... Die saudische Pipeline des Hasses – Schwere Kämpfe in Jawf und Hodeidah – und mehr
Oct. 11, 2020: The fate of Saudi interventon in Yemen – Adressing the southern issue – The Houthis‘ special tax in favor of their elite – Prosthetics in Yemen – The Saudi pipeline of hate – Heavy fighting in Jawf and Hodeidah – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-685b-yemen-war-mosaic-685b
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavitrus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
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
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B P)
There are dangerous signs for the fate of the Saudi intervention in Yemen
The commander of the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen, Aidarus Al-Zoubaidi, appeared last month in the guise of a full-fledged president, surrounded by Saudi Arabian guards, meeting figures who are said to be separatist southerners and raising the separatist flag alongside the Saudi flag. All of these are bad signs for the fate of the Saudi intervention in Yemen.
This took place in the luxurious and terrifying Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in the Saudi capital Riyadh
In the little scenario noted above, Al-Zoubaidi appeared to be a hypothetical president, but he shared many things with the true President of Yemen, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Both men, for example, live confined by Saudi intelligence in five-star luxury, receive financial support from Riyadh and are guarded by Saudi security and intelligence officers. Their actions are under full Saudi control, and neither can hold a position that is inconsistent with Saudi interests.
Meanwhile, President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi is increasingly isolated as the gap between him and his country widens. His influence in Yemen is diminishing gradually and is instead going to the armed separatist movements in the south and the Houthi Imamate group in the north.
It is repulsive for the president and his senior aides to engage in conflicts that could provide indefinite excuses for all sides by claiming that the other is the one blocking the full interests of the legitimate authority which can be fulfilled through implementation of the Riyadh Agreement. This is yet another document to be added to the list of failed agreements.
Two months have passed since Dr Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed was tasked with re-forming the government, which is twice as long as the time allocated. This government is supposed to include 24 ministers, divided equally between the north and south of Yemen, with the prime minister appointing ministers for sovereign matters.
The prime minister-designate has still did not formed such a government, even though he is the Saudi choice for the role. The ongoing lack of an administration is due to reasons other than the political parties’ inability to be partners and the lack of justice in the distribution of ministerial portfolios. Rather, it is because the transitional council, the head of which is in Riyadh, has still not accepted the ending of the military and security influence over the separatist council in the temporary political capital, Aden.
Such a goal will only be achieved with the withdrawal of the STC forces from the city and their redeployment in selected locations around the country. This depends on the will of Saudi Arabia, the sponsor of the Riyadh Agreement, and it is quite capable of compelling the Southern Transitional Council to go ahead. However, it does not want to and is in no hurry, as it plans to produce a new version of this agreement that gives the STC the opportunity to benefit from its political advantages without being forced to make fundamental concessions on the military side.
What we are seeing is the clear desire on Riyadh’s part to establish the STC in southern Yemen as an equivalent to the Houthis, who control most of the densely populated areas in the north, regardless of the direct effects that could go against the Saudi role in Yemen. This role is legitimised by its open support for the internationally recognised Hadi government-in-exile. This is due to a superficial commitment to the unity of Yemen and the security of the state, which is betrayed by Saudi Arabia being one of the main parties contributing to the challenges that its stability is facing.
There is talk about disagreements between the president, the speaker of the parliament and the head of the caretaker government, revolving around the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement. The latter two seem to be negligent while President Hadi appears to be ensuring the implementation of the agreement to the letter – by Yaseen Tamimi
(** B P)
Addressing the Southern Issue to Strengthen Yemen’s Peace Process
Executive Summary
A year after his appointment as the UN’s special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths opened a branch for his office in the interim capital, Aden, where he met a wide spectrum of southern actors. But, until now, he has not significantly invested his office politically in what is known as the southern issue, instead focusing on efforts to reach a round of comprehensive political negotiations between the internationally recognized government of Yemen and the armed Houthi movement to consolidate a cease-fire throughout the country.[1] However, the Riyadh Agreement reached in 2019 has helped create an opportune moment to support and transform a political agreement that deescalates hostilities and tension in southern governorates into a more sustainable and comprehensive arrangement.
The success of this opportunity, however, requires that Griffiths adopt a new, proactive approach toward the southern issue that aims to achieve three main objectives: ensuring the political integration of the most prominent active southern forces into the future national peace negotiations process; supporting the political and institutional reform process in southern governorates and areas under the internationally backed government’s control; and starting a serious and sustainable political dialogue as a part of the parallel tracks of UN mediation — one that focuses on, and builds a consensus around, the southern issue.
Looking Ahead
Including southern interests has become necessary to achieve peace in Yemen, and the UN’s reticence to approach the southern issue in an independent and in-depth manner appears inconsistent with its vital role in Yemen’s war and peace tracks. As part of his policy of inclusiveness, Griffiths has listened to the views of southerners. He has not, however, directly involved the UN in resolving them.
Southerners’ views are not uniform and include conflicting political visions of the identity of southern Yemen and its future; numerous actors claim the right to represent the South. Recently, the entanglement of local animosities conflicting with the agendas of regional sponsors, which Saudi Arabia has struggled to control through the Riyadh Agreement, has decreased the influence of and opportunities for UN mediation. Still, there is room for UN engagement in the South, particularly if it can play an active part in ensuring the success and development of the Riyadh Agreement, transforming it from a deal among elites to divide authority between the STC and the forces that make up the internationally backed government into a more inclusive and sustainable transitional settlement.
The Riyadh Agreement differs from the Stockholm Agreement in that the Stockholm Agreement was very specific regarding its objectives. The Riyadh Agreement, however, went beyond a partial deescalation deal to curtail open fighting among anti-Houthi local forces and into establishing the start of a new political structure. Still, it remains less than sustainable or comprehensive. Supporting its transformation into a transitional settlement will, in the short- and medium- terms, create a foundational government in the South with enough political momentum to enter comprehensive peace negotiations in the country. It also will facilitate the integration of southern interests into the framework of the political process and transitional period – by Hussam Radman
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/11634
(** B P)
Yemen Economic Bulletin: Tax and Rule – Houthis Move to Institutionalize Hashemite Elite with ‘One-Fifth’ Levy
Introduction
On April 29, Houthi authorities in Sana’a formally enacted new regulations on the collection and use of zakat, the Islamic obligation for individuals to donate a portion of their wealth each year to charitable causes. The executive bylaw, signed by Mehdi al-Mashat, president of the Houthi-run Supreme Political Council (SPC), imposes a khums tax (literally meaning “one-fifth”, or 20 percent) on economic activities involving natural resources in areas under the group’s control in Yemen,[1] which includes most of northern Yemen where some 70 percent of the population lives.
Houthi authorities characterized the new regulations as an expansion of Yemen’s 1999 zakat law. Based on the new interpretation, revenues from the khums tax would predominantly benefit the Ahl al-Bayt, meaning those who successfully claim direct lineage to the Prophet Mohammed. This segment of Yemeni society is known as the Hashemites, which is estimated to make up roughly 5-10 percent of the country’s population.[2] This includes the Al-Houthi family and a large number of the movement’s loyalists. Inspiration for this khums policy dates back to the pre-republic Yemeni Imamate, in which the Zaidi Shia ruling dynasty and other Hashemite families living predominantly in northern Yemen enjoyed special privileges and were considered an elite class. The zakat overhaul also fits with Houthi ideology, which advocates that the Ahl al-Bayt have a divine right to rule.[3] There has been widespread public criticism, however, that the khums tax institutionallizes hereditary discrimination and racism and is an afront to the values of equal citizenship enshrined in the republic’s constitution.
Recent Houthi Imposition of the Khums Tax
In June 2020, the SPC issued Decree No. 24. The text was not officially released to the public though portions of the document were leaked online.[15] The Houthi authorities have characterized the decree as an updated version of the 1999 zakat legislation, however the new bylaw includes substantial amendments and an unprecedented legal framework for implementing zakat collection on the ground. This differs from the 1999 zakat law, which does not include exact details on most aspects of interpretation and implementation. Decree No. 24 includes a broad scope for khums, imposing a 20 percent levy on many economic activities, including the mineral, hydrocarbon, water, and fishery sectors.[16] The bylaw indicates that the GAZ will issue a future decree outlining khums calculation mechanisms and reporting criteria.[17] Meanwhile, the distribution mechanism for khums classified beneficiaries into six categories, with Hashemites identified as the primary beneficiaries.[18]
The first sixth is designated for “God” and is meant to be spent in the Muslim “public interest”, meaning hospitals, schools, printing religious books and school curricula, and supporting the military. The second sixth for “the Prophet Mohammend” goes to the wali al-Amr, meaning the guardian or ruler – in this case Houthi leader Abdelmalek al-Houthi, who is empowered to spend the money as he will. Hashemites are then given priority in the remaining four categories of khums beneficiaries: Hashemites’ relatives, Muslim orphans, poor Muslims, and Ibn al-Sabeel (meaning wayfarers who are stranded with limited resources).
The SPC’s decree led to a wave of public criticism against the Houthi move. The portion of the House of Representatives based outside Sana’a and aligned with the Yemeni government issued a statement characterizing it as racist and a flagrant violation of international conventions.[19] The Association of Islamic Scholars in Yemen issued a statement describing the Houthi imposition of khums as illegal and without religious basis. It also described the new regulations as a violation of the provisions of the Yemeni constitution, which enshrines equality among all Yemenis, and a pretext for plundering 20 percent of the Yemeni people’s wealth.[20] Informal conversations between the Sana’a Center and members of the business community in Houthi-controlled areas since the decree was issued have also indicated near-universal disapproval of the move, though fear of retribution from Houthi security forces has deterred these figures from speaking publicly.
Sectarian Economic Exploitation and Parallel Governance Institutions
The Houthi authorities’ introduction of khums in Yemen in some ways mirrors the system in place in Iran. Previously, khums served as an essential source of revenue for Iranian clergy. With the emergence of the marja al-taqid (referring to an Islamic scholar that guides and leads the Shia ulama) in the 19th century, khums revenues were concentrated under this new authority. Following the Islamic revolution in 1979, the concept of marja al-taqlid was altered along with the state, with a guardian jurist given absolute responsibility for both religious and political affairs. This had the effect of turning khums in Iran into a resource concentrated in the hands of the Supreme Leader, and through him, the state.[21]
In Yemen, since the Houthi takeover of Sana’a in September 2014, the political economy of sectarianism has been gradually emerging to establish Hashemites as the dominant actors. Some, like the Zaidi Hashemites in Sa’ada governorate, saw themselves as outsiders under Yemen’s republican mode of governance. This fact may help explain why many Hashemites have backed the Houthis, seeing the group’s shake up of the longstanding system and desire to return to many ideological concepts of the imamate as a positive development.
The establishment of Houthi-aligned Supreme Revolutionary Committee (SRC) and ensuing Constitutional Declaration in February 2015 constituted the first stage of Houthi’s tactical measures for capturing, reconfiguring, and deinstitutionalizing the state.[22] The declaration established ‘Popular Committees’ and the Houthi supervisory system in parallel to formal state institutions; while formal actors remain to represent the state, decision-making lies with Houthi supervisors and loyalists, outside any established republican mode of governance. Such parallel institutions operate outside the official legal system and have generally rendered the formal state hierarchy redundant and ineffective.[23]
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/11628
and main points in thread: https://twitter.com/SanaaCenter/status/1313423084922302465
(** B H)
Increasing Access to Prosthetics in Yemen
limited access to prosthetics in Yemen has presented additional challenges for survivors.
Despite a growing need for prosthetics in Yemen, the country severely lacks the resources to aid its people. In the few prosthesis centers that do exist, a lack of new supplies and technology often limits the success rate of their prosthetic treatments. Most prostheses built in Yemen are made from dated and heavy materials, causing discomfort and pain for users. One Yemeni engineer describes the prosthetics as “barely functional” and “primarily cosmetic.” In recent years, however, international aid has improved the situation for those living with limb differences in Yemen.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has provided continued support to prosthesis development in Yemen. The ICRC supports two prosthetics/orthotic centers in Yemen. One of them is The Prosthetics, Orthotics and Physiotherapy Centre in Taiz. Here, 225 of the 400 requiring prosthetic services have received artificial limbs. As the center works to address the excess demand, the ICRC has provided a crutch-making machine capable of producing 20 crutches per day as a temporary alternative. Through support like this, the ICRC continues to improve access to prosthetics in Yemen.
In 2015, a devastating battle in Aden, Yemen, left many civilians without limbs or in need of amputation. Recognizing the shortage of prosthesis services in the city, five local engineers bought a 3D printer and began creating quality prosthetics for the community. The team used a prosthetic design openly shared by e-Nable, an online non-governmental organization (NGO) of “Digital Humanitarian” volunteers who make low-cost upper body prosthetic limbs for people around the world. Enabling Aden is the Yemen chapter of e-Nable. In its first year of operation, the NGO created ten prosthetic upper limbs for seven people. As the organization overcomes financial challenges in the region, the number of people Enabling Aden reaches is expected to rise.
Other organizations like Enabling Aden have emerged around the country. Helping to improve both access to and the quality of prosthetics in Yemen. Moreover, the ICRC’s dedication to improving prosthetic and orthotic care has inspired other organizations to do the same.
https://www.borgenmagazine.com/prosthetics-in-yemen/
(** B P)
SAUDI PIPELINE OF HATE: From Grade School To The Military, To Public Broadcasting
The Institute for Gulf Affairs is releasing a report revealing the extremist, Anti-Semitic, Anti-Shia & Anti-Christian contents of senior Saudi officials and literature in schools and military publications.
Just like the Saudi Monarchy’s state was built on the extremist Wahhabi ideology, so is the Saudi military and educational system as shown in this and other publications.
The first part reveals Saudi official curriculums that is still rive with hate of world religions and of non-Wahhabi Muslims. Lessons include the teaching of annihilating the entirety of the Jewish adherents. Shia Muslims, who make up over 25% of Saudi population, and Christians are also targeted with explicit or disguised hate.
Another part of the report translates selections of the Saudi military’s official magazine (The Muslim Solider) published the Saudi Ministry of Defense’s Department of Religious Affairs. The department is led by General Mohamed Abdulrahman AlSaadan, who also supervises the magazine.
The articles translated were written by known extremist clerics with a long and public history of anti-Semitism, anti-Christiana and anti-Shia hatred and some of supporting terrorism.
The third part of the report reveals Anti-Semitic sermons by Dr. Mohamed Al-Issa the current head of the Saudi government-controlled the World Muslims League (WML) and former minister of justice. Al-Issa who received from several American Jewish organizations this summer for combating Anti-Semitism can be clearly heard condemning Jews and their faith.
The links to both Al-Issa’s sermons and to the Saudi military magazine has since been removed due to our reporting, but we have copies of both. They are available upon request and will be uploaded via IGA website.
and full document: http://www.gulfinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/the-Saudi-Pipeline-of-Hatred.pdf
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(A H)
Two coronavirus patients die in Hadramout
http://en.adenpress.news/news/27288
(* B H)
„Viele Menschen sind zu Hause einsam erstickt“
Durch den Bürgerkrieg im Jemen sei die Hälfte aller Krankenhäuser zerstört, sagte Tankred Stöbe von Ärzte ohne Grenzen im Dlf. Menschen, die Symptome zeigten, seien deswegen gar nicht erst Krankenhäuser in aufgenommen worden. „COVID-19 ist wirklich ungebremst in den Jemen eingefallen“, sagte der Notarzt.
Fünf Wochen hat Tankred Stöbe von Ärzte ohne Grenzen im Jemen Nothilfe geleistet. Die Organisation unterhält ein Krankenhaus in der im Süden gelegenen Stadt Aden.
„COVID-19 ist wirklich ungebremst in den Jemen eingefallen. Es gab keinerlei Schutzmaßnahmen, es gab nicht mal Aufklärung“, sagte der Notarzt im Dlf. Menschen, die Symptome zeigten, seien erst gar nicht in Krankenhäuser aufgenommen worden. „Viele Menschen sind zu Hause einsam erstickt“.
(* B H)
Film: Covid in Yemen: the city where all the hospitals shut - except one
Covid in Yemen: the city where all the hospitals shut - except oneClose
During the height of the pandemic in Yemen, there was only one functioning hospital in the city of Aden, which is home to more than a million people.
Afraid of Covid-19 and with barely any PPE available, many doctors fled.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-54034807
(A H)
One new case of coronavirus reported in Hadramout
http://en.adenpress.news/news/27281
(A H)
2 new cases of coronavirus reported, 2,049 in total
http://en.adenpress.news/news/27272
(A P)
KSrelief Inaugurates PCR COVID-19 Testing Unit at Al-Wadiah Crossing Point
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2142710
(* B H)
IOM Yemen COVID-19 Response Update (20 September - 03 October 2020)
Additionally, further restrictions have been placed on humanitarian partners in the north, suspending the procurement of COVID-19 related items and training or awareness-raising activities in lieu of providing support existing health facilities with equipment, medication and rehabilitation. These new restrictions have the potential to hamper the ability of the humanitarian community in the north to implement COVID-19 preventative measures should there be a second wave of the pandemic in Yemen
IOM teams continue to monitor countrywide COVID-19 movement restrictions. Two of five international airports (Aden and Seiyun) remain open for commercial and humanitarian flights and while Sana’a airport was closed by the authorities to humanitarian flights on 06 September, the airport was temporarily reopened for humanitarian flights on 28 and 30 September and 03 and 06 October. Fifteen sea border points and three land border points are partially open for movements, and 10 transit points in Taizz and in Al Bayda remain active to monitor public movements between southern and northern governorates. For Yemeni returnees from KSA through the Al Wadea border entry point, carrying a COVID PCR test report is mandated by Yemeni authorities.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-covid-19-response-update-20-september-03-october-2020
(A H)
6 new cases of coronavirus reported, 2,047 in total
http://en.adenpress.news/news/27267
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON OCTOBER 6 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-october-6-map-update/
(? B K P)
Film: The Yemen Matrix: Untangling the Relationships That Drive the War
To untangle this complex web of actors and relationships, The Washington Institute has launched The Yemen Matrix: Allies and Adversaries, a resource guide and interactive online tool that focuses on the modern grievances driving current events. The project draws on years of research, travel, and in-person interviews by Institute fellow Elana DeLozier. To discuss how this new tool can help U.S. analysts and policymakers understand the conflict’s nuances, the Institute is pleased to announce a virtual Policy Forum with DeLozier and Ambassador Stephen Seche.
Elana DeLozier is the Institute’s Rubin Family Fellow and an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies. Previously, she spent eight years in the Middle East as a political analyst and trainer, including six years in the Gulf. Her numerous publications on regional issues include the 2019 Succession Series paper “A Caretaker President Clings to Legitimacy in Yemen.”
Stephen Seche is executive vice president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and former U.S. ambassador to Yemen. His distinguished thirty-five-year foreign service career also included time as deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, with responsibility for U.S.-Gulf relations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRXu6w9roA
Deloziers matrix (infographic) can be seen and compared here below: It’s interesting (and typical US-biased) that the US is missing here.
and
(B K P)
I saw @ElanaGulf's interesting Yemen Matrix. In February, I saw @mustafaAljabzi1's Yemen Matrix, with three relational categories, contrary to Elana's five. If you've seen the recent matrix on @WashInstitute, Mustafa's equally deserves your attention. There are normal differences
https://twitter.com/Ibrahim4Yemen/status/1314152113434394625
I see this interesting matrix (Eng) for @ElanaGulf about parties in Yemeni situation. Great effort but doesn’t reflect the reality, in my sens. On feb I posted other one (Arb) in my fb count. (Images)
https://twitter.com/mustafaAljabzi1/status/1314110071400472577
(* B P)
Radhya Almutawakel (YEMEN) IS THE WINNER OF THE 2020 RAW in WAR ANNA POLITKOVSKAYA AWARD
Today, Wednesday 7th October, RAW in WAR (Reach All Women in WAR) celebrates the courage of Yemeni human rights defender, Radhya Almutawakel, who has established and bravely led the efforts in Yemen to investigate and document the war crimes against civilians committed by all sides of the ongoing Yemeni conflict.
Six years into the Saudi-led coalition’s war against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Mwatana, the organization that Radhya co-founded, has documented hundreds of abuses by all sides. Houthi forces indiscriminately attack civilian neighbourhoods and widely use child soldiers, while coalition airstrikes kill and maim thousands of already starved civilians. Radhya and Mwatana document the crimes and the suffering, in the hope that one day these witness accounts could help justice to be done for the people of Yemen.
On the 14th anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya’s murder today, RAW in WAR honours Radhya Almutawakel with the 2020 Anna Politkovskaya Award for her courage and determination, as well as her objective and in-depth uncovering, documenting and reporting on the human cost of a war which receives little coverage and attention otherwise.
Radhya and her husband, Abdulrasheed Al-Faqih, set up Mwatana Organisation for Human Rights in 2007, but it was only officially registered in 2013. Radhya and Mwatana have been working on exposing the truth and documenting the war crimes and human rights abuses committed against civilians in Yemen and on raising the awareness of the world about the suffering and endurance of the people of Yemen, hoping that these efforts might eventually bring all war criminals to justice. Mwatana has also recently published a report on how many schools have been targeted and destroyed and how this has impacted on access to education and safety for children and youth.
Radhya was detained in 2018, together with her husband who is also her colleague, on the orders of the Saudi-led coalition and kept for 12 hours in detention, while at the airport and trying to travel for a meeting abroad. They were released only after high-level pressure on the Saudi-led coalition to let them go, however, she was not allowed to go back to Yemen for about a year. She is now back in Yemen and working with her colleagues on investigating war crimes at a great personal risk.
In 2017, Radhya travelled to the US, the UK and Switzerland to lobby against weapon deliveries to Yemen and to call upon those states which support one or the other side in the conflict in Yemen, to end such support, which fuels the continued destruction of the country and the killing of the Yemeni people. She spoke at the UN Security Council about the responsibility of those countries, including European countries and the US, which deliver weapons to Yemen directly or indirectly.
https://mwatana.org/en/almutawakel-winner-of-anna-politkovskaya-award/
(A P)
Statement on behalf of KSA, UAE, UK, US on Yemen
The Ambassadors to Yemen from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, and the Chargé of the United States met on 30 September to discuss the situation in Yemen, in particular regarding its economy.
The group reviewed evidence regarding Yemen’s economic trajectory and noted with concern the depletion of foreign currency reserves and the corresponding increase in food prices. The group agreed to take forward renewed technical engagement and collaboration with the Government of Yemen to mitigate short-term economic risks related to currency and pricing instability. The group also agreed to enhance technical engagement and dialogue, including with International Finance Institutions, to support trade finance in Yemen.
Separately, the group welcomed the important progress made to accelerate the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, and in particular the significant contribution made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to this agenda.
The group underlined their commitment to a comprehensive political solution for the conflict in Yemen and expressed full support for the Special Envoy, Mr Martin Griffiths
http://en.adenpress.news/news/27276
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-20363.html
My comment: Always keep in mind: these are the 4 foreign forces leading war in Yemen. Therefor this whole statement is propaganda BS.
And
(A P)
Houthi foreign minister attacks Quartet on Yemen
Foreign minister in the Houthi government, Hisham Sharaf, has attacked the ambassadors of the Quartet on Yemen and held their countries responsible for the continued suffering of the Yemeni people and the collapse of the Yemeni economy.
The Quartet was established by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America and the United Kingdom in mid-2016. It held a meeting on 30th September on the situation in the country, with a special focus on the economy wrecked by the conflict.
The virtual meeting was just a media attempt to mislead the world and a charade to show they are fixing what their countries have destroyed in Yemen during the past six years of war and blockade, he said in a statement carried by the Sanaa-based Yemen news agency Saba.
But it confirmed these countries are responsible for destroying the Yemeni economy, he said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20385.html
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=15279
(* B K P)
International opposition to the war on Yemen is growing
The desperate situation in Yemen cannot be hidden anymore. More and more international voices are calling for a halt to the fighting
The most serious humanitarian disaster on the planet remains largely unreported. This despite the fact that the situation of the people of Yemen is actually getting worse.
This is not a natural disaster. It is an entirely man-made and avoidable. It has two main causes. The underlying one is the war that has been fought on the country by a Saudi-led alliance since 2015.
The second factor is the ongoing Saudi led blockade of Yemeni ports and associated cuts to the aid programme. Over the summer Saudi forces ensured that a large number of ships carrying food, gas and medical supplies were not able to dock in Hodeida despite having UN clearance.
The reason why these shameful facts are not broadcast more widely in the West is that Britain, the US and France are deeply implicated in the war. Last year’s court case bought by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade forced Britain to suspend arms licences to Saudi Arabia. This year however, the government defied that ruling.
Britain’s support for the war, in other words, continues unchecked.
Despite the virtual news black out, opposition to the war is growing around the world.
(* B P)
‘UAE encouraged Yemen to normalise relations with Israel 16 years ago,’ say classified documents
Two classified documents have revealed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) played a key role in urging Yemen to formally normalise relations with Israel 16 years ago.
The first document issued on 3 March, 2004, was a letter sent from the Emirati Ambassador to Yemen at the time Hamad Saeed Al-Zaabi, to the UAE under-secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The letter stated that a delegation from the Jewish Heritage Authority had recently visited Yemen and met with several officials including President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported.
According to the pro-Hezbollah newspaper, the delegation included Israeli Yahya Marji and Ibrahim Yahya Yacoub, a US citizen, as part of Zionist efforts to normalise relations between the Jewish state and Yemen.
The delegation made several requests to Yemeni officials, including the construction of a museum of Jewish heritage in Sanaa and fencing the tomb of Al-Shabazi (one of the rabbis of the Jews of Taiz) and the Jewish cemeteries in Aden, Rada’a and the different regions where Jews lived. Requests were also made to grant naturalisation to 45,000 Israeli Jews and 15,000 Jewish Americans, and to build a temple and a Jewish school in Raydah.
According to the Emirati ambassador: “The Jewish Heritage Authority sent a letter to the Yemeni prime minister to request the construction of the museum, while outlining the importance and reasons behind the request.”
(B K P)
Government accuses Houthi group of recruiting thousands of Yemeni children
The Yemeni government has called on the United Nations to punish the Ansar Allah group, known as the Houthis, for recruiting thousands of children for war.
At a virtual meeting with Virginia Gamba, the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, foreign minister, Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, said the group has systematically recruited and turned children into fuel of its war.
He urged to finalise a roadmap to stop child recruitment which was signed with UNICEF in 2018.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20335.html
(* B P)
Vor Jemens Küste tickt eine ökologische Zeitbombe
Seit Jahren liegt vor der jemenitischen Küste der mit über einer Million Barrel Erdöl beladene Supertanker «Safer». Er kann jederzeit explodieren oder auseinanderbrechen, doch die Kriegsparteien können sich nicht auf eine Lösung einigen.
Vor der jemenitischen Westküste droht eine Apokalypse mit Ankündigung. Der 44 Jahre alte Supertanker «Safer» schwimmt fest verankert rund 7 Kilometer vom Festland und 60 Kilometer von der wichtigen Hafenstadt Hudaida entfernt auf dem Roten Meer. Verbunden mit einer Pipeline diente der rostende Riese lange als wichtigstes Exportterminal für jemenitisches Erdöl. Der nur aus einer Hülle gebaute Kahn hat seine Lebensdauer jedoch längst überschritten: «Er hätte bereits vor fünf Jahren ersetzt werden sollen», sagt Ian Ralby von I. R. Concilium, ein Experte für Seerecht und Sicherheitsfragen.
Seit sie unter die Kontrolle der Huthi geraten ist, ist die «Safer» ausser Betrieb und wird nur behelfsmässig gewartet. Die jemenitische Regierung bat bereits im März 2018 den Uno-Generalsekretär in einem Brief, bei der Lösung des Problems zu helfen. Es drohe eine «ökologische und humanitäre Katastrophe». In dem gebrechlichen Supertanker sind 1,1 Millionen Fass Erdöl gelagert. Und die Pipeline enthalte noch einmal 1 Million Fass, sagt Ralby. Zum Vergleich: Die «Exxon Valdez», die 1989 vor Alaska auf Grund lief und eine der grössten Umweltdesaster der Seefahrt verursachte, hatte lediglich 300 000 Fass geladen.
Im hohen Salzgehalt des Roten Meeres rostet die «Safer» schnell. So drang im Mai Wasser durch ein grosses Loch in den Maschinenraum ein. Seither funktioniere das Kühlsystem nicht mehr, meint David Soud, der bei Consilium für die technischen Fragen zuständig ist. Gemäss Soud ist auch das Gassystem, das den Sauerstoffgehalt in den Tanks tief hält und dadurch Explosionen verhindert, seit drei Jahren nicht mehr funktionsfähig. Es besteht deshalb nicht nur die Gefahr, dass die «Safer» auseinanderbricht, sie könnte auch explodieren oder in Brand geraten.
Eine Ölpest im Roten Meer hätte wohl verheerende Konsequenzen: «Sie könnte Ökosysteme zerstören, von denen 30 Millionen Menschen abhängen», schrieb der Uno-Generalsekretär António Guterres im August in einem Bericht.
(* B H K)
Reflections and lessons learned from Yemen
Yemen is confronting swarms of desert locusts, historic flooding, and the impact of COVID-19, all while enduring an ongoing conflict, now in its sixth year. The World Bank has been supporting Yemenis throughout the conflict, to help preserve their human capital and institutions. Raja Bentaouet Kattan, Yemen’s outgoing Country Manager, shares her insights on World Bank support to Yemen:
2020 has brought unprecedented disruptions across the globe. For Yemen, a country embroiled in conflict and home to some of the world’s most vulnerable, the challenges are immense on multiple fronts. Yemen is at a critical juncture as the peace process struggles to gain traction, the threat of famine looms, and COVID-19 continues to spread. In the face of immense need and funding shortfalls, it is crucial for the development community to mobilize resources, learn from what works, and continue to support the Yemeni people.
When I began as the World Bank Country Manager for Yemen two years ago, there was no road map for the World Bank operating in an active conflict context such as Yemen. The World Bank engagement has brought many firsts not only for me as a manager but also for the institution. It has been a true test of maintaining strategic focus while balancing tradeoffs between risks and results, as multiple new crises emerged. As I reflect on the World Bank engagement and the current context, I am convinced that the priorities that I highlighted when I first joined — of solidifying our investment to preserve human capital and institutions— are even more important today as is the importance of staying engaged even during conflict.
Since 2018, much has happened in terms of the Bank’s engagement in Yemen: A new Country Engagement Note framed our priorities, allowing us to increase support of critical service delivery. While our programs have achieved some exceptional results, a number of risks have also materialized, providing us with important lessons and prompting us to adapt in our response.
World Bank funding to Yemen has increased to US$1.81 billion, supporting health, water and sanitation (WASH), electricity, social protection, and new emergency operations in response to desert locusts and COVID-19. Assistance from the World Bank and other development partners has helped stave off health and economic outcomes that would be worse than they are. Nonetheless, the situation in Yemen is highly calamitous, and the country’s geographical fragmentation continues, despite hope that peace processes might help parties to the conflict reach a peaceful solution.
https://blogs.worldbank.org/arabvoices/reflections-and-lessons-learned-yemen
(B H K)
Yemen: Access Constraints as of 06 October 2020
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-access-constraints-06-october-2020
(* B K P)
Yemen: Divide And Conquer
The Arab Coalition is less concerned with Yemeni unity and more about Iranian efforts to establish an autonomous or independent Shia Arab dominated state in northern Yemen. This new state would depend on Iran for survival because Iran is the largest Shia majority nation in the world and currently a deadly rival of Saudi Arabia. While the UAE is less concerned about an autonomous Shia Arab entity in Yemen, the Saudis will not tolerate it under any circumstances tolerate such an Iran-backed Shia presence on its southern border.
The basic problem is that too many Yemenis don’t want to be Yemenis. The country was a patchwork of independent tribes and cities when the English East India Company took control of some Yemeni ports in the 1830s and 40s to support ships going from Britain to India. The Ottoman Turks still controlled most of northern Yemen until 1918, when the Ottoman Empire collapsed. Britain took over from the Ottomans and established the borders of modern Yemen. But Yemen was still not a unified country. When the British left Yemen in 1967, their former colony in Aden became one of two countries called Yemen. The two parts of Yemen finally united in 1990, with Saleh as president. A civil war in 1994 was needed to seal the deal. That fix didn't really take, and within a decade the north and south were pulling apart again.
The corruption and lack of unity is related to the fact that Yemen has always been a region, not a country. Like most of the rest of the Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa (northeast Africa) region, the normal form of government, until the last century or so, were wealthier coastal city states, nervously coexisting with interior tribes that got by on herding or farming (or a little of both). This whole "nation" idea is still looked on with some suspicion throughout.
t the region. This is why the most common forms of government are the more familiar ones of antiquity as in kingdom, emirate or modern variation in the form of a hereditary dictatorship.
Yemen is still all about the tribes. The national government is a bunch of guys who deal with foreigners, and try to maintain peace among the tribes. Controlling the national government is a source of much wealth, as officials can steal part of the foreign aid and taxes, mostly on imports or royalties from meager oil exports.
This lack of nationalism means a lack of cooperation or willingness to act in the national public interest. Much of the Yemeni agricultural crises is caused by the fact that Yemen's economic situation has been rapidly deteriorating since the late 20th century. This is largely because the government has done nothing to address the problems of over-population, water shortages and Khat.
There is resistance to admitting that Yemen is a failed state, one of those areas (like Somalia and Afghanistan) that were never united for long and are basically several smaller entities that are not really interested in unity with their neighbors who are supposed to be their countrymen. And then there is the corruption problem.
Most Iran-backed Shia rebels still believe time is their side as long as the Iranian support continues. Iran understands this as well and is willing to finance the expensive smuggling effort at a reduced level because of the distress it causes the Saudis. The problem with this strategy is that Iran can afford to abandon the Shia rebels while the Saudis cannot afford to have an Iranian ally on their southern border.
In response to this grim reality (for the rebels) the Saudis are trying to get the Yemeni government to grant the southern tribes autonomy and offer the northern tribes (both Shia and Sunni) a similar deal as long as Iranian influence was eliminated in the north. The UAE may have proposed this because the UAE has been in charge of security (and aid delivery) in the south since 2015 and has supported the formation of the STC (South Transitional Council).
https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/yemen/articles/20201007.aspx
My comment: Some ideas which might be discussed, but “playing the Iranian card” is following Saudi and US propaganda.
(* B H K)
Film: Yemen: How young people are forging a future during a civil war - BBC World Service
Yemen is in its fifth year of war and is dealing with one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. So how are the next generation coping? Three young Yemenis tell us how they've been affected by the crisis and how their lives have changed. But despite losing loved ones, and opportunities, many are finding ways to be hopeful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShS_u5dmd9g
(* B K P)
Israel sets its sights on the Red Sea and Bab El-Mandeb
Day after day, the magnitude of the Israeli benefits from normalisation with the Gulf become clearer, especially on the military and strategic levels. The latest benefit is talk about establishing Israeli military bases in the Gulf, the Red Sea and Bab El-Mandab, or benefiting from the Emirati bases scattered in these areas, and the military benefits for Israel brought about by controlling these international seaports.
The Emirati-Israeli agreement included many clauses with security and military aspects, which stipulate bilateral cooperation in these areas, and their commitment to take important measures to prevent the use of their territories to carry out a hostile or “terrorist” attack targeting the other party, and that each side will not support any hostile operations in the territory of the other party. It also stipulates bilateral security coordination and strengthening the military security relationship.
These carefully worded texts have increased the assumptions regarding the possibility of Israel benefitting from the Emirati military bases in the region, whether in the Gulf, Bab El-Mandab, or the Red Sea. This may lead to the establishment of Israeli military base in the Emirates, as well as its use of Emirati waters, and the possibility that it will continue down this path to increase its foothold in Socotra, the Bab El-Mandab Strait and Djibouti.
It is worth noting that the possibility of establishing Israeli military bases in the Gulf, or Israel benefiting from the Emirati military bases, is not easy, but very dangerous. This is because as much as it may give hope to the Gulf states, and the UAE in particular, to defend itself against the threat of any imagined attack from Iran, it, at the same time, exposes it to danger. This is because the fulfilment of this premise means that Israel can strike Iranian targets in the Gulf waters, or in the heart of Iran itself, which will be matched by Iran targeting these Israeli bases in the Gulf.
The agreement allows Israel to get geographically closer to Iran and allows it to improve ties with the Gulf which is a strategic area in terms of trade and oil.
Iran will not stand idly by and remain silent regarding the Emirati-Israeli move, which means the situation in the Gulf region is likely to grow tense and suffer. Iran is present everywhere through the Revolutionary Guard and its sleeping armed cells.
Security of maritime navigation in the Gulf is a purely Israeli interest within the strategy of “curbing the Iranian threat” and strengthening the relationship with the Gulf states, former Israeli Foreign Minister, Yisrael Katz, has said.
Israel aims to gain control over the most important sea straits in the region, which belong to the Emirati and Saudi bases, which enhances the expansion of Israel’s military and strategic influence.
A document by the Israeli Ministry of Intelligence revealed that the agreement with Abu Dhabi paves the way for intensifying military cooperation between them in the Red Sea. This is because it is interested in expanding security cooperation in the region, leading to strengthening the military alliance between them. This includes intensive Israeli military movement, especially through the countries of the Horn of Africa, most notably Ethiopia, at a time when Israeli arms companies are seeking to increase their exports to the Emirates. Meanwhile, the UAE is looking for control in the Gulf with the support of the US and Israel, so there is joint Israeli and Emirati work in Yemen to establish joint military bases and areas of influence, specifically on the island of Socotra, which would allow it to completely control the path that passes from India to the West, and penetrates into Africa, which is a strategic location for Israel – by Adnan Abu Amer
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201006-israel-sets-its-sights-on-the-red-sea-and-bab-el-mandeb/
(* A P)
Satellite images suggests Safer oil spill begins
Satellite images have shown that oil spill began from the Safer Supertanker floating off the Ras Issa port, north Hodeida province in the Red Sea.
The oil spill threatens a large-scale environmental disaster that will affect the entire region.
Tanker Trackers website tweeted on Saturday a satellite photo of the Safer tanker that has 34 storage compartments.
The photo shows that the oil spill from the tanker occurred two weeks ago into the Red Sea and that large amount has breached the water, according to website.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42470
(* B K P)
A Self-Defeating War: Regional Powers and Local Actors in Yemen
This report examines the historical background of the north-south hostility in Yemen, the activities of actors on the ground, and interventions of regional actors. It also aims to analyse how the GCC initiative and the National Dialogue Conference failed to resolve the country’s internal conflicts and could not bring a meaningful transition for Yemen. The paper argues that a more comprehensive perspective is needed by exploring the roles of every significant actor in the region, unlike the general tendency, which portrays the Yemen war as an Iran-Gulf proxy war. In this regard, it tries to investigate how regional and international actors escalate the conflict and how they seem to be potential spoilers of the peace process.
https://www.academia.edu/39983914/A_Self_Defeating_War_Regional_Powers_and_Local_Actors_in_Yemen
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(A E K P)
Jemens Verluste durch Seepiraterie mehr als zwei Milliarden Dollar, Al-Adra'i
Der Exekutivdirektor der Ölgesellschaft, Eng. Ammar Al-Adra'i bestätigte am Freitag, dass die vorläufigen Schätzungen der direkten und indirekten Verluste des Jemen im Jahr 2020 infolge der Seepiraterie und der Beschlagnahme von Ölderivatschiffen zwei Milliarden Dollar übersteigen.
Al-Adra'i sagte während eines Proteststandes, den die Ölgesellschaft vor dem Büro der Vereinten Nationen in Sanaa organisiert hatte, dass die Gesamtstrafe, die sich aus der fortgesetzten Inhaftierung der Aggressionskoalition von Ölderivatschiffen ergibt, 50 Millionen Dollar überstieg, was 30 Milliarden Rial entspricht.
Er wies darauf hin, dass die Aggression das Eintreffen der Tanklaster aus den Werken des Unternehmens in Mukalla und Aden verhindern soll, obwohl die Mengen, die über diese Tanklaster ankommen, nicht 15 Prozent des tatsächlichen Bedarfs decken.
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3111721.htm
(A E K P)
YPC: US-Saudi Aggression Detains 17 Oil Ships, Fines Exceed 50 Million Dollars
The director of Yemeni Petroleum Company, Ammar Al-Adhrae'e, said, Friday, that the US-Saudi aggression is pushing mercenaries to seize and loot gas trailers coming from the company's branches in the governorates.
Al-Adhrae'e confirmed that the Saudi-led aggression is still detaining 17 oil ships, noting that the fines for detaining ships have exceeded 50 million dollars. He pointed out that all the stations of the YPC have stopped working at a rate of 99%, leaving only 7 stations in all governorates.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=15271&cat_id=1
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B H)
Life in Aden: Running to fill up the barrels when the water come at the middle of the night every 4-5 days. Or the government's electricity which most of the time cut off until we feel it will never come back (thread)
https://twitter.com/AmDerwish/status/1314794515694264322
(B H)
Film: Ismail und Khaled waren im Jemen auf dem Weg zur Schule als ihr Schulbus bombardiert wurde
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3s3TsQCsNM
(B H)
Photos: Arwa Bawazir https://facebook.com/snow.arwabawazir… filmed Raydan al-Mashuli https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=100051690724673…, a 14-year-old in Sana'a #Yemen feeding a handicapped homeless man falafel. NIGHTLY from his paycheck
https://twitter.com/BashaReport/status/1314354973463982082
(B H P)
School students from Al-Muhamasheen, a marginalized community with dark skin in Al-Dale governorate, held a protest against racial discrimination and violence in school, which has caused some of them to drop out. (photo)
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1314577860401733633
(* B H)
Yemen Food Security Outlook Update, September 2020
Conflict and currency shortages remain of high concern for acute food insecurity in Yemen
Conflict and poor macroeconomic conditions continue to drive high levels of acute food insecurity in Yemen. Overall, an estimated 17 to 19 million people are expected to be in need of humanitarian food assistance throughout 2020. Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are widespread, with Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes expected in worst-affected governorates. Although not the most likely scenario, Famine (IPC Phase 5) would be possible if food supply is cut off for a prolonged period of time.
The exchange rate has continued to depreciate in southern areas, reaching 820 YER/USD by the second week of September. In northern areas, the exchange rate continued to remain stable, at levels just over 600 YER/USD. According to FAO data, August terms-of-trade between wheat flour and wages (casual labor and agricultural labor) were worst in Amran, Hajjah, Dhamar, and Raymah. Terms of trade deteriorated the most between July and August in Al Hudaydah, Al Mahrah, and Abyan.
Despite some evidence of recovery of formal remittances from Gulf countries, key informants report that levels of remittances into Yemen remain below average and below COVID-19 outbreak levels. Despite some improvement in access to income in urban areas as COVID-19 control measures were eased, reduced income from salary payments and remittances alongside high food prices and reductions to humanitarian assistance are contributing to restricted food access.
https://fews.net/east-africa/yemen/food-security-outlook-update/september-2020
(B H)
BFD Annual Report 2019
Building Foundation for Development (BFD) is a Yemeni national non-profit and non-governmental organization. BFD always aims to mitigate the suffering of communities affected by wars and disasters by working nationwide at different levels to promote equitable and sustainable development, humanitarian response, and other relevant interventions for a better life and wellbeing of communities and individuals.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/bfd-annual-report-2019
(B H)
Yemen: Around 60,000 cancer patients at risk
Medical sources in Sana’a said that the Houthis constant targeting of the medical sector threatens lives of 60,000 cancer patients.
The reported number of the cancer patients are scattered over the Houthis-held areas whereby almost one third of the total cases live in Ibb and Taiz.
The Houthis intervention in the management of medical center that provide free medications to the cancer cases, has largely impaired the action of those centers which put lives of the cases at greater risk, the sources said.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42487
My comment: This story really does not fit for blaming the Houthis for this.
(B H)
Farah Fahd Abdulaziz Al-Wazeer
SMEPS (Small & Micro Enterprise Promotion Services)
Farah Fahd Abdulaziz Al-Wazeer, who hails from Yemen, works for The Small and Micro Enterprise Promotion Service (SMEPS). SMEPS is a young development agency established as a subsidiary of the Social Fund for Development (SFD) in Yemen in 2006. They seek to build and facilitate the economic and technical capacities of market-driven private-sector parties. The program has been a huge success: Though Yemen is in a conflict zone, and salaries have been stagnant, Farah is proud to say that SMEPS has created 75,000 jobs this year. She is excited to bring her skills to the Feedback Fellows group, including her communications abilities, her knowledge of M&E and feedback systems. She is looking forward to learning from all of the other fellows’ diverse experiences.
SMEPS makes a contribution to the world through its developmental projects by supporting businesses in Yemen to grow and be resilient, creating thousands of sustainable jobs. Supporting MSMEs and linking development activities to humanitarian needs during crisis in Yemen by focusing on: Business Development Services Value Chain Studies Entrepreneurship.
https://feedbacklabs.org/farah-fahd-abdulaziz-al-wazeer/
(*A H)
Über den Preisträger kann man sich wundern
Das Welternährungsprogramm sichert vielen Menschen in Not das Überleben. Doch die Arbeit der Organisation löst nicht nur Probleme, sie schafft auch viele neue.
In jedem Fall gibt es einige gute Gründe, die Rolle des WFP als universeller Friedensbringer anzuzweifeln. Wer argumentiert wie das Nobelkomitee, wird der desaströsen Dynamik von Kriegen kaum gerecht, in denen Hunger als eine besonders hässliche und wirksame Waffe zum Einsatz kommt. Das WFP kann das nicht aushebeln. Vielmehr sind Nothelfer häufig Teil der Kalkulation von Bellizisten und Kriegsgewinnlern und können sich dem gar nicht entziehen.
Sudan, Somalia, Jemen - man kann die Liste weiter verlängern.
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/friedensnobelpreis-welternaehrungsprogramm-wfp-1.5060320
(A H)
Yemen's Houthis slam World Food Programme's Nobel Peace Prize win
Shia movement says UN body has 'largely failed in the biggest task for which it was chosen, and that is combating hunger'
Yemen's Houthi rebels accused the World Food Programme (WFP) of failing stop famine in the war-ravaged country, shortly after the UN body was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting global hunger.
Houthi spokesman Talaat al-Sharjabi told the AFP news agency on Friday that the WFP had "largely failed in the biggest task for which it was chosen (for the Nobel Peace Prize), and that is combating hunger".
"A large number of people suffer from malnutrition... and there is also a failure on the WFP's part to be neutral in terms of humanitarian aid distribution," he said.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-houthis-world-food-programme-nobel-peace-prize
and also
(* B H P)
[Sanaa gov.] Health Ministry: WHO Squanders Resources, not Benefiting any Projects
The Minister of Public Health and Population, Dr. Taha Al-Mutawakel, confirmed that children and women are the most affected groups from the effects of psychological warfare and psychological aggression, noting that international organizations waste millions of dollars without achieving anything. He stressed that the international organizations that supported on the psychological side achieved nothing and wasted millions of dollars, adding, "today in our meetings with them we rejected the continuation of this waste, corruption and fallacies."
He pointed out that the World Health Organization wants to waste money and grants and works on scattering huge budgets despite our presentation of projects and alternatives that are practical, less costly and more beneficial to patients. He pointed out that Japan has provided a grant of 3 million dollars to support the field of psychotherapy, but the WHO wants to waste the amount in operating expenses for its staff and conduct training courses devoid of interest for a period of two days.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=15286
My comment: Unfortunately, there are many such objections told by others, and not only from Yemen.
(A H)
Yemen’s Houthi militia slam World Food Programme after Nobel Peace Prize win
Yemen’s Houthi militia, accused of diverting humanitarian aid in the war-torn country, claimed Friday that the World Food Programme lacked neutrality, after it won the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting global hunger.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s internationally-recognized government welcomed the choice of winner, pointing to the “wise and courageous” leadership of the UN agency’s executive director, David Beasley.
“We find that the WFP has largely failed in the biggest task for which it was chosen (for the Nobel Peace Prize), and that is combatting hunger,” Talaat al-Sharjabi, a Houthi spokesman, told AFP shortly after the announcement.
“A large number of people suffer from malnutrition... and there is also a failure on the WFP’s part to be neutral in terms of humanitarian aid distribution,” he said.
Yemen’s government, meanwhile, praised the organization.
(* B H)
Five things to know about WFP operations in war-torn Yemen
Here are five things to know about the programme's operations in what is the Arabian Peninsula's most impoverished country, which has been embroiled in war since 2014
- Largest emergency response -
Aiming to feed 13 million people each month -- among them 1.1 million women and young children -- the WFP's operation in Yemen is its largest emergency response in the world.
The country, with a population of around 29 million, is living through what the United Nations has described as the "largest humanitarian crisis in the world".
Both the UN and aid agencies have repeatedly raised the alarm over the disastrous consequences of the conflict.
The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 2015, when a powerful military coalition led by Saudi Arabia joined the government's fight against Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
Over 20 million Yemenis are food insecure, according to the WFP.
The outlook for the country has grown even bleaker this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
- Operations -
Every month in Yemen, the WFP distributes food directly or through vouchers.
Each family of six receives a monthly ration of wheat flour, pulses, vegetable oil, sugar and salt.
The organisation also offers cash assistance in areas where markets "are stable enough to provide for communities' basic food needs".
It registers beneficiaries on a biometric platform, through which people receive transfers equivalent to $12 per person per month.
Besides that, the WFP provides daily nutritious snacks to 950,000 schoolchildren.
It also provides food aid to 8,500 refugees from the Horn of Africa in Kharaz camp, in the southern Lahj governorate.
- Urgent financial aid needed -
Lise Grande, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said only $1 billion of the $3.2 billion needed for Yemen had been received this year.
The lack of financial support is pushing programmes to suspend operations.
Last month, the UN said that critical aid had been cut at 300 health centres and more than a third of its major humanitarian programmes had been reduced or shut down entirely.
The WFP is facing "a significant funding shortfall" as it urgently needs over $500 million "to ensure uninterrupted food assistance until March 2021".
- Rocky relations with the Huthis -
The WFP has had a troubled relationship with the rebels, accusing the Huthis at the end of 2018 of "criminal behaviour" and of selling food aid meant for civilians.
https://www.france24.com/en/20201009-five-things-to-know-about-wfp-operations-in-war-torn-yemen
(* B H K)
Film: Schulbesuch im Jemen - zwischen Landminen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H78i4iANmj4 = https://m.tagesspiegel.de/videos/politik/schulbesuch-im-jemen-zwischen-landminen/26263022.html = https://www.morgenpost.de/politik/article230636002/Schulbesuch-im-Jemen-zwischen-Landminen.html
(* B H K)
In Yemen, children begin classes in the ruins of war
With its walls pounded by artillery, roofs torn open and concrete beams in shreds, Al-Wehdah school lies in ruins as students return for the first day of Yemen's school year.
At the school near Taez, the third-biggest city in a country shattered by years of war between the government and Iran-backed Huthi rebels, there are no doors or windows, let alone desks.
Instead the students use old exercise books to jot down their lessons, as they sit in makeshift classrooms with a handful of teachers brave enough to join them under crumbling ceilings.
Yet in a country where nearly a third of children don't go to school at all, these are the lucky ones.
Al-Wehdah school was hit in a 2016 air strike.
Ali Sultan, a parent of one of the students, points out to AFP a warning sign in red letters written on a perimeter wall.
"Beware of Mines," it reads.
The school is located in the middle of a minefield, that was partially cleared to allow the students to return.
"We were faced with a difficult choice, either leave them at home or face the risk of bringing them here to study in this rubble," Sultan said.
Children first returned to the school the year after the strike.
"We have been through very difficult times," Sultan said, referring to the fighting in the southwest city, which is held by government forces but besieged by Huthi fighters.
In Taez city alone, 47 schools were "totally destroyed in the fighting," said Abdel Wassae Chaddad, provincial director of education.
"As far as destruction is concerned, we got the lion's share," he said.
https://www.france24.com/en/20201009-in-yemen-children-begin-classes-in-the-ruins-of-war = https://www.rfi.fr/en/wires/20201009-yemen-children-begin-classes-ruins-war = https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/10/9/in-yemen-children-begin-classes-in-the-ruins-of-war
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3APG5jlwnKo
(A H)
New Pumps Ensure Access to Clean Water for Over 1 Million Yemenis
In one of the world’s most water-scarce countries, UNDP is enabling access to lifesaving groundwater by providing local communities with critical equipment
The people of Aden have been experiencing chronic water shortages, in part due to their reliance on aged and damaged water pumps in local wells. Submersible engine-pumps are expected to improve access to clean water for almost 1.1 million Yemenis living in the port-city of Aden, in the country’s south.
The United Nations Development Programmed (UNDP), in partnership with the Public Works Project (PWP), and with generous funding from the Government of Japan, delivered 12 submersible engine-pumps to the Local Water and Sanitary Corporation (LWSC) in August, which have since helped to re-operationalise 12 existing wells.
“The provision of engine-pumps, including their cables and control panels, to re-operationalise wells in the Bir Nasser and Bir Ahmed water fields, will increase the water supply by 20,000 cubic metres of drinking water daily, and alleviate pressure on the existing infrastructure,” said Mr. Fathi Assaqaf, Head of LWSC in Aden.
(B H)
IOM Yemen | Human Resources | September 2020
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/iom-yemen-human-resources-september-2020-enar
(* B H)
Following US Pressure, Aid to Yemen Falls to Just 25 Cents Per Day
Secretary of State Pompeo successfully pressured the UN to significantly cut back aid to one of the world’s poorest countries, claiming it could fall into rebel hands.
Much of the blame for the drop in aid can be placed at the door of the United States with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly pressuring the U.N. to scale back humanitarian assistance to the country in an attempt to starve the rebels of aid. In March, Pompeo traveled to U.N. headquarters to meet with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to make his case.
Furthermore, the countries that have contributed the most in aid — the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — are the very same ones directing the onslaught against Yemen, with Saudi and Emirati troops leading the fight, supported by British and American arms sales and political cover. Saudi Arabia, for example, is responsible for 49 percent of all weapons purchases, while it has committed to buying $350 billion worth of U.S. arms in the coming years. This economic power has allowed the four to play politics with international aid, directing to groups that allow them to advance their agenda instead of where it is needed most.
“Countries should stop cashing in on this appalling humanitarian crisis and instead put people’s lives above arms manufacturers’ profit,” Siddiquey said. “The Yemenis who’ve had to flee their homes, go without food and clean water, and endure outbreaks of disease need a nationwide ceasefire and inclusive peace talks to end this war so they can rebuild their lives.”
https://www.mintpressnews.com/following-us-pressure-un-yemen-aid-falls-2020/271810/
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UNFPA Yemen Response: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support - Update: January - September 2020
In Yemen, an estimated one in five people suffer from mental health disorders, according to a 2017 study conducted by the Family Counselling and Development Foundation. This number is likely to have increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic and nearly six years of conflict.
However, mental healthcare remains scarce in Yemen. Mental illness is stigmatized, and the proportion of psychiatrists per population is insufficient. Some of the few existing mental health services have even closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The call for ‘Greater Investment and Greater Access’ for mental health this year is most timely and opportune for Yemen as humanitarian actors tackle the reduction of funding and challenges imposed by COVID-19 that are hampering the scaling up of quality and specialized services for mental health.
Under these extraordinary circumstances, UNFPA and its partners have strived to ensure the continuity of care, access and quality of services.
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UNFPA: 30,000 Women in Yemen Could Die from Lack of Reproductive Health Care
Closed due to war and pandemic, some facilities are reopening – although budget shortfalls could now affect thousands
The major provider and supporter of reproductive healthcare in Yemen says 30,000 women and girls could die if further financial resources are not forthcoming.
The United Nations Population Fund (known as UNFPA for its previous name, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities) provides or supports reproductive health care around the world.
The UNFPA is now the sole source of essential reproductive medicines in Yemen. In 2019, it supported 235 health facilities, including 61 comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care facilities, and 3,800 reproductive-health workers.
“Currently this number is more than twice lower because of severe fund cuts,” Garik Hayrapetyan, UNFPA deputy representative for Yemen, told The Media Line.
The organization is financed by governments around the world, with additional groups providing donations.
“Women need to have access to quality health services in general…. [W]e have to make sure there are enough centers providing reproductive health care that are distributed across the country,” Hayrapetyan said.
“We need more funding and to extend services geographically,” he added.
“We need to build up the capacity of service providers as well as the provision of medicine and medical equipment, including reproductive health kits. We also need to address gender-based violence that has increased during [the era of the coronavirus],” he stated.
There are 12 different types of reproductive health kits for different medical situations, such as clean births and rapes.
As of October 5, UNFPA Yemen had received only 62% of its $100 million 2020 budget. This does not include an additional $20 million needed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Approximately half of all Yemen’s health-care facilities are closed due to an ongoing civil war.
Women have borne much of the brunt of the health-care shortage due to discrimination and additional needs related to pregnancy, Suad Abu-Dayyeh, an Amman-based Middle East/North Africa consultant for Equality Now, an organization that advances the rights for women and girls, argues.
“Access to medical services affects women more than men due to mobility restrictions [related to the guardianship system] and has only been worsened by the political situation,” she told The Media Line.
“If a woman is giving birth, she might die en route due to the conflict or be forced to deliver at home in unsanitary conditions,” Abu-Dayyeh added. “Access to hospitals when they want to deliver children may be impossible in some areas, and they face many problems trying to seek [medical attention] for reproductive health.”
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Funding, fuel, and ‘famine’: Unpacking Yemen’s overlapping crises
A massive shortfall in international funding is forcing aid groups to scale back their work in Yemen, a country enduring what the UN calls the world’s “worst humanitarian crisis”.
As of early October, the UN has received $1.3 billion for Yemen, about 40 percent of what it said it needed for the aid operations it intended to coordinate and carry out in 2020. That’s a major drop from the $3.6 billion it received in 2019, when it asked for $4.2 billion.
The UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, said in a 23 September statement that “the consequences of under-funding are immediate, enormous and devastating”, noting that food distributions have already been cut and health services shut down. She said more programmes would close in the coming weeks if fresh funding doesn’t materialise. A group of NGOs that work in Yemen has also warned that under-funding “is leaving families vulnerable to malnutrition, disease and death”.
After five and a half years of war between Houthi rebels and the internationally recognised government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi – backed by a fractured Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates-led coalition – the possibility of famine is being raised once again, and the UN says more than 80 percent of Yemen’s population of 30 million is in need of some sort of aid.
The economy is collapsing, it’s extremely difficult for aid workers to reach people in need, and conflict is flaring again after a period of relative calm. And while famine is the word that garners headlines – and sometimes opens funders’ cheque books – it’s far from the only challenge humanitarians and diplomats face in a conflict where front lines and alliances have often shifted, but where the decimation of lives and livelihoods remains a constant.
Here are six dimensions of Yemen’s worsening humanitarian catastrophe you should be watching.
Funding
First, the money. The UN says it urgently needs $1 billion to prevent the worst effects of cutbacks, but efforts to pressure the main donors into giving a lot more have so far proved largely unsuccessful.
In a 15 September speech to the Security Council, UN relief chief Mark Lowcock singled out for criticism three donors that are also members of the coalition that backs Hadi – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait – saying that despite their “particular responsibility… [they] have so far given nothing to this year’s UN plan”.
“It is particularly reprehensible to promise money, which gives people hope that help may be on the way, and then to dash those hopes by simply failing to fulfil the promise,” Lowcock said.
Following that throwing down of the gauntlet, Saudi Arabia said it had signed deals to provide over $200 million to Yemen via UN agencies. UN records show that the kingdom has now given a total of $297 million to the UN appeal, but that is down from $1 billion in 2019. Neither Kuwait (which has played an active role in mediation despite its membership in the original coalition) nor the UAE has offered any money this year – after giving $94 million and $420 million in 2019, respectively. None of the three countries responded to questions from The New Humanitarian about their Yemen funding.
In the lead-up to a June pledging conference to drum up money for UN-led efforts in Yemen, donor countries expressed unease about giving to an aid operation plagued by obstruction and diversion – at the same time as they are hit by COVID-19-related economic problems.
The United States, the largest donor so far in 2020, has been the most outspoken about these concerns. Up to early October, its funding was significantly lower than its 2019 total, but a USAID official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said total spending for the 2020 calendar year in Yemen would reach a level similar to that of last year.
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2020/10/07/Yemen-humanitarian-crises-funding-fuel-famine
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Yemen Humanitarian Update Issue 9 (September 2020)
Lack of funding cripples the aid operation
Fifteen of 41 major United Nations humanitarian programmes in hard-hit Yemen have already been reduced or shut down and 30 more will be affected in coming weeks unless additional funding is received.
“It’s an impossible situation,” said Lise Grande, Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, in a statement on 23 September. “This is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world yet we don’t have the resources we need to save the people who are suffering and will die if we don’t help. The consequences of underfunding are immediate, enormous and devastating,” she added. “Nearly every humanitarian worker has had to tell a hungry family or someone who is ill that we can’t help them because we don’t have funding.”
Between April and August, agencies were forced to reduce food distributions, cut health services in more than 300 facilities and halt specialized services for hundreds of thousands of traumatized and highly vulnerable women and girls.
Some 9 million people have been impacted by reductions in food assistance since April. A further 1.37 million will be affected from December unless additional funding is secured. A reduction in nutrition services in July affected more than 334,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women. If additional funding is not received, nutrition services for up to 530,000 children under age 2 may occur from December.
As of September, WHO has ended the Minimum Service Package (MSP) in 121 facilities, which has affected 1 million people. This is in addition to 1.3 million people deprived of access to life-saving health care services through the MSP due to cuts to the health sector since April, when WHO had to stop incentives payments to more than 1,800 medical staff delivering MSP in 135 facilities. If resources are not provided by the end of the year, a total of 9 million people will lose access to basic health care services.
In terms of outbreak control and response, if funding is not received by October, preparedness, surveillance and pre-positioning of supplies for outbreak response including diphtheria and dengue will stop across 23 Governorates. Up to 60 per cent of the 174 existing cholera treatment facilities (174 centres) and 100 per cent of the 300 existing preparedness and medical centres (300 facilities) will close. All 333 district rapid response teams will cease to perform core functions, including case investigation and outbreak monitoring. As many as 18 million people will be impacted, including 6 million children urgently in need of vaccination against deadly diseases like measles and polio.
“Donors have been incredibly generous during the war, providing billions of dollars to support people who have nowhere to go and no one else to turn to,” said Ms. Grande. “But this year, we are falling short, way short, of what we need.” By the end of September, only $1.3 billion of the $3.2 billion needed in 2020 had been received. “We can overcome this crisis if everyone contributes,” said Ms. Grande. “Everyone has a role.”
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-update-issue-9-september-2020
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Luzerner gründen Hilfswerk für Kinder im Jemen
Besonders Kinder leiden unter dem Bürgerkrieg im Jemen. Das neue, in Luzern gegründete Hilfswerk Arabia Felix will ihnen zu Bildung und Gesundheitsversorgung verhelfen.
Deswegen beinhaltet die Unterstützung vor allem die Schul- und Ausbildung von Kindern. «Das Ziel ist, so viele Kinder wie möglich dabei zu unterstützen, dass sie die Schule besuchen können», so Saeed. Langfristig sei auch das Ziel, eine eigene Schule im Jemen aufzubauen.
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
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Vertreibung von mehr als 24.000 jemenitischen Familien seit Anfang dieses Jahres
Seit Jahresbeginn sind nach Angaben der Internationalen Organisation für Migration (IOM) mehr als 24.000 jemenitische Familien vertrieben worden.
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Film: For the fifth consecutive year, internally #displaced people face dire conditions in Tur Al-Baha.
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1314240770266804224
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Four million Yemeni IDPs live human disastrous conditions: Houthis
The Yemeni northern Houthi-held areas has hosted more than 4 million internally displaced persons living human disastrous conditions, the Houthi-run Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (SCMCHA) said Friday.
As of last August, 606,000 families (or 4,168,000 people) were displaced to 15 Yemeni governorates, SCMCHA added in a report.
"Hundreds of thousands of IDPs live human disastrous condition due to the ongoing war in the country" over six years, according to the Houthi 'Ansarallah' website.
"More than two million IDPs have no access to assistance," the report added, despite the repeated calls upon organizations.
The report accused UN agencies of purposely failing to create sustainable projects or income-generating assistances that would help IDPs fairly live instead of depending on "aids insufficient to meet their least needs.
"The humanitarian crisis has worsened following the UN agencies' announcement of lowering [their] assistances and closing projects, at time IDP camps lack the least resources," it added.
Last September, the UN announced the closure of 15 (out of 45) humanitarian programs in Yemen, due to low funding, and warned that the 30 others could face the same fate unless additional funds are provided.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20374.html
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=15265&cat_id=1
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Flow Monitoring Points | Migrant Arrivals and Yemeni Returns in September 2020
Access constraints limit the ability to collect data at some migrant arrival points. IOM estimates that 617 migrants entered Yemen in addition to 478 Yemeni returns from KSA during September 2020. Since beginning of 2020 till 30 September 2020, 33,122 individual migrants arrived in Yemen, and 13,895 Yemenis returns from KSA while another 266 Yemenis returns from Horn of Africa. The migration has witnessed a significant decline since the emergence of the Corona virus pandemic.
The migrant caseload has been primarily Ethiopian (93%) and Somalis (7%), with 40% of those tracked heading for Saudi Arabia and 60% towards Yemen. The migrants are predominantly male (83%), with 13% women and 3% boys and 1% girls also among the travellers.
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Shelter Cluster Winterization Recommendations for Yemen, October 2020 – February 2021
The ongoing conflict prevented the majority of the conflict-affected population from recovering their livelihoods, and that more people have by now exhausted their financial savings and are not able to prepare adequately for the winter season. The climate in Yemen varies greatly depending on the geographical region. During the winter season, the country experiences coolness, with frequent frost. The range of temperature can go from 19°C during the highest weather temperature in winter, into below 0°C at its coldest. Unusual heavy monsoon rainfall and flooding continue to affect significant parts of the country.
This document represents recommendations for the winterization support as part of the Shelter Cluster efforts to put in place measures to support the affected population in order to avert the risk of humanitarian tragedy and loss of life during the winter months, particularly between October and February this situation by providing Winter NFIs or Shelter assistance based on needs through visible modalities primarily vouchers/cash to enable the beneficiaries to choose the items they need, the color/brand they like and the right size. In-kind distributions could be used in very remote locations where cash systems and markets are not functioning. All information included in this document reflect results from consultations with Cluster partners and building on the experience developed in the previous winterization programs.
Given the current numbers of displaced persons concerned and the growing humanitarian needs, more efforts will be required to bolster the response in the affected areas during the winter months with a priority to be given to IDPs living in hosting sites (Collective Centres and Spontaneous Settlements) in very cold locations.
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Yemen Fact Sheet - Site Management for IDPs in Yemen, September 2020
Close to one million IDPs are currently living in more than 1,600 IDP hosting sites in deplorable conditions. Camp Coordination and Camp Management (site management in Yemen) Cluster led by UNHCR have access to 660 sites lived by 525,000 IDPs, and UNHCR as the Cluster Lead supervises 353 sites hosing 270,000 IDPs.
IDP hosting sites range from relatively organized structures where basic services are available, to buildings used as temporary living accommodations, such as health facilities, schools and so on (referred to as collective centres). However, most sites in Yemen are spontaneous settlements where displaced individuals set up temporary shelters on private land.
Recent data covering 606,000 individuals in 658 IDP hosting sites revealed that most (86%) live on private land, 12% in public buildings and 2% on land or in property of unknown ownership. A majority (87%) live in property without any tenancy agreement, and one out of three sites in Yemen faces eviction threats. As a response, the triCluster (Protection, Shelter and CCCM) developed a specific technical guidance to track and address evictions in consultation with IDPs, hosting communities and local authorities.
While alternative site locations are explored to host evicted IDPs, the availability of suitable land remains limited.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-fact-sheet-site-management-idps-yemen-september-2020
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Building 63 houses in Al Jarahi directorate for those affected by the floods The tunnel of the brotherly Kuwaiti people was built during 55 days equipped with solar energy Thanks to the brotherly Kuwaiti people and everyone who contributed and participated With this humanitarian work (photo)
https://twitter.com/mohamd_alamery/status/1313579982199848961
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Yemen: IOM Warns Disaster Looms in Marib, as Escalating Fighting Drives up Humanitarian Needs
Deadly fighting now is entering its tenth month in northeast Yemen, where more than 90,000 people have been displaced to and within Marib governorate since January. That’s over half of all conflict-related displacement in Yemen this year.
The situation is about to get worse.
“We are hugely concerned about the devastating impact of heavy fighting getting closer to areas heavily populated with civilians - displaced people, locals and migrants,” said Christa Rottensteiner, IOM Yemen Chief of Mission.
Arriving with little-to-nothing, the vast majority of those being displaced today have no option but to shelter in extremely overcrowded settlements in Marib city and surrounding areas where they lack the most basic services needed to survive.
Added IOM’s Christa Rottensteiner: “We hope that a peaceful resolution can be found soon to prevent a massive displacement crisis: hundreds of thousands of people could be forced to flee, many of whom would be running from this conflict for the second, third or even forth time. And more areas would become unreachable for humanitarian organizations, meaning vulnerable communities would be left without even the most basic support.”.
Displacement to Marib governorate has been ongoing since the start of Yemen’s conflict. In 2018, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded some 800,000 displaced people living there—which at the time represented nearly a tripling of Marib’s pre-conflict population. Today, the number of displaced people in the same area is believed to be even higher, given the recent combat and displacement.
Of the families displaced since January, an estimated 70 per cent are in need of shelter support, as they are living in makeshift shelters, many families in one small tent, overcrowded and dangerous abandoned buildings. Others are sleeping out in the open. Fewer than five per cent have regular access to a latrine. When combined with the fact that displacement sites are overcrowded, this creates an extremely worrying situation given that hygiene and physical distancing are key to combatting the spread of COVID-19.
Adding to the hardship, Marib governorate was recently heavily affected by floods. An estimated 17,000 families have been impacted, many of whom had been displaced already and were living in makeshift shelters.
Since establishing an office in Marib last year, IOM has reached more than 25,000 families with assistance
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B P)
Ali Abdullah Saleh und die Verschwörung gegen Jemen
Die Verschwörung gegen den Jemen blieb viele Jahre lang eine der Prioritäten der Kolonialländer und Israels, um ihn zu kontrollieren und seinen strategischen und angesehenen Standort zu kontrollieren und seine natürlichen Ressourcen auszubeuten.
Das Problem hängt mit einer umfassenden Verschwörung gegen den Jemen zusammen, die es dem israelischen Feind ermöglicht, alle seine Ziele und Ambitionen im Jemen zu erreichen, die sich nicht nur auf Bab al-Mandab, das Rote Meer, die Inseln und die Westküste beschränken, sondern auch auf wirtschaftliche, kulturelle, landwirtschaftliche, sicherheitstechnische und militärische Aspekte.
Sicher ist, dass der frühere Präsident Ali Abdullah Saleh den Händen des amerikanischen und westlichen Geheimdienstes zum Opfer gefallen ist, der seine Weisung gegenüber denen wurde, die Allianzen schließen und Konzessionen und Einrichtungen anbieten und das Land entlarven und es vor den Kolonialmächten und westlichen Geheimdiensten weit öffnen.
Ali Abdullah Saleh führte das Land mit der Mentalität eines Gangsters, nicht eines Staatsoberhauptes. Und er wurde in diesem Video und seinen eigenen Interessen regiert, die die Interessen des Landes und seiner Bürger überwältigten, und er hatte keine korrekte Vision für die Führung des Landes und keine Strategie für den Fortschritt und die Entwicklung, an deren Umsetzung er arbeitet. Er nahm die Interessen und Fortschritte des Landes nicht ernst. Bei der Regierung des Landes stützte er sich auf die korrupten Elemente, deren private Interessen die Interessen der Nation beeinflussen, damit er das Land so lange wie möglich regieren kann.
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3111770.htm
Mein Kommentar: Die Huthi-Sicht der Dinge. Die Sicht auf Saleh ist sicher richtig. Die Fixierung auf Israel schadet der Argumentation.
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Hundreds of worshippers in Hayel Mosque in Sana’a rose up against a Houthi cleric after he preached hate messages and called his congregation “cowardly” for not joining the militia’s warfronts against the [Hadi] government. Source: Multiple websites.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42538
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Rights organization Sam said it has recorded 200 Houthi death sentences against prisoners military personnel and civilian activists including journalists. Source: Nabdh Al-Share’a website
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42538
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Houthis ready to pay civil servants if revenues deposited into Sana'a CBY
The Houthi group on Friday said it is willing to pay salaries to all Yemeni civil servants, on condition that the official [Hadi] government allows for all the revenues to be deposited into the Sana'a-based Central Bank of Yemen (CBY).
A member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council called the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's legitimate government to pay salaries of Aden port's staff.
"Isn't unjust enough for you to deny employees [in areas] outside your control their salaries," Mohamed Ali al-Houthi tweeted.
"If you're unable, let all the revenues be returned to Sana'a CBY, and we're prepared to pay salaries for all Yemen's employees."
Having seized the Yemeni interim capital of Aden, the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council forced income-generating institutions there (including Aden port) to open accounts at the National Bank.
Civil servant salaries have been unpaid since September 2016 following the dislocation of the CBY from Sana'a to Aden under official decree.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20388.html
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The Houthi militia have imposed new restrictions on trading in and using WIFI networks in Sana’a. Source: Yemen Press and other websites.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42513
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A Houthi militant killed three people including a child and injured others in Eyal Zreih district in Amran today. The militant who was on a dispute with the men over piece of land opened fire on them and fled, but only after he incurred the casualties. Source: Almashehad Alyemeni website.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42513
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Houthi militant kills one citizen over piece of chocolate
Local sources said that Mohamed Najib Al-Zumar, a graduate student of civil engineering who works at the Green Basket Grocery in Qahza area, west Ibb was killed following his demand to Houthi gunman to pay for one chocolate he took from the grocery.
Yet, the gunman took his gun and shot him dead immediately.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42508
(A P)
Houthi militant kills one citizen over piece of chocolate
Local sources said that Mohamed Najib Al-Zumar, a graduate student of civil engineering who works at the Green Basket Grocery in Qahza area, west Ibb was killed following his demand to Houthi gunman to pay for one chocolate he took from the grocery.
Yet, the gunman took his gun and shot him dead immediately.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42508
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An educator killed by a Houthi gunman in Rayma Province
It all started when a group of gunmen affiliated with the Houthi militia came to an area called Jad Jadeed, in the district of Bilad Al Ta’am, to take over a piece of land, Almashad Alyemeni reported citing locals from the area.
According to the source, the victim Abdo Al Ashwal was using his camera to document the takeover of the land when the head of the group, who goes by the name of Abo Nasr Rawba’a, opened fire on the victim, who was killed right after being shot.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/25703
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Yemeni Court Sentences Donald Trump to Death Over Saudi Coalition Strike Against Civilians
The trial was carried out in the absence of all of the accused and resulted in similar sentences for all of the "suspects". It is unclear, how the Houthi government intends to enforce the penalties.
A Houthi-controlled Specialised Criminal Court in Yemen has sentenced ten people, American, Saudi, and Yemeni officials to death over a Saudi coalition airstrike that took place on 9 August 2018 and claimed the lives of 51 students travelling on a bus, according to the Houthi authorities.
Among those sentenced, are US President Donald Trump, his former Defence Secretary James Mattis, Saudi King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Yemeni President Mansour Hadi. It is unclear how the US president and his former defence secretary are related to the crime, but Washington remains one of the main suppliers of weapons to Saudi Arabia.
(A P)
Commemorating anniversary of Grand Hall Massacre in Capital Sanaa
The Republic presidency office and capital secretariat in the capital Sanaa mark the fourth anniversary of the aggression massacre in the funeral hall.
Obbad stressed the importance of commemorating the fourth anniversary of the massacre of aggression on the Grand Hall, which was committed on 8 October 2016, and reminding the world of this horrible crime in which hundreds of civilians were martyred and injured.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3111653.htm
and
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Launching National Campaign to Expose US-Saudi Aggression’s Crimes in Yemen
Member of the Supreme Political Council, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, Thursday, inaugurated a campaign for crimes of the US aggression against Yemen. He announced the start of official activities and popular action. The framework of this campaign in Twitter, Facebook and social media will have an impact on defining the grievances of the Yemeni people and conveying them to the world public opinion.
This came in an event organized on the fourth anniversary of the massacre of the US-Saudi aggression in the Funeral Hall under the slogan “The Funeral Hall Massacre, an Unforgettable US Crime,” which coincided with the launch of the aggression campaign against Yemen.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=15250
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Yemen’s Houthi rebel group bans WhatsApp
Anyone who uses WhatsApp application will be arrested, says Ibb governorate
Yemen’s Houthi rebel group has banned and criminalized using WhatsApp application in the southwestern Ibb province which is under its control.
This came in a statement late Thursday by the governorate of Ibb, according to local media.
The statement said that "anyone who uses the WhatsApp application will be arrested” and having the application will be considered “an indecent offense."
"This application has become the biggest disease in the Islamic world through which illegal relationships are built which must be included among the acts that violate morality,” the statement said.
Houthi Prosecution also ordered the "formation of female teams to inspect and control phones and carry out campaigns in phone stores while giving citizens a week until the decision reaches them."
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-s-houthi-rebel-group-bans-whatsapp/2001118
and also https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1314655826125230080 (document in image)
Comment: Reportedly, Houthi authorities plan to ban WhatsApp in areas under Houthi-control. This is laughable. All @hrw official letters we send to Houthi officials are via their WhatsApp number as they are not known to be using emails or faxes. What a joke!
https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser/status/1314278920066392065
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Saudi Arabia, UAE are neo-Nazi regimes of present era: Yemeni PM
The prime minister of Yemen's National Salvation Government has condemned Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their double-standard in the devastating war on Yemen, saying the both regimes are exterminating the Yemeni people while commemorating the death of thousands of Jews during Germany’s Nazi era.
https://en.abna24.com/news//saudi-arabia-uae-are-neo-nazi-regimes-of-present-era-yemeni-pm_1076677.html = https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990718000150
Al-Huthis’ Spiegel-Interview in der iranischen Presse:
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Oberstes Revolutionskomitee im Jemen: USA töten Zivilisten im Namen der Terrorbekämpfung
Al-Houthis’ interview in “Spiegel” reflected in Iranian media:
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Al-Houthi: Relating Yemen war to Iran, another American fallacy
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/164442/Relating-Yemen-war-to-Iran-another-American-fallacy
(A P)
In their areas of control, the Houthi militia have distributed forms to the Education Ministry branch offices to collect personal information about teachers. The forms (pictured) classify teachers on a sectarian basis in that the offices have to gather and fill out all the necessary personal information on the teachers of the public school under their supervision including the teacher’s “political affiliation.” Source: Yemen Sky website.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42469
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Houthi group imposes skewed school curricula in regions under its control, says [Hadi] government
The Yemeni government has accused the Ansar Allah group, also known as the Houthis, of targeting and exploiting the educational process in regions under its control.
Information minister, Muammar Al-Eryani wrote on Twitter: "The group has received the new school year with skewed textbooks and curricula for primary schools with the goal to brainwash our children, falsify history and distribute sectarian and political certificates to the educational cadre".
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20315.html
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42488
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
Aden verbleibt in der Hand der Separatisten im Süden. Ihre medien verbreiten eine große Menge von parteiischen Berichten, die das Narrativ der Separatisten überihren Hauptgegner, die Islah Partei (genannt "Muslim-Bruderschaft"), über die Kämpfe in Abyan und Shabwa, ihre Herrschaft in Aden und den von ihnen kontrollierten Gebieten verbreiten.
Aden remains in the hands of southern separatists. Their media are spreading a bulk of biased reports, showing their narrative of their foes from Islah Party (labeled “Muslim Brotherhood”), the fighting at Abyan and Shabwa, their self-rule at Aden and the areas under their control.
(A)
Gunmen open fire on telecom company in militant-controlled Aden
A number of gunmen reportedly opened fire on the office of a telecom company in Yemen’s interim capital of Aden on Saturday afternoon, local sources said.
The gunmen in Mualla in downtown Aden shot fire on the Sabafon’s office causing a big fire and sending panic but the public rushed to help with extinguishing the fire. Severe damage was incurred in the building and equipment were destroyed
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42539
(A K P)
SFB foils smuggling of Turkish arms to Abyan
The [separatist militia] Security Belt Forces (SBF) foiled on Saturday, a bid to smuggle a shipment of Turkish arms into the southern province of Abyan.
Security officials said that the SFB's Rapid Intervention Forces intercepted Muslim Brotherhood-linked armed groups in the coastal city of Ahwar which, according to confirmed information, was the place of delivery of Turkish arms smuggled by sea.
Clashes erupted between the two sides near Ahwar beach, the same sources indicated.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/27287
My comment: This sounds like a tall story to furthr blame all the enemies of the UAE and theit separatist followers in Yemen.
(A P)
#HumanRights sources said armed men belonging to the Southern Transitional Council, supported by the #UAE, arrested a number of photojournalists and journalists in #Aden, accused of leaking video recordings of the trials of abducted national army personnel detained since 2018.
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1314290466515369989
(A P)
Tensions are growing between the government forces and the UAE forces around Yemen’s natural gas liquefaction project in Shabwa as the government press presses its demands that the UAE troops occupying the facility to evacuate it and allow Yemen to resume exporting gas. The army is detaining for the second straight day 22 members of a UAE affiliated local militia (known as the Shabwa Elite Forces). The 22 militants had been deployed from UAE military base within the facility to the provincial capital of Shabwa, Ataq, to trigger a turmoil. Interrogations are still going on with the 22 militiamen. Source: Almashehad Alyemeni news website .
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42513
(A P)
Former Prime Minister Bin Daghr warns of an existential threat posed by the (Houthi) Imamite theocracy to Yemen and of the return of occupation to south Yemen. Source of the story: Yemen Talk news websit
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42513
(A P)
Shabwa Governor has renewed the call on UAE forces occupying the Yemen Liquefied Natural Gas plant to evacuate so that Yemen can resume operating the facility and exporting gas to save Yemen in the face of “the hard economic conditions and devaluation of the national currency.” Source: Nabdh Al-Share’a website.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42492
(A P)
A number of government soldiers have finally died after long enforced disappearance and torture in Aden. Source: Balqees TV website.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42492
(A P)
Yemen: Gov’t official reaffirms state return to Socotra
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Al-Hadhrami reaffirmed on Tuesday on the need for the return of state offices to Socotra Island to restore the rule of law and resume the public service.
Al-Hadhrami voiced this during his virtual meeting with the UK State Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, James Cleverly.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42486
(A P)
Yemeni gov't calls WB to open office in Aden
The Yemeni caretaker government on Thursday called on the World Bank to support legitimate institutions and reopen its office in the interim capital of Aden.
The WB's investment in supporting the main economic sectors and infrastructure enhances Yemen's economic comprehensive growth, the Yemeni minister of planning and international cooperation said, by "creating jobs for youth and supporting the Yemeni woman steadiness and improving her capacities to contribute to reconstruction."
There is a need for WB's balanced interventions in terms of emergency support and long-term development support, Najeeb al-Awj added in his speech to the annual virtual meeting for the WB's group.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20365.html
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42510
(A P)
Unspecified security forces in eastern Yemen’s al Mahrah governorate reportedly announced that they are imposing increased security measures in the governorate’s Shahan district on October 7. A Yemeni media outlet reported that security forces in the governorate banned locals from carrying weapons out of fear that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) would carry out an attack in al Mahrah. Saudi-led coalition forces reportedly raided an alleged AQAP cell in al Ghaydah city, the capital of al Mahrah, on October 2.[1]
(A P)
Mahrah on high alert amid fears of Al-Qaeda attack
The security forces at the Shahin crossing in Yemen's eastern province of Mahrah on the border with Oman on Thursday were put on high alert amid fears of an Al-Qaeda attack.
The provincial information centre said the security committee in the city of Shahin ordered all the security and army forces to stay on maximum alert to face any emergency.
The committee stressed the importance of good coordination among all units and tightening inspection of all cars passing through military checkpoints at the entrances of the crossing, it said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20354.html
(A P)
Yemen releases Turkey relief team after hours in detention
Pro-United Arab Emirates (UAE) forces have released Turkish Red Crescent officials in Yemen, hours after arresting them in the southern province of Aden.
The Turkish Red Crescent tweeted on Wednesday that its team was released in Yemen: “After waiting for a while due to the necessary document procedures. They have resumed work to assist the Yemeni people.”
(A P)
Yemen STC leader calls to secede from north
The head of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), General Aidarous Al-Zoubaidi, on Monday called for the secession of southern Yemen from the north claiming it was the only solution to the country’s unrest.
Speaking during a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Yemen, Vladimir Dedushkin, in the Saudi capital Riyadh, where he resides, Al-Zoubaidi said: “The people of the south have a live and present issue, for which no temporary or transient solutions can be found.”
“There is no solution to that conflict, except by returning to its roots and causes, represented by responding to the demands and aspirations of the people of the south, to restore their state and identity.”
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201007-yemen-stc-leader-calls-to-secede-from-north/
(* A K P)
Saudis establish military base in Yemen nature reserve
Saudi Arabian forces in Yemen have taken steps to establish a military base in the country’s Hawf Protected Area, an important nature reserve located in the eastern province of Al-Mahrah, which is contiguous with neighbouring Oman’s Jebel Samhan Nature Reserve.
Citing tribal sources, the Yemen News Portal reported yesterday that the Saudis have already started to set up the barracks in what is vital grazing territory for the province’s semi-nomadic tribal community. It is believed that the militarisation of the reserve will sever an important income source for the Mahri community, which is mostly dependent on the grazing of its livestock.
According to the Yemen Press Agency, the Saudi move comes amid reports of pressure on exiled Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is expected to sign agreements enabling a long-term Saudi presence in Al-Mahrah, including military facilities.
However, locals perceive the Saudis to be an occupying force and activists have called for armed resistance. There have also been clashes with Saudi forces in the province.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201006-saudis-establish-military-base-in-yemen-nature-reserve/
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp7 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-684b-yemen-war-mosaic-684b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-684-yemen-war-mosaic-684
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-684 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-684:
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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