1 mit Matthias Gast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VxzEzfVCUU
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B H K P)
War’s Elusive End – The Yemen Annual Review 2019
Foreword
The Sana’a Center’s Yemen Annual Review 2019 is a comprehensive survey and analysis of the year’s events related to Yemen. In the Executive Summary below you will find overviews of each section and tables with their corresponding subsections, each hyperlinked to allow for easy navigation throughout the Review document. To return to the summaries and contents lists, simply click ‘back’ on your browser
Contents
Coalition Collapse and Rebirth
Khalid bin Salman Takes Saudi Lead on Yemen
Shock UAE Drawdown Sets the Stage for Coalition Turmoil
From Military Expansionism to Withdrawal: Four Years of the UAE in Yemen
The Anti-Houthi Coalition Implodes
After Aden Attacks, STC Stages Coup D’etat Against Yemeni Government
Separatist Ambitions Hit Southern Reality: How the STC was Humbled
The Road to the Riyadh Agreement
Saudis Bring Rival Parties Together for Talks
Deal Inked For STC to be Blended into the Yemeni Government, Security Forces
Stalled Implementation and Missed Deadlines
Saudis, Houthis Enter Talks as Drone Warfare
Aramco Attack Exposes Vulnerability of Saudi Economy, Cease-Fire Ensues
Deescalation Loses Momentum as Year Ends
Life Under the Houthis: A Descent into the Dark Ages
Bringing Government and Security Apparatuses into the Houthi Fold
Religious Commemorations and Officially Sanctioned Extortion
Continuing Crackdown on Dissent
Political Developments: Fragmentation and the Struggle for Legitimacy
De Facto Federalism in Government-Held Areas: Marib and Hadramawt
Marib: Occasional Missiles Disturbing the Peace
Taiz: A Showcase of Power Struggles and Shifting Alliances
Al-Mahra and Socotra: Pushing Back Against Saudi and Emirati Influence
Saudi-Omani Rivalry Escalates in Al-Mahra
The UAE Remains Active on Socotra
Tariq Saleh’s Statelet by the Red Sea
Most Important Anti-Houthi Ground Forces
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
US Counterterrorism Operations
Economic Warfare: Government and Houthi Struggle for Control Deepens
International Legitimacy vs. Domestic Market Dominance
Fuel Impasse Leads to UN Special Envoy’s Mediation
New Rules, a New Ban and a New Crisis
UN Steps In to Coordinate Port Access Issues, but Revenue Dispute Remains
Battle for Control Over Yemeni Banks and Money Exchangers
Food Imports and Competing Banking Regulations
Yemeni Rial and Government Food Import Mechanism Under Threat
Volatile Currency, Commodity Markets Expected as Saudi Deposit Runs Out
Economic Brinksmanship: Implications of the Houthi Ban on New Currency
Impact of Lebanon’s Financial Crisis on Yemen
The Struggle to Rejoin a Divided Central Bank
Favoritism, Currency Shenanigans and Market Monopolies
Corruption Claims Cast Doubt on Application of Food and Fuel Import Regulations
Challenging Al-Essi Fuel Import Monopoly Will Test Talk of Transparency
FSO SAFER Environmental Threat Rises
UN Continues to be Barred from Assessing Decrepit Oil Export Terminal
Investigating the Gendered Impact of the Yemen War
Education: Unsafe Schools and a Broken System
Water Scarcity, Worsened by War, Fuels Cholera and Instability
Water: A Long-Term Challenge in Yemen
3.65 Million Yemenis Displaced by War, Each With a Story of Survival
Aid Interference Comes into Sharp Focus
The World Food Programme Partially Suspends Operations
Humanitarian Actors Turn Up The Heat on Houthi Authorities; Houthis Push Back
WHO Investigates Internal Corruption, Houthis Confiscate Evidence
Funding Shortfall Shuts Down Aid Programs, UN Chases Gulf Pledges
Human Rights: Seeking Accountability in the Yemen Conflict
Saudi Airstrikes on Dhamar Prison Deadliest Single Incident of 2019
UN Experts: All Warring Parties May be Responsible for War Crimes
Journalist Killings Down, but Media Suppression Intense
Religious Freedom: Six Yemeni Baha’is Still Held in Houthi Jails
Select 2019 Human Rights Reports
Houthis Strengthen Ties with Tehran in Jittery Gulf
Mutual Backing: The Houthis and Hezbollah
Regional Stand-Off Brings More US Weapons, Ships into Arena
Over 12 Months, US Softens View of Houthis as Iranian Proxies
UAE Reassesses Relations with Iran
Pakistan: Driving Mediation Efforts Between Iran and Saudi Arabia
Oman: Between Mediation and Meddling
Qatar: Undermining the Coalition
Sudan: Scaling Down Troop Deployment in Yemen
Morocco: Exiting the Coalition
Stockholm Agreement Quickly Stalls
UN Launches Mission to Hudaydah
Much Talk, Little Action on Hudaydah Withdrawal
Hudaydah Cease-Fire Largely Holds in 2019 Despite Lack of Withdrawal
Prisoner Exchange Plan Falters
No Progress on Taiz Deescalation
Legislative Drive Fizzles as Yemen Slips Down the Agenda
Reports Claim US Weapons Used by Non-State Actors in Yemen
Germany, France, UK: Diplomatic Quarrels and Legal Challenges
Berlin Pressed Back in Line on Arms Exports
European Governments Face Legal Challenges over Arms Exports
Leaks Reveal Coalition’s Use of French Arms in Yemen
Europe’s Mediation Role Diminishes in 2019
Changes of Government, Diplomats Shift European Priorities
Europe Steps Back Amid Tension with Iran, Shifting Saudi Strategy
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/the-yemen-review/8923
and abridged (still long) summary here: https://www.al-bab.com/blog/2020/02/yemen-nightmare-continues-no-end-sight
(** B K P)
Yemen’s hopes and expectations - Part 2: Can Saudi Arabia leave Yemen?
While Saudi Arabia seeks an exit from the Yemen war, it is deepening its involvement in the South instead.
Last year saw some significant changes in Saudi strategy in Yemen. Following on the UAE departure, the new Deputy Defence Minister, Khalid bin Salman, the crown prince’s brother, has taken over the Yemeni file. While wanting to disentangle his country from the conflict, he was instead forced to increase Saudi involvement, particularly in the South.
The southern question moves to the frontline
As the coalition was forced by the Stockholm Agreement to give up its offensive on Hodeida and was therefore left without a military strategy to win the war, UAE decision makers, frustrated after four years of stalemate, started withdrawing their forces from the Red Sea coast and in June 2019 announced a complete withdrawal.
Since early-2017 when the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) was established by two separatist leaders dismissed from the government by President Hadi, tensions have periodically flared up into armed confrontations between the UAE-supported STC with its militias, the Security Belts and Elite Forces on the one hand, and the military of Hadi’s internationally recognised government (IRG) on the other.
Saudi mediation, after three months of difficult indirect negotiations between the two groups, led to the Riyadh Agreement, signed on 5 November 2019.
The longer term fate of the Riyadh agreement will depend primarily on the willingness of the UAE decision makers to impose its acceptance on the STC and its militias, and force them to implement decisions taken on the ground by the Saudi forces and the Saudi-dominated implementation committees. Events in the first month of the year do not suggest this is happening. So 2020 is likely to be another year of uncertainty for southerners, particularly those residing in the various frontlines and in Aden. Regardless of claims to the contrary and loud assertions of infrastructure investments from the Saudi Reconstruction Fund, particularly promising constant electricity and water supplies, living conditions are unlikely to improve in the coming year. As the Saudis have taken over all aspects of the situation in Aden and beyond, they are left with an additional set of problems, at a time when they also would like to see a solution to the Yemen crisis.
Huthi-Saudi negotiations
A major development in 2019 has been a fundamental change in the Saudi strategy. This has resulted from a number of factors: abandonment of the Hodeida offensive, a series of Huthi incursions into Saudi Arabia leading to their capture of Saudi military personnel and equipment, Huthi launching of a number of more powerful missiles into Southwest Saudi Arabia.
The immediate outcome of the strikes on Aramco was to reveal the fundamental weakness of the Saudi-USA alliance under the Trump administration
the US will not protect Saudi Arabia and will only help in exchange for cash, ie act as mercenaries. However, regardless of who was actually responsible for the Aramco attacks, they clearly led to a serious review of policy in Saudi Arabia.
All these factors, particularly the Aramco attack, combined to persuade Saudi authorities to engage in direct discussions with the Huthis in September.
Regardless of the latest flare up in fighting, it is likely that some kind of mechanism will be found during the year to further reduce Saudi air strikes on Huthi territory and ground fighting, particularly now that the Saudis are so much more deeply involved in dealing with the southern problems.
Casualties and survival
This may be an opportune moment to look at war casualties in 2019, as they are an effective indicator of the nature of fighting. With a total of 1181 airstrikes during the year, the numbers dropped dramatically in the last three months
With respect to war related deaths there are far fewer civilian deaths than in previous years, with 1263 civilians out of a total of 23194 dead
In conclusion it seems that 2019 has seen a considerable reduction in the direct military involvement of both the UAE and Saudi Arabia, involvement which is likely to diminish further in 2020. Ground fighting between Yemenis continues, and is likely to persist during the year, thus facing the continuing difficulties of survival will remain most people’s priority. As long as the economy is unable to recover, the need for humanitarian aid will continue – by Helen Lackner
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* A H)
Dengue fever claims six lives in interim capital Aden since December
Six people have died from dengue fever among 365 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne viral illness in the southern port city of Aden since December, according to a medical official in the epidemiological warning program at the government-run Ministry of Public Health and Population (MPHP).
https://al-masdaronline.net/local/294
(* B H)
World Health Organization: Cholera situation in Yemen, December 2019
Highlights
In December 2019, the Ministry of Public Health and Population of Yemen reported a total 43 950 suspected cholera cases including 9 related deaths from 22 governorates (case fatality rate: 0.02%).
The cumulative number of suspected cholera cases reported in Yemen from October 2016 to December 2019 is 2 280 585 including 3895 related deaths with a case fatality rate of 0.17%. During the second wave of this outbreak that started on 27 April 2017, the total number of suspected cholera cases reported were 2 254 758 including 3766 related deaths with a case fatality rate of 0.17%.
Since January 2019, a total of 9694 stool specimens were tested. Out of these, 5298 were laboratory confirmed for Vibrio cholerae.
The 5 governorates with the highest cumulative attack rate per 10 000 are Amran (1697.88), Al Mahwit (1599.41), Sana’a (1515.22), Al Bayda (1226.46) and Al Hudaydah (1049.29). The national attack rate is 800.48 per 10 000. The governorates with highest number of deaths are Hajjah (577), Ibb (503), Al Hudaydah (402) and Taizz (328).
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cholera-situation-yemen-december-2019
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
(A K pS)
Film: Al Houthi militias continue their violations and target Al Hudaydah and its countryside
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Tt8vyCPkw
(A K pS)
Films: Dismantling an explosive device placed by the Houthi militia on the road to Al-Tahita, Al-Khokha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUTUECOyL88
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV3ObLWgyv4
(* A K pS)
[Hadi gov.] Yemeni Army Hints Military Solution to West Coast Situation
The Yemeni National Army warned that its patience with Houthi violations of the ceasefire deal in Hodeidah is running thin, hinting that it will resort to a military option to spare the Yemeni people massacres committed by the Iran-backed group.
Yemeni National Army spokesman Brigadier General Abdo Abdullah Majali said that the Houthi militias “killed the Stockholm Agreement,” which they struck with the legitimate government in 2018, after they failed to abide by any of the clauses.
“Houthis killed the deal signed in Sweden, violated all the ceasefires, and carried out military operations in the west coast. The national army repulsed a surprise attack by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias that ended the Sweden agreement and threw all the understandings and deals on the Red Sea bottom,” Majali told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He also hinted the Yemeni National Army opting for a military response to ongoing Houthi violations.
My comment: The Hadi government wants to inflate the war.
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah, US-Saudi mercenaries burned a civilian house northern Hais district with machineguns. The mercenaries also targeted Hodeidah airport with several machineguns.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10988
(A K pS)
Film: An explosive device, planted by the Houthi militia, exploded at the eastern entrance to Hodeidah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETVne7W2G4k
(A K pS)
Four people, incl. children injured in Houthi shelling in Hodeidah
A man, a woman and two children were badly injured in a heavy shelling by the Iranian-backed Houthi putschist militia, targeting a densely populated areas in the south of Hodeidah governorate, west Yemen.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/17341
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4l-jYzIv08
(* A H P)
Hodeidah province declared in need due to spread of epidemic diseases
Saudi-led invasion causes rapid spread of cholera, malaria and dengue fever
[Sanaa gov.] Yemeni Minister of Public Health and Population Dr. Taha al-Mutawakkil has on Tuesday declared Hodeidah an afflicted province, because of the increase in the number of patients and the spread of epidemics.
This came during a meeting held in Hodeidah and chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for Services and Development, Dr. Hussein Maqbouli, held to discuss the epidemiological situation in the province and ways to address it.
Minister al-Mutawakkil indicated that the number of suspected cases of malaria and suspected cases of cholera both reached more than a million patients, while dengue fever has reportedly claimed more than 76,000 infected cases.
https://www.uprising.today/hodeidah-province-declared-in-need-due-to-spread-of-epidemic-diseases/
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10973
(A K pH)
Verstöße in Al-Hodeidah gingen weiter
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3086237.htm
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10958
(A K pS)
Houthis pound residential areas in al-Tuhita, south Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/17333
(A K pS)
Film: thousand mines and an unexploded shell were destroyed in Bab Al-Mandab, on the West Coast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74xL_UTPrwc
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Monday, January 27th, 2020
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10944
(A K pH)
Ein Mädchen getötet und Eigentum der Bürger durch Verletzungen der Angriffskräfte in Hodeidah beschädigt
Eine Militärquelle bestätigte der jemenitischen Nachrichtenagentur (Saba), dass ein Mädchen in der Nähe ihres Hauses im Dorf Ouais nördlich von Hays den Märtyrertod erlitten hatte, nachdem ein Söldner auf sie geschossen hatte.
Der Quelle zufolge haben die Aggressionstruppen mehr als 36 Artilleriegeschosse abgefeuert, die den Häusern und Farmen der Bürger in den Gebieten Jabalia, Al-Faza und Souq Al-Dschabalia im Distrikt Al-Tohayta erheblichen Schaden zufügten.
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3086150.htm
(* A K P)
Yemeni Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Legitimate Government Demands Deploying Observers In Hodeidah Within a Week
Yemeni sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday that the legitimate government team at the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) asked United Nations General Abhijit Guha to speed up the deployment of international observers at the five observation posts in Hodeidah within one week, while Houthi militias insist on escalating in the city.
“The UN team should send international observers or patrols to the observation posts within one week, or else we will announce that Houthis did not respect the conditions of peace measures at those posts and that international observers rejected to send their patrols,” he said.
The spokesperson stressed that the legitimate government team would not accept that Houthis continue to violate the truce in Hodeidah, particularly after the militias rejected the deployment of UN observers in the city, insisting that only 70 UN observers remain stationed off the coast on board a UN vessel.
(A K pS)
Thwarting the infiltration of Houthi militias in Hodeidah
https://en.smanews.org/thwarting-the-infiltration-of-houthi-militias-in-hodeidah
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JANUARY 30, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-january-30-2020-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JANUARY 28, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-january-28-2020-map-update/
HOUTHIS CRUSH SAUDI-LED FORCES IN CENTRAL YEMEN (Map; DETAILS RELEASED)
https://southfront.org/houthis-crush-saudi-led-forces-in-central-yemen-details-released/
(A K P)
50 % of current int'l Internet traffic is cut off: [Sanaa gov.] Telecommunications Minister
Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology Musfer Abdullah al-Numair on Thursday announced that 50 percent of the current international Internet traffic is cut off.
Saudi-led coalition mercenary militia in Aden province stormed the international link station and cut off the international Aden-Djibouti cable, which led to the exit of 50 percent of the current international internet traffic, al-Numair explained in a statement to Saba.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3086363.htm
(* B K P)
Houthi attacks may push Saudis to leave Yemen: Researcher
The Saudis and Emiratis are expected to withdraw from Yemen this year 2020, a Yemeni political researcher has said, with UN efforts to form a government concordant between the internationally-recognized government and Houthi group.
Yemen's political-military situation will very likely see in 2020 Saudi-Emirati withdrawal, as the Houthi attacks on the Kingdom have broad impact, Fatima Abu al-Asrar added in an interview with the Anadolu Agency (AA) published on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia is now feeling fully embarrassed, since it has not been able to guard itself from Houthi drone attacks, amid lack of sympathy for it in this regard, the Washington-based researcher thinks.
Abu al-Asrar also sees that the Yemeni government "is weak" and has no tangible cards to pressure on Houthis, except for adhering to peace, improving its performance in areas under its control and introducing a clearer vision on peace than that of the UN.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-14652.html
(A P)
Yemeni rivals agree to reject 'Deal of the Century'
Yemen's legitimate government and rebel Houthis reiterate support for Palestinian cause with Jerusalem as its capital
Despite being at odds militarily, Yemen's legitimate government and rebel Houthis have agreed to reject the U.S.’ so-called Deal of the Century, touted as a Mideast peace deal to widespread skepticism.
The legitimate Yemeni government stressed its firm stance supporting the Palestinian cause and the rights of the Palestinian people.
The Houthi rebel group -- accused of receiving support from Iran -- also denounced the so-called "deal of the century," blasting it as "biased and failed."
(* B K P)
ACLED Regional Overview – Middle East (19 - 25 January 2020)
significant developments occurred in Yemen with major clashes in Sana’a governorate, increased Saudi airstrikes, and the stalled implementation of the ‘Riyadh Agreement’. [overview]
https://www.acleddata.com/2020/01/30/regional-overview-middle-east-19-25-january-2020/
(* B K P)
Are Saudis readying Yemen's Tareq Saleh for Sanaa battle?
Brig. Gen. Tareq Saleh, a Yemeni military commander and nephew of the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh, remains defiant two years after his military defeat by Houthi rebels in December 2017. Tareq Saleh has been commanding the Saudi-led Arab coalition Joint Forces in Yemen’s Red Sea battlefield. His mission, he says, is to wrest Sanaa and all Yemeni territories from the Houthis, who took over the capital in September 2014.
In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Tareq Saleh was an overt enemy of Saudi Arabia.
Tareq Saleh's loss dictated his rapprochement with the Saudi-led Arab coalition. Today he no longer slams the Saudi-backed government and is a genuine ally of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis. His enmity toward Saudi Arabia has dissipated.
Saleh visited Riyadh this month.
2December News Agency, which is associated with Saleh, reported that he and the prince discussed a number of issues concerning Yemen and their mutual cooperation to “counter the Iranian project in Yemen represented by the Houthis.” Both sides are concerned about the stability and security of the region and safe navigation in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to the agency.
Presently, Saleh is leading forces in the coastal areas of western Yemen's port city of Hodeidah.
Abdulsalam Mohammed, head of Abaad Studies and Research Center, a Yemeni think tank, told Al-Monitor that Saleh's “visit to Saudi Arabia came in the wake of an agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on the Emirates’ withdrawal from [Yemen’s western] coast, to be replaced by Saudi Arabia. Riyadh wanted to send signs of confidence by adopting these forces on the coast.”
Mohammed also attributes Saleh’s Riyadh visit to the coalition’s discontent with the structure of the Yemeni government. He explained, “The coalition is not satisfied with the political equation within the legitimate government, and it sees the inclusion of the [secessionist] Southern Transitional Council and Saleh as a force that reduces the control of President [Abed Rabbo Mansour] Hadi and the presence of the Islah Party.”
Majed Aldaare, editor-in-chief of the Moragboon Press news website, told Al-Monitor, “There is a bid to move Saleh from the Hodeidah battle to the Sanaa battle with a Saudi directive, to test his strength and the extent of his ability, to change the thinking that a military solution is impossible in Yemen. Certainly, the military solution will be possible in case the government forces win the battle for Sanaa or Hodeidah.”
(* B E P)
Currency crisis brings new hardship to war-weary Yemen
A flare-up of a currency war between Yemen's foes has sent the riyal crashing, aggravating a humanitarian crisis that has already driven millions to the brink of famine after five years of conflict.
The confrontation was sparked when the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa and most of the north, banned the use of new banknotes printed by the central bank in Aden which is run by the internationally recognised government.
The ban on the notes, which were first issued three years ago, came into effect on January 19 when residents and money changers stopped dealing with them under the threat of a 10-year jail term, according to sources close to the rebels.
The Huthis insist they are safeguarding the people against high inflation, but the move has slashed purchasing power and effectively created two exchange rates -- around 682 to the dollar in Aden and 600 in Sanaa and the north.
The currency's value has dropped some 15 percent in the south in the past five weeks, and about seven percent in the north, in a slide that shows no sign of slowing.
In the marketplaces of Yemen, stalls are piled high with tomatoes, onions and bananas, while nearby shopkeepers offer racks of clothes and consumer goods.
But ordinary people are increasingly distressed at the loss in value of their cash, which has inflicted more misery in a long war that pits the Huthis against the government which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
"Prices are extremely expensive, we are not receiving our salaries and the situation is going from bad to worse," said Abdo, a resident of the port city of Aden.
In Sanaa, which has been under rebel control since 2014, residents also hit out at the measure.
"The ban has resulted in massive harm to citizens. Many of us own quantities of the new banknotes but from now on we will not be able to use them to buy our day's food," Abdulaziz Ali told AFP.
https://www.france24.com/en/20200128-currency-crisis-brings-new-hardship-to-war-weary-yemen = http://www.rfi.fr/en/wires/20200128-currency-crisis-brings-new-hardship-war-weary-yemen = https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-7938251/Currency-crisis-brings-new-hardship-war-weary-Yemen.html
(A K P)
STATEMENT BY SECRETARY MICHAEL R. POMPEO
Escalation of Violence in Yemen
The United States government is alarmed by renewed violence in Yemen. Over the past few weeks de-escalatory efforts produced a significant reduction in fighting and showed to the Yemeni people that an end to hostilities is possible. However, renewed fighting is unacceptable and threatens to undermine this hard-earned progress. It also produces instability that terrorist groups and other malign actors can exploit for their own purposes, at the expense of the Yemeni people and the region as a whole.
We call on all parties to put the needs of the Yemeni people first and immediately return to restraint. The Houthis must cease attacks on Saudi territory.
https://ye.usembassy.gov/escalation-of-violence-in-yemen/
My comment: The arsonist as firefighter.
(B K P)
Neue Eskalation in Jemen – Huthi nehmen Aramco ins Visier
Der Friedensprozess in Jemen droht zu scheitern: Nach einer monatelangen Pause greift die Huthi-Miliz wieder Ziele in Saudiarabien an, darunter auch Anlagen des staatlichen Erdölriesen Aramco. Die Eskalation nützt vor allem Iran.
Gemäss saudischen Quellen erfolgten die Angriffe auf die Erdölraffinerie schon vergangene Woche. Die Projektile seien jedoch durch Flugabwehrraketen abgefangen worden. Auch wenn sie keine wirklichen Schäden anrichteten, so stellen die Attacken doch eine bedeutende Eskalation dar.
Jemen ist ein iranisches Druckmittel
Über die eigentlichen Hintergründe der Eskalation lässt sich nur spekulieren. Gemäss unterschiedlichen Berichten hat sich innerhalb der Huthi-Miliz ein Richtungsstreit entfacht. Auf der einen Seite stehen die Befürworter der Gespräche mit Saudiarabien, auf der anderen Seite die fest zu Iran stehenden Gegner eines Dialogs. Im Gegensatz zu Riad hat Teheran zurzeit wenig Interesse an einer Entspannung in Jemen. Die Huthi haben sich für Iran je länger, je mehr als effektives Instrument erwiesen, um Druck auf den saudischen Erzfeind, aber auch seine westlichen Verbündeten auszuüben.
https://www.nzz.ch/international/neue-eskalation-in-jemen-huthi-nehmen-aramco-ins-visier-ld.1537493
Mein Kommentar: Ein Artikel, der durch Weglassen von Hintergründen einen bestimmten „Spin“ entwickelt. Iran spielt im Jemen keine große Rolle.
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Laut eigenen Angaben auf Vormarsch
Dem Huthi-Sprecher zufolge hatten die Rebellen zuletzt Geländegewinne von rund 2.500 Quadratkilometern im Krieg gegen die Truppen der jemenitischen Regierung verzeichnet. Die Huthis eroberten laut Saria den gesamten Bezirk Nihm in der Provinz Sanaa und Teile der Provinzen Dschauf und Marib. Die Regierung hatte bereits am Montag eingeräumt, dass die Rebellen eine wichtige Verbindungsstraße eingenommen hä
https://orf.at/stories/3152628/
und auch https://www.nau.ch/news/ausland/huthi-rebellen-melden-angriffe-auf-ziele-in-saudi-arabien-65654095
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Over 2,500 square kilometers of Yemeni land liberated in massive victory over Saudi occupation
Operation Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous obliterates Saudi invaders
[Sanaa gov.] Yemeni army spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Sare’e has stated on Wednesday that the army forces were able to confront a major aggressive attack that was targeting the capital Sana’a.
Sare’e confirmed, in a statement aired by the national TV channels on Wednesday evening, that the army forces launched a wide counter-attack called Operation Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous, in response to the Saudi attempt to storm and take Sana’a.
According to the statement, the operation resulted in the liberation of more than 2,500 square kilometers of Yemeni land east of Ma’rib city, after the defeat of 17 brigades and 20 battalions of Saudi-led enemy forces and the seizing of their military gear.
and map: https://www.uprising.today/map-of-newly-liberated-territory/
while the other side claims:
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Military situations in Al-Jawf under full control of [Hadi gov.] armed forces
[Hadi gov.] Commander of Operations in the Sixth Military Region said military situation in Al-Jawf province is under full control of the Yemeni armed forces.
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Fighting sharply rises in Yemen, endangering peace efforts
A drastic escalation in fighting between the Saudi-led military coalition and Houthi rebels in Yemen has killed and wounded hundreds of people over the past week, officials and tribal leaders said Monday.
The U.S.-backed Arab coalition battling to restore Yemen´s internationally recognized government stepped up airstrikes on rebel targets northeast of the capital, Sanaa, following a monthslong lull, while Houthis shelled government-held areas.
The sudden spike in violence across long-stalemated front lines threatened to exacerbate the five-year conflict and complicate indirect peace talks between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed rebels.
The U.N. Security Council called emergency consultations for Tuesday morning at Britain's request on the latest developments. Britain's U.N. ambassador, Karen Pierce, said the council would receive a closed-door video briefing from the U.N. envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths.
The warring factions have concentrated their forces in three main areas: Nehm, a half-hour drive from the capital; Jawf, a mountainous northern district; and Marib, a western province that saw one of the deadliest rebel attacks earlier this month. Fighting this week was the most intense those provinces had seen in three years, according to observers.
A wave of over 40 coalition airstrikes hit rebel targets, destroying many of their tanks and armored vehicles, Houthi officials said.
Despite heavy losses on both sides, the Houthis are gaining ground, officials said.
Fighting also flared up Monday in the large government-controlled city of Taiz, where a mortar shell fired by Houthis struck a busy market, killing three civilians and wounding 10. Meanwhile, heavy clashes in the central province of Bayda killed 13 fighters on both sides.
Peter Salisbury, Yemen expert at the International Crisis Group, said the Houthis may be using their military successes to gain leverage before talks resume next week in Oman.
"Both sides seem to want some sort of truce," Salisbury said. "But the danger is that if the Houthis feel they´re on the front foot, they´ll keep pressing advances and that will make these negotiations very difficult.
and
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Yemen: Saudi Coalition Claims ‘Tactical Withdrawal” After Houthi Forces Retake Key Province
The Saudi-led Coalition escalated its military operations in Yemen over the weekend, targeting Nihm, Jawf, Marib and Bayda with a barrage of indiscriminate airstrikes that left tens of civilians dead and caused a new wave of displacement.
On Thursday, the coalition and its allies launched a new military campaign against the Nihm District, 25 miles east of Yemen’s capital, Sana’a
The coalition claims that its military operations came in retaliation for a missile attack on an army base in Marib that killed over 100 coalition soldiers over the weekend. The Houthis, who generally take responsibility for attacks on the coalition, have denied they were involved in the attack, while many Yemenis, including those that support the Saudi-led Coalition, have accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of being behind the bombing in Marib.
Nihm lies just east of Yemen’s Houthi-held capital Sana’a and is one of the most strategically important battlefields in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has thus far relied on heavy bombing of the city to pave the way for the advance of heavily armored mechanized ground units. By nightfall last Thursday, the noise of Saudi Apache helicopters, artillery and gunfire echoed throughout the city.
However, Yemen’s Army, loyal to the Houthis, has gained ground in the district where rugged mountains make it difficult for even the most technologically proficient armies to make progress. Now, the whole region, which spans over nearly 1,900 miles, remains under Houthi control, assuring that the key gateway to the capital is fully secured. At least 2,000 coalition fighters have been captured and 400 have been killed according to Houthi military sources.
The past weeks have seen the intensity of the battles near Nihm increase
Now, Houthi forces and their allies are fighting on the outskirts of Marib after capturing a number of villages
Saudi forces have called their defeat in the face of the Houthi advance a “tactical withdrawal” amid scathing criticism and sarcasm by activists and media pundits who are expressing concerns over what they consider a rolling back of five years of coalition operations.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/yemen-saudi-coalition-tactical-withdrawal-houthi-retake-nihm/264341/
and
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Both sides silent as military escalation continues east of Sanaa
When Yemen’s internationally recognized government led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi blamed the Houthis for ballistic missile and drone strikes on its military training camp in Marib governorate on Jan. 18, the Houthis remained silent.
The rebels accused the Saudi-backed government of launching an offensive Jan. 17 against them in the Nahm district, which neighbors Marib province. The government has refrained from commenting.
As the death toll rose on the day of the attack on the Marib military base, Hussein al-Ezzi, deputy foreign minister for the Houthi-led government in Sanaa, tweeted Jan. 19, “We don't attack anyone nor want to hurt anyone. But in return, we don't allow anyone to abuse us or hurt us.”
Houthi leader Mohammed al-Bukhaiti later denied in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic that the group attacked Marib’s military base.
The government's offensive on the Nahm district seems to have taken the Houthis by surprise.
Though few details are available about the ongoing battles in the Nahm district between Houthi and government forces, activists from both sides post reports every now and then.
Mohammed Ghobasi, a political analyst based in Sanaa, said there was “no justification for the military escalation” in Nahm and Sirwah districts.
Speaking to Al-Monitor, he said the offensive, which he blamed on the government, is an attempt to gain more “trust, and financial and military support” from the Saudi-led coalition. This is because the member countries of the coalition have lost trust in Hadi and his generals who have incurred several losses on other fronts in Yemen, from Hodeidah to al-Mahrah, Socotra, Abyan and Shabwa, he explained.
He pointed out that resuming the attack in Nahm could be a “reminder” by the government for the Saudi-led coalition that it entered the war with the aim of restoring Hadi’s legitimacy in Sana. But he ruled out the possibility of the government recapturing Sanaa, as all attempts since September 2015 have failed so far.
“It is an impossible battle as Hadi’s forces have been [stuck] in Nahm for four years,” Ghobasi told Al-Monitor in a Facebook message. “Instead of restoring Sanaa, the temporary capital of Aden, Socotra and al-Mahrah, and parts of Abyan and Shabwa slipped from Hadi's hands.” – by Naseh Shaker
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[Sanaa gov.] Ministry of Fisheries Warns of Aggression’s Ships Chemical Pollution in Yemeni Waters
Minister of Fisheries Mohammad Al-Zubairy revealed Monday that the naval forces of the US-Saudi aggression uses prohibited weapons in Yemen territorial waters causing fishing mortality.
Al-Zubayri said in a statement that the coalition’s battleships are emptying their oils in Yemeni waters, consequently, they affect the fish significantly.
"I have visited Al-Khoba area in Hodeidah governorate, I was shocked by the appalling images of fishing mortality at great range, which also surprised the fishermen," Minister of Fisheries said.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10949
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[Sanaa gov.] Minister of Human Rights Holds US-Saudi Aggression Responsible for Recruited Children, Fighting its Battles
Human Rights Minister, Radhia Raweh, called to hold perpetrators of war crimes, in Yemen, responsible. She considered the recruiting of children by the aggression forces as on of the crimes that should be investigated.
The Minister applaud the release of 64 children, captured while fighting with US-Saudi mercenaries, by the Ministry of Defense.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10948
My comment: This is not convincing at all; he Houthis themselves are recruiting children on a large scale.
And
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[Sanaa gov.] Organization for Women and Children Rights, Condemns Recruitment of Children by US-Saudi Aggression
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10945
and
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UN Office of the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict: Yemen: SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict Welcomed the Handover of Children Deprived of Liberty to Civilian Actor
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Virginia Gamba, welcomed the release and handover by the Houthis of 64 children deprived of liberty from detention centers to civilian actors in Yemen.
(A K P)
Yemen’s Marib province safe from Houthis, says governor
The central Yemeni province of Marib is safe from Houthi attacks, its governor told media on Sunday, amid reports that the Iranian-backed militia was making territorial gains in a neighboring district.
“We will never allow Houthis to pollute Marib,” Major Sultan Al-Aradah said, adding that thousands of tribesmen and troops were ready to resist Houthi approaches to the province’s borders.
He told reporters that Marib had become a safe haven for thousands of internally displaced people who had fled a Houthi crackdown in Sanaa and other rebel-held areas.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1619061/middle-east
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Human rights organization documents 756 Houthi violations in one month
The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms said on Monday it had "documented around 756 cases of human rights violations by the Iran backed Houthis " across Yemen in one month.
The organization said the violations, which occurred from 10 December 209 to 10 January 2020, "include direct murder, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearance, landmine plantings, sniping, and bombing of houses and other properties."
http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/01/27/human-rights-organization-documents-756-houthi-violations-in-one-month/ = http://en.adenpress.news/news/17329
My comment: This is by an anti-Houthi organization. As acts of war and arbitrary rule are summoned up here to get larger figures, in fact the figures do not tell us very much.
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
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US-Saudi Aggression Continues Maritime Piracy, Prevents Arrival of 156 Thousand Tons of Oil to Hodeidah Port
The US-Saudi Aggression continues to maritime piracy on Yemeni oil ships, preventing their arrival to the port of Hodeidah, an official source at Hodeidah port said.
The source said in a statement, Tuesday, that the coalition navy is still holding oil ships with 156,000 tons of oil derivatives on board.
He pointed out that the coalition navy also seized two ships after unloading their cargo in the port of Hodeidah, in order to continue piracy activities carried out as part of the siege of the Yemeni people.
The source announced last Saturday, that the coalition of aggression seized eight oil and food ships loaded with nearly 167,000 tons at sea and prevented them from reaching Yemen.
He noted that six of them are carrying about 150 thousand tons of gasoline and diesel on board and two ships are carrying more than 17 thousand tons of food on board, while the coalition is still holding a ship after emptying its cargo in the port of Hodeidah.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10998
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“Blockade of Sana’a Airport is act of genocide”
Aviation Authority condemns international silence and inaction on genocidal acts by Saudi-led invaders
The General Authority for Civil Aviation and Meteorology of Yemen has called the continued Saudi-imposed blockade of Sana’a International Airport “a genocide against Yemeni patients.”
“Sana’a International Airport would not have stopped for four years without legal justification if there had been no silence and international complicity,” said Dr Mazen Ghanem, a spokesman for the Authority.
https://www.uprising.today/blockade-of-sanaa-airport-is-act-of-genocide/
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“Mercy flights” from Sana’a International Airport scheduled for February
The flights will transport patients with serious illnesses who can't travel by road to functioning airports in Yemen
Yemen’s internationally recognized government announced on Monday that direct flights will start in February from Sana'a to Amman and Cairo to transport patients with serious medical conditions.
The move comes in response to international pressure on the Saudi-led coalition to restart flights from Sana’a International Airport after the Houthis’ earlier reluctance to run it as a domestic airport for flights to Aden, which is under the control of forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
"This humanitarian step is aimed at alleviating the suffering of citizens who are unable to afford to travel by road to other airports in the republic,” Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement to state-run Saba News agency.
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/289
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Joint Forces Command of Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Launch of the medevac airbridge (Flights of Mercy) to evacuate patients and severe medical conditions from Republic of Yemen to Arab Republic of Egypt and Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
A statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, COL Turki Al-Malki
“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition, following the humanitarian initiative announced on (14 May 2018), and in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), will launch the medevac airbridge (Flights of Mercy) from the Republic of Yemen to the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
This humanitarian initiative by the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition falls under humanitarian and relief efforts, and stands with the brotherly people of Yemen in alleviating patients’ and severe medical conditions’ suffering”
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2027335
and
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ARCO Secretary General Commends Medevac Airlift
Secretary General of the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO) Dr. Saleh bin Hamad Al-Tuwaijri has commended the medevac airlift (Flights of Mercy)
http://en.adenpress.news/news/17332
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
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Yemen Appeal
Fighting poverty in Yemen together.
Mercy Relief is a UK based charity that specialises in providing urgently needed aid to the families of Yemen. With your help, our Yemen crisis appeals have funded and developed support infrastructures from the grass-root level in areas most affected by the ongoing war, allowing us to distribute food, medical aid, water and other life-saving resources to those most in need.
Yemen Water Appeal
Yemen is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world with approximately 75% of its population without regular drinking or bathing water.
We need your help to avert a further water crisis. Assist now, and donate to our Yemen water appeal.
£10 will provide a family in Yemen with water for one month.
Yemen Bread Appeal
Around 80% of the 29 million population in Yemen need urgent food aid.
Provide bread to crisis stricken families and help avert further famine. Donate to our bread factory appeal, so we can keep providing food and avert further starvation.
£20 will provide life saving bread to last a whole family in Yemen for one month.
https://www.mercyrelief.org.uk/
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Japan donates $18 mm to boost food security in Yemen
http://en.adenpress.news/news/17347
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UN Children's Fund, WASH Cluster, REACH Initiative: Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (November 2019)
The Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) was launched by REACH in collaboration with the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster and the Cash and Market Working Group (CMWG) to support humanitarian actors with the harmonization of price monitoring among all cash actors in Yemen. The JMMI incorporates information on market systems including price levels and supply chains. The basket of goods to be assessed comprises eight non-food items (NFIs), including fuel, water and hygiene products, reflecting the programmatic areas of the WASH Cluster. The JMMI tracks all components of the WASH Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) since September 2018.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-joint-market-monitoring-initiative-november-2019
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United Nations Population Fund: In war-torn Yemen, life-threatening pregnancy complication finds a happy ending
Twenty-three-year-old Amani, from Shabwa Governorate in southern Yemen, waited years to have a child. But when she finally did get pregnant, her husband lost his job. As his income disappeared, so did her ability to access maternal health services. And then, she experienced a life-threatening complication.
“Eight month into the pregnancy, I began to feel severe pain. Day by day, my situation was getting worse,” Amani explained to UNFPA recently. “My blood pressure was rising, headaches we
The maternity ward at the hospital is supported by UNFPA. This is not unusual – UNFPA is the sole provider of life-saving reproductive health supplies and medicines in Yemen.
In 2019, more than a million Yemeni women received reproductive health services from UNFPA-affiliated programmes, supported by Canada, the European Commission’s Humanitarian and Civil Protection Department, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Yemen Humanitarian Fund. This health care included over 130,000 normal deliveries and more than 23,000 Caesarean section deliveries.
The grinding conflict in Yemen has left the country’s health system in tatters. Fifty percent of health facilities are not functioning or only partially functioning, while 19.4 million people lack access to basic health services.
Due to staff shortages, lack of supplies, inability to meet operational costs or conflict-related damage, only one-third of functioning health facilities provide reproductive health services. Many have inadequate or obsolete medical equipment and supplies. Health staff have gone unpaid or irregularly paid for more than two years, forcing many to seek other employment.
Today, the country has only 10 health workers per 10,000 people – less than half the WHO minimum benchmark.
Women and newborns are suffering under these conditions, and under the economic hardship brought about by the conflict. More than one million pregnant and breastfeeding women are malnourished, according to UNFPA estimates, which threatens the health and lives of both women and their babies.
The funding situation has also been precarious. By mid-August 2019, UNFPA’s appeal for $110.5 million was only 36 per cent funded. P
https://www.unfpa.org/news/war-torn-yemen-life-threatening-pregnancy-complication-finds-happy-ending
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UNICEF cargo plane arrives at Sanaa International Airport
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3086384.htm
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Photos: People suffer from water shortage in Yemen
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-01/30/c_138743526.htm
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Children who have lost limbs because of the ongoing #humanitarian crisis in #Yemen face many challenges. To help provide some support, @UNICEF_Yemen & @BelgiumMFA have organized for the delivery of new prosthetics supplies for 250 children in #Aden (photos)
https://twitter.com/UNICEF_Yemen/status/1222516070394875905
(B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen Humanitarian Fund Second Standard Allocation 2019 Dashboard
The 2nd Standard Allocation of the Yemen Humanitarian Fund in 2019 was launched on 11 November with the objective of covering key gaps in the existing operation and support the immediate scale-up of activities in highly vulnerable communities.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-fund-second-standard-allocation-2019-dashboard
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United Nations Population Fund: Rapid Response Mechanism-First Line Response: UNFPA Flash Update (Sana’a And Sa’ada Hubs) from 19 Jan to 25 Jan 2020
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International Rescue Committee: Narrowing the gender gap in Yemen: A gender analysis
Executive Summary
The IRC in Yemen conducted its first gender analysis with a programmatic focus in July-August, 2019. The findings have implications for IRC programs across a number of sectors. In total, 465 participants were consulted in 7 governorates and the findings reveal the “big picture” gender-related data trends in IRC’s areas of operation, with a focus on the following sectors: health, WASH, food security, multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) and NFI distributions, education and protection. The gender analysis was overseen by the Gender Equality Manager, Nuria Shuja Al-deen, with technical support from the East Africa Gender Advisor, Emmy Moorhouse, Senior Program Coordinator, Geneviève Gauthier and sector leads. Gender Equality Officers, Nessreen Hasan led the data collection efforts in Sana’a; and Rula Raed, led the activities in Aden, Abyan, Al Dhale’e and Lahj.
Conclusion
The Yemen gender analysis points to clear challenges and opportunities where gender equality is concerned. While there are strong standalone WPE and child protection program components, it is clear that there are gender aspects that need to be addressed in sector work to ensure equal access to program activities and services by men, women, boys and girls. For example, women’s preference for NFIs over cash, the need for more representative water user committees that can advocate for inclusive services for women, the need for female teachers, who can create a safe space for female students in government run schools. There is also a clear need to address gender dynamics, which, left unaddressed, could undermine programmatic outcomes. Examples include men’s control over household finances, which in some cases diverts program resources away from the family and harmful patriarchal norms around breastfeeding, and the types and quantities of food consumed by men and women, which lead to unequal health and nutrition outcomes for women and girls.
As a next step, the Gender Equality Unit will disseminate the gender analysis findings, and schedule workshops with the food security, health, cash transfer, education, WPE and protection teams so they can reflect on the implications of the gender findings for their sector.
https://www.rescue.org/report/narrowing-gender-gap-yemen-gender-analysis-irc = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/narrowing-gender-gap-yemen-gender-analysis
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Film: A voice for Yemen: Journalist Hind Al-Eriyani fights for human rights
This week, we introduce you to a woman who has been advocating for peace and women's rights in Yemen, a country where simply speaking about politics is deemed dangerous. Because of her work, Hind Al-Eriyani was forced to move from Turkey to Sweden in search of asylum. The award-winning Yemeni journalist is now being criticised for a piece she published on homosexuality. She tells us more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DArccsP5eck
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World Food Programme, Logistics Cluster: Yemen: Access Constraints as of 28 January 2020
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-access-constraints-28-january-2020
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Relief and Development Peer Foundation: Reaching those who need it most – the marginalized for instance
For many of the most marginalized, even meeting basic needs is often not possible. The marginalized suffer in silent through lack of water, food, health, clothing, warmth and shelter. The non-meeting of basic needs may lead to an inadequate nutritional daily intake.
The combined efforts of RDP together with WFP have helped prevent further deterioration in households’ food insecurity and ensured that effective humanitarian action quickly reached those who need it most.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/reaching-those-who-need-it-most-marginalized-instance
(B H)
Film: Disabled Knitters in Al-Houta city
A number of people with disabilities in the city of Al-Houta, the capital of Lahij governorate, in southern Yemen, found a way to help them overcome their suffering caused by the ongoing war in the country, which was to work in sewing textiles and manufacturing them locally, they are honed by the will to remain among the productive classes, 15 persons with disabilities have mastered sewing the traditional dress in their city, in addition to other clothes to convey the message that the disability will not prevent them from staying among the producers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIbhmA-LNV8
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Film: Hundreds of brown-skinned children are expelled from government schools!
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1221857461898043392
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H K)
United Nations Population Fund: Flash Update: Escalation and Response in Marib Al Jawf and Sana'a Governorates - Issue #2 | 29 January 2020
Since 19 January 2020 military operations escalated significantly within Marib, Sana’a and Al Jawf Governorates. To date, 1,345 newly displaced households (9,415 individuals) have been identified by the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) partners, with reportedly increasing displacement.
Most of the households have been displaced to Ma’rib City, Al Khalq, and Ma’rib Al Wady Districts within Marib Governorate, Bani and Husheish Districts in Sana'a and Al Hazm District in Al Jawf Governorate.
Of those newly displaced, 37 percent are displaced to collective sites, while the remaining 63 percent are residing with the host community.
Urgent needs as reported by partners include additional food assistance, non-food items, clothing and protection of civilians still trapped between the frontlines.
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Thousands forced to flee homes now on Yemen’s northern frontlines
Fighting since January 19 has shattered a long period of relative calm in the country
Ahmed Abu Ibrahim walked for hours with his wife and six children, including his disabled daughter, carrying their belongings on their backs.
The recent escalation in fighting in northern Yemen’s Marib and Al Jawf over the last two weeks has already displaced over 1,000 families, including Mr Abu Ibrahim. Many of those who have left their homes are now living in schools and under canvas shelters in Sanaa and parts of Marib and Al Jawf provinces away from the frontlines.
But even after they’ve fled, many are not safe. The Houthi rebels shelled a refugee settlement in Nehim area east of the Sanaa on Sunday morning but inflicted no casualties.
In the mountainous north, many are now living in inadequate shelters in the middle of winter, having left most of their belongings behind.
Mr Abu Ibrahim and his family were in the Al Khanek camp when it was shelled by the rebels and so moved to another settlement in Al Meil area western Marib. Now they are sleeping under a sheet.
“We are still struggling to get a tent because as we arrived in the new camp we just made a handmade tent between two tents for other IDPs,” he told The National from the camp. “We have no clean water, no toilets; you can say we are still living in the open.”
He said that aid agencies visited the camp on Monday and provided basic supplies. “I hope they can provide us with clean water and mobile toilets, in addition to blankets, these are the most needed items here,” he said.
and
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Thousands flee as fighting rages between Yemen government and Houthis
Thousands of Yemenis in Marib province and Nehim district, near Sanaa, have been displaced as fighting rages between government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis, a local human rights organization and aid workers said on Wednesday.
As many as 1,484 families have fled their homes in Majazer district in northern Marib, and 1,870 families have deserted Al-Khaneq camp in Nehim, according to Yemen’s National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms (HOOD).
The displacement began on Jan. 19; all those who fled headed to the city of Marib, and only 60 families managed to find shelter, the organization said in a statement seen by Arab News.
HOOD urged local and international organizations, and authorities in Marib and Sanaa, to provide the displaced with food, shelter, drinking water and medication.
Aid workers who visited displaced people in Marib said they are enduring miserable conditions and are sleeping out in the open amid a harsh winter.
Locals said people carrying belongings in pickup trucks and on foot are still heading to the city.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1620161/middle-east
and
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Over 1,850 families displaced from Al-Khaniq & Majzar Camps due to Houthi militia’s shelling
The Iran-backed Houthi rebel militia has displaced hundreds of families from Al-Khaniq and Majzar camps, located in Nihm district, east of the capital Sana’a, to several other displacement camps in Marib province.
Sana’a Relief Coalition, stated that more than 1,350 families were forced to flee again from Al-Khaniq camp to several other displacement camps in the city of Marib, after their camp was bombed by the Houthi militia.
In the same context, approximately 500 families have been displaced again from Majzar villages and camps, located in the northeast of Ma’rib Governorate, after they were targeted by the artillery shelling of the Houthi militia.
The coalition pointed out that the displacement camps lack the most basic requirements of relief and urgent housing materials.
My comment: The Hadi government side claims they are just shelling candies?
(* B H K)
Yemen - Conflict, new population displacement (DG ECHO, UNFPA, IOM, Media) (ECHO Daily Flash of 28 January 2020)
In the past 10 days, military escalation in Marib, Sana'a and Al Jawf Governorates resulted in the displacement of more than 900 households (6,300 individuals), a third going to collective sites. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) led Rapid Response Mechanism
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International Organization for Migration: IOM Yemen: 2019 Achievements
Yemen continues to struggle through the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Over 410,000 people were displaced during 2019, primarily, by conflict and, to a lesser extent, natural hazards. Despite global attention on the crisis and political talks, immense suffering persists across the country.
The impacts of the conflict and health crises were compounded in areas where heavy rains and floods were experienced periodically throughout the year, with displaced people living in makeshift accommodation bearing the brunt of the extreme weather.
Yemen’s economy, already undeveloped prior to the conflict, has been severely impacted by the crisis. Families throughout the country no longer have a steady income. The dire effects go beyond the individual level, with public institutions crumbling. Just over 50 per cent of health facilities are operating and are doing so with far less than the required staff and supplies. Similar examples can be given in all areas of public services, including education and water and sanitation. Many of the development gains achieved by Yemen prior to 2015 are now more or less reversed.
Despite the conflict, migrants continued to make the journey from the Horn of Africa to and through Yemen
With offices in Sana’a, Aden, Al Hudaydah, Marib, Ibb and Hadramaut, and satellite presences in all 22 governorates, IOM supports the most vulnerable throughout Yeme
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-2019-achievements
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International Organization for Migration: IOM Yemen: Transition and Recovery - Programme Overview and Q4 2019 Highlights
IOM implements transition and recovery programming to support recovery from a state of crisis and set the foundation for inclusive and sustainable political, social and economic development in Yemen. IOM and local partners work with communities to bridge divides and resolve conflicts in support of holistic community planning and needs prioritization. To improve the livelihoods of vulnerable households and maintain peacebuilding gains, IOM strives to build the capacity of local stakeholders, with the aim of them sustaining public and social services in the longer term.
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A K P)
Yemen vows to respond to Saudi-led coalition’s future attacks ‘painfully’: Ansarullah spox
Spokesman for Yemen's Ansarullah Movement Mohammed Abdul-Salam said that Yemen will give a harsh response to the future attacks of Saudi-led coalition as painful as the recent operations.
In a statement, Mohammed Abdul-Salam termed the recent successful military operations of Army Forces of this country against Saudi-led coalition dubbed ‘Firm Structure’ as a symbol of God’s support for the Yemeni Army.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/155099/Yemen-vows-to-respond-to-Saudi-led-coalition-s-future-attacks
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Film: They disappeared and after 45 days they were returned in portable coffins ... Watch this video
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1222825347592458241
(A H P)
Houthis impose illegal fees on schoolchildren in Hodeida
The Houthis imposed illegal fees on the schoolchildren in Hodeida for raising money to their military effort.
Baseem Al-Jinani, a local journalist in Hodeida said that the Houthis asked schoolchildren in the private schools to donate YR1,000 ($1.8) per one student.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-37609
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Houthis intensify conscription among adolescents in Sana’a
The Houthis rebels have intensified forcible conscription among teenagers in the capital Sana’a.
The move is aimed to reinforce their fighting fronts against the government forces in Nehm, east Sana’a and Al-Jawf.
Local sources said that the Houthis leaders declared public mobilization and forced community leaders to make the adolescents join the conscription courses.
The community leaders are the first recruiters and they work hardly on making the children to join the Houthis’ forces, citizens who spoke with the Alsahwa Net said.
Some Houthis leaders warned earlier the community leaders against carelessness or unresponsiveness towards urgent military mobilization.
A woman in Sana’a who spoke to Alsahwa Net said that the community leader in her neighborhood has used all means of coercion and non-coercion in an attempt to make her 18-year son join the Houthis’ forces, but in vain.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-37608
(A P)
Yemeni Media Union holds symposium on fifth-generation warfare
https://www.uprising.today/yemeni-media-union-holds-symposium-on-fifth-generation-warfare/
(A P)
Houthis kidnap president of Yemen's oldest private university and appoint loyalist in his place
Students and professors learned of Dr. Hamid Aqlan's dismissal from a circular at the university announcing the appointment of Dr. Adel Al-Mutawakkil
https://al-masdaronline.net/local/290
(A P)
Central Bank confirms start of paying state staff salaries
Deputy of the Central Bank of Yemen for Local Operations Sector Ali al-Shamahi on Tuesday confirmed that the payment of the state staff salaries began in some government institutions.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3086210.htm
(A P)
Al-Houthi Calls the Security Council and UNESCO to Visit Yemen
He said in a tweet that "we look forward to convening the Security Council to stop the US-Saudi aggression, lift the siege and end the air embargo, so that a political solution in Yemen becomes a reality and ends the tragedy of the forgotten war in Yemen."
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=10946
(* A H P)
UN-Lager im Jemen geplündert
https://www.pressreader.com/germany/kieler-nachrichten/20200129/281668256951807
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UN food agency says aid looted in Yemen’s Houthi-held area
The U.N. food agency said Tuesday that one of its warehouses in the Houthi-controlled part of Yemen had been looted.
The World Food Program statement described the culprits simply as “militias” and said 127.5 tons (over 115,000 kilograms) of aid were stolen in the northern province of Hajja.
A senior aid worker, however, said Houthi militiamen were behind the looting. The worker spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.
https://apnews.com/4302168b612e6b1f77d1b77f62e85fcf = https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-7937907/UN-food-agency-says-aid-looted-Yemens-Houthi-held-area.html
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Iran-Backed Yemeni Houthis Abuse Women to Silence Opposition
In the absence of accountability, the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis’ systematic abuse against women will continue taking place with impunity.
For centuries, tribal laws that governed the rules of conflict considered it a “Black Shame” to put women and children at risk. However, the Houthis regularly shame women who do not conform to their ideology in order to render them voiceless.
Public abuses against women first appeared after the Houthis killed their one-time ally, ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
In addition, silencing women on social media has become a regular practice
Women who do not conform to Houthis’ monolithic mode of governance remain vulnerable and under threat. According to Noura al-Jarwi, a GPC activist who fled the capital last year: “If a woman does not work under the umbrella of the Houthis, if she does not work to execute their directives or repeat their violent Anti-Semitic Anti-American slogans, she will likely be pressured, intimidated or worse.”
Other grave abuses reported by a local Human Trafficking Organization in Houthi areas revealed the abduction and torture of women in secret prisons. Although the Houthis initially denied these allegations, their leaders ultimately acknowledged the existence of detention centers to fight “immorality.”
Shaming women activists and accusing them of prostitution has led to restricting women’s role and movement. I
Under duress, the Houthis extracted on-camera confessions from the abductees to extort their families and subdue their opponents. Rasha Jarhum, the founder of the Peace Track Initiative, explained that “women arbitrarily detained usually lose their family support after their release, as some male relatives believe they brought shame to the family by being detained. ” Adding that some family members “will even chase the women and threaten to kill them.” Moreover, in the cases were Houthis allow representation, lawyers are threatened or arrested according to a Yemeni organization, the Women’s Solidarity Network.
Women who work in the field of human rights or peace building remain closely monitored and under excessive scrutiny.
Yemini women are increasingly finding themselves ensnared by an armed group that systematically targets their freedom, sense of identity, and right to self-determination – by Fatima Abo Alasrar
https://insidearabia.com/iran-backed-yemeni-houthis-abuse-women-to-silence-opposition/
My comment: The article sums up oppression of women by the Houthis. This is just a part of Houthi arbitrary rule, in the case of women the increasing “Wahabization” (meant: a radicalization of the reactionary idea of inferiority of women) of the Houthis must be added to this. – But, the author of this article is a fierce anti-Houthi propagandist and has been a Saudi mouthpiece for a long time. Thus, propaganda bullshit has been mixed to this article, when leaving the special subject of oppression of women.
(A P)
Houthis militants abduct citizens in Ibb
Houthis-affiliated gunmen stormed a number of houses and arbitrarily detained some citizens in several towns of Ibb governorate.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-37561
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(A K P)
Yemeni president visits Joint Forces Command Center, briefed on field details in Marib, Aljawf, Sana'a
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2028832
(A P)
Al-Awlaki condemns the arrest of two children in Shabwa
Member of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council, Salem Thabet Al-Awlaki expressed solidarity with the tribal sheikh Lahmar Ali bin Laswad following the abduction of his son Mohammed (13 yrs) and his nephew Salem (14 yrs) by the Islah Party, the Yemeni military arm of the Muslim Brotherhood.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/17343
(A K P)
Film: Al-Jawf Governor Sheikh Ameen al-Aukaimi vows to protect every inch of the province from Houthi rebels who have been carrying out attacks and trying to advance against govt forces there since a week.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1222667230116270080
(A E P)
Black market thrives in interim capital as Aden’s fuel crisis deepens
Earlier in January, the internationally recognized government in Aden accused the Houthis of manufacturing a fuel crisis in Sana’a
Yemen’s southern port city and interim capital of Aden is undergoing a crisis in oil derivatives that has led to the closure of private and government-owned gas stations throughout January.
Vehicle owners and residents in Aden told Almasdar Online that the price of 20 liters of petrol has reached 14,000 riyals (about $23) on the black market, about double the price of the same amount at government-regulated gas stations.
Residents have been forced to buy their petrol from street dealers selling the fuel in plastic water bottles at busy intersections.
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/293
(A K P)
Hadi blames Iran for Marib attacks in meeting with U.S. military chief
Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi blamed Iran on Tuesday for Houthi military escalations east of the capital Sana’a, claiming that the rebels are operating under Iranian directives in response to the U.S. killing of the Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani.
At a meeting with U.S. Central Command chief, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, Hadi said that Iran was “seeking to control maritime navigation through the Straits of Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandab" on Yemen’s southwestern coast.
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/292
My comment: LOL. Hadi’s own army had started the offensive in Nehm district, now he laments because they were defeated.
(A P)
Academics of Tor Al-Baha college in Lahj at their second protest hint at escalatory measures
and
(A P)
Abyan teachers protest in front of provincial office to demand their legitimate rights
My comment: This seems to be a campaign by the separatists to put more pressure on the Hadi government.
(A P)
Al-Jadi: After the fall of the legitimate seventh military region, it’s become as dead
The member of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council, Fadhl Al-Jadi, said on Monday, that the legitimate government is in the state of dead.
(A P)
Shatara: Inter-southern dialogue to start soon
Member of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Vice-President of the National Assembly for Control and Inspection, Mr. Lufti Shatara declared that in a few days the STC will launch a serious dialogue with all the southern political components and social figures, in accordance with the recommendations and decisions of the 3rd session of the [Separatist] National Assembly which was held in Aden in conjunction with the anniversary of the Southern Reconciliation and Tolerance the 13th of January.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/17340
My comment: What will this get, if not a propaganda show? They neither will speak and reconciliate with their foes from Islah Party, the Hadi government, or those opposing separatism in Mahrah and Hadramauth provinces.
(A P)
Yemen's Legitimate Govt. Condemns Militias' Massive Looting of Aid in Hajjah
(A K P)
Yemen president dismisses army commander after battlefield setbacks
Yemen’s President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has dismissed an army general following a series of military setbacks in Nehim district, near Houthi-held Sanaa.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1619706/middle-east
(A P)
Yemeni President Receives Commander of US Central Command
Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi met today with Commander of US Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie, in the presence of US Ambassador to Yemen Christopher Henzel.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2027758
(B P)
Infographic: Saudi Cupidity in Yemen’s Strategic Al-Mahrah Province
https://www.english.alahednews.com.lb/51375/524
(A P)
Abductees’ female relatives call for formation of fact-finding committee
Female relatives to arbitrary disappeared people have called on the Saudi-led coalition to form a fact-finding committee to investigate forcible disappearance of the arbitrary detainees in Aden.
The detainees’ relatives voiced this during a sit-in they held on Sunday’s evening on the main street of Mualla district of Aden, a temporary capital of the legitimate government.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-37560
(A P)
The Minister of Interior attacks Prime Minister of Yemen with insulting words
in response to a question about accusing him of corruption by the prime minister!
Al- Maysari said in an interview with the Qatari channel Al-Jazeera: “the ones, like us, who raise the flag of sovereignty, and stress on the necessity of attending the national decision for what is going on in the country, gets what he gets from these accusations!”. Al- Maysari added, expressing that his quarreling is with Saudi Arabia and not specifically with Moeen Abdulmalik by saying: On the whole, we are struggling against the owners of the projects and not the tools that they use of the Yemenis, as they come to the (men’s rubbish) and take the rubbish of the Yemenis!
https://en.smanews.org/the-minister-of-interior-attacks-prime-minister-of-yemen-with-insulting-words
(A P)
Southern Consultative Center for Rights and Freedoms sends memorandum to International Committee of Red Cross in Geneva to reveal the status of detainee Mohamed Ahmed Al-Faidhi
who was kidnapped by Yemeni government special forces in Shabwa governorate, immediately after his r elease with his colleagues on January 11 as per detainees exchange agreement.
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp7 – cp18
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-620b-yemen-war-mosaic-620b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-619-yemen-war-mosaic-619
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-619 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-619:
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 air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
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