May 27, 2020: The situation in Southern Yemen – Coronavirus is spreading, fear of a catastrophe, many deaths at Aden, Houthis hide true figures – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-654b-yemen-war-mosaic-654b
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavitrus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
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**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Ältere einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Older introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K P)
Abyan Battles to Determine Fate of the Riyadh Agreement
In reality, the Abyan battles are a new round in an ongoing conflict within the anti-Houthi camp over political authority among parties with different regional backers. On the government side is President Hadi and the Islamist Islah party, who have monopilized authority in the government. Excluded from power is the STC and, to a lesser degree, the National Resistance Forces led by Tareq Saleh, which have shown implicit sympathy toward the STC without providing military support. The first side is allied with Saudi Arabia while the second is backed by the United Arab Emirates.
The recent clashes are unlikely, however, to alter power dynamics in the southern arena without the Arab coalition intervening in favor of one party or the other – which appears unlikely as Riyadh and Abu Dhabi aren’t looking for further friction – or unless the government fully mobilizes its military resources to engage in a decisive battle. Such a fight on Aden’s outskirts, however, would jeopardize the overall fight against the Houthis, potentially pulling government forces away from active fronts in Marib and Al-Bayda and leaving them vulnerable to Houthi attacks. A counter-mobilization of additional STC forces to Abyan would also imperil frontlines against Houthi forces in Al-Dhalea and Lahj.
The solid balance of military power in Abyan – which is the home governorate of President Hadi – has not allowed any side to impose its absolute will. The STC has generally maintained a defensive strategy while launching occasional counterattacks
The confrontation has also seen both sides rush to mobilize forces to the frontlines in an effort to tip the scales.
The government also has brought in additional battalions from the first military zone in Sayoun, Hadramawt, drawing the south’s largest governorate into the fray. The redeployment pushed the STC’s command in Hadramawt to hint at resorting to “popular resistance” to cut the supply lines between Hadramawt and Abyan.
After battles erupted in Abyan, STC president Aiderous al-Zubaidi called in a televised speech for a “general mobilization to defend the South.”
The Yemeni government’s offensive in Abyan was, on the one hand, a tactical maneuver within the framework of the Riyadh Agreement in which it received an “orange light” from Saudi Arabia to push back against the STC’s self-rule pursuit and punish it for pressuring government loyalists in Socotra and Hadramawt. At the same time, hardliners within the government have argued that capturing Zinjibar and advancing toward Aden would impose a beneficial new fait accompli in the south. Doing so may ignite wider war and collapse the Riyadh Agreement
The new wave of escalation could result in a further political adjustment based on the Riyadh Agreement.
It has not, however, cut the lines of communication between the government’s backers in Riyadh and the STC’s in Abu Dhabi. Following high-level communication between the two countries’ leadership, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman invited Aiderous al-Zubaidi, who has been based in the UAE, for talks in Riyadh, a gesture that was accepted by the STC chief. Besides halting the current military escalation, the Saudis are seeking to convince the rival parties to resume their work negotiating the Riyadh Agreement. According to local media, Riyadh recently submitted amendments that would synchronize policy and security aspects of the accord.
If the situation continues as is until the STC’s leadership moves to Riyadh to resume negotiations, such a tie would be positive for the STC.
The government, meanwhile, is caught between attempting further escalation on its own or reconciliation. Its military surge has stalled and Saudi Arabia hasn’t shown any sign it is interested in carrying out or supporting a decisive battle for Zinjibar, which would be perhaps the only way to shake the STC’s hold in Aden. If it chooses deescalation, Hadi’s government must be prepared to make political concessions to the STC in terms of government positions and a partnership in ultimate peace negotiations — essentially the path laid out in the Riyadh Agreement — which it repeatedly has tried to evade – by Hussam Radman
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/10008
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(** B H)
Coronavirus im Jemen: Ein Land am Abgrund
Krieg, Armut, Cholera - und jetzt hat auch noch das Coronavirus den Jemen erreicht. Dem Land könnte der Kollaps drohen, befürchten Hilfsorganisationen. Eine junge Jemenitin erzählt von der Situation in ihrem Land.
"Der Tod ist für uns Normalität", sagt Amal Mansour. "Doch das Coronavirus macht mir dennoch Angst." Amal Mansour lebt in Sanaa im Jemen. Die junge Frau ist besorgt. Denn seit Mitte April hat das Coronavirus offiziell das verwundbare Land erreicht, dessen Bevölkerung schon von einer Cholera-Epidemie und fünf Jahren Krieg geschwächt ist.
Bisher verzeichnet die Johns-Hopkins-Universität 244 Infizierte und knapp 50 Tote. Doch an diese Zahlen glaubt im Jemen eigentlich niemand. "Wir haben im Jemen so gut wie keine Möglichkeit, Tests durchzuführen. Wir wissen gar nicht, wie hoch die Zahl der Infizierten wirklich ist", sagt die 28-Jährige.
Als freie Journalistin für internationale Medien beobachtet Amal Mansour die Lage im Land genau. Die wenigen noch intakten Krankenhäuser weigerten sich, Infizierte aufzunehmen, sagt sie. Auch, weil sich das Personal nicht ausreichend selbst schützen könne. Das Amt der Vereinten Nationen für die Koordinierung humanitärer Angelegenheiten (UN-OCHA) zitiert in einem Bericht eine Krankenschwester am Krankenhaus der Universität für Wissenschaft und Technologie in Sanaa, die dies bestätigt: "Ich will Menschen gerne helfen", so Irene Versoza, "aber wie kann ich das, wenn es keine Schutzkleidung für mich gibt?"
Amal Mansour berichtet, dass viele Jemeniten sich zudem gar nicht in Krankenhäuser trauten, "denn man riskiert, sich dort möglicherweise anzustecken". Die Menschen im Jemen hätten viel Schlimmes erlebt, sagt sie. Aber Corona könne das Ende bedeuten.
"In Aden ist die Lage sehr kompliziert", erzählt Amal Mansour. Dort hätten so viele verschiedene Kräfte das Sagen. "In all der Misere nennen wir manchmal Sanaa daher das Paris des Jemen", sagt sie, und es ist das erste Mal, dass sie im Verlauf des Telefonats schmunzelt. "Aber auch in Sanaa ist die Situation alles andere als leicht."
Mehr möchte sie zur politischen Lage im Land nicht sagen. Aber die Corona-Nachrichten, die aus Aden zu hören seien, bereiteten ihr besondere Sorge. Dort sterben mittlerweile offenbar täglich viele Dutzende Menschen. Bilder von Toten, die in den Straßen liegen, kursieren. Es gibt Berichte über viele, die daheim sterben. Besonders die Armenviertel sind betroffen. Das bestätigt auch Ärzte ohne Grenzen. Die Organisation betreibt das einzige COVID-19-Behandlungszentrum in Aden.
"Was wir dort sehen, ist nur die Spitze des Eisbergs, was die Zahl der Infizierten und Sterbenden in der Stadt angeht", sagt Caroline Seguin, die Projekte von Ärzte ohne Grenzen im Jemen leitet. "Die Menschen kommen zu spät zu uns, um sie zu retten, und wir wissen, dass viel mehr Menschen überhaupt nicht mehr kommen: Sie sterben einfach zu Hause. Es ist eine herzzerreißende Situation."
80 Tote pro Tag in Aden
Dass viele Menschen zu Hause sterben, zeigen Statistiken der Regierung über Bestattungen, aus denen hervorgeht, dass Mitte Mai am Tag 80 Menschen in der Stadt starben, während es vor dem Corona-Ausbruch noch zehn am Tag waren. Ärzte ohne Grenzen berichtet zudem von einer hohen Zahl infizierter Pfleger und Helfer.
Eine Statistik darüber, wie hoch die Anzahl der COVID-19-Infizierten und Toten nun wirklich ist, ist nicht zu erwarten. Es gibt einfach zu wenige Testmöglichkeiten. Lediglich 500 Beatmungsgeräte stehen dem Land mit einer Bevölkerungsgröße von 29 Millionen Menschen zur Verfügung. Dazu kommen 700 Intensivbetten landesweit. In manchen Bezirken gibt es nicht einmal einen Arzt.
Die UN-Flüchtlingshilfe (UNHCR) gehe davon aus, dass viele Jemeniten auch aufgrund von Unterernährung starke COVID-19-Symptome entwickeln könnten, so Jean-Nicolas Beuze vom UNHCR Jemen kürzlich in einem Interview mit dem indischen Sender Wion. "Es ist eine tragische Situation, die vom Rest der Welt ignoriert wird." – von Diana Hodali
https://www.dw.com/de/coronavirus-im-jemen-ein-land-am-abgrund/a-53574983
(** B H)
Warnung vor Covid-19-Katastrophe in Aden/Jemen
Alarmierend hohe Sterblichkeitsraten im Covid-19-Behandlungszentrum in Aden deuten auf eine große Katastrophe hin, die sich im Süden des Landes abspielt, warnt Ärzte ohne Grenzen/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Die internationale Hilfsorganisation fordert: Vereinten Nationen und die Geberstaaten müssen dringend mehr zur Bekämpfung der Covid-19-Pandemie im Jemen tun.
Das Covid-19-Behandlungszentrum, das Ärzte ohne Grenzen in Aden betreibt, ist das einzige im gesamten Süden des Landes. Vom 30. April bis zum 17. Mai wurden dort 173 Patientinnen und Patienten aufgenommen, von denen 68 gestorben sind. Viele kommen bereits in kritischem Zustand an.
“Was wir in unserem Behandlungszentrum sehen, ist sicher nur die Spitze des Eisbergs, was die Zahl der Infizierten und Sterbenden in der Stadt angeht“, sagt Caroline Seguin, die die Projekte von Ärzte ohne Grenzen im Jemen leitet. „Die Menschen kommen zu spät zu uns, um sie retten zu können. Wir wissen außerdem, dass viel mehr Menschen überhaupt nicht kommen: Sie sterben einfach zu Hause. Es ist eine katastrophale Situation.”
Dass viele Menschen zu Hause sterben, zeigen die Statistiken der Regierung über Bestattungen, aus denen hervorgeht, dass in der vergangenen Woche am Tag 80 Menschen in der Stadt starben, während es vor dem Ausbruch rund zehn am Tag waren. Ein weiterer Hinweis darauf, wie weit sich die Krankheit ausgebreitet hat, ist die Zahl der medizinischen Fachkräfte, die Ärzte ohne Grenzen in der Covid-19-Einrichtung behandelt, auch Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter der Hilfsorganisation sind betroffen.
„Die Vereinten Nationen und die Geberstaaten müssen mehr tun, und zwar dringend, nicht nur für Aden, sondern für den gesamten Jemen“, sagt Seguin. „Das Gesundheitspersonal muss bezahlt und die für seine Sicherheit notwendige Schutzausrüstung organisiert werden. Das Land braucht dringend mehr Sauerstoffkonzentratoren, um Patientinnen und Patienten beim Atmen zu helfen. Die örtlichen Behörden müssen alles in ihrer Macht Stehende tun, um die Arbeit internationaler Organisationen wie Ärzte ohne Grenzen zu erleichtern, indem sie den Zugang zu medizinischem Material und die Einreise von internationalem Personal zur Verstärkung der Teams vor Ort sicherstellen”, fordert Seguin.
Ein Team aus jemenitischen und internationalen Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern arbeitet im Behandlungszentrum in Aden, das Ärzte ohne Grenzen seit dem 7. Mai leitet, rund um die Uhr.
„Die hohe Sterblichkeitsrate, die wir bei unseren Patientinnen und Patienten beobachten, entspricht der auf den Intensivstationen in Europa, aber die Menschen, die wir sterben sehen, sind viel jünger als in Frankreich oder Italien: meistens Männer zwischen 40 und 60 Jahren“, erklärt Seguin.
„Manche Krankenhäuser in der Stadt mussten schließen oder lehnen bestimmte Patientinnen und Patienten ab, weil das Personal nicht über die nötige Schutzausrüstung verfügt, um sich zu schützen, weswegen wir sehr besorgt sind über die Auswirkungen dieses Ausbruchs auf andere Krankheiten“, erklärt Seguin.
Die Notfallklinik von Ärzte ohne Grenzen in Aden ist immer noch geöffnet, die Zahl der Aufnahmen hat zugenommen, seit andere Krankenhäuser geschlossen wurden. Ärzte ohne Grenzen hat Triage- und andere Schutzmaßnahmen eingeführt, um Personal sowie Patientinnen und Patienten im Krankenhaus so weit wie möglich zu schützen. Alle Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter, die anfangen Symptome zu zeigen, werden sofort nach Hause geschickt, um in Selbstisolation zu gehen.
„Wir tun alles, was wir können, aber wir können das Virus nicht allein bekämpfen“, sagt Seguin. „Es wäre unethisch, Aden und den Rest des Jemen einfach mit dieser Krise allein zu lassen“.
https://pflege-professionell.at/warnung-vor-covid-19-katastrophe-in-aden-jemen
and English version: https://www.msf.org/aden%E2%80%99s-only-covid-19-treatment-centre-we-are-seeing-catastrophe-unfold
(** B H)
Coronavirus in Yemen hard to gauge amid "chaos," so experts left to count graves
Chaos in war-torn Yemen is obscuring the "horrific" extent of the coronavirus epidemic in the country, leaving scientists to make educated guesses at the number of deaths caused by the disease based on burials. The estimates are grim: the crippled city of Aden alone has likely seen a five-fold increase in deaths since COVID-19 arrived.
"The number of deaths occurring in the COVID-19 treatment center that MSF runs in Aden, Yemen, speaks to a wider catastrophe unfolding in the city," the group said in a statement, calling on the United Nations and donor countries "to do more urgently to help the response."
"The situation in Aden is bad, for lack of other words. We have no beds anymore," Claire Ha-Duong, head of the MSF mission in Yemen, told CBS News. "The problem is that in private hospitals [COVID-19] patients are refused and there is very little capacity for other patients in other hospitals."
She said MSF initially had to refuse one patient admission to a hospital because there was literally no space. "He stayed at the door for hours until, it's horrible to say, one patient died and then one bed was free."
"It's quite difficult to know the real extent of [COVID-19] because there's not been enough testing to be significant. It's only reasonable to assume that the disease has already spread throughout Yemen," Ha-Duong told CBS News
In the absence of official data, health workers have resorted to counting the number of burials at Aden's biggest cemetery to get some idea of the extent of the tragedy. This month, gravediggers at Radwan cemetery have reported a disturbing five-fold increase in daily interments.
Epidemiologist Dr. Abdulla Bin Ghouth, professor of community medicine at Hadhramout University's College of Medicine, east of Aden, has compiled his own data using records of burial permits from civil records offices in Aden.
The data show 950 deaths in the city over the first 17 days of May. He told CBS News he expects the total "will not be less than 1,300 deaths for the whole month of May." Bin Ghouth's assessment jibes with the anecdotal evidence from the gravediggers; the monthly figure he foresees would be about five-times higher than the number of deaths recorded in May of last year.
The scientist notes that, "with 85% of deaths happening outside the hospitals, it is hard to know the real cause of death. However, the increase [in burials] has coincided with the outbreak of corona in Aden."
Officially, the entire country has reported only 240 COVID-19 cases to date.
When asked by CBS News what the real number of infections might be, a government source, who didn't want to be identified, acknowledged that the beleaguered health care system doesn't "have an active testing mechanism to practically know how far the pandemic is spread in Yemen, nor do we have enough testing kits to check all reported cases."
"Aden is living in chaos. STC [the separatists in the south] are the de-facto authority, yet they exercise no duties. The health system is badly run and overwhelmed. Hospitals are not functioning except few. Some health workers and doctors stopped attending due to poor precautions and lack of management," the official said. "This dilemma will be costly for the lives of people."
Yemeni Pediatrician Dr. Dhekra Annuzaili, who has worked with global organizations including UNICEF and the World Bank, described the situation in her country as "horrific." She told CBS News that none of the warring parties are providing accurate numbers COVID-19 infections.
"Maybe they do not want to create panic, especially amongst the health workers, who have suffered the most from the pandemic," she said.
"The poor doctors and front-liners are heavily affected. Most deaths in Aden, in the beginning, were amongst health care workers," Annuzaili said. "The only solution to deal with COVID-19 now is to stop the war." – by Amjad Tadros
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-in-yemen-covid-hard-to-gauge-amid-war-experts-count-graves-in-aden/ = https://newsinfopark.com/usa/2020-05-26/article/coronavirus-in-yemen-amid-war-hard-to-gauge-so-experts-count-graves-as-deaths-mount-in-aden-51579/nip-web-desk-team/
(** B H P)
Coronavirus: Yemen's crowded quarantine sites are hotbed for pandemic
Anger at lack of preparation at schools converted by Houthis into quarantine sites for travellers from infected south
As soon as the coronavirus started to spread in pro-government areas of Yemen, which are mostly in the southern provinces, the rebel Houthis began converting schools on the borders between the two sides into quarantine sites.
The Houthis sent any travellers from the infected provinces to the quarantine sites, where the inmates were instructed to stay for 14 days before being allowed to enter Houthi-controlled areas.
Those forced to stay at the sites have told Middle East Eye they were not properly prepared to receive the travellers and that conditions in the converted schools are terrible.
Moreover, inmates are free to leave the sites to shop at local markets and many have escaped within hours of arriving.
“It is not a quarantine site, but it is a school where hundreds of people stay in classrooms and tents and there are no basic services,” Ridhwan, a driver with a transport company, told MEE.
Ridhwan was told that there were organisations supervising the quarantine sites and that they were good places to stay in for 14 days, but the complete opposite turned out to be true.
“I’m not against quarantine but I’m against the sites and the supervisors of the sites, which are good places for the coronavirus to spread,” he told MEE.
“When we entered the site I was shocked to see people chewing qat in a tent, as if they were at a wedding.”
Ridhwan had no choice but to sit and chew qat with the other men in the tent, and was then told by a supervisor that he would be staying in a tent with four other people, as there was no space for his own tent.
Women were housed in classrooms where there were more than five females along with their children sleeping in the same room.
“If there is one case infected by the coronavirus, it will easily spread among all the people in the school,” said Ridhwan.
Ridhwan asked some of the inmates who had been their awhile about the source of the water and they told him that he could leave his ID card with the guards and go to buy anything he wanted from the market, which he did.
“It is ridiculous and there was no real quarantine, rather we were in a prison where prisoners can’t receive any basic services,” said Ridwhan.
The sounds of supervisors shouting at inmates amid the crying of children dominate the site, while most of the men go to the market in the morning and then chew qat from noon until night.
Many inmates escape quarantine within just a few hours of entering the sites, and there are many people who enter the Houthi-controlled areas without being quarantined.
A source in Sanaa's health ministry, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed to MEE that the quarantine sites for travellers had not been properly prepared, stating that their main purpose had been to stop the movement between provinces.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/coronavirus-yemen-crowded-quarantine-sites-hotbed-pandemic
(** B H P)
Houthi Coronavirus Coverup Unleashes Death, Suffering as Yemen Marks Eid
In the last week of Ramadan, there has been an escalating sense in the Yemeni capital that the pandemic is spiraling out of control. On the street and in social media, almost everyone seems to know someone who either has the virus or has died from it – though most can only guess based on known symptoms, given the scarcity of testing and the Houthis’ suppression of test results. The United Nations now considers there to be “full-blown” virus transmission occurring in Yemen and has pulled half of its foreign staff out of Houthi-controlled areas.
Speaking privately, healthcare workers in Sana’a say the virus arrived in northern Yemen at least two months ago, though Houthi authorities did not announce any cases of coronavirus in territory they control until May 5. To date, they have reported just four cases of COVID-19, which they say have resulted in one death and two recoveries, with one case reportedly still active. Meanwhile, as they have publicly denied the spread of the virus, Houthi authorities have enforced sporadic closures of neighborhoods and pursued a militarized response to suspected cases: armed men have accompanied medical staff in raids on houses of suspected patients, and in some cases militants have been stationed outside the homes of COVID-19 patients to enforce quarantine. This has created a fear of reporting symptoms and stigmatized the disease. While two hospitals in Sana’a – Zayed Hospital and Kuwait Hospital – are receiving patients with COVID-19, doctors and family members of people who are thought to have died from the disease say they fear to speak openly because of threats of reprisal. To deflect blame, the Houthi authorities have also scapegoated migrants as “transmitters of disease,” falsely claiming a Somali refugee first brought the virus to northern Yemen. This has stoked xenophobic attacks and discrimination against vulnerable communities in the country.
The Houthi leadership’s COVID-19 response is in line with the group’s general disregard for the lives of those under their control.
Were the Houthi authorities to acknowledge the reality of the situation in areas they control, it would become untenable for them not to impose mitigation measures to slow the virus’ spread, including shutting down economic activity and limiting social interaction. This would immediately impact the Houthi bottom line – who would there be to extort if all the shops were closed? In addition to threatening Houthi resources, any serious efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 could undermine the recruitment and mobilization of fighters, a concession the Houthis are loath to entertain.
By falsely assuring the public that the disease is not spreading in northern Yemen, however, the Houthi authorities are facilitating the uncontrolled transmission of this highly contagious disease. Suspected victims of COVID-19 have also been buried at funerals attended by hundreds of mourners.
Transparency about the spread of COVID-19 also would allow the Houthis to mobilize support from the private sector and international organizations. The WHO says priority for COVID-19 support is determined based on a country’s reported need, with the onus on national authorities to report cases and deaths. However, Houthi authorities have compelled aid organizations operating in northern Yemen not to disclose any information related to COVID-19 testing. The WHO, while reportedly pressuring the Houthi authorities to be more transparent regarding the pandemic outbreak, has not publicly questioned the group’s false messaging to the Yemeni people. The organization’s continued cooperation with Houthi authorities’ charade, however, is quickly making it an accomplice to the catastrophe.
To be certain, this is only the beginning of a terrifying new escalation in the tragedies visited upon Yemen during this ongoing war.
Even the Houthi authorities will be forced to respond at some point, but they have likely already squandered their window of opportunity for effective mitigation efforts. Instead, they have delivered death and suffering to countless Yemenis as a gift for Eid – by Osmah Al-Rawhani
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/9994
and in short: https://twitter.com/SanaaCenter/status/1263857304417509377
(* B H)
In Yemen it can always become even more disastrous Corona can at best infect half of the population in Yemen
Every time you think it can't get any worse, but it's always getting worse," said British Yemeni BBC journalist and filmmaker Nawal al-Maghafi at one of the interesting webinars that the corona crisis delivers. A day later, the United Nations and Doctors Without Borders also individually issued a cry for help.
MSF runs the only corona center in South Yemen in Aden. From April 30 to May 17, 173 patients entered, of whom at least 68 died, according to doctorswithoutborders.org. "The people who are coming are already too far to save, and we know that many more people do not come at all: they die at home." The people who die are also much younger than in Europe: especially men between 40 and 60 years old.
Across Yemen, the virus can infect half of the population, that is, about 14 million people, Maghafi said in the webinar. That's the best case, at worst almost everyone will get infected. Maghafi relied on forecasts from the World Health Organization, WHO, which is again based on the magnitude of the cholera epidemic. The cholera epidemic is the worst in the world since numbers are tracked; as of December 2019, 2.1 million cases and 3,750 deaths (WHO).
Corona is much more difficult to treat than cholera. At the same time, many people's health is already bad.
Can you imagine? Inadequate care and poor food situation. No protective clothing for nurses and doctors - many of them are scared, Maghafi said, and are leaving. Sick people with corona symptoms are sent away.
(A H P)
Today, I had a conversation with #Hadhramout’s governor, Maj. Gen. Al-Bahsni and he did not even let me finish my greetings and interrupted me saying, "My son, please help us, people are dying and we need #ventilators as soon as possible. The situation is catastrophic.
The situation is very tragic and it might lead to losing the ones we love. We will lose those we love if they don’t get help and do not follow the right health measures to protect our mothers, Fathers, and the elderly as they are more vulnerable to get affected by the disease.
https://twitter.com/sbaafi2020/status/1265190584903520259
(A H)
Good news from #Aden, a UN team is due in the city soon within a plan to establish a 100-bed unit to treat people infected with Covid-19, health minister said on Tuesday.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1265433805973848069
(* B H)
The stench of death is everywhere in Yemen's capital #Sanaa, which is under Houthi control. All sources and news reports suggest Covid-19 is out of control there. In #Aden, medicines are running out amid increasing deaths from the virus and other diseases.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1265430684035923974
(A H)
Film: A number of members of the Joint Committee for the Prevention of Corona Virus in the West Coast and the Crisis Management Team, along with the Director of the Health Office in the District of Hays, Al-Hodeidah Governorate, visited an outlet of Saqam to review the progress of applying precautionary and preventive measures by the specialized teams to ensure that arrivals are free of any infection with the Corona virus .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrOxgaY2slk
(* A B H P)
SAM-Organization calls on int'l community to move quickly to save Yemen from real disaster
The SAM-Organization for Rights and Freedoms called on the international community to move quickly and urgently to save Yemen from a real disaster that could turn the country into a hotbed of dangerous wave due to the Corona pandemic.
The Geneva-based organization called, in a statement, the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) to deal with the Corona virus pandemic file with legal and moral responsibility and to announce the numbers of infections.
The organization said that the Corona pandemic had turned in the Houthi-controlled areas into a security dossier, as the group gave its security services the power to track, arrest, report and quarantine away from health institutions, which posed human rights concerns.
It pointed out that the true number of infections in Corona exceeds hundreds and possibly thousands, while the deaths may reach hundreds, as a number of hospitals in Sana'a and Ibb provinces have turned into centers for virus diseases and are surrounded by unprecedented security measures.
The organization stated that the competent authorities in Aden recorded 1,343 deaths since May 1, while the number of injuries is increasing in light of a clear deficit in health capabilities and an almost complete collapse of the ambulance and emergency system.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17386.html
(B H P)
Film: Fatima Alasrar: #Cholera, Diphtheria, & other diseases on top of the #COVID19 crisis are overstretching the capacity of the health sector in #Yemen Yemen. The international community has also waited TOO LONG to sound the alarm on the COVID19 crisis in Yemen. Part of my interview in AJ yesterday.
https://twitter.com/YemeniFatima/status/1264974397275807746
(B H)
Stories of sick people denied entry to hospitals in #Aden reflects the difficult choices health workers have to make as they focus on #COVID19. Other stories indicate that COVID19 suspected patients are denied entry too. As tragedy engulfs #Yemen, people can do nothing but pray.
https://twitter.com/YemeniFatima/status/1265178884733100041
(* B H)
Film: Collapsed Healthcare System: Is There Hope For Yemen?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWMjM1fLYZE
(* B H)
Doctors fighting the coronavirus 'catastrophe' in Yemen are begging for UN support
Médecins Sans Frontières' coronavirus hospital in Yemen has a 30 per cent mortality rate, and doctors are fearing that number will only climb without more international aid.
Yemen has only reported 233 coronavirus cases, but MSF's deputy program manager for Yemen, Marc Schakal, told SBS News that number was likely only "the tip of the iceberg."
"We have seen a 30 per cent mortality rate in our centre, which is alarming, and those people are arriving late with already severe symptoms, so we are afraid some people are affected and are probably dying without being detected," he said.
"We have also seen the number of burials increasing in the city, so we don't want to draw any quick conclusion out of that, but the figures explain what could be happening within the communities."
(A H)
Yemen coronavirus committee confirms three new cases in Taiz
http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/05/26/yemen-coronavirus-committee-confirms-three-new-cases-in-taiz/
(A H P)
@abducteesmother: two suspected cases of #coronavirus are reported inside the Centeral Priosn in Sanaa and being moved to a medical isolation room inside the prison and their situations are extremely critical
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1265000253595533314
(A H P)
Photos: Marib on lockdown!
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1265122851214053377
(A H P)
Houthi ‘consultant’ dies from coronavirus
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22140
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1265041158507499520
(* A H)
Yemen reported 12 new Covid-19 infected cases, 2 deaths
The Yemeni legitimate government-run supreme national emergency committee for Covid-19, announced on Monday that 11 confirmed new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID -19) were registered, including 2 deaths.
The committee said on his account in "Twitter" that the new cases were distributed to each of Aden governorate (4), and Taiz (4), including one case of death, and in Lahj (3) cases, including one case of death.
The number of confirmed infected cases in areas controlled by the Yemeni government and the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) since April 10 has increased to (236), including (45) deaths and (10) recovery cases.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17378.html
My remark: These figures are much too low, see below.
(A H)
Yemen coronavirus committee confirms 5 new cases in Taiz
http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/05/25/yemen-coronavirus-committee-confirms-5-new-cases-in-taiz/
(* A H)
Committee for Covid-19 says announces deaths only of ppl who test positive. Many not tested at quarantine units, no equipment.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1264979457552592896
and
(* A H P)
Locals in Yemen's #Sanaa have been flooding social media with death news and condolences for weeks now. And the Houthis have not yet told us what is going on! Anyway, the health ministry in the internationally recognised government on Monday declared Sanaa infested with Covid-19.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1265032130633125894
(* A H)
Film: Death toll from epidemics in Aden rises significantly
The southern Yemeni city of Aden is witnessing a significant increase in the number of deaths without knowing the causes, which raises the concern among many about whether the coronavirus or other diseases are killing the people of the city, and according to the Office of Civil Status the number of deaths per day reaches 80 cases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isJt3THl9WY
(A H)
Film: Dear lovely friends in #Yemen please take #Corona very serious! I didn’t wanted to publish this. It’s said it was first case in Yemen! But maybe you need to see it to make you #StayHome as it is possible, keep distance, no hugs. Especially now on Eid!It’s just awful!
https://twitter.com/cmqkate/status/1263605122497683458
(* A H)
62 epidemic deaths reported in Yemen's Aden
Health authorities in the interim Yemeni capital, Aden, recorded 62 deaths og epidemics on the first day of Eid Al Fitr holiday.
The Bilqis channel quoted a medical source on Monday as saying that the number of deaths and infected cases due to Covid-19 and epidemics sweeping the city is increasing.
"The situation is serious and requires staying at home," said a doctor at the isolation center in Al-Amal Hospital in Aden, calling on citizens to adhere to the precautionary measures and to abandon the disregard for domestic isolation.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17377.html
(A H)
Yemen records 10 new COVID-19 infections, 2 deaths
The committee said on its account in "Twitter" that the ten cases were recorded in Hadhramout governorates (7), including two deaths, one in Lahj governorate, and two in Aden governorate.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17372.html
My remark: It’s southern Yemen only.
(* B H P)
YJS chief warns Yemeni authorities against COVID-19 statistics
Former chief of the Yemeni Journalism Syndicate (YJS) has warned of his country's authorities' persistently negative way in dealing with pandemics, COVID-19 in particular, and failing to reveal real data.
"Unfortunately, there's no real authority in Yemen that bears responsibility for its nationals," Abdul Bari Tahir told al-Quds al-Arabi. "But there are .. militias infighting over power and binding themselves by regional conflict raging in the Gulf.
"While bearing no responsibility for the people, these warring forces care for levying and punishing the citizens and deny duty to defend the people and their peace and stability."
The Yemeni journalist fears that COVID-19 spreads amid the absence of a responsible authority, with "attention focused on arms and war results, but not on people's sufferings. Still, each party tries to invest in the pandemic at the expense of civilians."
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17370.html
(* B H)
Yemeni gravediggers overwhelmed amid spike in virus deaths
At a cemetery in Yemen’s largest southern city, dozens of fresh graves were a testament to a spike in deaths amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The cemetery workers who bury them don’t know what killed the newly deceased. But there’s no denying that there’s been an increasing number of people getting sick in the port city of Aden — likely from the coronavirus.
Many are buried with few precautions and only a small number of attendees. Workers wear masks or cover their faces with a cloth.
Mohammed Ebeid, a gravedigger in Aden, said there’s been five times the normal traffic, with 51 burials in the last week at the cemetery where he works.
“This is something strange, we’ve never seen it before,” he told The Associated Press late last week.
Caroline Seguin, Doctors Without Borders’ operations manager for Yemen, told the AP on Friday that the mortality rate at their facility treating COVID-19 patients was “very, very high,” and that a lot of people have arrived “almost dead, or already dead.”
The group, which is known by its French acronym MSF, said in a statement last week that the high number of deaths at its COVID-19 treatment center in Aden “speaks to a wider catastrophe unfolding in the city.” The key southern port has recently witnessed a new chapter of political infighting between and government forces and southern separatists who declared self-rule last month, leaving health authorizes in disarray.
The facility had no choice but to turn away patients, said Seguin, because they did not have enough staff and supplies to treat the patients. MSF’s facility is the only dedicated COVID-19 center for all of southern Yemen.
Seguin said at least 40 health workers at the facility were COVID-19 patients or suspected patients, but MSF couldn’t confirm because of a shortage of tests.
The group said Thursday that “as many as 80 people have been dying in the city per day during the past week, up from a pre-outbreak normal of 10.”
https://apnews.com/4ff7155b074703c629600dc5bfca968f = https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/yemeni-gravediggers-overwhelmed-amid-spike-in-virus-deaths-20200525-p54w0g.html (with photos)
(* A H P)
Over 2.600 coronavirus cases and 320 associated deaths were registered in Yemen's capital #Sanaa until 20th May amid Houthi cover-up, Al-Asimah Media Centre has reported, quoting families of infected & dead persons, sources at health ministry & facilities and graveyard workers.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1264378338895958016
(* A H P)
After COVID-19 cover-up, Houthis acknowledge spread and enact stricter measures
The Houthi authorities released a statement early Saturday listing nine measures for residents to abide by ahead of the Eid holiday in order to “address the risks of corona and confront it with greater awareness.” The move marks a shift in position by the group, which has been widely criticized for failing to prepare for the pandemic, and concerns continue that the move will be too little, too late to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The Houthi-run Ministry of Health statement, which acknowledges the “emergence of cases in different parts of the country,” tells residents to only go outside when necessary, and to wear a mask when outside. The statement also calls on Yemenis to refrain from travel during Eid, to avoid shaking hands or other physical greetings, and to prevent children from receiving money or sweets – typical Eid gifts – due to the possibility of transmitting the virus.
The Houthis have been widely criticized for their delayed response to the COVID-19 crisis.
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/832
(A H P)
Local authority of #Marib approved Saturday a number of new precautionary measures to stop the spread of #coronavirus, including closure of the province's entrances and a daily curfew in the city starting 24 May from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
https://twitter.com/MaribGov_En/status/1264331371033571330
(A H)
7 new cases of COVID-19 reported, 212 in total
Cases drop to zero in Aden for 3 days
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22123
My remark: Southern Yemen only.
(A H)
Photo: Popular markets are still crowded with people during #Ramadan in the Abyan governorate, despite the risks posed by the coronavirus. vendors and civilians assert their need to work to provide food amid the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1264270478795038724
(* B H)
Der Teufelskreis im Jemen
Die katastrophalen Umstände im Jemen spitzen sich weiterhin zu. Während in einigen Ländern Europas der Weg zu einer neuen Normalität geebnet wird und langsam die Grenzkontrollen aufgelockert werden, befürchten die wenigen medizinischen Hilfskräfte im Jemen, dass ihr Krieg gegen das neuartige Coronavirus gerade erst begonnen hat.
Der seit fünf Jahren andauernde Bürgerkrieg hat das Gesundheitswesen im Jemen erheblich zerstört.
Insgesamt hat die UNO jedoch einen Bedarf von 3,4 Milliarden US-Dollar für den Jemen in diesem Jahr veranschlagt, wobei erst ein Prozent dieses Betrags eingegangen ist, wie das Büro zur Koordinierung humanitärer Hilfe in Genf mitgeteilt hat.
Die Europäische Union hat nun ebenfalls angekündigt, 55 Millionen Euro bereitzustellen, um den Jemen bei seinem Kampf gegen Sars-CoV-2 zu unterstützen. Der Ausstieg der USA aus der WHO würde die Situation in Krisenländern umso schwerer machen, da das Land die höchsten finanziellen Beiträge leistet.
Kürzungen der Hilfe inmitten der Covid-19-Pandemie für eine Bevölkerung, die aufgrund der von den USA unterstützten saudischen Militärinvasion stark gefährdet ist und neben Covid-19 auch mit Massenhunger und dem größten Cholera-Ausbruch der Geschichte zu kämpfen hat, führt zu einem Weg, der ein katastrophales Ergebnis beschleunigt.
Für das medizinische Personal in der Stadt Aden ist es besonders schwierig, die eigene Existenz zu sichern. So gibt es Ärzte, die seit Monaten nicht bezahlt wurden und dazu gezwungen sind, woanders nach Arbeit zu suchen. Dies wiederum hat zur Folge, dass unqualifiziertes Personal die Arbeit der Facharbeiter ersetzen muss.
Die Non-Profit-Organisation "Save the Children" berichtet außerdem davon, dass es Weigerungen beim medizinischen Personal gibt, weiter zu arbeiten, da die notwendige Schutzausrüstung fehlt
Adens Zivilschutzbehörde berichtet, dass die Zahl der Toten sich in den vergangenen Tagen verfünffacht hat. Laut der BBC gibt es nur 500 Beatmungsgeräte im Land sowie vier Labore, die auf das Coronavirus testen können. Ein anderes Mal spricht der britische Nachrichtensender in einem Videobericht sogar von nur 200 Beatmungsgeräten.
Die Zahl der bestätigten Corona-Infektionen und Todesfälle im Land ist mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit weitaus größer, da es schlicht und einfach zu wenig Testmittel gibt, weshalb die offiziellen Zahlen nicht aussagekräftig sind.
https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Der-Teufelskreis-im-Jemen-4727515.html
(* A H)
Film: Cemeteries overflow in Aden as COVID-19 deaths spike in Yemen
The country's only COVID treatment facility is overwhelmed and turning patients away.
Cemeteries are overflowing in the Yemeni city of Aden after a spike in coronavirus cases.
The United Nations has announced that Yemen's health system has effectively collapsed after years of war and the burden of the pandemic.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/cemeteries-overflow-aden-covid-19-deaths-spike-yemen-200525064212684.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W4nPY_Z0iE
and
(* A H)
Film: Yemen sees surge in suspected coronavirus deaths
Gravediggers in Aden say they’re burying five times as many bodies as usual, while Yemen’s official coronavirus death toll remains low due to a lack of tests.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1103699993347521
(* B H)
Film: Yemen's health system 'has collapsed' as coronavirus spreads: UN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqYOikmSs5c
(A H)
Corona Virus reach to my village in Ibb and three people died of symptoms of the Covid19. (photos)
https://twitter.com/SuaadS/status/1264021582210576384
(* B H)
Yemeni women rally to protect the most vulnerable as coronavirus spreads
Uniquely badly placed to deal with the pandemic, impoverished and war-torn Yemen has seen its women at the forefront of the response
With the two sides focusing more on fighting each other than combating the virus, Yemen's women have taken action.
No two days are the same for Zoha Hadid, a doctor juggling patients at Al Amal Hospital’s busy quarantine centre in the southern port city of Aden.
“Amal” in Arabic means hope, but to the many patients fighting the coronavirus while their loved ones wait without seeing them, hope is ebbing away.
The work is deeply frustrating. Hadid must work miracles with limited resources, as Yemen’s healthcare infrastructure has been decimated by years of war.
She struggles to allocate seven artificial ventilators to the 30 to 40 respiratory patients that come through hospital triage each day. Sometimes the numbers are higher.
"If a 12-hour-shift goes by without a patient dying, it would count as a good day", she says.
Some suspected cases arrive listless and are immediately taken to the intensive care unit. Others have minor symptoms and are admitted to the general ward.
Most private and public hospitals in Aden have closed their doors to potential Covid-19 patients. Only Al Amal, partly managed by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and Al Jumhuriya, is still admitting them.
“It is my responsibility to take care of my patients despite the scarcity of gear,“ Hadid told MEE, stressing that Yemenis were desperate to find professionals they could trust.
“Some patients don’t even come to us, because they die in their homes,” the young doctor said.
An initiative called “I’m a doctor, I can”, was launched to tackle the problem of limited access to coronavirus treatments in Aden, providing a digital platform for remote consultancy and diagnosis based on patients’ medical history.
According to its co-founder, Walid al-Bakili, women make up about half of the 150 neurologists, cardiologists and physicians who have registered to provide online consultancy through the scheme.
Al-Bakili, who works as a paediatrician and family physician at the Apollo Hospitals in Taiz, is originally from Aden. He said he was convinced that 80 percent of the deaths seen in the city were from Covid-19, and the fear for his family’s wellbeing led him to launch the initiative.
“Yemen’s Ministry of Health does not exist. There are no ambulances. Life carries on as normal as people don't believe there is a virus,” he said, condemning the government’s inability to enforce prevention protocols, which led to the deaths of several doctors.
With only half the country’s health facilities functioning, prevention of coronavirus is the only way forward, said Anjila al-Maamari, president of the Centre to Support Woman and Children (CSWC).
She has been actively campaigning about coronavirus and its preventive measures using online and broadcast media, but that’s not the only thing her group is working on.
“Our women have been present in mediation, relief, awareness, local and international advocacy, coordinating ceasefire campaigns, and the release of prisoners,“ the doctor told MEE.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/Coronavirus-Yemen-Women-frontline-rally-protect-most-vulnerable
(A P)
Photo: #Houthis while combating #coronavirus today in the capital of #Sanaa.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1263859712887525376
(* A H)
A doctor in #Aden tells me more than a quarter of the doctors in the hospital where he works have #COVIDー19. No #PPE available.
https://twitter.com/Rsherlock/status/1263935103673253888
(* A H)
Covid-19 has spread to Yemen's #Amran, which is adjacent to Sanaa, according to locals. 10 deaths reported so far. Also, a video been circulated showing medical teams, a digger & burials in a graveyard. In recent weeks, deaths & infections been reported in Sanaa, Ibb & Hodeidah.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1264021640595361793
(* B H)
‘Hand-washing is a luxury’: Coronavirus fears compound dire situation for pregnant women in Yemen’s displacement camps
MSF says pregnant women in displacement camps are among the world’s most vulnerable to complications and disease
Laila Al-Hofaishi is nearly eight months pregnant, weighing just 40kg with a pallid face and tired eyes. She has struggled to leave her mattress for three days straight, exhausted from walking long distances through the hot desert.
She doesn’t have a choice. As a resident of a cramped shelter in Jufainah, the largest displacement camp outside the Yemeni city of Marib, even the simplest of errands to access basic amenities is a chore that takes its toll on a body weakened by poor nutrition. “All I eat is bread and water,” she tells The Independent from the camp by phone.
(* B H)
Yemen: UN extremely concerned by rapid spread of COVID-19
The United Nations said today it is extremely concerned by the rapid spread of COVID-19 across Yemen.
Epidemiologists had already predicted that COVID-19 would spread faster, more widely, and with deadlier consequences in Yemen than many other places. There is now every reason to believe this is already happening, with community transmission under way undetected, and unmitigated in many places.
Similarly distressing reports are being heard from across the country, north and south. These reports are coming from all directions, including local and international media, affected families, doctors and others.
With severe shortages in testing supplies, official case reports far under-count actual infections. This has also occurred in other countries without adequate tests.
There will be a pledging event on 2 June, where it is hoped that donors will pledge generously. It is also hoped that those pledges will be promptly paid.
With current funds, many of the most important programmes will start closing in the next several weeks.
The UN has called on the authorities in the north and south to do everything possible to suppress the spread of COVID-19. This includes transparency in reporting all cases, clear and factual public information campaigns, implementation of appropriate social-distancing protocols and other measures.
The UN is eager to work with the authorities in doing all it can to contain the spread of the virus as much as possible.
https://www.unocha.org/story/yemen-un-extremely-concerned-rapid-spread-covid-19
and
(* B H)
Yemen: Coronavirus transmission likely widespread, decimating ‘collapsed’ health system, UN warns
War-torn Yemen’s health system has ‘in effect, collapsed” under the strain of a widening COVID-19 outbreak, with epidemiologists estimating that the virus could spread faster and more widely than in many other countries, the UN warned on Friday.
Speaking at a virtual press conference in Geneva, Jens Larke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Yemen was “really on the brink right now”, with teams on the ground “talking about having to turn people away because they do not have enough oxygen, they do not have enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)”.
He warned that the numbers of infections being reported were worrying, but the UN is now “working on the assumption that there is widespread communal transmission going on”.
With only half of Yemen’s health facilities fully functioning, funding for the country’s aid operation is crucial, with up to $2 billion required until the end of the year. The UN and Saudi Arabia will co-host a virtual pledging event on 2 June to support fund raising.
More than 30 key UN programmes risk closing in the coming weeks due to lack of funding. Coronavirus Rapid Response Teams are funded only for the next six weeks.
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest figures, Yemen has 184 cases and 30 deaths.
However, “the actual incidence is almost certainly much higher”,said the OCHA spokesperson.“Tests remain in short supply, aid agencies in Yemen are operating on the basis that community transmission is taking place across the country, and only half of the health facilities are fully functioning. Yemen’s health system needs significant assistance to counter the threat. Humanitarian aid agencies are scaling up outreach, prevention and case management. “
Some 125 metric tons of supplies have arrived, while over 6,600 metric tons of tests, personal protective equipment and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) supplies are in the pipeline.
However, oxygen and PPE are more urgently needed. Preserving large-scale existing aid programmes in health, water and sanitation, nutrition and other sectors also offers an essential defence against infection for millions of people.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1064742
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbV_MoXmcQU
Snippet from film: https://twitter.com/UNOCHA/status/1264251610227789825
(B H)
Photo: People visiting a #Corona patient in #Yemen
https://twitter.com/JamalBadr/status/1263443703877771279
(* A H)
Film: War-torn Yemen hit hard by COVID-19
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-24/war-torn-yemen-hit-hard-by-covid-19/12279536?nw=0
(* B H)
Yemen Aid: The NGO battling coronavirus in a war zone
Despite the anxieties and growing concerns, local and international organisations, like Yemen Aid, have quickly rallied to assist the war-torn country deal with the outbreak, which aid groups have anticipated could be "catastrophic".
Yemen Aid, run by American-Yemeni Nasser, was established in 2016 to provide immediate on the ground assistance and deal with challenges in Yemen.
Now, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Yemen Aid has geared up to work with multiple organisations in the United States to help Yemen's health sector to combat Covid-19 by donating medical supplies and/or grants and has already donated more than $2 million worth of equipment to health facilities across the country.
"The first and most important of the Covid-19 response is to engage with frontline workers, who are licensed to practice, that risk their lives everyday for others. This means that we strategise with them on needs, including their opinion on the quality of PPE items," Nasser said, noting the frontline workers also assist in identifying the needs of each hospital alongside Yemen's ministry of health.
"The second group are volunteers that bridge the gap between community and trust. They are crucial in understanding each neighbourhood and their residents, while also tailoring their needs through civil engagement," Nasser added.
The organisation supports doctors and nurses with necessary PPE in major hospitals across multiple provinces and has drawn up plans to distribute materials of disinfection and sterilisation that are crucial to keeping a safe and healthy environment for patients and staff at these health facilities.
As the country continues to see its initial outbreak, with many in Yemen still naive to the real dangers of the virus, Yemen Aid has also stepped in to create awareness campaigns, recruiting volunteers across the provinces to teach locals about the dangers of the infection, prevention techniques and how to handle it in the case of emerging symptoms.
"One key piece of overcoming the virus is leadership and governance," Nasser notes. "Unfortunately, the conflict has created a gap between local coordination and implementation.
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2020/5/22/yemen-aid-battling-coronavirus-in-a-war-zone
(* B H)
Yemen in Focus: War has hindered Yemen's chances to beat coronavirus
"Our teams on the ground are seeing how people are being sent away from hospitals, breathing heavily or even collapsing," said Mohammed Alshamaa, Save the Children's director of programmes in Yemen.
"People are dying because they can't get treatment that would normally save their lives."
Since the start of May, Major General Sanad Jamil, head of Aden's Civil Status Department said 623 people have died in the port city, most of whom died at home from 'coronavirus-like' symptoms.
"The current state of the health sector is in complete shambles and totally deteriorated. For many countries, COVID means testing and isolation in the luxury of well-equipped hospitals, but in Yemen, there are no testing capacities, no well-equipped hospitals and no protection for patients nor medical staff," Summer Nasser, head of Yemen Aid, told The New Arab.
"The average citizen is not able to quarantine because their daily income will be impacted. Yemen is a country where over 20 million people are impoverished due to the conflict. We do not see quarantine possible at this time since there is no financial support by the Government due to a hindered economy," she added.
(B H)
IOM Yemen: COVID-19 Response Update, 03-16 May 2020
Since March 2020, Yemen has instituted several COVID-19 prevention and mitigation measures, including restrictions on movements countrywide and closure or partial closure of five international airports, twelve sea border points and three land border points. IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) has identified 11 transit points, mainly in Taizz and Al Bayda and Al Jawf governorates, where preventive entry and exit restrictions have been established. To mitigate the impact of these restrictions on programming, IOM has activated its Business Continuity Plan and is maintaining programming across the country. Strict COVID-19 mitigation measures and protocols have been incorporated across IOM’s operations to reduce staff exposure to the virus while maintaining capacity to respond to the crisis.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-covid-19-response-update-03-16-may-2020
(A H P)
UNDP: Because of the recent floods, #Aden, #Yemen is experiencing a devastating outbreak of #dengue, #malaria and chikungunya - all transmitted by #mosquitoes.
W/ @JapanGov funding, @UNDP has distributed #mosquito nets to 1000 homes to help fight the spread of the deadly diseases.
https://twitter.com/UNDPYemen/status/1264972098604355584
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Tuesday, May 26th, 2020
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13119
(A K pS)
Houthis target several regions of Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22136
(A K pH)
60 Verstöße der Aggressionstruppen in Hodeidah in den letzten 24 Stunden
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3097909.htm
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression, 69 Recorded Violations of Truce Agreement, in Hodeidah
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13107
(A K pH)
Hodeidah
Die Aggressionstruppen zielten bei neuen Verstößen gegen den Waffenstillstand weiterhin auf separate Gebiete in der Provinz Hodeidah
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3097868.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression forces continue targeting Hodeidah
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3097866.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression forces commit 62 violations in Hodeidah in 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3097859.htm
(A K pS)
Houthi infiltration attempt foiled in Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22133
(A K pS)
Film: A 15-year-old child was injured as a result of renewed artillery shelling by the Houthi militia on the mountainous area of Al-Tahita district, south of Hodeidah Governorate.
Local sources said that the militia shelled the citizens' homes, one of which fell near the house of a citizen, and wounded 15-year-old Abdul Rahman Muhammad Saleh, with shrapnel of the shell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgs5yRV3tc4
(A K pH)
62 Verstöße gegen die Aggressionstruppen in Hodeidah innerhalb von 24 Stunden
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3097818.htm
(A K pH)
The mercenaries targeted several areas of 7th-July residential area with machineguns and a number of artillery shells.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13104
(A K pH)
Citizen’s House Burned Down by Aggression Mercenaries in Besieged City of Ad-Durayhimi, Hodeidah
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13098
(A K pH)
69 Verstöße der Aggressionskräfte
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3097780.htm
(A K pH)
69 violations of aggression forces
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3097781.htm
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah governorate, an 8-year-old child was injured in Ad-Durayhimi district, as mercenaries shelled the homes and properties of citizens.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13093
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah province, a military bulldozer for the forces of aggression developed combat fortifications, west of the village of Al-Shujan, on the outskirts of the besieged Ad-Durayhimi, while the mercenaries of the aggression bombed the village of Al-Dahfsh, along the outskirts of Ad-Durayhimi by a number of artillery shells.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13085
(A K pH)
51 Verstöße der Aggressionstruppen in Hodeidah innerhalb von 24 Stunden
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3097684.htm
(A K pH)
Coalition forces commit in Hodeidah Agreement over 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3097653.htm
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13076
(A K pS)
Hodeidah: Joint forces foil Houthi attack on al-Duraihimi
http://en.adenpress.news/news/22110
(A K pH)
Aggression forces commit 65 violations in Hodeidah in 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3097563.htm
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MAY 26, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-may-26-2020-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MAY 25, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-may-25-2020-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MAY 24, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-may-24-2020-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MAY 23, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
(? B K P)
Film: The Saudi Involvement in Yemen: Past Thinking and Current Regrets
Dr. Imad K. Harb, Director or Research and Analysis at Arab Center Washington DC, spoked with Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East at Rice University's Baker Institute, and a Non-resident Senior Fellow at Arab Center Washington DC regarding Saudi Arabia's involvement in Yemen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_b0Gur1jhs
(B P)
Yemen repeats warning of epic environmental disaster to all Red Sea countries
Yemen is warning again of a preventable epic environmental disaster for itself and other countries overlooking the Red Sea.
Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani said the oil tanker stranded off Hodeidah port city with corroded tanker containing more than one million barrels of crude oil could explode soon and cause epic damages because Houthi militants did not allow UN maintenance experts access to it.
“The leakage of 138 million liters of crude oil to the Red Sea will lead to the closure of Hodeidah seaport for months, the shortage of fuel and supplies and the rise of prices in Yemen by 800%, and will leave a damage worth USD10 billion over the next 20 years,” he said.
My comment: It’s all parties‘ preconditions which block any solution.The Hadi government included.
(B K P)
Houthi Threats Undermine Griffiths’ Latest Peace Efforts in Yemen
The Iran-backed Houthi militias warned they may resort to escalation on the ground against the legitimate government and Arab coalition.
The announcement, by Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam Flita, coincided with the end of a unilateral coalition ceasefire in Yemen that was aimed at suspending fighting so that the country could focus on combating the new coronavirus outbreak.
The six-week ceasefire ended on May 23 with the militias refusing to announce a truce of their own.
Flita, who resides in Oman, tweeted that the government and coalition will “regret” continuing their military operations against the Houthis.
The so-called Houthi deputy foreign minister, Hussein al-Ezzi, said that the militias’ patience had run out and that the coalition operations had “crossed all lines”.
The coalition had resumed its operations against the Houthis in recent days, dealing them heavy blows in al-Bayda, Marib and Jawf.
My remark: A Saudi viewpoint.
(A P)
Muted Celebrations Mark 30th Anniversary of Yemen’s Unificatio
With the exception of official congratulatory cables and a speech by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Yemen held muted celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of the unification of its North and South.
The occasion was practically unnoticed by Yemenis, mainly due to the ongoing clash in liberated areas between the legitimate government and Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The Iran-backed Houthi militias have also undermined the occasion by instead celebrating a Khomeini event, the so-called Quds Day.
During a speech to mark unification, Hadi acknowledged that unity has been exploited, but it is still Yemen and the Arab world’s greatest accomplishment.
(* B E H K P)
ACAPS Yemen Risks - Update 21 May 2020
Conflict in Marib intensifies
Gradual escalation of conflict in Abyan, Aden, and possibly Lahj
Both sides will seek to exploit any opportunities to exert their control over Aden. Key indicators that this risk is materialising include:
- any indication that UAE support to the STC is waning;
- KSA no longer seek to ‘peace keep’ between the GoY and STC and back the GoY;
- increased public discontent at the inability to the STC to improve life in Aden and effectively manage the COVID-19 crisis which will likely be used by the GoY as justification for taking the city by force.
De-facto partition
This risk remains unchanged: the Houthis are still pursuing a unified Yemen and there remains little appetite for negotiation thus a negotiated partition is improbable. However, should the spread of COVID-19 continue unabated and all parties agree to, and keep, a ceasefire in order to control the spread and focus on response, temporary de-facto partition would result as internal movement reduces significantly and local administrations assume greater roles in managing the provision of basic services
Rapid depreciation of the Yemeni riyal sparks inflation
The probability of a rapid economic decline has increased slightly as the stabilising influence of the KSA funding to CBY will cease over the coming months and food importers will need to find alternative means for financing imports. Foreign currency earnings from the sale of crude oil has fallen significantly while remittances, particularly from KSA, are also expected to fall due to the COVID-19 crisis reducing earnings of expatriate Yemenis. COVID-19 containment measures have also added to in-country transport times and costs
COVID-19 epidemic in Yemen
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/acaps-yemen-risks-update-21-may-2020
(* B C P)
How Yemen’s Dream of Unity Turned Sour
We are now into the sixth year of an internationalized civil war that is destroying Yemen and has caused the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. It seems difficult to remember that on May 22 thirty years ago, Yemenis throughout the country were overjoyed and enthusiastic at the prospect of living in a single, unified state.
Today, the merits of unification are not questioned in what was the YAR. In the former PDRY, however, many are calling for the return of a state within its former borders, though few are socialists, and fewer still have a clear understanding of the socialist regime that existed in the PDRY. Moving beyond a stereotypical interpretation of history and its associated myths and prejudices is the first step towards a better future.
Discussion of Yemen in the second half of the twentieth century must be framed within the overall political environment of that period in the Arab world and beyond. In contrast with the situation today, political debate at that time focused neither on sectarianism nor on jihadism, but rather on themes like anti-colonialism, nationalism, and socialism.
Yemen is a country with very limited natural resources: it suffers in particular from a shortage of water, a crucial factor as 70 percent of the population still live in rural areas, and more than half depend on agriculture for its livelihood. The Saleh regime failed to produce the kind of education system that would have enabled Yemenis to develop alternative economic activities, ones that were suitable for their challenging environment, and adapted to the possibilities of the twenty-first century.
This failure to promote the country’s development, both in the period immediately following unification and again after the 2011 uprising, was not caused by the lack of popular will. We can blame instead the ability of self-serving political elites to block the emergence of new forces and new ways of governing Yemen. The competition between these elites has precipitated the longest armed conflict that the country has ever known, leaving its people to suffer at the hands of three of the four horsemen of the apocalypse: war, famine and pestilence.
The current war has fragmented the whole country, fomenting social and political divisions that will be very difficult — perhaps impossible — to repair. Outside intervention in Yemen throughout this period was not concerned with the need of the population for better living standards and governance. Instead, it gave priority to the interests of the foreign powers themselves.
In spite of the disappointments that rapidly followed unification thirty years ago, compounded by the more recent ones of 2011, Yemen’s younger generation should still be reminded of the hope and optimism of those years in today’s dark era. On this anniversary, there is an urgent need to learn the lessons of recent decades, so that Yemenis can unite in the struggle for a more peaceful and equitable future – by Helen Lackner
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/05/yemen-unity-anniversary-civil-war
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(* A K P)
US-Saudi Aggression Holding 20 Ships with over Half a Million Tons of Oil Derivatives
"The US-Saudi aggression is holding more than half a million tons of oil derivatives on 20 ships and tankers off the coast of Yemen," the source told Almasirah.
The source pointed out that a ship has been detained since more than two months. Among the ships 3 are loaded with corn and sugar.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13105
(* A K P)
YPC: Out of 14 Detainees Ships, One Oil Ship Arrived to Hodeidah Port
Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) announced that the US-Saudi aggression has released a ship out of 15 detained ships for various periods despite obtaining international licenses to enter the port of Hodeidah.
"The diver of the port of Hodeidah, on Saturday night, received a ship with 14,094 tons of gasoline and 6,652 tons of diesel after being detained by the Saudi-led aggression for 58 days," the company said in a statement.
The YPC said that the coalition, by arbitrarily holding a ship for 58 days without any legal justification, ignores the primary purpose of the Stockholm Agreement, which is to facilitate access to basic and humanitarian needs.
It affirmed that the coalition of aggression is still seizing 14 ships carrying 230,026 tons of benzene and 159,956 tons of diesel for varying periods, the oldest of which exceeds 62 days of detention.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13080
(A K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Deputy Foreign Minister of Yemen denounces Saudi piracy
Detention of fuel and food ships "arbitrary and immoral"
Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Al-Ezzi has said the continued detention of oil and food ships by Saudi-led aggression forces is “an arbitrary act that undermines confidence and opens door to an escalation and counter-escalation.”
“The continued detention of ships is arbitrary and immoral, and contrary to the Hodeidah Agreement and international resolutions supporting the agreement,” Hussein Al-Ezzi state on late Saturday.
https://www.uprising.today/deputy-foreign-minister-of-yemen-denounces-saudi-piracy/
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(B H)
Photo: Who like us knows the meaning of fatigue ?! We try .. we try to rest, we run after happy days and do not pray. Years of life are running away, growing up and still hoping.! None of you know its meaning or its form. O world, see.! This is the form of fatigue.
https://twitter.com/jamalta7a/status/1265436437035581440
(* B H)
UN warnen vor Verschärfung der Not im Jemen
In dem Bürgerkriegsland Jemen droht die Notlage für Millionen Menschen laut den Vereinten Nationen außer Kontrolle zu geraten. Hunger und die Krankheit Covid-19 gefährdeten die stark geschwächte Bevölkerung immer mehr, warnte die Sprecherin des UN-Welternährungsprogramms WFP, Elisabeth Byrs, am Dienstag in Genf.
Von den schätzungsweise rund 30 Millionen Einwohnern des Jemens hätten rund 20 Millionen nicht genug zu essen. Knapp zehn Millionen Menschen litten unter einem akuten Mangel an Nahrungsmitteln, darunter viele Kinder, betonte die Sprecherin.
Das WFP brauche für das laufende Jahr rund 878 Millionen US-Dollar (804 Millionen Euro), um Lebensmittel für die Menschen zu erwerben und zu verteilen. Nach Angaben der Weltgesundheitsorganisation wurden im Jemen mehr als 220 Fälle der Atemwegserkrankung Covid-19 bestätigt. Die WHO bezifferte die Zahl der Corona-Toten auf über 40.
https://www.evangelisch.de/inhalte/170586/26-05-2020/un-warnen-vor-verschaerfung-der-not-im-jemen
(* B H)
Yemen aid lifeline near ‘breaking point’: UN food agency
Humanitarian aid projects to war-torn Yemen are reaching breaking point, and some $870 million is needed to continue giving life-saving assistance to millions of vulnerable people for the next six months, the World Food Programme (WFP), warned on Tuesday.
At a press conference held remotely, Elisabeth Byrs, WFP senior spokesperson, noted the agency’s particular concern for over 20 million Yemenis who are food insecure, of which nearly 10 million are acutely food insecure, adding that WFP expects coronavirus “to push many more children in Yemen into acute malnutrition. Over two million children in Yemen are already acutely malnourished, and it’s a figure that WFP fears will increase”.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1064892
(* B H)
How Food4Humanity Is Yemen’s Lifeline Amidst War And Covid-19 Pandemic
Our organization was the first to demand a ceasefire to ensure an emergency medical response to COVID 19 and cholera outbreak in Yemen–just before the UN General Secretary,” explains Muna Luqman, Executive Director of Food4Humanity Foundation, one of Yemen’s first women-led Civil Society Organization (CSO) non-profits founded in 2015. Luqman has directed support from diaspora Yemeni women and funding from MADRE global women's rights group, to fund training for 150 young medics in the southwestern city of Taiz. Another 50 medics are being trained in Sanaa (the capital) and Hudaida, Yemen’s fourth-largest city and principal port on the Red Sea. The International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) supports the organization’s health and awareness campaign of youth-led initiatives.
Since most Yemeni’s haven’t earned an income in over three years, Food4Humanity has spent nearly $20,000 to reinvigorate small-scale livelihoods, like street food vendors, by providing seed money to vendors.
The income allows the vendors to afford rent and basic needs and provides financial and psychological relief. To foster future generations of entrepreneurs, Food4Humanity is training young entrepreneurs to launch small-scale projects. The organization is working on a greenhouse pilot project to provide income for female farmers–each project will cost nearly $36,000.
Amidst such catastrophic disparity, it frustrates Luqman that self-appointed Houthi “supervisors” in Sanaa receive monthly wages from international organizations. Their lavish lifestyle of living in villas, taxing shop owners, and pocketing two percent of all the international aid entering Yemen–is a stark contrast to extreme poverty, famine and dissolved government-funded basic health and social services. With 90 percent of Yemen’s food imported, Houthi’s use millions of dollars in profits from seaport fees to militarize young boys. Meanwhile, the UN fails to fund local peace builders, and international aid organizations would only fund or work with local organizations with an annual budget of $200,000, says Luqman.
“Instead of collaborating with local women’s groups who are first responders and know where the humanitarian corridors are and can negotiate access, and know the real needs of the Yemeni population, the international organizations entering Yemen thought they knew better than us what Yemeni’s needed,” Luqman explains.
This led to international aid organizations partnering with “corrupt” local organizations whose mission didn’t align with the Yemeni’s welfare.
(* B H)
Kinderarbeit und -ehen im Jemen bei Corona-Ausbreitung im Anstieg – Uno
Die UN-Flüchtlingsagentur hat am Dienstag vor Vertiefung der humanitären Krise im kriegsgebeutelten Jemen gewarnt, wo sich Covid-19 ausbreitet.
Letzte Woche teilten die Vereinten Nationen mit, dass Coronavirus sich im Jemen offenbar ausbreitet. Das Gesundheitssystem sei zusammengebrochen. Die Organisation forderte dringende Unterstützung.
„Wir haben in unseren Programmen eine potenzielle Belastungsgrenze erreicht. Erhalten wir zeitnah keine weitere Finanzierung, werden viele unsere Programme – vor allem Programme der Geldleistungen für binnenvertriebene Jemeniten – möglicherweise aufhören müssen“, sagte der UNHCR-Sprecher Charlie Yaxley laut Reuters bei einem virtuellen Briefing.
Demzufolge gewähre die Flüchtlingsagentur Unterstützung für eine Million Binnenflüchtlinge. Sie seien auf das Geld für Lebensmittel, Medikamente und Unterkunft angewiesen. Immer mehr Jemeniten hätten auf „schädliche Überlebensstrategien zurückgegriffen“.
„Wir beobachten, dass eine steigende Anzahl von Familien auf schädliche Überlebensstrategien wie Bettelei, Kinderarbeit und Kinderehen zurückgreift, um zu überleben.“
Wie das Amt der Vereinten Nationen für die Koordinierung humanitärer Angelegenheiten (OCHA) am Dienstag bekanntgab, habe es rund 15 Prozent der notwendigen Förderung für den Humanitären Plan 2020 für den Jemen im Wert von 3,38 Milliarden US-Dollar erhalten. Die größte Gebernation seien die USA.
https://de.sputniknews.com/ausland/20200526327213581-jemen-coronavirus-uno/
(* B H)
Child labour, marriages on rise in Yemen as COVID spreads: U.N. agency
The U.N. refugee agency said on Tuesday its work in Yemen was near a “potential breaking point” as coronavirus spreads in the war-damaged country, with rising numbers of families resorting to begging, child labour and marrying of children.
“We are reaching a potential breaking point in our programmes where if we don’t receive further funding soon, many of our programmes and particularly our cash assistance programmes to internally displaced Yemenis may have to stop,” said Charlie Yaxley, UNHCR spokesman, at a virtual briefing.
“The humanitarian situation in Yemen could spin out of control as COVID-19 threatens a population already weakened by years of conflict,” World Food Programme (WFP) spokeswoman Elizabeth Byrs said at the same briefing, saying the pandemic was threatening food imports.
“WFP expects coronavirus to push many more children in Yemen into acute malnutrition,” she added, saying over 2 million children were already suffering from it.
(B H)
Film: This is what living in 36°C heat (78% humidity makes it 46°C ) in Aden, Yemen is like with 3.5 hours of electricity per day at the moment. This is a doctor. Imagine wearing PPE when you're already melting standing still. Imagine trying to work in hospital like this
https://twitter.com/ionacraig/status/1264137052746067969
(* B H)
UN brauchen zwei Milliarden US-Dollar für Jemen-Hilfe
Die Vereinten Nationen haben internationale Geber zu großzügigen Zahlungen für die humanitäre Hilfe im Jemen aufgefordert. Die UN und ihre Partnerorganisationen bräuchten zwei Milliarden US-Dollar (1,84 Milliarden Euro) für den Kauf und die Verteilung von Lebensmitteln, Medikamenten und anderen Gütern, teilte der Sprecher des UN-Büros zur Koordinierung humanitärer Hilfe, Jens Laerke, am Freitag in Genf mit. Zurzeit sei so gut wie kein Geld für die Jemen-Hilfe vorhanden.
Für den 2. Juni würden die UN und Saudi-Arabien eine Geberkonferenz für Jemen online organisieren. Laerke verteidigte die Zusammenarbeit der UN mit Saudi-Arabien bei der Konferenz. Das Königreich sei bislang der größte Geldgeber für die Jemen-Hilfe gewesen.
und auch https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/jemen-dringend-geld-gesucht-1.4915354
(* B H)
Cleaners in Wadi Hadhramaut The forgotten in the time of "Corona" and before
Like other young people, Ahmed is forced to work as a garbage collector, in an attempt to earn a decent living under the difficult conditions the country is going through, he wears a apron, a torn shirt, and worn-out shoes without any means to maintain his physical integrity and the dangers he is exposed to during work.
500 field workers in Hadramawt Valley forced to work without the minimum safety requirements, according to the head of the Hadramout Cleaners Union, Saleh Bamftah. For nearly a year and a half, the administration has paid them homemade protection suits that do not meet the minimum standards of occupational safety, he says.
With the emergence of cases of Covid-19 (Corona) disease in Hadramaut Governorate, the increased levels of risk faced by cleaners, who were given some homemade cloth masks, and gloves for nurses, as explained by Mumtah, while they were not given new protection suits, so they had to work. In their normal clothes.
“Insufficient procedures,” said Dr. Mustafa Al Habashi, who explained in his speech to “threads” that it is imperative that “the cleaning worker and the employee working in the isolation buildings get the same clothes as the doctor in the building.” As for the cleaners outside the hospital, it is necessary to have protective clothing for them with all protective equipment, including a full face and two hand mask. Their job is to spray landfills, especially those located in the hospital and isolation centers, with enough sterile material to kill the Corona virus, which studies have proven to stay on the surfaces for at least three-seven hours.
Besides worrying about prevention measures, hygiene workers suffer from inadequate health care costs when they need them
(* B H)
In Yemen and around the world, obstetric fistula strikes the most vulnerable women
This traumatic birth injury affects the world’s most vulnerable women – those living in extreme poverty, without access to timely emergency care. Child brides are particularly vulnerable; childbearing in adolescence can increase vulnerability to obstetric fistula. Those with malnutrition and poor health also face heightened risks.
Hundreds of thousands of women are living with obstetric fistula today. The persistence of this condition is a sign of global social injustice and inequity.
And it could be worsening.
Today, as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems risk being overstretched.
UNFPA has supported the establishment of three fistula units across the country. Between 2018 and 2019, more than 100 fistula surgeries were successfully treated free of charge.
But today, Yemen’s health system is on the verge of collapse. Humanitarian funding for programmes in Yemen has dried up
https://www.unfpa.org/news/yemen-and-around-world-obstetric-fistula-strikes-most-vulnerable-women
(B H)
Yemen: Monthly Situation Report No. 04 (April 2020)
After hundreds of hours of rehabilitation works, 37 health facilities have become fully functional to serve an estimated number of 260,876 individuals in Marib, Dhamar and Al-Bayda Governorates.
RDP supports three health facilities with essential health care services, including drugs, furniture and medical equipment in Al Abdiyah district of Marib Governorate.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-monthly-situation-report-no-04-april-2020
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H K)
Forced to flee during the “coronavirus ceasefire”
On 10 April, the same day that the first Covid-19 case in Yemen was confirmed, Muhsen Ahmed Mahyoub and his seven children were fleeing gunfire in their home village. In the middle of a pandemic, they were forced out into the desert, where 500 families are now sheltering in flimsy tents without running water or proper toilets.
In another part of Yemen, two weeks later, Ali Ibrahim was also fleeing for his life. Eight airstrikes fell on his home village in Hajjah governorate one morning.
“My cousin tried to flee the farm with his family,” he told us, “but an airstrike hit them… Three of them were killed, including a baby who was only a few months old. Four others were badly injured.”
Ali and his seven children are now crowded into the tent of another displaced family, in Hajjah’s Abs district – impossible conditions for preventing the spread of Covid-19, which the World Health Organization estimates may infect as many as 55 per cent of Yemeni people.
Muhsen’s home village of Al-Bizah used to be a peaceful one.
But just one day after the unilateral ceasefire was announced, he heard gunfire in the distance. When the gunfire grew closer, he and his family rounded up their animals and struck out for the desert. They ended up in an informal settlement near Marib city, where hundreds of families have gathered over the last four months.
The settlement is known as Al-Swaidah camp, though there is nothing to mark it as such: no running water, no toilets, no electricity. No-one here has been taking any measures against Covid-19, Muhsen says.
Muhsen’s family have assembled a tent for themselves from iron pipes and plastic sheets. Food is a constant worry, but Muhsen is just glad to be safe. Families are still arriving from surrounding areas, fleeing the continued fighting. And the news from Muhsen’s hometown is not good. “The battles are still ongoing, so we can’t return.”
A double disaster
Our staff working in areas close to the conflict frontlines are witnessing people still being forced to flee, at a time when the global health advice is to stay at home. "On a daily basis, displacement is happening,” says Zayed Mohamed Ali, NRC’s Programme Manager in Hodeidah. “And those affected are the civilians." – By Nasser Abdulkareem and Riona McCormack (photos)
https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2020/forced-to-flee-during-the-coronavirus-ceasefire/
(* B H)
Was steckt hinter Deportation Tausender afrikanischer Migranten nach Al-Dschouf durch saudische Regime?
Laut offiziellen Statistiken sind seit Anfang Mai mehr als dreitausend illegale afrikanische Einwanderer, von denen die meisten Somali und Äthiopier sind, in das Gouvernement Al-Dschouf eingereist.
Wo das saudische Regime sie über die Grenzgebiete in Nadschran in die jemenitischen Länder deportierte, ohne medizinischen Kontrollen und Vorsichtsmaßnahmen unterzogen zu werden, insbesondere angesichts der Ausbreitung des Corona-Virus in Saudi-Arabien.
Das saudische Regime deportiert Einwanderer:
In diesem Zusammenhang erklärte der Gouverneur [der Sanaa-Regierung9 von Al-Dschouf, Amer Al-Marrani, gegenüber der jemenitischen Nachrichtenagentur (Saba), dass die lokale Behörde und die Sicherheitsdienste im Gouvernorat mehr als zweitausend afrikanische Einwanderer beschlagnahmt hätten, die das saudische Regime in die Provinz gezwungen und sie den Vorsichtsmaßnahmen im Quarantänezentrum in der Direktion Al-Hazm unterworfen und die erforderlichen Kontrollen für sie durchgeführt hätten.
Er wies darauf hin, dass der Zustrom illegaler Einwanderer in das Gouvernement Al-Dschouf weitergeht und in vielen Direktionen der Provinz verteilt ist, was eine echte Bedrohung und eine Quelle von Epidemien darstellt.
Der Gouverneur von Al-Marrani wies darauf hin, dass die Fähigkeiten der Quarantänezentren des Gouvernorats nicht die Bedürfnisse einer großen Anzahl afrikanischer Migranten abdecken.
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3097797.htm
(* B H)
Hilfswerke: Corona könnte im Jemen zu Katastrophe führen: "Sehen nur die Spitze des Eisbergs"
Laut Human Rights Watch sind besonders die Flüchtlingscamps in der nördlichen Region Marib durch das Virus gefährdet. In den überfüllten Lagern gebe es keine ausreichende medizinische Versorgung, kaum Zugang zu sauberem Wasser und nicht die Möglichkeit, Abstands- und Isolationsregeln einzuhalten, erklärte das Hilfswerk am Freitag. Hinzu kämen aktuell noch Überschwemmungen in der Region, die die Bevölkerung besonders anfällig für eine Infektionswelle machten.
Zusätzliche Gefahr durch Kampfhandlungen
Auch rückten die Kampfhandlungen der Konfliktparteien, die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Koalition und die jemenitischen Huthi-Rebellen, immer näher an die Camps heran und brächten so die Flüchtlinge zusätzlich in Gefahr. Für die Bevölkerung bestehe daher nun eine doppelte Bedrohung, die dringend aufgehalten werden müsse, so Human Rights Watch.
Gleichzeitig nimmt nach Angaben der Hilfsorganisation aber die finanzielle Unterstützung für die Region ab. Mehrere Regierungen und internationale Vereinigungen hätten Hilfslieferungen und Zahlungen in den von den schiitischen Huthi kontrollierten Norden des Landes zeitweise ausgesetzt.
(* B H)
IOM Yemen | Displacement in Marib | 20 May 2020
Since 2015, Marib governorate has drawn a large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing conflict in their areas of origin. In January 2020, an escalation of fighting on the outskirts of Marib, Al Jawf and Sana’a governorates led to surge in displacement. IOM estimates that over 9,500 households (HHs) relocated to Marib city and nearby districts in Marib governorate including Marib Al Wadi, Medghal and Sirwah, with many of those moving being displaced for the second time. This new wave of displacement brings the estimated number of IDPs living in camp or camp like settings to more than 26,000 IDP HHs, while the remainder are living in rented accommodation or with relatives.
IOM has been operating in Marib, providing multi-sectoral assistance to affected populations since March 2019. Assistance was scaled up during the recent displacement crisis, and now, in response to the presence of COVID-19 in the governorate. In addition to providing safe shelters, essential aid items, emergency health care, clean water, safe sanitation and emergency food rations to 8,335 newly displaced households, IOM has supported 37,142 people affected by flooding and extreme weather.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-displacement-marib-20-may-2020
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp1a
(A P)
Staatsanwaltschaft ließ 125 Gefangene frei mit Hilfe der Handelskammer und der Wohlwollenden
Die Staatsanwaltschaft entließ 125 Gefangene, die im öffentlichen Recht im Gefängnis waren und im Gefängnis blieben, weil sie die ihnen auferlegten Sonderrechte zahlen konnten, die beträgt 134 Millionen 873 Tausend Rial.
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3097706.htm
(A P)
Yemeni Legitimacy [Hadi gov.] Accuses Houthis of Stealing Zakat Money
The Iran-backed Houthi group imposed a 500-percent increase on Zakat money during Ramadan month, which it collected from merchants, farmers, employers, and even citizens claiming it was “Zakat Eid al-Fitr”, according to Yemeni Information Minister.
Minister Muammar al-Iryani revealed that the Houthi militias pressured merchants in their areas of control to end their annual Ramadan charitable programs and distribution of food baskets to the needy, forcing them to direct the funds to finance the group's war efforts.
Iryani explained that due to Houthis’ practices, tens of thousands of destitute families lost the aid they usually receive and the money went to militia leaders.
(A P)
Al-Houthi points to US, Israeli regimes’ role in aggression against Yemen
The Yemeni People are facing unjust aggression under American supervision and Israeli cooperation, and it is our faith, religious, innate, and national duty to confront this aggression with full force and at all levels,” Almasirah quoted him as saying on Saturday, in a congratulatory message issued on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.
He felicitated the day to the Islamic Nation, the people of Yemen, and the fighters who are stationed in the frontlines, stressing the necessity of supporting the frontlines with men and needed resources, and that the mobilization should stay in an active and a strong pace.
(A P)
Shia extremists burn military commander in captivity with acid before killing him
Yemen's Shia extremists burned a military commander they arrested in north Yemen with acid as part of a month long torture before executing him, an army source told the Yemeni media.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-39823
(A P)
Kostenlose Telefonanrufe und 50٪ zusätzliches Guthaben für das Internet während der Eid Al Fitr-Ferien
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3097686.htm
(A P)
Yemen’s Sana’a grants free telecommunication services for an Eid without COVID-19
(A P)
Yemen’s Houthi rebels are ‘deceiving’ world by not releasing Bahai prisoners
Yemen’s Houthi rebels are “deceiving” the international community by not carrying out their promise to release some prisoners from the Bahai religious minority and to drop charges against others, a representative of the community said.
In late March, senior rebel official Mehdi Al Mashat announced in a televised speech that he had ordered the release of Bahai leader Hamed bin Haydara and another five Bahai detainees.
The decision has not yet been implemented.
Mahmoud Mohammad, spokesman for the Yemeni Initiative for Defending Bahai Rights, said the promise was made “to deceive the international community and local and international human rights organisations with the aim of achieving other goals, and is part of a scheme to continue a systematic persecution that targets thousands of Bahais in Yemen”.
(A P)
In Ibb, alternative qat markets ease traffic congestion, but may not slow COVID-19 outbreak
Some residents see the Houthis' relocation of qat markets outside the city aimed more at preserving a major source of revenue than protecting public health
Houthi authorities in Ibb governorate have approved the transfer of qat markets from inside Ibb city to its suburbs, as part of precautionary steps to confront COVID-19. But it’s unclear how much the moves will benefit residents beyond reducing traffic in the city center. Wherever the leafy narcotic is sold, crowds will form and social distancing will be virtually impossible.
https://al-masdaronline.net/local/830
(A P)
Mothers of abductees: Houthis extorted families of detained journalists based on false promises
The Association of Mothers of Abductees has gathered testimony from the families of imprisoned journalists accusing the Houthis of financial extortion.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the mothers association said Houthi authorities in Sana'a demanded financial guarantees from the families of five journalists who were authorized for release in April, but have remained incarcerated.
After paying sums of up to 400,000 Yemeni riyals (about $675*), the families learned that the Houthis sought to include the journalists in prisoner exchange deals with the internationally recognized government.
The association condemned the Houthis’ ongoing detention of nine journalists who have been subjected to sham trials and unlawful actions
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/829
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp6 – cp18
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-654b-yemen-war-mosaic-654b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-653-yemen-war-mosaic-653
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-653 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-653:
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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