... im Jemen – Anstrengungen für die Schulbildung im ländlichen Raum – Fünf Jemeniten erzählen ihr Schicksal – Coronavirus breitet sich weiter aus – und mehr
June 25, 2020: Failure of the West and Western media – The blockade of Yemen – Socotra, a new hotspot of the Yemen conflict – UN Statement on the humanitarian situation in Yemen – Efforts for Education in Rural Yemen During War – Five Yemenis tell their fate – Coronavirus is spreading further – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-661b-yemen-war-mosaic-661b
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
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Ältere einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Older introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
Neue Artikel / New articles
(* B H K)
Film: Hunger, Covid-19 und eine zerstörte Infrastruktur: die unbeachtete humanitäre Krise in Jemen.
Das Land befindet sich seit fünf Jahren in einem Bürgerkrieg. Eine Verbesserung der Lage ist nicht in Sicht. Im Gegenteil: Der Ausbruch von Covid-19 belastet die vom Krieg zerstörte medizinische Infrastruktur massiv. Der NZZ-Redaktor Ulrich von Schwerin beschreibt die gegenwärtige Lage.
https://www.nzz.ch/international/jemen-im-buergerkrieg-die-unbeachtete-humanitaere-krise-ld.1562637 = https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=570198640351586
(B H K)
What's Happening With Yemen's Civil War & What Can You Do From The UK?
Since 2015, Yemen has been in the midst of a civil war. Described by Oxfam as one of world’s “gravest humanitarian crises,” the war has claimed more than 12,000 civilian lives and a further four million have been displaced. Approximately 80% of the country’s population is in need of emergency aid – the greatest number in any country in the world. Below are the top line facts you should be aware of, as well as suggestions of how you can help the people of Yemen.
https://www.bustle.com/p/whats-happening-with-yemens-civil-war-what-can-you-do-from-the-uk-22994073
(* B H K P)
Together we will end the Yemen war (Link collection)
Wow this is bad. Who to donate?
We need you to call your Congress
Petition to end preventable disease and famine
Petition on why food shouldn't be weaponized
Divest from Yemen's oppressors
https://endtheyemenwar.carrd.co/
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K P)
Yemen’s war and the blackout in the Spanish press
“Public opinion in western countries has been quite incapable of applying the necessary pressure to cut our ties with the Saudis.”
This said, all the efforts spent by the media blaming the government, has allowed public opinion to focus on the coronavirus crisis, while avoiding other severe crises for which our leaders have also been responsible, primarily in order to defend the economic interests of big business (both public and private). This is the case of Yemen, a country experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
Western countries have not wanted to put an end this barbarism. While their leaders express ‘concern’ about the Yemen crisis and even call for the war to end, they continue to supply the weapons and technology the Saudi Coalition needs to carry out its crimes more effectively. The reason is very simple: Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter and is therefore our ally.
Furthermore, public opinion in western countries has been quite incapable of applying the necessary pressure to cut our ties with the Saudis, even when the latest successor to Al Qaeda (ISIS) declared a new caliphate in June 2014 and directly threatened our security by committing terrorist attacks in western countries. The deaths of hundreds of Europeans have not been enough to raise questions about our Middle East policy.
Yemen may seem a distant and remote country to ordinary citizens, but it is not so remote for our leaders. Since 2001, Yemen was one of the countries where the Bush administration chose to launch his war on terror (so successful that is ended up creating the ISIS monster) and Yemen duly suffered US terrorism head on (the drone campaign) with the civilian population bearing the brunt, as always. More than a decade later, as western guardians continued to ensure our safety by killing innocent civilians, our Saudi and Persian Gulf allies carried on destroying this country, with the terrible consequence that jihadism was able to take full advantage of the chaos and misery war had left behind
However, for our media and politicians it is much more important to focus on fuelling sensationalized debates around the Coronavirus crisis in Spain. The Coronavirus crisis in countries like Yemen does not merit any attention, regardless of the fact that “the United Nations estimates that 16 million Yemenis may ultimately be infected with the COVID-19 virus” in a country without sufficient capacity to face the onset of such a profound crisis, where the majority of the population, cornered between hunger and disease, has already endured a brutal cholera epidemic in the first years of the war that affected one million people.
In a perfect world, media speaking truth to power, should denounce our “democratic representatives”, as responsible for having provided the weapons that have destroyed what was already the poorest country in the region.
The responsibility of western countries for the crisis that is Yemen is clear. You don’t need to be very radical to realize that economic interests have taken priority over the suffering of the Yemeni people.
Crowning shame
Is it possible that the western powers, which have filled their pockets with the deaths of so many innocent people, are unable to provide the massive aid now required to curb the worst humanitarian crisis in the world?
Isn’t it a crowning shame for our democracies that the country that is leading the initiatives to raise funds to ease the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is none other than Saudi Arabia? Obviously, their intention is to whitewash their own image. Saudi Arabia’s representative to the United Nations, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, said a few days ago that the “Kingdom and the UN will continue to support Yemen”. Of course, this humanitarian aid is insufficient, due to the continuous cutbacks in the funds destined for the country.
But finally, let us return to the role played by the media. The exhausting effort of NGOs and independent organizations to bring out the truth, is little rewarded by the poor media attention they receive. This has terrible consequences. People are not aware of the crimes that our leaders help to perpetrate and therefore governments have more margin to carry out actions against the majority interest of the country’s citizens. It is vital that people know what is going on. In Spain, there is a scandalous information blackout, which must be addressed if our government is not to have a free path to aiding and abetting the terrible suffering of the Yemenis –by Isa Ferrero
My comment: it's not just Spain it's ALL western countries.
(** B H K P)
Wikipedia: Blockade of Yemen
The blockade of Yemen refers to a sea, land and air blockade on Yemen which started with the positioning of Saudi Arabian warships in Yemeni waters in 2015 with the Saudi invasion of Yemen. The United States had joined the blockade in October 2016.[1] In November 2017, after a Houthi missile heading towards King Khalid International Airport was intercepted,[2] the Saudi-led military coalition stated it would close all sea land and air ports to Yemen,[3] but shortly began reopening them after criticism from the United Nations (UN) and over 20 aid groups.[4] The blockade of Yemen has resulted in widespread starvation, to the extent that the United Nations has raised concerns about the possibility of it becoming the deadliest famine in decades.[5][6] The World Health Organization announced that the number of suspected persons with cholera in Yemen reached approximately 500,000 people.
As a result of the blockade there is a desperate shortage of necessary supplies such as food, water and medical supplies, to the extent that children are at risk of disease due to lack of drinkable water.[13]
A limited number of aid ships can unload, and the bulk of commercial shipping, on which the desperately poor country depends, is being blocked, creating a state of emergency for Yemenis.[14] In spite of entreaties, Saudi Arabia has failed to pay out any of the $274 million it promised to invest into humanitarian relief
United States's role
Although U.S. President Trump asked Saudi Arabia to allow humanitarian aid to enter Yemen in 2017,[17][18] the U.S has also supported the Arab coalition's intervention in the war and its blockade on Yemen since March 2015. In mid-2015, Washington increased its logistical and intelligence support to Saudi Arabia by creating a joint coordination planning cell with the Saudi military that is helping manage the war.[19][20] However, in mid-2016 and amid escalating, international concerns regarding some of the strategic initiatives undertaken by the Saudi Arabian military in the conflict, the U.S. pulled back significantly on their participation in this joint planning cell, reducing its staff commitment to only five US workers.[21] Meanwhile, aid agencies say the embargo imposed by the U.S. (and UK-backed) Arab coalition has had dramatic effect with about 80% of population in urgent need of vital resources such as food, water and medical supplies. Saudi Arabia, reportedly relying on U.S. intelligence reports and surveillance images for target selection, began airstrikes, some of which were against weapons and aircraft. The US has dispatched warships to reinforce the blockade
United Kingdom's role
Port blockade
Riyadh mentioned that “The port of Hudaydah will remain open for humanitarian and relief supplies and the entry of commercial vessels, including fuel and food vessels, for a period of 30 days". Two weeks later, after Saudi Arabia's declaration, Hudaydah stayed empty. There is no relief vessels or trader to be seen anchored there. The manager of the port substantiated that the sea-hub did process merely two vessels whose permits were old
Legal background
According to the international law of naval blockade the naval measures conducted by the coalition led by Saudi Arabia do not amount to a naval blockade in the legal sense.[42] It is said that neither the international law of contraband nor the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 of 14 April 2015 cover the extensive enforcement measures.[43] Due to the devastating famine in Yemen and supply shortage of essential goods, which are caused by the enforcement measures, the naval operations off the coast of Yemen are criticized as a violation of international humanitarian law.[44]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade_of_Yemen
(** B K P)
Film by AlJazeera: Why have southern Yemen separatists seized Socotra? | Inside Story
The latest flashpoint in Yemen's five year civil war is a remote island in the Arabian sea. Socotra is sometimes compared to the famous Galapagos islands in the Pacific. The plants and animals on the World Heritage Site are found nowhere else on earth. Now they are in a war zone. The Southern Transitional Council in southern Yemen has deposed the island's governor and declared self rule. The fighters are backed by the United Arab Emirates. Yemen's internationally-recognised government supported by Saudi Arabia calls the takeover a 'coup'. So what makes the island so valuable to Yemen's warring sides? And how will the events affect efforts to end the conflict? Presenter: Imran Khan Guests: Raiman Al-Hamdani - Research Fellow on Yemen at the European Council for Foreign Relations Elisabeth Kendall - Senior Research Fellow in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford Nabeel Khoury - Senior Researcher at the Atlantic Council Center for Studies, and a former US Deputy Chief of Mission in Yemen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZunpiRZ_tk
Snippet, Elisabeth Kendall: Are broader geo-political issues at stake in the recent takeover of #Socotra island by #UAE-backed southern separatists?, https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1275479264092184580
and
(** B K P)
Socotra could become one of Yemen’s environmental and cultural tragedies
The island’s strategic location off the coast of Somalia between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean has attracted the attention of the expansionist and ambitious government of the United Arab Emirates. Despite its size, Socotra has the potential to become one of the most important places in the area.
The Dubai Ports World (DP World) has established a number of ports along the Red Sea and has identified Socotra for its future business expansion, hence the recent charm offensive. With a portfolio of 78 operational marine and inland terminals supported by more than 50 related businesses in 40 countries across six continents, the presence of DP World in Socotra could seal it for the UAE, making it one of the most powerful nations in the world.
In parallel to those ambitions, the UAE has been amassing arms and building a powerful arsenal which continues to fuel the conflict in Yemen, especially in the south.
This military presence and the support of separatists in Socotra has increased its political instability. It also continues to prevent the island from benefiting from its tourism potential as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Although Socotra has remained part of Yemen, the central government has done little to improve the lives of the people on the island. There is widespread poverty and economic underdevelopment. The UAE has thus been luring Socotra with promises of economic benefits in return for naval facilities. Socotra’s rare flora and fauna and clear waters are at risk if such plans go ahead. Any unfettered increase in human and cargo traffic could be devastating for the environment.
and
(** B P)
An old Emirati document indicating the early interest of "Abu Dhabi" in Socotra Island, dating back more than twenty years ago
An old Emirati document shows the early interest of the Abu Dhabi authorities in the strategic Yemeni island of Socotra, which was dominated by the so-called Southern Transitional Council supported by the Emirates. The document dates back more than twenty years ago, specifically in 1998
The Emirati ambassador, "Khalifa Sheikh Mujren Al-Kindi," said in the secret memo addressed to the Undersecretary of State for Socotra that he "learned to the embassy about the request of the American administration from the Yemeni leadership to allow it to establish a naval and air military base on the Yemeni island of Socotra in exchange for the United States building economic facilities and projects An investment whose size has not been determined yet. "
The ambassador added in the memo that the news claimed that "the military attaches accredited to the Republic of Yemen asked the competent authorities in Yemen to visit the island of Socotra and that the Yemeni side hesitated to fulfill the request and offered other areas in Yemen such as Sayoun or Marib.
Al-Kindi said that another news claimed that "Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, in cooperation with a group of Americans, is trying to build civilian facilities on the island of Socotra after renting it as a cover for American military use in order to avoid any Arab criticism against Yemen."
The document was dated 7/2/1998, and during that period the Yemeni authorities had begun construction and construction of Socotra Airport. This document highlights the events that occurred in Socotra recently, from armed confrontations and rebellion years after the UAE bought the loyalties of officers and sheikhs in the archipelago, before their efforts culminated in controlling the province completely.
During the past periods, media outlets circulated leaks of Emirati sheikhs and figures talking about the vast naturalization of residents of the island.
https://almasdaronline-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/almasdaronline.com/articles/196485/amp/
(** B H K P)
Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen, 24 June 2020
COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across Yemen. About 25 per cent of Yemenis confirmed to have the disease have died. That’s five times the global average.
With the health system in collapse, we know many cases and deaths are going unrecorded. Burial prices in some areas have increased by seven times compared to a few months ago.
COVID-19 is adding one more layer of misery upon many others. As the Prime Minister of Yemen said earlier in the month, a macabre humanitarian tragedy is imminent.
I will brief you today on five priority issues: protection of civilians, humanitarian access, funding, the economy and progress towards peace.
First, protection of civilians – a requirement under international humanitarian law.
In May, an average of five civilians were killed or injured every day. One in three of them was a child. Two-thirds of incidents that harmed civilians occurred in family homes or farms, and five incidents struck health facilities.
We also continue to see appalling multiple-casualty incidents. On 15 June, strikes hit a car in a rural area of Sa’ada, killing at least 13 civilians – including four children.
My second point is about humanitarian access. Again, a requirement of international humanitarian law.
Safe transport for aid workers into and out of Yemen is a core component of humanitarian access. Air passenger service to Aden resumed several weeks ago on a reduced schedule, but the first inbound staff flight to Sana’a did not land until 15 June. Incoming staff are self-quarantining for 14 days.
We are no closer to accessing the SAFER oil tanker.
My third point is about funding for the aid operation.
On 2 June, as I mentioned earlier, the United Nations and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia co-hosted a virtual pledging event for Yemen. Thirty-one donors pledged $1.35 billion for humanitarian aid, including about $700 million in new funds.
That’s only about half of what was pledged last year. It is also far below what we need to keep programmes going. Reduced pledges from the Gulf region account for essentially all of the reduction.
What is the impact of that? Incentive payments for health workers who are not being paid have already ceased for 10,000 of them. Those people are working on the front lines responding to COVID-19. Water and sanitation programmes that serve 4 million people will start closing in several weeks. About 5 million children will go without routine vaccinations, and by August, we will close down malnutrition programmes. The wider health programme, which 19 million people that benefit from will stop too.
Many of the pledges that were made have still not been paid. We see no reasonable cause to further delay disbursement of pledges. As I told the conference, promises don’t save lives. It is only when you implement what you promised, you save a child.
My fourth point is about Yemen’s economy, which is heading for an unprecedented calamity.
No commercial fuel vessels have entered Hudaydah since 8 June due to a political dispute over revenue management which Martin alluded to. Fuel is essential to pump water, power sanitation networks and keep heath centres running. So the parties must urgently work with Martin’s team to find a sustainable solution.
Larger economic problems are also brewing. The Yemeni rial is again depreciating rapidly, trading at around 620 rial to the dollar in the north and 750 rial in the south. With nearly all goods imported, this means more Yemenis are being squeezed out of markets, unable to buy food or other life-saving requirements.
We have never before seen in Yemen a situation where such a severe acute domestic economic crisis overlaps with a sharp drop in remittances and major cuts to donor support for humanitarian aid – and this of course is all happening in the middle of a devastating pandemic.
At a minimum, we can expect many more people to starve to death and to succumb to COVID-19 and to die of cholera and to watch their children die because they are not immunized for killer diseases. So I call urgently on all Yemen’s donors to provide predictable foreign exchange injections to avoid total economic collapse. This must be in addition to humanitarian funding, which I again urge donors to disburse immediately and to consider increasing.
Humanitarian agencies can still, with adequate funding, keep the humanitarian situation stable. That’s what we all want to do. That will also help with the political process.
So, my last point, there is a stark choice before the world today: support the humanitarian response in Yemen and help to create the space for a sustainable political solution.
Or watch Yemen fall off the cliff.
(** B H)
Autonomous Efforts for Education in Rural Yemen During War: The Village of Mariya
The overall situation in the country has driven many parents to dismiss their children’s education; parents need their children’s extra help in providing for the family under an extremely difficult economic situation. All of this has contributed to a loss of faith in basic education among this generation of students in Yemen, who believe more in the utility of informal labor rather than the pursuit of education. How can they see the point in education when they see their educated parents unable to put food on the table anymore? Consequently, the number of basic education student dropouts has drastically increased during the war years.
Just like many other civil servants in Yemen, public school teachers have not received their salaries for over three years. For this reason, most schools offer only three classes a day, since many teachers have become unavailable. Due to the lack of adequate numbers of teachers, schools have resorted to reducing the number of classrooms and putting as many students as possible from the same grade in one overcrowded classroom. This has affected the quality of education, for it is impossible for a teacher to be able to cater to the different needs of students when there are over 100 students per classroom.
Parents who can still just about afford private education, with a lot of difficulty, have transferred their children from public to private schools. This has also led to overcrowded private schools and affected the quality of education private schools offer, leading to both public and private schools being at their worst levels of performance for the past few years.
Life and education conditions in Yemen have always varied between rural and urban areas. Even before the war, the invasion of qat plants in villages made young students prefer growing qat to pursuing education. During the war, the loss of faith in the utility of education increased, leading to a significant increase in dropouts, with only 20 per cent of students graduating high school.
Early marriage is one of the main reasons students drop out of schools in rural Yemen. In some cases, girls in villages are married off at the age of 13 or 14, or younger in rare cases, with cases of early marriage increasing the most during high school.
As for boys, the number one reason to drop out of school is to grow qat, because they believe it offers a more stable future than education and public sector employment. Early marriage is also another challenge that boys face, for it is difficult for a 15-year-old who gets married to pursue education when he is expected to provide for his new family. In this case, dropping out of school to grow and sell qat is the alternative. In addition, some parents do not support their children regarding education, and in some cases, they even encourage them to drop out.
Generally, the decision to drop out of school remains a choice for rural boys, but girls are forced to leave school in most cases, especially as some fathers believe that basic literacy would suffice for girls who are needed for domestic and agricultural labor.
As the war and lack of salaries drags on, challenges facing the education sector in rural Yemen multiply. Some schools have closed in some villages. Most rural students ended up dropping out, except for those who are holding on to their education despite the difficulties, and commute to neighboring villages daily to go to school – or end up moving to cities in the quest for education.
In many Yemeni villages, the culture of tribal compensation was of great help in this regard. Tribal compensation is a financial amount that one tribe pays to another when reconciliation is offered after a dispute. This culture of collective autonomous community problem solving makes it easy for people in villages to take the initiative to find solutions for issues such as the absence of state spending on education and teachers’ salaries.
Mariya, a village 15 km to the west of Dhamar city in Yemen, provides an example of collective autonomous efforts to save education. After meeting and consulting with each other, the people of Mariya collected money from the families of school children and donations from those who are doing well financially to cover salaries for existing teachers in the village’s school. They also contract additional teachers to cover high school level scientific subjects. Teacher Saleh Baghasha and the parents association at the school led the initiative to meet with parents and people of the village. Baghasha says, “We used all possible events and arguments to convince the people of the village to support education. We went to weddings, funerals and Friday sermons to speak about the issue.” – by Bachir Zendal
https://almadaniyamag.com/2019/11/30/education-yemen-mariya/
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUUtZSAykdE
(** B H K)
Five lives forever changed by Yemen’s war
Below, five Yemenis explain what the past five years have meant for them and their families.
Nawal, a midwife from Hodeidah (displaced in Lahj)
When Nawal was a teenager, she witnessed her mother struggle through a difficult labour. This was when she knew she wanted to be a midwife. Nawal finished school and enrolled at university. A few years later she was working as a midwife in a hospital in Hodeidah.
“I love my work so much. I feel so happy when I hold a baby in my hands,” she says.
But then the war started. Nawal’s hometown, Hodeidah, has experienced some of the fiercest fighting in Yemen’s five-year war. In 2018, the conflict forced Nawal and her family to flee.
“We sold my father’s motorbike,” she explains.
“We thought we would end up living on the street. We did not know where to go. We came to Aden. Thanks to God, we met a woman on the bus who told us about this camp for internally displaced people. We arrived after midnight. Thankfully, we received mattresses and blankets and we started to feel comfortable.”
Nawal and her parents, two brothers and baby daughter were registered with WFP to receive monthly cash assistance for food and other basic needs. This money has also allowed Nawal to return to doing what she loves: helping women give birth.
There is nearly always a woman outside Nawal’s tent asking for assistance. She has helped deliver countless babies in the camp, earning her the moniker ‘Dr. Nawal’.
“I feel embarrassed to ask for money, especially if the family is very poor. After I finish my work, I do not ask for a penny,” says Nawal. “In Hodeidah, I used to make money from my work. But here they are all displaced. They live in difficult situations and cannot afford to pay me. Because I am a woman, I know how women suffer during childbirth. That’s where my passion came from to help women when they give birth. I walk with them (during labour). I wash their faces with water. When a woman is tired, I help her lie on the mattress. I give her dates for energy. I massage her belly. Women love me and I love this job.
Ahmed, a cobbler from Taiz (displaced in Ibb)
Ahmed is a cobbler from Taiz, Yemen. He is now displaced in Ibb and dependent on WFP monthly food assistance to feed his six children.
“I dream of a home for me and my children. I also want a job. I want to work and support my family. I used to make leather sandals and sell them to people for 200 to 300 riyals [ 53 to 80 USD],” explains Ahmed.
Ahmed’s family was poor but he had enough to feed his children. When the war started, an air strike destroyed his home in Taiz. He moved his family multiple times before arriving in Ibb, seeking shelter in a disused building that had become a home for many displaced families.
“I can’t find any work here,” says Ahmed. “Sometimes my children work in the streets collecting empty bottles. I dream of a home for me and my children. I also want a job. I want to work and support my family.”
Rania, a teacher from Hodeidah (displaced in Lahj)
Rania always knew she was going to be a teacher.
“When I was a child, if anyone in my class was having a problem or couldn’t understand something, they would ask me. At break time, I would always end up re-explaining the maths or science exercises to my classmates,” she explains.
“When we were first displaced, we remembered our old life with sadness.”
Rania and her eldest daughter, Amani, stand in the entrance to their home in a camp for internally displaced people in Lahj, Yemen. Photo: WFP/Mohammed Awadh
Rania worked in a local school in Hodeidah, her hometown. She loved her job. But then one day the tanks rolled into the school playground. Her classroom was transformed overnight into a military barrack. She realized it was time to leave.
Rania and her five children fled south and sought refuge in a camp for internally displaced people in Lahj, where they receive monthly cash assistance from WFP.
“When we were first displaced, we remembered our old life with sadness,” says Rania.
But she did not forget her passion for teaching, quickly finding new purpose to her life in the camp.
“I noticed that all the displaced children had too much free time,” she explains. “They were quarrelling all the time and creating problems for their families. So, I started teaching them. In the morning it was reading and writing, and in the afternoon I started sessions for memorizing the Holy Qur’an.”
Rania’s students often tell her stories of what happened to them during the war — horrifying tales of violence and forced recruitment.
“The war has influenced and damaged so many children psychologically. What I am trying to do is ensure safety for my children and other children here in this camp. I want our children to be educated. I want them to pursue their ambitions no matter what conditions we live in. I want my daughter to be a doctor and my son to be a police officer, because our children are the forces of change in Yemen.” (photos)
https://yemenhumanitarianresponse.exposure.co/five-lives-forever-changed-by-yemens-war
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(B H)
Yemen weddings air on live TV to avoid coronavirus shutdown
Yemeni couples have turned to TV so their families and friends can join in on wedding celebrations despite the coronavirus shutdown.
The Yemeni grooms sit expectantly inside a TV studio, waiting for their wedding parties to be broadcast live so that families and friends can join in the celebrations despite a coronavirus lockdown.
The pandemic has forced weddings to be scaled down or cancelled across the world but in the Yemeni capital Sanaa the traditional folk music and dancing have been beamed into people's homes instead.
Well-wishers call into the satellite channel Alhawyah to offer their congratulations to the grooms, dressed in their finest clothes and with rifles propped up next to them and traditional daggers tucked into their belts.
As the number of coronavirus cases began to rise in war-ravaged Yemen, Alhawyah - Arabic for "identity" - began hosting wedding parties with the aim of reducing guest numbers and preventing the spread of the virus.
Participants are sprayed with disinfectant before entering the studio for the all-male gatherings, where a popular band performs.
(* B H)
Coronavirus threatens war-torn Yemen amid humanitarian catastrophe
The coronavirus pandemic is threatening to ravage Yemen as a humanitarian catastrophe grips the country. The exact number of cases remains unclear as heavy fighting continues between Iran-backed Houthi rebels, separatist groups and Saudi-backed government forces. CBS News senior foreign correspondent Elizabeth Palmer joins CBSN to explain the latest developments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WQ9PkYi03w
(A H)
Yemen hits highest rate of confirmed covid-19 cases
The total number of infections in the liberated areas has reached 1,015, including 274 deaths and 379 recoveries.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/23374
and also http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-06/25/c_139164749.htm
and Infographic: https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1275877984671535104
(A H)
25 new cases of coronavirus reported, 992 in total
http://en.adenpress.news/news/23364
(* B H P)
Yemen coronavirus cases expected to surge as UN aid dries up
UN warns the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in Yemen could surpass that from five years of devastating war.
It was inevitable that the global coronavirus pandemic would arrive in Yemen and cross paths with the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Now that it has, the impact is already showing.
Laila Abdulrab has a front-line seat. A humanitarian aid worker, she has worked for the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, since 2011. Despite the mass graves being dug in Yemen's major cities as probable COVID-19 cases increase rapidly, she has continued working, aiding some of Yemen's most vulnerable.
"I saw and sensed the fear and anxiety [of the refugees and internally displaced people] because of the pandemic and its impact on them and their community," Abdulrab told Al Jazeera after her last field visit.
"The demand for UNHCR assistance is greater, and without it, many vulnerable people, including single-women households, unaccompanied children, sexual violence survivors and others, will become at serious risk of eviction and a lack of access to food and basic needs."
"Many Yemenis have lost their livelihoods as a result of the pandemic, and the most vulnerable groups in society, such as IDPs and refugees, have become more vulnerable," Abdulrab said. "The already fragile health system is overburdened and lacks the capacity to keep up with the coronavirus situation."
The UN has warned that the death toll from the coronavirus in Yemen could surpass the combined death toll of war, disease, and hunger in Yemen over the last five years - a number estimated at more than 100,000 people.
The question of funding will perhaps have the biggest effect on humanitarian work in Yemen over the coming months.
"We are not speaking about months, we are speaking about weeks," Jean-Nicolas Beuze, UNHCR representative in Yemen, told Al Jazeera. "We are going to have to drastically reduce the number of beneficiaries for programmes such as emergency shelters.
"We are going to have to cut 20,000 families from that funding, that means that these people will live in the open, subject to the elements," said Beuze. "In these conditions, how can they protect themselves from the coronavirus? They cannot."
Beuze also said the UNHCR would have to cut its cash assistance programme and many of its partnerships with local Yemeni NGOs, leaving 1,500 Yemeni staff without jobs.
International bodies, including the World Food Programme, have accused the parties to Yemen's conflict of stealing aid money, in particular the Houthis. The Houthis have denied the accusations and criticised the role of international NGOs in Yemen.
Humanitarian aid has been caught up in the political machinations of the war in Yemen, with the Saudi-led coalition and its allies, particularly the United States, wary of giving aid to Houthi-run areas.
Osamah al-Rawhani, deputy executive director of the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, said pledging decisions have been political as much as they have been economic.
Those political considerations leave international NGOs in an increasingly difficult position, right at a time when they need help the most as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread.
"We don't only need to help Yemen because of ethical or humanitarian imperatives, but also from a self-preservation point of view," said Beuze.
"It is a country of transit. If we don't make a country like Yemen - which is one of the weakest links in this global public health battle against the pandemic - safe, then no one will be safe."
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Film, with transcript: War-ravaged Yemen facing deadly new threat in COVID-19
COVID-19 is now pushing a devastated health infrastructure to the brink of collapse. Special correspondent Jane Ferguson reports on the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.
Jane Ferguson: Officially, there have been fewer than 300 deaths in Yemen from the virus. But the bodies keep coming. And with limited testing, there is no real way of knowing how many people across the country are sick and dying.
War, hunger, and disease have already ravaged people here for six years. Now, death stalks the country again in a new cloak.
Man (through translator): We hear of so many cases of people dying, and sometimes from our friends in other places too. Recently, our next-door neighbor died, and no one knows why.
Israq Al Subaee (through translator): Medical personnel are terrified, as all medical staff in the world. Around five of them have died.
Jane Ferguson: Despite these risks, Dr. Hisham Farook still comes to help his patients every day. In this hospital in Taiz, on the front lines of Yemen's war, the need has never been more desperate.
Hisham Farook: If 100 confirmed cases emerged that required health care, I'm sure that the rest of the health care system will collapse even more than it is now.
Jane Ferguson: The virus is not stopping the violence. It's only getting worse. Peace deals and cease-fire agreements are failing once more, and even the United States has stood in the way of calls for laying down arms.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/war-ravaged-yemen-facing-deadly-new-threat-in-covid-19
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Daily Noon Briefing Highlights: Yemen – Libya
Yemen: COVID-19 update
Between 10 April, when the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Yemen, and 22 June, authorities reported 971 cases, with 258 related deaths.
These numbers are not representative of the true severity of the outbreak, as Yemen’s health system does not have adequate capacity to test all suspected cases. All indications suggest that the virus is spreading rapidly across the country.
The case fatality rate in observed cases is alarmingly high, at around 27 per cent. That is about four times higher than the worldwide average.
Despite restrictions on movement, and although capacities and resources are limited, the UN and other aid agencies continue to ramp up efforts to suppress the transmission of the virus.
More than 227,000 personal protective equipment items and 11,700 oxygen cylinders were provided. About 8,600 m3 of medical supplies in total have already been delivered, with almost 3,600 m3 still in the pipeline.
The UN and partners are working to equip 59 COVID isolation units across Yemen. Of these, 25 are already operational. Set-up of two high-capacity mobile field hospitals with capacity of nearly 100 beds is also under way to supplement the current level of ICU beds (710).
https://www.unocha.org/story/daily-noon-briefing-highlights-yemen-libya
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Yemenis turn to herbal remedies as fears mount over virus toll
As medicines run short and hospital wards overflow, Yemenis are resorting to traditional herbal remedies to protect themselves from coronavirus in a country broken by years of conflict.
In the southwestern city of Taez, market vendors stack bags of herbs and spices in front of their shops — from garlic, ginger and turmeric to costus root and fennel flower — at prices much more affordable than modern medicine.
"Many people are coming to buy medicinal herbs to make concoctions believed to be successful in combatting the virus," said one vendor, Bashar Al-Assar, at the popular Al Shanini Market.
The remedies are "guaranteed, tried and effective" to strengthen immunity, he told AFP.
The virus crisis is just the latest hardship for Taez's population of more than 600,000, who have long been trapped within the city limits.
In the southwestern city of Taez, market vendors stack bags of herbs and spices in front of their shops — from garlic, ginger and turmeric to costus root and fennel flower — at prices much more affordable than modern medicine.
"Many people are coming to buy medicinal herbs to make concoctions believed to be successful in combatting the virus," said one vendor, Bashar Al-Assar, at the popular Al Shanini Market.
The remedies are "guaranteed, tried and effective" to strengthen immunity, he told AFP.
The virus crisis is just the latest hardship for Taez's population of more than 600,000, who have long been trapped within the city limits.
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said in a study that, with no mitigation measures in place, there may have been between 180,000 and three million coronavirus cases in the first three months of the outbreak in Yemen.
Munir Ahmed Ghaleb was one of the shoppers at the Taez market looking to buy herbs.
"The price of medication has increased insanely, and now a citizen must resort to the local market for essential medicinal herbs, such as garlic, to fight the virus," he told AFP.
Before the coronavirus outbreak there was very little demand for herbal concoctions, said the vendor Assar, while today "it stands at 100 per cent".
Aid organisations have warned that a full-blown coronavirus outbreak in Yemen would have dire consequences, and called on the international community for support. – by AFP
https://www.france24.com/en/20200623-yemenis-turn-to-herbal-remedies-as-fears-mount-over-virus-toll = http://jordantimes.com/news/region/yemenis-turn-herbal-remedies-fears-mount-over-virus-toll
(A H)
26 new cases of coronavirus reported, 967 in total
http://en.adenpress.news/news/23353
(A H)
7 new cases of Corona virus infection are recorded in Hadramout and Lahj
https://en.smanews.org/7-new-cases-of-corona-virus-infection-are-recorded-in-hadramout-and-lahj
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Yemen: the devastation caused by epidemics
While seasonal epidemics regularly strike Yemen, the arrival of Covid-19 plunges populations into an even more dramatic health situation than before.
Malaria, dengue fever, cholera and even chikungunya … Enmeshed in a war that drags on, Yemen is regularly hit by major surges of epidemics. These cause excess mortality in the populations; they are linked to the rainy season and the heavy floods which started this year in March and are expected to intensify until August. ‘’When there are overlapping epidemics, access to water is essential. However, 40% of Yemenis do not have any access to facilities that have soap and water, and 18% of them do not have any facilities at all”, said Lucie R., our Country Director in Yemen.
A health system that has been bled dry
The arrival of the Covid-19 is an aggravating factor.
Faced with these seasonal epidemics, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL has been intervening for several years to ensure access to drinking water, hygiene and sanitation for vulnerable populations in southern Yemen. Our teams, as well as being experts in the fight against cholera and water-borne diseases in general, also carry out essential prevention and inspection activities. With the arrival of Covid-19, they strengthened their activities (access to water but also the refurbishment of health centres and the distribution of hygiene kits) while implementing the necessary social distancing and protective measures. https://www.solidarites.org/en/countries/yemen/yemen-the-devastation-caused-by-epidemics/
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Yemen Is In Crisis. Here's How You Can Help
Yemen was already experiencing a humanitarian crisis. Now, the pandemic has created an "emergency within an emergency."
Now, the COVID-19 pandemic has created what UNICEF called an "emergency within an emergency" due to a short supply of clean water, poor sanitation, and the country's dearth of functioning health facilities; many of the health facilities that do remain lack essential equipment and supplies. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs described the current situation in a recent release
Even as Yemenis are struggling, the pandemic has also contributed to a dip in aid funds as nations around the world try to manage their own economies.
Yemen was already in crisis, but now, its people are in even more dire need. Below, a few ways to help.
https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a32934766/yemen-crisis-how-to-help-pandemic/
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Awareness Campaigns and Rumors’ Busting about COVID-19 Throughout All Governorates in Yemen
Once again, it becomes clear how local actors and volunteers play an invaluable role in communities they know like the back of their hands. They speak the language, are familiar with the traditions, and recognize the prevailing mindset. Zamzam Saleh Saed Jaeem, the Deputy Communications manager in YRC’s Dhamar Branch, said, “There were rumors that made some people flinch when they saw us wearing masks, as if we were sick and contagious! But we stood our ground and persevered in identifying for them the wrong practices and correcting their misinformation, so they ended up helping us to put up the posters!”.
In Yemen, a country affected by war for over five years, the YRCS has been one of the few humanitarian organizations to freely continue executing its activities and missions all over the country doing what they most excel at: humanitarian support for communities affected by conflict and natural disasters, medical services especially for women and children, nutrition aids, prevention campaigns to tackle the risks of diseases as cholera and malaria, and lately, societal awareness through field campaigns around the country’s 22 governorates to stave off the dangers of COVID-19. These campaigns are implemented by the Heads of Communications in the YRC’s Branches, accompanied by the ambulance drivers and 44 volunteers, through posters and by playing recorded messages with preventive measures.
**Nisrine Ahmed **explained how the messages are being delivered via portable loudspeakers on ambulances that roam the districts and neighbourhoods of secluded areas within each governorate. “We are distributing in 10 communities the flyers and posters consisting of crucial info about COVID-19, its transmission, and the ways to prevent it”.
The YRC focuses on 440 areas across Yemen but does not go door-to-door. The awareness messages are broadcasted on loudspeakers and disseminated by posters. Only when faced with specific inquires, the Heads of Communications in the YRC’s Branches explain the content about COVID-19 face-to-face.
“While they need the bare necessities for a normal life, it’s hard to ask people to stay home and stick to the recommended safety measures to prevent COVID-19”, said Jaeem adding, “people don’t have money to buy a mask or gloves to use when they go outside. We encountered a tuned-out society when we first started. We were met with obstacles to persuade the population and change their ideas about the virus. We raised the level of awareness among people and helped them. And we consider this to be an accomplishment in and of itself”
(A H)
Yemen COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Snapshot - As of 20 June 2020
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-covid-19-preparedness-and-response-snapshot-20-june-2020
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[Sanaa gov.] Health Minister praises health personnel's steadfastness to combat Covid-19 in Hodeidah
Minister of Health Taha al-Mutawakil praised on Monday the of the medical staff's steadfastness in combating Covid-19 in Hodeidah province.
At the meeting, the minister addressed the international organizations saying, "If you want the numbers and statistics of Covid-19 deaths and infections, we have one million cases of malaria, celery and dengue in Hodeida
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3100493.htm
My comment: His government’s management of the crisis is a full failure. Praising health personal is a very easy and cheap try to get out of one’s own failure.
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Number of Coronavirus Patients Decreases in Sana’a
Last week, the capital Sana'a witnessed a decrease in the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, compared to the escalating risks of spreading the disease in the countryside.
In the past two weeks, dozens of citizens have died in and outside Sana'a with corona-like symptoms.
However, the number of the cases in the governorates of the Salvation Government remained much less than that in the areas of Hadi Government control.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13601
My comment: This is propaganda. The Houthi side hides the real figures.
(A H)
19 new cases of coronavirus reported, 941 in total
http://en.adenpress.news/home#23343
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-06/22/c_139156412.htm
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Coronavirus update June 21
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1274780006531678210
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Taiz: Backhoes dig rows of graves as coronavirus death toll rises
"It is better to die of coronavirus than to die of hunger with your children at home," says Mohammed al-Sharaabi a street vendor in Taiz, a city in central Yemen. Shadi Mohammed another street vendor says he chooses "to work and face the lesser risk of death" - from coronavirus. "
The people's inability to adhere to the stay-at-home orders is causing a dramatic rise in burials that mass graves are now dug with backhoes, according to local sources.
The governmental coronavirus committee confirmed 48 deaths and 464 infections. "But many people contract the contagion or die without going to hospitals, hence many figures go off the radar of the committee," says Nayef Salem, a local doctor.
In Taiz there are only two healthcare centers managing the novel virus, but both are appealing for an international assistance to provide them "with medical oxygen."
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-40361
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Coronavirus als nächste Katastrophe: Woran der Jemen zugrunde geht
Das Coronavirus wütet ungehindert im kriegsversehrten Jemen. Die Menschen sterben zu Hause.
Von der Öffentlichkeit weitgehend vergessen verschärft sich die humanitäre Krise im Jemen zurzeit massiv. Zu Krieg, Hunger und erneuten Ausbrüchen von Cholera kommt ein ungebremster Anstieg an Infektionen mit dem Coronavirus.
Das Virus verbreitet sich fast unsichtbar. Die Dunkelziffer ist extrem hoch. Das Gesundheitssystem war schon vor dem Ausbruch im April in desolatem Zustand. So können weder genügend Tests durchgeführt werden, noch können die kranken Menschen behandelt werden.
Die offiziellen Zahlen sind zu tief
Die Huthi-Rebellen, die die Region um die Hauptstadt Sanaa kontrollieren, verschleiern die Infektionszahlen. Sie meldeten bisher vier Infektionen und keine Todesfälle.
Aus den Gebieten, die von der Koalitionsregierung kontrolliert werden, veröffentlicht das «Hohe Nationale Komitee zur Bekämpfung von Covid-19» täglich Infektionszahlen. Laut diesen Angaben sind bisher über 900 Leute infiziert und rund 250 am Coronavirus gestorben.
«Diese Zahlen sind nicht wahr. Es sind viel mehr, aber sie sind nicht registriert.» Das sagt Saddam Abu Asim.
Er ist jemenitischer Journalist und flüchtete vor acht Jahren in die Schweiz. «Das Coronavirus tötet jeden Tag Hunderte angesichts der Unfähigkeit der Behörden, die Krise einzudämmen.»
Das ist kein Einzelfall. «In Sanaa und Aden gibt es nur je zwei Spitäler, die Corona-Patienten behandeln», sagt der 40-Jährige. Es fehle an Personal, Medikamenten und Atemgeräten. Es komme häufig vor, dass Patienten mit Corona-Symptomen weggeschickt würden.
Das Gesundheitssystem sei durch das Coronavirus komplett kollabiert, schreibt auch Ärzte ohne Grenzen
Saddam Abu Asim's Facebook-Feed gleicht der Todesanzeige-Seite in der Zeitung: Fast alle trauern um Angehörige. «Deathbook» nennt er Facebook ironisch.
(B H)
IOM Yemen COVID-19 Response Update (31 May -13 June 2020)
COVID-19 is rapidly spreading throughout Yemen, and the case fatality rate is one of the highest in the world, at close to 25 per cent. The number of cases is likely higher than reported, due comparatively lower testing and reporting rates in Yemen. With only 50 per cent of health facilities fully functional across the country, the COVID-19 outbreak is already overwhelming the health care system. The impact, especially on the displaced community who already face challenges with accessing health services, is expected to severe.
IOM is focused on scaling up operations to support vulnerable communities during this critical time. To ensure that IOM assistance is able to continue uninterrupted, IOM is rotating international staff in and out of the country. There are currently 25 international staff in Yemen (12 in Aden, 8 in Marib and 5 in Sana’a). Importantly, two staff returned to Sana’a on 15 June, on the first flight into the capital since March. IOM continues to advocate within the humanitarian system for regular air flight options (both internationally and domestically) to allow for additional staff to return to relieve the burden on current teams and increase staff presence on the ground.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-covid-19-response-update-31-may-13-june-2020
cp2 Allgemein / General
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Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JUNE 24, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-24-2020-map-update/
ANSAR ALLAH LAUNCHES MASSIVE DRONE & MISSILE STRIKE ON RIYADH, POSITIONS OF SAUDI-LED COALITION
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JUNE 21, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-21-2020-map-update/
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Al-Saud's Complete Failure in Yemen
Over the years, there have been numerous negotiations between the Ansarullah movement in Yemen and the Saudi government as an aggressor, mediated by the United Nations and indirectly by Iran and Europe, each time failing because of Saudi Arabia's irrational stances.
In order to achieve its aggressive goals in Yemen, the Saudi army laid siege to Yemen, which met with a decisive response from Ansarullah.
Saudi Arabia sought military success in Yemen by increasing military pressure, which was initiated by Yemen, given Ansar al-Islam's significant military success.
The centers attacked by Yemen in Saudi Arabia often have a strategic position, including sensitive centers such as King Salman's base, the headquarters of the military intelligence service, and the headquarters of the Saudi Ministry of Defense, which is responsible for directing attacks on Yemen.
Ansar al-Islam's recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, which are likely to escalate in the coming days, are seen as a result of the Saudi regime's and Mohammad bin Salman's misconduct in pursuing regional policies.
However, the role of international organizations in the Yemeni issue, given the history of these organizations in regional and trans-regional crises and conflicts over the past 50 years, shows that these organizations have only been silent observers of the crimes of the powers that be, so there is no expectation.
https://nournews.ir/En/News/51614/Al-Saud's-Complete-Failure-in-Yemen
My remark: An Iranian viewpoint.
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Ansarullah senior official to Saudi Arabia: Stop war against Yemen, and we will stop our missile strikes
Senior leader in the Ansarullah Political Bureau, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, has on Wednesday confirmed that the Yemeni army will continue to implement more missile and drone attacks on sensitive Saudi sites until Saudi Arabia stops its aggression and siege on Yemen.
Al-Bukhaiti told Iranian news outlet Tasnim Agency that the missile strikes carried out by Yemeni drones against several military targets in Riyadh on Monday night came within the framework of the “legitimate right for self-defence” of Yemen
He stressed that these strikes would continue until Saudi Arabia stops besieging and fighting Yemen.
“If you do not stop the war, we will target more important and sensitive points in Saudi Arabia in the future,” al-Bukhaiti said, noting that the Yemeni missiles have hit their targets with high accuracy.
Al-Bukhaiti indicated that the implementation of these strikes came in response to the escalation of Saudis’ military aggression on the battlefields, as well as through the siege imposed on Yemen.
“The message from these strikes is clear: end the siege and war on Yemen, and we will stop our strikes,” he added.
(B K P)
President Hadi should stop misleading people and fighting as Saudi Arabia is continuing to strip him of power and land. And it is time to ask coalition: why are you continuing to fight in Yemen? Game is over. South has been handed to STC after north was given to Houthis.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1275791969957089281
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Those Behind Yemen Blockade Must Be Held to Account
The ongoing blockade on Yemen imposed by the US, Saudi Arabia and their partners in crime, in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic, has left civilians without medicine, food and clean water, exacerbating the famine and cholera epidemic that have developed there in recent months.
International aid agencies are appalled by the global community's complacency regarding the health and humanitarian crisis unfolding in Yemen. They have called for a resolution to the unjustified conflict that has gone on for over five years now - while in its own statement, Amnesty International has called for an end to complicity in the conflict from the US and NATO.
The choice is between resolution or complicity in the suffering; there is no third option. The US, the UK, and others must immediately cease supplying arms to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting in Yemen, which is impeding humanitarian assistance of items indispensable to the survival of civilians. The international community must break its shameful silence and use all possible means to lift the blockade.
The pandemic is claiming more lives now and the international community must break its shameful silence and use all possible means to lift the blockade. Every day the illegal blockade lasts means thousands of Yemenis will suffer from hunger and preventable diseases. Many could die in the historic outbreak if the blockade continues indefinitely.
By sending arms to Saudi Arabia, knowing that they are used to kill civilians, the US government and NATO allies are complicit in violations of international law, including war crimes. The US is the world's top arms exporter and Saudi Arabia is its top customer.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990403001211
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Separatisten übernehmen strategisch gelegene Insel Sokotra – die neuesten Entwicklungen im Jemen-Konflikt
Jemen ist zum Schauplatz eines Stellvertreterkriegs zwischen Saudiarabien und Iran geworden. Den Preis dafür zahlt die Zivilbevölkerung. Doch weshalb kam es zum Bürgerkrieg und welche Interessen verfolgen die Strippenzieher? [Überblick]
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Award-winning Yemeni author has one hope: an end to the war
Bushra al-Maqtari has faced heady challenges on the front line of Yemen's war and as a woman in a patriarchal society. In an interview with DW, the writer and activist says the media and the UN have failed her country.
Yemeni novelist and activist Bushra al-Maqtari has continued to speak out despite the threats, intimidation and harassment. She has won several international awards for her writing, but more than anything else she is hailed as a progressive liberal voice in a deeply conservative society where women's literacy, access to health and human rights have been in persistent decline.
Her book What you left behind? Voices from a forgotten war-torn country is an impassioned raw account of the displaced, widowed and orphaned survivors of Yemen's war and was published in 2018. Focusing on the resilience of victims, she deliberately excluded all political discussion: "It is politics and corruption that made them victims in the first place," she says, keen to empower the victims' voices instead of glorifying the perpetrators of crimes.
When discussing the international coverage of Yemen's war, al-Maqtari says the media is supposed to hold up a mirror to society but has only paid lip service to different political sides, local and regional entities. "Perhaps, this is what hurts us the most as Yemenis."
"After we lost all hope in the Yemeni politician and the political elites, our hearts and eyes turned to writers, journalists and media to be our voice to stop the damage caused by failed leaders. A majority of them have turned into a whip in the hands of the politician after we saw them as a lifeline."
The lack of accurate international media coverage in Yemen has directly contributed to bad international policies at the expense of ordinary civilians in Yemen. This is also true of Syria, Iraq and Libya. Even before the war, al-Maqtari pointed out Yemen's reports lacked depth, humanity, and culture. The country was only seen through the prism of a global security threat — al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
When the war started in 2015, she wrote in The New York Times: "The international community must take stock of its responsibility in fostering this crisis." She has repeatedly called out the UN's failings, accusing the organization of pandering to different political sides and not holding them accountable.
"If you follow them [the UN]," she says, "you will see their actions are no different from the madness of politicians, and in many ways, they have orchestrated all of this — madness and corruption. In this regard, I can propose to the United Nations to change the status of its envoys in Yemen from 'UN envoy' to 'UN failure.'"
In the Times piece she asked, "Is there any hope left for Yemen?" Five years on, her views remain unchanged: "All hopes can only be built after stopping the war."
https://www.dw.com/en/award-winning-yemeni-author-has-one-hope-an-end-to-the-war/a-53869682
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Al-Othaimeen Says 'Brotherhood' is More Dangerous Than ISIS
Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr. Youssef Al-Othaimeen said that the Muslim Brotherhood was more dangerous than ISIS, stressing that the organization must be confronted in all possible means to stop its infiltration into societies.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Othaimeen noted that the Muslim Brotherhood had a strategy that relied on starting from the bottom up to form its empire and reach power and positions of influence.
“They work on infiltrating the society from below with the aim of dividing it and then grabbing power,” he said.
Al-Othaimeen emphasized the necessity of finding a long-term strategy to confront the Brotherhood, saying that the countries of the Islamic world must deal firmly and severely with this file and deploy all efforts to limit the movement’s expansion.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/23341
My comment: LOL. This is the Saudi position? This makes it difficult for the Saudis in Yemen as Islah Party (Mulsim Brotherhood) is the main supporter of the Hadi government.
(A K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Minister of Health: US-Saudi Aggression Targets 300 Health Facilities, Hundreds of Ambulances
US-Saudi aggression targeted the health sector in Yemen in a systematic manner during the five years of aggression, the Minister of Public Health and Population, Dr. Taha Al-Mutawakkil said.
“Hundreds of ambulances were not safe from the aggression’s targeting in compounded crimes, where the paramedic and the victim were killed,” he said, indicating that the Saudi-led aggression also targeted the health sector by emptying the country of qualified medical personnel and attracting them abroad.
He noted that during the past weeks with the spread of the coronavirus, the coalition of aggression was aimed at striking public confidence in doctors and the Ministry of Health by spreading rumors and false news.
“The aggression’s targeting of the medical sector is a deliberate targeting by using the media machine,” he said. “Citizens should be concerned with awareness and trust in the doctor.”
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13581
My comment: He connects things which have nothing to do with each other. His dealing with coronavirus had been a catastrophe, now he wants to deflect from his mismanagement.
(A K P)
Yemen President’s Aide Says Saudi Intervention Has Failed
An aide to Yemen President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi says the intervention of a Saudi Arabia-led coalition in his country’s civil war has been a failure, the first time a senior Yemeni official has asserted that publicly.
The war “has achieved nothing of its objectives, destroying Yemen as a state,” said Ahmed Bin Daghr, a former prime minister. “The military option is no longer a viable means,” he said in a statement, calling for direct negotiations among the warring sides under the auspices of the United Nations.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/yemen-president-s-aide-says-saudi-intervention-has-failed-1.1453939
My comment: You should have realized this in 2015 already.
Comment by Ali AlAhmed: So you idiots just relized that the #Saudi invasion of #Yemen is a failure? I could have told you that from first day. All those who supported this war for a minute are either traitors & extremist xenophobs such as the former #US ambassador Gerald [Feierstein]
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1274814160849731584
(* B P)
[from Feb. 2015]: The Situation in Yemen
Written in January/February of 2015. A history and background of Yemen and the conflict up to that time. Written for National Model United Nations
https://www.academia.edu/17263694/The_Situation_in_Yemen
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
Siehe / Look at cp
(A H K P)
Al-Jumhori Hospital Authority: the detention of oil ships is a death sentence for the sons of Yemen
Al-Jumhori Hospital Authority in Hajjah province condemned the aggression coalition's continued detention of oil derivative ships.
In a statement, Saba got a copy of it, the Authority denounced the silence of the United Nations and international human rights and humanitarian organizations towards the suffering of the Yemeni people, especially in light of the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The statement considered detention of oil ships a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of patients, women, and children.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3100646.htm
(* A K P)
Fuel crisis ...Aggression countries' new crime with international complicity
The Yemeni Oil Company put the international community to bear its responsibilities due to the interruption of the vital and service sectors, as a result of the aggression coalition continued detention of oil derivative ships and the company's stock reaching a critical stage.
The complicity of the UN and International with the countries of aggression in reaching the country to such a situation and creating a stifling fuel crisis have cast a shadow over all aspects of life and directly and negatively affected the lives of the residents and their daily livelihoods in a crime that amounts to crimes against humanity.
As a matter of fact, the United Nations bears full responsibility for this fuel crisis, due to its dubious silence and its silent behavior on the practices of the so-called international coalition and its detention of oil ships despite obtaining all the legal documents.
The fuel crisis exacerbated the suffering of more than 70 percent of the population in the country for the fourth week in a row due to the detention of ships by the so-called international coalition more than a month ago despite obtaining permits by the United Nations.
It is an immoral act made by this aggression coalition that aims to starve and insult Yemen's population and create a fuel crisis that exceeds all expectations and paralyzed life in the country.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3100647.htm
(* A K P)
Hodeidah Oil Company warns of humanitarian catastrophe
The oil company's branch in Hodeidah province has renewed its warning of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe if the US-Saudi-Uae coalition continues to detain oil derivatives vessels.
The company's branch denounced the Saudi-led coalition abusive practices and mercenaries in the detention of oil derivatives vessels, despite being inspected in Djibouti and obtaining United Nations permits to reach the port of Hodeidah.
The company's branch statement, delivered today to the UN office in the province, noted that the forces of aggression continued to detain more than 15 ships at sea off the port of Hodeidah loaded with nearly 240,000 tons of gasoline and diesel three months ago and ships loaded with food, gas and diesel.
The statement stressed that the continuation of the crises of oil derivatives and their repercussions, has become a weapon for the countries of aggression to increase the suffering of the Yemeni people.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3100607.htm
(* B K P)
Oil reserves critically law in Houthi areas: YPC
Oil reserves are critically law in Houthi-held areas, the Sana'a-based Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) said Sunday, warning of a "humanitarian disaster due to the Saudi-led coalition's detention of oil tankers" in the Red Sea.
At a press conference outside the UN office in Sana'a, the Houthi-run YPC accused the coalition of detaining 15 vessels with 240,000 tons of petrol and diesel aboard for 90 days, as well as food-loaded ships, according to the Houthi mouthpiece al-Masyra TV.
YPC pol reserves are critically insufficient to refuel the most vital sectors that "would all stop," it added, holding the UN and Arab coalition responsible for resultant complications.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17959.html
and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3100364.htm
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13582
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B H)
FAO Supports Smallholder’s Resilience in Yemen through Animal Disease Control, Vaccination and Mass Treatment Campaigns
1.8 million sheep and goats in 48 districts throughout six governorates of Yemen to be vaccinated and treated against Peste des Petits Ruminants and Sheep and Goat Pox, benefiting over 41,000 rural households.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Yemen, through the Smallholder Agriculture Production and Restoration Enhancement Project (SAPREP), funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) in collaboration with the World Bank, launched a national animal vaccination and treatment campaign in partnership with local agriculture offices at the governorate and district levels. The campaign is part of FAO’s efforts to control transboundary animal diseases through regular vaccination and treatment activities.
Improving animal husbandry, livestock production and animal health services is an important sub-component to achieve SAPREP’s overall goal.
http://www.fao.org/neareast/news/view/zh/c/1295363/
(B E H)
SMEPS: Hard work in agriculture means sustainable income! A farmer wouldn't spare an effort to learn a skill that help raise his land’s productivity. #WeCreateChange by training farmers in #Sadaah to prepare field plans for better harvesting outcomes! Change begins with a step (photos9
https://twitter.com/SMEPSYEMEN/status/1275837335209476100
(B H)
WFP Yemen Country Brief, May 2020
In Numbers
8.2 million people targeted in May 2020
72,290 mt of general food assistance dispatched
USD 6.4 million cash-based transfers to be made
USD 11.8 million value of redeemed commodities through food vouchers
USD 737 million six-month net funding requirements (July – December 2020)
During May, there was no major disruption to WFP’s activities caused by the COVID-19 situation. Trainings conducted under the livelihoods activity continued to be on hold in May, with COVID-19 precautionary measures in place.
As part of the collective humanitarian response to COVID-19 in Yemen, WFP’s bilateral service provision in May coordinated cargo flights transporting 85 mt of medical supplies to Sana’a and Aden on behalf of several humanitarian partners, notably WHO and UNICEF.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/wfp-yemen-country-brief-may-2020
(A H)
Very good news. @a868mou donated 830 dollars and I collected from donors 600 dollars for Salwa delivered to Journalist Eissa Alrajihi in Abs area Hajjah Governorate. It means that we have 1430 US dollars. Thank you Amal Alyamany and other donors for helping Salwa (film)
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1275787236169207808
(B H)
Yemen Emergency Dashboard, May 2020
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-emergency-dashboard-may-2020
(A H)
Iceland Helps to Boost Support for Women’s Protection in Yemen
The Government of Iceland helps to boost women’s protection interventions in Yemen with a contribution of $200,000 to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. Since 2019, Iceland has contributed USD $850,000 towards UNFPA’s women’s protection programme in Yemen.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iceland-helps-boost-support-women-s-protection-yemen
(B H)
UNICEF's cargo plane arrives at Sanaa Airport
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3100569.htm
(* A H P)
[Sanaa gov.] Minister of Health: Oxygen Factories Partially Stopped, Modern Neonatal Incubators About to Stop
Ministry of Public Health and Population has informed the United Nations that the oxygen factories had partially stopped, and that modern neonatal incubators are about to stop due to lack of fuel, Minister of Health Dr. Taha Al-Mutawakkil said.
Al-Mutawakkil’s remarks came during the opening of the isolation center in Al-Thawra Hospital in Hodeidah governorate on Monday.
“Yemen today is facing a crime that the coalition holds responsible, for seizing oil ships, and the United Nations for being silent,” he said.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13616
(B H)
YEMEN RELIEF AND RECONSTRUCTION FOUNDATION
Support Yemen During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Yemen was already facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis — 24.1M people are in need of aid and 20.1M are food insecure.
Then COVID-19 started sweeping the country.
Yemen’s healthcare system is collapsing — with some hospitals turning people away due to lack of ICUs and PPE.
UN findings suggest that 20% of people being treated after becoming infected are dying, compared to the 7% global average. The WHO believes many more people in Yemen are affected by COVID-19 than official reports shows.
This month, we delivered food baskets to needy families across the country, as well as COVID-19 tests and PPE equipment to Aden, Mukalla, Sayoun, and Taiz. We also sent COVID-19 reagents — becoming the first NGO to do so.
With the UN and other aid groups pausing aid in the country — our work is becoming more important than ever.
Please donate to our efforts, every amount helps.
(B H)
Film von Islamic Relief: Hungersnot im Jemen 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr_IgRxpzXM
(* B H)
Heuschrecken vernichten Felder
Vor drei Wochen waren die Schwärme im Jemen wieder da: Heuschrecken, die vom Wind getragen über Felder ziehen und im Nu ganze Ernten vernichten. Bauern wie Ali Salih al-Hanasch aus der südlichen Provinz Schabwa im Südjemen haben wenig, was sie den hungrigen Insekten entgegensetzen können. „Wir nutzen veraltete Methoden“, sagt Al-Hanasch. „Wir graben Furchen und verbrennen Reifen. Was die fliegenden Heuschrecken angeht, sind Pestizide die einzige Lösung – die wir uns nicht leisten können.“
Immer mehr Landwirte auf der Arabischen Halbinsel, aber auch in Ostafrika und Südasien müssen zusehen, wie die Allesfresser über ihre Ernten herfallen.
Ausgelöst wurde der aktuelle Ausbruch durch zwei Wirbelstürme, die im Mai und Oktober 2018 große Regenmassen über der Arabischen Halbinsel entluden. Rund neun Monate herrschten dadurch ideale Bedingungen für die Brut der Insekten. Die Folge sei eine 8000-fache Zunahme der üblichen Zahlen gewesen
Viele Länder in Ostafrika erleben nun den schlimmsten Ausbruch seit Jahrzehnten (mit Film)
https://weather.com/de-DE/wissen/klima/news/2020-06-23-wirbelsturme-bringen-biblische-plage-heuschrecken-fressen-teile = (ohne Film) https://www.morgenweb.de/mannheimer-morgen_artikel,-vermischtes-heuschrecken-vernichten-felder-_arid,1654208.html = https://www.hz.de/panorama/insekten-als-flaechenbrand-47308743.html
und auch cp19.
(B H)
Film: “Starving Yemenis find food source in massive locust outbreak” A massive outbreak of locusts has invaded Sana'a today, #Yemen. Yemenis took advantage of the swarms of #locusts by using them as an alternative food source. #Locustsattack.
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1275014123336740866
(B H P)
[Sanaa gov.] Supreme Board of Drug: Sana’a Orientates Towards Self-sufficiency
Head of the Supreme Board of Drug and Medical Device Mohammed Al-Madani confirmed that there is a great trend by producers and the political council in Sana'a towards self-sufficiency in accordance with the national strategy for the manufacture of medicines issued in 2018.
In a statement, Al-Madani told Almasirah on Saturday that 2019 witnessed a qualitative development and a big boom in the local industries. The percentage of its contribution in the production of medicines and providing them to the local market exceeded 20% , while it was before the aggression 10%.
"We hope the local pharmaceutical industries will exceed 30% of production this year," he added.
For his part, the Head of the Drug Storage Division indicated that in 2017 a project was added to add 100 scientific names from the important names mentioned in the main list to be added as new varieties in the local industry.
He stressed that there can be no drug security without local industries as it is one of the most important tributaries of the country's drug stock.
Regarding the corona pandemic, the Head of the Drug Storage Division said, "We launched a list of 20 classes of medicines and directed local factories to the necessity of speeding their manufacture. A significant quantities of them were produced ."
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13577
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B H)
Film: When Home is Not an Option: African Refugees in Yemen
Roughly 280,000 refugees from Africa live in Yemen, and they are among the poorest, most vulnerable people in the world. Aid organizations say during this pandemic, international resources to support them have dwindled to almost nothing. And families say they are barely surviving, choosing to potentially expose themselves to the virus rather than to starve. Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul with Naseh Shaker in Sana'a, Yeme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6b0tdCFWQg = https://www.voanews.com/episode/when-home-not-option-african-refugees-yemen-4334451
(* B H)
IOM Yemen - Marib Response (17 June 2020)
Over 10,000 households fled to Marib between January and May, joining an estimated 23,000 households living in over 130 displacement sites in the governorate (the number of displaced people living in rented accommodation is unknown).
IOM continues to meet the multi-sectoral needs of those displaced by the recent upsurge in fighting as well as families living in protracted displacement and vulnerable migrants. Since January, IOM has provided shelters, essential aid items, emergency health care, clean water, safe sanitation and emergency food rations to over 9,179 newly displaced households (93% of the registered newly displaced). At the same time, the Organization is scaling up COVID-19 prevention and response efforts within 28 IDP hosting sites and in host communities.
So far, COVID-19 awareness raising sessions, including household level surveys to identify persons at high risk, have been conducted in 15 IDP hosting sites
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-marib-response-17-june-2020
(B H)
IOM Yemen | Rapid Displacement Tracking (RDT) - Reporting Period: 14 - 20 June 2020
(B H)
Yemen: Shelter Cluster Dashboard - May 2020
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-shelter-cluster-dashboard-may-2020
(B H)
Film (Arabic): The mother of nine children faces the hell of need after her husband was killed by a Houthi mine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnHz5Ytz9l8
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A P)
Houthis criticize Saudi decision limiting hajj to residents
Yemen's Houthi politburo on Wednesday criticized the Saudi decision restricting the hajj performance this year to Muslims residing in the Kingdom, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Muslims every year look forward to hajj, the Saudi regime decided "on behalf of them all its reluctance to receive visitors of Allah's Mosque coming from outside the Kingdom," it said in a statement.
"This decision is extremely wrong. It implies prejudice and injustice and turns away [hajjis] from the Holly Mosque" under "weak, baseless pretexts.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-18025.html = https://debriefer.net/en/news-18022.html
(* B E)
Kilometers-long lines for fuel in Houthi-held areas of Yemen
Vehicles queued in kilometers-long lines in the Houthi-held areas northern and western Yemen Monday in search of fuel amid a mounting supply shortage the rebels have blamed on the Saudi-led coalition.
In Sana’a, some drivers, like Ibrahim Abbas, have been waiting for two or three days to get fuel. He sleeps in his car during the night.
Abbas, a taxi driver, had to push his car for 700 meters after it ran out of fuel before reaching the queue at a fuel station.
“The line is too long and the station pumps for only four hours a day,” Abbas told Efe.
Other drivers had to leave their cars in the lines in front of the gas stations and get back home using public transportation.
“If it takes two or three or even five more days to refuel, we will wait because there is no other option,” Amr Ali al-Saiaari, 18, who rotates the mission of keeping the car in the queue with his father, told Efe.
The Houthi-run Yemen Oil Company in Sana’a said in a statement on Sunday that 15 oil tanker ships carrying around 420,000 metric tonnes of petrol and diesel destined to the Red Sea port of Hodeidah had been held by the Saudi-led coalition for more than 90 days.
https://www.laprensalatina.com/kilometers-long-lines-for-fuel-in-houthi-held-areas-of-yemen/
and
(A P)
Yemeni gov't says Houthis detain 150 oil lorries
The Yemeni official government on Monday accused the Houthis of denying more than 150 oil lorries access to northern areas under the group's control.
"The Houthis are obstinately preventing more than 150 oil trucks from entering areas under their control, threatening traders and terrifying lorry drivers," the government-run economic committee added on Facebook.
This practice suggests that the group "blatantly persists with politically trading in people sufferings and boosting the black market they run.
"This denial comes after the government had exerted every effort and facilitated the transport of oil derivatives from liberated areas to subjugated areas so as to alleviate people suffering and curb black market," the committee said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17985.html
(A P)
As women face abuses in Houthi jails in Sana'a, two female inmates have been hospitalized after they tried to commit suicide this week, human rights organizations say. Reported by several media outlets.
Houthi militia arrested a 70 year-old woman and her young grandchild for unknown reasons in Sana'a. Several news websites reported the story.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-40397
(A P)
“US and Israeli threat is a priority”: Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi speaks
Leader of the Revolution speaks on the anniversary of Ansarullah slogan
Leader of the Revolution Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, has stated on Thursday that al-Sarkha (The Scream), which is the title of the official slogan of the Ansarullah movement, has become the title of an awareness and enlightenment project to counter American and Israeli aggression.
“The chant of freedom made by Sayyid Hussein on the last Thursday of Shawwal in 1422 AH, four months after the events of September 11, created a practical shift away from irresponsibility and towards state of dealing with matters in a responsible and Qur’anic spirit,” Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech aired by Al-Masirah Channel on the occasion of the annual anniversary of the launch of al-Sarkha.
https://www.uprising.today/us-and-israeli-threat-is-a-priority-sayyid-abdul-malik-al-houthi-speaks/
(A P)
Houthis warn Egypt of military intervention in Libya
The Houthi group on Saturday warned Egypt of a military intervention in Libya, hours after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had instructed its army to get prepared for any operation outside the country.
"We don't advise brothers in Egypt to militarily intervene in Libya, even if it's based on concerns about the Turkish presence there," member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council tweeted.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17964.html
(* B P)
New Houthi bylaw sparks controversy over classism, familial 'supremacy' in Yemen
Yemen’s Houthi movement introduced a bylaw stipulating that citizens pay an obligatory tax to the purported descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, raising the ire of opponents who argue that such a move promotes racism and classism in Yemeni society.
Yemen’s Houthis continue to tighten their grip and propagate their ideologies in territories under their control. The Houthi rise over the last five years would not have happened if they had focused on the military domain alone. Their policies have been comprehensive and they have been active at the social, political and ideological levels. All their activities have one target: to consolidate their rule and eliminate any opposition.
In the areas falling under the Houthis’ control, any decision they make or laws they introduce will be unopposed by the population. The latest bylaw on "zakat," an obligation (tax) that constitutes one of the five pillars of Islam, is a case in point. A long document has been released, stipulating that citizens should pay "khums," a 20% tax on economic activities and natural resources including oil, gas and fishing industry. The document, which was signed by Houthi President Mahdi al-Mashat in late April, states that khums should be distributed in six ways:
Share of kinsmen of the Prophet: This share is allocated to the Hashemites.
Share of the orphans: This share is distributed to orphans, including the Hashemite orphans.
Share of the needy: This share is meant for those in need, including the Hashemites.
Wayfarer share: This is meant for travelers — Hashemites or other Muslims — who find themselves with no money in a region other than their own and can't return home.
The Houthis have based their new bylaw on a verse from the Quran, which they interpreted to benefit their own. The verse states, “And know that whatever spoils you take as booty of war, a fifth thereof is for Allah, and for the Messenger and for the kinsmen (in need) and orphans and the poor and the needy traveler.” (Surah Al-Anfal [8:41])
Shamsan Abu Nashtan, head of the Zakat General Authority, told Al-Masirah newspaper June 9 that the bylaw is not new and was first issued in 1999. “We have not changed anything in it,” he said. “Raising this matter … comes in the context of targeting the Zakat General Authority and its activities that have contributed to mitigating poverty that has been caused by the aggression and the blockade,” referring to the five years of airstrikes and blockade on Yemen by the Saudi-led Arab coalition.
While the Houthis contend this bylaw is in conformity with the Yemeni law and Sharia, opposing voices have said such an illegal move is racist and it legalizes discrimination among Yemenis. Such a bylaw would give the Hashemites the right to collect money from citizens on the basis of family origin, a matter many believe contradicts the Yemeni Constitution that states all people are equal in rights and obligations. Officials in the United Nations-recognized government have described this Houthi bylaw as “unconstitutional.”
Political observers see the Houthi bylaw as a reflection of their ideology, or what the Houthis say is their divine right to the ruling. Nabil al-Bokairi, a Yemeni researcher focusing on politics, told Al-Monitor, “We should not be surprised to see the Houthis introduce such a law. This law legalizes a racial idea that they already possess. The bylaw makes it clear that there [is a difference between] Bani Hashim [Hashemite] and other Yemenis, and both have different rights.”
(B K P)
Houthi militia turns summer centers into child recruitment camps
From the Iran mullahs’ regime, the Houthi militia was inspired by the idea of recruiting children, when the mullah used children as fuel for his wars and attracted terrorist organizations to become tools to kill and threaten international peace and security.
With a severe shortage of elements on the front lines, the Houthi militia in Sana’a sent some of its elements to schools to bring young children to the front lines. The militia also turned school activities to serve attraction and recruitment.
When this was not led to a positive result, the Houthi militia over the past two years sabotaged the education system in its areas of control and avoid doing from paying teachers’ salaries, prompting children to leave school, and easing the process of attracting them to fight.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/06/23/houthi-militia-turns-summer-centers-into-child-recruitment-camps/
My remark: As claimed by the Hadi government.
and
(* B K P)
Yemeni child soldier reveals how Iran-backed Houthis ‘lured’ him into fighting
A Yemeni child revealed in a video that the Iran-backed Houthi militias had “lured” him into fighting, took advantage of his family’s financial circumstances and nearly got him killed on the fronts of Naham, east of the capital Sanaa.
In the video published by the Media Centre of the Yemeni Armed Forces, Abdulsalam al-Jazar said he was tricked by a Houthi leader named Rabih Saleh who had convinced him to attend a course to listen to Quranic verses and religious teachings then he would receive his “Eid gift” at the end.
When the course ended, al-Jazar and other children were instructed to wait for a committee to bring them the monetary gifts they were promised, only to realize there was no committee and the boys were later taken to the fighting fronts in Naham.
The child continued to tell his story on video saying three hours after the boys arrived, the national army had attacked the location and al-Jazar was forced to surrender but 12 other children were killed in the attack.
(* A K pS)
Yaser al-Awadi & sheikhs frm #Marib's Murad survived a Houthi missile attack while they wr in a meeting in Qanyah of Baydha ystrday. This came amid ongoing violent fighting bet. govt forces along tribes & Houthis who hv made some progress, trying 2 advance after capturing Radman
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1274843694907240449
Houthis controlled Qanyah souq in alBaydha ,south Marib, this morning, but govt forces and tribes from #Marib's Murad and Bano Abd could regain it an hour ago amid ongoing violent clashes. Dozens, mostly from Houthis, were killed ,wounded and captured.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1275493161498968071
Houthis now cut off internet and mobile networks in Qanyah Souq after govt forces and tribes have recaptured it.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1275528877260054529
Map: Qaniyah is on the border of Marib and Al-Baydha, next to Radman district where Houthis have been trying to crush a revolt from the Al-Awadh tribe
https://twitter.com/Macoombs/status/1275531104049442816
and
(* A K P)
Fiercest hostilities pitting Houthis against tribes in Yemen's Baydha
Indefinite fighters have been killed or injured in Baydha, local sources said Sunday, after "the fiercest" battles pitting Houthis against official government troops and tribesmen erupted late on Saturday in the Yemeni central governorate.
"The Houthi group mobilized its fighters to Mahilia area, where the Tribal Sheikh Yasser al-Oadhi had reportedly taken refuge," the sources added.
The Houthis "engaged with the government troops backed by armed tribesmen from Baydha and [the Marib-based tribe of] Murad, leaving deaths and casualties from both sides."
Last Thursday, the group raided the center of Radman district in Baydha and tensely besieged and attacked Mahilia, the hometown of Al al-Ajji Tribe located between Baydha and Marib.
No immediate comment has been released by the Houthi group on the Baydha hostilities.
After the Houthi seizure of his fatherland Radman and of his son Rami, Sheikh Oadhi left the town to the nearby governorate of Marib, according to local media.
The raid was triggered by the Sheikh's declaring of tribal mobilization of Baydha tribes in preparation for fighting the group that had months earlier attacked a village in the district and killed a woman.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-17955.html
and
(A K P)
Houthis claimed they find a mine factory belonging to #AQAP in Radman district, #Baydha. As usual, after taking control of areas, they nearly make the same baseless accusations against their opponents. We saw that in #Amran, #Sanaa, #Aden,..etc, and now in Baydha and #Marib.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1275866403682365443
and
(* B K P)
Yemen’s tribes face the Houthis all alone
Yemenis just saw another tribal uprising quelled by the Houthis. Last April, the rebel group killed a woman in Bayda, a grave violation of tribal customary law, triggering a revolt. Yasser al-Awadhi, a prominent sheikh from the al-Awadh tribe and member of Parliament, called for a tribal Nakaf, urging the tribes to mobilize and prepare for a fight against the Houthis if necessary. Hundreds of tribesmen from Bayda and neighboring provinces arrived in al-Awadh in response to the sheikh’s call. Al-Awadh’s demands were for the Houthis to bring the woman’s killers to justice and to remove Houthi supervisors, which al-Awadhi described as tyrants, from Bayda.
A mediation that the Houthis initiated failed, forcing al-Awadh and allied tribes to fight, but their uprising was quelled in less than 24 hours.
What happened in al-Awadh illustrates how the tribes are increasingly caught between the brutality of the Houthis and the incompetence of the Yemeni government. The tribes are no match for the Houthis militarily so many, like al-Awadh, chose not to fight them to avoid bringing destruction to their homes. However, the Houthis’ heavy-handed approach and their constant atrocities against the tribes, including executions of tribal leaders, abductions, destruction of farms and personal property, looting of businesses, extortion, and imposing their ideology, have pushed some tribes over the edge. But the tribes have always found themselves facing the Houthis all alone with barely any support from the Yemeni government or the Saudi-led coalition – by Nadwa Al-Dawsari
https://www.mei.edu/blog/yemens-tribes-face-houthis-all-alone
My remark: By a strict anti-Houthi author. For the Middle East Institute, Wikipedia tells: UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba has been active in Washington and has been acting as an envoy at the MEI. UAE is contributing $20 million over the course of 2016 and 2017 to the Middle East Institute. Media has sourced from Otaiba's leaked mails that on the orders of his boss Mohammed bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, he has been actively influencing White House think tanks.
During 2016−2017, UAE and Saudi sources were the largest contributors to MEI, in addition to oil and military supply companies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East_Institute#The_2010s_and_funding
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp6 – cp18
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-661b-yemen-war-mosaic-661b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-660-yemen-war-mosaic-660
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-660 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-660:
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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