Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 634 - Yemen War Mosaic 634

Yemen Press Reader 634: 21. März 2020: Jemens Kriegsparteien haben 120 Gesundheitseinrichtungen angegriffen – Angriffe auf das Thawra Krankenhaus in Taiz – Das giftige Erbe der Saudis im Jemen –

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... Woher kommen die Waffen im Jemenkrieg? – Vormarsch der Huthis auf Marib – Die Emirate auf Sokotra – Die USA ist Komplize bei Kriegsverbrechen – und mehr

March 21, 2020: Yemen’s warring parties has attacked 120 health facilities – Attacks against Thawra hospital at Taiz – Saudis’ toxic heritage in Yemen – Where do the arms in the Yemen war come from? (in German) – Houthi advance at Marib – The Emirates at Socotra – The US is complicit in war crimes – and more

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-634b-yemen-war-mosaic-634b/

Klassifizierung / Classification

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

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

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

cp2 Allgemein / General

cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

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

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp9 USA

cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp12b Sudan

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(Kein Stern / No star)

? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating

A = Aktuell / Current news

B = Hintergrund / Background

C = Chronik / Chronicle

D = Details

E = Wirtschaft / Economy

H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions

K = Krieg / War

P = Politik / Politics

pH = Pro-Houthi

pS = Pro-Saudi

T = Terrorismus / Terrorism

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

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

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

(** B H K)

Yemen’s Warring Parties Attacked At Least 120 Health Facilities and Personnel: PHR/Mwatana Report

New investigation documents how the Saudi-Emirati-led Coalition, Yemeni government, and Houthi armed group have decimated Yemen’s health system, inflicted widespread death, and likely committed war crimes

Warring parties in Yemen have carried out at least 120 violent attacks on medical facilities and health workers, exposed by a joint investigation published today by Mwatana for Human Rights (Mwatana) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). The attacks by the Saudi-Emirati-led coalition, internationally recognized government of Yemen, and Ansar Allah armed group (Houthi) forces have decimated Yemen’s health system, inflicted widespread death and suffering on Yemeni civilians, and likely constitute war crimes.

The report “I Ripped the IV Out and Started Running”: Attacks on Health Care in Yemen is the result of documentation and analysis of almost four years of such attacks across 20 of Yemen’s 22 governorates, spanning from March 2015 until December 2018. The analysis reveals four main categories of violent attacks on health facilities: aerial strikes (35), ground attacks (46), military occupation (9), assaults on health workers (23), and other violations (7), such as looting and restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The attacks detailed in the report killed at least 96 civilians and health workers, including 10 children, and wounded 230 others, including 28 children. Taiz governorate, home to Yemen’s third-largest city, was the most affected by attacks on medical facilities, with at least 65 documented incidents. Saada governorate, which shares a border with Saudi Arabia, was also significantly affected by attacks on health care facilities, with 25 documented incidents, 22 of them airstrikes.

The PHR-Mwatana investigation is the most comprehensive analysis of the impact from warring parties’ conduct on the Yemeni health system since the conflict escalated in early 2015. The report illustrates patterns of attacks on health, their impact, and specific violations committed in their execution.

The warring parties’ failure to comply with international law has contributed to the disastrous humanitarian situation in the country, the report finds. The routine destruction of health care facilities, the repeated occupation of health care facilities, and the killing and wounding of medical workers both directly and indirectly contribute to the denial of health care in Yemen.

The report finds that the Saudi-Emirati-led coalition – which has been armed by the United States, United Kingdom, and members of the European Union – has primarily destroyed and damaged health facilities through aerial attacks. The Houthis, who have received support from Iran, and other armed groups loyal to the Yemeni government have damaged and destroyed health facilities with indiscriminate land-based weapons. The Houthi forces and other armed groups have also occupied medical facilities. Both sides to the conflict have killed medical workers.

“Each attack on a health facility reverberates far beyond its walls. The killings of doctors, nurses, and other health workers deprive communities of desperately-needed health care,” said Rayan Koteiche, Physicians for Human Rights Middle East and North Africa researcher. “Collectively, these attacks have decimated Yemen’s health care system and caused untold suffering and death.”

“The breakdown in the rule of law in Yemen – furthered by the parties to the conflict – has created a human rights catastrophe with few parallels, in which the protected status of medical facilities and personnel has lost meaning,” said Koteiche.

The warring parties in Yemen – including the Saudi-Emirati-led coalition, the Houthi armed group, and the Yemeni government – have over the course of the conflict perpetrated serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Again and again, parties to the conflict have violated the fundamental international humanitarian law principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution. In Mwatana’s and PHR’s assessment, many of these violations may amount to war crimes. Accountability and redress have been woefully lacking.

The new report provides a new level of detail and insight into these egregious abuses in the Yemen conflict. Twenty-four Mwatana researchers collected data through semi-structured interviews with more than 194 witnesses and survivors. Researchers visited the scenes of attacks when conditions permitted and gathered multiple testimonies and photographic evidence to document and verify the details of each incident. Researchers aimed to corroborate each incident with a minimum of three independent witness statements. PHR and Mwatana experts collaborated to provide an in-depth analysis of individual attacks as well as to document the patterns and impact of attacks on health.

In analyzing this data, PHR and Mwatana found compelling evidence of widespread abuses in Yemen by the Saudi-Emirati-led coalition, the Houthi armed group, and the Yemeni government. Their strategies and methods of war reflect a disregard for international legal obligations, human rights norms, and the survival of Yemeni civilians.

“The humanitarian situation in Yemen – the worst in the world – will not improve without a significant behavioral shift by the warring parties,” said Koteiche of PHR. “The combatants must respect the protected status of medical and civilian infrastructure, and abide by the international humanitarian law principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution.”

“Those supplying weapons and other forms of support to the warring parties – be they in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Iran, or other states – prolong Yemen’s misery and are complicit in the pervasive abuses documented in this report,” said al-Mutawakel of Mwatana.

See here for the full report and an annex of all documented attacks on health facilities, broken down by date, location, type, and description. This report is available in English and Arabic.

https://phr.org/news/yemens-warring-parties-attacked-at-least-120-health-facilities-and-personnel-phr-mwatana-report/ = https://mwatana.org/en/health-care-attacks/

and shorter report by the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/health-workers-targeted-at-least-120-times-yemen-conflict

Executive Summary: https://mwatana.org/en/i-ripped-iv-out-of-my-arm/ = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/i-ripped-iv-out-my-arm-and-started-running-attacks-health-care-yemen-enar = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/i-ripped-iv-out-my-arm-and-started-running-attacks-health-care-yemen-enar

Report in full: https://phr.org/news/yemens-warring-parties-attacked-at-least-120-health-facilities-and-personnel-phr-mwatana-report/

Film (Dec. 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FJOyF8NLL4

(** B H K)

Yemen: Health facilities face indiscriminate attacks in Taiz City

Repeated attacks affecting health facilities supported by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the city of Taiz are compromising our ability to deliver effective medical care for Yemenis.

Between 2018 and 2020, MSF has recorded at least 40 incidents of violence against the MSF-supported Al-Thawra General Hospital, its personnel and patients, including shootings inside or near hospital premises. Hospital buildings and structures were hit more than 15 times by small arms fire and shelling, and there were several incidents of medical staff being harassed and attacked.

MSF renews its call on all warring parties to take all necessary measures to respect health facilities and hospitals as humanitarian spaces and to end indiscriminate attacks and other violations that threaten the lives of healthcare workers, patients and caretakers. Direct and indirect acts of violence against medical facilities not only endanger the lives of medical staff and patients, but also place additional barriers on an already constrained and fragile essential healthcare system.

Al-Thawra General Hospital is considered the largest public hospital in Taiz City. It has been struck by indiscriminate shelling from the armed forces of the Ansar Allah group and has suffered armed incidents committed by armed groups linked to the internationally recognised Government of Yemen.

“In Al-Thawra hospital, staff no longer feel safe in what should be a protected space. Patients avoid coming to the hospital, fearing for their lives, even when it is their only viable option for medical care,” says Corinne Benazech, MSF Operations Manager in Yemen.

Such attacks have also driven away medical staff from the hospital, as they look for ‘safer’ work elsewhere.

“As medical staff, your life is threatened at every moment in this hospital,” says Hashem, a staff member at Al-Thawra hospital. “Most of the medical staff have left after the many attacks. There is only one orthopaedic specialist left and two specialists in general surgery. The rest of the specialists are no longer here.”*

Although the rate of aerial bombardment and artillery fire impacting medical facilities in Taiz fell in 2019, episodes of violence continue to be a major concern.

On multiple occasions, armed intruders have killed patients receiving medical care inside the hospital. Such attacks have led to the suspension of MSF’s activities on multiple occasions, preventing people from accessing vital medical care.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-health-facilities-face-indiscriminate-attacks-taiz-city

(** B H K)

From Cluster Bombs to Toxic Waste: Saudi Arabia is Creating the Next Fallujah in Yemen

From dumping toxic waste into the sea to littering Yemen’s farms with tons of unexploded cluster bombs, Saudi Arabia is creating a legacy so toxic in Yemen that experts believe it could take a century to undo.

As the world’s focus turns to the rapidly-spreading COVID-19 pandemic, Yemenis are reeling from their own brewing tragedy, contending with the thousands of cluster bombs, landmines and other exploded munitions that now litter their homeland.

The use, production, sale, and transfer of cluster munitions is prohibited under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international agreement recognized by over 100 countries, but rejected by Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Saudi Arabia is estimated to have dropped thousands of tons of U.S.-made weapons in al-Jawf over the past 100 days alone. Al-Jawf is an oil-rich province that lies in Yemen’s north-central reaches along the Saudi border. The aerial campaign is likely a last-ditch effort to stem the tide of battlefield success by local volunteer fighters who teamed with Houthi forces to recapture large swaths of al-Jawf and Marib provinces. That campaign, for all intents and purposes, has failed.

“Saudi [Arabia] and America have planted our land with death”

The highly populated urban areas of Sana’a, Sadaa, Hodeida, Hajjah, Marib, and al-Jawf have been subjected to incomprehensible bombing campaigns during the Saudi-led war on Yemen, which turns five on March 26. The sheer scale of that campaign, which often sees hundreds of separate airstrikes carried out every day, coupled with its indiscriminate nature, has left Yemen one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world.

Thousands of tons of weapons, most often supplied by the United States, have been dropped on hospitals, schools, markets, mosques, farms, factories, bridges, and power and water treatment plants and have left unexploded ordnances scattered across densely populated areas.

A significant proportion of those ordnances are still embedded in the ground or amid the rubble of bombed-out buildings, posing a threat to both civilians and the environment. As Man’e Abu Rasein, a father who lost two sons to an unexploded cluster bomb in August of 2018 puts it: “Saudi [Arabia] and America have planted our land with death.”

Since March of 2015, Human Rights Watch has recorded more than 15 incidents involving six different types of cluster munitions in at least five of Yemen’s 21 governorates.

The Project Manager of YEMAC identified heavy cluster munition contamination in Saada, al-Jawf, Amran, Hodeida, Mawit, and Sanaa governorates, including in Sanaa city. Contamination was also reported in Marib.

Saudi Arabia’s toxic legacy

In addition to killing and injuring hundreds of civilians, American-made weapons have exposed Yemen’s people to highly toxic substances on a level not seen since the now-infamous use of radioactive depleted uranium by the United States in Fallujah, Iraq, which to this day is causing abnormally high rates of cancer and birth defects.

The hazardous chemicals from Saudi Coalition military waste, including radioactive materials, fuel hydrocarbons, and heavy metals, has already led to outbreaks of disease. Vehicles abandoned on battlefields, usually in various states of destruction, contain toxic substances including PCBs, CFCs, DU residue, heavy metals, unexploded ordnances, asbestos and mineral oils. Hundreds of these military scraps remain publicly accessible in Nihm, al-Jawf, Serwah, Marib and throughout Yemen.

Aside from the threat they pose to life and limb, unexploded ordnances contain toxic substances like RDX, TNT, and heavy metals which release significant levels of toxic substances into the air, soil and water. According to both the Ministry of Water and Environment and the Ministry of Health, which have undertaken environmental assessments on the impact of urban bombing, high levels of hazardous waste and air pollutants are already present in a populated areas

Alongside the still unknown quantities of more conventional weapons remnants in Yemen, the waste from the cleanup of bombed-out buildings has been found to be especially contaminated with hazardous materials, including asbestos which is used in military applications for sound insulation, fireproofing and wiring among other things. Fires and heavy smoke billowing over heavily populated civilian areas following Saudi bombing runs also pose an imminent threat to human health. A common sight in many Yemeni cities since the war began, these thick clouds of toxic smoke sometimes linger for days and coat both surfaces and people’s lungs with hazardous toxins like PAHs, dioxins and furans, materials which have been shown to cause cancer, liver problems and birth defects.

Although a comprehensive nationwide environmental assessment of the impact of urban bombing in Yemen has yet to be completed, high levels of hazardous waste and air pollutants have been recorded by many hospitals and environmental agencies. Some idea of the long-term effects can also be gleaned from studies carried out in areas where similar toxins have been used, particularly by the United States in Fallujah, Iraq and in Vietnam,

In southern Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates operate largely unchallenged, the coalition has been disposing of military waste in large trenches devoid of any measures to mitigate potential toxic fallout. Waste is dumped into large holes and either detonated or simply buried, inevitably contaminating soil and groundwater according to data from the UN Environment Program.

Yemen’s coastline hasn’t been immune either. The country’s General Authority for Environmental Protection said Wednesday that the Saudi-led coalition is dumping toxic and polluted waste on the shores of Yemen and in Yemeni regional waters, causing great damage to the marine environment, the deaths of fish and marine organisms, and in some cases, actually changing the color of the sea to a toxic green

One hundred years to safety

Thousands of displaced Yemenis cannot fathom returning home due to the large number of explosives potentially hidden in and around their houses

Explosive remnants do not just impact lives and limbs, they prevent the use of potentially productive agricultural land and the rebuilding of important infrastructure.

Even if the Saudi-led coalition were to stop the war immediately and lift the blockade, its legacy of indiscriminate bombing on such a massive scale will be felt for years to come. Due to the intensity of the bombing, experts at the United Nations Development Program’s Yemeni Executive Mine Action Center estimate that clearance could take at least 100 years in larger cities. Despite these dangers, desperate families with nowhere to go do not waste a lull in the barrage of Saudi airstrikes or a short-lived ceasefire to attempt to return home – by Ahmed AbdulKareem

https://www.mintpressnews.com/cluster-bombs-toxic-waste-saudi-arabia-deadly-legacy-yemen/265897/

My comment: A very interesting article. Horrible. But why the author does not mention the Houthi landmines as well (ca. 1 million (?) planted nearly everywhere), which are explosive and toxic and will stay for a very long time as well, as on other theaters of war?

(** B K P)

Woher stammen die Waffen für den Genozid im Jemen?

Im Jemen kämpft eine achtköpfige Koalition unter Führung Saudi-Arabiens und der Emirate gegen die aufständischen Houthi-Rebellen. Die leidtragenden dieses genozidalen Krieges sind die 28 Millionen Menschen im Land, die von Hunger, Cholera und anderen lebensfeindlichen Bedingungen geplagt werden. Der Westen, allen voran die USA und Großbritannien, unterstützen die Koalition auf jede nur erdenkliche Weise. Die direkteste Form des Supports sind gewiss Waffenlieferungen. Laut den neuesten Zahlen des SIPRI-Friedensinstituts waren es im Laufe des Jemenkriegs 33 Länder, die Waffen im Wert von weit über 36 Milliarden US-Dollar an die Koalition verkauft – 58 Prozent davon stammen aus den USA, gefolgt von Frankreich, Russland, Großbritannien und Deutschland.

Die Komplizenschaft des Westens

Es ist lange zum Klischee geworden, dass, wenn die USA heute ihren Support für die Saudi-Emirate-Koalition einstellten, der Krieg im Jemen morgenfrüh zu Ende wäre – ein Klischee, das so plakativ wie zutreffend ist. Die Komplizenschaft Washingtons am Genozid im Jemen – die unter Obama als Beschwichtigung eines wegen des Iran-Deals vor Wut schäumenden Hauses Saud begann – umfassend aufzulisten, würde jeden Rahmen sprengen. Sie reicht von Luftbetankungen und militärischer Ausbildung über geheimdienstliche Kooperation und Targetauswahl in den Zentralen in Riad und Abu Dhabi bis zur politischen Rückendeckung und Legitimierung der protofaschistischen Regimes am Golf insgesamt (Trumps unterwürfiges Verhalten in Folge des Khashoggi-Mords nur als besonders schändliches Beispiel).

Ähnliches kann über Großbritannien gesagt werden – spielt London hier doch fast in einer Liga mit dem allumfassenden Support Washingtons. Die britische BAE Systems etwa ist de facto der operative Pate der Royal Saudi Air Force, ohne die nicht eine einzige Bombe auf jemenitische Krankenhäuser, Schulen, Moscheen und Hochzeiten abgeworfen werden könnte. Auch auf dem diplomatischen Parkett halten London und Washington den Völkermördern in Riad stets den Rücken frei, etwa wenn sie mit ihrem Veto im UN-Sicherheitsrat den Genozid im Jemen vor internationaler Ächtung immunisieren. Im Grunde macht sich die gesamte (westliche) Welt schuldig, indem dessen Regierungen durch ihr Nichtstun das Schlachten der Koalition politisch und so am Ende auch moralisch legitimieren: Können gegen Putin, Assad, Maduro und ihresgleichen Moralismus und geheuchelter Humanismus kaum unverblümter als politische Waffen instrumentalisiert werden, haben Washington, Berlin, Paris und London zu saudisch-emiratischen Kriegsverbrechen zumeist nur eines anzubieten: ohrenbetäubendes Schweigen.

Das Kriegswerkzeug

Doch die direkteste Unterstützung der verbrecherischen Saudi-Emirate-Koalition, die unmittelbarste Form der Komplizenschaft am Genozid im Jemen, sind die Waffenlieferungen der zumeist westlichen Staaten an die acht Koalitionäre. Um die Kritik an diesen Exporten von Kriegswerkzeug nicht nur allgemein und diffus-idealistisch formulieren zu können, müssen Zahlen her. Und diese Zahlen liefert das Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Die Exporteure

Selbstredend haben auch die Waffenexporteure äußerst unterschiedliche Anteile am Gesamtaufkommen. So verkauften von den 33 Ländern 19 Länder Rüstungsgüter für je unter 100 Million Dollar, neun davon für unter zehn Millionen. Die zehn größten Lieferanten haben zusammengenommen hingegen einen Anteil von fast 96 Prozent aller Waffenexporte, und nur die fünf größten einen Anteil von 89 Prozent:

Es ist wenig überraschend, dass diese unrühmliche Übersicht mit meilenweitem Abstand von den USA angeführt wird.

So lieferten die USA allein in den Kriegsjahren 2015–2019 Waffen in Wert von über 22 Milliarden Dollar an die acht Koalitionäre, was 57,7 Prozent entspricht und mehr als eine Verdopplung im Vergleich zum vorangegangenen Fünfjahreszeitraum darstellt

Mit einem Anteil von über 12 Prozent liegt Frankreich auf Platz 2 der Exporteure an die Kriegskoalition und hat über die Jahre gesehen ebenfalls deutliche Zuwächse zu verzeichnen.

Deutschland hat mit Waffenlieferungen im Wert von knapp 1,5 Milliarden US-Dollar in den Jahren des Jemenkriegs einen Anteil von 4 Prozent.

Wirtschaftsminister Peter Altmaiers Reaktion, als er von der Deutschen Well auf die unzweideutigen Ergebnisse von #GermanArms angesprochen wurde: „Mir ist davon nichts bekannt.“

Es ist diese Gleichgültigkeit gegenüber dem Leiden des Jemen, die von Altmaier hier zwar in seiner ureigenen Arroganz besonders schändlich kommuniziert wird, im Prinzip jedoch von den Regierungen und Rüstungskonzernen all der anderen Exporteure genau so geteilt wird. Es sind diese 33 Länder, die mit ihrer skrupellosen Exportpolitik das Töten im Jemen erst möglich machen – und für Profite und Einfluss buchstäblich über Leichen gehen. Und es sind allen voran die Führungen der fünf größten Exporteure, die neun von zehn aller Waffenlieferungen zu verantworten haben – die Regierungen in Washington, Paris, Moskau, London und Berlin –, die auch nach Bekanntwerden all der schändlichen Kriegsverbrechen im Jemen weiteres Tötungswerkzeug lieferten und so jeden weiteren Tag den Genozid im Jemen ermöglichen – von Jakob Reimann

https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=59379

(** B K P)

The Houthis’ War to Lose: The Battle for Marib

Yemen’s Houthis have defied the forecasts of numerous analysts who predicted that their grip on northwest Yemen would erode. Rather than being weakened, Houthi and allied forces are stronger and better organized than at any point over the last two years. The Houthis’ recent offensives in the Yemeni governorates of al-Jawf and, now, Marib attest to their continued strength as a cohesive fighting force.

Marib is a critical stronghold for the Saudi-backed government of Abd Raboo Mansur Hadi. Control of Marib, or even just parts of it, will not only give the Houthis control of key oil and gas resources, but will also curtail Saudi-backed forces’ ability to attack Houthi positions. Marib city, the capital of the governorate, is home to air and military bases used by Hadi-aligned forces. Without access to these bases, Hadi-aligned forces’ ability to operate in Yemen will be seriously impeded. Marib is also home to tens of thousands of IDPs.

The Houthis advance in al-Jawf and Marib builds on their longstanding strategy of consolidate, hold, and advance. While there have been numerous tactical setbacks over the last year, the Houthis and allied forces have maintained their ability to launch effective and deadly counter-offensives.

While the forces who oppose the Houthis possess more advanced weapons, and in theory, air support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), they do not have a coherent chain of command or effective leadership on the battlefields. [1] Additionally, the Hadi-aligned forces struggle with legitimacy and the maintenance of critical tribal support. In contrast, the Houthis and their allies—which include a significant and growing percentage of the critical “collar tribes” that ring Sana’a—have clear chains of command and broad tribal support. This support is not indicative of support for the “Houthi movement.” It is more likely that this support reflects tribal elites betting on those forces they think will win. This support is also based on the Houthis’ ability to successfully buy and coerce the support of key tribal power brokers.

Just as Yemen’s former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, did, the Houthis apply a carrot and stick approach to gain and maintain tribal support. Tribal and political elites who support the Houthis are included in the lucrative legal and illegal trade in gasoline, propane, food, and medical supplies. Those who support them are also incorporated—to a limited degree—into the Sana’a-based government.

In contrast, the Hadi-aligned government in exile has struggled with both legitimacy and with gaining consistent support from key tribal elites based in northwest Yemen. Even in Marib, the Hadi-backed forces are finding it difficult to maintain support. This is despite the fact that Saudi Arabia has flooded the governorate with money—money that has turned Marib into something of a boomtown

The forces opposing the Houthis in Marib are largely composed of men brought in from other governorates around Yemen. They are poorly paid, organized, and led, but most critically, they are outsiders. The web of alliances and loyalties in Marib will disintegrate if it comes under sustained pressure from a Houthi advance.

For months, Saudi Arabia has been scaling down the funding of its war in Yemen. Given the plummeting oil price, a global pandemic, and the unfolding financial crisis, the Kingdom and the UAE will likely begin re-evaluating their expensive and counter-productive policies in Yemen. The only thing likely to stop the Houthis from retaking most, if not all, of northwest Yemen is their own hubris. In Sana’a and in other areas, there is mounting evidence that the Houthis are becoming ever more oppressive and extractive. However, for now, the Houthis and their allies remain the most cohesive and militarily capable force in Yemen. It is their war to lose – by Michael Horton

https://jamestown.org/program/the-houthis-war-to-lose-the-battle-for-marib/

(** B K P)

Civil war rivals vie for Yemen's strategic Socotra island

Yemen’s Socotra island has become the center of a power struggle between the Yemeni government and the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC). Tensions have been running high, especially since two government battalions defected last month and joined the STC. The defections clearly indicate that Socotra is contested and polarization will continue, despite Saudi-led peace efforts in Yemen’s south.

Moreover, more US Marines arrived on the island March 7, raising new speculation that the United States wants to establish a military base there. Some Marines also had deployed in December to the island southeast of Yemen's coast.

discord continues in the south, and Socotra is a case in point.

Socotra, the largest island in the archipelago of the same name, has seen two recent cases of military mutiny against the Hadi government. The first occurred in early February when a coast guard battalion rebelled and declared allegiance to the STC. Soldiers hoisted the flag of the former independent state of South Yemen and brought down the flag of unified Yemen. Socotra Gov. Ramzi Mahroos accused the UAE of supporting the battalion's rebellion, warning in a Facebook post Feb. 4, “This matter instigates conflict and division in the province.”

The same month, another battalion defected, adding to the tensions on the island. The mutiny of military battalions has deepened the divisions on Socotra and could sow new confrontations between the Hadi government and the STC.

Mokhtar al-Rahbi, an adviser to the Hadi government’s Ministry of Information, tweeted Feb. 27 that UAE money has pushed the STC to begin a rebellion in Socotra to consolidate the UAE’s influence.

Seeing the UAE's ambition in Socotra, the Yemeni government has repeatedly slammed the Emirati role, demanding its expulsion. As the schism between the two has widened, mutual understanding and trust have become frail.

The UAE legacy will endure on Socotra, and loyalists — including the STC — will continue to consult closely with Abu Dhabi. The UAE may not have boots on the ground in Yemen's mainland, but it maintains powerful leverage in the south through its local allies whose military and political muscle has grown stronger since 2017 when the STC came into existence.

Mohammed Abdu, a Yemeni political journalist, told Al-Monitor the UAE plays a vital role in directing the scenario in Yemen’s south. “

Abdu said the battalions' recent defections clearly indicate the fragility of the Yemeni government, and its weakness has allowed the STC to emerge as an influential actor on the island. He added, “I don't think the STC is hugely popular on the island now, but if the government's fragility continues, the STC will be stronger and will take over Socotra, just as it did Aden.”

Fouad Mossed, an Aden-based political analyst, told Al-Monitor the latest rebellion in Socotra proves the UAE continues to push locals to confront the Yemeni government. “The struggle in Socotra is between the Yemeni government and the Emirates, and the latter moves the STC to accomplish its goals,” he said.

Critics of the Hadi government say it is responsible for the Socotra volatility, not the UAE.

The government, by itself, isn't capable of eliminating the secessionists' presence.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/03/yemen-socotra-government-defections-saudi-uae-influence.html

(** B K P)

The US is complicit in Saudi atrocities in Yemen

Five years after the start of the war, the US continues to support a Saudi-led coalition accused of war crimes.

Since then, the US and the United Kingdom have sold arms and provided technical and logistical assistance to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), both of which have conducted air raids on Yemeni soil.

Five years later, the US remains steadfastly committed to the Saudi-led coalition which has been accused, by a United Nations Commission of experts, of committing war crimes in Yemen.

Despite a Presidential veto of this legislation, and a certification by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claiming the coalition had taken concrete steps to protect civilians, pressure has continued to mount for the US to withdraw its support for Saudi Arabia.

This political pressure is a step in the right direction. It is a recognition of the treaty-based obligations the US continues to breach through its myopic policy in Yemen.

Take the US's affirmative legal obligation under Common Article 1 of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, which requires it to "undertake to respect and to ensure respect" for the Conventions in all circumstances.

The US has likely violated its negative obligation by continuing to furnish technical assistance to the coalition despite knowledge of credible allegations that the coalition has continuously violated international humanitarian law (IHL).
Reports of these IHL violations have continued even after Saudi promised the US that it would take steps to comply with IHL, which means that such violations have been foreseeable to the US for some time.
And the US could certainly be in violation of its positive obligation because the assurances it has received from Saudi (that it will take greater care to avoid indiscriminate targeting of civilians) are clearly not credible.

Thus, it is difficult for the US to argue that it is making reasonable efforts to prevent IHL violations when it accepts such empty assurances.

The civilian protection mechanism which does exist is also lacking in credibility: The Saudi-established Joint Incidents Assessment Team has been criticised by the UN for a lack of impartiality and transparency.

Lewis also notes that US officials have access to a database which pinpoints the role of American warplanes and munitions in any single coalition attack. But, despite concrete knowledge of the ways in which it aids and abets coalition war crimes, the US has refused to terminate its assistance. This behaviour hardly suggests an effort to "ensure respect" for the Conventions.

The US's legal failure over Yemen will have serious strategic consequences in the years to come.

First, the US has lost its moral credibility when it condemns war crimes committed in other armed conflicts.

Second, the US has arguably antagonised an entire generation of Yemeni civilians.

Violent armed fighters are likely to feed off the resentment and heartache of those who have lost loved ones.

There is an important lesson the US can learn from these failures.

It is imperative that the US - and other European arms suppliers - develop a set of concrete standards for determining a "cutting off point" when lawful assistance - for example, technical support for allied nations engaged in armed conflicts - should cease.

Nations which are disdainful of IHL have undoubtedly taken note of the US's continued support for Saudi. They are likely to be emboldened to continue their own behaviour in other armed conflicts because they know the US's criticisms will be widely seen as hypocritical given its continued support for the Saudi coalition.

After five years of contributing to the world's worst humanitarian crisis, any geostrategic triumph will, therefore, be vastly outweighed by the damage the US has done to its legal and moral credibility.

It is time for the US to end its complicity in the atrocities in Yemen – by Alex Preve

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/complicit-saudi-atrocities-yemen-200318155452649.html

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

(* A H P)

Houthis quarantine thousands of travelers in crowded quarters lacking basic necessities

One traveler pointed out the stupidity of the authorities, who didn't understand the meaning of quarantine, that those in isolation should not mix with elderly people

Travelers from Ibb governorate in southern Yemen said the Houthi measures imposed to restrict access to areas under their control have nothing to do with the prevention of coronavirus.

Last week the Houthis closed most of the roads in central Yemen that link their territory with areas under the control of Yemen’s internationally recognized government under the pretext of restricting the potential spread of COVID-19.

Al-Ghurbani emphasized that the concentration of people in one area puts a majority of people at risk of contracting the infection.

"If one of them gets infected, it could spread to others. It would have been better to transfer everyone to their own governorates, and they would be in self-isolation at home as long as they have housing, bathrooms and accessible areas for women," he said.

He pointed out the stupidity of the Houthis, who didn't understand the meaning of quarantine. He said that those in isolation should not mix with the elderly parents for a specific duration of time.

"Has the life of Yemenis become so cheap?” He asked.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/501

Photos: https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1241123788437274641

https://twitter.com/mokhbersahafi/status/1241117219888730113

Film: https://twitter.com/Somaja_Althawr/status/1241279300495605761

My comment: Oh my goodness. As if they wanted to spread the virus further.

and

(A H P)

Yemeni [Hadi] Government Condemns Detention of Hundreds of Travelers by Houthi Militia Under the Pretext of Quarantine

The Yemeni government called on the international community and the United Nations to urgently put pressure on the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia to release the hundreds of travelers it detained in the city of Afar in Al-Baidah, under the pretext of what it called a medical quarantine without applying the lowest health standards.
The government confirmed that it had taken all necessary measures in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and had examined all those coming from abroad at the border crossings to ensure that they were free from the symptoms of this virus and quarantine those infected.
In a statement published by Yemen Official News Agency (SABA), the government condemned that the Houthi militia had prevented travelers from entering the provinces under its control and detained them in the open without shelter since last Monday.
In its statement, the government said that this matter resulted in the suffering of hundreds of travelers as a result of being held in the open without shelter, without distinguishing between children, the elderly, and women, in an inhumane situation and not equipped with the most basic necessities for life.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2049889

Comment: This Gov should have tested travelers at points of entry and quarantined those who are positive. Saudi flooded #Yemen with travelers to overwhelm the system established for quarantine

https://twitter.com/AishaJumaan/status/1241441066923913216

(* A H)

CORONAVIRUS: ZEITFENSTER ZUM SCHUTZ FÜR ARME LÄNDER EXTREM KLEIN

Die internationale Hilfsorganisation CARE verpflichtet sich angesichts der Coronavirus-Pandemie ihre Hilfsprogramme anzupassen sowie ihre Arbeit zu erweitern. Fokus der Nothilfe ist vor allem die Bereitstellung von sauberem Trinkwasser sowie die Einrichtung von sanitären Anlagen in Ländern mit schwacher Infrastruktur.

„Aktuell ist das weltweite humanitäre System nicht auf einen größeren Ausbruch von COVID-19 in Krisengebieten und chronisch armen Regionen vorbereitet. Ärmere Länder mit einer extrem schwachen medizinischen Infrastruktur müssen jetzt unterstützt werden. Wir fordern die internationalen Geber daher auf, ihre finanzielle Unterstützung zu erhöhen, damit wir den am stärksten gefährdeten Menschen der Welt helfen können, bevor es zu spät ist“, mahnt Karl-Otto Zentel, Generalsekretär von CARE Deutschland.

https://www.care.de/aktuelle-meldung/meldung/News/detail/coronavirus-zeitfenster-zum-schutz-fuer-arme-laender-extrem-klein

(** A H)

Yemen in Focus: Despite rumours, thousands test negative for coronavirus in war-torn Yemen

Thousands of Yemenis have been tested for the deadly novel coronavirus that has spread through much of the globe, authorities have confirmed, noting all the results have come back negative in the war-torn country.

Yemen's health ministry assured it had provided tests for some 32,000 travellers entering through the Al-Wadeeah land port, which has now been closed as part of measures to keep COVID-19 out of Yemen, according to figures reported by Almasdar Online.

In the north, Yemen's Houthi rebels have also taken precautionary measures by closing entry points between rebel-held and government-controlled territory around the country. Earlier in the week, the rebels also suspended passenger flights in and out of Sanaa airport.

Despite thousands of rumours floating around the country, numerous sources have confirmed Yemen has not to date announced any cases of the COVID-19 illness, but the poor state of the country's health infrastructure after five years of war would mean that such an outbreak could be catastrophic.

"There are no confirmed cases in Yemen though there are thousands of potential rumours," WHO Yemen representative, Altaf Musani said on Tuesday.

"Authorities continue to track arrivals from a number of entry points, including land, air and sea. Specifically, there have been 4,515 that have been tracked and screened through those entry points and almost 80 percent continue to have follow up checks for 14 days after the initial screening," Musani said.

The UN agency, which has Rapid Response Units present across Yemen's 23 governates, has been actively working to deal with the rumours, checking up on potential cases across all districts in the country. Testing laboratories have been set up across Yemen's three foremost major cities, including the rebel-held capital Sanaa, government-held Aden in the south and the eastern city of Hadramaut.

"There are at least 26 ports of entry throughout Yemen, including land, air and sea and we have worked with authorities to make sure there is screening to take temperatures and report travel history. If confirmed, they are taken to quarantine," Musani said.

"The hospital system and overall health sector in Yemen is fragile and we don't want everyone overrunning the system, we want people to follow the process and know when to self- quarantine, in addition to all other protective measures to protect yourself, community from the virus," Musani said.

"There is a shortfall in testing capability but we are working to increase this. Beyond the testing there is making sure there is medical isolation and treatment a number of hospitals have started to prepare isolation units," Musani added, noting an immediate need for personal protection equipment, including gloves, gowns and goggles.

"We continue to work with all partners to step up materials needed to detect, treat, trace and isolate.

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2020/3/19/yemen-in-focus-despite-coronavirus-rumours-thousands-test-negative

and also https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/coronavirus-who-works-with-yemen-officials-to-prevent-covid-19-spread-1.994947

(* A H)

Film: Yemen suspends flights, closes schools amid coronavirus fears

Schools in Yemen are closed and flights are suspended and other restrictions are being enforced in fears of coronavirus spread.

In Yemen, a country already struggling with a five-year war is now preparing for the battle against coronavirus.

Despite the absence of any coronavirus cases in Sanaa, or elsewhere in Yemen, the government has suspended flights to and from Sanaa International Airport for two weeks and ordered the closure of schools and colleges to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/yemen-suspends-flights-closes-schools-coronavirus-fears-200319105953270.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZGIP7sUudc

(* B H)

Coronavirus would be ‘impossible to manage’ in conflict zones, says Red Cross head of health

Having people give priority to containing coronavirus could be challenge in war zones, where many face more immediate threats

People living in the most dangerous environments, including war zones and refugee camps, are worryingly defenceless against the coronavirus, aid agencies say.

But in conflict zones across the Middle East and worldwide, shattered health systems are ill-equipped to cope.

If the virus reached Syria and Yemen, the spread would be “impossible to manage", said Dr Esperanza Martinez, head of health for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“When we look at the future and whether or not the countries affected by armed conflict will be able to respond," Dr Martinez told The National. "The situation is very bleak.

In Africa, health services in countries affected by conflict, including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic already struggle to meet demand.

“Any additional strain would bring these systems to their knees,” Dr Martinez said.

In Yemen, where sanitation facilities and water provision is scarce, even basic precautions such as regular hand washing are often beyond reach.

“This is a wake-up call to the fact that health systems in situations of crisis need to be strengthened to be able to tolerate shocks like this one,” Dr Martinez said.

The Red Cross is distributing educational material to people in conflict areas while teams try to increase access to clean water in dozens of areas affected by crises.

Soap is included in the assistance packages given to families fleeing violence.

But the issue is not just resources, it is time.

International funding has been allocated to support low-income countries but with no vaccine yet available, there's a need to support health services if infections do surface.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/coronavirus-would-be-impossible-to-manage-in-conflict-zones-says-red-cross-head-of-health-1.991879

(* B H)

Coronavirus could cause 'carnage' among the world's refugees, aid groups say

It's only a matter of time before the coronavirus reaches refugees and asylum-seekers, experts say.

The coronavirus outbreak threatens to inflict "carnage" on refugees around the world who often live in cramped conditions, lack access to clean water and are in countries with failing or stretched medical systems, humanitarian aid groups say.

From Syria to Bangladesh to Uganda, the risk posed to people who have fled war and persecution is potentially dire, and only urgent international action can avert a catastrophe, aid organizations told NBC News.

"There will also be carnage when the virus reaches parts of Syria, Yemen and Venezuela where hospitals have been demolished and health systems have collapsed. "

Given the threat of COVID-19 now spreading across the Middle East, the situation in Yemen is "beyond worrying," Koteiche said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/coronavirus-could-cause-carnage-among-world-s-refugees-aid-groups-n1162861

(* B H)

COVID-19 and the Middle East

The COVID-19 coronavirus is spreading around the world, from China and Italy to the U.S., but what impact has it had on the Middle East? From Afghanistan to Morocco, the scholars and experts at MEI take a closer look at how the pandemic is affecting the peoples, economies, and countries of the region.

Yemen

With no competent government in place, Yemen might become the perfect disaster for a coronavirus outbreak, and with a health system that is on the brink of collapse, the country is far from prepared for it. The dire humanitarian situation offers an environment conductive to the spread of the virus. Eighty percent of Yemenis require humanitarian assistance and over 15 million are on the brink of starvation. Two million children are malnourished and more than three million displaced, lacking basic essentials like health care and food. Worst yet, two-thirds of Yemenis lack access to water, which is crucial to preventing the spread of the virus.

The Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels need to set aside their differences and coordinate in good faith to combat the pandemic. If no serious response is put in place soon, it threatens to wipe out millions of Yemenis.

https://www.mei.edu/blog/covid-19-and-middle-east#yemen

My comment: In the Iran chapter, the US sanctions are not even mentioned; just the Iranian leadership is blamed.

(* B H P)

Weakened by war and hunger, Yemen braces for coronavirus

COVID-19 has yet to be documented in Yemen, but Abdel Ilah, who manages the factory that opened three days ago, is getting ready for its arrival. “Coronavirus is knocking on the whole world’s door,” he said.

“It is a perfect storm of a disaster should this virus introduce itself,” the country’s World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, Altaf Musani, said.

Cholera, dengue, malaria and poor sanitation are rife and around 80% of Yemenis are reliant on humanitarian aid while millions live on the brink of starvation, leaving them vulnerable to other forms of disease.

On both sides of the divide, Yemen has stepped up measures to contain and mitigate against coronavirus should it appear, including screening and tracking arrivals.

In Sanaa, a rush on face masks as awareness about the disease increases has driven up prices.

“Demand for face masks is very high right now. Some pharmacies ran out and some are keeping the masks from people,” one pharmacist in the city, Mohammed Aaglan, said.

Currently Yemen has the capability to conduct a couple of hundred tests to confirm an infection with the virus at centers in Sanaa and Aden. More are on the way so a few thousand people can be tested, the WHO’s Musani said.

On Monday Houthi authorities said they had closed land borders with government-controlled parts of Yemen for two weeks except to goods traffic.

For Sanaa labourer Ahmed Abdel Karim, however, the virus is just one more danger among many.

“Us Yemenis, we’re not scared of the disease because it comes from God, while we could die each day from enemy air strikes.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-yemen/weakened-by-war-and-hunger-yemen-braces-for-coronavirus-idUSKBN2152Y9

(* B H)

Film: War-torn Yemen gears up for coronavirus battle

A rush to make face masks to prepare for coronavirus in a country where healthcare system has been ravaged by war.

In Yemen's capital Sanaa, a factory has opened to make medical masks in a bid to prepare for the spread of the coronavirus.

The country has not yet been hit, but with a healthcare system that has been decimated by years of war, people are not taking any chances.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/war-torn-yemen-gears-coronavirus-battle-200318111512007.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOE3Lg5Rc0o

(* B H)

YEMEN’S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, BATTERED BY WAR, BRACES FOR CORONAVIRUS

THE WORLD HEALTH Organization has yet to announce a case of Covid-19 in Yemen, but a new report sheds light on how years of attacks, many targeting hospitals and clinics, have helped push the country’s health system past the breaking point.

Years of restricted access and infrastructure damage, as well as attacks against hospitals and other facilities, have left the country’s health system unable to respond to preventable diseases, let alone a pandemic, Beckerle said. “We’re not talking about buying hand sanitizer or disinfectant. People can’t even purchase soap in some places. You have to think about the basic measures people are taking to protect themselves — those might be largely unavailable to people in Yemen.”

During the war, the health care system has been strained by preventable diseases, and the breakdown in sanitation led to the largest cholera outbreak in modern history, reaching more than a million cases. Before the war, Yemen was heavily dependent on foreign medical workers — many of whom have returned home — and imported virtually all of its pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

“Cholera is a pretty good example of a disease that shouldn’t exist anywhere on the planet where there is the bare minimum response capacity from a medical system,” Koteiche said.

Import and access restrictions from a Saudi and Emirati naval blockade, fighting, and siege-like conditions across swaths of the country have led to shortages in medicine and equipment.

But Beckerle said that the health system in the country is far from ready to tackle advanced preparations for a pandemic, such as increasing hospital beds or stores of medical equipment, like ventilators.

“The conversation is, can you get to a hospital, and do they have electricity?” Beckerle said. “And that is daily life.”

https://theintercept.com/2020/03/18/yemens-health-care-coronavirus-covid-19/

My comment: Whow. Who had not been infected, will be infected there.

(A H P)

Saudi-led Coalition Tried to Introduce Coronavirus to Yemen, Sana’a Warns

Head of the Committee for Combating Epidemics, Dr. Hussein Al-Makbouli, said that Saudi Arabia has sent about four thousand people to the Yemeni borders, resulting to a great congestion in the Yemeni land outlets in light of a shortage of medical personnel, health safety requirements, and basic services.

Dr. Maqbouli held the coalition, headed by Saudi Arabia, responsible for attempts to introduce the virus into Yemen. He also holds the mercenaries responsible for increasing the number of air flights via Yemeni airlines and opening airports in the occupied governorates.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11809

and the same claim here: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11813

My comment: This is conspiracy theory bullshit.

(* A H P)

Houthis suspend inter-governorate movement to government-held areas

Using the pretext of coronavirus outbreak control, the Houthis militia has suspended inter-governorate movement to and from the government-held territory.

The Houthis obligate passengers coming from the government-held territory to spend 14-day quarantine before being permitted to cross into the Houthis-held areas.

However, some passengers were permitted to cross into the Houthis-held areas after paying bribes to the Houthis security officials.

The action opens a new intimidation window for the Houthis to increases suffering of Yemeni citizens, passengers say.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-38505

and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-38506

My comment: Of course, anti-Houthi sources and the Hadi government blame the Houthis for this, and it is hard to imagine how this measure really should work:

(A H P)

[Sanaa gov.] Joint Technical Committee to Confront Coronavirus Confirms No Cases Were Recorded in Yemen

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11821

My comment: This is BS, actually nobody knows.

(A H P)

Sanaa training course on preparing for coronavirus

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3091340.htm

(A H)

Film: Qat dealers in #Yemen taking precautions not to spread #coronavirus

https://twitter.com/94_abodi/status/1240402928483143687

(A H)

Gesundheit: Zwei Verdachtsfälle von Korona und wurden als frei von dem Virus bestätigt

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091458.htm

(A H)

Sana'a, Hodeida coronavirus suspected cases tested negative: Houthis

Yemen has registered no laboratory-confirmed coronavirus-infected case so far, the Houthi health ministry and joint technical anti-coronavirus committee (JTACC) said Wednesday.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-15736.html

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3091485.htm

(A H P)

International evacuees from China complete quarantine in Abu Dhabi

Hundreds of foreign citizens, who were brought to the UAE from China as part of a humanitarian operation, have completed quarantine and are free of coronavirus.
The 215 students and their families were flown to Abu Dhabi during an evacuation of Hubei province, the origin of the outbreak, by the UAE, in co-operation with the Chinese government.
They were brought to the UAE at the request of their country's respective governments.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19655

(A H)

[Sanaa]- Gesundheitsministerium: Bisher wurden keine im Labor bestätigten Fälle von Coronavirus registriert

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091249.htm

Mein Kommentar: Das ist offensichtlich Unsinn; niemand kann das wissen.

(A H)

[Sanaa] Ministry of Health confirms No Cases Registered So Far in Yemen of Coronavirus

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3091251.htm

My comment: This obviously is nonsense; nobody can know.

(* A H)

Ravaged by war, Middle Eastern countries face a new scourge

When Dr. Ismail al-Mansouri goes to work in Yemen’s capital, he puts on one of the hospital’s few pairs of medical gloves. Then he enters a cramped clinic teeming with listless patients, many malnourished, some vomiting, others with diarrhea.

Al-Mansouri, a pediatrician, has been struggling for years to battle the rapid spread of otherwise preventable and treatable infections, such as cholera, that have surged in war-ravaged Yemen.

Now as the coronavirus outbreak intensifies in the region, he is faced with a new threat, one he can only hope to ward off with a handful of masks.

“I cannot even speak about our preparedness for the coronavirus,” he said, “because we have none.”

Long-running wars and conflicts across the Middle East have wrecked potential defenses against coronavirus outbreaks, leaving millions vulnerable in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, the Gaza Strip and elsewhere. Health care systems have been gutted; war has blasted key infrastructure.

So far Yemen, Libya, Syria and Gaza have not confirmed any infections. But doctors in many cases believe the virus has arrived and fear that a lack of disease surveillance systems — shortages of tests, basic supplies and properly trained professionals — is allowing an invisible pandemic to spawn.

Officials in Yemen and Libya offered reassurances this week that things were under control. But not everyone sees it that way.

“People are terrified,” said al-Mansouri, the Yemeni pediatrician. “May God protect us.”

https://apnews.com/c23185696378a3a7cfd811781d1a3314

(* A H)

Yemeni women rush to sew masks in face of virus peril

More than a decade after it closed, 20 Yemeni women have revived the war-torn country's oldest factory to make face masks in anticipation of an outbreak of the new coronavirus.

The situation is especially fraught because Yemen's health system has all but collapsed following years of conflict.

In the factory in the capital Sanaa, rows of desks line a cavernous hall with women in black niqab and white gloves hunched over sewing machines meticulously assembling medical masks.

For them, the situation feels like a race against time to prepare for the kind of outbreak that is already stretching wealthy, stable countries to the limit.

"We have been working on the masks since Monday and, thank God, we started working on them before the disease reaches us as a precautionary measure, without the need to import from outside," mask maker Faten al-Masoudi told AFP.

"I am willing to work here for free for the health of our children, infants and women," added Masoudi who, like all the women, does not receive a regular salary but is paid per mask.

The storied Chinese-designed factory opened in 1967 producing cotton, which was a major contributor to Yemen's economy in the 1970s, making garments including army uniforms before shuttering in 2005.

Parts of the complex have been damaged in airstrikes while others have become dilapidated.

Abdullah Shaiban, the factory's chairman, hopes the crisis preparations will see the site achieve its "full potential" (photos)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-8125509/Yemeni-women-rush-sew-masks-face-virus-peril.html

(* A H P)

Officials in Sana'a, Aden announce new measures to fight coronavirus

The measures include closing land borders along battle lines and conflicting instructions on the use of cash

Yemen’s internationally recognized government closed the country’s last functioning land border entry point for travelers on Tuesday, as part of measures to fight the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19.

The closure of the Al-Wadeeah land port, located on the Saudi border with Yemen’s eastern governorate of Hadhramout, will only be open for commercial shipping and the transportation of humanitarian relief.

The director of the land port, Mutlaq Al-Sayari, called on travelers to abide by the instructions. Free testing was provided for nearly 32,000 travelers by the health ministry and local authority in Hadhramout, and the results were negative, he told the government-run Saba news agency.

In an address Monday evening, Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed told the Yemeni people not to underestimate the seriousness of the disease

In the same address, Saeed called on Houthi officials in Sana’a to reverse the ban on new government-printed currency in Houthi-controlled areas in order to pay the salaries of the health sector and other government employees.

Houthi authorities, for their part, cited coronavirus in calling on people to limit the use of all cash in favor of an electronic payment system the rebel government has launched.

The Houthi-run High Ministerial Committee for Epidemic Control announced the closure of land ports between Houthi- and government-controlled areas to all travelers for two weeks, starting on Monday, but said cargo shipping will continue.

The committee also moved to abolish the use of fingerprint technology and stressed that the authorities should provide sterilization tools in all government departments and assign quarantine areas where procedural checks can be carried out in accordance with the Houthi-run Health ministry.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/480

(A H P)

[Sanaa] Economic Committee Calls for Limiting Use of Bills to Avoid Infection with Coronavirus

The Supreme Economic Committee called on all government agencies and organizations working in the field of providing cash aid, merchants, and citizens to reduce the use of money bills, and trend towards the use of electronic money in light of the increasing number of cases infected with the Coronavirus around the world.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11772

(A H P)

Maeen Abdulmalik calls Houthis for uniting efforts over Corona and health sector salaries

The head of the Yemeni internationally recognized government, Maeen Abdulmalek, on Tuesday evening, sent an important invitation to the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) over confronting the Coron virus and the health sector in Yemen.

Abdulmalik called the Ansar Allah group to "stop the decision to prevent the circulation of the new currency in the Houthi-controlled areas in this difficult circumstance so that we can pay the salaries of the health sector and the rest of the groups."

The Ansar Allah group (Houthis) has prevented the circulation of the newly printed currency in the governorates it controls.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-15726.html

(A H P)

Circular to completely stop all land trips to and from governorates outside the control of the Political Council and the Salvation Government under occupation (image)

https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/1240005941552005121

(A H P)

Film: Corona, Ibb, here, march Establishing a medical precaution point in the face of the Corona epidemic in Ibb governorate [Sanaa gov.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_gPtF43u60

(A H P)

Aden seaports endorses precautionary measures to control Coronavirus

The measures include checking all ships prior docking at the harbor, all sailors and crews should stay on the ships until being checked and make sure they proved negtive coronavirus tests.
Nobody should go into the ships before necessary checks are done and it is not allowed to receive passengers from other seaports.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19654

(A H P)

Yemen [Hadi] govt takes new steps to beat COVID-19

Yemen’s prime minister has urged people to band together to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the war-torn country, stressing that with its poor health facilities it cannot confront the virus on its own.
Maeen Abdul Malik Saeed said in a televised speech on Monday that his government was forced into shutting down airports, land crossings and schools to prevent the COVID-19 virus from sneaking into the country.
He appealed to Yemenis to set aside their differences and focus on his government’s precautionary measures.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1642946/middle-east

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2186506/yemen-calls-citizens-not-underestimate-coronavirus

https://debriefer.net/en/news-15726.html

http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/03/17/pm-precautionary-measures-need-to-be-effectively-applied/

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

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Friday, March 20th, 2020

In Hodeidah, A civilian was injured with US-Saudi gunshots in Attohayta district. A military bulldozer developed new fortifications in 50th St.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11823

(A K pH)

Aggressionskräfte begingen 118 Verstöße gegen das Hodeidah-Abkommen

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091504.htm

(A K pH)

Forces of aggression commit 118 violations of Hodeidah Agreement

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3091509.htm

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11820

(A K pS)

Yemen … dead and wounded in confrontations between the joint forces and “Ansar Allah” in Hodeidah

Clashes broke out, on Friday evening, between the Yemeni joint forces of the legitimate government and the Ansar Allah group, “Houthis”, in Al-Hodeidah Governorate, west of Yemen.

https://www.mbs.news/a/2020/03/yemen-dead-and-wounded-in-confrontations-between-the-joint-forces-and-ansar-allah-in-hodeidah.html

(A K pH)

Neue Verstöße der Aggressionstruppen in Hodeidah

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091455.htm

(* A K P)

Yemen’s Legitimate Government Sets Conditions for Return of Liaison Officers to Hodeidah

During his meeting Wednesday with ambassadors of Britain, US, France and Russia in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, Hadhrami pointed out that Houthis are hindering the United Nations mission and have targeted the member of the pro-government liaison officers at joint observation posts, Colonel Mohammed Abdurrab Sharaf Al-Soleihi.

In order for the government team to resume its work, Hadhrami stressed that a number of measures must be taken.

These include securing observation points, removing landmines, pressuring Houthis to allow the deployment of UN monitors at all observation points and moving the headquarters of the UN Yemen Observation Mission (UNYOM) to a neutral location.

The FM also stipulated that the militias allow UN patrols to resume their work, which has been suspended since October, open safe humanitarian corridors in Hodeidah and lift restrictions on the movement of the UNYOM head and members.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2188606/yemen%E2%80%99s-legitimate-government-sets-conditions-return-liaison-officers-hodeidah

(A K pS)

Hodeidah: Houthis target more civilians in Hays

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19671

(A K pS)

Child injured by Houthi bullet in Hodeidah (photo)

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19665

(B K pS)

Film: 6 Engineering teams in the West Coast ... a tremendous responsibility and efforts to remove and destroy the Houthi death mines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfIHaUOsbg0

(A K pH)

120 Verstöße der Aggressionskräfte gegen Hodeidah-Abkommen

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091445.htm

(A K pH)

Aggression forces violate Stockholm Agreement in Hodeidah

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3091431.htm

(A K pH)

Fortwährende Verstöße gemeldet in Hodeidah

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091372.htm

(A K pS)

50-year-old man killed by Houthi sniper in Hodeidah

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19661

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Wednesday, March 18th, 2020

In Sa'adah, two civilians were injured with Saudi missiles and artillery shells that targeted populated villages in Razih district.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11782

(A K pS)

Films: Dead and wounded, the destruction of mechanisms and the mass flight of the Houthi militia in Hodeidah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff9D58aZfZ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFpV0IZqCIw

(A K pH)

130 Verstöße der Aggressionskräfte in Hodeidah

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091336.htm

(A K pH)

130 violations of aggression forces in Hodeidah

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3091349.htm

(A K pS)

Houthis suffer heavy losses in Hodeidah

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19658

(A K pH)

Aggressionskräfte setzen ihre Verstöße gegen das Hodeidah-Abkommen fort

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091255.htm

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Tuesday, March 17th, 2020

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11765

(A K pS)

Joint forces down second Houthi drone in Hodeidah

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19653

cp2 Allgemein / General

(* A K P)

Interactive Map of Yemen War

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(* A K)

COMBAT FOOTAGE: HOUTHIS CRUSHING SAUDI PROXIES IN NORTHWESTERN YEMEN (map, photos9

https://southfront.org/combat-footage-houthis-crushing-saudi-proxies-in-northwestern-yemen/

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MARCH 18, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-18-2020-map-update/

(* B K pS)

The Yemen War in Maps – Explanations in Arabic

https://twitter.com/abduljabbar1612/status/1240389420156686340

(* B H P)

Saudi Arabia and UAE accused of exploiting aid to prolong war in Yemen

The Sana’a Centre for Strategic Studies has alleged that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are using international relief agencies as tools to prolong the war in Yemen. It made the allegation in its monthly report issued on Thursday.

The Centre accused Saudi Arabia and the UAE of exploiting their position as the largest contributors to the humanitarian relief efforts in Yemen by claiming that they are saving Yemeni lives, while simultaneously taking lives and destroying the country’s economy and infrastructure. According to the report, the provision of relief to the Yemenis has allowed Saudi Arabia and the UAE a route in so that they can continue to feed the conflict in search of their desired goals.

Furthermore, the report also explained that the Houthi group has corralled UN agencies and international organisations tightly and turned relief efforts amounting to around $4 billion in 2019 into a major source of income for the movement. It pointed out that international agencies and organisations have put aid principles to one side in order to secure access to the needy.

“In doing so, however, these humanitarian actors have reluctantly been providing hefty subsidies for Houthi operations,” the report said, “which include weaponising starvation, recruiting child soldiers, planting millions of landmines in civilian areas, sexual violence and mass campaigns of arrest and torture.”

The report quoted humanitarian workers as saying that, as soon as aid reaches Houthi-controlled areas, the group dictates its terms on how to store and transport it, where and when this will happen, and to whom it is distributed.

“Houthi forces have used their control over access to aid, or the threat of its denial, as a means to recruit soldiers from hungry communities in Yemen, to reward support or punish dissent in northern areas, and for cash income through selling the aid supplies on the market,” the Centre added.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200320-saudi-arabia-and-uae-accused-of-exploiting-aid-to-prolong-war-in-yemen/

and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-15795.html

(* B K P)

Film: Wikileaks - »Staatsfeind« Julian Assange entlarvte die Kriegsverbrechen der USA u.a. im Irak, Jemen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFKA5loMHkE

(A P)

Arabs urge Yemen's Houthis to allow UN to assess oil tanker

Six Arab countries are urging the U.N. Security Council to exercise "maximum efforts" to persuade Yemen´s Houthi Shiite rebels to allow the United Nations to inspect a tanker moored in the Red Sea while loaded with over a million barrels to prevent "widespread environmental damage, a humanitarian disaster and the disruption of maritime commerce."

In a letter to the council circulated Thursday, they warned that in the event of an explosion or leak "the possibility of a spill of 181 million liters of oil in the Red Sea would be four times worse than the oil disaster of the Exxon Valdez Exxon, which took place in Alaska in 1989."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-8133129/Arabs-urge-Yemens-Houthis-allow-UN-assess-oil-tanker.html

and also https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-sudan-djibouti-egypt-jordan-yemen-united-nations-houthi-oil-tanker

My comment: This is somewhat odd as the Houthis do not reject UN access, but even demand it. The unsolved question is: Both the Houthi side and the Hadi government require that they should get the money which can be made by selling the oil stored on Safer, which lies in a Houthi-held port.

(* A P)

SAM Calls on the Parties to the Conflict in Yemen to Release the Detainees amid Concern over COVID-19 Spread

SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, based in Geneva, demanded today Houthis militia, the Southern Transitional Council militia affiliated to the Emirates and the forces of the legitimate government, to release all detainees in Yemeni prisons, amidst concern over Coronavirus spread in Yemen where there is no healthy system can cope with this disaster.

SAM said the parties to the conflict in Yemen should release the detainees in light of the poor conditions in Yemeni prisons and lack of adequate health, medical and humanitarian conditions, which threatens the lives of the detainees.
SAM stressed that the situation in Yemen is serious and foreshadows a real catastrophe if the epidemic spreads, especially since there are hundreds of detainees suffering from chronic and serious disease due to the detention conditions and lack of appropriate health and medical conditions in the detention facilities.
SAM issued a report on the 20th of November of this year, titled "Slow Death," documenting the condition of the sick detainees inside the prisons.
SAM said that the current situation of detainees should not be politicized or manipulated, but to consider the humanitarian side, and all parties should move immediately to take alternative legal measures stipulated in the law of criminal procedures

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/491

(* B K P)

ACLED Regional Overview – Middle East (8-14 March 2020)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/acled-regional-overview-middle-east-8-14-march-2020

(A K pS)

37 human rights violations committed in Taiz during February

A human rights report said that the Houthis militia committed scores of human rights violations in Taiz city during the past February.

The Human Rights Information and Training Center, (HRITC) a local human rights NGO based in Taiz which prepared the report said that it documented 37 human rights abuses against civilians in Taiz.

Seven civilians among them three children were killed in incidents attributed to the Houthis militia and other non-state armed men, according to the report.

Two children were killed by an explosive device and the other was killed by a Houthis’ sniper, the report said.

One civilian was killed by direct shooting incident by the Houthis and other non-state armed men killed another one in a similar method.

Other anonymous gunmen killed two other civilians.

The report detailed that its documentation workforce has also reported injury of four civilians among them one child and two women.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-38485

(A K pH)

Film: # Al-Hazm # Al-Jouf Scenes from Al-Hazm Directorate, Al-Jouf, after its purification and the defeat of the forces of aggression,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_80PRhjRaQ = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q7OcFLI7I8

(* A K P)

Der Gouverneur [der Sanaa-Regierung] von Shabwa verurteilt die amerikanische Präsenz im Hafen von Balhaf

Der Gouverneur von Shabwa, Ahmed Al-Hassan Al-Amir, verurteilte nachdrücklich die Aggression der Söldner gegen den Einmarsch amerikanischer Streitkräfte in den Hafen von Balhaf im Gouvernement Shabwa.

Der Gouverneur betrachtete, in einer Erklärung gegenüber der jemenitischen Nachrichtenagentur (Saba), die amerikanische Präsenz im Hafen, als Stigma in der Stirn der Söldner der Aggression und als Beweis dafür, dass Amerika direkt hinter der Aggression steht, mit der das jemenitische Volk seit fünf Jahren konfrontiert ist.

Er betonte, dass die Bemühungen der VAE und Saudi-Arabiens, eine Militärbasis an der Küste von Balhaf zu errichten, eine direkte Bedrohung für die jemenitische nationale Sicherheit und eine offensichtliche Verletzung der nationalen Souveränität darstellen.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091221.htm

Meine Bemerkung: Er ist ein Schatten-Gouverneur ohne Land. Shabwa liegt im Südjemen. Von US-Truppen im Jemen erfährt man aus westlichen Medien gar nichts.

cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade

(* B P)

Coalition of of US-Saudi Aggression Prevents Arrival of 15 Oil Ships in Yemen, Detention Exceeds 4 Months

A source in Hodeidah port revealed today, Thursday, that the coalition of aggression continues to detain 15 ships loaded with oil derivatives in the context of the siege crimes imposed by the coalition on Yemen. The source confirmed that the detained ships carry more than 330,000 tons of gasoline, diesel and gas.

The source said one of the oil derivative ships exceeded the detention period of 4 months despite obtaining a permit from the United Nations. The source had announced on the 9th of this March that the coalition navy continues to detain 16 ships loaded with more than 380,000 tons of oil and food derivatives in front of Jizan port.

"The detained ships held 291324 tons of gasoline and diesel, in addition to 8,518 tons of gas, 24,978 tons of soy and corn, along with 15,067 tons of flour, 25,500 tons of wheat, and 17,500 tons of rice", the source added.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=11808

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B H)

RDP: Yemen: Monthly Situation Report No. 02 (February 2020)

RDP ensures that food insecure families in hard-to-reach areas have adequate access to food rations.

Providing 750 individuals with safety tools to minimize work injuries when doing hard labor.

RDP increases the number of targeted households by listing 66 more in cash assistance in Khairan Al-Muharraq district of Hajjah Governorate.

764 workers receive their cash vouchers for the third round of conditional cash transfer assistance in Hajjah Governorate.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-monthly-situation-report-no-02-february-2020

(B H)

Building bridges in Yemen

20 million Yemenis lack health care. A new air-bridge scheme won't help them all, but it could help to build trust (register for reading)

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30672-3/fulltext

(* B H)

Making a Difference in Yemen, One Child at a Time

Despite crippling effects of five years of conflict on the country's health system, community health facilities keep at it, with UNICEF support.

With the country's health system on the brink of collapse, it has been years since many health workers have received a salary. And yet with UNICEF's support, many keep at it, alongside UNICEF health workers who have stepped in to help fill the void. UNICEF and partners are also providing medical supplies and other support facilities needed to keep delivering services.

“UNICEF is striving to help strengthen the system, to reach every child with an integrated package of essential health services,” says Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, a UNICEF health manager in Yemen. To expedite that effort, UNICEF-supported health workers go out into the communities to identify those who are sick, malnourished or both, and refer them for facility care. The earlier these kids can be identified and connected with services the better, she says.

"Malnutrition is a very big problem," Dr. Rafique says. Children who are malnourished, she notes, "are at much higher risk of comorbidities such as pneumonia and diarrhea. So we are trying our level best to invest in community health networks and primary health care facilities."

Many families who need to bring their children in for specialized care can't afford transportation, so UNICEF is also providing vouchers to help cover those costs. "More resources are required to scale up these services," Dr. Rafique says.

Supporting health facilities and health workers is just part of UNICEF's ongoing response in Yemen. Teams have been on the ground since the beginning, coordinating with other UN agencies and partners in country to bring relief in every programmatic area, from water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to education.

https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/making-difference-yemen-one-child-time/37043

(* B H)

Amid the conflict and suffering, Yemenis’ generosity stands firm

For the last two years, Freya Raddi has overseen the ICRC's assistance programmes in Yemen. As she finishes her mission, the aid worker says she wants to return to Yemen one day, but not as a humanitarian.

Yemen gets under your skin. It's the people more than anything. Their smiles, their tears, their strength and most of all, their generosity.

The end of my mission in Yemen coincides with the five-year anniversary of the conflict. It also coincides with the dawn of another threat – coronavirus.

Yemenis have endured so much in the last five years. In a country where around half of the health facilities are functioning, coronavirus would impose great challenges for the country.

There are different levels of vulnerability everywhere in the world. But in Yemen there's an active conflict. People are displaced and wounded. They have limited access to food and basic services.

All measures to prevent the virus from spreading in the country are necessary. The health picture is bleak enough as it is without this added danger.

Negotiating access

When I started my mission with the ICRC two years ago, I quickly became accustomed to waking up to the sound of explosions. In the afternoon, yet more blasts. In the evenings too.

Don't overlook the women

A couple of weeks ago we did manage to get to the town of Marib, some 100 miles east of the capital Sana'a. The town has seen an influx of people in recent weeks due to an escalation in the fighting in the surrounding area.

I remember Marib from when I was in Yemen during the nineties studying Middle Eastern Studies. Back then it was a small village. Today it is a booming city with oil and businesses. It also has more than 90 camps for people uprooted by conflict. Together with the Yemen Red Crescent, we distributed food and aid for around 70,000 people.

In one of the camps I met a child who told me to come see their house. The house was a tent. The tent was home to five families, each with their own children.

I sat and spoke with the women. Women may not be that visible in Yemeni society, but theirs is an important perspective and they should not be overlooked. They have the burden of the family and the situation on their shoulders.

They told me their stories. They had all arrived within the last 48 hours, all of them had been uprooted by the conflict two or three times.

https://www.icrc.org/en/document/amid-conflict-and-suffering-yemenis-generosity-stands-firm

(* B H)

Civilians in Hayfan district in Taiz governorate complain about the death of livestock that was provided by @FAOYemen under the food security program for poor and affected households (photo)

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1240689443758997504

The livestock died one by one as a result of a strange disease. The disease has started to spread among their own livestock, extending to remote villages after the international intervention.

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1240689446812438528

(* A H)

Film: Civilians in #Taiz suffer to secure drinking water. #women & #children would spend hours to get to their homes carrying heavy bottles through mountains & long roads. Another result of the brutal siege on #Taiz by #Houthi militia in #Yemen.

https://twitter.com/ycmhrv/status/1240655931219808262

Civilians in #Taiz suffer to secure drinking water. #women & #children would spend hours to get to their homes carrying heavy bottles through mountains & long roads. Another result of the brutal siege on #Taiz by #Houthi militia in #Yemen.

https://twitter.com/ycmhrv/status/1240655931219808262

(B H)

UNHCR Yemen Situation: 2020 Funding Update (as of 10 March 2020)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unhcr-yemen-situation-2020-funding-update-10-march-2020 = http://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/Yemen%20Situation%20Funding%20Update%2010%20March%202020.pdf

(A H P)

UNFPA Welcomes Japan’s Support for Women’s Protection in Yemen [EN/AR]

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unfpa-welcomes-japan-s-support-women-s-protection-yemen-enar

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

(* B H)

Jemen: Der Gewaltmarsch der Oromo

Jemen: Hunderttausende aus der Volksgruppe der Oromo fliehen vor der Armut in Äthiopien zu Fuß durch den Jemen bis nach Saudi-Arabien. Im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen werden sie von kriminellen Banden drangsaliert.

Hunderttausende aus der Volksgruppe der Oromo fliehen vor der Armut in Äthiopien zu Fuß durch den Jemen bis nach Saudi-Arabien. Die Volksgruppe der Oromo stellt ein gutes Drittel der Bevölkerung in Äthiopien, aber viele von ihnen leben in so bitterer Armut, dass sie bereits zu zehntausenden zu Gewaltmärschen von gut 2.000 Kilometern aufgebrochen sind, um am Ende im reichen Saudi Arabien hoffentlich Arbeit und eine Zukunft zu finden. Dieser Weg ist eigentlich unpassierbar, wegen seiner Länge, der vielen Gefahren durch Plünderer und Menschenhändler, der Steinwüste in den Galafi-Bergen und der sengenden Sonne an der Grenze zu Dschibuti. Sie brechen auf mit kaum mehr als dem, was sie am Leib tragen können, sie hungern tagelang, der Durst zwingt sie immer wieder in die Knie.
Vom Hafen in Obock aus überqueren sie nachts und in völlig überfüllten Booten das Rote Meer, um schließlich am Strand des gefährlichsten Teils ihrer Reise zu landen, dem Jemen, einem Land mitten im Bürgerkrieg. Dort herrschen kriminelle Banden über die Routen der Migranten: Sie kidnappen viele Oromo und foltern sie so lange, bis die Angehörigen von zuhause ein Lösegeld überwiesen haben. Damit ruinieren sie auch noch das Leben der Familien in Äthiopien. Die ARTE-Reporter Charles Emptaz und Olivier Jobard liefen mit, auf diesem Gewaltmarsch der Migranten aus Äthiopien
.

https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/030273-737-A/arte-reportage/

Meine Bemerkung: Der Film war schon einmal verlinkt, hier jetzt bei Arte.

(A H)

Four-year-old girl killed in devastating fire at Yemen refugee camp

A four-year-old girl was killed in a fire that broke out at a refugee camp in Yemen’s Hodeida on Thursday, according to local reports.

Khatemah Mastoor died at the Al-Alili camp, east of Al-Khokha district in southern Hodeida, Almasdar Online reported, citing aid workers.

Four others were injured in the fire that also destroyed vital equipment, including 14 tents and relief supplies.

Al-Alili camp houses some 200 families that have been displaced by Yemen's ongoing brutal conflict. In July 2019, the camp was targeted by heavy Houthi shelling.

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/3/18/child-killed-in-devastating-fire-at-yemen-refugee-camp

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

(* A K P)

Houthis impose financial penalties for refusing conscription

Yemen’s Houthi militia has introduced conscription to get new recruits in the Ibb governorate, where fighting on several fronts is being intensified. The southern province is under Houthi control.

According to Yemen Shabab.net, the Houthis have formed field committees to impose conscription on young men across the province.

“The militia has committed tribal leaders who are loyal to the Houthis to recruit at least two people from each village and push them to the front,” one source explained. “Financial penalties have been imposed on those who refuse to be recruited. This has already happened in Al-Qafr district.”

The source pointed out that Houthi leader Abdel Fattah Ghallab, who is from Al-Qafr, was appointed by the movement to collect such penalties from the people in the district. Each family, it is said, must pay 50,000 Yemeni riyals for every young man who does not go to the front in support of the “military effort”.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200320-houthis-impose-financial-penalties-for-refusing-conscription/

and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-38531

(A P)

Al Houthi militants from Sa’ada governorate in northern Yemen clashed with al Houthi militants from Taiz governorate in Taiz governorate in southwestern Yemen on March 19. The al Houthi militants from Sa’ada reportedly arrested al Houthi militants fighting in Taiz governorate that refused to fight in other governorates.[4]

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

(A P)

Industrieminister bestätigt Verfügbarkeit von Waren auf dem Markt für sechs Monate

Der Minister für Industrie und Handel, Abdulwahab Al-Durra, bestätigte die Verfügbarkeit von Grundstoffen und Lebensmitteln in ausreichenden Mengen, um die Bedürfnisse der Bürger für einen Zeitraum von sechs Monaten zu befriedigen.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091443.htm

Mein Kommentar: ??????????????

(A P)

There are enough foodstuffs on market for 6 months: Minister of Industry

Minister of Industry and Trade Abdulwahab al-Durrah on Thursday reassured the people on the stability of the food supplies and the ration situation in the capital Sanaa and the rest of the province.

Al-Durrah pointed out that the basic and food items are available in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of citizens for a period of six months.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3091434.htm

My comment: ?????????????

(A P)

The Houthi group has continued to hold passengers at various checkpoints in al-Baydha governorate under the pretext of controlling #coronavirus.

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1240688808334471168

(* A P)

Genehmigung die Schließung von Zugangspunkten zu und von den von den Invasoren kontrollierten Gebieten in Taiz

Das Technische Komitee für Epidemien im Gouvernement Taiz hat in seiner Sitzung am Mittwoch unter der Leitung des Gouverneurs des Gouvernements, Vorsitzender des Komitees Salim Mohammed Al-Mughals, die Vorsichtsmaßnahmen zur Bekämpfung des Corona-Virus gebilligt.

Wo das Komitee die Schließung aller Kreuzungen und Straßen genehmigte, die die Teile trennen, die unter die Autorität des Obersten Politischen Rates fallen und den Besatzungs- und Söldnerkräften in Taiz und den Gouvernoraten Lahdsch, Aden und Al Dhalea unterliegen, und Flüge von und zu diesen Gouvernoraten bis auf weiteres einstellen.

Sie wies darauf hin, dass die Entscheidung im Zusammenhang mit Vorsichtsmaßnahmen zur Bekämpfung des Corona-Virus und auf der Entscheidung der Allgemeinen Landverkehrsbehörde beruht.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091371.htm

(* A P)

Houthis tighten siege on Taiz under pretext of coronavirus prevention

Roads linking Houthi- and government-controlled areas have been closed in Taiz and Hodeidah

The Houthis have closed most of the roads in central Yemen that link their territory with areas under the control of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, under the pretext of precautionary measures to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus.

Houthis closed the rugged mountain road linking their stronghold in the Al-Hawban area east of Taiz city (the capital of Taiz governorate) with the city center, which is held by pro-government forces, local residents told Almasdar Online. The road linking Al-Hawban with neighboring Lahj governorate has also been closed.

In Hodeidah governorate on the Red Sea coast, the rebels cut off access to the road between Hees city, which is under government control, and Houthi-controlled areas north and east of Hees district, the residents said.

The restriction of movement of citizens and commercial trucks is in accordance with the directives of the Houthi-run High Ministerial Committee for Epidemic Control to prevent the spread of coronavirus in areas under their control.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/487

(A K P)

Mohammed al-Houthi comments on recent major Yemeni victory

Al-Houthi congratulates Yemeni forces for Operation Amkn Minhum and calls for end to Saudi-led invasion

https://www.uprising.today/mohammed-al-houthi-comments-on-recent-major-yemeni-victory/

(* A P)

Houthis announce financial rewards for arresting of coalition and government leaders

Ansar Allah group (Houthis) announced Wednesday evening that it will provide financial rewards to all who contribute to the arrest of leaders of the coalition or forces affiliated with the Yemeni internationally recognized government.

The military spokesman of the Ansar Allah group (Houthis), Yahya Saree, told a press conference that he was among the priorities of his group in the coming stage to arrest the leaders of the coalition and government forces.

He said that everyone who contributes to the arrest of any of the coalition leaders, "local or foreign", regardless of his degree, "will receive care and attention in addition to a large sum of money."

https://debriefer.net/en/news-15743.html

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200319-yemen-sanaa-offers-rewards-for-arrest-of-local-foreign-leaders-of-saudi-coalition/

(A P)

30 of deluded released in Ibb province

The concerned authorities in Ibb governorate on Wednesday released 30 of the deluded persons on the occasion of the National Resilience Day and the memory of the martyr Commander Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3091338.htm

My remark: “Deluded” = detained former supporters of anti-Houthi parties / forces.

(A K P)

Strafgericht hält Sitzung ab, um Studentenbus-Massakers Täter in Dhahyan vor Gericht zu stellen

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3091319.htm

(* A P)

Pro-Houthi court sentences 19 senior army officers to death

A Houthi court in the Yemeni capital Sanaa yesterday passed the death sentence on 19 senior army officers loyal to the UN-recognised government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Details were made public by the defendants’ lawyer.

Abdul Basit Ghazi said on Facebook that the sentences were handed down by the Specialised Criminal Court. The lawyer pointed out that Vice President Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar and Defence Minister Muhammad Ali Al-Maqdashi are among those facing the death penalty.

According to Ghazi, the court found the defendants guilty of “impersonation crimes, aiding the enemy and inciting the Saudi-led coalition countries to launch a war against Yemen.” He added that the judgement included the confiscation of their movable and immovable belongings. The lawyer explained that the court rejected the defence team’s insistence that the criminal court does not have the authority to try military officials.

Both Al-Ahmar and Al-Maqdashi were sentenced in absentia. It is not clear whether the remaining defendants are held by the Houthis.

Earlier this month, the same court sentenced 35 pro-government parliamentarians to death on charges of “cooperating with and inciting Saudi Arabia to wage war on Yemen.”

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200318-pro-houthi-court-sentences-19-senior-army-officers-to-death/

and also https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2186491/houthi-court-orders-execution-17-govt-military-leaders-including-yemen-vp

(A P)

Houthis evict students from Sana'a University housing, citing coronavirus concerns

About 2,600 university students were given three days to vacate their apartments

Houthi authorities have evicted students from a major Sana’a University residential complex, claiming that it is a precaution against the spread of coronavirus.

The Sana’a-based Charitable Housing Administration, now run by Houthi-appointed officials, published a notice on Sunday evening stating that all students should leave the complex by March 16, warning that no student would be allowed to stay there after March 18.

The residential complex is the largest of its kind in Yemen, housing 2,600 students who are studying at Sana'a University.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/481

My comment: What for? What does this help against the virus? Where should they go now? Depending on where they come from, going home would mean a long journey through the country. A splendid possibility to get infected (or to infect others). Caring for coronavirus means people should stay where they are.

Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp6 – cp18

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-634b-yemen-war-mosaic-634b/

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-633-yemen-war-mosaic-633

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-633 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-633:

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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