Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 644 - Yemen War Mosaic 644

Yemen Press Reader 644: 21. April 2020: Neun Dinge, die man über Jemen wissen muss – Humanitäre Hilfe und Korruption im Jemen – Bericht aus Huthi-Gefängnis – Coronavirus und Jemen – und mehr

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Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

April 21, 2020: Nine things you need to know about Yemen – Humanitarian help and corruption in Yemen – Report from a Houthi prison – Coronavirus and Yemen – and more

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-644b-yemen-war-mosaic-644b

Klassifizierung / Classification

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

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and 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

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp12b Sudan

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade

cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage

cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(Kein Stern / No star)

? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating

A = Aktuell / Current news

B = Hintergrund / Background

C = Chronik / Chronicle

D = Details

E = Wirtschaft / Economy

H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions

K = Krieg / War

P = Politik / Politics

pH = Pro-Houthi

pS = Pro-Saudi

T = Terrorismus / Terrorism

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

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

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

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

Neue Artikel / New articles

(** B H)

Nine things you need to know about Yemen right now

1. The humanitarian situation in Yemen, in its sixth year of conflict, is still the worst in the world.

Some 24 million people, which is 80 per cent of the country’s entire population, require some form of assistance or protection.

2. COVID-19 is now in Yemen, and we are running out of time.

The country needs urgent support to deal with the pandemic. Epidemiologists warn that COVID-19 in Yemen could spread faster, more widely and with deadlier consequences than in many other countries. Nearly 18 million people in Yemen do not have regular access to clean water, and the conflict has destroyed health-care facilities and left people with some of the lowest levels of immunity and highest levels of acute vulnerability in the world.

3. Major UN programmes in Yemen face reduction or closure, with devastating impact on efforts to prepare for COVID-19.

Of the UN’s 41 major programmes in Yemen, 31 will start to close in the next few weeks if we do not secure additional funds. Up to 1 million displaced people will not be able to receive critical supplies – including hygiene items that help protect against diseases such as cholera and COVID-19. Nutrition programmes will also be cut, affecting 260,000 severely malnourished children and 2 million more children with moderate malnutrition. At least 80 per cent of health services provided through the response could stop at the end of April. This could mean disbanding local health teams that have been and would be essential in detecting COVID-19 and containing past disease outbreaks such as cholera.

4. Yemen’s currency could collapse as the global economy grapples with the impact of COVID-19.

Rapid, uncontrolled currency depreciation was a key factor in bringing Yemen to the brink of widespread famine 18 months ago. The price of oil, Yemen’s main source of revenue, has fallen, which will make it harder for the country to pay for salaries or for imports, which the country relies heavily on. Most Yemenis depend on remittances, which is estimated to bring in more than $3 billion a year. But economists predict that remittances could drop by as much as 70 per cent in the coming months as COVID-19 slows down economies.

5. Yemen’s health system is on the verge of collapse.

Nearly half of health facilities are non-functioning or partially functioning. Equipment and medical supplies are inadequate or obsolete, and health workers have gone without pay or received irregular pay for more than two years.

6. Malnutrition rates among women and children in Yemen remain among the highest in the world

More than 1 million women and 2 million children require treatment for acute malnutrition.

7. Civilians, mostly children, are bearing the brunt of the violence.

In the first quarter of this year, civilian casualties have risen every month, with more than 500 people killed or injured. One in every three civilian casualties has been a child. In Al Jawf – where hostilities escalated in mid-January – that rate is now one in two.

8. Humanitarian aid has been a lifeline for many Yemenis.

Every month, we help more than 13 million people across Yemen, and provide food to nearly 12 million of those people. In 2019, humanitarian agencies supported 3,100 health facilities and conducted 17 million medical consultations. More than 11 million people were able to access clean water and sanitation and nearly 1 million acutely malnourished children were treated.

9. UN agencies estimate they need more than $900 million to carry them through July.

So far, we have received about $800 million in pledges and contributions for the response this year. At this time in 2019, the equivalent figure was more than three times higher – about $2.6 billion. We need support to stay and deliver (photos)

https://unocha.exposure.co/nine-things-you-need-to-know-about-yemen-right-now

(* B H K)

Film: Testimonies on the Impact of War in Yemen

Listen to moving testimonials about #Yemen's impact of war. UNDP's recent reports find impact on inequality, poverty & psychology is profound. #COVID19 will only add to these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4H1R3rOkIs

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

Siehe oben / Look above

(** B H P)

Corruption cripples Yemen

While many nations are vocal supporters of international assistance, the amount pledged compared to their contributions differ drastically. This financial aid is further reduced by corruption and payoffs that plague both the Yemeni government, Houthi forces and the in-country staff of NGO’s who have siphoned off millions via protection, ghost shipments, uncompetitive contracts or just blatant theft. The crisis is so rampant, that the UNDP believes the few medical centres in operation struggle with shortages of essential medicines, supplies, healthcare workers, safe water, fuel and power, despite the hundreds of millions in funding provided for their assistance.

At the heart of the issue, the amount of aid needed to successfully implement wide-scale medical and social support structures in war-torn nations is exceedingly large. It simply is not being met by the international community.

This means budgeting for vaccine programs or medical centres is drastically limited, placing groups like the International Red Cross or the WHO into a hopeless situation, as the large amount of work they carry out is achievable only by working with the factions that have split Yemen in half. Several ex-officials interviewed by the AP believe that this capitulation to the militia groups is causing more harm than good.

The clearest evidence of medical assistance being used to economically support the war effort has been the Houthi run Ministry of Health demand in 2018, for the UN to supply 45 ambulances that were subsequently placed into front line military use. The UN’s complete lack of understanding of the political situation in the region provides a clear view of how the political and military climate of Yemen has crippled the fight to get Cholera vaccines and basic medical equipment to at-risk populations. It has directly resulted in economic material and political support from international peacekeeping groups going to the war fighters, culminating in more harm for the civilian populations that the WHO has sworn to protect.

The weakening of the international rules-based order, combined with the UN’s weak position and their reliance on government-approved visas, have crippled any attempts by officials to speak out about corruption within all levels of the medical and governmental systems.

When approached for comment by the Associated Press, Youssef al-Hadri, the spokesman of the Houthi-run Health Ministry, asserted that claims of Houthis blocking shipments were false, stating that “this is all baseless, and I challenge the agencies to say this officially,” knowing that in doing so, the agencies would be signing their deportation papers. This strong-arming forces Geert Cappelaere, the Middle East director for UNICEF, to simply state to the Associated Press of an existing “skepticism among the authorities on both sides” about the value of cholera vaccines. A statement as spineless as it is telling about how the powers that be view the aid they are provided, not as a source of assistance but as an economic commodity to be milked for all its worth.

However, the mismanagement would be limited to simple state-run extortion if it wasn’t for the rampant corruption inside NGO’s and UN office staff deployed to Yemen.

The politicisation of NGO’s supply of medical aid and economic support within Yemen is dictated by the Republic of Yemen’s legal system, which rules that “The Minister has the right to, for security or political reasons, freeze/suspend the operations of any organization, and the Minister also has the right to present the case to the judiciary.” It cripples NGOs’ ability to make any statements or refusals to any of the minister’s requests, since doing so would likely result in the organisation’s visas being cancelled outright. This initial act of complicit corruption by the NGO’s and UN agencies caused a ripple effect throughout all organisational levels. It directly affects the people of Yemen, who are now neglected by both their government and the international community – by Callum Reeves

https://theowp.org/reports/corruption-cripples-yemen/

My comment: This report is by “Organization for World Peace”. It is very critical on behalf of the Houthis – which certainly is reasonable in this regard. But look at other topics – whether Ukraine or Venezuela or Iran or others – to realize that this organization actually is a supporter of US foreign policy: This looks like a fake NGO fishing in left waters.

(** B P)

Yemen: Euro-Med Monitor Documents Torture in Houthi Prison

Houthi rebel groups are detaining captives in shocking conditions, finds the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and the Association of Abductees’ Mothers in Yemen. Human rights violations are rampant and the overcrowded living conditions are particularly dangerous in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report, titled, “Hanish Prison: the Houthi ‘Dungeon’,” profiles violations against two Yemeni civilians as examples. The two were detained in Hanish Prison without charge, then subjected to physical and psychological torture, deprived of food and medicine and denied visits by family members—severe infractions of international law conventions.

The report provides the names and nicknames of the prison officials and Houthi investigators.

Euro-Med Monitor and the Association of Abductees’ Mothers obtained testimonies from former detainees, who described the situation inside the prison and the violations they to which they were subjected by Houthi militants. These included denial of food, water and medicine, along with physical and psychological torture, sexual abuse and other violence.

The report documents the pattern of human rights violations in the Houthi-run prison since 2014, with a map showing both the institutions’ layout and the deployment of Houthi forces inside Yemen. In addition, the lists the legal provisions to which the Houthi administration should adhere, including prohibiting arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearance, and cruel and inhumane treatment.

Euro-Med Monitor and the Association of Abductees’ Mothers demand that the Houthi organization release all abductees held in Hanish Prison and halt all further detention without charge.

The two organizations also ask the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to inspect Hanish Prison to document living conditions. Moreover, they call on the member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn all Houthi violations of human rights in Hanish Prison, including abduction, enforced disappearance, torture and the denial of basic rights, including health care.

The groups’ report urges the international community and, in particular, the U.N. Security Council to fulfill the legal and ethical duties laid out in U.N. conventions by advocating for the closure of all Hanish and other Houthi prisons.

The report also calls on all parties to pressure the Houthis to adhere to international law and conventions that prohibit human rights violations against unarmed civilians, as well as to hold perpetrators accountable—including Houthi leaders themselves.

The Houthi group not only used the existing prisons in the country, but rather established unofficial and secret prisons and places of detention, to practice violations, notably enforced disappearance and torture, away from human rights organization and without any legal accountability. The Yemeni Abductees’ Mothers Association documented about 244 prisons and places of detention used by the Houthi group spreading all over Yemen. According to field reports, the number of abductees and enforced disappearance cases by the Houthi group reached about 12,636 in 20 Yemeni governorates, including doctors, politicians, academics, activists, and educators.

Unofficial prisons are known locally to be former government buildings and state institutions. Secret detention centers are usually located at checkpoints, homes of political opponents and citizens, places of worship, and schools, which were taken over by the group to hide and torture civilians. These places are managed by officers who support the group under nicknames and refuse to deal with legal mechanisms.

Hnaish prison is one of many prisons in Al Hudaydah, at which Yemeni civilians are subjected to various types of abuses, including physical and psychological abuse and torture, as well as food, medicine, and family visits depravations, which are serious violations of the provisions, charters, and customs of international law

In this report, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and the Abductees’ Mothers Association document these violations by the Houthis supported by many testimonies of detainees. The report reviews legal recommendations that the Houthi group must adhere to, relating to the prohibition arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearance, and cruel and inhuman treatment

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-euro-med-monitor-documents-torture-houthi-prison

and full report: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Hanishprisonenreport.pdf

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics

(* B H P)

U.S. readying 'substantial' aid to help Yemen fight coronavirus

The United States is preparing a “substantial contribution” to help Yemen combat the coronavirus, but it may have to find alternatives to the World Health Organization (WHO) to spend it, a senior U.S. official told Reuters, days after President Donald Trump slammed the U.N. agency’s handling of the pandemic.

“We are trying to get some funding into Yemen for COVID-19 countermeasures. We have the tranche underway that would hopefully make it possible,” said a senior State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, declining to reveal exactly how much Washington was planning to spend.

“It would be a substantial contribution and we’d figure ways to get through existing networks and reliable health organizations because we are caught on this rock of the WHO at the moment, which does a lot of good work in Yemen by the way. So we may have to find alternative avenues,” he said.

Trump announced last week a halt to U.S. funding for the Geneva-based WHO while Washington reviews the organization’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has accused WHO of promoting Chinese “disinformation” about the virus, saying this had probably worsened the outbreak.

According to a factsheet from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington pledged some $27 million for the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, 2019, for health and nutrition work by the WHO in Yemen.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-yemen/u-s-readying-substantial-aid-to-help-yemen-fight-coronavirus-idUSKCN2231FF

My comment: Trumpistan had reduced aid to Yemen, had reduced aid to the WHO, now does what? Are they proud of having spent less than a dollar per capita in Yemen, how many billions did US arms producers make with selling arms to destroy Yemen?

(* B H K P)

Film: Yemen’s Civil War and Coronavirus: A Perfect Storm

As the first cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in war-torn Yemen, the sides agreed to a ceasefire which didn’t last one day. Information from the war-torn land is hard to come by, and yet arms dealers continue to fuel the war for profit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkFFE8itDFk

(* B H P)

Conflict, poverty and inequality undermine COVID-19 fight in Yemen

In a country of over 30 million, there are three doctors and seven hospital beds per 10,000 people, only 51 per cent of health facilities are fully operational and two-thirds of Yemenis have no access to basic healthcare. With limited testing capacity – including only three testing sites in Sana’a, Aden and Mukalla – the spread of COVID-19 will bring untold human suffering and will crush Yemen’s healthcare system.

Many Yemenis face underlying or unaddressed conditions that place them at greater risk and undermine the preparedness and response to COVID-19. Some of these include lack of food, health services and infrastructure as outlined in UNDP Yemen’s Impact of War studies. Even something as seemingly simple as handwashing is a luxury in Yemen as half the population lacks access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. And social distancing for poor families and the 3.6 million internally displace persons who live in overcrowded locations appears impossible.

Combatting COVID-19 must not come at the expense of vital humanitarian assistance that will help address these issues. An insufficient humanitarian response will only force Yemen’s vulnerable population to adopt negative coping strategies to survive and will increase the risk of famine in a country where already more than 10 million people do not know from where their next meal will come.

Simply put, the lack of funding for COVID-19 and the defunding of the Humanitarian Response Plan cannot continue without catastrophic consequences. Already, 31 of Yemen's 41 United Nations programmes must either reduce their assistance or shut down completely if there is no more money.

To ensure the COVID-19 curve is flattened, bold steps must be taken across Yemen to enable an effective health response.

https://www.ye.undp.org/content/yemen/en/home/presscenter/statements/2020/conflict-poverty-and-inequality-undermine-the-covid-19-fight-in-.html

(A K P)

583 people leave quarantine centers in Saada

About 583 expatriates left the quarantine centers in the district of Saada City on Monday after the end of the precautionary quarantine period, which confirmed that they are free of the Corona virus.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3094717.htm

(* B H P)

Naher Osten: Unicef fordert Corona-Hilfsgelder für Kinder

Die Covid-19-Pandemie trifft auch den Nahen Osten hart.

Besonders im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen sei die Lage laut Unicef besorgniserregend.

Das UN-Kinderhilfswerk fordert mehrere Millionen, um Unterernährung und Todesopfer zu verhindern.

Wenn man die Kinder dort nicht jeden Monat unterstütze, steige die Sterblichkeitsrate unter jenen mit schwerer akuter Unterernährung um 50 Prozent. Bereits zuvor sei es schwierig gewesen, die Bedürfnisse der Kinder im Jemen zu erfüllen, durch Covid-19 noch mehr.

Im Jemen leiden laut Unicef zwei Millionen Kinder an Hunger, etwa 400.000 davon haben eine schwere akute Unterernährung. Das zusätzliche Geld werde für eine Reihe von Hilfen benötigt, um die Folgen der Pandemie abzumildern, so Chaiban. Neben den üblichen Ernährungs- und Impfprogrammen, hilft Unicef beim Errichten von Isolationszentren und verbessert die Wasser- und Sanitärsysteme. Außerdem werbe das Hilfswerk für Händewaschen und das Abstandhalten zu Sozialkontakten, was gerade in überfüllten Gebieten und Flüchtlingslagern schwer sei.

Im Jemen ist bislang nur ein Coronavirus-Fall bestätigt worden, allerdings sind die Testmöglichkeiten vor Ort beschränkt. Befürchtet wird, dass sich das Virus unbemerkt im Land ausbreitet.

https://www.rnd.de/gesundheit/naher-osten-unicef-fordert-corona-hilfsgelder-fur-kinder-HR4ARQD6QXGWWIKJQ2JPKB2BDY.html

(* B H P)

UNICEF concerned about COVID-19 impact on Mideast children

The UNICEF on Monday expressed concern at COVID-19 impact on children in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where the current situation is "expected to increase poverty by an additional 8 million people .. half of them are children."
The MENA "region is home to nearly 25 million children in need including refugees and internally displaced, the majority of whom were uprooted due to armed conflicts and wars in Syria, Yemen, Sudan, the State of Palestine, Iraq and Libya," the child organization said in a statement.
"The region has the biggest number of children in need in the world due to ongoing conflicts and wars. It has the highest unemployment rates among young people," UNICEF MENA Regional Director said.
"Nearly half of all children in the region live in a multidimension of poverty; deprived of basic services including education, housing, nutrition, health care, safe water, sanitation and access to information," Ted Chaiban added.
"The combination of lack or inadequate basic services, years of conflict, poverty, deprivation and now COVID-19 are hitting vulnerable children the most, making their hard lives simply unbearable.
"The longer all of this goes on, the deeper the impact will be, especially on children," he warned.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16618.html

(A H P)

UNICEF expands response programs to face coronavirus in Yemen

UNICEF is scaling up initiatives across Yemen "to provide families and their communities with the necessities needed to protect themselves against the spread of COVID-19," the UN child organization said Sunday in a statement.
"Any spread of COVID-19 in Yemen could be devastating for the vulnerable communities that UNICEF are already working to serve," it warned.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16594.html

(A H P)

Al-Walidi: No coronavirus case in Aden

Al-Walidi added following clinical checks the patient turned out to have been suffering since 20 days from acute disease of respiratory system, symptoms of coronavirus don't apply to him.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19877

and

(A H P)

Yemen's Health Ministry reports suspected case of coronavirus in Aden

The Ministry of Health in the Yemeni internationally recognized government received a notification of a suspected case of the novel coronavirus last Thursday in the interim capital, Aden.

The ministry said in a statement that "the central operating room in the Ministry of Public Health and Population was informed of the presence of a suspected disease condition for a Yemeni citizen in the capital Aden, and immediately the rapid response team was assigned to go to the field for the purpose of investigation and taking samples according to the protocol adopted for such a case and in accordance with instructions And WHO guide."

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16586.html

My comment: A must happen.

(* B H P)

Yemenis stranded abroad demand rescue flights

Hassan lives in Saudi Arabia, while his brother lives in Yemen. Both want to leave India.

The abandoned nationals have appealed to their government to arrange repatriation flights as they are running out of money and food. “Our only demand is returning home,” said Hassan. “Do they want us to die here? We do not mind staying in quarantine in the desert at home. I also want to go back to my family in Saudi Arabia.”

A crumbling health system in war-torn Yemen led thousands of its citizens to seek treatment overseas. But some have been forced into borrowing money from friends and relatives while abroad after spending what they had on food and healthcare.

“We moved to a new, cheaper flat and borrowed $20 from one person and another $50 from another,” Mutaher Hassan, a Yemeni patient who traveled with three others to Egypt last year for a liver transplant, told Arab News. “All hospitals here have been closed due to the disease. My mother and brother want to return home very soon. We spend our time praying, eating and sleeping.”

He urged the government to evacuate them quickly as his friends in Egypt and relatives in Yemen and Saudi Arabia had stopped funding him. “Everyone is suffering from financial problems, even my relatives in Saudi Arabia,” he added.

Yemen also closed land crossings with Saudi Arabia and Oman, leaving hundreds of Umrah pilgrims in the Kingdom.

Several Yemenis stuck in Egypt and India who spoke to Arab News said they preferred being quarantined in Yemen rather than living with no money or help abroad.

Yemen’s internationally-recognized government is considering several options to address the problem, such as sending urgent financial assistance or asking them to bring medical reports showing they were not infected with coronavirus.

The Yemeni government might also ask host countries to test Yemenis and supply them with a medical report. Those who test negative would be allowed to return. Buses would ferry them from airports to their homes, the Yemeni government official said.

But some Yemeni provinces that host functioning airports, such as Hadramout and Aden, reject the idea of repatriating Yemenis before putting them in quarantine, fearing the rapid spread of coronavirus. “It is true that there is a strong opposition to the idea of bringing back the stranded people soon,” the official said.

“We do not even want to live in a hotel in India,” Hamoud Hassan said. “The government should be using the money for buying fuel for the planes that would carry us. $200 would not solve our problems.”

https://www.yemenonline.info/special-reports/3357 = https://www.arabnews.com/node/1661151/middle-east

(* B H K P)

Covid_19 : Winning The Battle in Yemen

Amidst an already collapsed healthcare system, in a fractured country where local authorities are failing to provide basic necessities such as security, food, and clean water, Yemenis now fear the worst. Since the first case of COVID-19 has now been confirmed, everyone inside and outside Yemen knows that the spread of COVID-19 throughout the country is inevitable.

Yemenis know that neither they nor their country is ready to deal with and fight this deadly and vicious virus, especially since they know that most preventive measures that have proven to be effective elsewhere are difficult to implement in a poor country like Yemen where most national institutions are paralyzed. Their fear is magnified daily by the continuing conflict and armed clashes and battles raging throughout the country

Winning the battle against COVID-19 in Yemen amid the continuing conflict is simply mission impossible. Therefore, a ceasefire is necessary to protect against the spread of COVID-19 and to focus the efforts on a common enemy that threatens all.

Yemenis are now worried about COVID-19, but they have been living with the devastation of war, a cholera outbreak, and famine for over five years, and they desperately need the international community to put its full weight and pressure to work and push each party to bring this war to an end.

https://yemenonline.info/focus/3349

(A H P)

Update: Houthis announce test results of suspected cases in UN housing were negative

After claiming that three UN staff in Sana’a have been infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), on Saturday evening the Houthis’ main humanitarian body announced that the test results of the three individuals have come back negative.

“The three suspected cases of COVID-19 infection at the UN residence in Sana’a are free from the new epidemic,” the Houthi-controlled Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (SCMCHA) stated in a memorandum addressed to representatives of the UN and international organizations operating in their areas of its control.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/665

and

(A H P)

COVID-19 update: UN refutes Houthi claim that three aid workers are infected with coronavirus

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen (OCHA) has denied Houthi claims that three UN staff in Sana’a have been infected with COVID-19.

An official in OCHA's office told Almasdar Online that the information in a Houthi memorandum released on Thursday was "incorrect.”

“There are no cases or suspected cases of infection,” said the official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Issued by the Houthi-controlled Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (SCMCHA) to international NGOs in Sana’a, the memo stated that UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, declined to reveal the identities of the staff with the suspected infections.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/659

(A H P)

Al-Bahssani inaugurates hospital, quarantine center in Hadramout

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19873

(A H P)

# The port of Aden takes precautions against #Corona

Aden Port Administration said: “We must commit all shipping companies to spray ships with sterilizers before entering, spraying includes the surfaces of the ship and living rooms, and the ship’s ladder, after that, boarding the ship with its medical staff with the camera and modern devices for inspection, in addition to examining the crew belong to the ship, to submit a report to the port management in on the case of ship.

The port administration indicated that when a suspected case is discovered in the ship, it is directed to leave the ship immediately and not allowing any of its crew to go to the port berth, as well as providing all protective requirements for workers, workshops and sterilization of all the departments and buildings of the institution with sterilizers on a daily basis

https://en.smanews.org/the-port-of-aden-takes-precautions-against-corona

(A H P)

Preaching and Guidance for Transitional Council in #Aden launches wide sterilization campaign for mosques

The campaign aimed to spray sterilizers targeting a large number of mosques in the capital districts.

In a special statement, Sheikh Mohammad Ramzo said that the campaign of preventive spraying and sterilization of the mosques of the capital comes within the efforts of the transitional council in confronting the Corona virus, indicating that this campaign will target the mosques of the capital Aden.

https://en.smanews.org/preaching-and-guidance-for-transitional-council-in-aden-launches-wide-sterilization-campaign-for-mosques

(A H P)

Civil defense forces carries out spray and sterilization campaign #Mukalla to combat #Corona virus

https://en.smanews.org/civil-defense-forces-carries-out-spray-and-sterilization-campaign-mukalla-to-combat-corona-virus

(A P)

Governor of #Hadramaut directs Dr. Al-Jariri to speak officially to media every evening on developments of health situation in the governorate

https://en.smanews.org/governor-of-hadramaut-directs-dr-al-jariri-to-speak-officially-to-media-every-evening-on-developments-of-health-situation-in-the-governorate

(A P)

Chairman of #Corona Virus Response Committee delivers two important messages upon developments

https://en.smanews.org/chairman-of-corona-virus-response-committee-delivers-two-important-messages-upon-developments

(A H)

Health Director of #Hadhramaut: People contacted with the #Corona case in Al Shehr reached 300

https://en.smanews.org/health-director-of-hadhramaut-people-contacted-with-the-corona-case-in-al-shehr-reached-300

(A H)

‘Aden coronavirus quarantine complete by 70%’

The director of the [Hadi gov.] Health Ministry’s office in Aden said on Saturday a quarantine being readied in the temporary capital city as a precaution against coronavirus is now complete by 70%.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/04/19/aden-coronavirus-quarantine-complete-by-70/

(* A H)

We need to get back to #Yemen I'm stuck here in Amman of #Jordan along with 100s #Yemenis others. Many people have no money to stay here for a long time. I'm appealing our government, #Jordanian goverment to help us and to let us go home Fatik

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1251643624577806336

(A H P)

624 expatriates leave quarantine centers in Saada city directorate

About 624 expatriates left on Saturday the quarantine centers in the district of Saada City after the end of the precautionary quarantine period, which confirmed that they are free of the Corona virus.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3094489.htm

(A H P)

Anti-coronavirus awareness campaigns launched in war-ravaged Yemen

Local humanitarian organizations on Saturday continued to launch awareness campaigns in various war-ravaged Yemeni areas about preventive measures against COVID-19.

In the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah which is witnessing sporadic fighting between Yemen's government forces and Houthi rebels, a humanitarian campaign began educating the local people in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-04/18/c_138988352.htm

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

(* B H K)

Der Himmel über Hodeida

Jemens wichtigster Hafen am Roten Meer ist ein Schlachtfeld. Zu Besuch in einer Stadt, die der Schlüssel sein kann: für Aufbau oder Untergang.

Es ist sechs Uhr morgens, an einem heißen Sommertag Ende Juli 2019 in Hodeida. Radi Fuad Abdul Rasul und seine Familie liegen noch in den Betten, als die Rakete einschlägt. »Danach erinnere ich mich nur noch an Staub und Rauch. Meine Frau schrie die Namen unserer Kinder.« Auf den ersten Einschlag folgt ein weiterer, der das Haus nebenan trifft. Ein Mann ist auf der Stelle tot. Die dritte Bombe schlägt in einem Geschäft gegenüber ein und verwundet drei Passanten. Radi schafft es, seine Kinder aus den Trümmern zu befreien.

Während er mit leichten Gesichtsverletzungen davonkommt, sind seine Kinder bis heute von den Folgen des Bombenangriffs gezeichnet. Nuseiba ist 14 Jahre alt, ihr Körper ist übersät von Schrapnellwunden. »Sogar am Hals und am Rücken«, merkt ihr Vater an. Ihr sechsjähriger Bruder Hamza liegt auf derselben Station, ein paar Betten weiter.

Das Krankenhaus liegt ein paar Hundert Meter vom Zuhause der Familie entfernt, das nun teilweise in Schutt und Asche liegt – wie immer mehr Straßenzüge und Häuserzeilen. »Der Waffenstillstand in Hodeida hält nicht – Sie sehen ja, was meinen Kindern widerfährt«, sagt Radi und streichelt Hamzas Haar. »Wir trauen niemandem mehr, die Menschen fliehen. Wer bleibt, wird sterben.« (kostenpflichtig)

https://magazin.zenith.me/de/gesellschaft/jemens-wichtigster-hafen-und-der-krieg

(A K pS)

Film: A Houthi mine kidnaps the life of the fisherman, Waheeb ... and his children are waiting for his return

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu_yBgQ6_pg

(A K pH)

85 Verstöße der Aggressionstruppen in Hodeidah am Montag

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3094783.htm

(A K pH)

In Hodeidah, US-Saudi artillery shells targeted Addurayhimi district. US-Saudi aggression carried out 85 violations in the last 24 hours.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12450

(A K pH)

Verstöße in Hodeidah gehen weiter

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3094673.htm

(A K pH)

Aggression coalition carries out 58 violations in Hodeidah

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3094758.htm

(A K pH)

Armee [der Sanaa-Regierung] beschießt ein Spionageflugzeug für die Aggressionstruppen in Al-Duraihimi, Hodeidah

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3094657.htm

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Sunday, April 19th, 2020

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12438

(A K pH)

[Sanaa gov.] Army shoots down Saudi Spy plane over Hodeidah

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3094678.htm

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12442

(A K pH)

68 Verstöße gegen das Hodeidah-Abkommen innerhalb von 24 Stunden

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3094633.htm

(A K pH)

Aggression forces commit 68 breaches of Hodeidah agreement in 24 hours

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3094613.htm

(A K pS)

Houthis target residential areas in al-Tuhita

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19869

(A K pH)

73 Verstöße der Aggressionstruppen in Hodeidah innerhalb von 24 Stunden

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3094533.htm

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Mercenaries Commit 73 Violations of Stockholm Agreement in Hodeidah

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12419

(* A K P)

Yemeni gov't calls for UN Hodeida mission stoppage

The Yemeni internationally-recognized government on Saturday called for the UN Mission to Support the Hodeida Agreement (UNMHA) be stopped and its HQ relocated, noting that Stockholm Agreement is no longer applicable.
"The martyrdom of Colonel Mohamed al-Solaihi, while performing his duty as part of UN mission, proves that the [Houthi] group has no convention and that Hodeida deal is inapplicable," the Yemeni foreign minister tweeted.
"We won't forget Solaihi and his killers," FM Mohamed al-Hadhrami added, calling for UNMHA "work be stopped until murderers are held accountable, and its HQ relocated into neutral area in Hodeida to be freed from Houthi grip."
The government liaison officer, Mohamed al-Solaihi, was shot on 11 March by a Houthi sniper

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16593.html

and also https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2242911/yemeni-government-calls-ending-un%E2%80%99s-hodeidah-mission

My comment: This is taking this killing as a pretense. Make war, not peace.

And

(A K P)

Saudi-backed Yemen government says ceasefire agreement ‘unenforceable’

Yemeni Foreign Minister, Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, said on Saturday that the UN-brokered Stockholm agreement on a ceasefire in Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah is “unenforceable”.

Al-Hadharmi’s remarks came after an official member of the Yemeni government’s agreement implementation team, identified as Mohammed Al-Sulihi, was assassinated by Houthi militants on 11 March.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200420-saudi-backed-yemen-government-says-ceasefire-agreement-unenforceable/

And

(A K P)

Joint forces warn Houthis, hold int'l team responsible for officer al-Sulaihi killing in Hodeidah

The joint forces of the Yemeni internationally recognized Yemeni government said on Sunday that they will not stand idly by over the lack of commitment of the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) to the ceasefire agreement in the Hodeidah governorate in western Yemen, warning the Houthis from the "consequences of continuing to violate the ceasefire".

In a statement, the joint forces mourn Colonel Mohammed Abd al-Rab al-Sulaihi, a liaison officer for them in the ceasefire oversight committees in the city of Hodeidah

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16599.html

and

(* A K P)

Yemeni gov't UN reneged responsibilities, Stockholm pact dead

The Stockholm Agreement is ceased to be, the Yemeni internationally-recognized government said Friday after one of its liaison officers died of injuries inflicted by a Houthi sniper, accusing the UN envoy and chair of it mission in Hodeida of reneging their responsibilities.
The government liaison officer, Mohamed al-Solaihi, was shot on 11 March by a Houthi sniper at an observation point in the western port city of Hodeida, and was taken to Aden for treatment.
"The martyrdom of Colonel al-Solaihi in an Aden hospital reaffirms that the [Houthi] group has no convention or faith, and cannot be a partner in making peace," Yemeni information minister tweeted.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16567.html

and

(A K P)

[Hadi] Government, anti-Houthis forces mourn UN ceasefire monitor killed by rebel sniper

A funeral was held in the port city of Al-Mocha in Hodeidah governorate on Sunday for government liaison officer Mohammed Al-Sulaihi, who passed away Friday from injuries sustained in a Houthi attack on March 11.

Al-Sulaihi was shot in the head by a Houthi sniper while monitoring a ceasefire at the 5th joint observation post in Al-Mocha. At the time of the shooting, he was under the protection and command of the UN mission to support the implementation of the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA). He was transferred to a hospital in the interim capital of Aden.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/668

Photo of funeral procession: https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1251962845270552577

and

(A K P)

Shot by Houthis, Yemeni government liaison officer in Hodeida dies

Yemen’s internationally recognized government mourned the death of Col. Mohammed Al-Sulaihi, a government liaison officer who was shot by a Houthi sniper in Hodeidah.

Information Minister Muammar Al-Aryani said Al-Sulaihi succumbed to his wounds at a hospital in Aden on Friday.
Al-Aryani urged the UN mission that monitors the truce in Hodeidah to condemn Houthi violations there.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1661236/middle-east

and also https://al-masdaronline.net/national/658

and

(A K P)

Griffiths: Killing of liaison officer Al-Sulihi in Yemen's Hodeidah unacceptable attack

The United Nations Secretary-General's envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, calls on Saturday the incident of shooting at the liaison officer in the government team to monitor the ceasefire in the Hodeidah governorate in western Yemen, Mohammad Al-Sulihi , as unacceptable attack.

The UN envoy offered, in a tweet published through his "Twitter" account, his "deepest condolences for the tragic death of Col. Al-Sulihi to the Government of Yemen and his family. He was shot in Hodeidah."

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16564.html

cp2 Allgemein / General

(* A K P)

Interactive Map of Yemen War

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(* A K)

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON APRIL 21, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-april-21-2020-map-update/

ANSAR ALLAH CAPTURED AL-JUFRA MILITARY CAMP IN YEMEN’S MARIB PROVINCE (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/ansar-allah-captured-al-jufra-military-camp-in-yemens-marib-province-map-update/

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

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

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

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

(* B H K P)

Yemen: Ceasefire Overdue, COVID-19 on Time

The anti-war movement in Britain must continue to focus on the Tory government’s support for the Saudi war.

Since Saudi Arabia announced the ceasefire, military action has continued. On the 15th April there were 26 air raids, on the 16th a further 25, and on the 17th another 23 – all by Saudi planes.

The UN Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has proposed a series of measures to secure the end of the fighting. These include, an immediate truce, measures to ease the social/health crisis and the resumption of the political process. Mohammed Abdulsalam, Head of the National Delegation (Ansarallah and allies), expressed concern that Griffiths proposals failed to address the siege that the Saudis have imposed upon the country.

A ceasefire is an open question then. The involvement of multilateral bodies such as the UN can certainly help this. So too can other national governments.

However, external governments can also endanger the process and encourage further belligerence. This is surely the case with the decision of the Canadian government to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

The tentative steps towards peace come as the humanitarian crisis remains, and the Covid-19 outbreak begins.

The arrival of Covid-19 is at a time when the report states there are “…ongoing risks of cholera, malaria, dengue and other disease outbreaks”.

The world’s response to Covid-19 has seen some governments withdrawing from international commitments. This includes the US government decision to freeze $400 million to the WHO, and the EU’s decision to ban export of personal protective equipment.

The onset of an international recession is also particularly threatening to Yemen. Yemen has limited oil reserves in comparison to the fabulous wealth of the Saudi and UAE invaders. But the oil it produces is one of the main sources of government revenues.

Don’t overlook Yemen!

It is vital that multilateral organisations and governments across the world assist Yemen immediately. The example of the Canadian government must not be followed. Governments should be pressing for a ceasefire, and for the lifting of the siege they have imposed upon Yemen. There must be a renewed commitment to fund the programmes that Yemen needs.

For the anti-war movement in Britain, we must continue to focus on the Tory government’s support for the Saudi war. The Tories want to resume arms sales by overturning the Court of Appeal ban, with an appeal to the Supreme Court. We must demand they drop the appeal.

The government must also end its military contribution to the war, by withdrawing British personnel from the Saudi command centre – by Steve Bell

http://www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php/news-comment/3660-yemen-ceasefire-overdue-covid-19-on-time = https://labouroutlook.org/2020/04/21/yemen-ceasefire-overdue-covid-19-on-time/

(* B K P)

Riad sucht die Exit-Strategie

Saudi-Arabien will das kostspielige Fiasko des Jemen-Krieges hinter sich lassen – und dabei das Gesicht wahren. Die Huthis hingegen sehen nun ihre Stunde gekommen.

Die COVID-19-Krise zwingt Saudi-Arabien, die Prioritäten neu zu ordnen – bietet zugleich aber auch eine Gelegenheit: Denn das Königreich sucht seit geraumer Zeit nach einem gesichtswahrendem Weg, sich aus dem Krieg im Jemen zurückzuziehen. Die Ankündigung der Waffenruhe erscheint so eher als humanitäre Geste denn als Eingeständnis der sich abzeichnenden politischen und militärischen Niederlage. Kronprinz Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS) geht es nicht zuletzt auch darum, sich von der Kostenlast des Einsatzes zu befreien, um die Ressourcen des Königreichs auf die Umsetzung der »Vision 2030« zu konzentrieren.

Die Huthis hingegen wähnen sich im strategischen Vorteil und haben ihre kriegerischen Aktivitäten intensiviert. Sie folgen dem Kalkül, militärisch Fakten zu schaffen, um die eigene Verhandlungsposition zu stärken – und endlich die formelle Anerkennung zu erreichen, die sie seit Beginn des Konflikts anstreben. Daher werden die Huthis weiterhin versuchen, die Hadi-Regierung in Kämpfe zu verwickeln, insbesondere in deren verbliebenen Hochburgen, etwa in Marib, 40 Kilometer östlich von Sanaa. Selbst angesichts einer weltweiten Pandemie werden die Huthis nicht riskieren, das Momentum zu verlieren, mit dem sie ihren Gegnern einen Frieden nach ihren Bedingungen aufzwingen können.

Doch solange die Kampfhandlungen anhalten, stehen die Bemühungen um eine Eindämmung der COVID-19-Pandemie hintenan. Der Ausbruch ist nicht nur wegen der Kriegslage besonders gefährlich für den Jemen.

Es wird wohl Jahre dauern, bis sich die Beziehungen zwischen den Golfstaaten und den verfeindeten Kriegsparteien im Jemen verbessern. Doch viele Optionen bleiben etwa Saudi-Arabien nicht. Für das Königreich ist der andauernde Krieg gegen die Huthis wirtschaftlich und militärisch nicht aufrechtzuerhalten.

Sollte Saudi-Arabien zu dem Schluss kommen, dass man sich den Jemenkrieg nicht länger leisten kann, wird sich das Königreich aus dem Konflikt zurückziehen. In dem daraus resultierenden Vakuum wird der Krieg möglicherweise in eine neu Phase übergehen. Das böte die Chance für die jemenitischen Kriegsparteien, den Konflikt unter sich beizulegen – oder alte Rechnungen zu begleichen – von Raiman Al-Hamdani

https://magazin.zenith.me/de/politik/kurz-erkl%C3%A4rt-saudi-arabien-und-der-krieg-im-jemen

(* B K P)

Yemen: imperialist powers twist the knife as COVID-19 worries escalate

With the whole world’s attention turned towards the coronavirus crisis, the western-backed Saudi war on Yemen has continued unabated. The war machine and arms industry, fueling this savagery, have been deemed to essential to shut down during the pandemic.

Today, as the coronavirus begins to spread throughout the country, there are only 500 ventilators left and two testing sites for a population of just under 30 million. How can any serious treatment be carried out in these conditions? Couple this with the anxieties of health professionals being targeted at work, and we can plainly see how underprepared Yemen is for this pandemic. “The test of coronavirus is expensive and it is not widely available in Yemen,” Yemeni pharmacist Nasri Abdulaziz explained to Middle East Eye, “so I think the cases will appear suddenly all at once and then we will face real trouble.”

On top of all of this, last month, the Trump administration cut crucial aid, upon which two thirds of the 28 million population of Yemen depend for survival. Officials have claimed that this was a necessary response to interference by Houthi rebels. This move has exposed the real callousness of the American ruling class; they are willing to exploit this pandemic to increase the pressure on the people of Yemen.

Britain

Our “democratic” British state is complicit in the war, through and through. It licensed some £5.3bn of arms exports to the Saudis since the beginning of the war. Last year, the court of appeal found the licensing of arms exports to be illegal. Ever since, the red tape has been ripped up by the Tory government. The very companies whose exports were found to be illegal have been allowed to continue business as usual. To add insult to injury, last September the Tories admitted "inadvertently" issuing new licenses that could be used in the war in Yemen. The crocodile tears of the Tories when pressed on this issue really beggar belief!

From supplying Typhoon and Tornado jets, Britain has been essential in the Saudi war effort. But the involvement does not end with the export of arms. The constant supply of training, maintenance and technical support has been crucial to Saudi's operations. The Ministry of Defence has even confirmed that British military advisers are in control rooms aiding the Saudis in bombing raids.

US

The US, just like Britain, had no 'end plan' in this conflict from the very beginning. In fact, we can see that their support is always aligned with their permanent objectives within the region: to defend their narrow imperialist interests and profiteer off disasters, of which they are (usually) the architects.

Far from stabilising the region, US president Donald Trump has been adding more fuel to the fire. In 2017, he signed a series of letters of intent for the purchase of arms with the gangsters in Riyad. The sales totaled $110 billion immediately, and $350 billion over 10 years.

As MBS became a key pillar of support for Trump, they turned against him. The two men are now closely dependent on each other.

The hypocrisy of western politicians only serves as a thin veil over the crimes that they are carrying out in Yemen. Time and time again, we have seen the ruling class cannot solve the plight of the masses in the region – they are themselves the problem. With the coronavirus on the horizon the situation is only set to get worse. This class and their system are the real disease and the only way forward for humanity is to overthrow it once and for all.

https://www.marxist.com/yemen-imperialist-powers-twist-the-knife-as-covid-19-worries-escalate.htm

(* B K P)

Wollen die Kriegsparteien wirklich Frieden?

Der zuständige UN-Vermittler sieht Fortschritte hin zu einem dauerhaften Waffenstillstand. Doch es gibt begründete Zweifel, ob die Kriegsparteien wirklich an einem Frieden interessiert sind.

Tatsächlich hat eine Kriegspartei der Feuerpause nicht zugestimmt. Die Huthis. Einer ihrer Sprecher, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, sprach mit einer Nachrichtenagentur:

„Unsere Position ist klar. Wir fordern ein endgültiges Ende des Krieges und ein Ende der Blockade. Die saudische Erklärung bedeutet keine Feuerpause. Sie ist nur die Fortsetzung des Krieges, weil Saudi-Arabien seine Land-, See und Luftstreitkräfte nutzt, um den Jemen weiterhin zu belagern.“

Nun unterrichtete der UN-Vermittler für den Jemen, Martin Griffiths, den UN-Sicherheitsrat in New York darüber, dass neuere Verhandlungen für einen anhaltenden landesweiten Waffenstillstand und humanitäre Hilfsprojekte große Fortschritte machten. So werde der Waffenstillstand grundsätzlich von beiden Seiten – dem Bündnis sowie den Huthi-Rebellen – unterstützt.

Maged al-Mahaji ist dennoch pessimistisch. Mahaji ist Leiter der jemenitischen Denkfabrik Sanaa Zentrum für strategische Studien. Er meint, dass die Huthis derzeit kein Interesse am Ende eines Kriegs hätten.

„Die Huthis glauben, dass sie jetzt eine seltene Gelegenheit haben, Gebietsgewinne zu erzielen – während die ganze Welt sich mit der Ausbreitung des Coronavirus beschäftigt und dem Jemen weniger Aufmerksamkeit schenkt. Daher glauben sie, dass sie in einer militärisch stärkeren Position sind – und sie führen weiter Angriffe, durch die sie an Boden gewinnen

Aber auch Saudi-Arabien wolle zur Zeit keinen Frieden – sondern nur eine Verschnaufpause:

„Die Saudis stehen, wie der Rest der Welt, wegen der Coronakrise unter Druck, denn diese Krise hat zur Erschöpfung vieler Staaten geführt. Ich glaube auch nicht, dass die Saudis den Krieg jetzt beenden wollen. Sie wollen nur die zunehmende Stärke der Huthis unter Kontrolle bringen und deren militärischen Druck auf die strategisch wichtige Provinz Maareb reduzieren. Aber: Jede Form eines Kriegsendes wird nach heutiger Lage gegen die Grundinteressen von Saudi-Arabien sein und eine Bedrohung für das Königreich darstellen.“

„Mit Sicherheit belasten die finanziellen Kosten dieses Krieges Saudi-Arabien, allerdings können die Saudis diese Ausgaben verkraften. Denn die Bedrohung der nationalen Sicherheit Saudi-Arabiens im Fall eines Sieges der Huthis als Verbündete des Iran ist viel größer als die finanzielle und wirtschaftliche Belastung. Daher sind die Saudis bereit, jedes Risiko einzugehen.“

Der Krieg könnte also trotz positiver Signale in der UN weitergehen – zu Lasten der Menschen im Jemen.

Politikwissenschaftler Maged al-Mahaji fürchtet, dass eine Verbreitung des Coronavirus die Lage noch einmal verschlimmert. „Das Coronavirus ist zerstörerisch für den Jemen, denn der Jemen leidet unter einer sehr schlechten Versorgung – von Björn Blaschke

https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/krieg-im-jemen-wollen-die-kriegsparteien-wirklich-frieden.799.de.html

Audio: https://www.podcast.de/episode/446826371/Krieg%2Bim%2BJemen%2B-%2BWollen%2Bdie%2BKriegsparteien%2Bwirklich%2BFrieden%253F/

(B K P)

SAUDI CONFUSION IN YEMEN OVER ANSARULLAH’S CALL FOR PEACE

The Saudi coalition announced a unilateral two-week ceasefire on Wednesday (April 8th), which entered into force on Thursday (April 9th), which was welcomed by Ansarullah and Yemeni groups, as well as the UN envoy to Yemen. But the attacks against the two main fronts involved in Jawf and Marib provinces, and in the scattered areas of Shar al-Khamisain, Hais, al-Darimi, Khab and al-Shaaf in al-Jawf province, and on the Sarwah front in Marib province, the ceasefire was repeatedly violated and Yemeni groups responded to enemy fire. The main reason for the concentration of conflicts on these two fronts is the geographical and field importance of these two provinces, which are on the one hand the eastern gateway to Saada and Sanaa, and on the other hand the economic importance of Marib province, which forms the economic heart of Yemen.

In fact, Saudi Arabia, which has not been able to achieve its specific goals in Yemen since the start of the war in March 2015, is seeking to pave the way for launching a surprise attack on Ansarullah, the army and people’s committees by proposing a ceasefire and violating it by advancing Mansour Hadi’s coalition on the ground and launching airstrikes. The Saudis intend to seize the opportunity to take over some vital areas, paving the way for a change in the equation in the political process and peace talks.

The Saudis are also trying to use the situation in Yemen as the wave of corona spreads around the world to change the situation on the ground and put pressure on Yemeni groups to comply with their demands. But on the one hand, because Saudi Arabia does not have the upper hand at the negotiating table, the coalition led by Riyadh is split and on the other hand, the opposite side has entered the offensive and initiative phase thus thwarting this Saudi scheme.

The misconception of field trends and the non-acceptance of realities on the ground have led Saudi Arabia to the current impasse; in other words, Saudi Arabia’s current confusion stems from changing the field equation, from imagining a heroic emergence at the beginning of the war to a scandalous exit from the war which is linked to Bin Salman’s political life.

https://www.scfr.ir/en/politics/123183/saudi-confusion-in-yemen-over-ansarullahs-call-for-peace/

My remark: from Iran.

(* A P)

Detainees’ female relatives held sit-ins in six governorates

Female relatives of the arbitrary detainees held on Saturday sit-ins in six governorates demanding release of their family members.

The sit-in took place in Sana’a, Aden, Hodeida, Taiz, Ibb and Marib where women raised their kids appealing for saving lives of their detained relatives against the spread of the COVID-19.

Hundreds of the civilian arbitrary detainees who were abducted from home or their workplaces remain in prison because of their political beliefs and political belongings.

The Abductees’ Mothers Association who organized the sit-in, said in a statement that 1,649 citizens remain in confinement in the Houthis-run prison.

Around 34 arbitrary detainees remain in prison in Aden by the southern armed separatists.

It indicated that the Houthis armed group still holds other 270 forcibly disappeared people and the southern rebels detain 40 forcible disappeared people.

About 71 abductees were tortured to death in prison or shot dead while in detention, according to the association.

14 detainees died in prison because of no access to healthcare in prison, the association said.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-39188

(* B K P)

Russian paper tells why Saudis announced Yemen truce

"Saudi Arabia seeks to end costly war in Yemen," under this headline Sergey Siribrove has written about what he sees as the reasons why Saudi Arabia offered the Houthi group a truce.

For Siribrove, there is one thing clear: course towards an armed solution to the situation in Yemen has completely exhausted itself. The global pandemic and associated risks are a face-saving occasion for the Arab coalition to get out of the impasse its military operations reached.

The Riyadh Agreement, which was signed in November 2019 and aimed at restoring President Hadi's governmental structures in Aden, is still stalled and the situation in the south portends a new explosion.

The problem lies in the fact that it is hard for Saudi Arabia to shift into a new course in Yemen. The conflict's general concept, on which the Kingdom builds, is based on two things: the Houthi coup in 2014 against Hadi legitimate authority, and Houthi role as proxies for Iran's expansionist policy in the Saudi strategic depth.

But Yemen's war has proved how this concept is false and incoherent. As a result of the wrong assessment of the conflict, the Arab coalition military operation – which they wanted swift, limited and winnable – has changed into a real war of attrition.

The Maliki's direct indication, that the brief ceasefire could be a prelude for a complete halt to combating operations and an inclusive settlement for the Yemeni crisis, may suggest a change in the Kingdom's policy and a start to move in the right direction, Siribrove concluded.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16560.html

cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade

(A K P)

YPC: Aggression’s Continued Detention of Ships Made Yemen Unable to Adapt to Lower Global Prices

Coalition of aggression’s continued arbitrary detention of oil derivatives vessels shipped in recent months at high global prices has caused a lack of flexibility and inability to adapt to falling world prices, especially in light of escalating delay fines,” the Yemeni Petroleum Company (YPC) said in a statement on Monday.

The company explained that the ship “Cornet” which will arrive today April 21, 2020, after being held at sea in front of the port of Jizan for 103 days after obtaining the UN permit, was shipped on December 12, 2019 with an average of high exchange price of $70.34

“The company regrets to assure our fellow citizens that there is lack of moving the selling prices at this stage,” the statement read.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12465

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A H)

Photos: People shop ahead of holy month of Ramadan in Sanaa, Yemen

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-04/21/c_138996369_2.htm

(A H)

AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE CONSORTIUM COORDINATOR – YEMEN - Sanaa

We are looking for: an Emergency Response Consortium Coordinator – YEMEN - Sanaa

In Yemen, based in Sanaa

Since the conflict between Al Houthi and the Saudi-led coalition that started in March 2015, Yemen has become one of the three emergency in the world and is thus facing one of the worst humanitarian crisis, with 80 % of the population who is now in need of humanitarian aid. The context is highly challenging in regards to access to the communities despite significant needs in the country. Airstrike, embargo, high prices, etc have caused a profound deterioration of the nutitritional situation and hundreds of thousands lives are at risk.

Since 2012, ACF has been present in Yemen and has been scaling up its emergency intervention substantially throughout 2016. The mission is now amongst one of the largest International NGOs in the country and is recognized as one of the key emergency actors in the country. ACF in Yemen is responding to the current crisis using a multisector emergency approach (Nutrition & Health, Food Security, WASH and Mental Health programming), and to a multiple large-scale and interconnected emergencies: conflict, food security and cholera epidemic. Along with UNICEF, ACF designed and is piloting the country’s first Rapid Response Mechanism, and is representative of the INGO community on the HCT, ICCM, Access Working Group, the HPF Advisory Board, and on the Steering Committee that manages evacuation for the humanitarian community.

As of today, ACF Yemen is operational in Hodeida, Aden, Hajjah and Al Khokha Governorates and it is working on the expansion of its response in the North and South. ACF has been implementing its humanitarian response in Yemen addressing N&H, WASH, MHCP, FSL and Emergency/RRM. ACF Yemen is a large mission with a relatively high number of international (around 25) and national (around 280) staffs based in Sanaa, Hodeidah, Hajjah, Aden, Amman and Djibouti.

Regarding living condition on the mission, the security situation of the country is volatile

https://reliefweb.int/job/3612589/emergency-response-consortium-coordinator-yemen-sanaa

(A H P)

WFP refuses food aid Transformation in Yemen

The World Food Program (WFP) stressed on Monday evening its refusal to divert food aid to the most needy civilians in Yemen.

The World Food Program (WFP) said in brief statement, after circulating a video clip showing relief materials bearing the logo of the program on the frontline in the Marib Governorate, northeast of Yemen.

The WFP said it was "aware of the recently circulated video showing a box bearing the logo of the World Food Program in the area on the frontline in Marib, Yemen.".

"The World Food Program cannot confirm the source or authenticity of the video.", WFP said, stressing that the food aid it provides is targeted the Yemeni civilians in greatest need. ".

It added: "The program cannot accept any diversion of the food aid pathway that is not in line with its main mission of responding to the emergency humanitarian crisis in Yemen."

The military media of the Yemen's internationally recognized government forces broadcast video clips that showed items of food bearing the slogans of international and international organizations in the locations they controlled in Serwah District in Marib Governorate, and considered them as new evidence of the "plundering" of the Houthi group (Ansar Allah) for humanitarian aid and its use for the war effort.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16632.html

(B H)

UNDP and KSRelief: Staving off Famine in Yemen

The United Nations Development Programme in Yemen is continuing our partnership with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) to provide urgent lifesaving needs and much-needed services for Yemenis hit hard by the ongoing crisis.

The USD $10 million is helping fund UNDP’s Emergency Crisis Response for Prevention of Famine in Yemen to create livelihood opportunities and reach more than 200,000 people across 18 Yemeni governorates.

https://www.ye.undp.org/content/yemen/en/home/presscenter/statements/2020/undp-and-ksrelief--staving-off-famine-in-yemen.html

My comment: there is no reason for praising the Saudis at all. They just gave the equivalent to ca. 1 h 10 minutes warfare against Yemen – as it’s spent since more than 5 years, day and night, all around the clock, without stop.

(* B H)

Yemen - Worsening food security situation, COVID-19 (DG ECHO, media, FAO)

The impact of COVID-19 prevention measures is becoming visible in Yemen, with major concerns in terms of raising food insecurity and poverty. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), all basic food commodity prices increased sharply in the past week. Perishable food commodities are also in short supply in many markets.The Yemeni Riyal continues to depreciate, increasing prices of imported food commodities.

In the past 2 weeks, the majority of households faced unparalleled low-income levels due to imposed COVID-19 curfews, reduced working hours affecting small businesses and casual labour opportunities as well as reduced remittances.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-worsening-food-security-situation-covid-19-dg-echo-media-fao-echo-daily-flash-21

(B H K)

Alternative Medizin .. Ein trendiger Handel im Jemen in der Corona-Zeit

Viele Menschen im Jemen haben auf alternative Medizin zurückgegriffen, um das neuartige Coronavirus zu verhindern, das immer noch Tausende von Menschen auf der Welt tötet.

Interessierte Menschen glauben, dass der Rückgriff der Gesellschaft im Jemen auf alternative Medizin zum Schutz ihrer Mitglieder vor dieser Pandemie und anderen Epidemien und Krankheiten, die aufgrund der Aggression und der Blockade im Land ausgebrochen sind, ein natürliches, gesundes und bekanntes Phänomen in einer Gesellschaft ist, die sich nur durch ihre Methoden schützen kann, insbesondere nachdem einige von ihnen ihre Verwendung als eine Art von Krankheit durchlaufen und geerbt haben Traditionelle Medizin über Generationen hinweg.

Historischen Beweisen zufolge hat der Jemen viele bittere Erfahrungen mit Krankheiten und Epidemien gemacht, aber die letzten fünf Jahre, in denen er der saudisch-amerikanischen Aggression und Belagerung ausgesetzt war, waren die tödlichsten Jemeniten infolge der Zerstörung und Außerbetriebnahme der Gesundheitsinfrastruktur.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3094676.htm

(A H P)

Kuwait distributes 25 boats to fishermen in al-Khokha

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19875

(* B H)

Thalassemia patients supported by the Emergency Health and Nutrition Project

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder. Specialized care across the lifespan of a thalassemia patient can help them lead a normal and healthy life. Thalassemia is a treatable disorder that can be well managed with blood transfusions and chelation drugs.

Patients suffering from thalassemia and blood disorders are benefiting from services provided by the national blood and transfusion centres supported by the Emergency Health and Nutrition Project.

In 2019, WHO in partnership with the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), under the framework of the Emergency Health and Nutrition Project supported national blood transfusion centres in Sana’a, Aden, Al Hudaydah, Taiz, Abyan, Al Mukalla and Ibb governorates. In addition to establishing new ones in Sayoun and Hajjah. Thanks to this partnership, in 2019 alone, over 73 500 people were provided with life-saving blood transfusion services.

Dr Abdulla Mohammed has worked as a pharmacist for 9 years. “Patients with hereditary blood disorders seek medication to find a second chance at life, but sometimes critical drugs are not available in the country or too expensive that patients can’t afford it,” he says.

More needs to be done

Rasha Mohammed Ali has worked as a health worker for 2 years now. “I receive around 70 patients per day, the work force is not enough to cover the load,” she says.

In the busy laboratory, laboratory technicians Rahma and Huda work tirelessly for long hours. “The burden is massive, and many people coming in are in critical condition. Available laboratory reagents do not cover the need, and some of the equipment needs to be replaced or requires maintenance,” says Rahma.

More needs to be done to fill the gap and provide the needed blood transfusions and medical care to thalassemia patients in Yemen.

The Project is a cross-cutting response framework designed specifically to provide basic health and nutrition services to meet acute health needs, supporting the national system in the midst of war.

It supports 72 hospitals across Yemen with a suite of essential life-saving health services through the health service delivery mechanism known as the Minimum Service Package.

http://www.emro.who.int/yem/yemen-news/thalassemia-patients-supported-by-the-emergency-health-and-nutrition-project.html

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

(* A H)

Photos: 500 displaced families received tents, mattresses & kitchen sets from @UNHCRYemen & partners after having lost everything in flooding in Sana’a & Marib. Conflict & natural hazards continue displacing Yemenis. Soon humanitarian partners won’t have sufficient funding to respond.

https://twitter.com/jnbeuze/status/1252178632316981248

and by UNFPA, photos: https://twitter.com/UNFPA_Yemen/status/1251923126130298886

(* A H)

Floods swept people, houses in Marib

The Executive Unit for the Management of Internally Displaced People Camps in Marib said on Sunday that the floods killed seven people and injured 550 others.

25 of the flood injured people are in critical condition and two persons were reported missing.

General Director of the displacement unit, Saif Muthana said that 6,268 households have been affected by the floods and that majority of them were living in the displacement camps.

So far, the emergency committee which was formed recently to respond to the floods’ damages provided a package of shelter, food and medical items to the affected people, according to Muthana.

520 affected households were accommodated in hotels in response to assist the flood affected people.

He valued the local businessmen for their contribution towards relief the flood affected people.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-39210

(A H P)

Director of IDPs Department at Marib local authority: Since beginning of 2019 we received no support from the Yemeni government except "phone calls" & despite the continuous flow of IDPs into the governorate. Aid by @OCHAYemen & @IOM_Yemen is too little

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1251894702439387136

referring to https://twitter.com/mareb_alward/status/1250907772092321792

(B H)

IOM Yemen | Rapid Displacement Tracking (RDT) - Reporting Period: 12 - 18 April 2020

Between 12 and 18 April, newly displaced households were recorded in Marib (131 HH), Al Dhale'e (130 HH), and Taiz (76 HH). Most of these displacements were the result of increased fighting in Al Dhale'e (121 HH), Marib (97 HH), and Hudaydah (51 HH).

https://dtm.iom.int/reports/yemen-rapid-displacement-tracking-update-12-18-april-2020

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A K P)

Report: 180 Houthi abuses against civilians in sixteen days

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms unveiled in a report on Monday 180 Houthi abuses against civilians over the past 16 days.

The abuses took place in different parts of the country in the period spanning from 1-16 April 2020, said the report.

“The observers team documented 36 murders of civilians among them are 11 women and 11 children … in Taiz, Ibb, Hodeidah, Al-Bayda, Dhale, Marib, Hajjah, and Sana’a” cities.

Six of the victims were shot dead by Houthi snipers, the report found.

“The field observers documented six killing cases by direct fire shooting, four cases by burning, two cases by landmine the militia had planted …”

The report said the Houthis re-named 35 schools after the militia’s slain warlords and freed 200 prisoners in Ibb only to draft them into the warfronts.”

http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/04/20/report-180-houthi-abuses-against-civilians-in-sixteen-days/

and also https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2244631/yemeni-rights-network-documents-180-houthi-abuses-2-weeks

My comment: By an episodic anti-Houthi group, mixing all kinds of military and civic violations and dubious records.

(A P)

Sicherheitskräfte befreien 45 von der Aggressionskoalition getäuschte Männer in Ibb

Laut einem Sicherheitsbeamten haben die jemenitischen Sicherheitsdienste am Montag 45 Personen befreit, die von der von Saudi-Arabien geführten Aggressionskoalition in der Provinz Ibb getäuscht wurden.

Der Beamte bekräftigte, dass die Durchführung der Freilassung anlässlich des kommenden Monats Ramadan den Richtlinien der revolutionären Führung und des Obersten Politischen Rates entsprach.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3094734.htm

(A P)

Security forces free 45 aggression coalition-deceived men in Ibb

The Yemeni security services freed on Monday 45 people deceived by the Saudi-led aggression coalition in Ibb province, according to a security official.

The official affirmed that the operation of the release came to carry out of the directives of the revolutionary leadership and the Supreme Political Council, on the occasion coming the month of Ramadan.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3094696.htm

(A P)

10 tons of expired foodstuffs destroyed in Ibb

The branch of the Standards, Metrology and Quality Control Organization in Ibb province on Sunday destroyed ten tons of rotten and expired foodstuffs.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3094599.htm

My comment: If the Sanaa government authorities block distributing aid for months, this happens.

(A P)

Präsident Al-Mashat spricht Herrn Abdulmalik Al-Houthi sein Beileid zum Tod von Mohamed Ahmed Al-Houthi aus

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3094573.htm

(A K P)

Houthi Leader’s Nephew Killed in Yemen Fighting

The nephew of the leader of the Houthi militias in Yemen was killed in fighting in the war-torn country, media affiliated with the Iran-backed group reported Saturday.

Houthi leaderships on social media offered condolences over the death of Mohammed Ahmed Badreddine al-Houthi, the nephew of Houthi leader Abdulmalek al-Houthi.

The time and location of his death was not disclosed.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2241866/houthi-leader%E2%80%99s-nephew-killed-yemen-fighting

(A P)

Al-Mashat mourns death of Mohammed Ahmed al-Houthi

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3094547.htm

(A P)

Houthis release former Yemeni minister

Yemen’s Houthi rebel group on Monday released the former culture minister after day-long detention, a government source said.

On Sunday, Khaled al-Ruwaishan was picked up from his home in the capital Sanaa, which has been under the control of Houthi rebels since September 2014.

Al-Ruwaishan, was set free after great pressure, a government source told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity without elaborating what it meant.

Local media outlets, meanwhile, said that al-Ruwaishan’s Bani Jabr tribe played a role in his release.

The former minister is known for his critical writings on the Houthis since the outbreak of the conflict in Yemen in March 2015.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/houthis-release-former-yemeni-minister-/1811847

and

(A P)

Lawyer: Yemen rebels free ex-minister, day after his arrest

Yemen’s rebels released on Monday a former culture minister and writer who was a vocal critic of their rule, his lawyer said, a day after his arrest.

The rebels, known as Houthis, stormed Khalid al-Rwaishan’s home on Sunday in a suburb of the capital Sanaa at dawn, seizing personal papers and documents, before taking him to an undisclosed location, according to his lawyer Waddah Qutaish.

Security officials in Sanaa said leaders of the Khawlan tribe, to which al-Rwaishan belongs, secured his release. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Many fighters from that tribe have joined the Houthis in their uprising against the internationally recognized government of Yemen.

https://apnews.com/c01f14f1f7391ce982c026e240c7e7ee

and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-16617.html

and

(A P)

Houthis release former Culture Minister Khaled Al-Rowaishan

Prior to Al-Rowaishan’s release, Yemeni writers, artists, poets and others released a statement of solidarity, calling for the immediate release of the former minister, as well as all other political prisoners in the country.

Yemeni writer and poet Abdulaziz Al-Maqaleh condemned Al-Rowaishan’s arrest on Sunday.

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/667

(A P)

Rebellen verhaften ehemaligen Minister in der Hauptstadt

Der Sohn des ehemaligen Ministers, Waddah Al-Rwaishan, bestätigte die Verhaftung und sagte, dass die Houthis ihn “entführt” hätten.

Ein Sprecher der Houthi-Rebellen antwortete nicht auf Kommentare.

Khalid al-Rwaishan wurde 1962 in Sanaa geboren und war 2006 Kulturminister in der Regierung des ehemaligen Präsidenten Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Al-Rwaishan verließ Sanaa 2014 nicht, als die Houthi-Rebellen die Stadt und einen Großteil des nördlichen Jemen eroberten und die international anerkannte Regierung von Präsident Abed Rabo Mansour Hadi stürzten.

Al-Rwaishan hatte die Rebellen kritisiert, weil sie während des Bürgerkriegs Tausende von Jemeniten, einschließlich Verfechter von Rechten, festgenommen hatten.

https://www.nach-welt.com/jemen-rebellen-verhaften-ehemaligen-minister-in-der-hauptstadt-sagt-die-familie/

und

(A P)

Jemen: Die [Hadi-]Regierung verurteilt Houthis Verhaftung des Ex-Minister

Die jemenitische Regierung verurteilte am Sonntag die Verhaftung eines ehemaligen Kulturministers in der Hauptstadt Sanaa, die seit September 2014 unter der Kontrolle von Houthi-Rebellen steht.

https://twittersmash.com/news/jemen-die-regierung-verurteilt-houthis-verhaftung-des-ex-ministers-nicht/

(* A P)

Yemen rebels arrest former minister in capital, family says

Yemen’s rebels on Sunday detained a former culture minister and writer who was a vocal critic of their rule, his family and lawyer said.

The rebels, known as Houthis, stormed Khalid al-Rwaishan’s home in a suburb of the capital Sanaa at dawn, seizing personal papers and documents. Al-Rwaishan was then taken to an undisclosed location, said his lawyer, Waddah Qutaish.

The former minister’s son, Waddah Al-Rwaishan, confirmed the arrest, saying that the Houthis “abducted” him.

A spokesman for the Houthi rebels did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.

Born in Sanaa in 1962, Khalid al-Rwaishan served as culture minister in 2006 in the government of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Al-Rwaishan did not leave Sanaa in 2014 when the Houthi rebels captured the city and much of northern Yemen, toppling the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabo Mansour Hadi.

Al-Rwaishan had been critical of the rebels for detaining thousands of Yemenis, including rights advocates, during the country’s grinding civil war.

https://apnews.com/3f3e6db651a9347a2df758ce6e2376c0

and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-16577.html

and

(* A P)

Houthis slammed for abducting former Yemeni culture minister

Khaled Al-Ruwaishan, who is a well-respected writer and poet, has criticized the Houthis’ power grab, its crackdown on dissidents and its military expansion across Yemen.

He has more than 93,000 followers on Twitter, 400,000 followers on Facebook and is seen as one of the most respected Yemeni intellectuals who is equally critical of Houthis and their opponents.

Activists have linked the abduction to his most recent Facebook post about a Yemeni poet who praised the courage of fighters in Marib who foiled a Houthi military offensive.

“These verses should become the morning anthem in every Yemeni school,” Al-Ruwaishan told fellow poet Amer Al-Souaidi in a Facebook post on Saturday.

In another post, on April 15, Al-Ruwaishan criticized Yemeni traders inside Houthi-held Sanaa and the rebel government for not giving financial assistance to thousands of laborers who lost their jobs in the aftermath of flash floods that had hit Sanaa.

“In Houthis’ time, people’s hearts died and were petrified,” he said in the post, which attracted thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.

His abduction caused an outcry on social media where dozens of current and former ministers, journalists, writers, and Al-Ruwaishan’s admirers condemned the Houthis and demanded his immediate release.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1661731/middle-east

My comment: From a Saudi news site. Looking at what he actually wrote, I wonder what will happened to anyone in Saudi Arabia writing thinks like this Saudi Arabia.

and

(A P)

Yemen: [Hadi] Gov't condemns Houthis' arrest of ex-minister

Arrested former Culture Minister Khaled al-Ruwaishan known for criticism against Houthis

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/latest-on-coronavirus-outbreak/yemen-govt-condemns-houthis-arrest-of-ex-minister/1810634

(A P)

Präsident al-Mashat ernennt Gouverneur der Zentralbank

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3094530.htm

(A P)

President al-Mashat appoints Governor of Central Bank

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3094527.htm

(A P)

[Hadi] Gov’t condemns Houthis’ incitement against aid organizations

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-39238

and also http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/04/20/fatah-condemns-houthi-incitement-against-humanitarian-organizations/

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2244826/yemen-condemns-houthis%E2%80%99-threatening-relief-organizations

(A P)

IPI condemns death sentence against Yemeni journalists

The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of media professionals and leading journalists for press freedom, condemned this week a death sentence ruled by a Houthis-court in Sana’a against four Yemeni journalists.

It called on the rebels to overturn the sentence and drop all the charges immediately.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-39237

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

(A K P)

One person killed, three wounded in clashes between two tribes in southern Yemen

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16633.html

(A P)

Photos: Socotra protests against Islah militia

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Hadibu city, the capital of Socotra on Monday, to protest against Islah-linked officials within the legitimate government.
The protestors demanded the departure of the Muslim Brotherhood-linked governor, Ramzi
Mahrous and the other officials, accusing them of corruption-related issues.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19882

My comment: It’s not „Socotra protests”, but separatist supporters protesting. And they protest against Hadi government authorities, linking them to Muslim Brotherhood.

(A P)

Five years after its destruction, Shabwa

Shabwa Gov. Mohammed Saleh Bin Adyo presided over a ceremony celebrating the opening of Al-Salam Bridge in the Naqbah area of Habban district on Monday. The bridge was destroyed by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in mid-2015 to slow Houthi advances toward Ataq, Shabwa’s capital

Without the bridge, spanning 42 meters long, 10 meters wide and 14 meters high, travelers and commercial trucks had to find alternative routes, sometimes increasing their journeys by hours. When heavy rains flooded the alternative roads, travelers were delayed by half a day or more.

The governorate funded the bridge from its share of oil sales, at a cost of more than $2.4 million.

https://al-masdaronline.net/local/669

(* A K P)

Saudi military reinforcements arrive in Abyan, headed toward Aden

Saudi military reinforcements have arrived in the coastal town of Shaqra in Abyan governorate, a senior military officer in the Fourth Military Region told Almasdar Online. The military reinforcements are likely on their way to the interim capital of Aden, he added.

The source said that 25 transport trucks each carrying multiple armored vehicles as well as heavy and medium weapons arrived at Qarn Al-Kalasi area of Shaqra and remained there as of Monday evening. Armored vehicles accompanied the transport trucks.

The military official said reinforcements are expected to leave Shaqra and move toward Aden to support Saudi forces stationed at the coalition headquarters in Al-Buraiqa district in western Aden, as well as at the airport in the eastern part of the city and the Presidential Palace in the south.

Another military source in the Fourth Military Region told Almasdar Online that the same batch of reinforcements is being sent to the Presidential Protection Forces as part of the entry of the 1st Presidential Protection Brigade to the Presidential Palace, in accordance with the military annex of the Riyadh Agreement.

https://al-masdaronline.net/local/670

(* A K P)

Yemeni infighting parties in Aden reach de-escalation deal

The Yemeni internationally-recognized government and the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) have reached a deal ceasing the military escalation in the southern port city of Aden, spokesman for the mediation committee said Monday.
"Negotiations and efforts exerted by the mediation committee have led to successful cessation and military de-escalation," Colonel Ali Mansour Miqrat added on Facebook, "after the situation was about to explode" between the infighting parties.
The two parties "discussed mechanism for implementing the Riyadh Agreement to avoid military battles that would weaken their capacities for the benefit of the Houthis."
They inked pledge to implement provisions of "the Riyadh Agreement and help accelerate its application in order to reverse infighting and focus on how to end the coup in Sana'a.
"Cessation mediation [committee] will continue their mission until the application" of this recent deal actually begins, Miqrat assured.
On Sunday, representatives for both the Yemeni government and STC held a meeting in the Aden-based coalition headquarters, in the presence of coalition troops' commander, Mujahid al-Otaibi.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16614.html

My comment: Wait and see. Agreement no. 147? And:

(A K P)

Film: Ceasefire Committee reaches Abyan to resolve the military tension between transitional and the legitimate government

The committee formed to resolve the military tension between the Southern Transitional Council and the legitimate government, arrived Sunday, in the province of Abyan in southern Yemen, led by Major General Fadel Hassan al-Omari, commander of the fourth military region and leaders of the Arab alliance, the province witnessed a military build-up by both sides warning of a new war after the failure of the Riyadh agreement, it is worth mentioning that the Transitional Council was able to control large parts of Abyan since last August and since then the conflict has been raging in the province between the transitional forces and legitimate forces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THrc2f_lTEU

and

(* A K P)

Southern Yemeni separatists carry out surprise attacks in Abyan

STC carries out preventive strikes against Islah positions

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) militias have Saturday carried out surprise military operations targeting military reinforcements of Hadi forces and Islah Party militias in Abyan province, southern Yemen, local sources said.

According to local sources in the province, the STC militias carried out three surprise ambushes targeting military convoys, consisting of more than 12 military vehicles in Jarak , east of Al Mahfad district.

The sources explained that the military reinforcements were on their way to the Islah camps in the coastal city of Shaqra.

The ambushes left several militants of Islah dead and wounded, and a number of military pickup vehicles were destroyed.

The sources pointed to the arrival of other military reinforcements for Islah coming from Camp Akkad, led by Louay al-Zamki, to Camp Horn al-Kalasi in Shaqra, as part of the military preparations to storm Aden.

https://www.uprising.today/southern-yemeni-separatists-carry-out-surprise-attacks-in-abyan/

(A P)

Aden protests against electricity blackouts

A number of cars roamed on Sunday night, the city of Crater calling the people of Aden through loudspeakers to participate in a major rally in Arwa street on Monday afternoon to express their anger over electricity service interruptions.
The organizers made it clear that the protest will be peaceful and has no connection to any political component or party.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19880

(A P)

Islah arrests STC official from al-Rawdah in Shabwa

The Islah party, Yemen's Muslim Brotherhood wing within the legitimate government, continues its arrests, crackdown on the Southerners in regions under its control, in particular in Shabwa province where a number of southern officials and senior tribal figures have recently been arrested.
Local residents told the press on Sunday night that the head of the Southern Transitional Council in al-Rawdah district, Abdul Salam Habtoor was abducted by Islah-linked gunmen and taken to an unknown location in Shabwa amid a marked public resentment over the incident.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19879

(A K P)

Ammunition smuggling bid foiled in al-Mukalla

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19878

(A E P)

Oil tanker arrives to refuel Aden power plants

An oil tanker arrived Sunday at Aden oil port to refuel power plants in the Yemeni southern port city.
"The 'Sabila' vessel is discharging its 37000-ton cargo of diesel into the refinery's storing facilities," local sources said, "in preparation for pumping the fuel to power plants" in the Yemeni interim capital.
"Before being anchored, the ship and its crew underwent precautionary measures against COVID-19."

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16596.html

(* A K P)

Von den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten (VAE) unterstützte Separatisten im südlichen Jemen haben vor einem «bevorstehenden Krieg» mit von Saudi-Arabien gesponserten Militanten gewarnt, da sich die Spaltungen zwischen den beiden Seiten weiter vertiefen.

Laut dem iranischen Sender Press TV teilte der sogenannte Southern Transitional Council (STC) in einer Erklärung mit, er habe Botschafter großer Länder im Jemen und den UN-Gesandten Martin Griffiths darüber informiert, dass «der Ausbruch eines Krieges unmittelbar bevorsteht».

Die Gruppe beschuldigte die von Riad unterstützte Regierung des ehemaligen jemenitischen Präsidenten Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, gegen eine im vergangenen Jahr zwischen beiden Seiten unterzeichnete Vereinbarung zur Aufteilung der Macht verstoßen zu haben.

Der STC beschuldigte die frühere Regierung, unter Verstoß gegen ein im vergangenen November erreichtes «nachhaltiges politisches Abkommen» versucht zu haben, die Kontrolle über die südlichen Provinzen zurückzugewinnen.

In der Erklärung heißt es auch, dass Hadis Loyalisten versucht hatten, Aden zu überrennen, das im vergangenen August von den Separatisten beschlagnahmt worden war.

https://de.news-front.info/2020/04/19/krieg-im-jemen-vae-warnen-vor-einem-bervorstehenden-krieg-gegen-saudi-arabien/

(* A K P)

Renewed conflict is “imminent” in Abyan, STC says in letter to ambassadors, UN envoy

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) said in a letter on Friday to the international community that war with government forces in the southern governorate of Abyan is “imminent,” as tensions continue to rise and both sides mobilize in the governorate.

“Unfortunately, the outbreak of war is imminent, and we are genuinely moving away from the possibility of reaching a sustainable political agreement because of these moves and breaches by the government,” states the letter, which was sent by the STC to the Yemen ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, in addition to the UN envoy to Yemen.

The letter notably bypasses the Saudi-led coalition, and in particular Saudi Arabia, which is overseeing the implementation of the stalled Riyadh Agreement.

In an effort to revive the agreement, this week a de-escalation committee formed of independent military and community figures and those from either side visited Abyan. The committee submitted a proposal to re-implement the military and security annexes of the agreement in Abyan, but the STC is demanding the withdrawal of a Presidential Protection Brigade unit from the town of Shaqra, on Abyan’s coast. The government has refused this precondition, a military source in the committee told Almasdar Online on Friday.

The de-escalation committee’s visit and proposal has thus far failed to quell the rising tensions in Abyan, and in the last several days local residents reported reinforcements have arrived in Abyan to bolster both sides. Amid the unravelling of the agreement, government and STC officials have traded blame over the other’s refusal to compromise.

Late Friday evening, military reinforcements of heavy and medium weapons arrived in Aden, coming from the town of Mocha on the west coast of Taiz governorate, in an apparent move to further bolster pro-STC troops based in close proximity to government forces. Prior to this, on Wednesday and Thursday local sources in Sheikh Salem area in eastern Zinjibar district of Abyan said that the UAE-backed forces sent reinforcements from Lahj governorate, including tanks, vehicles, cannons, heavy weapons and armed men to the eastern coastal areas of Abyan.

“The nature of recent moves by the Yemeni government, in coordination with pro-terrorism forces in the region, is to target the liberated southern governorates and seek to spread chaos and terrorism,” the STC’s letter claims, according to the separatist group’s official website. “These moves represent a public threat to the truce, the UN-led peace and stability efforts in the region, and an addition to the series of violations by the Yemeni government that have prevented the implementation of the Riyadh agreement.”

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/664

and also https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/separatist-council-warns-of-more-conflict-in-yemen/1809615

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16569.html

(* A K P)

Yemeni gov't forces retakes control of Socotra airport

The Yemeni internationally recognized government forces retaked on Saturday control of the Socotra Archipelago airport in the south of the country, two days after they announced their exit from their control, according to a senior Yemeni security official.

"The airport and all its main gates are under the control of government forces, after a hedge operation in all directions," the official affirmed.

Activists circulated a video clip of the Chief of Staff of the 1st Major General, Marine, Brigadier General Nasser Qais, as he wandered inside Socotra Airport, confirming that the airport was under the control of his brigade.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16584.html

(A B P)

UAE Seeks Fully Occupy Socotra, It Will not Happen

In Al-Mahrah, the deputy head of sit-in committee, Aboud Qumsit, said that the Saudi conspiracy on Al-Maharah, and the Emirati plot against Socotra will not succeed whatever happens.

Qumsit said on Facebook that Saudi Arabia sees an appropriate opportunity to extend the oil pipeline by supporting legitimacy, which changed after Saudi ambitions emerged.

He believed that Saudi Arabia's military control of the skilled, the domination of all governorate institutions, and control of the outlets, showed the true ambitions of Saudi Arabia in Al-Maharah, and its exploitation of the umbrella of support for legitimacy to implement its plans.

Commenting on the events of Socotra, Qumsit said that the UAE is seeking to convert Socotra to an eighth Emirati emirate, stressing that this will not happen whatever they do from conspiracies against Yemen.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12423

(A K P)

Commander of Fourth Brigade Hazm: Our south that we watered with blood of our martyrs will not be wasted

https://en.smanews.org/commander-of-fourth-brigade-hazm-our-south-that-we-watered-with-blood-of-our-martyrs-will-not-be-wasted

(A K P)

Leader in Transitional Council says situation in Socotra is under control of Southern forces

The leader in the Transitional Council, Salem Thabet Al-Awlaki, member of the Presidency of the Transitional Council, stressed that the situation in Socotra governorate is under control, noting that the exaggerations that are published are aimed at exploding the situation in the governorate and dragging it into a square of fighting.

Al-Awlaki said in a tweet he posted it on Twitter: There is no truth in that the militias are in control of southern forces’ camps in Socotra, security belt camp in Hadibu, the capital of the archipelago of Socotra, and another camp in Qalansiyah district.

https://en.smanews.org/leader-in-transitional-council-says-situation-in-socotra-is-under-control-of-southern-forces

(* A K P)

Aden on high security alert following Islah's escalation

[Separatists’] Aden Security Department (ASD) has deployed its units in most districts of the capital, said the ASD press secretary, Khaled Al-Sanami.
The deployement of security troops, in particular at the entrances to the capital, was made in anticipation of any possible risks or emergency, Al-Sanami added.
The high security alert in the capital takes place amid the arrival of huge military reinforcements and heavy gears from Shabwa province to Shuqra of Abyan governorate, east of Aden to the Muslim Brotherhood's arm in Yemen, Islah Party in conjunction with unprecedented military build-up in al-Sabiha area of Lahj governorate in the north of Aden in a bid to invade the capital of the South.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19866

(A K P)

Al-Qaeda joins Islah forces in Abyan

Large movements of terrorist members of al-Qaeda were reportedly seen in Modiya district of Abyan province in the past few days as their activities have increased significantly in several districts of Abyan.
Local well-informed sources confirmed that three trucks transporting al-Qaeda gunmen passed through Wadi Omran in Modiya on Saturday evening, they were likely to head to Shuqra to reinforce the Islah-led armed forces.
The resumption of al-Qaeda activities these days coincide with an unprecedented military build-up by the Islah Party in Abyan and Houthi escalation on the fronts of al-Dhale which, according to observers, clearly revealed their joint intention to reoccupy the South.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19870

My comment: As claimed by the separatists, mixed with conspiracy theory.

(A K P)

Yemeni Islah official: We wait Riyadh deal application not new war

Yemen waits the application of Riyadh Agreement, signed by the Yemeni official government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), but not a new war, a leader of the Yemeni Islah Party has said, following STC warnings of a looming war between the two parties in the south.

"We are waiting for application of the Riyadh Agreement, but not starting a new round of infighting," deputy chairman of Islah media department tweeted.

"The pact puts Yemen and its capital [Aden] in the correct direction as the place of authority, and doesn't matter whoever the ruler," Adnan al-Odainin added.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16568.html

(B K P)

Tensions rising in Abyan and Aden, southern Yemen. Expectation of imminent conflict between STC and Yemeni govt. forces. Cool heads should prevail but there aren't too many of those in Aden with 31 to 37° heat and no electricity since the city's power station ran out of diesel.

https://twitter.com/ionacraig/status/1251473450666950661

(* B P)

Muslim Brotherhood spreads chaos through assassinations

The Muslim Brotherhood militias in Yemen are seeking to destabilize the country’s security and spread chaos through committing crimes and assassinations against citizens and members of the Southern Transitional Council.
Council member Nazim Mubarak Ali on Friday survived an assassination attempt in outskirts of the city of Hadibu, Socotra.
Witnesses accused a Brotherhood gang led by Muhammad Hammoud Al-Yafii of carrying out the assassination attempt.
According to Yemeni media, the last period witnessed an escalation by Brotherhood militias, in an attempt to target southerners.
Sources have affirmed that Socotra has become a breeding ground for Muslim Brotherhood terrorism.
Muslim Brotherhood terrorists also captured six human rights activists in the governorate after a warrant by Yemeni Governor of Socotra, Ramzi Mahrouz.
Mahrouz also ordered the arrest of whoever tries to interrupt production at the petrol station owned by businessman Saleh Al-Issa, who is accused of monopolizing the process of supplying petroleum products in the governorate.
Moreover, this arrest campaign coincided with a hunt for leaders and other social figures in Yemen who oppose the existence of terrorist militias any Muslim Brotherhood arm in the country.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/19868

My comment: Separatists further are blaming “Muslim Brotherhood” = Islah party, the main backers of the Hadi government.

(* A K P)

Separatist council warns of more conflict in Yemen

Southern Transitional Council writes to UNSC members, accuses Yemen government of working with terrorist groups

Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Saturday issued a warning to international powers of more conflict in the war-ravaged country.

The UAE-backed separatist group sent letters to envoys of permanent UN Security Council member states, accusing the Yemeni government of working in tandem with terrorist groups.

The STC said the government wanted to spark a return of terrorism and violence in the southern provinces.

The Yemeni government blames UAE-backed separatist movements of rebelling against the government in Socotra province, which comprises six islands.

Last Saturday, government forces took back control of a military camp in Socotra that was seized by STC separatists.

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/separatist-council-warns-of-more-conflict-in-yemen-3517293

(A K P)

Weapons loaded boat seized off al-Mahra' coast in Yemen

Coast Guard forces seized on Saturday a boat loaded with weapons off the coast of Al-Mahra Governorate, in the east of the country, according to Yemeni sources.

"The Yemeni forces, with the support of the Arab coalition, have arrested the smugglers, and they have large quantities of weapons", the sources said without further details.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-16557.html

(* A K P)

Shabwa .. One of the "Elite" forces was wounded in clashes between two Emirati and Saudi forces in the invading "Al-Haf" facility

A local official said that a member of the "elite" forces, loyal to the Emirates, was injured during clashes that broke out between Emirati and Saudi forces in the invading "Al-Haf" facility in Radhum District in Shabwa (southeast of Yemen). The official added to the source online, asking not to be identified, "that there were clashes and verbal altercations between a Saudi soldier and the elite elements who are guarding the facility gate, which led to the outbreak of clashes." The source warned of a catastrophe that "these irresponsible behaviors" could lead to in case the invading facility was exposed to fire.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/180765/amp/

(A K P)

In Abyan, de-escalation committee seeks to revive implementation of Riyadh Agreement

A de-escalation committee aimed at supporting the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement said negotiations have stalled in Abyan between government and Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, with the latter demanding the withdrawal of a Presidential Protection Brigade unit from the coastal town of Shaqra.

After concluding its field visit to the governorate this week, the committee submitted a proposal to re-implement the military and security annexes of the agreement in Abyan, a member of the committee told Almasdar Online. However, neither side has been willing to budge during the negotiations, and local residents reported the arrival of reinforcements to Abyan from either side.

In response, the STC informed the de-escalation committee that as a precondition for allowing the governorate security forces into Zinjibar, a pro-government battalion belonging to the 1st Presidential Protection Brigade must withdraw from Abyan

https://al-masdaronline.net/national/657

My remark: These talks seem to have failed.

(A P)

Film: The residential city of December 2 is one of the fruits of the national resistance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FarMNvZT0Q

Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp7 – cp18

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-644b-yemen-war-mosaic-644b

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-643-yemen-war-mosaic-643

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-643 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-643:

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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