... Der Jemenkrieg ist auch Amerikas Krieg – Großbritannien im Jemenkrieg – und mehr
July 17, 2020: Saudi air raids on July 15 and 12 kill 35 – The battle for Tihama region – The fate of African migrants in Yemen – New UN peace plan – The Yemen war is America’s war too – Great Britain in the Yemen War – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-667b-yemen-war-mosaic-667b
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
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 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: 5 Jahre Krieg im Jemen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLS1C27-Ew0
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
Jawf province, July 15:
(** A K pS)
Zehn Zivilisten sterben bei Luftangriffen im Jemen
Bei Luftangriffen der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Koalition im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen sind am Mittwoch mindestens zehn Zivilisten getötet worden, darunter sechs Kinder. Nach Angaben des von den Huthi-Rebellen kontrollierten Gesundheitsministeriums trafen die Bombardements ein Haus in der Provinz Al-Dschauf, in dem die Geburt eines Kindes gefeiert wurde. Sieben weitere Menschen seien verletzt worden. Augenzeugen bestätigten die zehn Todesopfer der Luftangriffe nahe der saudischen Grenze.
https://www.greenpeace-magazin.de/ticker/zehn-zivilisten-sterben-bei-luftangriffen-im-jemen
Mein Kommentar: Wenn westliche Agenturen (wie hier die dpa) zehn Tote melden, wenn es tatsächlich schon 24 sind (s. auf Englisch, folgend), ist das auch eine Art Parteinahme in einem Krieg – mit denen, die diese Menschen abgeschlachtet haben. Dagegen aus dem Iran:
(** A K pH)
25 Tote bei Luftangriff im Jemen / Saudi-Arabien bombardiert erneut Hochzeit
Bei einem Lufschlag im Jemen sind zahlreiche Menschen am Mittwoch, 15. Juli 2020, ums Leben gekommen. Die saudi-arabisch geführte Koalition im Nordjemen hat demnach eine Hochzeitsgesellschaft bombardiert.
Laut dem Nachrichtenportal Al Ahed News hat ein Luftangriff der saudi-arabisch geführten Koalition in der Provinz Al-Jawf im Jemen eine Hochzeitsgesellschaft getroffen. Mindestens 25 Menschen seien getötet worden, sagte ein Leiter des örtlichen Gesundheitsdienstes.
Bei den meisten Opfern handele es sich um Frauen und Kinder.
Film von RT, deutsche Untertitel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSyTixIrwuI
Weitere Fotos, Filme s. weiter unten.
(** A K)
Yemen: Dozens including children killed in air strike on party in Al-Jawf
An air strike on a residential area in Al-Hazm city reportedly killed 25 people, as Saudi attacks intensify in Yemen
At least 25 people, including children, were reportedly killed in an air strike on a residential area in Yemen's northern Al-Jawf province, where a gathering for a circumcision party was underway, residents said.
The strike took place on the city of Al-Hazm, around 100km northeast of the capital Sanaa on Wednesday. It is the second deadly strike reported against civilian targets in Yemen since Sunday.
“The women of the village gathered inside Mohammed Mabkhout's house to celebrate the circumcision of [his] new baby,” local Ahmed Shway told Middle Easy Eye. “Children were playing outside the house and some people were drinking coffee in front of the house.”
While people were gathering inside and around the house, located in the Al-Masaafah area, an air strike hit the house, killing 25, including women and children, and wounding seven others, he said.
The Houthi rebels, who control most of the country's north, also said 25 people were killed in the air strike, however different numbers of victims have been reported.
Shway lost his brother and four cousins in the strike.
“Our area is safe and there are no military camps near to it. So no one expected that air strikes will target us," he said.
“We don’t have any sins, but we are Yemenis and no one cares about us. The whole world is seeing the Saudis kill us and no one moves to stop these massacres on Yemenis.”
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-air-strike-jawf-killed-children-dozens-party
(** A K)
25 killed in Saudi-led airstrike in northern Yemen: medics
At least 25 people were killed on Wednesday when the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on three houses in Yemen's northern province of al-Jawf, local medics told Xinhua.
And nine others were critically wounded in the airstrikes in al-Msaefah residential area east of al-Hazm, the capital city of al-Jawf, said the medics.
The victims were mostly women and children, local residents told Xinhua.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-07/15/c_139215254.htm
and also by Digital Journal: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/politics/saudi-air-attack-in-yemen-kills-at-least-25-civilians/article/574939
(** A K pH)
Victims of aggression coalition massacre in Jawf rise to 31 martyrs, wounded
The number of victims of the Saudi-US aggression coalition warplanes' massacre in al-Masa'fa area in Jawf province on Wednesday raised to 31 martyrs and wounded.
A local source explained to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that Marib Hospital received more than 16 dead bodies of women and children, while Al-Hazm Hospital received eight bodies of martyrs and seven wounded.
The aggression coalition aircraft on Wednesday morning targeted a wedding ceremony for women in the home of Mabkhoot Marzouq Maree in al-Masafa area.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3102817.htm
“More than 25”: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13985. A toddler died in hospital: https://twitter.com/I4Yemen/status/1283518402104119298.
and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3102834.htm
https://debriefer.net/en/news-18510.html
Photos: https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/2340003752962272
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1283398985579925521
https://twitter.com/I4Yemen/status/1283518402104119298
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1283498347836448772
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1283498548378705921
Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxi7ASibwlc = https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/2339944009634913
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/1283440750097829889 = https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1283404074650611713
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ziQd5ahLYs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il462qxzEwI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0yMYmeZu_k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpHHfpiLB-g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il462qxzEwI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MXJfrfDLwY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJQCzRg3fGc (aftermath)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u81REq3Faq0 (Ruptly)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xJN48QP-0s&t=5s (Aljazeera)
(* A K)
List of just a few of the victims: https://twitter.com/ycmhrv/status/1283452220521041920
and before, there still were reported lower figures (names, ages, above. killed; below: injured; in Arabic, many children): https://twitter.com/ycmhrv/status/1283452220521041920
and earlier reporting, still lower figures:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-9-civilians-killed-in-saudi-led-airstrike/1911525
https://apnews.com/6dbe83e26658ea88d0912b1e966a3972
My comment: It would be interesting to know why Western media neglect to acknowledge the last higher figures of victims. This is a way taking sides in a war also might look like.
and
(A K P)
At least 11 killed, including women and children, and 6 injured, in second major attack on civilians in three days
“For the second time this week women and children have been wantonly killed and injured in an attack,” said Ms. Lise Grande, Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen.
“We send our profound sympathies to those who are grieving and pray for the swift recovery of the injured.” This is the second attack in three days resulting in multiple civilian casualties. On 12 July, an air strike killed nine civilians and injured another four in Hajjah Governorate in north-west Yemen. During the first six months of 2020, nearly 1,000 conflict-related casualties have been reported.
“What we’re seeing is horrible.”
My comment: And? Meteorite, Marsians, San Marino air force?
and
(A K P)
UN Yemen envoy calls for probe into civilian deaths from air strikes
The United Nations envoy on Yemen called on Thursday for a transparent investigation into air strikes that killed at least 11 civilians in al-Jawf province, saying resurgent violence is complicating U.N.-led efforts to end the five-year war.
and
(A K P)
Statement by NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland following reports of a second airstrike on Yemeni civilians
"This is a blatant disregard for the laws of war. An immediate independent investigation is required, and those responsible must be held to account. The UN Security Council must act.
and
(A K P)
CARE condemns Yemen attacks which killed women and children
CARE condemns attacks in Yemen’s Hajjah and Al Jawf governorates in the last four days which reportedly killed 18 civilians in or close to their homes, including ten children and four women. This means more families cruelly torn apart and more loved ones lost forever in a country where 80 percent of the population relies on humanitarian aid.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/care-condemns-yemen-attacks-which-killed-women-and-children
and
(A K P)
10 CHILDREN KILLED IN THE LAST FOUR DAYS IN YEMEN
Xavier Joubert, Save the Children's country director in Yemen, said:
“We are horrified by the news that the majority of those killed over these days have been children. Yemeni children are paying with their lives in a war they have no part in, leaving families torn apart while the airstrikes continue to indiscriminately target civilians. It is simply inexplicable that at a time the country should focus on fighting the coronavirus outbreak, the number of airstrikes is actually rising.”
The attacks during July continue an escalation in the violence in Yemen that saw the number of civilian casualties treble from May to June,
https://www.savethechildren.net/news/10-children-killed-last-four-days-yemen
Hajjah province, July 12:
(** A K)
UN: Neun Zivilisten sterben bei Luftangriff im Jemen
Ein Luftangriff tötet im Jemen neun Menschen. Die Huthi-Rebellen vermuten dahinter die von Saudi-Arabien geführte Koalition. Die wollen überprüfen, ob der das Ziel versehentlich bombardiert wurde (mit Film)
und auch: https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/382393.jemen-krieg-gegen-zivilisten.html
Film auch, mit westlich geschraubtem Text: https://www.rtl.de/videos/tote-bei-luftangriff-im-jemen-5f0ee4b71dd3bb33ac5c90f3.html
Mein Kommentar: Diese Prüfung ist ein Witz, jeder weiß das. „Versehentlich“, wenn genau ein einsam stehendes Haus getroffen wurde? LOL.
und
(* A K P)
UN verurteilen Luftangriff im Jemen
Die Vereinten Nationen haben einen Luftangriff im Jemen verurteilt, bei dem sieben Kinder und zwei Frauen getötet wurden. Es sei unverständlich, dass inmitten der Corona-Pandemie weiter Menschen in dem arabischen Land getötet würden, obwohl Optionen für eine Waffenruhe auf dem Tisch lägen, sagte die für den Jemen zuständige UN-Koordinatorin für humanitäre Hilfe, Lise Grande, am Dienstag (Ortszeit) laut einer Mitteilung in New York.
https://www.evangelisch.de/inhalte/172625/15-07-2020/un-verurteilen-luftangriff-im-jemen
(** A K)
AFP: 7 children, 2 women killed in Yemen air strike: UN
Seven children and two women were killed in an air raid in northwest Yemen, a UN agency said Monday, as Riyadh said it intercepted missiles fired by Yemeni Huthi rebels.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also said another two women and two children were wounded in Sunday's raid in Hajjah governorate.
The province near the capital Sanaa is a battlefront between Huthi rebels and pro-government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition that provides air support.
"Initial reports... indicate that on 12 July an air strike killed seven children and two women in Washhah district of Hajjah governorate," OCHA said.
Lisa Grande, the agency's coordinator for Yemen, said it was "incomprehensible that in the middle of the COVID pandemic, when options for a ceasefire are on the table, civilians continue being killed in Yemen".
On Monday, the coalition acknowledged the possibility of civilian casualties during an anti-Huthi operation in Hajjah and said it was being investigated.
https://www.france24.com/en/20200713-7-children-2-women-killed-in-yemen-air-strike-un = https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-8518759/7-children-2-women-killed-Yemen-air-strike-UN.html
My comment: Why Western media do need a day longer to report this? – The last paragraph quoted here is BS.
and
(** A K)
AP: UN: Airstrike in northwest Yemen kills 7 children, 2 women
An airstrike in northwest Yemen killed seven children and two women, the United Nations reported Monday, the latest escalation of a conflict that has killed thousands of civilians and spawned the world´s worst humanitarian crisis.
The Houthi rebels had accused their rivals, the Saudi-led coalition, of striking civilian targets across northwest Yemen late Sunday, killing women and children as young as 2 years old.
The U.N. humanitarian office in Yemen said field reports appeared to confirm an attack that left nine dead and wounded another two children and two women in Hajjah province.
"It is truly appalling to hear accounts of lifeless children being dragged out of the rubble," said Xavier Joubert, Save the Children´s country director in Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition said it would investigate the strike "to consider the possibility of an accident."
"Based on what was revealed ... about the possibility of civilian casualties during an operation targeting a gathering of Houthi leaders, all documents were transferred to the Joint Incident Assessment Team for consideration," said coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki.
https://apnews.com/8ed98936973879172abcfe4ed65789c5 = https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-8519899/UN-Airstrike-northwest-Yemen-kills-7-children-2-women.html
My comment: Western agencies only react and tell after an UN statement has been made, although the air raid had been reported earlier. Reuters up to now had not reported yet. And the UN statement misses to name where this air raid came from. The Vatican airforce? Marsians?
and a Saudi statement:
(A K pS)
Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Referral of A Targeting Operation Result to the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) to Assess The Possibility of An Incident
Statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen COL Turki Al-Malki: "The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition has referred one of the targeting operations results in the area of operations to the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) to assess the possibility of an incident.
The Joint Forces Command has completed a comprehensive study of the after action review of conducted operations in the area of operations for (Sunday, 12 July 2020), and according to the comprehensive review and operational vetting, and what was clarified by Coalition forces on the ground, there is a possibility of losses among civilians as a result of a targeting operation of (a gathering of terrorist Houthi commanders and armed militants) in (Washahah district, Hajjah governorate). All documents relating to this incident have been referred to the Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) for further assessment and announcement of results.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2109587
My comment: This JIAT is a scam, its task is whitewashing, not “investigation. A better abbreviation would be JIWT.
and
(* A K pH)
Internationally Banned US-made Bombs Used by Saudi-led Aggression in Destroying a Family in Hajjah
Sana'a declared on Tuesday that the weapon used by the coalition in this crime is a US-made bomb, MK82, which is a laser-guided bomb weighing 500 pounds (227 kilograms). It is similar to the one that targeted a school bus in Sa’adah on August 9, 2018 (photos).
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13976
and
(* A K pH)
Hajjah: The names of the martyrs of the US-UK-Saudi-led coalition massacre who were killed by an American weapon from the Nayef Magali’s family in Washiha district in Hajjah Governorate (all from one family; ages: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 14, and two women (30, 60).
https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/1283044178348449800
Longest film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhb-R83EXPg
The bomb is a US MK82bomb, film: https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1282874406059024384 = https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/1282827500805132288
Photos of bomb: https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/1283121235233247232
https://twitter.com/trbrtc/status/1283045962970206209
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1283034013444255745
Photos from the site: https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1283054823001260032
Film from the site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMeqlQRodig = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAFNCYpGdfs
Earlier reporting: Yemen War Mosaic 666, cp1.
(** B K P)
Gateway to Yemen: The Battle for the Tihama
Yemen’s Tihama region runs the length of the country’s Red Sea coast, from the port of al-Mocha to the Saudi border. It encompasses some of Yemen’s most productive agricultural lands and is home to the important port city, al-Hodeidah. As Yemen’s gateway to the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa, control of the Tihama is critical to controlling and supplying northwest Yemen.
The Tihama and its people have also long been politically and economically marginalized by successive Yemeni governments
At the same time, the Tihama’s strategic position along the Red Sea and its ports mean that the region has long been the focus of outside powers. Since the start of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in 2015, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and to a lesser degree, Qatar, have been the countries most active in the Tihama. However, as the UAE scales back its involvement in Yemen, other countries like Turkey and Russia are looking to establish their influence in the region (Middle East Monitor, June 28, 2019; The Arab Weekly, April 12).
Autonomy in the Tihama?
The Tihama historically included what is now the Saudi province of Jizan.
The Tihama Resistance Forces and their political arm are not as well organized or cohesive as other armed groups in Yemen, such as the Southern Transitional Council (STC) or the Houthis. The leadership of the Tihama-based militias and political organizations is diffuse and has not yet articulated any consistent objectives or aims beyond evicting the Houthis from the Tihama. The leadership of the various militias that operate under the umbrella of the Tihama Resistance Forces do not all support an autonomous Tihama. Furthermore, there is a growing divide between those allied with the STC and those who back the internationally recognized government of Yemen.
Patchwork Alliances
The lack of a defined organizational structure and the absence of clear political objectives means that the Tihama based militias exist and operate within a patchwork of alliances. These are alliances that are most often in a state of flux. The Tihama Resistance Forces have worked closely, and to some degree been incorporated into, the National Resistance Forces (NRF). The NRF is led by Tariq Saleh, former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s nephew.
As the best led and funded armed group in the Tihama, the NRF is the dominant force. The Tihama Resistance Forces have largely functioned as ancillary militias for the NRF. By 2018, the NRF leadership was predominant and largely responsible for marshaling and tasking the militias fighting under the Tihama Resistance Force umbrella. However, this relationship was, and remains, dependent on the NRF’s ability to dole out funds and materiel to those militias that fight alongside it. With the UAE and Saudi Arabia curtailing their direct and indirect involvement in the war in Yemen, the NRF’s ability to continue to pay and supply these militias is questionable. Notably, Tariq Saleh and the NRF is now backing the STC rather than the internationally recognized government of Yemen (IRG) (Inside Arabia, June 9).
Tensions between the Tihama Resistance Forces and the NRF will likely increase as these armed groups compete for funds, materiel, and influence.
Outlook
Growing divisions within what was an already fragile collection of alliances in the Tihama will make parts of the region more vulnerable to Houthi-led offensives. Despite UN-brokered agreements, the Houthis maintain de facto control of large parts of Hodeidah. They also enjoy operational control of the mountains that overlook most of the Tihama.
As the UAE, whose economy has been severely impacted by response to COVID-19, and Saudi Arabia reduce their expenditures in Yemen, ample opportunities will arise for other outside powers to step up their involvement in the Tihama and elsewhere in Yemen.
Over the short and medium-term, the Tihama’s strategic location and its role as a gateway to Yemen ensure that fighting—at least at a low level—will continue for the foreseeable future. There is no one armed group that can control the Tihama or even the port city of Hodeidah. The Tihama, with more realistic and internationally-backed initiatives, could become an important test-case for Yemen-wide de-escalation. Such initiatives would go a long way to blocking or minimizing the involvement of additional outside powers in Yemen – by Michael Horton
https://jamestown.org/program/gateway-to-yemen-the-battle-for-the-tihama/
(** B H)
Destitute African refugees in Yemen recruited by warring factions
Prevented by Covid-19 from reaching Saudi Arabia, some migrants are working in camps on Yemen's brutal frontline
Refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa are used to taking up work in Yemen as they make their way north to relative safety and prosperity in Saudi Arabia. Picking up work that many Yemenis do not want to do, local residents have been generally receptive to their assistance.
That arrangement and atmosphere has soured considerably, however, with coronavirus restrictions and social stigma leaving them stranded and desititute. The answer for some has been to take up employment with Yemen's warring factions.
In May, authorities in the capital Sanaa announced their first case of the coronavirus, diagnosed in a Somali refugee.
The news led to discrimination against refugees in the country, leaving them no longer able to move among provinces, with locals and authorities considering them a source of Covid-19.
The refugees have found themselves under siege in areas such as Aden, Lahj and Taiz, often without food to eat or shelter to sleep.
Their perilous situation has encouraged armed groups such as the Yemeni Republican Guard to exploit their situation, recruiting many of them to work in military camps situated where fighting is taking place on the western coast.
The Republican Guard is led by Tareq Saleh, the nephew of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and the group is loyal to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), rather than Yemen's government.
'Dangerous journey'
Early last month, five Ethiopian refugees aged between 15 and 25, found themselves inside an old house in Taiz’s Al-Shimayateen district, having arrived on the coast at Ras Al-Arah in Lahj province just four days earlier.
“We travelled with a smuggler on a fishing boat and it was full, he threw us in the sea and only those who can swim for long distances arrived to the land,” Amari, 19, one of the Ethiopians, told Middle East Eye.
“Some were drowned in the sea. It was a dangerous journey until we arrived in Yemen.”
The house in Taiz was rented by Najib, one of the military leaders battling on the western coast who had brought the refugees from Lahj as part of a plan to send them with others to the military camps.
The house acts a waiting area where refugees receive some basic information about what they will be expected to do.
“We fled our home to Djibouti, hoping to enter Saudi Arabia where some friends have already arrived during previous years,” said Amari.
“Saudi Arabia is the dream of all refugees, but when we were in Djibouti we called some friends who travelled before us and they said it is impossible to access Saudi as they can’t move freely in Yemen.
“They ended up in a military camp where they work together with Yemenis,” he said.
Dangers ahead
Amari and his fellow refugees appeared unaware of the scale of the danger they could face in the camps, but were happy as Najib had told them they would be paid in Saudi rials.
The refugees were reticent to talk about all the details of their situation, but they confirmed that a friend in a military camp had given them the mobile number of someone to call when they arrived in Ras Al-Arah.
Najib had met them there and brought them to the village in Taiz.
The refugees said they were not willing to return home until they had earned enough money to secure their future in Ethiopia.
After three days, the five youths left the village and a new batch of refugees arrived at the old house.
'Humanitarian step'
Najib denied that the refugees fight on the frontlines and said they only support the fighters there.
“There are misunderstanding about this issue, and some people think the refugees fight the Houthis with us, that isn’t true,” Najib told MEE.
“The refugees are only labourers in the military camps, and they help in cleaning the camps, carrying the weapons from the stores, building barracks and other physical work.”
Najib said they started to use the refugees as labourers after they found many of them sleeping outdoors and hungry.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-war-africa-refugees-recruited-factions
and
(** B H)
Emergency Medical Care Provides Relief to Weary Migrants on Yemen’s Southern Coastline
Most migrants travel to Yemen with hopes of reaching the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). These young people from Somalia and, more often, Ethiopia dream of a life where they and their families do more than just survive.
Smugglers and traffickers capitalize on these ambitions as well as the lack of opportunities at home. However, criminal gangs profiting off irregular movements fail to mention to young travelers the dangers of the route — possible death from dehydration, hunger and heat while walking through the Horn of Africa to the coast or suffocating on or drowning from crammed, unseaworthy vessels during the voyage across the Gulf of Aden.
And now, COVID-19 poses further risks to the reduced number of migrants still making this journey and to the migrants stranded throughout Yemen unable to return home.
To remain undetected by Yemeni authorities, smugglers often force migrants to jump from the boat around 150 to 250 metres from the coast to swim ashore; this is particularly the case for arrivals to Shabwah from Somalia. After arriving on land, migrants must usually walk around 300 kilometres in groups of 10-15 people to reach camps run by smugglers in Ataq, the capital of Shabwah governorate. From there, smugglers usually take the migrants to Marib or Rada’ in Al Bayda to work on khat farms and raise funds for the remainder of their journey to KSA.
Arriving at dawn, the migrants are exhausted, injured and sick from their journey so far and in desperate need of food, water and emergency health care. “When we stopped near the Yemeni shores, some people started shooting at us from the top of a mountain,” recalled Sultan, an Ethiopian migrant.
“The smugglers at the shore had a car, but they would only take those who have money in their possession and left the others behind,” he added.
The IOM Mobile Medical Team, supported by the Government of Finland, provides services to weary migrants along the Shabwah coast.
“The IOM Mobile Medical Clinic consists of a doctor, a doctor’s assistant, a nurse, a psychological counsellor and a translator. The clinic is an ambulance fully equipped with medicine and first aid kits. We also carry clothes, snacks and water,” said Dr Abdulraheem Al Mehdhar, the IOM Mobile Medical Clinic Coordinator in Shabwah.
Every morning, the mobile teams drive along the coastal route looking for new arrivals. When a team comes across a group of migrants, the team asks if anyone requires medical assistance. The team’s doctor then carries out examinations and distributes treatment and medicine as needed. Given the heat, the doctors often use whatever they can for shade like trees or large rocks.
The team also distributes light snacks, water and even clothes in some cases. One of the team registers the migrants’ details and gives them numbers so that the other mobile teams, both IOM and partners, know that this group has been assisted.
“Migrants also participate in on-the-spot health awareness sessions to learn about the most common diseases in Yemen, like cholera and COVID-19,” said Dr Fahd Sofi, an IOM Migration Health Physician.
and films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou57o1nbH_Y (Aljazeera)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXTHu2wYKqQ (TRT)
Map of migration routes: https://twitter.com/BashaReport/status/1277598250925789186
(** B P)
Concerns and hopes of Yemenis at heart of UN plans for better future
In a wide-ranging interview for UN News on Wednesday, Martin Griffiths, the UN’s Special Envoy in Yemen, addresses the protracted peace process in the country, and the enormous challenges that still need to be overcome.
Mr. Griffiths began the interview conducted over email, with an update on the progress of peace negotiations.
“The process started in March, when the UN Secretary General called on those fighting in Yemen to cease hostilities and focus on combating the threat of COVID-19 and to use this opportunity to reach a political solution. The Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah – as well as other Yemeni parties and civil society – welcomed the Secretary-General’s calls.
At the end of March, my Office shared with the Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah proposed draft agreements on a nationwide ceasefire; humanitarian and economic measures; and the urgent resumption of the political process aimed at comprehensively ending the conflict.
By early April, we had received initial feedback from both Parties. After considering the positions of both Parties, we shared with them a revised draft in mid-April to bridge their views. Several rounds of bilateral negotiations with both Parties have followed in the months since April. The process is ongoing to this day, and the text continues to be subject to substantive changes as long as it remains under negotiation.
The process has been long and challenging, especially as it is being conducted mainly in the virtual world. It is very difficult to negotiate such a sensitive agreement against the backdrop of the eroding trust between the Parties, especially with the continued military hostilities on all fronts.
It is my responsibility as a mediator to bridge the divide between the Parties’ positions, no matter how wide, until a mutually accepted compromise is reached that meets the aspirations of the Yemeni people. I will not give up on the pursuit of an end to the fighting, measures to alleviate the suffering of the people, and the resumption of peaceful dialogue aimed at ending the conflict. As long as the Parties remain engaged in the process, there is a chance for peace in Yemen.
The Joint Declaration is not in and of itself an end to the conflict. However, it would be an important step toward achieving an immediate nationwide ceasefire in Yemen, easing the suffering of Yemenis, and paving the way to peace talks aimed at comprehensively ending the conflict. The ceasefire element of the Joint Declaration is long overdue. Since January, we have seen a renewed wave of military escalation in different parts of the country. Just two days ago, seven children and two women were killed following an airstrike in Hajjah. Yemenis are forced to deal with the dire consequences of this raging war while also struggling with a crumbling economy, and a devastating outbreak of Coronavirus.
The humanitarian and economic measures included in the Joint Declaration are also long overdue. The Declaration provides commitments and outlines steps for, among other measures: the creation of a joint operations unit between the Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah with the support of the World Health Organization to ensure the delivery of an effective and coordinated response to the COVID-19 outbreak across Yemen; the payment of the salaries of the civil servants who are on the 2014 payroll database and have not been receiving their salaries ; the release of all conflict-related prisoners and detainees, a move that has become even more urgent with the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases in Yemen; opening main essential access roads in and between governorates; opening Sana’a airport and easing the restrictions on the entry of commercial container ships, as well as of ships carrying gas and oil, through Hudaydah ports, while ensuring compliance with the arms embargo imposed by the Security Council; and securing the safety of the SAFER tanker, which has been stuck in Ras Issa for the past five years, threatening to cause a massive oil spill- an environmental catastrophe for Yemen and its neighbours.
My Office continues to work intensively on some of these measures independently of the ongoing negotiations, including the SAFER issue, because they truly are urgently needed. If the Parties agree to address these humanitarian needs, it will not only ease the suffering of Yemenis everywhere, but will also mark a significant milestone towards restoring trust between the Parties.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Declaration commits the Parties to urgently resume peace talks based on the three references, which is the only way to break with the violence of the past and end this conflict comprehensively and sustainably.
Without a political horizon, and progress on the political track, the ceasefire and any measures agreed in the Joint Declaration will inevitably end up falling apart. We have seen it before in Yemen, and we must not allow it to happen again.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/07/1068431
My comment: As long as he insists in the “three references” – which date from 2015 and cement the superiority of the Hadi government – he is condemned to fail.
and
(** A B P)
Analysis: New UN proposal to Yemen crisis; Potentials & requirements
The new situation has caused a new atmosphere for political efforts to put an end to the five-year-old war. A suggestion made on Saturday by the UN to end the conflict is one initiative. Although the UN proposals for the cessation of fire are mainly made when the Saudi-led Arab coalition is under military pressure by the Yemenis and is retreating and thus the UN takes moves in favor of Riyadh interests, the recent proposal for a ceasefire has considered some of the Yemeni side’s demands.
Here are some of the terms of the UN proposal:
1. A comprehensive ceasefire across Yemen should be implemented after a peace document is signed between the warring sides.
2. Air, sea, and ground military operations should be halted.
3. A UN-supervised coordination committee, comprising high-ranking officers from both sides, should be formed with its duty being watching the ceasefire.
4. Economic and humanitarian aids need to be arranged to look into the cases of the prisoners, laws, ports, and interprovincial highways. More actions are the release of the prisoners based on the Stockholm peace process and opening the main roads of Taiz, Dhala, Sana’a, Marib, and Jawf provinces.
5. The capital Sana’a airport should be reopened, as the roadblocks ahead of the docking of the vessels carrying fuel and food to Yemen in Hudaydah port need to be removed.
The potentials and requirements of the UN proposal
The proposal made by the UN special representative to the Yemen war suggests that the international body has finally decided to consider some realities and demands like the need to stop the Saudi operations, mainly the airstrikes that have so far killed thousands, wounded more, and displaced millions, with the top victims being women and children. The Saudi operations remain the key obstacle ahead of the realization of peace in the war-weary country and a primary destroyer of ceasefire initiatives.
Reopening Sana’a airport and lifting the siege on Hudaydah port, the only lifeline amid the all-out blockade, are positive steps that in case of materialization can relatively alleviate the humanitarian crisis. These two measures have been the constant demands of the Sana’a negotiators.
Despite the progress that could be made through the implementation of the terms of the new initiative, the suggestion does never have a balance with the current conditions of war in Yemen. After all, the Saudi-headed coalition has reached an impasse on the ground as it is far away from the realization of the initial goals
From another aspect, the UN should consider as a top priority the unification of Yemen and its territorial integrity. The control of the Yemeni islands by the UAE-supported militias reveals that the Saudis and Emiratis have reached a behind-the-scenes deal to split Yemen
and
(* A P)
Yemeni [Hadi] gov't officially rejects UN-drafted comprehensive solution
The Yemeni internationally-recognized government on Tuesday officially rejected the latest UN-drafted deal to solve the 5-year crisis, citing the prejudice implied in the deal against its sovereignty.
On 30 June, the UN Envoy Martin Griffiths met in Riyadh with the Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and handed his government a revised draft of comprehensive solution for Yemen's crisis.
The Yemeni government on Monday told Griffiths that the "proposals he sent to us on 30 June implied infringement against the government's sovereignty and responsibilities, and obviously surpassed his mission as a UN General-Secretary's special envoy," the government spokesman said.
"We expressed our surprise at the envoy's insistence to establish and internationally cover the Houthi group's acts, and persistently yield to the coup-leaders' illegitimate demands," Rajih Badi added in remarks to Asharq Al-awsat.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-18472.html
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-40807
https://debriefer.net/en/news-18492.html
and
(** A P)
Yemeni government rejects latest UN peace plan draft
The internationally recognized government of Yemen claims that the latest draft of a peace plan submitted by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is biased toward the Iran-backed Houthis and “undermines” the government’s legitimacy, three government officials told Arab News on Thursday.
“The proposal suggests accepting the current situation and the changes on the ground including Houthis as an armed group,” one Cabinet minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arab News. The minister said the main “bone of contention” is “three references that the UN envoy wants to convince everyone are irrelevant” — namely the GCC Initiative, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and Security Council Resolution 2216.
Another government official said the latest draft of the peace plan includes a nationwide truce and demands that the government pays public servants. The official said that the government believes those items contradict the “three references” that oblige the Houthis to hand over their weapons, leave Sana’a and other areas under their control, and allow the government to return to the capital.
“The plan gives legitimacy to the coup that Houthis plotted in late 2014. The fait-accompli policy cannot give international legitimacy to the putschists,” the second government official said. The government also believes that the Houthis should share the cost of paying government salaries, claiming the Iran-backed militia has taken large sums of money from seaports, banks and telecom companies.
Griffiths refutes the government’s accusations, saying the proposed peace plan asks all parties to cease hostilities and immediately engage in talks based on the three references, which he described in an interview with UN News as “the only way to break with the violence of the past and end this conflict comprehensively and sustainably.”
Griffiths recognized that major issues between the two sides remain, but said: “There are always points of convergence that a mediation process can build on. Yemen is no different. We will continue to work with the parties to find a consensual path forward to achieve these mutual goals and pave the way for bringing this conflict to a sustainable end.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1705786/middle-east
My comment: The Hadi government never wanted peace; they only accept capitulation. The UN envoy just had emphasized the humanitarian needs.
(** B K P)
Yemen Is America’s War Too
End war crimes in Yemen, stop arming Saudi Arabia.
Nevertheless, the Trump administration’s priority is selling more arms, $478 million worth, to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS). Indeed, the administration might stop notifying Congress about impending sales to forestall legislative opposition.
Of course, the human carnage is of no concern to that country’s de facto ruler, who ordered the invasion of Saudi Arabia’s impoverished neighbor in 2015
But the Kingdom’s military turned out to be a vanity force, of little value other than to strike civilian targets.
Years ago Egypt and the Kingdom faced off militarily in backing separate Yemeni factions. Riyadh more recently promoted intolerant fundamentalist Wahhabism and paid off Yemeni politicians. In contrast, Iran’s role was modest. Regional specialists affirm that the Houthis, in the lead opposing MbS’s misbegotten legions, have never been tools of Tehran. But faced with the well-financed Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), backed by America, the group had to turn somewhere for support, and Iran was only too happy to bleed the Saudis. Riyadh managed to turn Yemen’s perennial domestic instability into an international sectarian war.
The Obama administration, despite its humanitarian pretensions, made Washington complicit in the military equivalent of murder. The U.S. may be best known as the Kingdom’s enthusiastic armorer, but that is just the start.
Yemen is America’s war too.
It is difficult to explain why the U.S. government, typically so sanctimonious in lecturing the rest of the world on liberty and morality, ended up backing one of the world’s most oppressive nations in a blatant war of aggression.
The Obama administration’s decision was misguided, despite a degree of logic. It hoped to pacify the KSA, whose rulers opposed Washington’s negotiations with Iran over the nuclear deal. Today the agreement is in tatters while the U.S. continues to support Saudi depredations.
While Washington had no intrinsic reason to support the KSA, which shared few interests and values with the West, the U.S. was concerned about al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the most active national branch of the terrorist network. Unfortunately, the Hadi government, Saudis, and Emiratis all variously accommodated or supported AQAP and other radical groups, in contrast to the opposition Houthis, who opposed al-Qaeda. The result of the invasion was to make Americans less safe.
Even after five years of conflict, no crime committed by the Saudi royals has been grievous enough to sacrifice the Trump administration’s support. Now the president wants to sell more precision-guided bombs to the monarchy — which will be used to kill more civilians.
The Houthis have behaved brutally, shelling indiscriminately, for instance, but have less capability to destroy and kill than the better-armed Saudis.
The White House has never paid the slightest concern to such grotesque behavior by governments dependent on its support. Despite candidate Trump’s criticism of the Saudis, he came back from his trip to Riyadh as if a eunuch in service of the Saudi court. Whatever it wanted, he supplied. Only when the U.S. shale oil industry was at risk did he toughen his administration’s stance toward the Saudi royals.
The best explanation of why is that Trump believes Saudi arms purchases deliver abundant jobs to America. In fact, the New York Times recently reported that Peter Navarro, Trump’s protectionist trade adviser, took the lead in persuading the president to sacrifice Yemenis’ lives for the benefit of munition makers.
The president’s figure of $110 billion in arms deals also was fake news.
Yet the administration has proposed another round of arms sales. Democrats in both the House and Senate oppose the latest proposal. But as before the administration might ram through the purchase as an “emergency” measure.
The Middle East has changed dramatically from when America first embraced the antediluvian Saudi monarchy. Washington should no longer allow the Kingdom to hold the U.S. hostage. President Trump should free U.S. policy and put America before the Saudi royal tyranny – by Doug Bandow
https://spectator.org/yemen-mohammed-bin-salman-saudi-arabia-americas-war-too/
(** B K P)
Children killed in Yemen by Saudi-led airstrikes days before and after UK arms sales resume
Airstrikes in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition killed eight children shortly before and after the UK government claimed there was ‘not a clear risk’ of British weapons being used for war crimes, Declassified has found.
The UK government’s claim that it is safe to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia for the war in Yemen is already in question after evidence has emerged of children being killed in a series of airstrikes shortly before and after the decision was taken.
Campaign Against Arms Trade, which took the government to court over the Saudi exports, told Declassified:
“The government says that possible breaches of international law are only isolated incidents and that they aren’t part of a pattern. But these so-called incidents are people’s lives. Every time one of these ‘incidents’ happens there is a human cost to it. The bombing has killed thousands of people, and the decision to resume arms sales can only prolong the violence and add to the bloodshed.”
Their spokesman, Andrew Smith, added:
“Saudi-led forces have shown a total disregard for the rights and lives of people in Yemen. It has destroyed schools, hospitals and other vital infrastructure. Despite this, Liz Truss and her colleagues have just sent a message of uncritical political and military support for Saudi-led coalition and the terrible war it has inflicted. The decision to continue sales was immoral, and the destruction that it fuels will last for years.”
Brigadier John Deverell, a former British defence attaché to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, told Declassified that the decision to resume arms sales was “an absolute shocker” and called on the government to publish its risk assessment.
He commented: “There’s no transparency about it. Where’s the independent assessment of the information they’ve used as a basis for coming to that view? If Truss and the government are confident about what they are doing then they should be transparent about it. And how does this sit with our government’s efforts to push through the Arms Trade Treaty? And sanctions against Saudis for the Khashoggi murder? Where’s the consistency?”
Deverell added: “How many isolated incidents do you have to have before it is no longer just isolated? It’s a risky strategy which opens up the government to legal challenges of the kind they have already suffered.”
Describing the airstrikes on Yemeni children as “another example of the potential for the next generation to rebuild the country being destroyed”, Deverell warned:
“If I were a board member or a major shareholder in BAE Systems, I’d be asking what is being done to diversify away from reliance on Saudi revenue? This is not reputationally sustainable.
“In my view, a highly topical historical parallel is the efforts made by Wilberforce and the Quakers to get slavery abolished being obstructed by the economic arguments. Money is uppermost in the minds of the decision makers. This is neither right nor sustainable.”
Dozens of Royal Air Force personnel are also stationed in Saudi Arabia. Three RAF personnel work in the Saudi Air Operations Centre in Riyadh to “help support Saudi compliance with International Humanitarian Law”.
The trio are under UK command and control, and the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) told Declassified that they are required to “report suspected violations of International Humanitarian Law to their command chain wherever and whenever they occur”.
UK Defence Minister James Heappey told Parliament on Monday that as of 4 July, 516 “alleged instances of breaches or violations” of IHL in Yemen had been listed on the MOD’s “Tracker” database since the war began in March 2015 – an average of around two incidents per week.
The MOD has refused to tell Declassified what tasks the RAF personnel undertake in the Saudi Air Operations Centre, claiming it would “negatively impact our relationship with a key regional partner and limit the UK’s future strategic access and influence”.
Conservative backbench MP Bob Stewart told Parliament on Monday he had visited the facility in Riyadh “after the last massacre of innocents” in Yemen “to examine exactly what was going on”.
Stewart said, “Having spoken to the air controllers, which included Royal Air Force people, I was most impressed by their orders for opening fire. I spoke to the pilots, and they do not open fire unless they are guaranteed there are no innocents underneath.”
Greg Hands says his department has a backlog of “a few hundred applications” from British arms companies wanting to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia, which “will take a few months to clear” now that new licences are being granted – by Phil Miller
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(* B H)
Yemen | Situation Report - Covid19 Response | 28 June - 11 July 2020
Hadramaut, Aden and Taizz governorates continue to report the highest number of COVID-19 cases. However, IOM and the humanitarian community is operating based on the assumption that there is widespread community level transmission across the country, particularly in view of limited community level suppression measures, testing capacity and access to treatment services, as well as perceived stigma and risks related to seeking care. Yemen’s fuel crisis is further limiting hospital and water operations, and the economic impacts of the outbreak is already evident in the effects of the massive decline in financial transfers into this remittance dependent country. As humanitarian assistance increasingly becomes a lifeline for many, resources are needed to scale up response activities during this critical time. At more than halfway through the year, IOM Yemen’s Consolidated Appeal is 55 per cent funded.
(A H)
26 new cases of coronavirus reported, 1,552 in total
http://en.adenpress.news/news/23579
6 deaths and 24 new cases of Corona virus in the southern governorates
https://en.smanews.org/6-deaths-and-24-new-cases-of-corona-virus-in-the-southern-governorates
4 deaths and 16 new cases of #Corona in southern governorates
https://en.smanews.org/4-deaths-and-16-new-cases-of-corona-in-southern-governorates
(* A H)
MSF: One medical center in Ibb received over 30 COVID-19 patients over three weeks
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-40831
(A H)
10 new cases of coronavirus reported, 1,526 in total
http://en.adenpress.news/news/23567
(B H P)
Yemen has a 20% COVID-19 death rate. Can you help?
We are saying it loud and clear: enough is enough. Yemen can’t wait. That is why we are joining our ally, the Yemeni Alliance Committee, on this National Day of Action for Yemen today, on July 15. The people of Yemen have suffered for far too long, and Congress must act. Contact your representative and senators and demand they urge USAID to restore aid to ALL parts of Yemen immediately and see that the Sanders-Lee-Murphy and Malinowski amendments for Yemen are included in the must-pass final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)!
The coronavirus pandemic has touched every corner of the globe, but there are few places where the impact has been as strong as it is in Yemen.
https://www.codepink.org/yemen_has_a_20_percent_covid_19_death_rate_can_you_help
My comment: All official figures from Yemen are void. There might be one million infected already – and thousands of deaths; this would be much more horrible, with a death rate of ca. 1 %.
(* B H P)
Coronavirus in Yemen – an unfolding catastrophe?
This Insight looks at the weakness of statistics on Covid-19 cases, responses from President Hadi’s UN-backed Government and that of Houthi rebels and the impact of falling aid funding on the country’s healthcare system.
No-one knows how many cases there are
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimates there are a million infections in Yemen already. Provisional results from their study predict that without effective action to mitigate the pandemic Yemen could see as many as 11 million cases of Covid-19 and 85,000 deaths in a ‘worst-case scenario’. Citing the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine study, on 18 June the UK Government called for “drastic action”.
Restrictions on movement
Across Yemen, the authorities are too weak to control mass gatherings and movement around the country effectively. Both the Hadi Government and the Houthi authorities announced international flight bans on 14 March, as well as restrictions on entry to the country by road.
The money is running out
Broken health services
The conflict continues
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/world-affairs/middle-east/coronavirus-in-yemen/
(A H)
18 new cases of coronavirus reported, 1,516 in total
http://en.adenpress.news/news/23559
(A H)
33 new cases of coronavirus reported, 1,498 in total
http://en.adenpress.news/news/23551
(A H)
9 new cases of corona virus in Shabwa and 12 cases of recovery recorded in Hadramout and Lahj
(* B H)
Angst hält Menschen im Jemen von Krankenhäusern fern
Auch wenn im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen bisher offiziell nur rund 1.500 Covid-Fälle registriert wurden, macht die Coronakrise dem ohnehin schwer gebeutelten Land zu schaffen. Es werden dringend mehr Ressourcen benötigt - für Covid-Patienten, aber auch für Menschen mit anderen Krankheiten, appelliert die medizinische Nothilfeorganisation Ärzte ohne Grenzen (MSF) in einer Aussendung.
Im Moment beobachte man, dass die weitverbreitete Angst vor dem Virus viele Menschen im Jemen davon abhalte, medizinische Hilfe in Anspruch zu nehmen, warnte Ärzte ohne Grenzen. „Wir sind besorgt über das, was wir im Krankenhaus sehen, aber eine noch größere Sorge sind die Patientinnen und Patienten, die wir nicht sehen - diejenigen, die sich erst dann in ärztliche Behandlung begeben, wenn sich ihr Zustand erheblich verschlechtert hat“, sagte Caroline Ducarme, MSF-Einsatzleiterin im Jemen.
Ähnlich wie auch in Österreich betrachtet die Bevölkerung Krankenhäuser als Infektionsquelle. Zudem kursierten Gerüchte und Menschen hätten Angst, stigmatisiert zu werden, wenn sie positiv auf Corona getestet werden. „Wir sehen aus erster Hand die schädlichen Auswirkungen von Fehlinformationen, die im ganzen Land verbreitet werden und die Angst vor dem Virus in der Gesellschaft verstärken“, so Dr. Abdulrahman, der für Ärzte ohne Grenzen arbeitet.
Viele Jemeniten suchten erst dann medizinische Hilfe, wenn ihr Zustand ernst ist. In dem neuen Covid-19-Behandlungszentrum im Sheikh-Zayed-Krankenhaus in der Hauptstadt Sanaa, das Ärzte ohne Grenzen seit Kurzem unterstützt, sind etwa nur die Hälfte der zwanzig Betten für Patienten mit moderaten Coronavirus-Symptomen belegt. Auf der Intensivstation dagegen seien alle Betten belegt.
Die Testmöglichkeiten im Jemen sind laut Ärzte ohne Grenzen derzeit äußerst begrenzt, so dass sich das neuartige Virus unbemerkt im ganzen Land ausbreitet. „Nach Jahren des Krieges ist das Gesundheitssystem bereits vor der Pandemie extrem unzureichend. Nun scheint es, dass die Menschen das Vertrauen in das Gesundheitssystem und das Gesundheitspersonal verloren haben“, warnte die Hilfsorganisation.
Ducarme forderte eine „massive Aufstockung der allgemeinen Gesundheitsmaßnahmen“ im Jemen, um dringend auf alle Bedürfnisse eingehen zu können. „Anstatt die Unterstützung in einer so kritischen Zeit zu kürzen, sollte die internationale Gemeinschaft ein Maximum an Ressourcen mobilisieren, um die humanitären Interventionen im Jemen aufrechtzuerhalten, während die lokalen Behörden alle Anstrengungen unternehmen müssen, um die Durchführung lebensrettender Programme zu erleichtern und sicherzustellen, dass die Menschen sicher Zugang zu humanitärer Hilfe haben“, forderte sie.
https://www.medinlive.at/gesundheitspolitik/angst-haelt-menschen-im-jemen-von-krankenhaeusern-fern
(* B H)
Jemen und Libyen: "Die Menschen sterben zu Hause"
Glaubt man den offiziellen Verlautbarungen der Huthi-Miliz, dann gibt es in den von ihr kontrollierten Teilen Jemens kaum Corona-Infektionen. Spricht man allerdings mit Bewohnern der Hauptstadt Sanaa, ergibt sich ein völlig anderes Bild. So berichtet ein Gewährsmann am Telefon, dass sich die Menschen schlichtweg nicht in die Krankenhäuser trauten. Die Sorge vor dem Stigma in der Nachbarschaft hält sie ab, Gerüchte um angebliche Ansteckungen in den Kliniken und Fehlinformationen über die Behandlung, aber auch das Wissen, dass sie in den Krankenhäusern ohnehin kaum Hilfe zu erwarten haben. Essen und Medikamente müssen die Verwandten besorgen. Im ganzen Land gibt es nur 500 Beatmungsgeräte für die etwa 28,5 Millionen Menschen, davon funktionieren nur etwa 150 - in Sanaa gibt es sechs Intensivbetten für Covid-Patienten.
"Die Menschen sterben zu Hause", sagte der Mann - dort könnten die Angehörigen sie zumindest in Würde pflegen – von Paul-Anton Krüger
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/jemen-libyen-corona-krieg-1.4964581
(** B H P)
War, starvation, disease... now Covid-19: Yemen ‘haunted by death’ as coronavirus cases climb
Cases surge in a country already blighted by what the United Nations describes as the world's biggest humanitarian crisis
For the past two months the Yemeni capital of Sana'a has been “haunted by death”, explains the doctor.
Hundreds in the city have died from Covid-19 and as the toll rose, the main Khouzaima cemetery was declared full a month ago.
With burial plots growing scarce, families have been forced into private graveyards, where the price of a final resting place has leapt from £120 to around £315.
As the doctor has worked to treat the tide of sick, he has watched his colleagues themselves succumb, one-by-one. At least 46 doctors, nurses and staff are dead, including four in his own public hospital.
“Most of those who contracted the virus died at home, because 80 per cent of the hospitals were closed due to the lack of the personal protective equipment and the lack of the testing kits,” he explained.
The doctor however refuses to give his name when recounting the shocking conditions by telephone, because officially none of this is happening. According to the Houthi rebels controlling swathes of northern Yemen, the coronavirus has not taken hold and there are almost no deaths.
Meanwhile among the roughly 70 per cent who live under Houthi control, cases reporting is actively suppressed. The Houthi movement has not provided figures since May 16 when it said there were four cases and one death.
UK-funded modelling from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine last month predicted the true nationwide toll to be closer to 1 million infections, with a peak not expected until late July. Under the modelling's worst case predictions, deaths could reach 85,000.
“Tens of people die in Sana'a every day, the pandemic has been spreading across the city very fast, thousands of residents contracted it.” said another public hospital doctor in the capital, who also declined to be name.
“Most of the residents living in my neighbourhood contracted the virus. Whole families have experienced symptoms together, starting with fever, dry cough and breathing difficulties, and in some houses all the family members lost their smell and taste senses in common” the doctor added.
Dr Eshraq Al Subaei, spokeswoman for the national committee combatting Covid in government-controlled areas said the Houthi rebels were deliberately concealing the spread.
“I have colleagues and friends who work in public hospitals in Sanaa and the other provinces controlled by the Houthi rebels. A colleague who works in a quarantine centre in the city told me the Houthi authorities confiscated their cellphones and warned them not to reveal any information regarding the number of the recorded cases in the quarantine or the deaths toll there.”
The disease has been far from confined to Houthi-controlled areas though. In the southern port of Aden, the death rate tripled with unexplained fatalities in May. Most are thought to have been undiagnosed Covid deaths.
In the city of Taiz, cemetery workers this week said they had been forced to hire mechanical excavators because human gravediggers could not keep up with demand.
Few precautions have been enacted to stop the spread, said Tamuna Sabadze, head of the International Rescue Committee aid agency in Yemen.
“There are no restrictions on movement, the shops, malls, markets, everything is open. There is no social distancing, public transport is moving freely. There are no prevention measures in place that can actually prevent the spread of the virus and it doesn't just disappear on its own.”
Poverty is increasing because remittances from migrant Yemenis in the Gulf have dried up during lockdown – by Ben Farmer and Ali Mahmoud
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Film: Cemeteries running out of space amid Yemen coronavirus outbreak
It's been three months since Yemen reported its first case of Covid-19. Official numbers of infections and deaths have since remained low, but aid groups say there's little way to get an accurate picture of the reality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ON3cpWJQ-s
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Film: As COVID-19 Cases Climb in Yemen, Fear Keeps People from Care
In June, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) began providing hands-on clinical support at a second COVID-19 treatment center in in Sana’a, Yemen, at Sheikh Zayed hospital. But despite indicators of a large number of cases in the area, relatively few people are coming to the hospital for care. Many Yemenis are not seeking treatment for COVID-19 symptoms because they fear contracting the virus in hospitals. Rumors about patient mistreatment at health facilities have also fostered fear and stigma. Some people wait at home until they become extremely ill, said Roger Gutiérrez, MSF’s head of emergency programs. “When they arrive here, it is very late and it is very difficult for us to intervene.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntq0x45akfk
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Film: Yemen cemetery struggles to dig enough graves as COVID-19 spreads
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=320891829081776
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COVID-19: Yemen’s ‘unprecedented calamity’
COVID-19 is ravaging Yemen, a country that was already suffering from the world’s worst humanitarian crisis prior to this pandemic’s outbreak.
Years ago, the U.N. labeled Yemen the “most needy place on Earth.” Currently, four out of five Yemenis rely on aid for survival and millions live on the brink of starvation. A consequence of the COVID-19 crisis has been a drying up of international aid worldwide.
COVID-19 is not the only virus infecting Yemenis. Chikungunya, which mosquitos transmit, is another. There have also been at least 100,000 confirmed cholera cases, further burdening Yemen’s health care system. To make matters worse, during this year’s spring season, Yemen suffered from flash floods which destroyed Aden’s power grid.
On top of all of these factors, the politics of Yemen’s civil war have severely exacerbated the nation’s coronavirus crisis.
The virus itself does not recognize political differences and threatens all Yemenis, which in an ideal set of circumstances would prompt the country’s warring factions to agree to a ceasefire in order to cope with the pathogen. Tragically, however, that has not taken place in Yemen. In fact, the COVID-19 crisis has only added more vitriol and hostility to the relations between these three sides of the conflict.
Without a central authority governing Yemen, a successful nationwide response to COVID-19 pandemic is highly unrealistic.
The intersection of war and multiple health crises makes Yemen’s future inevitably calamitous.
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2020/07/13/covid-19-yemens-unprecedented-calamity/
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Yemen COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Snapshot - As of 11 July 2020
As of 11 July, the number of reported confirmed COVID-19 cases in Yemen had reached 1,393 with 366 associated deaths and 644 recoveries. Men constitute 76 per cent of all reported cases and most cases and COVID-19 deaths are reported among people aged 45 and above. To date, the highest number of confirmed cases has been reported in Hadramaut (496 cases, 167 deaths and 119 recoveries), followed by Aden (268 cases, 32 deaths and 194 recoveries) and Taizz (266 cases, 69 deaths and 157 recoveries). Reports indicate the continued rapid transmission of the virus, that many more people are symptomatic and dying with COVID-19 symptoms, and that people are delaying seeking treatment until their condition is critical because of fear of stigma, difficulties in accessing treatment centres, and the perceived risks of seeking care. The ongoing fuel crisis is threatening access to food, hospital operations and water supplies which are fuel-dependent and crucial to preventing virus transmission and to the response. The cost of the minimum food basket has risen by as much as 35 per cent in some areas since the outbreak of COVID-19 while the Yemeni rial depreciates. Aid agencies continue to work
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-covid-19-preparedness-and-response-snapshot-11-july-2020
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The mothers making masks as COVID-19 comes to Yemen
In the Al-Shab IDP centre in Aden nearly 350 families are sheltering after fleeing fighting in Taiz and Al Hodeidah. Living conditions in the ccentres are cramped, increasing the risk of the spread of disease.
UNICEF and partners have been working in these centres in Aden for some time. Their assistance includes bringing in health services and water supplies. After the outbreak of cholera in 2017, they mobilised groups of mothers to become peer educators with vital support from DFID. These mother to mother educators (M2M) spread health information and hygiene supplies to their neighbours in the hope they can protect more families from the outbreak of disease.
With the money they earned from their peer educator work they brought sewing machines to make clothes and generate some income.
When they learned of the spread of COVID-19 around the world and of the subsequent health advice, the mothers mobilised. For the last few weeks they have been sewing masks for families. They now make up to 100 masks a day and distribute them to families while educating them on the importance of socially distancing and handwashing (photos)
https://www.unicef.org/yemen/stories/mothers-making-masks-covid-19-comes-yemen
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Outbreak update – Cholera in Yemen, 28 June 2020
The Ministry of Public Health and Population of Yemen reported 3049 suspected cases and one associated death during epidemiological week 26 (22 – 28 June) of 2020 with 17% of the cases reported as severe. The cumulative total number of suspected cholera cases from 1 January 2018 to 28 June 2020 is 1 384 423 with 1574 associated deaths (CFR 0.11%). Children under five represent 24% of the total suspected cases during 2020. The outbreak has affected 22 of the 23 governorates and 296 of the 333 districts of Yemen.
Suspected cholera cases at the country level started to be increasingly reported from week eight of 2019 and the trend continued until week 14 when the number of cases reached more than 29 500, the highest number of cases reported so far. The number of suspected cases fluctuated over the following period with the trend now considered as stable during the past three weeks based on the average number of cases calculated between weeks 24 and 26.
The governorates reporting the highest number of suspected cases of cholera during 2020 are Al Hudaydah (24 155), Sana’a (22 560), Taizz (18 778), Ibb (14 558), Al Bayda (14 246), Amanat Al Asimah (12 415), Hajjah (10 868) and Dhamar (10 319).
cp2 Allgemein / General
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Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JULY 16, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-july-16-2020-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JULY 14, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-july-14-2020-map-update/
Latest Updates on Yemen, 14 July 2020 (Map Update)
https://english.iswnews.com/14236/latest-updates-on-yemen-14-july-2020/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JULY 13, 2020 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-july-13-2020-map-update/
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Country comparison Saudi Arabia vs Yemen
https://countryeconomy.com/countries/compare/saudi-arabia/yemen
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We are watching Yemen on the brink of collapse
The CURRENT humanitarian crisis in Yemen is critical and Western leaders remain unchanged in their shameful politics as they ‘watch Yemen fall off the cliff’.
Having diplomatically supported this war and sold massive amounts of weapons to the Saudi Arabian Coalition, no country is willing to provide funds to the worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen’s recent history.
Since Saudi Arabia and its regional allies launched the assault on the population of Yemen in March 2015, the situation has only worsened.
In fact, the prospects are now even worse after more than 250 thousand deaths, according to the estimate made by the Pardee Centre.
The disaster of the war has increased at the same time that the struggles have been fragmented due to the different interest of the warring parties.
Saudi Arabia’s military intervention has turned out to be a failure and has not achieved weakening the Houthis despite the Saudis being responsible for a large list of war crimes: a blockade and a military intervention which have sought to starve and bomb the population.
That’s a hypocritical comment if we consider the Saudi Coalition is responsible for 67% of the direct civilian deaths in the Yemen war.
This chaos and destruction in the North are also experienced in the South.
Since the self-rule declaration of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in late April, clashes have reoccurred.
https://wrp.org.uk/features/we-are-watching-yemen-on-the-brink-of-collapse/
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Jemen [Sanaa-Regierung] fordert Einstellung der Waffenverkäufe an Saudi-Arabien
Der Jemen hat die Vereinten Nationen dafür verurteilt, dass sie angesichts der saudischen Kriegsverbrechen im Land schweigen, und forderte ein Ende der Waffenverkäufe an Riad. Dies erfolgte nachdem das Regime und seine Verbündeten Dutzende Zivilisten, darunter auch Kinder, in der Provinz al-Jawf massakriert hatten.
(A K pS)
[Hadi gov.] Coast Guard seizes smuggled ammo in Red Sea
The coast guard forces seized on Thursday, a shipment of AK-47 ammunition carried by a boat in the Red Sea.
The boat was en route to Yemen when it had been detected and intercepted by the patrol forces, the general manager of the Coast Guard of the Red Sea Sector, Colonel Abd al-Jabbar al-Zahzouh said in a statement, adding that large quantities of AK-47 ammunition was found and confiscated.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/23577
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Former Saudi propagandists beg Yemen for forgiveness
Group of former Yemeni mercenaries working for Saudi propaganda release statement asking for forgiveness for past crimes
A full media team loyal to the Hadi coalition-backed government has revealed a serious crime that it had hidden away for four years.
The journalists released the story along with a plea asking for forgiveness.
Anis Mansour, head of a pro-Islah Party media team, apologised to all the families of the victims in the areas under the control of the national Salvation Government who were killed in Saudi-led coalition airstrikes.
Mansoor explained the reason for his apology, pointing out that he and a Yemeni media team “spent four years in Riyadh, misleading the public opinion in the media by appearing on several channels to analyze the coalition bombings, saying that these attacks targeted only weapons stores and Iranian leaders.”
Mansoor said it had turned out to be a lie, and admitted that there have never been strikes in Iranian targets in Yemen. The admission is consistent with several Yemeni and Iranian statements saying that there have never been Iranian military officials taking part in the war in Yemen.
“After each raid, we showed up on channels, working with the information we received from the media department of the Saudi Special Commission, all of which were lies and fabrications,” Mansoor said.
https://uprising.today/former-saudi-propagandists-beg-yemen-for-forgiveness/
(A P)
Yemen’s Houthis call for committee to investigate Saudi, UAE ‘coalition crimes’
Yemen’s Houthi movement, officially known as AnsarAllah, have called for the formation of an independent and impartial international commission to investigate all “coalition crimes” in the country, in particular by partners, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Houthi-aligned National Salvation Government (NSG), the international community, UN Security Council, Human Rights Council and humanitarian organisations were urged to fulfil their moral and humanitarian obligations towards the Yemeni people.
“The crimes of the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia against Yemen, on the ground and human rights, will continue as long as the world turns its back on Yemen and does not move a finger,” the statement said.
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Film: JEMEN – KRIEGSFOLGEN UND DEUTSCHLANDS ROLLE
Warum ein Stellvertreter-Krieg regionaler Mächte ein vereintes Land wieder zerreißt – und Deutschland ist dabei.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aEvIucdYqw
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Israel seeking to take over Yemeni west coast island
Emirati and Egyptian officials reported collaborating with Zionists to annex Mayyun island.
New reports claim that a number of Egyptian and Emirati military experts have arrived on the island of Mayyun, the most important island on the Yemeni west coast, in order to arrange the establishment of a military base for the Zionist entity of “Israel”.
Ali Mohsen, editor-in-chief of the Akhbar Alyoum newspaper, which is generally supportive of the Saudi-backed Hadi puppet government, said that the team is “currently conducting geological surveys and arrangements for the establishment of a military base.”
He added that “the move reveals the extent of the absurdity that has reached the Emiratis who are in control of the west coast, which is to make deals with foreign countries to sell Yemeni islands.”
An Israeli military delegation arrived a few days ago on the west coast of Yemen, while Israeli media have recently openly highlighted Tel Aviv’s ambitions on the Yemeni coastlines
The Zionists media praised the UAE’s moves to take control of several strategic sites, which provide a route of navigation to the Zionist Red Sea settlement of Eilat.
“Israel has begun to support certain Arab factions,” Hebrew media agency Channel 12 reported recently, confirming Israel’s ambitions in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
https://uprising.today/israel-seeking-to-take-over-yemeni-west-coast-island/
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Rostender Öltanker vor der Küste Jemens könnte Katastrophe auslösen
Ausfließen von einer Million Barrel Rohöl ins Rote Meer droht, wenn nicht bald dringend nötige Reparaturen durchgeführt werden
Vor der Küste des Bürgerkriegslandes Jemen droht nach Ansicht der Vereinten Nationen eine Umweltkatastrophe wegen eines rostenden Öltankers mit mehr als einer Million Barrel Öl an Bord. "Sein Zustand wird permanent schlechter", sagte Inger Andersen, Leiterin des UN-Umweltprogramms Unep.
Ein Feuer oder sogar eine Explosion an Bord seien jederzeit möglich, da das mehr als 45 Jahre alte Schiff seit 2015 nicht gewartet worden sei. Die Auswirkungen auf die Umwelt könnten verheerend sein.
Nach Angaben der britischen UN-Mission ist der Tanker mit dem Namen "Safer" dem unmittelbaren Risiko ausgesetzt, aufgrund von Vernachlässigung auseinanderzubrechen.
und
(* B P)
Geistertanker gefährdet Millionen Küstenbewohner
Seit einem Jahr versuchen Uno-Inspekteure auf einen alten Öltanker vor der Küste des Bürgerkriegslandes Jemen zu gelangen. Sie wollen verhindern, dass der Tanker auseinanderbricht und eine Million Barrel Öl - das sind rund 160 Millionen Liter - ins Meer auslaufen.
"Sein Zustand wird permanent schlechter", warnt Inger Andersen, Leiterin des Uno-Umweltprogramms Unep. Ein Feuer oder sogar eine Explosion an Bord seien jederzeit möglich, da das mehr als 45 Jahre alte Schiff seit 2015 nicht gewartet worden sei. Auch roste das Schiff. Nach Angaben der britischen Uno-Mission könnte der Tanker mit dem Namen "Safer" aufgrund von Vernachlässigung bald auseinanderbrechen. Ende Mai war demnach Wasser in den Maschinenraum eingedrungen. Deshalb versuchten die Uno-Inspekteure nun wiederholt, auf das Schiff zu gelangen.
Im schlimmsten Fall könnten mehr als eine Million Liter Rohöl in das Rote Meer fließen - viermal so viel wie bei der Ölkatastrophe des Tankers "Exxon Valdez" 1989. Dies könnte die Lebensgrundlage von Millionen Menschen in den Küstengebieten bedrohen. Außerdem wäre der Umweltschaden massiv, und auch die Schifffahrtsstraßen durch das Rote Meer und den Suezkanal würden beeinträchtigt.
Die Uno will das Schiff so schnell wie möglich leeren und das Öl verkaufen. Die Erlöse im Wert von schätzungsweise 40 Millionen Dollar sollen unter den von Saudi-Arabien unterstützten Rebellen und der jemenitischen Regierung aufgeteilt werden. Allerdings hätten die Huthi-Rebellen laut BBC-Informationen darauf bestanden, dass sie allein Anspruch auf das Öl hätten.
und auch https://orf.at/stories/3173751/
https://www.zeit.de/wissen/umwelt/2020-07/jemen-oel-leck-katastrophe-un
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Maps: Imagine over one million barrels of oil seeping into the Red Sea - ports unusable, fisheries decimated, Yemeni people without critical aid, and imports severed. We call on the Houthis to live up to their commitments and facilitate
@UN assessments of the Safer oil tanker now.
https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1283744815751016449
My remark: Impressive, even if by Sec Pompeo, as part of a propaganda campaign.
and
(* B H P)
Infographic: 1.5 million migratory birds are at risk while crossing the Bab al-Mandab annually. 390 species of wild and water birds in Yemen, half of which will be dead on islands. 57 sites for Yemeni birds will be polluted by oil. 170 species of water birds in Aden will be affected
https://twitter.com/holmakhdar/status/1283940295713918977
and
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Yemen oil tanker wreck: Time running out to avert ‘looming environmental, economic and humanitarian catastrophe’
Time is fast running out for getting a UN team of experts aboard the Yemeni oil storage vessel Safer, before it spills its cargo of 1.148 million barrels of light crude oil into the Red Sea, triggering what would likely be a massive environmental and economic catastrophe, the Security Council heard on Wednesday.
The condition of the aging vessel, FSO Safer – officially owned by the Government of Yemen, but controlled since 2015 by Houthi rebels - is deteriorating daily, upping the risk of an oil spill that would wreck ecosystems and livelihoods for decades, said United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) chief, Inger Andersen.
The one-time supertanker, built in Japan in 1974, sprung a leak in late May, flooding its engine room with seawater and threatening to destabilize the vessel and spill its cargo, the Council was told.
“Prevention of such a crisis from precipitating is really the only option”, Ms. Andersen told the Council, which with the exception of Tuesday, has been meeting via video-teleconference since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Despite the difficult operational context, no effort should be spared to first conduct a technical assessment and initial light repairs,” she said. In the longer term, she added, the best option will be to offload the oil from the ship and then tow it to a safe location for inspection and dismantling.
For now, the international community must come up with a response plan should an oil spill occur, she said, emphasizing that the Safer could release four times more oil than the notorious Exxon Valdez disaster did, off Alaska in 1989.
Neither war-torn Yemen nor its neighbours have the capacity to manage and mitigate the consequences of such a huge spill – and private salvage operators will be reluctant to take on a job inside a conflict zone, she said.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/07/1068461
and also, more details: https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/sc14254.doc.htm
and remarks by the US delegate. https://translations.state.gov/2020/07/15/remarks-at-a-un-security-council-briefing-on-the-situation-in-yemen-via-vtc-3/
media report: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/07/16/massive-floating-time-bomb-warnings-ecological-humanitarian-disaster-tanker-risks
and
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Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock – Briefing to the Security Council on the SAFER tanker in Yemen, New York, 15 July 2020
But in May, a leak of the SAFER brought us closer than ever to an environmental catastrophe Inger has just described. Last week, Ansar Allah authorities confirmed in writing they would accept a long-planned UN mission to the tanker, which we hope will take place within the next few weeks.
We understand that Member States are working to finalize funding to pay for the UN mission, which in the first phase will include a technical assessment and any initial repairs that prove possible. Member States have also been helpful in using their good offices to advocate in favour of this work.
So this is a good moment to recap where we are with the SAFER and where, we hope, we are going. There are four issues I’d like to update you on today:
first, the recent leak onboard;
second, what a major spill would mean for local communities;
third, what we have been doing about it;
and fourth, what will happen next.
Let’s start with the incident beginning on 27 May, when seawater began leaking into the SAFER engine room. It is difficult to know precisely what caused this leak, as no maintenance has been carried out on the SAFER, and there have been no international visits to it, since the conflict in Yemen escalated nearly six years ago.
Water coming uncontrollably into the engine room could destabilize the SAFER and potentially sink the entire structure. That would almost certainly lead to a severe oil spill. As Inger just said, the SAFER is carrying 1.1 million barrels of oil. That’s about four times as much oil as was discharged in the Exxon Valdez disaster – a spill the world still talks about thirty years later.
Fortunately, the engine room leak was relatively small, and divers from the SAFER corporation were able to contain it. This dangerous work took five days, with divers spending a cumulative 28 hours under water. The world, Mr. President, owes them a debt of gratitude, and I want to commend them for their work.
But the fix they applied is only temporary, and it is impossible to say how long it might hold. The world might have a bit more time to solve the larger problem – but not much.
This brings me to my second point: the impact of a spill. Inger just describer the appalling environmental consequences for Yemen and its neighbours.
A spill would also be bad news for the Yemeni people – millions of whom already depend on humanitarian aid after nearly six years of war and now, an unprecedented pandemic.
and as the Houthi sides describes this session:
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UN Security Council praises Yemen for cooperation in salvaging Red Sea oil tanker
National Salvation Government works with UN to prevent massive oil spill on FSO Safer
“The Council members praise the Houthis’ announcement to allow a team to access the tanker, and call on representatives of the Houthi member states to turn this commitment into concrete action as soon as possible.”
The statement of the UNSC follows demands by the National Salvation Government for UN action regarding the Safer.
“The Council members expressed deep concern at the increased risk of the oil tanker’s decomposition or explosion, and an environmental, economic and humanitarian disaster for Yemen and its neighbours,” President of the Security Council and German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen told reporters in a statement.
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UN: Tanker off Yemen risks spilling four times as much oil as Exxon Valdez
If action is not taken to deal with a deteriorating oil tanker stranded off the coast of war-torn Yemen there is a risk it could spill four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster near Alaska, the United Nations warned on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
The Safer tanker is carrying 1.1 million barrels of crude oil and has been stranded off Yemen’s Red Sea oil terminal of Ras Issa for more than five years. On May 27 water began leaking into the engine room, threatening to destabilize it, U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock told a Security Council meeting on the issue.
While divers from the Safer Corporation were able to fix the leak, Lowcock – who has mentioned the plight of the tanker during monthly council briefings on Yemen for more than a year – warned that “it is impossible to say how long it might hold.”
“The Safer is carrying 1.1 million barrels of oil. That’s about four times as much oil as was discharged in the Exxon Valdez disaster – a spill the world still talks about thirty years later,” Lowcock said.
In a statement after the briefing, the 15-member Security Council “expressed deep alarm at the growing risk that the Safer oil tanker could rupture or explode, causing an environmental, economic, and humanitarian catastrophe for Yemen and its neighbours.”
Last week Houthi officials said they would agree to allow a U.N. mission to conduct a technical assessment and whatever initial repairs might be feasible on the tanker. But Lowcock said similar assurances were given in August 2019 and then the Houthis cancelled the mission one day before departure.
https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/un-warns-environmental-time-bomb-yemens-coast
and
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Film: UN warns over oil tanker stranded off Yemen coast for years
The United Nations is warning that time is running out for a derelict oil tanker which has been stranded off the west coast of Yemen for five years Both the Yemeni government and Houthi fighters lay claim to its valuable cargo - and neither side is willing to budge. But Houthi authorities have promised to allow a UN team of engineers to access the tanker to prevent a giant oil spill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w3F1H85NR0
and
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Military mentality of aggression states to blame for humanitarian crisis in Yemen, Houthi leader
The US-Saudi-UAE aggression on Yemen is responsible for the humanitarian crisis in the country, a senior Houthi leader said on Tuesday.
Member of the Houthi supreme political council, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, wrote on Twitter: "The aggression states' dealing with humanitarian files with a military mentality is to blame for all crises in Yemen".
He called on the UN to send mazut for the Safer floating storage and offloading terminal first if there is seriousness to address the issue of the abandoned terminal off Yemen's western coast.
"The aggression states have been preventing entry of mazut for the terminal since 2016 forcing its boilers to shut down," he said. "Thus the US-Saudi-UAE aggression must be held responsible for any consequences".
https://debriefer.net/en/news-18483.html
and
(A P)
US says Houthis uses Safer for greater leverage
Yemen's Houthis have been using the decaying Safer tanker as a bargaining chip for additional political and economic leverage, the United States said Wednesday, holding the Iranian-backed group responsible for any environmental disaster.
"The Houthis alone have retained sole access to the tanker, and the Houthis alone are responsible for its decay," the US permanent representative to the UN told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
"If there is a leak or, worse, an explosion, the Houthis will bear sole responsibility for any disaster, due to their cynical efforts to use the Safer as a bargaining chip for additional political and economic leverage, Ambassador Kelly Craft added in briefing on the situation in Yemen.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-18521.html
My comment: Both sides insist they must get the revenue from selling the crude. Without the US-fueled war, there would not be any SAFER-problem.
(A P)
US misleads the world with statements on Yemen tanker, Houthi leader
Senior Houthi leader, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, said on Thursday the Americans are misleading the world with their statements about Yemen while they should rather pay more attention to the situation in their country.
The USA has not respected its agreements with China, Russia or Iran and has not stopped its support to the war in Yemen, he said.
Al-Houthi's statement came in response to a call by US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, on the Ansar Allah Group, also known as the Houthis, to facilitate UN inspection of the FSO Safer tanker.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-18530.html
and
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Yemen [Hadi] Govt. Questions Houthi Approval for UN Team to Inspect Safer Tanker
The legitimate Yemeni government questioned on Sunday the Iran-backed Houthi militias’ sincerity in granting a United Nations team access to the stranded Safer oil tanker that risks causing an environmental disaster off the coast of the war-torn country.
Legitimate government spokesman Rajeh Badi questioned the motives behind the Houthi move, saying it may simply be a maneuver aimed at avoiding discussing the tanker at the Security Council.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government has doubts about the Houthis’ “credibility”.
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-18450.html
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Why Would Saudi Arabia Consider Supporting Yemen’s Separatists?
Riyadh has grown increasingly weary of the negative PR on Yemen, a frustrating UN policy that has favored the Houthis, and what it believes to be a heavily distorted narrative on Yemen. More importantly, it is becoming distrustful of the internationally recognized government it seeks to rescue and fears the impact a new US administration might have on the dynamics of the conflict.
Abu Dhabi has also had a more personal and direct role in facilitating the rise of Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman and lobbying for his recognition in Washington. Saudi Arabia may have been perturbed with the public embarrassment caused by Abu Dhabi’s actions. But, the lack of credible alternatives that align with Saudi interests mean that working with the UAE remains the “best” option.
Third, Saudi Arabia has become weary of the negative PR and what it believes to be a heavily distorted narrative on Yemen. Despite the fact that the Houthis overthrew a government agreed upon by all Yemen’s political parties and plunged the country into war by launching a seventh armed bid for power and control, media coverage focuses on the humanitarian crisis brought about by its disastrous military campaign that has failed to yield much progress in ousting the Houthis from Sanaa.
From Riyadh’s perspective, Yemen was never a war it wanted to enter into willingly. Mohamed Bin Salman will have noted the disastrous consequences of his cousin Prince Khaled Bin Sultan’s campaign against the Houthis in 2009 when the latter’s father was Crown Prince and Khaled was tipped as a potential future King. The failed campaign ended all hopes for Prince Khaled and he lapsed into obscurity.
Moreover, Bin Salman was not secure domestically at the outset of the war in Yemen and was still embroiled in a fierce succession struggle with powerful rivals Mohamed Bin Nayef and Abdulrahman Bin AbdulAziz. The aim in Yemen has always been to contain Iran which is seen as being in firm control of Baghdad on the Northern Border, exerting itself in the Arabian/Persian Gulf in the East (there have been disturbances in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Shia province), and backing Houthis on the Southern border where the militia have launched missiles on Saudi mainland.
In pursuit of this strategy, tremendous damage to Yemen’s infrastructure has been wrought with famine and cholera rife as the humanitarian crisis becomes compounded by the continuation of war and the absence of any peace initiative. And, as a result of the escalating humanitarian crisis that shows little sign of abating, the UN appears more interested in peace at any cost as opposed to a serious agreement between all of Yemen’s parties. Saudi Arabia has been particularly frustrated at UN interventions that seem to have rescued the Houthis from the brink of military defeat.
Given the UN actions have inadvertently bolstered the Houthis over the years, and the heavily negative media coverage towards the Saudi coalition, Saudi Arabia may well be preparing for the possibility of being forced into negotiations with the Houthis on unfavorable terms that might demand a recognition of Houthis newfound power. Were that to happen, the image of Hadi’s government would be in tatters at having failed to reverse the coup and the National Dialogue would become obsolete. In such an event, an ally in the STC would prove useful in limiting the newfound influence of the Houthis in determining the future of Yemen.
Fourth, Saudi officials are aware that Trump is struggling in the polls in the US and that there is a possibility that Biden may win the elections.
Therefore, to prepare for such an eventuality, Saudi Arabia may well believe that supporting the STC as an insurance for a scenario where the war ends as a stalemate between North and South will ensure its interests are represented in a manner that they would otherwise not be if it were to only support the internationally recognized government.
https://insidearabia.com/why-would-saudi-arabia-consider-supporting-yemens-separatists/
(* B H K P)
Yemen fragmenting under pressure of war, collapsing economy and COVID-19
Around 14 million of Yemen’s 28 million population are on the brink of starvation, while 80 percent are reliant on food aid.
The Saudis’ 257,000 aerial strikes and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) naval blockade have caused the deaths of at least 230,000 civilians, both directly and indirectly due to hunger and disease, and displaced 3.6 million. Save the Children estimated last year that at least 75,000 under the age of five have starved to death since the onset of the war. The worst cholera epidemic on record has infected an estimated 1.2 million people and led to at least 2,500 deaths, while the recent floods have sparked a dengue fever outbreak in Hadramawt. The United Nations has recorded 137,000 cases of cholera and diarrhea this year, nearly a quarter of them in children under five.
Armed gangs, militias, and former Saudi mercenaries terrorise the people and extort money. Hospitals and schools do not have basic necessities, while water supplies, telecommunications, electricity generation and the road system barely function, if at all, due to the Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes.
Human rights organisations have reported extrajudicial detentions, beatings, nail removal and electric shocks in Yemen’s unofficial detention centres and prisons, which have expanded during the war, with abuses committed by all parties to the war. This is in addition to the atrocious conditions in the official prisons and detention centres.
The recent escalation in fighting follows the failure of the Riyadh Agreement, backed by the US and France and signed by the Hadi government and the secessionist Southern Transitional Council in November last year, for a power sharing deal, as well as the Saudis’ efforts over the last four months to effect a ceasefire.
The US and UK, along with the other major powers, have backed the Saudi-led coalition to the hilt. They have supplied it with fighter jets, sophisticated weapons, material, military intelligence, refueling facilities and even covert forces on the ground. They not only provided diplomatic cover at the United Nations Security Council, but even secured an arms embargo on the groups under the control of the Houthis and former president Saleh—until he switched sides.
The five-year-long war has turned into several conflicts and fragmented the country into three areas.
The economy has also collapsed. Yemen’s currency, the rial, has plummeted to its lowest rate against foreign currencies since the start of the war in March 2015, falling by 12 percent since the start of 2020 to 800 rials to the US dollar, amid international warnings of further falls.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/07/15/yeme-j15.html
(A P)
Reaktion Irans auf Beschuldigungen des Kooperationsrates: Stoppt Angriffe auf den Jemen
Das iranische Außenministerium hat als Reaktion auf die unbegründeten Behauptungen des Generalsekretärs des Kooperationsrates des Persischen Golfes gegen Iran reagiert und den Stopp der Angriffe der saudisch geführten Koalition auf jemenitische Frauen und Kinder gefordert.
(A P)
Zarif: Iran will keep trying to send Yemen relief aid despite Saudi siege
Despite the ongoing restrictions and setbacks, Iran will keep up its efforts to transfer humanitarian aid to Yemen, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says, denouncing continuation of the Saudi-led war and siege against the impoverished country as “unacceptable.”
(* B K P)
Report: Saudi Arabia Considers Building Oil Port in Yemen
Saudi Arabia may be planning to construct an oil terminal in al-Mahra, Yemen, an area that Saudi-allied forces currently control.
According to a letter reviewed by Al Jazeera, the Saudi marine construction company Huta Marine has been asked to formulate a proposal for an oil port in al-Mahra. Yemeni media have previously discussed rumored plans to build a pipeline from Saudi oil fields to al-Mahra, giving Saudi Aramco an export terminal on the Arabian Gulf.
al-Mahra is Yemen's easternmost province, and is far from the fighting between Saudi coalition forces and Houthi rebels on Yemen's Red Sea coast. It has escaped the worst effects of the four-year conflict, but it is widely seen as a smuggling gateway for Iranian arms bound for rebel forces, and the UAE and Saudi forces have deployed troops to the area in an attempt to secure it. These arms - including sophisticated missile components - are allegedly smuggled into Oman by sea, then carried overland into al-Mahra and onward to the west.
For Saudi Arabia, a petroleum port in al-Mahra would offer a different strategic advantage: it would not be constrained by the Strait of Hormuz or the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, two strategic choke points that both affect its current shipping routes. Iran has repeatedly threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz by force, and Houthi rebels have successfully attacked Saudi tankers near Bab el-Mandeb.
A pipeline from Saudi oil fields to al-Mahra would likely have to cross the vast sands of the Empty Quarter, or Rub' al Khali Desert. Saudi Arabia's most productive wells are to the north of the desert, clustered near its Persian Gulf coast.
https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/report-saudi-arabia-considers-building-oil-port-in-yemen
My comment: On Yemeni soil. – This report explains a lot.
(* B H P)
Why is a ceasefire needed in Yemen now?
So why am I personally talking about Yemen today? For me, the pandemic hit the heart of my home with the death of my father who lived in our family home in Aden, a little seaside city in the south of Yemen. In early May, after a few hours of complaining of breathing problems that could have been caused by the coronavirus, he passed to another life.
Since early May the coronavirus has taken hold in Yemen, spreading among families and cities. It has deepened the misery for millions of people in Yemen. Every day, other Yemenis living abroad like me sit on the outside praying for this war to end.
We try to refocus our efforts on trying to overcome the real challenge that lies ahead — the one we all face — of fighting the inequalities driven by the coronavirus that affect people in Yemen, just like it is in places like London, New York or Madrid.
During lockdown, we’ve all had to live through missing family and friends. And losing some.
Today, I sit here and wonder — when will there be an end to the brutal war in my country?
The last five years of conflict have caused tens of thousands to lose their lives, and increased food insecurity to levels I cannot imagine. Many people I know across the country are finding it hard to put three meals a day on the table. This is the reality for millions of people in Yemen.
We’ll never be able to tackle the coronavirus while wars are still raging. We need to silence the guns and stand with those calling for immediate and permanent local ceasefires. And stand with those who are unable to access adequate health care and sanitation. We need to focus on ensuring inclusive and lasting peace, so that global efforts focus on the real challenges of inequality — and our drive to overcome coronavirus.
https://medium.com/@Oxfam/why-is-a-ceasefire-needed-in-yemen-now-b7a626dae63a
(* B K P)
Jemen: Im Schraubstock der Mächtigen
Was viele Epochen der jemenitischen Geschichte indes eint, ist ein Land als Zankapfel unterschiedlicher Mächte und Interessengruppen. Ein genauer Blick in die jüngste Vergangenheit des Jemen und auf die aktuelle Situation verdeutlicht, dass der Jemen sich in einer stetigen Abwärtsspirale befindet – politisch, wirtschaftlich und gesellschaftlich. Diesen Erosionsprozess fördern ausländische Interventionen in ein Staatsgebilde am Abgrund, einem sogenannten "failed state". Oder anders formuliert: Der Jemen, zementiert im Schraubstock der Mächtigen.
Unter dem Vorwand den Einfluss der vom Iran unterstützten Huthi zu brechen, findet seit Jahren ein Völkermord an den Jemeniten statt.
Das Onlinemagazin Telepolis brachte es im Januar 2019 auf den Punkt: "Mit der Resolution 2216 legitimiert die UN den Völkermord. Die UN selber schafft damit ihr eigenes Fundament, das Völkerrecht, ab." Und weiter heißt es: "Die UN-Resolution 2216, die dem von Seiten der SAC (Saudi-Arabian guided Coalition, Anmerkung der Redaktion) und ihrer westlichen Mentoren praktizierten Völkermord im Jemen erst Tür und Tor geöffnet hat, muss von der UN selbst widerrufen werden." [2] Mit diesem Verhalten stellt sich einmal mehr die Frage, welche Rolle und Funktion die UN eigentlich einnimmt, wenn sie (nicht zum ersten Mal) solche Resolutionen verabschiedet und damit billigend den Tod von Hunderttausenden Menschen in Kauf nimmt.
Auch die Rolle Deutschlands im Jemen-Konflikt gilt es zu hinterfragen. Denn die deutsche Regierung hat allein seit Anfang 2019 Rüstungsexporte von über einer Milliarde Euro gerade an die Länder genehmigt, die im Jemen Krieg führen.
Teile der deutschen Regierung sehen indes gerade in Saudi-Arabien einen strategischen Partner und selbst Rüstungsgüter wurden trotz der "Ruheregelung" in das Land exportiert.
https://www.risknet.de/themen/risknews/jemen-im-schraubstock-der-maechtigen/
(* B K P)
Modern Ignorance of Saudis in Yemen
This lack of transparency from the Saudis is also par for the course, with Saudis not commenting on their own attacks, but emphasizing that Ansarullah movement fires across the border, though Saudis claim they intercept them all, though facts on the ground have already proved this latter claim to be groundless.
The war-torn nation has been suffering for years because Saudis and their Western allies show no intention to stop glorifying the violence, pull back from the port city of Hodeida, and move on from the protracted conflict - amid a ceasefire agreement endorsed by the UN Security Council.
As well, the United States and its NATO allies had the chance to be a champion of peace in the Arabian Peninsula, yet they erroneously provided logistical support for the Saudi-led campaign of air raids and henceforth became complicit with Saudis in the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe.
The comparison couldn’t be grimmer. It is because of the deliberate actions and mistakes of all these Saudi-led players and their Western backers that tens of thousands of innocent civilians, including women and children, have been killed, millions of poor families have lost their homes, and the blockaded country is on the brink of famine and mass starvation amid the pandemic. What else did they expect? This was predictable right from the outset.
The Saudis and their allies are mistaken to assume that risking the lives of millions of civilians to disease, blockade and airstrikes is a price worth for the pointless intervention to restore to power former president Hadi. President Trump is also dead wrong to think his military support could help win the battle and protect America’s security and interests in the region.
Far from it, the ruthless war cannot be won and it’s a fantasy to insist otherwise. The warmongers should realize the vision of UN-brokered ceasefire agreement instead, and work for a solution to the humanitarian crisis. They should attend peace talks in good faith and without preconditions, and stick to any agreement reached there.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990424001218
(A K P)
Houthis appreciate Iranian position over aggression, blockade on Yemen
https://debriefer.net/en/news-18477.html
(A K P)
Zarif Stresses Political Way as Sole Remedy for Yemeni Crisis
Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said the only solution to Yemen’s chronic crisis lies in politics, and noted that Tehran will continue exports of medicine and food to the war-ravaged country.
Zarif made the remarks through videoconference with Yemen's National Salvation Government’s Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf Abdullah on Tuesday.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990424000882
(A K P)
Instead of accusing Iran, focus on resolving Yemen crisis
Iran's spokesperson of the foreign ministry called for the Secretary-General of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council Nayef Al-Hajraf to focus on removing the Yemen crisis instead of making false accusations against Iran.
In a reaction to the false accusations made by Al-Hajraf about Yemen, Mousavi said: "Instead of making accusations and claims against the Islamic Republic of Iran, I advise the new Secretary-General to focus on seizing the attack of aggressors on Yemeni women and children and resolving the crisis through Yemeni-Yemeni talks."
"In contrast to the request of the Arab nations and regional Islamic countries, some of the members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council have remained quiet against the threats of the US and the Zionist regime as well as the bombardment of Yemeni people and blockade of the country, which has stopped imports of fuel, foodstuff, and medicine to it."
Mousavi added that the Saudis' stance toward the resigned Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's government and to UN General-Secretary's move to stop the war in Yemen proves Saudi Arabia's hypocritical behavior.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/160954/Instead-of-accusing-Iran-focus-on-resolving-Yemen-crisis
and also https://ifpnews.com/iran-urges-gcc-chief-to-stop-blame-game-focus-on-ending-yemen-war
(* B P)
Yemen war: Tortured for supporting the 'wrong' side
An independent human rights group, Mwatana, has been monitoring cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and deaths in detention across Yemen, documenting many in a recently released report.
The report uncovers a grim picture of 11 unofficial detention centres run by all those involved in the conflict - some by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and others by their enemies; armed groups loyal to the Yemeni government; and military factions allied with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Victims are targeted for supporting - or suspected of supporting - opposing sides in the conflict, the disappearances used as a way to impose authority on areas under a faction's control.
All sides to the conflict deny sanctioning arbitrary detention.
The report documents more than 1,600 cases of arbitrary detention, 770 of enforced disappearance and 344 of torture since 2016, and includes accounts from former detainees, their relatives, eyewitnesses and lawyers.
Investigators confirmed 66 deaths in detention - many due to torture including electrocution, being hung up, beaten and mutilated - though it is feared that the true number is much higher.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53308651
My remark: The report already had been published several weeks ago: BBC is a little bit late.
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(A P)
[Sanaa gov.] Oil Ministry, Yemen Gas Company condemn continued detention of oil trailers in Marib
The Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals and the Yemeni Gas Company have condemned the continued detention of 1,200 gas trailers in the areas of al-Falaj, al-Jarsha, al-Juba, al -al-Sadarah, and al-Manafil in Marib province for 23 days.
A statement issued by the Ministry and the company, Saba got a copy of it, confirmed the Ministry and the company are keen on facilitating the access of domestic gas to all provinces of the Republic.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3102678.htm
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=13951
(A E P)
Film: How the oil derivatives crisis affected Dhamar Governorate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbaBkv0I6MU
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(* B H P)
Yemen Environment Bulletin: How Weak Urban Planning, Climate Change and War are Magnifying Floods and Natural Disasters
This year, Yemen experienced a series of weather shocks as flash floods swept through 15 governorates across Yemen between March 24 and June 6, affecting some areas multiple times.
The long-term impact of floods and natural disasters on the various sectors and overall GDP in Yemen are little understood, but some studies conducted following the 2008 Hadramawt floods indicate a lingering effect of such disasters on food security and household income. While agriculture is the sector worst hit by floods, others such as the service sector and food processing industries feel the shockwaves of such disasters.[3] According to the Climate Investment Fund, the 2008 floods inflicted damage amounting to 6 percent of GDP.[4]
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more intense, bringing Yemen face-to-face with a looming climate change emergency
Between March and June 2020, 150,000 people were affected by the floods, including 64,000 internally displaced people, and a further 7,000 became displaced within this period as a direct result of the floods.[8]
In ideal circumstances, the responsibility for rescue operations and disaster response coordination lies with the Civil Defense Authority, according to Yemen’s Law 24 of 1997 on the Civil Defense.[9]
The civil defense official explained that the agency does not have the capacity or resources for the wide range of responsibilities stipulated in the law or set in its disaster response plan.[11]
In discussions with people from some of the affected governorates, one gets the impression that each operates in isolation; there is no sense that climate change-related disasters cross not only governorate lines but national and international borders. According to Anwar No’man, an environmental scientist who has been working on climate change in Yemen since 1996, Yemen is party to the main international environmental treaties and has taken some steps in adaptation and mitigation. In 2009 it developed a National Adaptation Program of Action and continued to submit periodic reports to the parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the latest of which was in June 2018. However, development and climate change projects were sidelined during the war as donors shifted their focus and funds to short-term humanitarian aid. “Climate change action is an emergency that requires long-term commitment,” No’man said. When asked about whether communities are aware of climate change, he explained, “Farmers are becoming aware of a shift in seasons and rain pattern disruptions. They might not be aware of concepts such as climate change and global warming, but they understand from first-hand experience that nature is changing and it’s causing their crops to fail.” [21]
This year’s floods, an emergency requiring an immediate response on par with humanitarian emergencies caused by the war, are also part of a global emergency that requires a coordinated long-term commitment. There is no sign that the intensity of rains and cyclones will be abated; on the contrary, they are expected to become more extreme. Communities and local governments require the tools and knowledge to adapt to such disasters and to understand the risks of redirecting rainwater without proper planning. The frequency of floods in Yemen should make flood risk reduction in IDP sites a priority, especially as several IDP sites are situated in high-risk areas.. The risk of floods remains high in Yemen for the upcoming months as the rainy season may stretch until October – By Yasmeen Al-Eryani
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/10346
(* B H)
Black Yemenis remain in shadows, far from global protests
At a time when the Black Lives Matter movement is reshaping societies, black Yemenis have scant hope for an end to centuries of discrimination that has only worsened during the country's civil war.
The life of Haitham Hassan in the capital Sanaa remains unchanged despite the global wave of protests sparked by the death in May of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, who was pinned down under a white US police officer's knee.
Hassan gives no flicker of recognition when asked about Black Lives Matter. But he can recount how he faces racism on a daily basis, often having to tolerate slurs that mean "slave" or "servant" because of the colour of his skin.
In Sanaa, members of the minority group known as "Muhamasheen" -- literally the "Marginalised" -- live in dismal conditions in densely populated slums.
They count among the poorest of the poor in the Arab world's most impoverished country blighted by more than five years of conflict.
In the narrow streets of a shantytown in southern Sanaa, lined with makeshift tents and cardboard homes along with a few simple brick structures, women cook outside on stoves fuelled with scraps of rubbish.
"It's as if we are not part of Yemeni society, even though we hold Yemeni identification papers," Hassan told AFP.
"Our children in schools are treated differently... and we are looked at sideways on the streets and in markets."
Black Yemenis -- who make up between two and 10 percent of the population, according to various estimates -- have long struggled to survive, confined as they are to low-paying jobs like street sweeping or collecting garbage.
They exist outside the country's tribal social structure, a life on the margins, which increases their vulnerability.
"We suffer from racial discrimination... they have given us no rights, but it is time that we are granted those rights," said Moujahid Azzam, a community leader in the rebel-held city of Sanaa.
Last month, rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Huthi called for the integration of black Yemenis into society under a long-term national programme, raising hope but also sparking scepticism.
According to the president of the National Union of the Marginalised, which advocates for the community in Yemen, the rebels' call is merely a ploy to draw them into their ranks.
"The goal is to play on the emotions of the marginalised and recruit them to fight on the front lines," Nuaman al-Hudhaifi told AFP.
https://www.france24.com/en/20200716-black-yemenis-remain-in-shadows-far-from-global-protests = https://sg.news.yahoo.com/black-yemenis-remain-shadows-far-global-protests-020732189.html
and film (in French): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_871e115vb0
(B H)
RDP: Yemen: Monthly Situation Report (June 2020)
NUTRITION:
Supporting 657 food distribution points (FDPs) with approximately 1,384 MTs of BSFP commodities (428 MTs of P.doz and 956 MTs of Soya) in 16 districts.
Through six health facilities, RDP continues to support 192 children U5 and 347 pregnant and lactating women with MAM treatment in Taizz governorate.
FOOD SECURITY & LIVELIHOOD:
Through the general food distribution (GFD), RDP helps alleviate the suffering of 53,452 individuals in Wald Rabi, Al Malagim, and As Sawadiya districts.
WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE:
Pumping groundwater from Al-Manhi water well to measure its pumping rate in Masrooh sub-district, Khayran Al Muharraq district of Hajjah.
Training 81 health workers (2 HWs/HF) on the proper management of small-scale medical incinerators in Dhamar, Al-Bayda and Marib.
HEALTH:
Reaching over 73,166 individuals of all gender through awareness-raising campaigns for COVID-19-related-messages in Ibb, Taizz, and Marib.
Delivering primary healthcare services to 2,046 individuals in spite of the current armed conflicts in Al Abdyiah district of Marib governorate.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-monthly-situation-report-june-2020
(B H)
WHO Yemen Situation Report, June 2020 - Issue No.6
HIGHLIGHTS
- Health authorities announced 835 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 232 associated deaths from 10 governorates in Yemen.
- A high-Level Pledging Event was held in Riyadh on 2 June. Donors pledged US$1.35 billion of the $2.41 billion needed to cover the humanitarian response in 2020. The funding gap remains huge with only $558M provided so far.
- Since mid-April, 31 of 41 of critical UN programmes have been reducing or closing for lack of funding. In additional funds are not secured, life-saving programs might be closed.
- An ongoing fuel crisis continues to threaten access to food, hospital operations and water supplies which are fuel-dependent and crucial to preventing virus transmission and to the response and presents a further obstacle to people seeking treatment.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/who-yemen-situation-report-june-2020-issue-no6
(* B H)
Yemen Revised humanitarian response Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) May–December 2020
Impact of COVID-19 on food security and agriculture
- Over half of Yemen’s population is facing severe hunger and malnutrition rates are soaring. For over five years, armed conflict has been the main driver of food insecurity. The country’s collapsing economy, import restrictions and ongoing insecurity are driving food prices up, proving devastating for a population that heavily relies on imports for its staple foods.
- A hotspot Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis in 29 of the 45 most food-insecure districts (according to the December 2018 IPC) was issued in July 2019. The results of the hotspot analysis indicated that 1.2 million people in the 29 analysed districts were in severe acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3+) between July and September 2019.
- Even before COVID-19, agriculture, Yemen’s main economic sector, has been crippled by the compounding effects of displacements; disease outbreaks (including cholera, which infected over 1 million people between 2017 and 2019); and natural hazards (including widespread flooding since mid-April affecting over 150 000 people).
- The presence of plant pests, such as fall armyworm and desert locusts, are further endangering agricultural livelihoods.
The current desert locust crisis is estimated by the Wo
In a country already facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, the spread of COVID-19 could have dire consequences not only on the already overwhelmed health system, but also on food security and agricultural livelihoods. Access to the most vulnerable beneficiaries, which was already difficult prior the COVID-19 pandemic, is proving to be a serious challenge in 2020.
- Vulnerable households’ assets are at near collapse and their coping mechanisms have almost been exhausted, leading to negative and extreme behaviours like selling land, productive assets and livestock, which greatly compromise food security at the household level. Acute malnutrition also remains a serious concern for some households in the worst- affected areas.
- Casual labour opportunities have continued to decrease and household income levels are now falling to lower levels since the restrictions came into force. Although imported and locally produced food commodities are available in all markets – and all points of entry (sea and land ports) remain open – food is increasingly becoming inaccessible for vulnerable households, as prices soar.
(* B H)
Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 16 July 2020
Ongoing COVID-19 prevention measures continue to cause economic strain, loss of livelihoods, anxiety and psychosocial issues among internally displaced persons (IDPs) and asylum-seekers. Practices such as social distancing, frequent handwashing and wearing masks are relatively unachievable in crowded accommodations that lack basic resources. A recent field visit to Amran governorate to assess the needs of IDPs reported increasing protection concerns including child labour and begging by women, particularly those whose husbands and sons are fighting on the frontlines. Early marriage is also on the rise. Displaced children are more exposed to violence and harassment by peers from the host community, and the vast majority are out of school. During the first six months of this year, some 10,000 displaced Yemenis received psychosocial support from UNHCR partners for anxiety, stress, instability, psychological trauma, and attempted suicide. Twelve per cent of all cases were children, while four per cent were referred to specialised mental health services and received targeted assistance.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-16-july-2020
(* B H)
YEMEN: THE STRENGTH TO SAVE MY FAMILY
Health educator Zainab shares her deeply personal story of heartbreak and determination amid Yemen's brutal civil war
I’ve now been working with MSF for three years. My work has helped me on a personal level; it has helped my family, as I support them financially; and it has helped the people who are most in need. My work here is a blessing from God.
My role is as a health educator, raising awareness among pregnant women and new mothers about hygiene and health issues, about diseases and how to prevent them, and also about MSF and its work.
Prior to the war, my life in Taiz was good and stable. I could study. After my mother died, life became more difficult, but I had my father for support.
However, the hardships grew once war broke out; no salaries were paid to employees and the economic situation of most Yemenis got worse.
Once I had finished my studies, I looked for a job so that I could support my family through these difficult times. I’m the eldest of my siblings and feel responsible for them.
I had heard about MSF and this hospital – the name MSF was synonymous with pregnant women. So, when they said they needed health educators, I applied immediately.
When I entered the hospital that first day, I felt I was entering a special place, that I was part of the MSF I saw on TV. To me, that meant the world.
I’ve been living here ever since they closed the roads. For two years I couldn’t reach the city to see my family or even send money to support my siblings. My sister was still at university and my other sister would soon follow her, while my younger siblings required care and attention.
https://blogs.msf.org/bloggers/zainab/yemen-strength-save-my-family
(B H)
Charity to offer Qurbani to over 700,000 beneficiaries in conflict and disaster zones
UK charity Muslim Hands is distributing Qurbani meat in 23 countries, which will help feed 722,000 of the world's neediest people. Countries supported will include Yemen, Kashmir and the UK with the meat being distributed during the three day Eid al-Adha festival, celebrated between 31st July to 1st August.
(B H)
Yemen: Health Cluster Bulletin, April-May 2020
During April and May 2020, Health Cluster Partners supported a total number of 2624 Health Facilities (16 Governorate Hospitals, 127 District Hospitals, 59 General Hospitals, 19 Specialized Hospitals, 652 Health Centers, and 1751 Health Units).
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-health-cluster-bulletin-april-may-2020
(* B H)
The martyr of the salary ... The story of a Yemeni teacher who died on the sidewalk, hungry and desperate
Amira, 48, is a government teacher who started his career from his hometown in the Directorate of Marawaa in Al-Hodeidah Governorate (western Yemen), before moving to teach in the capital, Sanaa, during a journey that lasted about 25 years, including five years of hardship in which he remained without salary.
After a long suffering as a result of his salary stoppage since September 2016, which is his only source of income to support his family and children, the teacher Amira decided to go to Aden, where the internationally recognized government headquarters is, to claim his salary, and for several months he remained there reviewing specialists in the ministries of education and finance, but without Feasibility.
And Al-Wahabani quoted Amira as saying, "He addressed me, saying, I am an educator who has served more than twenty-five years tirelessly, and I have given all of my strength and successive generations to this country and my youth my belief in my message and my love for my profession, and today after this giving and this trip I am without salary and sleep on the sidewalk and in Garden courtyards and eat from the rest of the restaurant owners' leftovers.
The salary crisis has dealt a devastating blow to the class of government sector employees who have entered into a conflict with hunger and have fallen into a cycle of extreme poverty.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/197820
(B H)
SFD Yemen: In remote hights marred with conflict, the joy will last for years; the dream about getting water next door has come true. Each of the 116 poor families now has a rain harvesting tank + labor wage. Wadi Khulab, Tahwad & AlGhaida villages - Saqeen #Saada (photos)
https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1282725124844802049
(* B H)
Film: Plight of seven-month-old Issa in Yemen highlights the heartbreaking cost of war
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQBjAcPO92Y
(B H)
Rahma Jemen: Im Jemen sind 10 Mio. Menschen akut vor einer Nahrungsmittelknappheit und somit vom Hungertod bedroht. Der Ausbruch von Covid-19 hat im Land eine Notlage verursacht. Jemen benötigt dringend Lebensmittelhilfe. Im Rahmen unserer Nothilfe für Jemen konnten wir 280 LM-Pakete an Menschen ausgeben (Fotos).
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=132966750196925&story_fbid=1594242857402633
(* B H)
Film: Kinder in Kriegs- und Krisengebieten: Maysoun aus dem Jemen
Maysoun Alhajomar arbeitet als Ingenieurin für UNICEF im Jemen. Mit ihrem Team versorgt sie die Kinder im Jemen mit sicherem Trinkwasser - in Konfliktregionen für viele keine Selbstverständlichkeit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R7XSXDpkQ8
(B H)
Japan offers $3-mln aid for Yemen's psychotherapy centers: WHO
The World Health Organization on Monday unveiled a Japanese support to meet needs of and rehabilitate the al-Amal Hospital for psycho and neural diseases in the Yemeni capital Sana'a.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-18452.html
(B H)
World Vision Yemen Response: Situation Report 2 (External Version) April - June 2020
ADRA continues to implement the WASH project in Southern Yemen in Aden, Lahj and Al Dahle. As of the end of June, 6 waterpoints and 15 manholes have been completed. ADRA however was unable to start works on 6 water points and a wastewater treatment plant in Abyan due to the conflict that erupted between the government of Yemen and the STC in Abyan. With WV and ADH's approval, ADRA cancelled plans to work in Abyan and reallocated activities to Lahj. With this amendment, the project now will rehabilitate 29 waterpoints, 15 manholes and distribute 500 hygiene kits to internally displaced people.
(B H)
Protection Cluster: Yemen 4Ws Humanitarian Presence as of March 2020
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/protection-cluster-yemen-4ws-humanitarian-presence-march-2020
Protection Cluster: Yemen Response and Gap Analysis - Activities of Protection Cluster Including Child Protection and Women Protection Sub-Clusters, (As of March 2020)
Hub snapshots.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-al-hudaydah-hub-snapshot-january-december-2019
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-ibb-hub-snapshot-january-december-2019
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-aden-hub-snapshot-january-december-2019
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-sana-hub-snapshot-january-december-2019
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-sa-adah-hub-snapshot-january-december-2019
(B H)
Red Cross warns that two-thirds of Yemenis have no food
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned on Saturday that two-thirds of Yemenis do not have food, and almost as many have no access to health care.
In a series of statements on Twitter, the ICRC added that 58 per cent of Yemenis have no access to clean water, and 11 per cent suffer from acute malnutrition.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200713-red-cross-warns-that-two-thirds-of-yemenis-have-no-food/
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp4 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-667b-yemen-war-mosaic-667b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-666-yemen-war-mosaic-666
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-666 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-666:
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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