Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 626 - Yemen War Mosaic 626

Yemen Press Reader 626: 22. Feb. 2020: Huthis behindern humanitäre Hilfe – Humanitäre Flüge: Zu wenig, zu spät – Huthis haben wichtigen Distrikt gewonnen – Der Konflikt in der Provinz Mahrah ...

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... Extremismus und Islah-Partei – und mehr

Feb. 22, 2020: Houthis are impeding humanitarian aid – Humanitarian flights: Too little, too late – Houthis won a key Yemeni district – The conflict in Mahrah province – Extremism and Islah Party – and more

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-626b-yemen-war-mosaic-626b

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

cp8a Jamal Khashoggi

cp9 USA

cp9 USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: 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

***

**

*

(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)

Yemen war: A look at a 'serious humanitarian crisis'

Nearly 24 million people in Yemen are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, according to a Center of Strategic and International Studies report.

The Yemeni Civil War between a Saudi Arabian-led coalition and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels has left more than 100,000 dead since 2015, and millions more in need of basic food and medical necessities. Between Saudi air strikes on hospitals and schools and Houthi forces holding aid hostage, both sides of the conflict have violated international humanitarian law.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/yemen-war-a-look-at-a-serious-humanitarian-crisis-25491 = https://angelusnews.com/news/world/yemen-war-a-look-at-a-serious-humanitarian-crisis/

(B K P)

Yemen and the Geo-Political Implications of Regional Involvement

Five years into the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, the situation in the country is no longer of concern solely to Yemenis. Instead, its conflict has turned into a struggle between regional powers. It appears that the Saudi-led coalition that launched military operations against Ansar Allah, otherwise referred to as the Houthis, to back up the internationally recognized government of Abed Rabbuh Mansur Hadi is no longer fully wedded to its initial goal.

https://carnegie-mec.org/2020/03/09/yemen-and-geo-political-implications-of-regional-involvement-event-7289

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

(** B H P)

Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen blockieren Hilfe für Millionen Menschen

Hunger, Unterernährung, Vertreibung: Millionen Menschen im vom Krieg zerrissenen Jemen sind bitter auf internationale Hilfe angewiesen. Aber viele der Lieferungen werden von den Huthi-Rebellen blockiert, für eigene Zwecke. Die notleidenden Einwohner zahlen die Zeche.

Die Menschen im Bezirk Aslam im Jemen litten so sehr Hunger, dass sie sich von gekochten Blättern ernährten. Aber es war Hilfe in Sicht: eine Lieferung von 2000 Tonnen an Nahrungsmitteln aus internationalen Programmen — genug, um 160'000 Menschen zu versorgen. Das Essen kam aber nie bei den Notleidenden an. Die Huthi-Rebellen blockierten die Verteilung der Mittel, stellten Forderungen — und als sie dann endlich grünes Licht gaben, war die Nahrung völlig verdorben, wie ein UN-Mitarbeiter schilderte.

Dieses Vorgehen der Huthis ist alles andere als ein Einzelfall. Die Rebellen in dem vom Krieg zerrissenen Land haben die Hälfte der UN-Hilfslieferungen blockiert — eine Taktik, um die Weltorganisation zu zwingen, ihnen grössere Kontrolle über die massive humanitäre Operation und einen direkten Anteil an den Hilfsgeldern zu geben. Das geht aus Schilderungen von UN-Vertretern und Dutzenden internen Dokumenten hervor, die der Nachrichtenagentur AP vorliegen.

Demnach hat die Rebellengruppe den Zugang zu von ihnen kontrollierten Gebieten von einer Reihe von Bedingungen abhängig gemacht, die von den UN und internationalen Geldgebern abgelehnt werden — zum Teil deshalb, weil das den Huthis einen grösseren Einfluss darauf geben würde, wer die Hilfe erhält.

Von der Behinderung von Nahrungsmittellieferungen und Programmen zur Hilfe für Vertriebene seien mehr als zwei Millionen Menschen «direkt betroffen», schildert ein UN-Beamter. Die Weltorganisation hat in der Öffentlichkeit zwar weitgehend über den Druck geschwiegen, sich aber hinter den Kulissen dagegen gestemmt.

So haben die Rebellen etwa Monate lang verlangt, dass zwei Prozent des gesamten Budgets für Hilfsmassnahmen direkt ihnen zufliessen, was die UN und Geldgeber ablehnten. Die Versuche, «eine Steuer auf humanitäre Unterstützung zu erheben, sind unakzeptabel und widersprechen internationalen humanitären Prinzipien», betonte ein Sprecher der US-Behörde für Internationale Entwicklung in einer E-Mail an AP.

Behörden und Geldgeber drohen mit Lieferstopp

Die Huthis sind in der vergangenen Woche anscheinend von ihrer Zwei-Prozent-Forderung abgerückt, aber versuchen Helfern zufolge weiter, andere Bedingungen durchzusetzen.

Für die Hilfen zuständige Behörden und internationale Geldgeber drohen nun damit, die humanitären Massnahmen zu reduzieren, wenn die Huthis die Behinderungen fortsetzten. Die Situation habe «die Grenze der Belastbarkeit» erreicht, hiess es in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung, die in der vergangenen Woche bei einem Treffen in Brüssel veröffentlicht wurde.

https://www.bluewin.ch/de/news/international/huthi-rebellen-im-jemen-blockieren-hilfe-fuer-millionen-menschen-359989.html

(** B H P)

UN: Houthi rebels impeding aid flow in Yemen

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have blocked half of the United Nations’ aid delivery programs in the war-torn country — a strong-arm tactic to force the agency to give them greater control over the massive humanitarian campaign, along with a cut of billions of dollars in foreign assistance, according to aid officials and internal documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The rebel group has made granting access to areas under their control contingent on a flurry of conditions that aid agencies reject, in part because it would give the Houthis greater sway over who receives aid, documents and interviews show.

The Houthis’ obstruction has hindered several programs that feed the near-starving population and help those displaced by the nearly 6-year civil war, a senior U.N. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the situation.

“Over 2 million beneficiaries ... are directly affected,” the official said.

The Houthis have been pushing back against U.N. efforts to tighten monitoring of some $370 million a year that its agencies already give to government institutions controlled mostly by the rebel group, documents show. That money is supposed to pay salaries and other administration costs, but more than a third of the money spent last year wasn’t audited, according to an internal document leaked to the AP.

The U.N. has largely kept quiet in public about the pressure, but behind the scenes the agency and international donors are digging in against the Houthi demands. The AP spoke to seven workers and officials from U.N. and independent agencies about the situation. All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The AP also saw dozens of documents, including emails of aid officials.

In October, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, sent a letter to the Houthi-appointed prime minister complaining about a long list of demands.

The “overwhelming majority” of them impede or delay delivery of aid and many violate humanitarian principles, she said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the AP.

For months, the Houthis demanded a 2% cut from the entire aid budget be given to them, a condition the U.N. and donors rejected.

Last week, the Houthis appeared to back off the 2% demand, but continue to press for other concessions, according to aid officials.

During a meeting in Brussels last Thursday, aid agencies and international donors threatened to reduce aid if Houthis continue to impose restrictions on U.N. operations in Yemen.

The situation “has reached a breaking point,” they said in a statement.

At least one agency, the World Food Program, is currently considering cutting back the monthly food aid it delivers to 12 million Yemenis every other month, a U.N. official said. ”It’s unfortunate that people will suffer but this is on the Houthis,” the official said. “They can’t use people as hostages for too long.”

The Houthis’ demands have stoked longtime concerns among aid agencies over the rebels’ diverting of humanitarian funds and supplies into their own or their supporters’ pockets or toward their war effort.

The Houthi have withheld visas and permissions for equipment and supplies and refused to grant clearances for U.N. missions to move through rebel-controlled areas. Aid workers said agency leaders’ past willingness to concede to some of the rebels’ demands has emboldened the Houthi leaders to push for more.

Nearly 300,000 pregnant and nursing mothers and children under age 5 haven’t received nutrition supplements for more than six months because the Houthis “held beneficiaries hostage to the 2%” demand, another U.N. official said.

In another example, Houthi authorities for months delayed permission to distribute 2,000 tons of food — enough to feed 160,000 people — in the district of Aslam, where the AP previously found starving villagers reduced to eating boiled leaves. When approval came in November, the food had spoiled “beyond the point of salvage,” another aid official said.

Houthi leaders have remained defiant in the face of U.N. pushback – by Maggie Michael

https://apnews.com/edb2cad767ccbf898c220e54c199b6d9 = https://apnews.com/edb2cad767ccbf898c220e54c199b6d9

(** B H P)

'Too late for thousands': Yemen mercy flights present little relief for country's sick

Flights to Jordan to treat patients have been hailed as a 'diplomatic breakthrough' - but their capacity is too small for the scope of the crisis in Yemen

The move has been heralded as a positive step in the agonisingly slow peace negotiations between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition - but with a further 29 million people caught amid the five-year war and unable to leave the country, these handful of people are just a drop in the ocean.

Yemen’s healthcare system was already fragile prior to war, however the conflict that has decimated the country for the last five years has left less than 50 percent of hospitals and medical facilities fully or partially operational.

Public sector employees, including healthcare workers, have not been paid salaries in several years and rely on incentives paid by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Meanwhile, conditions such as cancer, kidney disease as well as others are now killing more people than the war due to limited treatment options available inside the country.

Another patient to have been flown in on the mercy flights is 43-year-old Daulah, who did not give her surname.

She has thyroid cancer but has no idea how serious her condition is because of the lack of medical equipment in Yemen.

Following the cancelled flights in October, WHO thought it best to keep the patients in Sanaa in case flights once again became possible.

Daulah and her husband ended up living in a hotel away from their children for four months.

“I’ve cried a lot because it’s hard to be away from my children," she tells MEE.

"My youngest is 10 years old. They could visit but they were too far away and weren’t able to get to the hotel.

"My husband convinced me to stay. Once we were in the air I was overwhelmed with happiness.

"Now I just want to get better so that I can get back to my children.”

'Diplomatic breakthrough'

In a statement in response to news of the mercy flights, the Norwegian Refugee Council's Yemen country director Mohammed Abdi said the agreement “comes too late for thousands of Yemenis who died waiting to leave the country for urgent life-saving care”.

The warring sides “need to end their political wrangling and fully reopen Sanaa airport for commercial flights”, he added.

Sultana Begum, the NRC advocacy manager in Yemen, called the move a “diplomatic breakthrough”, but stressed that it was a tiny step.

“According to government figures up to 32,000 people have died in the last three years while waiting for specialised treatment, although that’s not a figure we’re able to verify,” she told MEE, adding the NRC’s biggest focus is opening Sanaa’s airport to commercial flights once more.

Begum highlighted the length of time negotiations concerning the mercy flights have taken – discussions having first begun in October 2018.

“There was a really positive change last year, which created the space needed for an agreement about these mercy flights," said Begum.

"The Saudi-led coalition gave the go-ahead as a goodwill gesture and to indicate some kind of progress.”

'Narrow window of opportunity'

An agreement was also made to allow humanitarian aid into Taiz governorate.

“But while getting bogged down with making the Stockholm agreement work, more violence has erupted in other parts of the country,” said Begum.

“There is a narrow window of opportunity to have a nationwide ceasefire and start political talks but we’re really concerned this escalating violence will be damaging to the constructive talks that have already taken place.”

Elisabeth Kendall, a senior research fellow at Oxford University, said allowing 29 people to receive medical care they otherwise would not was of course welcome, but added that to consider the move as anything substantial in bringing the conflict to the end was “delusional”.

“It needs to be multiplied by 1,000 to make any difference," Kendall told MEE.

"The fighting is getting worse and that’s why the United Nations and everyone else clings to positivity, which is understandable after five years of efforts and very little to show for them.

“But the fact it has taken so long shows just how difficult it is to get these sides aligned on something as obvious and uncontroversial as allowing sick children to receive treatment.

"We need Sanaa airport to be fully open,” she said.

The hope is for a ceasefire, Kendall added, but pointed out that even if confidence-building exercises between the Houthis and the coalition delivered in the form of the mercy flights were successful, there remained a myriad of warring parties to be taken into consideration.

“There are huge power struggles simmering beneath the surface,” she said – by Charlie Faulkner

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/too-late-thousands-yemen-mercy-flights-present-little-relief-for-country-sick

(** B K P)

How Houthi forces won key Yemeni district

After five years of advance and retreat, Yemen's Houthi rebels captured the country's critical Nahm district, east of the capital, Sanaa. Their victory forced national army forces — supported by a Saudi-led Arab coalition — to retreat to Marib province.

Some observers, however, believe the Houthis' success might have been due at least in part to Saudi Arabia putting its own interests ahead of winning the battle.

The operation succeeded Jan. 26 after less than a week, taking over nearly 2,000 square kilometers (1,243 square miles) mostly consisting of mountains and rugged terrain. This means that any force's attempt to return to the land will require time, effort, money and sacrifice.

By capturing Nahm, the eastern gateway to Sanaa, the forces of the Houthi National Salvation Government secured all paths leading to the capital. During this recent battle, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, described Nahm on Twitter as “the most important front in the Sanaa governate."

With the fall of the Nahm front, stretching more than 35 kilometers (21 miles), the Houthis warded off a major threat they have faced since the war began in March 2015.

Moreover, the Houthis — officially known as Ansar Allah — now control the chain of highlands overlooking the provinces of al-Jawf and Marib, most notably a strategic rim of the Yam Mountains and the camp of Hadi's 312th Armored Brigade. This position gives them an advantage in monitoring and controlling fire lines along these areas.

The recent fall of Nahm was linked to the Houthis' ability to take advantage of several local and regional developments, most notably the period of calm between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. Talks between the two parties have been held in Oman since November.

Abdel Bari Taher, former head of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, told Al-Monitor the situation in Nahm is clearly linked to the dispute between the UAE-backed STC and Hadi's government over the execution of the Riyadh Agreement. This offered Houthis an opportunity to exploit the recent developments.

Former Yemeni Ambassador to Syria Abdul Wahab Tawaf agreed with Taher's assessment.

“What happened in Nahm is the result of the [UN-backed] government’s attempt to cleanse Aden and Shabwa of the Emirati-backed [STC's] militia. This confirms that Abu Dhabi is continuing to support the secession of Southern Yemen from its north," Tawaf told Al-Monitor.

“The lack of quality weapons and Patriot [missiles] enabled the Houthi militia to bomb civilians in Marib and the camps,” he said.

For his part, Abdul Ghani al-Zubeidi, an expert in political and military affairs close to the Houthis, revealed that Qatar had mediated after the battle for Nahm, to keep Houthis from advancing toward Marib province. He attributed the fall of Nahm to the division between Hadi’s forces and those of al-Islah political party (Yemen’s Muslim Brotherhood).

The journalist Taher said there is no doubt the Arab coalition is trying to weaken all Yemeni parties. At every stage of the conflict, it has sought to rearrange the situation politically and militarily through settlements among its allies and by repositioning these allies to perpetuate the cycle of advances and retreats.

The course of events since the coalition’s intervention has proven that it is mainly seeking to secure Saudi borders and its strategic interests in Yemen – by Ammar al-Ashwal

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/02/yemen-nahm-district-houthis-uae-saudi-arabia-legitimate-gvt.html

(** B P)

Mahra, Yemen: A Shadow Conflict Worth Watching

But while Mahra is not a hotbed of the Houthi conflict, intensive military deployment suggests that a shadow conflict has emerged and regional powers are now heavily invested in the region.

Recruited and financed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), local Hadrami elite forces control the territories along the coast of the Hadramout Governate leading to Mahra. Saudi-backed security forces moved into Mahra in 2017 and now dominate its nine districts; their numbers continue to strengthen, and they have recently built several new military compounds. Oman has no formal military presence in Mahra, but it indirectly supports local tribes standing against the Saudis.

In the heart of Mahra’s capital, Ghayda, a small area with bleachers originally designed for official celebrations is now frequently used for protests attracting hundreds and sometimes thousands of people. In September 2019, Mahri protest leaders—backed by Oman—formed the Southern National Salvation Council to counter the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council and expel the Saudi-led coalition’s military forces from both Mahra and South Yemen. The leaders are demanding that the Saudis hand over control of Mahra’s airport, key ports, and administrative and community institutions.

Not all Mahris are resisting the regional powers’ increased presence, however; thousands have been recruited by military forces to secure their loyalty. Unfortunately, this is leading to internal divisions among tribes who have historically maintained their independent identity within Yemen and shared common social, linguistic, and cultural characteristics.

A Burgeoning Economy, but Who Is in Control?

Who will ultimately benefit the most from Mahra’s growth is not easy to predict. Regional powers in Mahra are jostling for influence over local Yemeni tribes who have distanced themselves from the wider conflict but have suffered from a weak national government. Each power has so far been largely successful in furthering their interests.

The Saudis’ main goal is to keep the Houthis out of eastern Yemen. But their expanding economic interests in Mahra have pitted them against the UAE, which wishes to protect its commercial shipping lines on the south coast. Oman, once a more neutral actor, has stepped up its indirect support of Yemenis—money, cars, media coverage, and diplomatic connections—to secure its border. How long the relative peace can last in this environment is uncertain.

New and old Mahra residents are seizing opportunities as a result of this competition. But they are also struggling to find their way in an increasingly corrupt and restrictive environment.

Over the last several years, Mahra’s local government has weakened significantly. For example, in 2017, former governor Mohammed Kudda began to organize the first-ever annual conference to promote investment opportunities in Mahra. Yemeni businesspeople, especially diaspora living in Egypt, Jordan, and the Horn of Africa, showed an immediate interest. But then, at the Saudis’ request, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi dismissed the governor, who had been critical of Saudi interventions in the governate. Hadi installed a Saudi-loyal replacement, Rajih Bakrit, whose first decision was to cancel the conference.

Mahra’s local authorities have since largely adopted Saudi policies, including higher tariffs on customs and the banning of close to 100 goods from entering the governate (the Saudis claim the Houthis may use them to manufacture weapons).

The Saudis are not the only ones filling the administrative vacuum. While traveling around the city, it’s hard to miss the many billboards carrying the names of development projects. Most are financed by the Saudi-King Salman Center and the UAE Red Crescent and Oman-Charitable organizations. While they are formally listed as humanitarian institutions in Yemen, they are tied to the countries’ respective governments and therefore come with political and economic strings attached. The Red Crescent is run by military officers.

These organizations have built much-needed schools, medical centers, roads, and wells. But according to a local activist, the motivation behind their projects is not the area’s development but rather the expansion of their influence. Many projects that are announced do not move forward.

Stability Is Bought

Aside from appearing to meet Mahris’ basic needs, regional powers are using another, more direct way to bolster their influence. According to armed tribesmen I interviewed, over the last two years, Saudi-backed forces have recruited around 6,000 Mahris to gain their loyalty.

Recruits are largely enticed by healthy salaries.

The armed tribesmen also receive salaries from their tribal leaders, many of whom are backed by Oman and want to assure some degree of loyalty to the tribe. This shows how much Yemenis’ livelihoods are dependent on the continuing conflict.

The Coast Increasingly Belongs to the Military

For others in Mahra, however, making a living is still a struggle.

fishermen face tightening restrictions. Fishing is now prohibited in areas close to Saudi military installations, which continue to spread along the coast. This forces fishermen into more remote areas, including the Somali Sea. Although the Mahri community and some Somalian tribes have close social and economic relations, fishing in the area is dangerous. Navy fleets have mistaken Mahri anglers for pirates.

Saudi forces also restrict shipping access in the ports and require prior approval before arrival. Once docked, they often board the boats to check for banned items, including solar electricity systems, batteries, and fertilizers.

The situation has apparently worsened since the Saudis deployed forces to Nishtun Port in September 2018. They claim to be combating smuggling networks across the Yemen-Oman border, especially those related to the Houthi movement. But even Mahra’s Saudi-backed governor stated that, since November 2017, no smuggling network has been caught by Saudi forces.

Instead, the Saudis are likely preparing to renew plans for a massive oil pipeline that would bypass the Iranian-controlled Strait of Hormuz and run from Mahra’s coast to Saudi Arabia’s Kharakhir coast—a move that would boost security and greatly reduce transportation costs. Evidence of their intentions have included a leaked document from a marine construction company to a Saudi official and a report that engineering teams have been studying the mechanics of the project.

Smugglers Are Free to Go About Their Business

Yet smuggling routes going up the coast are a major problem. Through Mahra, networks smuggle cars from Oman to Yemen and qat and handguns from Yemen to Oman.

The Spoils of Legitimate Trade Are Being Siphoned

Despite the smuggling, however, customs revenues have ballooned since 2015, currently bringing in $3 to $4 million monthly according to managers at Shihen crossing. At the center of the Oman-Yemen border, the crossing has grown to be one of the busiest land ports in Yemen.

Unfortunately, Saudi-backed local authorities control the crossing and refuse to send the requisite customs revenues to the Central Bank in Aden. The money instead goes toward buying the local tribes’ loyalty. Meanwhile, public institutions in Mahra are still suffering from a financial deficit – by Ahmed Nagi (with photos)

https://carnegie-mec.org/2020/02/20/mahra-yemen-shadow-conflict-worth-watching-pub-80986

My remark: More on Mahrah below in cp6.

(** B P)

Extremism and the Islah Party in Yemen

The Gathering for Yemeni Reform (Al-Tajamu al-Yemeni al-Islah), generally known simply as Al-Islah, is a political party founded in Yemen shortly after unification in 1990. Al-Islah has long denied, and with especial vehemence since 2013, any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. However, the known facts point to a long, if at times complex, history of association between Al-Islah and the Brotherhood — and other extremist groups. As such, Al-Islah has been a risk factor in Yemen’s search for stability for many decades.

The Muslim Brotherhood first emerged in Yemen in the 1960s and 1970s, when Abdul Majeed al-Zindani led a group of clerics to establish a religious education system in northern Yemen. These schools were emulating the system of religious schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Yemeni version aimed at countering the wave of secularism coming from the Soviet-dependent socialist regime in South Yemen.

Al-Zindani is one of the founders and leaders of the Islah party, and is among the most visible links between that party and religious terrorist groups. Al-Zindani was declared a terrorist in the year 2004 by the United States Department of Treasury. According to the Treasury, there was reliable evidence at that time that Al-Zindani “support[ed] designated terrorists and terrorist organizations”.

Al-Zindani had a “long history of working with [Osama] bin Laden, notably serving as one of his spiritual leaders”, the Treasury designation went on, adding that he had been an active recruiter for Al-Qaeda training camps and played a “key role” in purchasing weapons on behalf of Al-Qaeda and other jihadi terrorists.

Probably the best-known terrorist incident Al-Zindani, and by extension Al-Islah, was tied to was the October 2000 bombing of the American destroyer, the USS Cole, off the coast of Aden, which killed 17 American sailors in 2000.

In the early nineties, Al-Zindani established Al-Iman University in Sanaa. A number of students from this University were suspected of, or arrested for, terrorist activities, as the Treasury designation of Al-Zindani mentions.

The history of the conflict in Yemen suggests that when considering Sunni Islamist militancy, the Islah party, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the “harder” jihadist organizations like Al-Qaeda are not so easily separated; the ideas and even the members are fluid, switching between one or other and back again according to the imperatives of time and place.

Perhaps the setbacks suffered by Islamist terrorist organizations in Yemen over the years — from the U.S. drone strikes, the gradual erosion of the cohesion of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and the blows dealt by the Gulf coalition to terrorism since 2015 — will have diminished the appeal and impact of extremist ideas. But there are reasons for pessimism. These ideas were cultivated by an effective proselytizing campaign from northern Yemen since the sixties. The mitigation, let alone removal, of these ideas is likely to require a generation and more of work — and that would be in the best of circumstances. The ongoing war and the sectarian aggression of Iran and its Houthi proxies provides an environment Sunni Islamists thrive in.

https://eeradicalization.com/extremism-and-the-islah-party-in-yemen/

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

(* B H)

Cholera situation in Yemen, January 2020

In January 2020, the Ministry of Public Health and Population of Yemen reported a total 35 512 suspected cholera cases including 13 related deaths (case fatality rate: 0.04%) from 22 governorates.

The cumulative number of suspected cholera cases reported in Yemen from October 2016 to January 2020 is 2 316 197 including 3910 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 were 2 290 370 including 3781 related deaths with a case fatality rate of 0.17%.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cholera-situation-yemen-january-2020

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

(A K pS)

Film: "Pore" destroys 1,500 mines, Volga missiles and explosives planted by militias on the West Coast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGCB6sXepkY

(A K pS)

Videos: Houthis target villagers' houses in Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/18482

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zX_Nfo24ws

(A K pS)

Al Houthi militias target the headquarters of the International Red Cross in Al-Drahamy

Local sources in Al-Duraimi said that the park, which is the residence of international organizations and where the International Red Cross is currently located, was subjected to artillery shelling by the Houthi militia. The sources added that the militias bombed the headquarters of the Red Cross, which distributes food and relief items to the displaced people in Al-Derahimi, with 20 artillery shells

https://alamalika.net/site/2020/02/21/%d9%85%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b4%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d9%88%d8%ab%d9%8a-%d8%aa%d8%b3%d8%aa%d9%87%d8%af%d9%81-%d9%85%d9%82%d8%b1-%d8%a5%d9%82%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%84%d9%8a/

and also https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-february-21-2020

(A K pH)

Pregnant Woman Killed, 5 Others Injured by US-Saudi Shells in Hodeidah

A pregnant woman was killed and 5 other citizens were injured, including two children and a woman, by US-Saudi invaders and mercenaries’ artillery shells that targeted homes and farms of citizens in At-Tuahyta district of Hodeidah, violating Stockholm agreement

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11325

Photos: https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/2236050556690926

(A K)

Battles intensify near strategic Yemeni port

A flare-up in violence near a strategic port in Yemen left at least 18 fighters dead over the past day, rebel officials said Thursday.

Fighting escalated overnight in the flash point town of Durayhimi, just south of the Hodeida port, between Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces.

The Yemeni army fired missiles and shot down a Houthi drone, according to military officials with the interim government in Aden who spoke on condition of anonymity under regulations.

One woman was killed as government shelling struck a residential neighborhood, according to Houthi-run al-Masirah satellite TV.

The clashes threatened a shaky U.N.-brokered truce around the main port of Hodeida

https://apnews.com/af941f29ef38aaeb1d5b4564ec2fb42a

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Thursday, February 20th, 2020

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11309

(A K pH)

Eine Frau wegen der Verstöße der Aggressionstruppen in Hodeidah gemartert

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3088494.htm

(A K pH)

Al-Hodeidah: A woman was martyred due to intense shelling of the American-Saudi aggression forces with mortar shells (photos)

https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/2234538010175514

(A K pS)

Film: the martyrdom of a citizen with a landmine explosion planted by the Houthi militia in the elderly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BScd74Gh_hU

(A K pH)

Al-Hakem: Die andere Seite hielt sich nicht an schwedische Abkommen und eskalierte Verstöße

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3088468.htm

(A K pH)

Head of Military Intelligence Authority: US-Saudi Aggression Did Not Abide the Stockholm Agreement, Escalate Its Violations

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11317

(A K pS)

Joint forces down second Houthi drone in 2 days over Hodeidah

http://en.adenpress.news/news/18465

(A K pH)

Army and Committees Encounter Second Creep on Ad-Duryhemi Within 48 Hours

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11308

(A K pH)

Häuser und Grundstücke von Zivilisten durch Verstöße der Aggressionskräfte in Hodeidah verbrannt und beschädigt

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3088374.htm

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11282

(A K pS)

Film: New footage shows Houthis fleeing battlefield in Hodeidah

A new video released by the joint forces on the West Coast showed the pro-Iran Houthi fighters fleeing from the battlefield following a failed attack on al-Duraihimi district in the south of Hodeidah governorate.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/17351

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRT4DZdvOeQ

My comment: Be honest: It’s 3 weeks old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hJjCgCU7sk

(A K pS)

Film: The bodies of the Houthi infiltrators who were successfully shot by the joint forces

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkA9rN-lt0s

(A K pS)

Film: Al Houthi militias continue to dig trenches and mounds, and target residential neighborhoods in Hays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn18reCywFg

(A K pS)

Film: Crush a new infiltration attempt for the Houthis in the Beit al-Faqih district

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz2nqNQlG3c

(A K P)

Hadi government forces claimed they negotiated a ceasefire agreement with al Houthi militants in al Hudaydah governorate on February 19. Hadi government forces said the UN brokered the agreement consisting of seven stipulations including the cessation of all airstrikes in al Hudaydah governorate. The al Houthi movement has not yet confirmed this agreement. [1]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-february-19-2020

(A K pS)

The Saudi-led coalition conducted an artillery barrage and shot down an al Houthi drone, killing several militants in al Durayhimi district in southern al Hudaydah governorate on February 18.[3]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-february-19-2020

(A K pH)

Member of Joint Coordination Committee in Hodeidah: Aggression Forces Escalation in Ad-Durayhimi a "War"

A member of the Joint Coordination Committee, Major General Muhammad al-Qadri, described what happened, Tuesday, by the forces of aggression in Ad-Durayhimi, Hodeidah governorate, as "war."

"Today, encroachment on our sites in Ad-Durayhimi city has been thwarted and the enemy’s bodies are still present on the battlefield," Maj. Gen. Al-Qadri told Almasirah.

"If the United Nations is unable to control the other side, it should say so and withdraw the agreement," he added, stressing that the forces of aggression are breaking the Stockholm Agreement from its inception until today.

He stressed that if the United Nations does not interfere, “we will bury the aggressors in the sands of the West Coast."

He noted that combat aircraft of the aggression constantly fly over Hodeidah, “The people of Hodeidah are killed daily by the forces of aggression.”

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11272

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Forces Violations in Ad-durayhimi for February Reach Highest

According to the source's statement to the Yemeni Press Agency, the coalition forces violated the armistice 451 violations since the beginning of February.

Shootings took the lead in breaches with 297 violations during 17 days, followed by violations of artillery shelling, reaching to 115 breaches, followed by missile shelling with 24 breaches, in addition to 10 developments of military fortifications, and 5 movements, assemblies and mobilizations.

A local source in the besieged city of Ad-durayhimi stated that the aggression forces carried out a military creep towrad the city from 3 sides. It lasted for hours, in clear violation of the Hodeidah agreement. It is considered the largest violation committed by the coalition forces since the beginning of 2020.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11267

(A K pH)

Die Aggressionskräfte verstoßen weiterhin gegen das Hodeidah-Abkommen

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3088279.htm

(A K pS)

Film: Al-Houthi targets the field hospital in Al-Tahita

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sssQhGWyX9E

(A K pS)

Film: Houthi efforts to bomb the situation in Hodeidah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=748mWRRUFZ8

(A K pS)

Film: A citizen was wounded by Houthi militias in the town of Al-Tahita, south of Al-Hodeidah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxysCU4L8c8

(A K pS)

The Deputy Head of the United Nations Mission visits the liaison points and meets the liaison officers with Hodeidah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwzsEWMras0

(A K pH)

Forces of US-Saudi Aggression Continue Violations in Hodeidah

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11256

(A K pH)

Forces of Aggression Violate Hodeidah Agreement, Launch Three-track Encroachment on Besieged Ad-Durayhimi

The US-Saudi aggression and its mercenaries carried out, Tuesday, a massive crawl on the besieged city of Ad-Durayhimi in Hodeidah governorate, in flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement signed in Stockholm on December 13, 2018.

A local source in the besieged city of Ad-Durayhimi stated that the aggression forces carried out a crawl on the city from 3 tracks, which lasted for hours, in clear violation of the Hodeidah agreement.

The source pointed out that more than 35 armored vehicles and machinery, as well as one tank supported the encroachment of the aggression forces on the besieged city.

On Sunday, 7 civilians were seriously injured due to an artillery attack by the aggression forces on the 7-Yolio residential area of Hodeidah.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11258

cp2 Allgemein / General

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Interactive Map of Yemen War

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(* A K)

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON FEBRUARY 20, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-february-20-2020-map-update/

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON FEBRUARY 19, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-february-19-2020-map-update/

(A K pS)

The Saudi-led coalition stated that it seized a boat carrying explosives in the Red Sea before reaching the port of al Hudaydah in eastern Yemen.[2]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-february-21-2020

referring to

(A K pS)

seizing explosives in the Red Sea was on its way to the Houthis

The joint forces in the Yemeni western coast announced, at dawn on Friday, the seizure of smuggled materials that make explosives that were on their way to the Houthi militia. The military media of the joint forces said, in a brief statement, that the coast guard in the Red Sea sector managed to seize a boat in the waters of the Red Sea carrying materials involved in the manufacture of explosives was on its way to the Houthis. The statement did not give more details about the destination from which these materials, their types and quantities were provided.

https://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/yemen/2020/02/21/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B6%D8%A8%D8%B7-%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%B1-%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%B7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86

My comment: This looks like fertilizer.

(* B K)

Geolocating An Iranian AM-50 Sayyad Sniper Rifle in Majaza Battlefront, Baqim District, Saada Governorate, Yemen

On December 26, 2019, a Houthi sniper team dispatched four Saudi coalition soldiers and disabled two of their three armored vehicles. The ambush took place along a road recently constructed to facilitate the Saudi coalition’s push from Majaza (orange) to Saada governorate’s Baqim district (green). The Houthi sniper team employed an Iranian AM-50 Sayyad Sniper Rifle in the ambush. This article will describe how to geolocate this kinetic event in the Majaza battlefront. Houthi media, mapping platforms, and publicly available information about Saudi infrastructure projects indicate Majaza (orange) is based in the Saudi region of Asir (blue).

Geolocating the Houthi sniper team’s physical environment revealed that they were actually based in Baqim, Saada, a Yemeni governorate — not in Saudi Arabia as they had claimed. They may have been employing operational security or were referring to the cross-border frontlines.

Verifying cross-border clashes is further complicated by the Saudi coalition and Houthis’ usual silence on events that negatively portray their military forces.

Within this confusing information environment, it is important to discuss the significance of a Houthi sniper team’s use of an Iranian AM-50 sniper rifle.

Arms tracking websites such as Oryx, Armament Research Services, and Conflict Armament Research have posted numbers, photos, and reports about Iranian sniper rifles either heading to or being present in Houthi areas.

It is difficult to prove that the Houthis are employing these rifles in actual battlefield operations in Yemen. Unverified stock photos, obscure social media images, and possibly choreographed propaganda videos and weapons seizures are not conclusive cases of Iranian involvement.

The Houthi sniper team may have acquired the rifle from a black market arms dealer. However, it is more likely that they directly received it from Iran.

The Houthi sniper attack sheds light on their military capabilities in the Majaza battlefront.

Over the past two years, media coverage of Saudi-Yemeni border clashes has also highlighted how the Saudi coalition has gradually expanded its presence in Saada via a network of new outposts and roads (maps, images)

https://medium.com/@jmkoon2/geolocating-an-iranian-am-50-sayyad-sniper-rifle-in-majaza-battlefront-baqim-district-saada-98bc4bec2c59

and also https://al-masdaronline.net/local/399

(* B P)

Today 8 years ago, Hadi was endorsed President of #Yemen in uncontested elections as part of GCC transition deal. It's been 8 years of bad leadership, 8 years of widespread corruption, 8 years of failure, 8 years of utter disappointment!

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1230784210388078592

(* B K P)

Yemini resistance stopped Saudis from invading Yemen: Analyst

The resistance that the Yemeni people have shown in the face of years-long aggression by the Saudi-led coalition has prevented Riyadh and its allies from invading the war-ravaged and impoverished Arab country, says a political analyst.

Hussain al-Bukhaiti, a Yemeni activist and political commentator from Sana’a, made the remark during a Thursday edition of Press TV’s The Debate program while commenting on a recent attack by the Saudi-led coalition that targeted Yemen’s northern al-Jawf province and left more than 30 civilians dead and many more wounded.

“There is another major problem that the United States and Saudi Arabia are actually recruiting al-Qaeda and the United Arab Emirates to fight… This shows that the entire thing is to destroy Yemen, to make al-Qaeda exist in Yemen like they did in Syria and Iraq, that’s why the Saudis have failed and they cannot do anything and the Yemenis have to respond to all that,” he added.

Kim Sharif, the director of Human Rights for Yemen from London, was the other panelist invited to The Debate and said international organizations sided with Saudi Arabia and its allied in their odious crimes and atrocities in the Arab country.

“There is a lot of money involved, a lot of political game play is involved and organizations such as UNICEF will tell you that they can’t condemn in strongest terms or take further steps because they have to maintain neutrality; the truth is that their behavior has consistently shown itself to be siding with the Saudi-led coalition for the past five years,” Sharif said.

“Expert reports indicate that the majority of these war crimes have been committed by the Saudi-led coalition and the elements attached to them,” she added.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/02/21/619166/Yemeni-resistance-Saudi-led-coalition-Hussain-al-Bukhaiti-UNICEF-Kim-Sharif

(* B K P)

ACLED Regional Overview – Middle East (9 - 15 February 2020)

In Yemen, major clashes continued between pro-Houthi and anti-Houthi forces in six governorates: Ad Dali, Al Jawf, Hodeidah, Marib, Sanaa, and Taizz. Most frontlines remained static, with anti-Houthi forces claiming to retake some territory northeast of Sanaa and in western Marib. Saudi-led air raids continued throughout Yemen for the second week straight

on 14 February, a Tornado fighter jet belonging to the Saudi-led coalition was reportedly shot down by pro-Houthi forces in Al Jawf governorate. During what was described as a search and rescue operation the next day, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes reportedly killed at least 30 civilians

https://www.acleddata.com/2020/02/20/regional-overview-middle-east-9-15-february-2020/

(* B K P)

Yemen in Focus: Saudi forces target tribal fighters as Houthis reveal advanced anti-air capabilities

[Overview, important event of last ca. 2 weeks]

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2020/2/19/yemen-in-focus-saudi-forces-target-tribal-fighters

(* A K P)

CENTCOM: Weapons shipment from Iran seized in Arabian Sea was on the way to Houthi rebels in Yemen

A U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday that a large shipment of Iranian-made weapons seized last week by the Navy in the Arabian Sea was being transported illegally to Houthi rebels, who have been supported by Tehran in Yemen’s five-year civil war.

The weapons seized Feb. 9 by sailors aboard the USS Normandy, a guided-missile destroyer, included Iranian copies of Russian weapons and others “uniquely designed by Iran and found nowhere else in the world,” said Navy Capt. Bill Urban, the chief spokesman for U.S. Central Command. The supply included some 150 “Dehlavieh” anti-tank guided missiles, land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles, and newly designed Iranian surface-to-air missiles known as “358s,” he said. It also included drone parts, thermal weapons scopes and other advanced weapons parts.

“The United States assesses with high confidence that the weapons seized by the USS Forrest Sherman in November and the weapons seized by the USS Normandy in February were manufactured in Iran and were being illicitly smuggled to the Houthis in Yemen,” Urban told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon. “There is no doubt to where these weapons came from or where they were going.”

Urban cited markings on the weapons in English and Farsi languages that he said were unique to Iranian weaponry. Some of the parts of the cruise missiles matched weaponry used in attacks conducted by Iran and its proxy organizations, including the September attack on Saudi oil facilities by drones and cruise missiles, he said.

The Navy captain also said he hoped highlighting the continued illicit supply of Iranian weapons to the Houthis would galvanize the international community to take notice, and perhaps take action against Tehran.

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/centcom-weapons-shipment-from-iran-seized-in-arabian-sea-was-on-the-way-to-houthi-rebels-in-yemen-1.619374

and

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Ship seizures included ‘relatively new’ Iranian surface to air missile bound for Houthi rebels in Yemen

U.S. military officials said Wednesday that the seizures of weapons by two U.S. Navy warships in the Arabian Sea in November and February included newly designed Iranian surface-to-air missiles among other weaponry bound for Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Capt. William Urban, the lead spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told reporters Wednesday that the seized missile components were “relatively new” Iranian-manufactured missiles that have not been “widely distributed.”

Urban explained that the missile systems had not been seen in Yemen prior to the conflict. He said the shipments of the advanced weaponry fit a pattern carried out by Iran.

Urban said there have been six ship interdictions by American warships in the CENTCOM area of responsibility over the last five years involving illicit smuggling of arms to Iranian proxies in the region. Two of the ship boardings have occurred within the last four months.

Urban told reporters that the recent seizures were not necessarily a sign of an uptick in Iranian operations to supply proxy militias across the region.

He said that ship interdictions in the CENTCOM are a relatively “difficult process” that sometimes involves luck due to the vastness of the sea and the relatively small ships smuggling illicit arms.

Urban said Iran was behind the illicit smuggling of the advanced weaponry bound for Houthis in Yemen. Anti-tank missiles “don’t just walk away without the sanction of the Iranian government,” he said.

The ship seizures also included Iranian manufactured thermal imaging devices that have also been found across Syrian and Iraqi battlefields, Urban detailed

https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2020/02/19/ship-seizures-included-relatively-new-iranian-surface-to-air-missile-bound-for-houthi-rebels-in-yemen/

My comment: compare this to US arms exports to Saudi, UAE. The Tyrannosaurus is lamenting how dangerous a frog is.

(B K P)

It Is Not Al Mahrah Tribes The First Of Them… Get To Know On Saudi’s Demonization To The Opposed Yemeni Power

For decades, Saudi Arabia has been following the method of demonization to the opponents who oppose its interference in Yemen, or who think that it poses a threat to its domination in this country, as a prelude to eliminating them or reducing their influence as political forces, but this policy now seems futile and almost turns the table on Riyadh.

Results :
Contrary to its situation in 1990s and before, where it were able to impose its agendas on Yemeni powers north and south and president were taking permission to appoint officials, Saudi Arabia is now in a critical situation..In the north, the data confirm that Saudi Arabia’s influence ended forever.
Even in the south and east, Riyadh is losing its influence. In light of its desperate attempts to end the local powers at the expense of strengthening its influence there..
The indications confirm that it is on its way to confront with the transitional forces in Aden, Islah in Ma’rib, Shabwah, Hadhramaut, Taiz, and the tribes in Al Mahrah and Socotra.
As with the Tihama brigades on the West Coast
Saudi Arabia has no cards other than playing on the differences of these powers
To maintain its dominance extending from the far north to the far south and from the east in Al Mahra to the coast in the west

https://www.alkhabaralyemeni.net/2020/02/19/78486/

(* A P)

Jemenitin erhält Martin-Ennals-Preis für Menschenrechte

Die Jemenitin Huda al-Sarari ist am Mittwochabend in Genf mit dem Martin-Ennals-Preis für Menschenrechte ausgezeichnet worden. Sie war die erste, welche die geheimen Gefangenenlager der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate in ihrem Land anprangerte.

Diese Auszeichnung sei ein starkes Zeichen gegen das Treiben der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate - ein Land, das die Exilregierung im Jemen-Konflikt unterstütze, sagte die Preisträgerin vor den Medien. Zwar seien seit ihrenr Enthüllungen im Jahr 2016 260 Menschen freigelassen worden, doch Tausende würden immer noch in Isolationshaft gehalten, sagte sie. Einige von ihnen seien 2017 nach Eritrea gebracht worden.

Huda al-Sarari sammelte Beweise zu mehr als 250 Fällen von Missbrauch in den Geheimgefängnissen. So konnte sie internationale Organisationen wie Amnesty International und Human Rights Watch überzeugen, sich der Sache anzunehmen.

Sohn ermordet

Weil sie das System aufgedeckt hatte, wurde der 18-jährige Sohn von al-Sarari ermordet. Nachdem von den Emiraten unterstützte jemenitische Separatisten die Kontrolle über das Land am Golf von Aden übernommen hatten, floh sie 2019 wegen akuter Bedrohung mit ihrem zweiten Sohn aus dem Jemen.

https://www.volksblatt.li/nachrichten/Schweiz/Politik/sda/3939889/jemenitin-erhalt-martin-ennals-preis-fur-menschenrechte

und auch https://www.nau.ch/politik/international/jemenitische-anwaltin-mit-renommiertem-menschenrechtspreis-geehrt-65665221

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Woman lawyer who exposed secret Yemen prisons wins rights prize

A lawyer who exposed a network of secret prisons in war-ravaged Yemen, where thousands of men and boys were arbitrarily held and tortured, on Wednesday received the world's most prestigious human rights prize.

Huda Al-Sarari, 42, was hailed by the Martin Ennals Award jury for showing "rare courage" to investigate, expose and challenge a network of secret prisons established by foreign governments in Yemen since 2015.

Al-Sarari received the award, which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize for human rights, for her work exposing "the enforced disappearances that occurred as a result of secret prisons run by foreign governments in Yemen," the award organisers said in a statement.

Within this system "thousands of men and boys have suffered from arbitrary detention, torture and extrajudicial killings," it said.

Al-Sarari "collected evidence on more than 250 cases of abuse taking place within the prisons and succeeded in convincing international organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to take up the cause," they said.

The lawyer was hailed for pushing on with her pursuit of justice despite threats and defamation campaigns against her and her family.

"Huda Al-Sarari has chosen not to leave Yemen," jury member Alice Mogwe of the FIDH said in the statement.

"That is a decision which shows a rare courage, all the more so as she is working in a high-risk context and a source of danger for herself," she added.

The laureate herself meanwhile stressed the particular challenges she had faced due to her gender.

"Being a human rights defender in Yemen is extremely challenging, and being a woman makes this even more difficult," she said in the statement.

http://www.rfi.fr/en/wires/20200219-woman-lawyer-who-exposed-secret-yemen-prisons-wins-rights-prize

More: https://www.martinennalsaward.org/hrd/huda-al-sarari/

Al-Sarari in film: https://twitter.com/FrontLineHRD/status/1229852721861316611

(* B K P)

Devices found in missiles, Yemen drones link Iran to attacks

A small instrument inside the drones that targeted the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry and those in the arsenal of Yemen’s Houthi rebels match components recovered in downed Iranian drones in Afghanistan and Iraq, two reports say.

These gyroscopes have only been found inside drones manufactured by Iran, Conflict Armament Research said in a report released on Wednesday. That follows a recently released report from the United Nations, saying its experts saw a similar gyroscope from an Iranian drone obtained by the U.S. military in Afghanistan, as well as in a shipment of cruise missiles seized in the Arabian Sea bound for Yemen.

The discovery further ties Iran to an attack that briefly halved Saudi Arabia’s oil output and saw energy prices spike by a level unseen since the 1991 Gulf War. It also ties Iran to the arming of the rebel Houthis in Yemen’s long civil war. Iran denies it had a hand in that assault but has increasingly promoted its influence over the Houthis and launched a ballistic missile attack on American troops in Iraq after a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad last month.

“This gyroscope ... we’ve seen it now enough times in Iranian-manufactured material to be able to confidently say that the presence of it in a Houthi-produced item suggests that the material was supplied from Iran,” Jonah Leff of Conflict Armament Research told The Associated Press.

“According to UAV experts familiar with this technology, such vertical gyroscopes have not been observed in any UAVs other than those manufactured by Iran,” Conflict Armament Research said in its report

https://apnews.com/4338ea6186ebefcd752c2c6e8f45d7a3 = https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-02-19/devices-found-in-missiles-yemen-drones-link-iran-to-attacks

and full report here: https://www.conflictarm.com/dispatches/evolution-of-uavs-employed-by-houthi-forces-in-yemen/

and more abridged reports: https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemen-s-houthis-developing-increasingly-lethal-uavs-with-support-of-iran-1.981373

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/02/yemen-houthis-deadlier-drones-iran-trump.html

(* B K P)

Saudi jet 'downing' in Yemen stirs alarm over Huthi weaponry

Claims that Yemeni rebels shot down a Saudi warplane have spotlighted the increasingly potent Huthi arsenal -- cause for alarm in Riyadh as fighting escalates amid faltering efforts to end the five-year conflict.

The rebels, once dismissed as a ragtag militia, said they hit the jet with an "advanced surface-to-air missile". The claim followed recent UN reports that the Huthis had received weapons bearing signs of Iranian origin.

"This is definitely a cause for alarm for the coalition," Becca Wasser, a policy analyst at the US-based RAND Corporation, told AFP.

"They need to plan as though this is the new normal and that the Huthis have the capability to shoot down more aircraft, which is going to affect their operations and how they plan their air missions."

Saudi Arabia has long asserted dominance over Yemeni air space. The kingdom has faced repeated international criticism for its aerial bombing raids in Yemen that have often resulted in civilian deaths.

But the rebels are countering the threat by bolstering their air defence capabilities, notably with what they call self-made surface-to-air missiles.

"While the Huthis claim a self-produced missile shot down the Saudi Tornado, it remains to be seen whether that is truly the case as this has been an area where they have received Iranian assistance," said Wasser.

https://www.france24.com/en/20200219-saudi-jet-downing-in-yemen-stirs-alarm-over-huthi-weaponry = http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/saudi-jet-downing-in-yemen-stirs-alarm-over-huthi-weaponry/article/567348

My comment: This sounds quite bizarre. The West arming Saudis and Emirates to the teeth is ok. The Saudis ruling Yemen I air space and bombing Northern Yemen to the ground is ok. The Houthis getting able to defend their air space “stirs alarm”.

(* B K P)

In a statement commenting on recent agreement on prisoner swap, Mothers of Abductees Association @abducteesmother: Since Stockholm agreement, 24 forcibly disappeared civilians died as a result of torture & denying them medical care. 134 others were killed in coalition airstrikes (Arabic text in images)

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1229741761859407873

(* B K P)

Yemen’s deadly ghost ship

An abandoned oil tanker with over a million barrels of oil on board is an environmental catastrophe waiting to happen.

Five miles off the coast of Yemen lies a floating bomb. An oil storage vessel called the FSO Safer has been sitting more or less unattended in the Red Sea for half a decade.

A victim of Yemen’s current civil war, the Safer has fallen in to a dire state of disrepair, with rust spreading around her hull and on-board equipment. She is packed with more than a million barrels of crude oil, which over time is thought to have steadily released flammable gases meaning the Safer could explode if she doesn’t simply begin leaking huge volumes of oil into the sea.

That would cause a huge environmental catastrophe – one that would affect the lives of millions of people in the region. How did this ship end up in such a sorry state?

When war broke out in Yemen in March 2015, few people gave the vessel much thought. It and many other assets owned by the same firm were quickly seized by Houthi rebels. But unlike land-based installations and pipelines, the Safer now finds itself in an especially precarious predicament. Sitting in the sea, it is corroding away rapidly as we speak.

The conflict in Yemen has proved to be both long and complicated, with no end in sight. The internationally-recognised government in the country, which is currently supported by Saudi Arabia, has no access to the Safer because the vessel remains under Houthi control. Analysts say the Houthis are using the Safer as leverage.

In the absence of constant sanding and painting of the hull, the Safer has essentially been left to rot. And while Prof Khalili notes that tankers caught in the midst of past conflicts in the region have been known to leak oil before, the volume of crude on the Safer puts it into a league of its own.

“That makes it a lot more of a concern,” she says.

“It will not be the kind of spill that will settle on the bottom or simply on the top,” Dr Soud says.

That means the Safer presents a significant threat to nearby coral reefs, marine life and also desalination plants in the region that provide drinking water to nearby countries including Saudi Arabia.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/yemens-deadly-ghost-ship/

My comment: This article is biased as it only blames the Houthis. There is a stalemate in this matter because both sides are insisting that the revenue of a sale of the oil on SAFER should be theirs.

cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade

(A K P)

Ein Schiff mit mehr als 29.000 Tonnen Benzin kommt im Hafen von Hodeidah an

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3088439.htm

(A K pH)

’Victory’ Arrives in Hodeidah Port after Being Detained for 32 Days

Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) announced, Thursday, the arrival of the "Victory" oil ship, which is loaded with 29,586 tons of gasoline, to the Hodeidah port after being detained by the coalotion for 32 days at sea.

A statement issued by the YPC said that the aggression coalition is still holding eight oil ships carrying more than 130,000 tons of fuel despite obtaining United Nations permits.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11321

and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3088431.htm

(* A K P)

US-Saudi Aggression Continues Detaining 14 Oil and Food Ships

A source in Hodeidah Port confirmed on Monday that the US-Saudi aggression continue to detain 14 ships loaded with oil derivatives and food in Jizan port. The source explained in a statement to Almasirah TV that the detained ships carry 240 thousand tons of gasoline and diesel, 8 thousand tons of gas and 35 thousand tons of sugar and flour.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11244

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B H)

Real lives: Sabola Bashir

Yemen Emergency Cash Transfer Project

Sabola is an elderly woman originally from Al-Salafia village in Raymah governorate. For many years she has lived in Hizyaz, a suburb of Sana’a, and now lives in a small house with nine family members, including her son, daughter-in-law and their six children.

Sabola’s 22-year-old grandson, Mabrouk, is devoted to her and is her faithful caretaker. Like many vulnerable families in Yemen, Sabola’s family has suffered greatly due to the ongoing conflict and the scarce job opportunities. They rely on the cash benefit of the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) Project to survive. “One doesn't know how and where to find a source of income” says Mabrouk. “I feel helplessly overwhelmed by my inability to help my grandmother and family or provide for their needs, as if I am incapacitated.” (photos)

https://www.unicef.org/yemen/stories/real-lives-sabola-bashir

(A H)

Mukalla medical center hosts hundreds of doctors, nurses, technicians at second cardiology meeting

Previously held in Sana'a, the meeting marked an opportunity to advance medical expertise in Yemen by discussing the latest findings in cardiology

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/377

(B H)

McCormack Innovation signs significant supply agreement to the Yemen

McCormack Innovation, working alongside strategic partners including the University of Dundee to develop the world’s first soluble medical dressings that will dissolve in seconds when immersed in water, has signed a significant supply agreement to the Yemen.

The agreement will see hundreds of thousands of units of soluble medical organisational tape supplied to the country, with the focus of the product in treating malnourished children (for attaching feeding tubes etc).

A first of its kind, McCormack Innovation’s soluble medical tape can easily be removed from sensitive or damaged skin without touching the patient or the dressing and thereby greatly reducing patient trauma.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200220/McCormack-Innovation-signs-significant-supply-agreement-to-the-Yemen.aspx

and also https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/18250437.fife-firm-developed-soluble-medical-dressings-agrees-major-yemen-order/

(B H)

UNHCR Operational Update, 20 February 2020

During the reporting period, UNHCR and partners provided assistance to a total of 756 families in Amanat Al-Asimah, Sana’a, Dhamar and Al Bayda governorates.

Some 140 internally displaced persons (IDPs) with mental health and psychosocial needs received support at community centres managed by UNHCR partners, while some 200 individuals attended awareness sessions on children’s rights and registration support conducted by a legal counsellor. Additionally, 164 families (1,027 individuals) affected by the conflict received household items such as blankets, mattresses and other emergency shelter materials to address their immediate needs.

As part of UNHCR’s winter assistance response for families living in cold areas, UNHCR through partner YGUSSWP, targeted 923 households in Bani Hushaysh and Hamdan Districts, Sana’a governorate.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-20-february-2020

(* B H)

Photos: Daily life of Yemeni students in Haradh district

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/20/c_138802551.htm

(B H)

Film: Al Khalifa public hospital rehabilitated

The only access point to the large city of Tai'zz, remaining surrounded by fighting, Al Turbah is a strategic point on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. In 2019, it received more than 43,000 new internally displaced persons, putting further pressure on resources and public infrastructure, which are struggling to absorb all the needs. Faced with these challenges, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is supporting the city's largest public hospital.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsGWsRvVzy0

(* B H)

WHO provides Houthis, government with hundreds of ambulances amid aid standoff

The decision to provide the Houthis with a fleet of new vehicles comes after donors and the UN threatened to restrict aid to the rebels

Houthi authorities said on Tuesday that they received 100 ambulances from the World Health Organization (WHO), days after the World Food Programme (WFP) issued an ultimatum to limit aid work in Houthi-controlled areas at a gathering of UN leaders in Brussels.

WHO supplied 100 ambulances to the Houthi-run Ministry of Health, which will distribute the vehicles to hospitals in Houthi-controlled governorates, Muna Yaseen, WHO’s spokesperson at the regional office in the Middle East, told Almasdar Online.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in Yemen’s internationally recognized government in Aden expects to receive 94 ambulances from WHO in the next few days, an official in the ministry said.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/371

(B H)

Civilians in #Taiz governorate complain of the high prices of food and oil derivatives, despite the drop in foreign currency against the national currency, because of the absence of government supervision.

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1230058372013207552

(A H)

Ibb residents lose hundreds of cattle to unexplained disease outbreak

The loss of livestock can be devastating to rural Yemenis who rely on the animals as an important source of income

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/362

(* B H)

ACTED: Improving community education and food security through literacy trainings

In 2019, according to the World Bank Report and the UN:

14.3 million - PEOPLE WERE IN DIRE NEED OF ESSENTIAL ASSISTANCE

40% OF YEMENI HOUSELHOLDS HAV ELOST THEIR PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME

To tackle this, ACTED conducts a range of tailored programming to alleviate food insecurity from emergency food provisions to more sustainable support such as livelihood assistance and Cash for Literacy activities.

Safa, 34, lives, with her four children, in Al Jafariyah district, Raymah governorate. Her husband was killed in an airstrike that hit the factory in which he worked in March 2015.

The breakdown of the Yemeni economy has forced many families in Yemen to resort to negative measures to survive, such as selling of livestock and child marriage. Malnutrition remains rife. To cope with these conditions, Safa reduced the number of daily family meals to one or two. “Our main dish, most of the days was only bread and tea” said Safa. World Food Programme (WFP) statistics shows that Raymah has the highest percentage of families resorting to such negative measures with the highest percentage of families reducing meals and limiting portion sizes

The extremely low literacy rates among communities in Raymah is one of the many factors which create barriers for their entry into the workforce. The situation is particularly bad for women. Part of ACTED’s assistance thus took the form of ‘Cash for Literacy’ (CfL) which meant giving support to literate female community members so that they could teach literacy courses to other women.

Safa was one of 33 beneficiaries selected for the Cash for Literacy program in Al Jafariyah district.

https://www.acted.org/en/improving-community-education-and-food-security-through-literacy-trainings/

(B H)

ACTED: Assisting flood affected communities with cash in Raymah governorate

Floods are not new to Raymah Governorate. However, the mountainous landscape, coupled with poorly built and maintained houses and infrastructure exacerbated the impact that they have on the residents and their homes. The heavy rains highlighted the poor status of drainage systems across the governorate and the inability to cope with the water flow. On Thursday, 21st of November 2019, heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds led to a devastating flood in Kusmah district, Raymah governorate which caused severe damage to the already fragile situation of communities living there. The flood left 100 families without shelter and decimated their property, water sources and farmland.

One such recipient of cash was Gehad, a 35-year-old farmer and the head of a household of seven people who was affected by the flood in Kusmah district.

"My house, like many houses in our district, was built on the water way of the mountain. It was totally destroyed by the rocks carried by the flood.” With holes in the walls and the ceiling, Gehad was forced to find other shelter for his family. “We had to move to my grandfather’s old house in a neighbouring village." Gehad

In response, ACTED quickly intervened to provide the affected families, particularly those in hard to reach areas, with cash grants for the equivalent of $130 USD to allow them to prioritise what they needed most, whether that was making repairs to their houses or addressing their other immediate needs.

https://www.acted.org/en/assisting-flood-affected-communities-with-cash-in-raymah-governorate/

(* B H)

National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response: NFDHR distributed 1,354,883 food baskets to the displaced and affected communities in 2019

As a part of the activities of the emergency food assistance project implemented by the National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response (NFDHR) and mentioning its efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, NFDHR distributed 1,354,883 food baskets to the displaced and affected households during the past year in Al Bayda, Al Jawf, Marib, Ibb, Amran, Hodeida and Hajjah governorates, thanks to the support from the World Food Program (WFP). According to the statistics of the Food Security and livelihoods Program of NFDHR, the Foundation distributed 1,354,883, in which 555,619 of them were vouchers of food received by beneficiaries through traders' network and 799,264 food baskets were provided by the World Food Program and distributed by NFDHR field teams.

Statistics showed a significant increment in the number of targeted households, which was amounted to 126,542 displaced, conflict-affected, and poor households per month, whose individuals were numbered by 885,794, including 173,616 men, 180,702 women, 260,432 boys, and 271,053 girls.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/nfdhr-distributed-1354883-food-baskets-displaced-and-affected-communities-2019

(B H)

World Food Programme: WFP Yemen Country Brief, December 2019

Following the trial run of the milling and transportation of 700 mt of wheat flour from the Red Sea Mills (RSM) in Hudaydah to Ibb governorate in October, milling operations for the remaining 50,000 mt of wheat commenced on 12 December with an estimated 2.5 months’ timeline. On 26 December, the RSM were damaged following artillery shelling, impacting one production line and some silos, bringing the operations to a halt. The technical team conducted urgent repairs and milling resumed on 30 December. As of 31 December, 3,729 mt of wheat flour was produced.
Of which, 3,479 mt were dispatched to WFP warehouses in Ibb and Sana’a governorates.

On 16 December, WFP Yemen issued a press release highlighting the significant scale up of assistance in 2019.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/wfp-yemen-country-brief-december-2019

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

(* B H)

Film: Tragic conditions facing displaced people in Taiz

More than 100 displaced families, from Hodeidah governorate in southwestern Yemen who have gone to Taiz province in the south, are in a deplorable state amid the lack of support from international organizations and local institutions, Om Omar is a living example of the deteriorating conditions they are living since they moved from Hodeidah to Taiz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZmtZ8owmbA

(B H)

A community network gives hope to a displaced Yemeni

UNHCR’s Protection Monitoring and Mixed Solutions to IDPs and Conflict-Affected Individuals started in 2017 and is implemented by SDHGF. It aims to empower the IDP community by providing protection monitoring and other protection services.

In 2019, the project provided nearly 14,000 households with cash assistance; provided psychosocial and legal support to more than 3,438 people; obtained civil documentation for 1,326 individuals; provided 47,045 individuals with awareness-raising sessions on protection issues; and referred 11,732 people to other service providers.

https://www.unocha.org/story/community-network-gives-hope-displaced-yemeni

(* B H)

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Displacement in Marib, Sana’a and Al Jawf governorates - Situation Report No. 2, 18 February 2020

  • The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the three governorates affected by the ongoing escalation of hostilities.
  • Between 19 January and 17 February, humanitarian partners report that over 5,000 families have been forced to flee armed clashes in Nihm District in Sana’a Governorate, Sirwah District in Marib Governorate and Al Ghayl, Al Hazm and Al Maton districts in Al Jawf Governorate.
  • The actual number of IDPs is likely to be much higher since most people have sought refuge with host communities.
  • The majority of those who have been displaced are in Marib City and the surrounding area living in overcrowded public buildings, IDP sites and with the host community. In addition, an estimated 700 families are scattered in Nihm and Bani Hushaysh districts in Sana’a Governorate.
  • Access to Nihm remains limited due to security concerns. The Yemen Red Crescent Society (YRCS) is gathering further information on displacement within the district, including on several families who are reportedly sheltering in caves.
  • In the last week, some 400 families were forced to move in Marib and Al Jawf governorates with people in Al Jawf primarily heading to Al Khalaq, where partners reported some urgent needs for NFI and water trucking.
  • In parts of Al Jawf Governorate, the response is hindered by the lack of access, mobile telecommunications and partner capacity, particularly in areas close to the frontlines in Al Ghayl, Khabb wa ash Sha'af, Al Maton and Al Maslub districts.
    Humanitarian partners on the ground indicated that the 300 families who recently arrived in the Al Noor, Ar Rawdh and Al Sarh areas desperately need water trucking assistance.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-displacement-marib-sana-and-al-jawf-governorates-situation-report-no-2-18

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

(* B H P)

Row over humanitarian aid cracks open divisions in Yemen's Houthis

The brother of the top rebel leader has turned against officials of his own movement, accusing them of corruption

A since-abandoned threat by a Houthi agency to impose taxes on humanitarian aid has sparked rare internal strife in Yemen’s main rebel movement.

Last month, Houthi aid body the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (SCMCHA) pushed a proposed 2 percent levy on humanitarian agencies. On 14 February, the United Nations announced that the Houthis had dropped the idea - but the very suggestion has sparked controversy.

SCMCHA is run by Ahmed Hamid, a senior Houthi political figure who also serves as the director of the Houthi political bureau and overlooks the group’s media outlet, Al-Masirah TV.

When SCMCHA issued its threat, another Houthi leader, Yahia Badreddin al-Houthi, turned against the council and its chairman.

Yahia Houthi, who serves as minister of education in Houthi-held areas, is also the brother of the rebel group’s top leader, Abdelmalek al-Houthi.

Yahia Houthi dismissed SCMCHA and its chairman Hamid as “illegitimate”, and accused them of complicity in corrupt management of UN aid in the war-torn country.

“The council has not completed its legal structure and did not get support from the leader of the revolution [Abdelmalek al-Houthi],” Houthi said in a statement published on his ministry’s website on 10 February.

He added that Hamid “insists on” maintaining the council as an official body, despite opposition by other leaders in the group that controls the capital Sanaa and swathes of northern Yemen.

He went on to accuse “the so-called council” of leading a media campaign against international aid organisations mainly based on rumours rather than facts. Meanwhile SCMCHA, he claimed, was behind several scandals regarding the distribution of aid.

“We are convinced that most of the rotten food was due to the delay or prevention of distribution by some Yemeni officials, and brothers in the council have not backed up their allegations that the rotten food came from the UN’s World Food Programme,” Houthi said.

Houthi’s statement prompted Hamid to reverse the decision last week.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/corruption-reports-divide-yemens-houthis

(A K P)

Al-Ajri: Aggression Countries Mistake Our Peace Initiatives

Member of National Delegation, Abdul Malik Al-Ajri, Friday, said that as the aggression countries have misread the results of their aggression, again they mistake our peace initiatives and consider them as an opportunity to enter a tactical distraction to continue the aggression.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11332

(A K P)

National Delegation Head: Targeting Saudi Depth Is Legitimate Response to US-Saudi Aggression

Head of National Delegation, Mohamed AbdulSalam, confirmed on Friday that the Third Operation of Balanced Deterrence, which targeted the Saudi depth, is a natural and legitimate response to the continuation of the aggression and siege.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11331

(A P)

Female-only coffee shop Ophelia in Sanaa has been shut down by the Houthis (Arabic text in image)

https://twitter.com/alkhatabyemen/status/1230562722523205633

and

(A P)

“Ask them to leave,” Houthi militant instructed owner of the female only coffeeshop n Sanaa. The owner tried to explain to him that they need a sec to gather their belongings. “Their [women] place is their homes. Why do they go out?”he responded (Arabic text in image)

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1230756348536614913

(* A P)

Houthis add leader's lectures to high school syllabus in Sa’ada

The new curriculum will include a daily video broadcast of Abdulmalik Al-Houthi's lectures inside classrooms for the first half of the school day

The Houthis have incorporated leader Abdulmalik Badreddin Al-Houthi’s teachings into the high school curriculum in the northern governorate of Sa'ada, parents and local sources there told Almasdar Online.

The Houthi-run Ministry of Education, headed by Abdulmalik’s brother Yahya Al-Houthi, implemented the revised syllabus for the three grades of high school.

The changes will include a daily video broadcast of the leader’s lecture inside classrooms for the first half of the school day.

Houthi supervisors in the schools have asked students to take notes during the lectures for discussion afterwards, the sources said.

One parent called the move “an attempt to (turn the children into) followers, and to throw them into their battles in accordance with the guidance of the Houthi leader and satisfy his desires to take over Yemenis and rule them.”

https://al-masdaronline.net/local/372

(A K P)

Mohammed al-Houthi warns Saudis to retreat from strategic Ma’rib-Sana’a road

"We are ready to reopen the road ourselves," Supreme Political Council member warns

https://www.uprising.today/mohammed-al-houthi-warns-saudis-to-retreat-from-strategic-marib-sanaa-road/

(A P)

Yemen's religious scholars reject Trump's conspiracy deal to target Palestinian issue

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3088463.htm

(A K P)

Jemen: Streitkräfte werden in wenigen Tagen neue einheimische Luftverteidigungssysteme vorstellen

Der Sprecher der jemenitischen Streitkräfte, Brigadegeneral Yahya Sarea, sagte am Donnerstag in einer kurzen Erklärung, dass die Erfolge in den nächsten Tagen vorgestellt würden.

Sarea wies darauf hin, dass die Luftverteidigungssysteme über eine fortschrittliche und hochmoderne Technologie verfügen und erklärte, dass sie es erfolgreich geschafft hätten, mehrere Aufklärungs- und Kampfflugzeuge der von Saudi-Arabien geführten Aggressorkoalition gegen den Jemen abzufangen.

https://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i50954-jemen_streitkr%C3%A4fte_werden_in_wenigen_tagen_neue_einheimische_luftverteidigungssysteme_vorstellen

(A K P)

Armed Forces to Unveil News Air Defense System

Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Sare’e, announced Thursday, that the armed forces will unveil a number of air defense systems that will be used in the coming days.

Brigadier-General Sare’e said in a brief statement that these systems are characterized by modern and advanced technology and have successful experiences in shooting down a large number of reconnaissance fighter aircrafts and warplanes.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11307

(A K P)

Menschenrechtsministerin erörtert mit der EU-Delegation situation in Al-Duraihim

Das Treffen befasste sich mit den Verstößen der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Aggressionstruppen durch Artillerie und Luftangriffe auf Zivilisten, einschließlich Frauen und Kinder, im Distrikt al-Duraihimi, die gegen alle internationalen Menschenrechtsgesetze und -konventionen verstoßen.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3088425.htm

(A K P)

Human Rights Minister discusses with EU delegation situation in al-Durayhimi district

The meeting dealt with the violations committed by Saudi-led aggression coalition forces through the artillery and air bombardment on the civilians, including women and children, in the al-Durayhimi district, in violation of all international human rights laws and conventions.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3088418.htm

(A P)

Demands for immediate release of abducted rector

The University of Science and Technology (UST) teaching staff demanded on Monday immediate release of the university’s rector, Hamid Aqlan.

The Houthis abducted Aqlan again last Thursday following less than one week of his release from previous arbitrary detention in late January.

The teaching staff said in a statement that “Aqlan was not released despite appeals for his release and reversal of the Houthis’ recent actions against the UST.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-37961

(A K P)

House of Representatives Condemns Saudi Regime Attacks in Al-Mahrah

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11277

(A K P)

2020 will be the year of Yemeni air defense systems that will change battle course: Top cmdr.

A high-ranking Yemeni military official has praised the recent interception and targeting of a Tornado multirole combat aircraft of the Royal Saudi Air Force in the country’s northern al-Jawf province, stressing that 2020 will be the year of Yemeni air defense systems that will change the course of battles against the Saudi-led coalition.

Spokesman for Yemen’s Air Force, Major General Abdullah al-Jafri, told Arabic-language Mirat al-Jazeera news website in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that the downing of the Tornado jet confirms beyond any doubt that 2020 will be the year of modern and advanced air defense systems that can either track, damage or shoot down enemy aircraft.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/02/18/618978/This-will-be-the-year-of-Yemeni-air-defense-systems-that-will-change-battle-course:-Top-cmdr.

(A P)

Senior army commander released after five years in Houthi captivity

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/359

(A P)

Houthis raid, shutter popular coffee shop in Sana’a without reason

Armed men raided Coffee Corner last week, expelling customers from the social hub where Yemen’s artists, activists, students and young professionals meet

Coffee Corner became a cultural melting pot for Yemen’s liberal elite, artists, activists, students and young professionals in the country’s capital.

Even in times of conflict, the shop retained its status as a social mecca, drawing thousands of customers despite challenges with the internet and electricity.

This isn’t the first time the Houthis have shut down coffee shops in Sana’a. Since overtaking the capital in September 2014, the rebels have raided several coffee establishments to restrict gender mixing, and as a consequence of businesses’ failure to pay increased taxes.

https://al-masdaronline.net/local/361

(A K P)

Houthis bury dozens of fighters incl. senior commander

Houthi media reported that the Iran-backed militia buried dozens of fighters, including a senior commander, who had been killed in combat against Yemeni government forces or by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/18457

(A E P)

Agricultural front rising from under the rubble

The martyr Mr. Hussein al-Houthi realized early on, the great importance of the agricultural sector in promoting resilience, stability and victory, and the need to free from the constraints of enemies, and to rely on ourselves in the cultivation of the land, stressing that the nation cannot defend its religion, and cannot defend itself, and it is still lacking its necessary sustenance, which is based on agriculture, which depends on imports from abroad, and therefore it has become necessary to pay attention to agriculture in the field of supporting Islam, the nation is threatened every day because it's food from under the feet of its enemies, from the crumbs of their tables, so it must be self-sufficient with regard to with her essentials.

In more than one speech, the leader of the revolution, Mr. Abdul Malik al-Houthi, also urged the need to move towards agriculture and domestic food production, to reduce external imports and achieve self-sufficiency, especially in these circumstances in which the Yemeni people are suffering as a result of the aggression and economic blockade.

The importance of reactivating the agricultural front is magnified as the countries of aggression continue to continue the blockade applied for the sixth year in a row, and prevent the entry of about 90 percent of imports, food and grains of all kinds, after the destruction of all the capabilities of life in Yemen, in the hope that the Hebrew aggression in the economic paper achieves what it has failed to achieve militarily and politically, in an absurd attempt to discourage Yemenis and to kneel and dominate their land and capabilities, and they are interested in doing so.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3088193.htm

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

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A P)

[Separatist] STC forces arrest Saudi-backed official after storming his home in west Aden

Mohammed Taher, a member of the Aden local council and chairman of the committee for the disbursement of delayed salaries, was taken Wednesday

https://al-masdaronline.net/local/376

(A P)

Karama: Saudi Arabia is the one that manages legitimacy and the southern people must put pressure on the kingdom to make the Riyadh agreement succeed

The well-known southern writer Ahmed Saeed Karama called upon the dignity of the southern people to put pressure on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia only because it is controlling the joints of Yemeni legitimacy for the success of the Riyadh agreement and press on the legitimacy to withdraw from its positions in Abyan and Shabwa and Hadramout and stop the Brotherhood corruption in the south.

https://en.smanews.org/karama-saudi-arabia-is-the-one-that-manages-legitimacy-and-the-southern-people-must-put-pressure-on-the-kingdom-to-make-the-riyadh-agreement-succeed

(A P)

Motorcycle re-circulation in the streets of the capital #Aden

After the failure of legitimacy to implement the Riyadh Agreement, Aden the capital witnessed the return of motorcycles and their spread in the streets of the capital Aden extensively.

Where there were more prevalent motorcycles in the Sheikh Othman district from the square of Abdul-Qawi to the Hashemi.

This comes after the failure of the legitimacy to circumvent Riyadh Agreement and the non-implementation of its terms, in which the southern forces refuse and prevent them from entering terrorists to the capital Aden.

It aims to return the motorcycles with the return of the theft and the serial assassinations to the scene again, which will be chained against unknown persons like its predecessors, not to mention the insane speed, inconvenience and accidents.

Citizens expressed their dissatisfaction with the return of the motorcycles again in the streets of the capital Aden.

Citizens demanded Aden security and the traffic police to return the campaign again and arrest the motorcycles, in order to complete the previous campaigns directed by the Arab coalition directly.

https://en.smanews.org/motorcycle-re-circulation-in-the-streets-of-the-capital-aden

(A P)

The security belt forces in Aden continue their security campaign to prevent carrying weapons in Sheikh Othman

https://en.smanews.org/the-security-belt-forces-in-aden-continue-their-security-campaign-to-prevent-carrying-weapons-in-sheikh-othman

My comment: The separatist militia claim the role of police.

(A H P)

Yemen Urges UN Agencies to Review their Performance in Houthi-Run Areas

The Yemeni government renewed its call on UN humanitarian agencies to review their operations in Houthi-run areas, after western reports accused the militias of blocking half of the United Nations’ aid delivery programs in the war-torn country and of cutting billions of dollars in foreign assistance.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2142421/yemen-urges-un-agencies-review-their-performance-houthi-run-areas

My comment: What do they really want? Certainly not a better aid for starving Yemenis, but to open a news frontline against the Houthis.

(A P)

This soldier committed suicide because he hasn't received his salary in over 5 months. Skyrocketing price of goods & not getting paid makes life unbearable for many. There has to be a better mechanism to disperse salaries on time.

https://twitter.com/samwrax/status/1230605449780748291

(B K P)

French expert calls for implementing Riyadh deal, warns of Islah's conspiracy

There are no signs of any prospects for consensual political solutions or a military settlement in favor of the legitimate government, stressing that full implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, which was signed between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council in November last year, represents one of the primary solutions to pushing for the enhancement of security and stability and the start of a process of real quality development in the southern areas liberated from the control of the Houthi militia, Frisonroshe said.

The French expert also warned of the mysterious conspiracy role played by political Islamic groups represented by the Islamic ISLAH Party and other extremist organizations in Yemen and the region, noting that a large number of leaders of this groups have penetrated within the joints of the presidency department and the Yemeni government, pointing to suspicions of supporting corruption and terrorism of many of them, including the current Vice Yemeni President Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/18469 = https://yemenonline.info/politics/3092

More about Frison-Roche: http://www.bibliomonde.com/auteur/francois-frison-roche-1619.html

(A K P)

Government security forces recapture state buildings in Shabwa capital

The buildings had been occupied by unidentified gunmen since the Houthis withdrew from city of Ataq in 2015

https://al-masdaronline.net/local/373

(* A K P)

Saudi-backed governor of Shabwah once again target of separatist assassination attempt

Residence of Mohammed Saleh Bin Adio attacked by UAE-backed militia drone

Local sources on Thursday revealed a new Emirati attempt to assassinate the governor of Shabwah, who is still loyal to the Saudi-led coalition.

Governor Mohammed Saleh Bin Adio was targeted by a drone aircraft.

According to the local sources in the province, a drone aircraft launched from camp al-Alam under the control of the UAE-backed Southern Translation Council (STC) militias flew in the early hours on Thursday over the house of Hadi’s Shabwah Governor in the city of Ataq, the capital of the province.

The sources added that the anti-aircraft missiles deployed in Ataq fired into the air, after observing the plane flying over the house.

The attempt to target the house of Mohammed Saleh Bin Adio coincided with the shelling of the house of with mortar shells on the Ben Lashadaf security post, located in an area in Ramla.

This development comes after Bin Adio’s house in the village of Al-Khobar in Haban district, was targeted by B-10 shells earlier, also fired by UAE-backed militias, leaving his brother and a number of women wounded in early February.

Moreover, Bin Adio’s house in Ataq city has also been attacked by unidentified gunmen.

Governor Bin Adio, writing a tweet in early February, has accused the UAE of financing and supporting plans to plunge Shabwah into chaos

https://www.uprising.today/saudi-backed-governor-of-shabwah-once-again-target-of-separatist-assassination-attempt/

(A K P)

Helicopter shot down in Hadhramaut

Unknown militants have on Thursday shot a helicopter in Yemen’s southern province of Hadramout, according to sources.

The sources said that the helicopter belonged to a unit loyal to the Saudi-backed Islah party in the Shibam district of the governorate.

https://www.uprising.today/helicopter-shot-down-in-hadhramaut/

(A K P)

Yemen [Hadi gov.] Pressures Houthis to Ban Recruitment of Child Soldiers

Yemen will continue efforts to protect children's rights and confront Houthi violations in Yemen by all means, Yemeni Minister of Human Rights Mohammed Askar has announced.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Askar said that this will be done in line with a plan agreed upon with UNICEF to protect children by deploying teams and ensuring military and security institutions in all liberated areas don’t recruit child soldiers.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2140741/yemen-pressures-houthis-ban-recruitment-child-soldiers

My comment: A good idea. And the Hadi government itself should stop recruiting child soldiers.

(A K P)

Yemeni Defense Minister: National battle will continue until homeland fully liberated

Yemeni Minister of Defense Lt. Gen. Mohammed Al-Maqdashi has stressed the continuation of the national battle the armed forces are fighting until achieving its goals and liberating capital Sana’a and all areas controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/02/19/yemeni-defense-minister-national-battle-will-continue-until-homeland-fully-liberated/

My comment: The Hadi government wants war, not peace.

(* A B K P)

THE MAHRA DISPUTE

On February 17, a group of local protestors claimed that new Saudi-backed security forces had arrived at the Shahn border crossing between Oman and Yemen, sparking renewed conflict with those who oppose a Saudi presence in al-Mahra province. This viewpoint was traded widely on WhatsApp and reported by Al Jazeera. Other locals suggested the protestors themselves had sparked the confrontation.

The context for the incident dates back to late 2017, when Saudi Arabia deployed forces to al-Mahra for anti-smuggling operations, citing concerns that the Houthis were obtaining advanced Iranian missile parts and other weaponry from over the border. Omani officials have denied that such smuggling occurs.

Led by Gen. Ali Salem al-Hurayzi, the Yemeni commander formerly in charge of local border operations, the Mahri protest group argues that Saudi force levels are well beyond what is necessary for anti-smuggling operations. In their view, the dominant Saudi presence encroaches on their way of life and may be a prelude to Riyadh building an oil pipeline through the province. Indeed, the kingdom has asked Yemen and Oman for access to the open seas in past decades, and Mahri protestors believe that this remains the Saudi goal, pointing to leaked documents and reports of engineering activity in 2018 as indications.

The last major flare-up between Saudi forces and Mahri protestors occurred in May 2019. That flame went out in a few days, and the same may happen this time—indeed, some Mahris are not aligned with Hurayzi despite their frustration with the Saudi presence. Yet rumors that the Saudis are bringing in Yemeni forces from other provinces to aid them, if true, could exacerbate anti-Saudi sentiment and bolster Hurayzi’s position.

As such, the situation has the potential to create a conflict between American partners in the region, whether now or down the road. Both Saudi Arabia and Oman may see such a conflict in existential terms: for Riyadh, alleged smuggling over the Omani border equips the Houthis with missiles that they have repeatedly fired into Saudi territory; for Muscat, having a Saudi military force sitting on its border during a fragile leadership transition is disquieting. Neither government wants a conflict, but neither is likely to back down from protecting its interests.

https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/challenges-await-omans-new-sultan-as-mourning-period-ends

My remark: More on this conflict in the reports below and in cp1.

and

(* B P)

Conflicting narratives emerge over clashes between Saudi military, tribal gunmen on Yemen-Oman border

Armed clashes broke out between Saudi forces and tribal gunmen near Shehn land port linking Yemen and Oman on Monday evening, as the groups compete for influence in Al-Mahra governorate in eastern Yemen.

The clashes, which involved an Apache helicopter in support of the Saudi military convoy, lasted for several hours.

Conflicting narratives have emerged about other details of the fighting.

Al-Mahra’s local authority accused the tribal gunmen of an armed ambush on the Saudi forces, which are stationed in the area under the pretext of supporting internationally recognized government forces combatting smuggling there. The Saudi forces were carrying out a routine inspection of the Shehn border crossing’s electronic inspection device and assessing the security situation at the land port, according to the local authority’s Al-Mahra Information Center.

An official on the organizing committee of the peaceful sit-in of the people of Al-Mahra, an Oman-backed group opposing the Saudi military presence in Yemen's easternmost governorate, said the clashes started because the Saudi forces were obstructing the movement of locals through the port. The official told Almasdar Online that the Saudi forces, accompanied by the Mahra local authority, opened fire first, and that triggered the tribesmen to cut off troop reinforcements heading to the port.

The committee called the Saudi attacks on the tribesmen and citizens of the Fujit area of Shehn district “criminal.”

A statement from the committee, a copy of which was viewed by Almasdar Online, described the Saudi forces’ actions at the port as an attempt to restrict the movement of citizens and treat the port as their military base. The sit-in group also called on all parties to resist the Saudi occupation and expel it, emphasizing dialogue between Yemenis without outside interference, and called on the Yemeni government to step up its responsibilities.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/375

and

(* A K P)

Broad Discontent Calling for Expulsion of the Saudi Occupation from Al-Mahrah Governorate

Voices of condemnation, denouncing the attacks of the Saudi occupation forces on the sons of Al-Mahrah tribes in the Shahan port, demanded Riyadh to withdraw all its forces from the province as soon as possible.

The peaceful sit-in committee rejecting the Saudi presence in the Yemeni province of Al-Mahrah denounced, Wednesday, the attempt to storm the Shahan port, adding that the Saudi occupation and its militias attacked the citizens and members of the tribes of the Shahan district without any reason.

The sit-in committee added that the presence of the Saudi occupation forces and their militias in Al-Mahrah governorate violated international laws.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11295

and

(* A K P)

In Yemen Saudi Arabia now faces pushback from eastern tribe

Now it appears the Saudis may be creating a new enemy apart from the Houthis who control much of the north and are supported by Iran. The Saudis stormed the town of Shahn in the east of the country on the Oman border.

The Saudis have not explained what their aim was but they attacked a cargo port that belongs to the Mahra tribes in Mahra Province. The province has seen almost no fighting since the 2015 Saudi invasion. It is far east of Houthi-controlled territory. Mahra tribesmen denounced the seizure as a Saudi intrusion and claimed the seizure of the port was a violation of the sovereignty of the tribe. Saudi forces had opened fire during the seizure and injured a number of fighters.

A people's sit-in committee of the Mahra tribe issued a statement on Facebook: "The committee condemns these practices and violations committed by the Saudi occupation and its militias against our people. It constitutes a flagrant violation of Yemeni sovereignty and national identity.

Starting a fight with the tribes is a risky move as tribal factions and alliances in Yemen have often been more powerful than the government. The Saudis could be in for a fierce fight on territory where before there had been no resistance to the Saudi invasion.

The apparent reason behind the seizure

Saudi Arabia has already stationed some troops in the province. They have taken control of the airport and the main seaport. They did so after alleging that they were important points for smuggling weapons to the Houthis who control much of the northeast of Yemen including the capital Sanaa. The Saudis have also established more than a dozen military bases in the province and this has led to frequent tensions which have been escalating into armed clashes.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/politics/in-yemen-saudi-arabia-now-faces-pushback-from-eastern-tribe/article/567386

and

(* A K P)

Yemen in Focus: Saudi forces target tribal fighters

The sparsely populated Al-Mahra province, which lies in Yemen’s eastern desert, has been spared much of the bloody fighting that has overrun the country since the Saudi-led coalition intervened to reinstate the internationally-recognised government in March 2015.

Though many of Yemen’s tribes have remained fairly neutral throughout the conflict, they have been monumental in spearheading disputes and tasing out prisoner swap deals between the fighting factions.

Tuesday’s clashes are just the latest in mounting tensions between tribes and the Saudi-led coalition, which has in recent months faced increasing criticism for its agenda in the south of the country.

“Most fighters on the frontlines on both sides come from tribes and many of them were recruited directly or indirectly by tribal leaders,” Yemeni tribes expert and political analyst Nadwar Dawsari wrote in a piece published by Almasdar Online English.

"Tens of thousands of these men have been killed fighting in a seemingly endless war..Some tribal leaders have grown skeptical that the Saudi-led coalition has true intentions of defeating the Houthis.
"Many are frustrated by the lack of strategy and the inconsistency in military operations led by the coalition and Yemeni government. Some are dismayed at the frequency of incidents in which pro government tribal fighters are killed in coalition airstrikes," Dawsari continued.

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2020/2/19/yemen-in-focus-saudi-forces-target-tribal-fighters

and

(* A B K P)

Mahrah protesters fear for full annexation into Saudi Arabia

Sheikh Abboud Qamsiyat condemns Saudi militarization of strategic Yemeni province

Sheikh Abboud Qamsiyat, deputy chairman of the Sit-In Committee in Mahrah province, an organisation dedicated to protesting the imperialist occupation of the province, called on the tribes of Mahrah and Yemen to free the province from Saudi occupation.

The Mahrah tribes are in self-defense, and it is impossible for the Saudi occupation forces to be subjected to sacrifices, He said.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Qamsiyat said the Saudi occupation forces have a military arsenal of more than 1,800 tanks, and that they have deployed dozens of military points in various directorates.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia is seeking to extend its oil pipeline through Yemeni territory in Mahra province, in order to reach the Arabian Sea. Furthermore, the activist leader claimed the Saudis aim to displace the population of Mahrah, so that the province could become a Saudi emirate of sorts, strategically located overlooking the Arabian Sea.

Qamsiyat pointed out that the Saudis have worked to terrorize citizens with Apache helicopters and various types of weapons, and have prevented fishermen from fishing in Yemeni waters.

“The Saudi escalation in Mahrah was an attempt to make up for its military losses at the border and on the eastern fronts of Sana’a,” Sheikh Abboud Qamsiyat added.

Other sources have revealed a massive deployment of Saudi militias, led by Rajeh Bakrit, and a number of Saudi officers in the streets of the regional capital city of Al-Ghaydah.

The sources explained that the occupation militias have set up checkpoints in streets and residential neighborhoods known to be opposed to the Saudi presence.

Saudi occupation forces have also turned Al-Ghaydah civilian airport into a military base in order to manage some 22 camps and positions in various provinces.

https://www.uprising.today/mahrah-protesters-fear-for-full-annexation-into-saudi-arabia/

and also https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200220-tribes-in-yemens-mahrah-province-fear-saudi-annexation/

and

(* A B K P)

"Supporting Legitimacy" coalition in Yemen: Operation against attempting to disrupt anti-smuggling efforts in Mahrah

Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the forces of "Supporting Legitimacy" in Yemen, announced that an operation was being carried out with the participation of the security forces of the legitimate Yemeni government against attempts to disrupt anti-smuggling efforts in the Al-Mahra region in Yemen. This came in a statement to the coalition, where Al-Maliki said, according to what the official Saudi news agency reported: "The attempts of organized crime and smuggling groups in Al-Mahra Governorate constitute a real security threat that undermines the legitimate Yemeni government efforts to impose security and stability in the province."

He continued, saying: "Some of the well-known personalities in the governorate and the leaders of organized crime and smuggling groups, Monday (February 17, 2020) attempted to disrupt the efforts of government security agencies to stop and control smuggling operations in the governorate, and sought to facilitate these operations by using violence and lethal force by targeting security units and coalition forces to preserve their subversive interests."

https://arabic.cnn.com/middle-east/article/2020/02/19/saudi-led-coalition-muhra-operation-yemen

My comment: What a ridiculous pretense for occupying this region: It’s far away from the Yemen War.

and

(A B P)

Anyone commenting on #Mahra #Yemen & the recent clash between #Saudi & armed men near Shahn needs to be cautious. Casting it as grass-roots tribal opposition to occupying forces misses important points related to control of lucrative "trade" routes

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1230214760748191744

(B P)

Film, in Arabic: The slow implementation of Riyadh agreement increases the likelihood of an outburst

Yemeni observers said that the Riyadh agreement signed between the Transitional Council and the legitimate government on November the 5th is still slow despite the expiry of the deadline for the implementation of all its provisions, pointing out that the tense situation militarily between the parties of the agreement increases the likelihood of an explosion of the situation unless procedural steps are done that are related to the most important provisions of the agreement, such as the first item of the military annex and the appointment of a governor and security director for Aden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFnBVm7mmAM

(A P)

Al-Awlaki disapproves increasing detention crimes outside law in Shabwa

The southern political and media activist Nasser Ali Al-Awlaki, on Tuesday, criticized the Brotherhood’s authority in Shabwa governorate, pointing to human rights violations committed by the militias against the people of the governorate.

Al-Awlaki confirmed in a statement on his Facebook account: that the child Mohammed al-Jabwani,” 15 years old, who was arrested on January 23, is still being held.

https://en.smanews.org/al-awlaki-disapproves-increasing-detention-crimes-outside-law-in-shabwa

(* A K P)

Limited hopes on Yemen

Local reports in Yemen revealed fears that the Riyadh agreement signed by the government and the Transitional Council will collapse, amid reports there are undisclosed tensions between the Transitional Council in the south and Saudi Arabia. Tensions surfaced this week as activists went on protests against Saudi Arabia in Aden. Although this is not the first time Riyadh is publicly criticised in Yemen, it is the first time since the withdrawal of the UAE from Aden and handing the city over to Saudi military command.

The Transitional Council has also escalated rhetoric against President Hadi. Hani Bin Breik, vice chairman of the council, said history will remember Hadi as Yemen’s worst president, and demanded that he stops the “meddling of the Brothers” (meaning the Reform Party, or Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood) which the Transitional Council views as its arch nemesis. Tensions also escalated due to the ongoing rash of assassinations of security personnel, especially in the military, without any party claiming responsibility for the killing spree which has swept across Aden. Most recently, the assassination of Abu Ragheb Al-Yahri, the commander of security positions in the east of the Security Belt Forces.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1203/363756/AlAhram-Weekly/World/Limited-hopes-on-Yemen.aspx

(* A K P)

Tribal forces in eastern Yemen clash with Saudis

Regional committee condemns the attempted 'Saudi intrusion' in the town of Shahn.

Saudi troops have clashed with tribal forces in eastern Yemen's al-Mahra province near the Omani border, a tribal source told Al Jazeera.

Saudi forces on Monday attempted to storm the town of Shahn "using heavy gunfire" that wounded at least one person, the source said, adding that helicopters and armoured vehicles were deployed in the assault which was repelled.

In a statement, the al-Mahra peaceful committee denounced the attempted "Saudi intrusion".

"The committee condemns these practices and violations committed by the Saudi occupation and its militias against our people," the statement said. "It constitutes a flagrant violation of Yemeni sovereignty and national identity."

"In this dangerous turning point of our honorable history, we call on all the tribes of the province, their sheikhs and their dignitaries, and their citizens to unite alongside all the liberals of the province to prevent the Saudi occupation from imposing its domination al-Mahra," the statement continued.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/tribal-forces-eastern-yemen-clash-saudis-200218115052801.html

and also http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1203/363756/AlAhram-Weekly/World/Limited-hopes-on-Yemen.aspx

and Saudi statement

(A K P)

The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: We Support Yemeni Government’s Efforts to Confront Organized Crime Groups, Trafficking and Attempts to Undermine Security and Stability in (Al Mahrah) Governorate

A statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, COL Turki Al-Malki
“Attempts by organized crime groups and traffickers in Al Mahrah Governorate are major security threats that undermine the efforts of the legitimate government of Yemen to promote security and stability in the Governorate.
Some well-known personalities that head organized crime and trafficking groups attempted yesterday (Monday, 17 February 2020) to obstruct the efforts of the official security agencies to put a stop to smuggling operations in the Governorate.

The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition fully supports the efforts of the Yemeni legitimate government in confronting such illegal activities

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2036358

(A P)

[Hadi gov.] Yemeni Ambassador to US Underlines ‘Security Cooperation’ Between Both Countries

Yemeni Ambassador to the US Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak reaffirmed that one of the top challenges faced by Yemen and the Arab Coalition is counterterrorism.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Mubarak acknowledged great efforts exerted by US and Yemeni governments in crushing terrorism.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2137401/yemeni-ambassador-us-underlines-%E2%80%98security-cooperation%E2%80%99-between-both-countries

Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp7 – cp18

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-626b-yemen-war-mosaic-626b

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-625-yemen-war-mosaic-625

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-625 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-625:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:

(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)

http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/

http://www.yemenwar.info/

Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:

https://yemen.bellingcat.com/

Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:

https://yemeniarchive.org/en

Dieser Beitrag gibt die Meinung des Autors wieder, nicht notwendigerweise die der Redaktion des Freitag.
Geschrieben von

Dietrich Klose

Vielfältig interessiert am aktuellen Geschehen, zur Zeit besonders: Ukraine, Russland, Jemen, Rolle der USA, Neoliberalismus, Ausbeutung der 3. Welt

Dietrich Klose

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