Dies ist die Fortsetzung von Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 651, Teil 1 / This is the sequel of Yemen War Mosaic 651, part 1:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-651-yemen-war-mosaic-651
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 1 / In Italics: Look in part 1
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
cp1c Am wichtigsten: Waffenstillstand und Friedensangebot / Most important: ceasefire and peace offer
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp12b Sudan
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(* B P)
President Hadi and the future of legitimacy in Yemen
What is the future of legitimacy in Yemen? The question of what would happen if President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi were to die has been an unspoken concern for the past several years.
It is important to address the question of legitimacy after Hadi because the constitutional rules on how to transfer his authority to a successor and how to avoid a presidential vacuum are impractical given the ongoing conflict. It is impossible to hold presidential and parliamentary elections at the moment.
This is not only about Hadi passing away, but also about legality and the rule of law more broadly. It is unacceptable to grant Hadi or his successor a blank check to remain in office as president for an unspecified period of time without any accountability under the justification of war. Insisting on maintaining this situation and ignoring the legal questions simply drives another nail into the coffin of government legitimacy in Yemen.
Legitimacy as the cornerstone
Legitimacy is the cornerstone of any political system. It enables government institutions to rule, enforce the law, and have a representative at the UN. Therefore, each side in the Yemeni conflict declares themselves to be the only legitimate authority and attacks the others in order to have moral and legal cover for their movement and gain more support.
In Yemen Hadi is the keystone of the legitimate government.
Legitimacy framework
Legitimacy is a very complicated concept comprising legal, political, and social aspects.[2] It is impossible to analyze legitimacy in Yemen without understanding the local and historical context.
Hadi’s resignation was neither formally accepted, nor resubmitted, as laid out in the constitution. Therefore, Hadi still retains a thin thread of political legitimacy based on the 2012 election, consensual legitimacy in the period after, and international recognition of his government.
Longest parliament in Yemen’s history
The last parliamentary elections in Yemen were held in 2003
The conflict has divided the legislative institution and created two parallel parliamentary entities
What can be done?
Facing this constitutional dilemma, the legitimate government must study the political options for post-Hadi scenarios to avoid a potential presidential vacuum. This issue should be discussed now while Hadi is still alive, and the discussion should consider the legal aspects.
The biggest problem with Hadi’s legitimacy is the fact that it is derived from the actions of the political elites and lacks popular support. From the perspective of ordinary people, his government has performed poorly and been unable to carry out even the minimum of its responsibilities. As a result, they may see legitimacy differently.
The question of legitimacy in Yemen is not only about what would happen if Hadi passed away, but also how to restore legitimacy while he is still alive.
Legitimacy is the ultimate foundation of authority that confers on the government the right to enforce the law.[15] If Hadi and his government continue on their current path, their legitimacy will vanish – by Mohammed Alshuwaiter
https://www.mei.edu/publications/president-hadi-and-future-legitimacy-yemen
My comment: “In Yemen Hadi is the keystone of the legitimate government.”: Simply. No. Hadi’s term expired on Feb. 25, 2015. Since this date, her no more is.
(* A K P)
Yemen: Renewed clashes between UAE-backed STC and Saudi-backed forces in Abyan
There were further clashes between the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s militia and forces belonging to the Saudi-backed backed Islah Party at dawn today in Yemen’s southern Abyan province. According to local sources, Islah militia launched a heavy artillery bombardment on the STC positions in Qarn Al-Klassi in the city of Shoqra. The Islah are fighting on behalf of exiled Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Yesterday it was reported that STC-aligned fighters have carried out several ambush attacks against Islah forces, with STC reinforcements coming in from neighbouring Lahj and Aden provinces.
Map: https://twitter.com/YemenMaps/status/1260964617280466945
(A K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Aden Governor: Coalition Pushing to Create Decades of Domestic-Fighting in Southern Yemen
The governorates of southern Yemen are witnessing a systematic action to shed more blood of Yemenis, the governor of Aden, Tariq Salam, said on Thursday.
"What is happening today in the governorates of southern Yemen in general and the governorate of Abyan in particular is a systematic action to shed more blood of Yemenis, deepening the gap between all southern powers by stoking discord, creating civil strife that lasts for decades, to service colonial coalition projects in southern Yemen, and prolonging the time period of the occupation," Salam said.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12914
(A E P)
STC Forms Supreme Economic Committee
President of the Southern Transitional Council Aidroos Al-Zubaidi, issued a decision on Thursday, to form the Supreme Economic Committee of the Southern Transitional Council.
The council is chaired by Abdulsslam Saleh Humaid and Gamal Mohamad Sarour deputy head of the council.
The council will be under direct supervision of the STC.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22044
(A K P)
Al-Naqib Calls for Tribal Mobilization to Liberate Abyan
The prominent southern tribal sheikh, Abdul-Rab al-Naqib called for general mobilization of forces to confront the Muslim Brotherhood's militias and complete the liberation of all the occupied territories in Abyan and the South.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22043
(A K P)
Senior Hadi official wounded in battle
Brigadier General Aref Mohammed Al-Armani wounded near Zinjibar
The commander of the so-called 83rd Infantry Brigade, which is loyal to Hadi was injured during clashes in Zinjibar, Abyan, after a vehicle he was travelling in came under direct attack near the city, sources said on Wednesday.
Hadi’s forces said that the UAE-backed militia targeted the armoured vehicle with a thermal missile
https://www.uprising.today/senior-hadi-official-wounded-in-battle/
(* A K P)
STC official declares military resistance in three Yemeni provinces
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) will launch "southern military resistance" as of Thursday in three Yemeni southern and eastern governorates, STC senior official said Wednesday, as the Hadhramout local authority expressed refusal to any unofficial military act.
"We declare for all Hadhramout tribes, youth and resistance the start of southern military resistance as of next Thursday in Hadhramout the Valley, Shabwa and Abyan governorates, and anywhere the terrorist [Muslim] Brethren militants are present," head of the 'self-government of south' tweeted.
"These moves come after reinforcements have been equipped by Brethren leaders in Seyoun and sent to Shabwa .. to back terrorist elements there," Ahmed Saeed Bin Boraik added.
For his part, Hadhramout governor said the local authority would not allow for any military act outside the official army and security channels.
"Legal actions will be taken against anyone who acts outside military and security institutions," Faraj al-Bohsoni, also chairman of the provincial security committee, added hours after the STC staged a parade.
The governor instructed military and security authorities to prevent any armed gatherings, since "Hadhramout is a unified military and security force, and any militarization beyond these institutions is unaccepted."
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17171.html
(* B K P)
STC’s Declared Self-Rule in South Yemen Sets Path to Future of Civil Strife
With the declaration of self-rule in South Yemen, any hope for peace has evaporated and a worrying scenario lies in store for the south. The concern does not stem from STC’s rule of the south. The genuine concern is the inclination of the STC to resort to force to impose its rule.
South Yemen has entered a fresh phase of chaos, division, and rivalry on the heels of a declaration by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) to self-govern the southern territories. It has been an adventurous decision that will have serious consequences on the political landscape in Yemen and plunge the south into more instability and infighting.
This move aggravates the complexity of the conflict in Yemen. It will particularly worsen the situation in Aden which is known as Yemen’s temporary capital.
Presently, Yemen’s south is a very fertile ground for civil strife and the ramifications of the self-rule declaration have begun to materialize
To date, the STC still demonstrates a rigid stance and does not seem ready to offer any concessions to the UN-recognized Yemeni government. The leadership of the Council is unlikely to retract their declaration or order their forces to retreat from positions they have taken over. The separatists are adamant and they have an unbridled ambition to part from Yemen’s north. Besides, the Emirati support has made them more confident and inflexible.
According to STC leading figures, the declaration of self-rule is irreversible as it lays the groundwork for realizing independence from Yemen’s north.
the separatists seem unwilling to kowtow to Riyadh. The Saudi-STC relation has just hit another low and the Kingdom has lost its role as a peace broker between the Yemeni government and the secessionists in Yemen’s south.
The fact remains that Saudi Arabia has been condoning the separatists’ continued fighting with the Yemeni government. It needs firm language and a clear stance on what is happening in South Yemen.
South Yemen is obviously fragmented and local leaders are at loggerheads with each other. Their agendas are contingent on the support of their external sponsors. Thus, for South Yemen to stabilize, there is an urgent need for a joint Saudi-Emirati decision to chart a peace plan and help end the power struggle.
In the final analysis, the coalition has disintegrated over the last five years because of the divergent agendas of Saudi Arabia and UAE. The coalition has shifted its focus from fighting the Houthis to battling over dominance in the south particularly the port city of Aden and Socotra island.
https://insidearabia.com/stcs-declared-self-rule-in-south-yemen-sets-path-to-future-of-civil-strife/
(A E P)
Marib power plant opens for first time since 2015
An official in Marib’s department of electricity told Almasdar Online on Tuesday that the gas-powered electricity plant in the governorate is operational for the first time since the war broke out in 2015 and would begin providing power to residents on Thursday. The plant will serve Marib for the first time, and only Marib for now.
The Marib plant provided electricity to Sana’a until 2014, when the Houthis took control of the capital and civil war soon followed. Previous efforts to reopen the plant were scuttled by ongoing clashes throughout the past five years, as well as disagreements between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government over the collection of revenue generated from the station.
When it opens on May 14, the plant will have a total capacity of 40 megawatts, the official said, with the goal of expanding its capacity to 200 MW.
https://al-masdaronline.net/local/785
(A K P)
Hadramout Governor: We will not tolerate illegal military acts
The Governor of Hadhramaut and Chief of the Security Committee, Faraj Al-Bohsuni, stated on Wednesday that the local authority will not tolerate any military act by any armed group.
This warning coincides with growing incitement by the Aden-based separatists who are known as the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to people in south Yemen to join their armed rebellion against the government.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-39664
(A K P)
Grand Funeral for Martyr Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Ziadi in Marib
The city of Marib on Tuesday, witnessed the funeral of the martyr Brig. Gen. M. Ahmed Al-Ziadi, commander of Al-Banta camp in Al-Jawf province, who was killed in clashes with the Houthi rebel militia on the outskirts of Al-Hazm, the provincial capital.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/05/13/grand-funeral-for-martyr-brig-gen-ahmed-al-ziadi-in-marib/
and more on Ziadi: http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/05/13/the-martyr-brig-gen-m-ahmed-al-ziadi/
(A P)
PM reviews with Ambassadors of the P-5 member of Security Council developments in our country
Prime Minister Dr. Ma’een Abdulmalik held discussions Wednesday with the Ambassadors of the five Permanent member states of the UN Security Council to our country.
The meeting touched upon the International Community’s rejection to the so-called ” self-administration of the south” that has seriously undermined the state’s institutions action in the interim capital Aden the efforts to implement Riyadh Agreement and to stem the spread of coronavirus pandemic. Houthi militia’s unconstructive response to the truce was also touched upon.
Underway arrangements to hold Yemen donor conference 2020 was also key point of the discussions
(A K P)
Gov’t holds STC accountability to its persistent rebellion
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, said on Wednesday that the government attempted several times to deal in a good way with efforts towards implementation of Al-Riyadh agreement.
However, this cooperation was met by defiance and persistence on rebellion by the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-39685
(A K P)
Gov’t official reaffirms readiness to Al-Riyadh agreement implementation
Undersecretary of Information, Abdulbasit Al-Kaedi, said that the legitimate government is determined to implement Al-Riyadh agreement and unify all forces under the legitimate command to counter the Houthis’ threat.
In a press statement quoted by the Saudi Okaz Newspaper, Al-Kaedi said that the Al-Riyadh agreement embodied the Saudi concern for resolving disputes between the government the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to avert fighting between the two sides.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-39684
(A K P)
Yemeni IM: Riyadh deal application not means tolerating coup plans
Its caring for the application of Riyadh Agreement, with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), will not stop the Yemeni internationally-recognized government from countering the coup plans or guarding the country's security, stability and territorial integrity, the Yemeni information minister said Wednesday.
The STC's moves have "complicated the scene, confused the government's and Saudi-led coalition's efforts and offered free favor for the Houthi group and Iran," Moammar al-Eryani added on Twitter.
"By its acts in Aden, the STC stabbed the national army and public resistance while engaged in open, decisive clashes with the Houthis in Marib, al-Jawf and Baydha.
"The STC's persistent escalation – the last of which was the declaration of a full coup against the State, Riyadh pact and international resolutions – has not targeted only the government's presence and efforts to normalize life in liberated areas, but also the State's being, social tissue and Saudi efforts to restore Yemen's stability.
"The government made several concessions, including the signature of the Riyadh deal .. to spare the interim capital of Aden and its people the trouble of any fighting or bloodshed."
But the STC "has disrespectfully dealt with these concessions as signs of weakness .. and taken unilateral steps," the Yemeni minister said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17172.html
(A K P)
Separatists escalation amounts to full-blown coup, says Yemen minister
Yemen’s Information Minister said the escalation by the country’s separatists known as the “Southern Transitional Council” amounts to a “full-blown coup.”
Muammar al-Eryani said the “continuous escalation by the STC to the extent of declaring ‘self-rule’ amounts to a full-blown coup against the state, the Riyadh Agreement and the UN resolutions concerning the Yemeni crisis.”
The Yemeni government has offered “concessions after concessions to the STC until the Riyadh Agreement was signed” but the STC reacted to them “with disdain perceiving them as a sign of weakness” on the government’s part.
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-39663
(A K P)
Yemen's PM says the key to restoring peace is to end the armed militia rebellion
Yemen’s Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik said on Wednesday the key to restoring peace in Yemen is to restore the country and its institutions and to end the armed militia rebellion, according to a statement from his office.
(B K P)
STC refuses to negotiate or cease fighting in Yemen
The Yemen government now claims that the STC has refused its offer to de-escalate the conflict and negotiate the future of South Yemen rather than continue fighting.. The STC appears to still have control of Zinjibar.
The STC announcement makes it clear that it does not intend to try to reach another compromise but to rule territory they already control.
(* A K P)
Film: War in Yemen set to worsen as separatists clash with Saudi-backed forces amid Covid-19 pandemic
Another layer of chaos is added in the War in Yemen, as clashes erupted between the Saudi-backed government troops and the separatist fighters who are supported by the United Arab Emirates, leaving at least 6 fighters dead
(A K P)
[Hadi gov.] Army Spokesman: STC militias continue attacking army’s units in Abyan
The Spokesman of Yemen’s Armed Forces said the Defense Ministry and Military Staff has received reports from the Command of Abyan Military Axis indicating that the militia of Southern Transitional Council “STC” are mobilizing into army’s sites in Zunjobar, Sheikh Salem and al-Tariya areas.
(* A K P)
Fighting intensifies between Yemen’s government forces and Southern Transitional Council
STC said to make advances against Muslim-Brotherhood backed forces.
Fighting between Yemen’s government forces and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) intensified Tuesday in the Shaqra region east of Aden, despite the coronavirus crisis that is affecting the impoverished Arab country.
As clashes rage on, Yemeni sources told The Arab Weekly that both sides are mobilising more reinforcements, and that the government’s continued efforts to attack STC positions show its submission to the Turkish-Qatari agenda.
STC forces managed at dawn Monday to repel a second attack by the Muslim Brotherhood-backed forces, following the arrival of additional reinforcements from the governorates of Marib and Shabwa, Yemeni journalist Yasser Al-Yafie told The Arab Weekly.
Yafie added that STC forces have made new gains, advancing seven kilometres towards Qarn Al-Kulasi area in Abyan, after seizing control of the Sheikh Salem area.
Yafie also said that Qarn Al-Kulasi, where the Muslim Brotherhood-backed forces are stationed, is now within range of STC forces’ fire, and expects further escalation
My comment: This is repeating the separatists’ point of view.
(A K P)
Violent fighting erupts in Abyan as war plane hovers above
Heavy fighting has raged in Abyan province between between the southern armed forces and the pro-government Muslim Brotherhood's militias in the early hours of Thursday.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22036
and
(A K P)
Yemeni Southern Secessionists Seize Control Over Several Positions in Abyan Province – Source
The forces of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) have established control over several positions in the southern Yemeni province of Abyan, a Yemeni military source said on Thursday.
A source said that the STC had attacked the government troops and seized their positions east of the town of Zinjibar. The clash has left six people dead and 15 more injured.
(A K P)
Islah's militias suffer heavy losses in Abyan
The armed clashes resumed in Abyan province on Wednesday, between the southern armed forces and the militias of Islah party, the Yemeni arm of Muslim Brotherhood organization within Yemen's legitimacy.
According the military officials, the southern forces managed to seize control of Qarn Al-Classi area in the past hours after fierce fighting raged between the two sides involved heavy weapons.
The same sources added that the Islah's militias suffered heavy human and material losses as many of their fighters escaped the battlefield.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22033
My comment: Separatist sources label separatist militia as “the southern armed forces” and the hadi gov. army and militia as “Islah's militias”.
(A K P)
[Separatist] STC battalion commander killed in armed battles in Abyan
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17161.html
(A K P)
[Separatist] Al-Amaliqa brigades send reinforcements to Abyan
The brigades of Al-Amaliqa poured major military reinforcements into Abyan governorate to support the southern armed forces in their fight against the the militias of Islah party, the Yemeni arm of Muslim Brotherhood organization within Yemen's legitimacy.
Military sources said the soldiers and military equipment of Al-Amaliqa came from the West Coast with a view to defending the southern governorate of Abyan against the Islah's militias that demonstrated recently their intention to invade the province and then occupy Aden.
According the military officials, fierce clashes involved heavy weapons broke out between the southern forces and the Brotherhood's militias in Qarn Al-Classi and Sheikh Salem of Abyan province on Tuesday.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22030
(A K P)
Gov't forces take control of STC' camp in southern Yemen
The Yemeni internationally-recognized government forces took control on Tuesday of a camp for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in Abyan Governorate, in the south of the country.
A government source, preferred not to be named, said that the army forces took control of the Support and backup "Haydra Al-Sayyed" camp in Al-Tarya area, north of Zonjobar, after violent battles with the STC Forces, which also resulted in the capture of 15 people, killing and wounding a number of the STC forces.
"The government forces also taked control of 10 crews and a military vehicles of the STC Forces.", the source added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17140.html
and
(A K P)
Army takes military camp outside Abyan capital as STC deploys in Aden
The military source said the two sides exchanged heavy artillery fire in the towns of Shaqra and Sheikh Salem on Tuesday morning, with the STC bringing large military reinforcements Tuesday evening from Aden and Lahj to the outskirts of Zinjibar.
Local sources and eyewitnesses told Almasdar Online that forces loyal to the STC were heavily deployed in the streets of Aden as the fighting in Abyan intensified.
The sources added that units of the Security Belt Forces, the paramilitary arm of the STC, as well as the emergency forces of the Aden Security Department reinforced all entrances to Aden’s districts and intersections of main roads, setting up new checkpoints.
The STC announced that it would resist any attacks by government forces in south Yemen. In a speech from Abu Dhabi, the head of the STC, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi called on all forces loyal to the council to confront government forces.
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/783
(* A K P)
[Hadi gov.] Yemeni Embassy in the US: @STCSouthArabia has refused calls by Govt of #Yemen, #ArabCoalition, @UNSC, & the int'l community for reversing its move for "self-rule of the south".
@STCSouthArabia has also continued to destabilize security and stability in #Socotra island and recently in #Abyan city by carrying out provocative military mobilization. The Govt of #Yemen has repeatedly tried to constructively deal with and to implement the #RiyadhAgreement. In return, these efforts were met with intransigence by @STCSouthArabia.
@STCSouthArabia has undermined Govt of #Yemen institutions, and disrupted work of the Ministry of Health's team concerned with addressing the #COVID19 pandemic in #Aden.
The responsibility of #Yemen’s National Army is to defend the homeland, protect its security, territorial integrity, and confront every armed rebellion undermining govt institutions and their legitimate authority.
Govt of #Yemen reaffirms its commitment to implement the #RiyadhAgreement as a safe road map.
@STCSouthArabia must comply and implement the Riyadh Agreement and refrain from declared “self-rule” or bear responsibility for the consequences.
https://twitter.com/YemenEmbassy_DC/status/1260061214576717824
and
(*A K P)
Yemeni government vows to confront southern rebellion
Yemen's internationally recognized government pledged to respond to any attacks from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in the country's south.
“Yemen’s National Army will maintain firm posture & heavy deployments to respond to attacks from insurgent [STC] militias,” Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdo Majali said Tuesday.
In a statement, Yemen’s Foreign Ministry described the separatists’ recent declaration of self-rule as a “reckless move” that has destabilized the strategic Socotra, as well as Abyan province.
“The responsibility of a national army is to defend its homeland, to protect its security and territorial integrity, to confront every armed rebellion and to restore any undermined government institutions and their legitimate authority,” the ministry said. “The National Army of Yemen will do everything necessary to preserve the state, its institutions and the security of its citizens.”
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/yemen-stc-statement-socotra-island.html
(* A P)
Important statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs [of separatist STC] regarding recent developments
The Southern Transitional Council has committed to the ceasefire initiative in accordance with the universal call made by the United Nations Secretary-General, and the Council stressed the importance of the Riyadh Agreement as a vehicle for a long-lasting UN-led peace process. We have continuously warned against the intention of the Yemeni government's forces to militarily detonate the situation in Abyan, by sending new forces and mobilising Al-Qaeda and ISIS elements from Marib, Al-Bayda, and Al-Jawf through Shabwa, and we have warned about that clearly in our letters to the International Community on 8th April and 16th April 2020.
Today, as we mentioned before, and due to the conflicting political agendas of the Yemeni government and its failures in all fronts, it has deliberately sparked a new conflict, through the attack that was launched this morning at 06:50 AM Aden time, targeting our forces in Abyan Governorate. This attack comes after months of violations and the attacks carried out by this government without justification.
We have been patient throughout the previous period, and we have avoided responding to all violations due to our respect to the agreement sponsored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, although, the fact that the Yemeni government did not respect any of the terms of this agreement. The previous period proved that the Yemeni government does not respect obligations and covenants and does not seek any peace in the country. Also, the government did not pay any consideration for the sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan, and any risks resulting from the seriousness which could exacerbate the spread of the Corona pandemic emerging in the capital Aden recently. In the face of this brutal attack, the southern armed forces, the supporting resistance and the southern people had no choice but to defend themselves, their lands and protect their families after we tried in every way to avoid confrontation at this difficult time.
This suspicious and irresponsible behavior reflects the continuous steps that the Yemeni government is taking to thwart the United Nations-led peace efforts, damaging the great efforts of the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia by focusing in its war on the Houthi rebellion, and combating terrorism and extremism, and proves once again its fundamental role to destabilize the security and stability of the region.
The Southern Transitional Council reaffirms the importance of the “Riyadh Agreements” and the pivotal role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a leader of the Arab coalition, and therefore, we reaffirm our strategic partnership, our commitment and support for peace and stability efforts, our right to self-defense, territory and supply, and to fight terrorism and extremism.
https://en.stcaden.com/news/9160
Comment by E. Kendall: What counts as #terrorist in #Yemen? #STC says it is being attacked by AQAP. But #AQAP has not claimed any op outside Bayda since 29 Aug. So, are fighters peeled away from AQAP & integrated into militias still terrorist? If yes, that implicates a lot of militias - on all sides
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1260197525203693573
(A P)
Former Hadi minister calls for “liberation of Aden”
Saleh al-Jabwani calls on Hadi forces to eradicate STC from Aden
https://www.uprising.today/former-hadi-minister-calls-for-liberation-of-aden/
(* A K P)
Yemeni army, militia clash in country’s south
At least 16 people were killed and injured Tuesday in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan during clashes between militia of the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transition Council (STC) and government forces.
A local official who requested anonymity said one soldier from the government forces was killed while five others were wounded during fighting in rural areas of the provincial capital Zinjibar.
Ten militia members were also killed and injured, said the official, adding many were detained as well.
Earlier in the day, the Yemeni army announced that it was preparing for an operation against the STC militia in Zinjibar.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemeni-army-militia-clash-in-country-s-south/1838808
and also https://al-masdaronline.net/local/781
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=NJBCSuH6_2U
and
(A P)
Hadi forces start siege against separatists in Shabwah
Islah Party and Hadi loyalists step up attacks against STC
Forces loyal to Hadi government and Islah party have imposed a suffocating siege on more than 300 UAE-backed soldiers and officers in Shabwah province, eastern Yemen, local sources said Monday.
According to the local sources in the province, Al-Islah Party militias pushed huge military reinforcements to besiege the camps and positions of the UAE occupation soldiers, and their mercenaries in the areas of Balhaf and al-Alam.
The sources added that the Emirati soldiers and officers were under artillery and rocket fire.
The sources explained that al-Islah militias promise the UAE if it intervenes by flying in favor of the Southern Transitional Council militias in Abyan, the bodies of its soldiers in Shabwah will be turned out to dead bodies.
https://www.uprising.today/hadi-forces-start-siege-against-separatists-in-shabwah/
(A P)
Ben Brik: Assigning two southern contracting companies to suck rainwater from the capital #Aden
The Vice-President of the Transitional Council, Hani Ali Ben Brik, confirmed that directives issued by President Al-Zubaidi to quickly assign two southern contracting companies to extract rainwater and sediments that affected the general districts of Aden the capital.
(A K P)
Sources reveal to “SMA News” names of Islah party leaders involved in Socotra clashes
(A K P)
Maj. Gen. Al-Socotri discusses with Commander of Arab Coalition in Socotra new implications in Hadibu
Major General Salem Abdullah Al-Socotri, Assistant Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council, discussed with the commander of duty forces 808 of Arab Coalition in the governorate of Socotra Archipelago, Brigadier Abdul Rahman Al-Hajji, the recent implications and developments in the city of Hadibu, the capital of the governorate.
(* A K P)
Yemen govt says separatists refused to de-escalate situation in south
Yemen’s government forces will confront an “armed rebellion” by separatists in the south, the government said on Tuesday, adding that the group had refused to de-escalate the situation after declaring self-rule last month.
Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hadhrami said the STC had refused calls from the government and the international community to reverse its declaration.
The army will do “everything necessary to preserve the state, its institutions, and the safety of its citizens against (the STC),” he added.
Hadhrami urged the group to implement the Riyadh pact, a power-sharing deal brokered by Saudi Arabia in November to defuse tension after the STC briefly took over Aden in August.
Both sides have accused each other of destabilising military actions in the south, in particular in the province of Abyan.
In a speech on Monday, STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi called for southern forces to be “ready” urging people in the region to “defend their national gains”.
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A B P)
Peace in Yemen may be ‘within close reach’, UN envoy tells Security Council
UN Special Envoy for war-weary Yemen, Martin Griffiths, told the Security Council on Thursday, that he believed an end to the fighting “is within close reach”, but cautioning that he had come “yet again to express hope, instead of to report success”.
Despite a looming COVID-19 pandemic and a global economic downturn threatening even more adversity, he maintained that the UN has provided “a feasible roadmap” that puts the onus on “those with arms and power”, to achieve it.
The UN has reported “significant progress” on negotiations, particularly regarding the ceasefire. However, he underscored that peace is part of a broader package of needs that must be agreed to, including humanitarian and economic measures.
He was “extremely encouraged” that both the Yemeni Government and opposition Houthi rebels, known formally as Ansar Allah, have positively engaged with UN proposals, calling them “important indications” of their willingness to make the needed compromises for peace.
Recent clashes in Hudaydah, Ma’rib, Al Jawf, Al-Bayda and elsewhere show that peace remains elusive, said Mr. Griffiths.
Describing the situation in Aden where the UN envoy fears “a perfect storm is brewing”, he spoke about COVID-19, malaria and cholera causing deaths to rise daily – and a health system ill-equipped to diagnose and treat people – exceptionally heavy flooding has damaged infrastructure and homes; and long-deteriorating public services that are now at a breaking point.
The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which was in alliance with the Government, based in Aden, has now taken control of the city, leading to the stalling of the Riyadh Agreement between the two. The STC has recently been taking steps to make local institutions answerable to them.
Thus, the top UN envoy underscored the urgency in implementing the Agreement, to ensure responsive governance and improved service delivery in Aden while also providing for the STC’s inclusion in a resumed UN-led political process to end the conflict.
High hopes
Mr. Griffiths expressed confidence that upcoming negotiations would allow the parties to “swiftly resume the political process” to end the conflict and outline arrangements for a transition period before lasting peace can be established.
“The transitional period would give Yemen an opportunity to escape the misery of conflict”, he said. “It would allow for the focus to shift toward reconstruction, recovery and reconciliation”.
Once a political solution is found, He said a new Yemen could emerge, where essential needs would be met, families would be safe, institutions would serve citizens equitably, women would lead without repression, journalists would report freely, and differences would be resolved through partnership and dialogue.
“I insist that such a future for Yemen is eminently realistic…and this Council has a vital role to play in supporting them, and more importantly the Yemeni people, along the path toward peace”, the UN envoy concluded.
With a COVID-19 pandemic threatening the already fragile country, the UN’s acting Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ramesh Rajasingham, presented to the Council a bleak humanitarian outlook for Yemen.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1064102
and Griffiths‘ statement in full: https://osesgy.unmissions.org/briefing-united-nations-security-council-un-special-envoy-yemen-%E2%80%93-mr-martin-griffiths-1
Reuters summary: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-un/yemen-warring-parties-make-significant-progress-on-truce-u-n-idUSKBN22Q2NN?rpc=401&
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QAMPdCbiLE
Rajasingham’s statement: Look at cp1.
Comment by Fuad Rajeh: Sir @OSE_Yemen, I assume you've forgotten in briefings to UNSC to name the UAE as a party to violence in south Yemen. You may say only Yemenis are fighting there?! Anyone on the earth would tell you then "no one is an idiot here"! Just in case you and UNSC are really concerned!
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1261111926890864645
and
(A P)
UN Security Council Press Elements on Yemen, May 14, 2020
The members of the Security Council reiterated support for the 25 March Secretary General COVID-19 call for a Yemen ceasefire, and welcomed the ceasefire of the ‘Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen’, urging Houthi reciprocation.
They expressed concern about hostilities between the Government of Yemen and the Houthis. They emphasised their steadfast support for the Special Envoy and his efforts to reach agreement on a nationwide ceasefire, humanitarian and economic measures, and the resumption of an inclusive political process. They expressed concern at the slow pace of negotiations on these proposals.
They further called on the Government of Yemen and Southern Transitional Council (STC) to deescalate military tensions and engage under the Riyadh Agreement, and expressed appreciation for Saudi mediation. They called on the STC to reverse any actions challenging the legitimacy, sovereignty, unity or territorial integrity of Yemen, including the diversion of revenues.
Amid increasing cases of COVID-19 they reiterated that full access into and within Yemen for international aid workers, medicine, and medical supplies must be ensured.
https://new-york-un.diplo.de/un-en/news-corner/200514-unsc-yemen/2340874
and
(A P)
Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in Yemen (via VTC)
US Ambassador Kelly Craft
and
(A P)
Constructive engagement in the UN-led process is needed to achieve peace in Yemen
Statement by Ambassador Jonathan Allen, UK Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, at the Security Council briefing on Yemen
My comment: Hypocritical bla bla by the two main supporters of this war. And it’s not only Yemen: https://twitter.com/markcurtis30/status/1260829993556377605
Comment: "There is no military option. We’ve proved that over several years." "Several years" of UK-supplied bombs/planes plus training & logistical support have enabled #Saudi-led coalition to continue their war on Yemen resulting in death of 1000s of Yemenis.
https://twitter.com/YemenSource/status/1261237547830829061
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(B P)
Saudi Arabia: ‘Heartbreaking’ anniversary marks two-year detention of women human rights defenders
Amnesty International is calling on King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia to release several notable women’s rights defenders, two years after they were detained.
On 15 May 2018, a number of prominent Saudi women’s human rights activists were arrested. They had been peacefully advocating for years for the right of women in the kingdom to drive, as well as broader reforms related to the repressive male guardianship system.
In the days and weeks that followed, more of their fellow peaceful activists were detained as part of the Saudi authorities’ crackdown and smear campaign.
“It is heartbreaking that two years have now passed with these brave women still behind bars, especially as during this time Saudi women have been enjoying some of the newfound rights they had fought so hard for,” said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director.
(A P)
Watch this space: As #Saudi economic conditions worsen , ultra nationalist and fascists are now openly calling for throwing #Rohingya #Muslims community in #Makkah into the sea. The large expat workforce will be drastically reduced across #GCC in 2020
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1260965991334412289
referring to
The departure of Al-Baramawiyya is a requirement not only a demand but also throwing them into the sea is the demand
https://twitter.com/saudfozan1/status/1260691875230552065
(A P)
Saudi Arabia to enforce nationwide 24-hour curfew for Eid holiday
(A E P)
Saudi Aramco Q1 profits of $16B as virus impacts earnings
Saudi Aramco, the kingdom’s energy producer, announced on Tuesday a net income of $16.7 billion for the first three months of the year and dividends of $18.75 billion for shareholders.
Despite posting the highest quarter dividends in 2020 of any listed company, its profits were 25% down, compared to the same time last year when earnings topped $22 billion.
Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser said the company expects the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on global energy demand and oil prices to weigh on earnings for the continuation of the year.
https://apnews.com/3dfbcad4f233a20e2650953057d445a7
(* B P)
Das Fundament des saudischen Systems bröckelt
Der Absturz des Ölpreises stürzt das Königreich in eine multiple Krise. Es kann sich den Jemen-Krieg und Prestigeprojekte des Kronprinzen nicht mehr leisten. Und der Mekka-Tourismus bricht weg.
Über Saudiarabien brauen sich dunkle Wolken zusammen. Auf das Königreich kommt ein Megaroblem zu, das sich in der Differenz zweier Zahlen ausdrückt. Für einen ausgeglichenen Haushalt braucht das Land laut Schätzungen des Internationalen Währungsfonds (IWF) einen Ölpreis von 76 Dollar pro Barrel. Der liegt derzeit aber mit ungefähr 30 Dollar bei weniger als der Hälfte (Zahlschranke)
https://www.diepresse.com/5813497/das-fundament-des-saudischen-systems-brockelt?from=rss
(B P)
At least 15 detainees have died in #Saudi prisons during the reign of #KingSalman. What is happening inside Saudi prisons? (images)
https://twitter.com/ESOHumanRights/status/1260840770082398211
(* B P)
(from 2016/17): Saudi Foreign Policy: A New Regional Approach or More of the Same
Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s acquiring of seemingly unconstrained power has compounded the impression that Saudi Arabia is upturning its foreign as well as domestic policy. Given the increasingly modest influence his ailing father King Salman has over him, Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) seems unassailable. He has shunted aside his cousin, Mohammed bin Naif, for the position of crown prince, and sacked and detained a large number of serving and former senior officials, including some royals, as well a small number of moderate critics, including a few popular Islamists. Alongside a supposed re-founding of the social, economic and religious compact at home, some think that MbS is waging a much more muscular contest for regional hegemony with Iran.
https://www.academia.edu/36296270/Saudi_Foreign_Policy_A_New_Regional_Approach_or_More_of_the_Same
(* B P)
(from 2017?): Moderating Islam: Saudi Prince Mohammed walks on shaky ground
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has dazzled international media and public opinion by lifting some restrictions on women's rights, holding out hope for the abolishment of others, and a vow to return the kingdom to a vague form of moderate Islam that many believe is defined by the social reforms he has already implemented and his curbing of the powers of the country's ultra-conservative leadership.
Yet, Prince Mohammed’s top-down approach to countering religious militancy rests on shaky ground. It involves a combination of rewriting history rather than owning up to responsibility, imposition of his will on an ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim establishment whose change of heart in publicly backing him lacks credibility, and suppression of religious and secular voices who link religious and social change to political reform – by James M. Dorsey
https://www.academia.edu/36335836/Moderating_Islam_Saudi_Prince_Mohammed_walks_on_shaky_ground
(* B)
(from end-2018): Saudi Arabia at a Crossroads. Reforms and Uncertainties Ahead
the way in which Saudi Arabia acts on the international stage started to change a fewyears ago, with Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) becoming the de facto ruler of the country. In 2015, the kingdom launched a military intervention in Yemen, leading a coalition of nine Middle Eastern and African countries. In early 2016,MbS went on to announce “Vision 2030”, an ambitious plan of top-down economic reforms to modernise the country.
These developments have played out in a context of heightened tensions with Iran, as the two rivals face off in what observers have described as a “regional cold war”, with religion re-placing ideology as the main justification for what is essentially a power game between two regional giants.
https://www.academia.edu/39510960/Saudi_Arabia_at_a_Crossroads._Reforms_and_Uncertainties_Ahead
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp9a
(* B K P)
U.S. Fails to Acknowledge Killing Yemeni Civilians
Last week, the Department of Defense made the claim, in its annual report on civilian casualties in conflict, that it killed no civilians in Yemen in 2019. It claimed the same in 2018. Neither year was that true.
We were disappointed, if not surprised, by the failure to reckon with the real toll that U.S. military action has taken in Yemen. Mwatana for Human Rights, the Yemen-based human rights organization for which we work, has documented the impact of U.S. drone strikes in Yemen for the last seven years. In the nearly 20 years since the United States began carrying out these attacks, it has never fully acknowledged the civilian cost, nor provided civilian victims the acknowledgment, apology, and redress they deserve.
Each drone strike on yet another Yemeni civilian increases community frustration and diminishes people’s sense of safety. It also hardens beliefs that the United States is indifferent to Yemeni loss of life. As human rights activists once again reading the Defense Department’s perennial undercount of the civilian cost of U.S. military action, it is hard for us not to feel the same.
The report released last week does represent a small step towards greater transparency. For the last three years, Congress has required the Pentagon to report on the number of civilians killed and wounded in U.S. military operations, including in Yemen. The publication of these reports is welcome, and each year’s report has, in general, included more details.
But on Yemen, those details remain disappointingly sparse. The report for 2019 states the Defense Department had “no credible reports of civilian casualties.” The 2018 report reached the same conclusion, but had added a few important details: how many airstrikes the U.S. carried out that year (36), that U.S. forces had deployed to Yemen, and in which governorates the United States supported efforts led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen to clear of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fighters.
The report is only required to cover a thin slice of overall U.S. operations abroad.
https://www.justsecurity.org/70151/u-s-fails-to-acknowledge-killing-yemeni-civilians/
(A P)
Yuma Sector Agents Apprehend Three Illegal Aliens from Yemen
Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended three undocumented aliens from Yemen on Wednesday.
and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/22047
(A P)
Countries Certified as Not Cooperating Fully With U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts
Yesterday, the Department of State notified Congress that Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Cuba were certified under Section 40A(a) of the Arms Export Control Act as “not cooperating fully” with U.S. counterterrorism efforts in 2019.
My comment: The US claims: We rule the world.
Comment by Ben Norton: The US State Department is yet again threatening the independent, sovereign nations of Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Cuba for refusing to bow down and permit its fake "counterterrorism" (read: coup) efforts in their countries
https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1260650605384568832
Comment by Rania Khalek: Weird Saidi Arabia didn’t make the list. Almost like terrorism is a meaningless word for America
https://twitter.com/RaniaKhalek/status/1260645809315409920
(* B P)
Greenlighting War: Iran and Yemen
On May 7, Republicans proved yet again that most of them are perfectly happy allowing President Donald Trump unchecked discretion to make war.
Senate Joint Resolution 68, introduced on January 9 by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Hillary Clinton’s 2016 running mate, invoked the 1973 War Powers Resolution in an attempt to prohibit President Trump from waging hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran without Congressional authorization. S.J. 68 passed in the Senate, 51-49, on February 13, and in the House of Representatives, 227-186, on March 11. President Trump vetoed S.J. 68 on May 6. The next day, the Senate voted 49 to 44 to override the president’s veto, falling short of the Constitutionally-mandated two-thirds supermajority required for overriding presidential vetoes. And there the matter rests.
Trump’s veto message personalized Congress’ action, as is Trump’s wont, calling the resolution “very insulting.” Trump contended that S.J. 68 was “introduced by the Democrats as part of a strategy to win an election on November 3 by dividing the Republican Party. The few Republicans who voted for it played right into their hands.”
Actually, S.J. 68 merely restates what the U.S. Constitution mandates. S.J. 68 asserts—correctly—that “Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the United States Constitution.” The resolution adds that “Congress has not yet [!] declared war upon, nor enacted a specific statutory authorization for use of military force against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Trump denied that the US was engaged in “hostilities against Iran.” That would surprise Major General Qasem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, but we’d have to hold a séance to be sure. Trump’s veto message insists that Soleimani’s assassination on January 2, 2020 by a US drone was “fully authorized by law, including by the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 and Article II of the Constitution.”
About that. S.J. 68’s text expressly denies that the 2002 AUMF on Iraq authorizes uses of force against Iran.
The vote on May 7 was the second time in two years that Congress has failed to override Trump’s veto of a resolution meant to curtail his power to make war.
Imagine a justice system in which a burglar gets to be the judge of whether he has committed burglary. Trump gets to judge whether he has violated the Constitution. And Republicans, self-proclaimed Constitutional sticklers, are letting him get away with it – by Charles Pierson
https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/05/14/greenlighting-war-iran-and-yemen/
(* A P)
Yemen advocates push for COVID-19 aid in next coronavirus stimulus bill
Activists and humanitarian organizations want Congress to include COVID-19 aid for Yemen in the next coronavirus relief bill as skeptical senators question the Trump administration’s recent restrictions on assistance for Houthi-held areas.
Congress is hammering out its next coronavirus relief bill, and anti-war activists and humanitarian organizations want lawmakers to include funding to help Yemen cope with the COVID-19 pandemic in the face of the Donald Trump administration’s recent aid restrictions on the Houthi rebels and the World Health Organization (WHO). The push from Yemen advocates comes as a group of skeptical senators pressed the Trump administration for answers over its new Yemen aid policy Tuesday.
The Friends Committee on National Legislation, the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation and the Yemeni Alliance Committee are preparing a letter to key congressional leaders that they hope will form the opening salvo in the new push to include Yemen in Congress’ next coronavirus stimulus package.
“It is unconscionable for the United States to cut off humanitarian aid to Yemen in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic — especially after supporting the bombing of Yemeni hospitals,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, the legislative manager for Middle East Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. “Regardless of Houthi activity, a global pandemic is not the time for a blanket suspension of aid to Yemen. Congress has the power to take immediate action and it’s clear that Yemen can’t wait any longer as it teeters on the edge of catastrophe.”
The letter, seen by Al-Monitor, is addressed to the top Democrats and Republicans on the foreign affairs, appropriations and oversight committees in both chambers.
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
(* A P)
US accuses Iran of defying UN nuclear deal resolution
Washington says Tehran violated 2015 agreement by launching satellite last month, supplying arms to proxy forces in Lebanon, Yemen, other countries
The United States accused Tehran on Wednesday of defying the UN resolution endorsing the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with a satellite launch last month and also argued it is continuing to violate a UN arms embargo.
The US Mission to the United Nations made the allegations at an informal meeting of experts from the Security Council committee that monitors implementation of the resolution.
The meeting that the United States called Wednesday appeared to be another step in its campaign to pressure Iran to stop interfering in the region and halt what Trump and Israel believe is its pursuit of nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies.
The session was held soon after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed Iran with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a one-day visit and after he talked by phone with Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu, whose country holds the Security Council presidency this month. US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said they discussed “cooperative efforts” in the council “aimed at preventing conflict and promoting peace worldwide.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-accuses-iran-of-defying-un-nuclear-deal-resolution/
My comment: The US tries to combine matters with the Nuclear Deal which had not been part of it – and all this even though the US had left this deal.
(A P)
Iran vows harsh response to any US escapade after Trump veto of war powers resolution
Iran will give a harsh response to any military escapade the US president may resort to, the Iranian envoy to Russia says, after Donald Trump vetoed a congressional resolution that was seeking to limit his power to launch military operations against Tehran without congressional approval.
According to Press TV, Kazem Jalali said in an interview with the Sputnik news agency on Wednesday that by vetoing the congressional resolution, Trump followed two objectives, namely to secure victory in the next presidential vote and to have a free hand to launch military aggression again Iran.
(A P)
Iran FM slams US for making ‘foolish’ claims on nuclear deal, relevant resolution
Iran’s foreign minister slams US officials for making “foolish” claims about the 2015 nuclear deal and the UN resolution that endorsed it, saying it is natural for those who suggest disinfectant injections as a preventive measure against the new coronavirus to claim they are still party to the agreement they have already abandoned.
“Making foolish claims by US officials is nothing new,” Zarif told reporters on Wednesday, reacting to remarks by US special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, who recently said in an address to US presidential contender Joe Biden that “nothing will be left of the JCPOA until you return to it”.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/05/14/625317/Iran-Zarif-JCPOA-US-Hook-
(* B P)
DER IRAK IN DER BALANCE ZWISCHEN IRAN UND DEN USA
Der Iran und die USA befinden sich im Krieg, seit die “Islamische Republik” im Jahr 1979 die Macht übernahm. Dieser Krieg wird so lange andauern, wie die USA versuchen, den Iran zu besiegen, der seinerseits wiederum versucht, die USA aus dem Nahen Osten zu vertreiben. Gelegentlich manifestiert sich der Krieg in Form direkter Zusammenstöße zwischen den beiden Ländern, normalerweise findet er jedoch auf dem Territorium der Verbündeten des Iran statt. Diese Verbündeten werden stärker und sind mächtig genug, um im Ernstfall mit ihnen rechnen zu können. Dieses Erstarken lässt den Iran als eine Regionalmacht erscheinen, mit Einfluss in mehreren Ländern des Nahen Ostens – von Palästina, Libanon, Syrien und Jemen bis hin zum Irak; wobei die direkte Konfrontation zwischen den USA und dem Iran gezeigt hat, dass beide Länder in der Lage sind, sich gegenseitig Schaden zuzufügen. Indem beide Länder die Wahl des neuen Premierministers Mustafa al-Kadhimi akzeptierten, haben sie eine unausgesprochene Vereinbarung zur De-Eskalation getroffen, die es dem neuen Premierminister ermöglicht, ein Gleichgewicht der Kräfte zu erreichen. Dieses Gleichgewicht wird nur schwer aufrecht zu erhalten sein, angesichts der neuen innenpolitischen Herausforderungen, vor denen der Irak steht
https://linkezeitung.de/2020/05/14/der-irak-in-der-balance-zwischen-iran-und-den-usa/
(A K P)
US military offers condolences over Iran accident killing 19
The U.S. military offered condolences Thursday to Iran over a friendly fire incident in the Islamic Republic that saw an Iranian missile kill 19 Iranian troops, identifying the weapon that detonated as an anti-ship cruise missile.
Iranian authorities on Monday said that the missile struck the Iranian navy vessel Konarak near the port of Jask, some 1,270 kilometers (790 miles) southeast of Tehran in the Gulf of Oman. Authorities said the Konarak was too close to a target and was accidentally hit Sunday in an incident that also wounded 15 troops.
In a statement, Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, said the force offered “our sincere condolences to the Iranian people for the tragic loss of life.” However, Urban also criticized the training for taking place so close to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil passes.
https://apnews.com/90cfb993bd8f00fc3021e83d196178c1
(A P)
Iran, US not engaged in any negotiations: Zarif
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says there are no talks underway between Iran and the United States, reminding how Washington has proven to be an untrustworthy negotiation partner.
https://parstoday.com/en/news/iran-i121040-iran_us_not_engaged_in_any_negotiations_zarif
(A P)
Zarif: US Must Change Behavior Instead of Making Excuses
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday the US administration must change its behavior instead of making excuses to breach its commitments.
In an interview with Young Journalists Club (YJC) Iranian news agency, the top Iranian diplomat said: “The whole world has come to this conclusion that any agreement with the United States may be ignored by Americans at any moment. The current US administration under Trump should correct its behavior instead of making excuses.”
“Americans have proved untrustworthy and one cannot rely on the outcome of negotiations with them,” he added.
https://english.almanar.com.lb/1030394
(A P)
Iran to US: Stop Talking Rubbish, Release Our Citizens
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman called on US officials to “act responsibly”, stop risking the lives of Iranian prisoners in the US and let them go.
In a tweet on Tuesday, the Iranian official told Washington to “stop talking rubbish,” noting that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has since September 2018 put ‘universal prisoners swap’ on the table.
http://english.almanar.com.lb/1030438
(* B P)
(from 2018): Too much leadership for such a region: The competing status-seeking behaviours of Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia after 2011
On March 2018, the ambitious Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), declared that a “triangle of evil” was affecting the stability of the Middle East, namely Iran, Turkey and Islamist groups. Even though Saudi embassy in Ankara later denied that affirmation, it raised the question: why Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey are proactively engaging in the regional turmoil, such as Syria, and, more recently, Qatar? This article supports that the three countries aspire the same goal, regional leadership, explained by their growing status-seeking behaviour. Iran has been a revisionist country since the Revolution; however, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, especially under the assertive and vigorous rule of Erdogan and MBS respectively, are showing dissatisfaction with their ascribed status in the regional system. This article’s goal is to understand their status-seeking behaviour as three peer competitors in the same status community.
(* B P)
(from 2016): Saudi Arabia and Iran: The Battle for Hegemony that the Kingdom Cannot Win
Tension between Middle Eastern regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran are likely to escalate but will stop short of erupting into open, direct military confrontation. Instead, existing proxy wars in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon will intensify while sectarian strains in countries like Bahrain, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia that are home to both Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities will worsen. At the heart of the battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran is a four decade-old existential battle for dominance not only in the Middle East and North Africa but in the Muslim world as a whole. It is a battle that started with the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the first toppling by a popular revolt of both a monarch and an icon of US power in the region. Concerned that the Iranian revolution would offer a form of Islamic governance involving a degree of popular sovereignty that would challenge Saudi Arabia’s absolute monarchy which cloaks itself in a puritan interpretation of Islam, the kingdom went on the warpath.
In doing so, it launched the single largest dedicated public diplomacy campaign in World War Two history, spending up to $100 billion since 1979 on the funding of Muslim cultural institutions across the globe and forging close ties to non-Wahhabi Muslim leaders and intelligence agencies that have adopted its worldview. The result has been Muslim societies like Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh have under Wahhabi and Salafi influence and the playing with religion by governments become more conservative. The spread of Saudi Wahhabism and Salafism has also sparked more militant groups. Saudi-Iranian relations were despite occasional periods of cooperation further poisoned by the kingdom’s funding of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s eight year-long war against Iran in the 1980s. It’s a battle that Saudi Arabia can only win as long as Iran has not fully returned to the international fold and recovered with the lifting of debilitating international sanctions – by James M. Dorsey
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(A P)
Brit asks foreign secretary to press for de-escalation in Yemen
A British researcher has criticized his country's foreign secretary for hailing the United Arab Emirates as true friend of the UK, calling on Dominic Raab to pressuring Abu Dhabi into de-escalating in Yemen.
The decision by Raab "to call the UAE 'true friends' and 'valued partners' in a tweet thanking them for donating PPE has been especially difficult for people like me to read," Matthew Hedges wrote in a letter to The Guardian.
"The UK government is happy to ignore terrible human rights abuses by regimes like the UAE," he said in his letter titled 'The UAE is no true friend, Mr. Raab'.
"I was detained in the UAE for almost seven months in solitary confinement falsely accused of spying on behalf of the British government who did very little to help get me released."
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17185.html
(B P)
Newcastle United’s potential Saudi takeover hits another stumbling block
The takeover of Newcastle United by a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium has hit significant political obstacles which could hold up any sale of the club.
Giles Watling MP, a Conservative member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, has called for that select committee to hold an evidence session on Saudi-based piracy of British sport including Premier League football.
The Premier League, which has its lawyers studying the proposed £300 million takeover, has itself previously urged action against Saudi Arabia by the US and British governments over piracy of match broadcasts by the Saudi-based beoutQ operation (paywalled)
(A P)
Consider these two facts: - The UK foreign office's MENA spox sends a video message to Arabs about the importance of stopping all wars in the region so efforts can focus on covid-19 - The UK sold £14bn worth of arms last year, with nearly 80% going to the MENA
https://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi/status/1260283499174559744
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(B P)
Out-of-Favor Saudi Prince Bought Cypriot Passport
A senior member of the Saudi royal family and government adviser arranged citizenship for himself and six family members through Cyprus’ controversial “Golden Visa” program, according to a document obtained by OCCRP.
Prince Saud bin Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz Al Saud applied for a passport shortly after his uncle, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, ousted him as emir of Ha’il province in 2017. Under its economic citizenship program, Cyprus gives out passports in exchange for minimum investments of two million euros.
Since 2013, Cyprus has sold passports to approximately 4,000 foreign nationals, raising more than seven billion euros, according to a recent report by anti-corruption NGO Global Witness.
https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/out-of-favor-saudi-prince-bought-cypriot-passport
(A P)
EU willing to help Yemeni economy, civil servants payment
European Union ambassadors to Yemen on Wednesday expressed willingness to provide logistic and technical services in paying the Yemeni civil servants' salaries, and help the country's economy and monetary policy mechanisms.
At a videoed meeting with Houthi negotiators led by Mohamed Abdul Salam, the EU envoys discussed humanitarian and political efforts, and ways to push Yemen's peace process, according to the Sana'a-based Saba.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17173.html
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12897
(* B E P)
Built for a global economy, Dubai now threatened by virus
Dubai built a city of skyscrapers and artificial archipelagos on the promise of globalization, creating itself as a vital hub for the free movement of trade, people and money worldwide — all things that have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, with events canceled, flights grounded and investment halted, this sheikdom in the United Arab Emirates is threatened both by the virus and a growing economic crisis. Under pressure even before the outbreak, Dubai and its vast web of state-linked industries face billions of dollars in looming debt repayments.
And though it was bailed out a decade earlier, Dubai may not be able to count on another cash infusion, given the crash in global oil prices.
“They facilitate the transport and the buying of things and the movement of people,” said Karen E. Young, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who studies Gulf Arab economies. “That’s not the world we’re living in right now.”
https://apnews.com/7b87b841e66ab324e029b0ba7f899ee6
(* B H P)
Undocumented Indians Stranded In The Gulf Due To Overstaying Fine
These workers have lost jobs, have no home or food & have to pay huge fines before being repatriated to India
Thousands of jobless undocumented Indians in the Arab Gulf countries will not benefit from the Vande Bharat Mission as they do not have money to clear their overstaying fines, The Lede has learned.
“I was laid off by my employer some 10 months ago. I don’t have a shelter. Daily food is also a challenge. I registered with the Indian embassy in Muscat to return. I got a call too from the embassy. But when I went there, they told me that I can fly only if I pay the overstaying fine and purchase a ticket,” Shameer U, a Keralite in Muscat, told The Lede.
Shameer and some 400 Indian workers have been left in the lurch by their employer since January. Shameer’s work permit card expired in December 2019.
Eventually, he has to pay nearly Rs 1 lakh for overstaying till April before he exits Oman.
(A P)
Türkei: VAE bringen durch Interventionen in Libyen und Jemen Chaos in Nahen Osten
Inmitten zunehmender Spannungen zwischen Ankara und Abu Dhabi hat der türkische Außenminister Mevlüt Cavusoglu die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE) beschuldigt, durch ihre Interventionen in Libyen und im Jemen „Chaos“ in den Nahen Osten zu bringen.
Im Gespräch mit dem türkischen Sender Akit TV am Dienstag sagte der türkische Außenminister, die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate versuchten zusammen mit Ägypten und anderen Ländern, "die gesamte Region zu destabilisieren".
Cavusoglu fügte hinzu:" Wenn Sie fragen, wer diese Region destabilisiert, wer Chaos bringt, dann würden wir ohne Zögern Abu Dhabi sagen".
"Es ist eine Tatsache, dass sie Libyen verunsichert und den Jemen zerstört haben", sagte der türkische Außenminister weiter.
(A P)
Turkey says UAE spreading chaos in Middle East
Turkey accused the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday of bringing chaos to the Middle East through its interventions in Libya and Yemen, allegations which are likely to inflame tensions between the regional rivals.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was responding to criticism of Turkey’s role in the Libyan conflict, where it has deployed military personnel and helped send Syrian fighters to support the internationally recognised government in Tripoli.
Cavusoglu told Turkish broadcaster Akit TV that the United Arab Emirates, along with Egypt and other countries he did not name, were “trying to destabilise the whole region”, but he singled out Abu Dhabi for particular criticism.
“If you are asking who is destabilising this region, who is bringing chaos, then we would say Abu Dhabi without any hesitation,” he said. “It is a reality that they are the force that unsettled Libya and destroyed Yemen.”
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(* A P)
Der Putsch in Katar, den es gar nicht gab
Am Montagmorgen, dem 4. Mai 2020, begannen Informationen auf Twitter zu kursieren, demnach in Katar ein Putsch im Gange wäre.
Die Gerüchte wurden unter anderem auch von bekannten saudischen Journalisten und Influencern, sowie von einigen saudischen Medienhäusern verbreitet: Der ehemalige katarische Premierminister und einer der reichsten Männer der Welt, Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, Mitglied der katarischen Herrscherfamilie, soll angeblich einen Putsch gegen den amtierenden Emir von Katar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani angeführt haben. Es kursierten sogar Gerüchte, die türkische Armee würde sich Kämpfe mit katarischen Truppen liefern.
Inzwischen steht fest, dass es keinen Putsch im Emirat am Golf gegeben hat – stattdessen deutet alles auf eine Desinformationskampagne Saudi-Arabiens hin. Die Führung in Doha hielt sich mit offiziellen Äußerungen zurück – nur der katarische Botschafter in Moskau stritt die Gerüchte am nächsten Tag vehement als Falschinformationen ab. Twitter-User und Beobachter vor Ort berichten, dass in Doha und Al-Wakra weder Schüsse fielen noch Kämpfe stattfanden.
Die schnelle Verbreitung der Gerüchte über Twitter weist alle Kennzeichen einer orchestrierten Desinformationskampagne auf:
https://magazin.zenith.me/de/politik/kurz-erkl%C3%A4rt-saudische-desinformationsattacke-am-golf
cp12b Sudan
(* A P)
Sudan clashes kill 26, including paramilitary forces
Armed clashes in Sudan’s South Kordofan province killed more than two dozen people, including paramilitary troops, over 48 hours, authorities said Wednesday. It marked the third outbreak of violence this month that could derail the country’s transition to democracy
https://apnews.com/76950dbfa2ca703ac079e58c3335af3f
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(* A K P)
Boeing scores deals to deliver more than 1,000 missiles to Saudi
Boeing has been awarded two contracts worth more than US$2 billion for the delivery of more than 1,000 air-to-surface and anti-ship missiles to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
A first contract, worth $1.97 billion, is for the modernization of SLAM ER cruise missiles as well as delivery of 650 new missiles "in support of the government of Saudi Arabia," it said.
The contract is to be completed by December 2028 for the SLAM ERs, a GPS-guided air-to-surface missile with a range of up to 155 nautical miles (approximately 180 miles, 290 kilometers).
The Pentagon also announced a more than $650 million contract for delivery of 467 new Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles, including more than 400 to Saudi Arabia.
https://news.yahoo.com/boeing-scores-deals-deliver-more-1-000-missiles-000213747.html = https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/05/14/boeing-scores-deals-to-deliver-more-than-1000-missiles-to-saudi.html
and also https://en.abna24.com/news//boeing-secures-cruise-missile-contracts-with-saudi-arabia_1037021.html
(A B K P)
Rheinmetall entrüsten - Für ein Verbot aller Rüstungsexporte!- Mahnwache vor der Konzernzentrale anlässlich der Hauptversammlung
Auch 2019 hat Rheinmetall seine Umsätze und seinen Gewinn mit Waffengeschäften weiter steigern können.
Der Rheinmetall-Vorstandsvorsitzende spricht sogar von einem „SuperZyklus im wehrtechnischen Geschäft“, der Zuwachs betrage 9,4 %. Vorgeschlagen wird eine Dividende in Höhe von 2,40 € je Aktie – ein Höchstwert in der Firmengeschichte.
Rheinmetall lässt z.B. Bomben in Italien produzieren, die an Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate geliefert und von diesen Staaten im Jemen eingesetzt werden.
Rheinmetall rüstet über die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate Kriegsschiffe für Eritrea auf und umgeht damit ein gegen Eritrea verhängtes Waffenembargo.
Daher rufen wir auf zur Teilnahme an der Mahnwache: Rheinmetall entrüsten! Verbot alle Rüstungsexporte!
(* A K P)
South Africa amends arms export document after inspection row
South Africa has made a subtle change to arms export rules that could unlock more than a billion dollars of weapons sales to countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
A notice published in the government gazette on May 11 alters the circumstances under which South African officials can perform inspections to verify that customers are not transferring weapons to third parties.
Some of the main buyers of South African arms, including governments in the Gulf and North Africa, had refused to agree to the inspections because they considered them a violation of their sovereignty.
Reuters reported in February that the government was planning to change the inspection clause in an arms export document following months of lobbying by defence firms and trade unions who said thousands of jobs were at stake.
The clause will now read: “It is agreed that on-site verification of the controlled items may be performed, through diplomatic process,” according to the notice signed by Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
(* A E K P)
US Defense Firms Hiring Thousands Amid Record Unemployment
Pentagon spending on missiles, satellites, and nuclear weapons fuels a production boom, as firms fight off commercial aerospace downturn.
As U.S. unemployment reached its highest level since the Great Depression amid the coronavirus pandemic, some of America’s largest defense firms are hiring thousands of workers to build fast-flying missiles, satellites and nuclear weapons.
Even amid nationwide social distancing practices, companies are interviewing job candidates through video conferencing and other technology as they look to fill positions on national security projects that Pentagon leaders want to keep on schedule.
“[W]e recognize that providing jobs during this period of economic downturn is also critically important,” Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson said last month on the company’s quarterly earnings call. “We are committed to continued hiring during this crisis.”
Lockheed, the world’s largest defense company, already has hired more than 2,365 new employees since March when many U.S. companies began furloughing or layoff workers amid coronavirus stay-at-home orders. In addition, Lockheed is “actively recruiting for over 4,600 roles,” in 39 states and Washington, D.C., the company said in a statement Friday.
(* B K P)
Film: Made in Europe Bombed in Yemen (FULL WEBINAR)
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are two of the largest customers of the European weapons industry. At the same time, both countries have been heavily involved in the armed conflict in Yemen. Most of the indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian homes, hospitals and schools appear to have been carried out by the Saudi Arabia and UAE-led military coalition.
Nevertheless, countries like Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK continue to export arms and components as well as provide support services to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This is a flagrant example of non-compliance with national laws, the international Arms Trade Treaty and the EU Common Position 2008/944/CFSP on arms exports.
In a historic step, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, Mwatana for Human Rights from Yemen, and European partner organizations filed a communication to the International Criminal Court in December 2019. This ground-breaking legal action challenges European economic and political actors’ role in Yemen.
In this virtual event hosted by MEP Hannah Neumann, we will discuss questions including: How do European arms affect the conflict in Yemen? Can companies and their management be liable under international criminal law when exported arms are used to commit war crimes? How can the ICC hold government officials to account for their role in armed conflicts? Which arms export control mechanisms exist in the EU and how can these be improved?
Speakers: Ali Jameel, Mwatana for Human Rights; Sana’a Hannah Neumann, The Greens/EFA, Member of the European Parliament, Brussels; Sabine Visser, Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs, The Hague Miriam; Saage-Maaß, ECCHR, Berlin. Moderated by: Teri Schulz, reporting on NATO and the EU, Brussels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrlSX8qk-Jo
(B K P)
Trotz Corona-Krise: Geschäfte mit dem Tod gehen weiter
Frankreich trägt laut dem Oxfam-Bericht durch Waffenlieferungen an Saudi-Arabien zum Krieg im Jemen bei. Kanada hob jüngst die Aussetzung der Waffenexporte nach Saudi-Arabien auf.
In Deutschland durfte der Hersteller Thyssen Krupp am 9. April mit Genehmigung der Bundesregierung das dritte von insgesamt vier U-Booten an die ägyptische Marine übergeben, die ihrerseits am Krieg im Jemen beteiligt ist.
"Waffenexportländer müssen aufhören, Konflikte zu schüren und stattdessen Druck auf Kriegsparteien ausüben, einem globalen Waffenstillstand zuzustimmen. Das gilt auch für die Bundesregierung. Wer die Menschen vor der Corona-Pandemie schützen will, darf nicht weiter das Geschäft mit dem Tod betreiben", forderte Robert Lindner, Referent für Krisen und Konflikte bei Oxfam Deutschland.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(** A P T)
Terrorattacken 9/11: FBI identifiziert aus Versehen mutmaßlichen Mittäter
Das US-amerikanische Bundesamt für Ermittlung (FBI) hat unverhofft einen Mitarbeiter der Botschaft Saudi-Arabiens in Washington identifiziert, der der Teilnahme an den Terroranschlägen vom 11. September 2001 verdächtigt wird, berichtet das Nachrichtenportal Yahoo.
Die „The Wall Street Journal“ hatte im September 2019 unter Berufung auf ein Gerichtsdokument geschrieben, dass das FBI gegenüber den Anwälten der Angehörigen der Terroropfer einen tatverdächtigen saudischen Diplomaten beim Namen genannt habe. Diese Person wurde in einem Bericht aus dem Jahr 2012 erwähnt, sollte jedoch nicht namentlich offengelegt werden, so die US-Zeitung.
Der Bericht hatte laut Yahoo anfänglich Fahad al-Thumairy, Mitarbeiter der saudischen Behörde für Islam-Angelegenheiten und Imam der Moschee von Los Angeles, betroffen. Als zweite Person, die der Organisation des Terroranschlags vom 11. September verdächtigt wurde, galt Omar al-Bayoumi. Es ging auch um eine weitere Person, die Al-Thumairy und Al-Bayoumi beauftragt haben soll, den Terroristen zu helfen, die vor den Anschlägen Flugzeuge entführt hatten.
Die dritterwähnte Person wurde erst bekannt, als das FBI im April ein Dossier an das Bundesgericht geleitet hat. Das war die Antwort einer ranghohen Mitarbeiterin der Behörde, Gill Sunburn, auf die Klage der Angehörigen der Opfer gegen die saudischen Behörden wegen deren Mitwirkung an den Terrorattacken.
Laut Yahoo wird in dem Dokument Mussaed Ahmed al-Jarrah, Mitarbeiter des saudischen Außenministeriums, genannt. Er soll 1999 und 2000 in der saudischen Botschaft in Washington und danach in diplomatischen Missionen in Malaysia und Marokko gearbeitet haben. Alle FBI-Informationen zu Al-Jarrah und seiner möglichen Teilnahme an den Attacken vom 11. September werden geheim gehalten.
Wie der Sprecher der Vereinigung der Opfer des Terroranschlags, Brett Eagleson, sagte, versuche das FBI auf diese Weise, „die Teilnahme von Saudi-Arabien zu verschleiern“.
Als Journalisten des Portals Yahoo News auf das “Versehen“ verwiesen, haben die Beamten des Justizministeriums das Bundesgericht darüber informiert und den öffentlichen Zutritt zu dem Dokument gesperrt.
https://de.sputniknews.com/panorama/20200513327103998-terrorattacken-fbi-versehen-mittaeter/
(** A P T)
In court filing, FBI accidentally reveals name of Saudi official suspected of directing support for 9/11 hijackers
The FBI inadvertently revealed one of the U.S. government’s most sensitive secrets about the Sept. 11 terror attacks: the identity of a mysterious Saudi Embassy official in Washington who agents suspected had directed crucial support to two of the al-Qaida hijackers.
The disclosure came in a new declaration filed in federal court by a senior FBI official in response to a lawsuit brought by families of 9/11 victims that accuses the Saudi government of complicity in the terrorist attacks.
The declaration was filed last month but unsealed late last week. According to a spokesman for the 9/11 victims’ families, it represents a major breakthrough in the long-running case, providing for the first time an apparent confirmation that FBI agents investigating the attacks believed they had uncovered a link between the hijackers and the Saudi Embassy in Washington.
“This shows there is a complete government cover-up of the Saudi involvement,” said Brett Eagleson, a spokesman for the 9/11 families whose father was killed in the attacks. “It demonstrates there was a hierarchy of command that’s coming from the Saudi Embassy to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs [in Los Angeles] to the hijackers.”
Still, Eagleson acknowledged he was flabbergasted by the bureau’s slip-up in identifying the Saudi Embassy official in a public filing. Although Justice Department lawyers had last September notified lawyers for the 9/11 families of the official’s identity, they had done so under a protective order that forbade the family members from publicly disclosing it.
Now, the bureau itself has named the Saudi official. “This is a giant screwup,” Eagleson said.
Describing the request by lawyers for the 9/11 families to depose that individual under oath, Sanborn’s declaration says in one instance that it involves “any and all records referring to or relating to Jarrah.”
The reference is to Mussaed Ahmed al-Jarrah, a mid-level Saudi Foreign Ministry official who was assigned to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., in 1999 and 2000. His duties apparently included overseeing the activities of Ministry of Islamic Affairs employees at Saudi-funded mosques and Islamic centers within the United States.
Relatively little is known about Jarrah, but according to former embassy employees, he reported to the Saudi ambassador in the United States (at the time Prince Bandar), and that he was later reassigned to the Saudi missions in Malaysia and Morocco, where he is believed to have served as recently as last year.
Jarrah has been on the radar screen of the lawyers for the 9/11 families for some time – by Michael Isikoff
(A T)
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) media foundation, al Malahem, released a document and audio recording about a cabal within the group on May 11. The statements alleged that three AQAP militants challenged AQAP’s shari’a court and that two of the militants proposed surrendering AQAP’s Qayfa front in al Bayda governorate in central Yemen to forces aligned with the internationally recognized Yemeni government of Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi. AQAP released a statement about its internal espionage problem in late February.[1]
(A T)
A US drone strike reportedly killed a high-ranking AQAP official in northern Yemen, according to a tweet by the SITE Intelligence Group’s director. A US drone strike killed Qasim al Raymi in Wadi Abidah in Ma’rib governorate in late January.[2]
(A T)
#Yemen #AQAP: Just wondering why the US price-tag on Batarfi's head is a mere $5million when Atef gets $6m? He might be insulted you haven't recognised his February promotion to jihadi-in-chief. (And btw, Banna no longer looks like Freddie Mercury)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1260636122935410688
Comment: If you want to know #American sellouts #Washington in the US govt & think-tank community such as
@MiddleEastInst & its elk watch their reaction to this open secret implicating #Saudi govt in #Sept11 terrorist attacks. None of them will say a word.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1260402944350052353
My comment: keep in mind, in the case of 9/11 the US government and US institutions had covered and protected terrorism since more than 18 years now. This sucks.
(A T)
Gold-dust for all researching current developments in #Yemen's #jihad: In a monster 18-page statement #AQAP finally breaks its silence on internal conflict, its allegedly botched #spy court & recent defectors trumpeted by #ISIS. I'll be (sceptically) unraveling this all today... (image)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1260154956188987394
(* B T)
(from 2016): Al-Qa'ida & Islamic State in Yemen: A Battle for Local Audiences
This book chapter begins by showing how AQAP speaks to local audiences at both practical and emotional levels, rather than just through religious ideology. It demonstrates how AQAP narratives resonate strongly with local tribal codes of honour and revenge, and how these can then be harnessed to serve the global agenda of militant jihad. The chapter then explores two key themes that thread through AQAP’s jihadist narratives: the celebration of death and the construction of the enemy. It shows how these themes are tuned towards local audiences and how they have developed since the “Arab spring” uprising, the emergence of Islamic State and the onset of all-out war in 2015. Lastly, the chapter looks at the relative appeals of AQAP and Islamic State in Yemen. It outlines the potential trajectories of AQAP and briefly suggests ways in which the jihadist threat in Yemen might be countered – by Elisabeth Kendall
https://www.academia.edu/15757466/Al-Qaida_and_Islamic_State_in_Yemen_A_Battle_for_Local_Audiences
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Assa’di : Yemeni Government has always been peace-seeker, reacted constructively to sincere calls for establishing peace
The Yemeni Government reaffirms that is very keen to react positively to every sincere and earnest call to establish sustainable and comprehensive peace in Yemen in accordance with three terms of reference including GCC’s Initiative, Its operational plan, outcomes of National Dialogue and UNSCRs in relevance, namely 2216.
Yemen’s Permeant Representative to the UN Ambassador Abdullah Assa’di said” The ongoing war which triggered by Houthi militia has never been the Yemenis’ choice and the Yemeni Government has done everything to avoid it, offered many concessions to end, responded constructively to the calls of the UN Chief and his envoy Martin Griffiths to establish cease-fire to devote efforts to counter coronavirus”.
My comment: The same propaganda BS by the Hadi government as always. They seem to reuse the same text again and again – just coronavirus has been added.
(A P)
Shatara criticizes Hadi's contradictions over Aden and Hodeidah
Member of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Vice-President of the National Assembly for Control and Inspection, Mr. Lufti Shatara expressed surprise at the contradictory positions of the Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi regarding the cities of Aden and Al-Hodeidah.
Shatara wrote on his official Twitter account that when the al-Amalika brigades advanced and surrounded Hodeidah in preparing to liberate it from the grip of the Houthis, Hadi said in a televised interview that “armed incursion into cities is a graveyard for armies”.
He added that "after handing over their positions to the Houthis, the hordes of his armed forces came from the north to besiege the southern province of Abyan and even threaten to invade Aden, we did not see Hadi's attitude for Aden; the city that brought him victory and restored his legitimacy."
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22046
(A P)
Yemeni officer reveals Houthi preconditions for repairing Safer
A military spokesman for the Yemeni pro-[Hadi] government joint forces (JF) on Tuesday revealed Houthi preconditions for repairing the floating storage and offloading (FSO) facility Safer anchored off the western port city of Hodeida.
The Houthi group wants the JF pulled out of Hodeida and al-Doraihimi, embargo on Iran lifted, Sana'a airport reopened to airlift their injured fighters and Iranian and Lebanese experts, and 500,000-barrel-worth cash paid to them in US dollars as preconditions for Safer repairs, Wadhah al-Dobaish said in a statement carried by Al-Arabia TV.
The Houthi senior negotiator, Mohamed Abdul Salam, "reclined in his recent tweet when he shifted responsibility to the Arab coalition" for obstructing the repairs, Dobaish added. "I challenge him now to deny what we've said or prove otherwise."
The Houthis are to blame for preventing UN repair teams from fixing the tanker Safer, the military spokesman claimed, warning that the JF would take a "serious, strong stance unless pressure on Houthis lead to allowing for immediate maintenance.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17143.html
My comment: This sounds like propaganda. The Houthis never had demanded this and all these points do not have anything to do with the Safer, but just reflect the Saudi and Hadi government propaganda scheme. The only precondition is “to allow the sale of crude oil in the tanker Safer”: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12885
(A P)
Shatara: War is not only for the South, but also for establishing int'l security
Member of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Vice-President of the National Assembly for Control and Inspection, Mr. Lufti Shatara said, referring to the clashes in Abyan, that "this war is not ours alone to restore the south, as the commander Aidroos al-Zubaidi said, but it's also a war of the Arab Coalition and international community for ensuring the establishment of international security and stability."
Shatara made it clear in his tweet that "it's a joint war against terrorism in this vital region of the world."
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22031
(A P)
Bin Brik: We are currently working upon the will of President Hadi
The Vice-President of the Southern Transitional Council, Hani Ali Bin Brik, affirmed that the joining of the Islah party elements and northern seniors with Hadi is not due to their love to him, and not because of their fear from the Houthis, but they joined Hadi to ensure not the independence of the south.
https://en.smanews.org/bin-brik-we-are-currently-working-upon-the-will-of-president-hadi
(A P)
Bin Laghbar: Liberating Socotra from the Brotherhood is a national duty
The southern political activist, Salah Bin Laghbar, affirmed that liberating Socotra and all the southern lands from the Brotherhood and the July 7 gang is a national duty for every southerner.
https://en.smanews.org/bin-laghbar-liberating-socotra-from-the-brotherhood-is-a-national-duty
(A P)
Al-Awlaki: The territorial racist speech of Al-Ahmar employee in #Socotra is an attempt to throw ash in the eyes
The Member of the Southern Transitional Council Presidency, Salem Thabet Al-Awlaki, affirmed that the provincial racist speech of Ramzi Mahrous of the Brotherhood is nothing but a throw of ashes in the eyes to try to hide his crimes against the people of Socotra.
(A P)
Al-Kaf to the tools of Brotherhood project in the archipelago: #Socotra is a part of the south
Adnan Al-Kaf, member of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council, said that the sons of South in Socotra had to deal with their limited force with the tools of the Brotherhood’s Islah project in the island, and victory was their ally in the face of these tools, who themselves agreed to be in the category of hostility to the South and its people.
He added: The enemies of the south must realize that Socotra is part of the natural and political geography of the South.
(A P)
Haitham in response to Mahrous racism: As southerners we must stand together against the malicious Brotherhood epidemic
The official spokesman of the Transitional Council, Nazar Haitham, affirmed that the southerners should stand against the malicious epidemic of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Haitham said on Twitter: The leader of the Brotherhood’s militia in Socotra and the agent of Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, Ramzi Mahrous speaks in distasteful and oppressive racist language against the sons of Abyan, Dhali, and Yafi for the purpose of sedition between the people of the south.
(A P)
More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors“ propaganda
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2086804
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2086803
https://www.presseportal.de/pm/132628/4597147
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22040
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2086434
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2086425
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2086423
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22034
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2085962
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2085535
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2085499
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2085490
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(A K pH)
Aggressionskampfflugzeuge fliegen 10 Luftangriffe auf Al-Bayda an
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3096894.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression coalition aircraft wage 10 raids on Bayda
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3096918.htm
(A K pH)
Aggressionskampfflugzeuge fliegen 5 Luftangriffe auf Hadschah an
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3096892.htm
(A K pH)
5 Airstrikes of US-Saudi-led coalition warplane hit Hajjah
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3096917.htm
(A K pH)
Luftangriffe auf mehreren Provinzen
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3096841.htm
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update For Thursday, May 14th, 2020
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12908
(A K pH)
Luftangriffe auf 3 Provinzen
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3096736.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression warplanes attack Bayda, Hajjah
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3096686.htm
(A K pH)
Six Saudi-led aggression airstrike hit Marib
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3096697.htm
(A K pH)
Aggressionsluftwaffe fliegt 3 Luftangriffe auf Al-Bayda
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3096641.htm
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
May 13: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12892 Bayda p., Najran, Saada p., Sanaa p.
May 12: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12875 Hajjah p., Bayda p., Marib p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp1b
(A K pH)
[Sanaa gov.] Armed Forces Spokesman: Coalition of Aggression Continues to Escalate on Various Fronts
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=12921
(A K pS)
[Hadi gov.] Yemeni army says Houthis killed in al-Badya clashes
(A K pH)
Film: Al-Bayda: The [Sanaa gov] Yemeni army and people's committees have cleared a Number of military sites in Qaniyeh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNlFV2FTwUg
Map: https://twitter.com/YemenMaps/status/1261150443612385281
(A K pS)
[Hadi gov.] Army repels Houthi militia attacks in Nihm & Al-Bayda fronts
http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/05/13/army-repels-houthi-militia-attacks-in-nihm-al-bayda-fronts/
(A K pH)
Film: Al-Jawf: The [Sanaa gov.] Yemeni army and popular committees are launching a clean-up operation for TheAlMuhashimah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR83Vx3UU4g
and shorter summary, film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhQXPkKWaoM
(A K pS)
Houthi commander gets killed in operation of members of Fifth Brigade forces in Al-Dhali
(A K pS)
Brigade 30 thwarts two failed Houthis infiltrations west of Dhali and causes them a number of killed and wounded
(A K pS)
Houthis committed 3268 ceasefire violations
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22037
(A K pH)
Map: Military situation in #Souh #Najran Front 2020-05-12
https://twitter.com/YemenMaps/status/1260011231273873414
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(A P)
Wie radikale Islamisten Einfluss über soziale Medien gewinnen
Facebook hat seit dem Vorjahr ein externes, unabhängiges „Höchstgericht“, das Beschwerden über „anstößige“ Inhalte aufnimmt und diese be- und verurteilt. Dem Überwachungs-Gremium gehört seit kurzem auch eine arabisch-stämmige Menschenrechtsaktivistin, mit Nahverhältnis zur radikal-islamistischen Muslimbruderschaft, an. Ein Shitstorm folgte: Facebook fördere die extremistische Ideologie der Muslimbruderschaft.
Tawakkol Karman heißt der Neuzugang beim Facebook „Oversight-Board“. Sie ist das Gesicht des „Arabischen Frühlings“ von 2011, und erhielt dafür den Nobelpreis. Die 41jährige Journalistin und Menschenrechtsaktivistin stammt aus dem Jemen und ist heute türkische Staatsbürgerin. Das Time-Magazin reihte sie im Vorjahr unter die Top-100-Frauen des Jahres ein.
Nach ihrer Ehrung mit dem Nobelpreis wurde Karman von der Muslimbruderschaft als Mitglied geoutet. Tatsächlich gehörte sie bis 2018 der Islah-Partei, einem Zweig der Muslim-Bruderschaft in Jemen, an. Aus dieser wurde sie hinausgeworfen, weil sie die Saudi/US Kriegskoalition gegen den Islamischen Staat (IS) in Jemen kritisierte.
(A E)
Funded by the Arab Fund for Development in the State of Kuwait, the largest bridge in Yemen was opened in Hadhramaut Governorate, silently and without any noise, only a small and parked project beside the bridge, which no one notices. ".(photo)
https://twitter.com/malaradah/status/1261029167333814275
(* B H)
Heuschreckenplage sorgt für Hunger in Ostafrika
Besonders den Menschen in Äthiopien, Kenia, Somalia und dem Jemen fehlt es infolgedessen an Nahrung, Saatgut und Viehfutter. Laut Vereinten Nationen droht mehr als 25 Millionen Menschen in Ostafrika eine Hungersnot – die Corona-Krise erschwert den Kampf gegen die Plage zusätzlich.
Laut der UN-Landwirtschaftsorganisation (FAO) können sie dabei bis zu 150 Kilometer pro Tag zurücklegen, was in etwa der Strecke von Leipzig nach Berlin entspricht.
In Kenia beobachteten Forschende in diesem Jahr einen besonders großen Schwarm, der aus Hunderten Millionen Insekten bestand. Er sei 60 Kilometer lang und 40 Kilometer breit und damit etwa so groß wie das Saarland gewesen.
Ein kleiner Schwarm von rund einem Quadratkilometer hingegen frisst in derselben Zeit bereits so viel wie 35.000 Menschen.
Alltäglich sind derart riesige Gruppen von Heuschrecken, wie sie beispielsweise in Kenia beobachtet wurden, keineswegs.
als Folge einer gefährlichen Gemengelage, wie Biologe Axel Hochkirch, designierter Präsident der internationalen Gesellschaft der Heuschreckenforscher, erklärt.
„Die Plage ist gleichzeitig Folge des Jemen-Krieges als auch mehrerer Zyklone, die die Region heimgesucht haben“, so der Professor für Naturschutzbiologie in Trier. Bereits 2018 hätten tropische Wirbelstürme jede Menge Regen auf die Arabische Halbinsel und damit an die Grenze zwischen Saudi-Arabien, Oman und dem Jemen gebracht. Im feuchten Sand der Wüste vermehrten sich die Heuschrecken rasant, bevor sie schließlich bis nach Afrika wanderten.
Denn Nässe schafft optimale Bedingungen für deren Fortpflanzung
„Nicht nur im Jemen, sondern auch in Somalia verbreiteten sich die Schwärme dann in Krisen- und Kriegsgebieten, was ihre Bekämpfung zusätzlich erschwert hat.“ Denn die nötige Ausrüstung, die Bauern hätte helfen können, der gefräßigen Schädlinge Herr zu werden, sei größtenteils zerstört worden – von Elisabeth Krafft
(* B H)
East Africa has made some gains against an imminent locust plague—but they’re still coming
Up to one million hectares of farm land need to be controlled and treated with pesticide if Eastern Africa and Yemen are to have a good chance of avoiding a food security crisis in the wake of an unprecedented plague of locusts expected in the next month, warns the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
But the FAO and other organizations have already helped avoid an early crisis with notable gains made against swarms of the migratory pests saving up to 720,000 tonnes of wheat, which it says would normally feed up to 5 million people.
The threat of locust swarms affects ten African countries in the Greater Horn of Africa: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Yemen in the Middle East. Desert locusts are considered the most destructive migratory pest in the world, the FAO says a single swarm can cover one square kilometer and contain up to 80 million locusts.
Even though progress has been made by treating land, the first wave of swarms has reproduced and a larger second wave will transition to the young adult stage in June when they’ll flight during the critical harvest season of Eastern Africa.
The combination of the Covid-19, recent floods and the locusts have put immense pressure on local and international resources to provide aid and support for farmers and people in the region.
https://qz.com/africa/1857046/locust-swarms-still-coming-to-east-africa-yemen-but-gains-made/
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-650-yemen-war-mosaic-650
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-650 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-650:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
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