... Jemens „Manhattan der Wüste“ ist bedroht – USA wollen F-35-Kampfjets an Emirate verkaufen – und mehr
Nov. 4, 2020: The suffering of Aslam village – US Forces in Yemen – Oil spills in Yemen – Yemen’s mental health crisis – Yemen’s “Manhattan in the desert” at stake – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-687b-yemen-war-mosaic-687b
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavitrus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Großer Gefangenenaustausch / Most important: Great prisoner swap
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Söldner / Mercenaries
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13d 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)
Film: Assem film
Documentary that shows the suffers that "aslam" village in yemen is facing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1_0GndD5nk
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDCauoySpz8
and also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk-3xPRdfgs
(** B K P)
US Forces in Yemen: Trump
The United States conducted its first targeted assassination by drone outside the hot battlefield in November 2002 in Marib province, killing five reported members of Al Qaeda. However US counterterrorism operations did not begin in earnest until 2009, prompted by the founding of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The Obama Administration’s controversial campaign – which saw airstrikes by both the US military and the CIA – managed to suppress but not destroy AQAP, which continued to mount ambitious extraterritorial acts of terrorism. US counterterrorism strikes were expanded in October 2017 to include the local ISIS franchise.
Overall, more than 500 US airstrikes have been locally claimed in Yemen since 2009, resulting in several hundred locally documented civilian deaths. Airwars’ Yemen data, which incorporates earlier monitoring work by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, presently focuses on US actions from 2017 onwards under President Donald Trump – and will shortly be expanded to include all known US strikes in Yemen since 2002. Reviews of reported US counterterrorism actions along with any associated civilian harm claims can be accessed either via our interactive mapping and timeline, or via the ‘US Strikes & Civilian Casualties’ tab above.
https://airwars.org/conflict/us-forces-in-yemen/
Trump in Yemen: New Airwars study shines light on opaque campaign
Despite at least 84 likely civilian deaths from US actions in Yemen under Donald Trump, public accountability peaked just 12 days into his presidency.
A new Airwars investigation into the ongoing US counterterrorism campaign in Yemen has identified at least 86 civilians likely killed by US actions during Donald Trump’s presidency – though the US military has admitted to no more than a dozen deaths.
Eroding Transparency, researched and written by Mohammed al-Jumaily and Edward Ray, examines US air and ground actions against both Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and Islamic State in Yemen, since 2017. More than 230 declared and alleged US military and CIA actions are identified – among them 41 reported strikes in which Yemenis have alleged civilian casualties.
An accompanying public database details every alleged US action in Yemen since 2017 under President Trump. Employing its highly-effective all source monitoring approach, Airwars has significantly reoriented research towards Yemeni voices and experiences. There are some 4,400 unique sources in the new public database, sixty per cent of these in Arabic. More than 140 alleged or confirmed US actions have also been geolocated by Airwars to village-level accuracy.
Eroding Transparency shows that US operations in Yemen – already on the rise during the last two years of the Obama administration – significantly escalated under Trump, with dire consequences for civilian harm. US operations too often lacked both the transparency and accountability standards of other recent US military interventions, and the report identifies a worrying emphasis under Trump of both clandestine and covert activity in Yemen, obscured from public scrutiny.
Initial spike under Donald Trump
Airwars’ new research tracks a precipitous increase in alleged and confirmed US counterterrorism actions in Yemen during 2017. Indeed, the first year of the Trump presidency saw the highest reported US counterterrorism actions in Yemen since 2002.
This escalation was accompanied by a significant loosening of restrictions on how the US military could operate in Yemen: “It seems what happened was that the Trump administration was keen to take the gloves off, as it were, to be what they perceived was tougher on terrorism, and this was one of the first ready-made concepts of operation available,” says Luke Hartig, previously Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council during the Obama administration.
When compared with available data on US actions during Barack Obama’s presidency (2009 – 2017), it is clear this initial spike under Trump in 2017 represented a distinct departure from the previous administration. That one year saw a record 133 officially declared US airstrikes and ground actions in Yemen. To put this in context, the total number of publicly declared actions in Yemen during the full presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, over a 14 year period, amounted to 150 events.
More recently however, Airwars research shows that US counterterrorism activity in Yemen has declined to its lowest reported levels since 2012.
Poor US response to civilian casualty concerns
The expansion of US activity during the early Trump presidency resulted in a corresponding increase in likely civilian harm, Eroding Transparency reveals. Of the 86 minimum likely civilian deaths tracked by Airwars, some 93 per cent (80 deaths) arose from reported US actions in Yemen between January 2017 and April 2018. Reported civilian deaths tracked by Airwars in 2017 significantly outstripped alleged deaths in any year during the Obama presidency, as previously tracked by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
The estimated minimum civilian deaths from Trump strikes in Yemen include at least 28 children and 13 women, resulting from some 25 declared and likely US actions. At least 63 likely civilian deaths resulted from twenty actions that US Central Command has itself publicly declared. Eroding Transparency emphasises in particular the considerable risks of US ground actions to civilians; alleged or confirmed US ground actions, though accounting only less than three per cent of likely US actions, were responsible for at least 40 per cent of the minimum confirmed or fair civilian harm tracked by Airwars.
Airwars’ new analysis further highlights the extent to which small Yemeni communities have borne the brunt of US counterterror actions. One area of Bayda governorate, roughly 25km in radius, has been the site of almost a fifth of the total likely and declared US actions tracked by Airwars in the past four years – reportedly killing at least 38 civilians.
Yet these likely deaths have gone largely unrecognised by the US military. The US Department of Defense has conceded just four to twelve deaths from a single action – the disastrous US special forces raid in Yakla, Bayda governorate, on January 29th 2017. Just twelve days into the Trump presidency, the admission of civilian harm in that raid constituted the high watermark of accountability for the administration. Yet even this concession was a considerable underestimate, In that same ground raid, Airwars and others assess that at least 20 civilians were in fact killed.
Though President Trump removed civilian harm reporting requirements for the CIA, the Department of Defense is still obliged to report civilian harm from its own actions annually to Congress. Yet apart from the Yakla concession, the Pentagon has admitted to no further civilian deaths or injuries arising from US military actions in Yemen under Donald Trump. In its 2018 and 2019 annual civilian casualty reports to Congress, the DoD instead asserted that it had found “no credible reports of civilian casualties resulting from US military actions in Yemen” for the years in question.
During those same years, Airwars assesses, at least 30 civilian deaths were likely incurred by US actions, including events reported by local advocacy NGOs such as Mwatana for Human Rights.
US Central Command did not respond substantively to Airwars’ comprehensive submission, nine weeks prior to the publication of Eroding Transparency, of more than 1,000 pages of archived source materials, in both English and Arabic, relating to all 41 declared and alleged US actions which had led to local claims of civilian harm in Yemen under President Trump.
The future of US actions in Yemen
Though reported US actions have declined in frequency in the latter years of Donald Trump’s presidency, there has also been a marked shift towards covert or clandestine US actions, shielded from public accountability. As Eroding Transparency shows, while CENTCOM itself asserts that it has not conducted any airstrike in Yemen since June 24th 2019, during that same period Airwars tracked 30 allegations of US strikes in Yemen.
Of these 30 incidents, 15 have been assessed by Airwars as likely US strikes based on local reporting. And in three events, all during 2020, admission of responsibility for actions by US officials has in turn indicated those attacks were conducted either by the CIA, or were clandestine US military actions.
At this juncture, the future of US counter-terrorism in Yemen remains unclear. Though Airwars has monitored a clear decline in the apparent frequency of US actions since 2018, Eroding Transparency also highlights a corresponding weakening of public accountability for those actions.
https://airwars.org/news-and-investigations/trump-in-yemen-new-study-shines-light-on-campaign/
Full report: https://airwars.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Eroding-Transparency-Trump-in-Yemen.-Airwars-October-2020.pdf
Reported incidents in detail: https://airwars.org/civilian-casualties/?belligerent=us-forces&country=yemen
The Covert Drone Wars Archive
The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism monitored reports of covert and clandestine US drone strikes and other actions in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia between 2010 and 2019, in one of the longest running media investigations in modern history. The Bureau also tracked local claims of civilian harm - challenging US assertions that no few or no civilians were being harmed.
The Bureau also conducted many critical investigations into these secretive US wars. It revealed for example that the CIA had begun a policy of ‘double tap’’ strikes in Pakistan which were killing rescuers attending the scene of earlier attacks. It showed that the CIA’s claims of zero civilian harm were false. The TBIJ revealed that an Iranian news agency was fabricating claims of US drone strikes in Somalia. And it investigated high civilian casualties from US covert actions on the ground in Yemen. The team won several awards and accolades, including the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism.
In 2019 Airwars took over from the Bureau its monitoring of US actions in Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan. Since this involved transitioning the Bureau’s original assessments to our own methodology, this archive page preserves all key Bureau web pages, graphics and datasets, enabling researchers to review the TBIJ’s earlier work.
https://airwars.org/archives/bij-drone-war
(** B)
Recent oil spills in central Yemen
Report on recent oil spills, including two on land, one at sea with potential impacts on biodiversity, and one near-miss on an oil pipeline pumping station.
Whilst attention has rightly been focused on the precarious FSO SAFER oil tanker, which has the potential for a regionally or globally catastrophic marine oil spill, there have recently been a number of reports of smaller scale oil spills in Yemen. From searches of social and traditional media, we have found examples of incidents across the spectrum of oil infrastructure, which to some degree are all linked with the conflict. This includes from well heads, to pipelines, refineries and to transport on land.
The risk to oil shipping remains elevated along Yemen’s coast; earlier in the year there was a significant spill from the Sabiti tanker in the Red Sea, and a near miss further east of Bir Ali. Tensions are now even higher in the area around Bir Ali – a day after this incident a tanker was approached by armed skiffs after loading at the Ash Shihr terminal (150km to the east). Indeed, the risk rating for both Bir Ali and Ash Shihr has been raised to ‘elevated’ – it is possible this tactic may be repeated.
Although there was an ‘Emergency Response’ plan in the 2007 management plan for the reserve, it is clear this was not enacted in this case and so unlikely to be in the future, such is the level of breakdown in governance in Yemen during the conflict. The threat to the reserve and the livelihoods that depend on it thus remains. As such continued monitoring is essential.
There may also be a need for further retrospective investigations – we have found reference to a previous spill at Bir Ali terminal, captured by satellite but not known to local specialists, but have not confirmed the date. It may be this incident reported in December 2017, where many fish were killed near the terminal because of a leak from an underwater pipeline. However, this may be a completely separate incident given the management and state of the pipeline.
From our initial searches of social and traditional media, we have found many examples of incidents across the spectrum of oil infrastructure. However, it is likely that far more go unreported, and we have only scratched the surface. Furthermore, it is not just oil infrastructure that is of concern; tweets from July purport to show gas leaks at wellheads near Marib. To fully understand the scale of the problem a deeper investigation is required, in particular of the hydrocarbon producing fields during the conflict. All the more so because oil infrastructure has become a military target.
https://ceobs.org/recent-oil-spills-in-central-yemen/
(** B H)
Yemen’s Mental Health Crisis and Its Implications for Security
While Yemen is in many ways embroiled in a frozen conflict—an enduring state of war in which little progress is made on either side—this characterization obscures the ongoing psychological trauma experienced by its victims. In Yemen—whenever this war ends—the collective memory of violence will endure well into the post-conflict future. For Yemeni society to truly heal from the brutality there must be a collective mechanism for processing trauma that acknowledges, rather than attempts to bury, the reality of the violence as a lived experience. The absence of this kind of process post-conflict foreshadows a grim cycle of soft peace and hard war.[4] For those living in the shadow of a former war – especially children who are too young to have ever experienced peacetime – conflict is the norm.[5] For a society to escape the memory of the violence that surrounded them, they must become normalized to peace.[6]
If mental trauma and illness in Yemen is left untreated after the frozen conflict has thawed, the nation’s collective trauma accumulated from the conflict will endure into the post-war period. Therefore, it is imperative to examine some of the drivers of deteriorating psychological wellbeing in Yemen (including those which existed pre-conflict), establish the extant medical resources available in the country, and probe the link between mental health and security—the final, key element in convincing stakeholders to prioritize the issue post-conflict. Any attempt to conduct peacebuilding in Yemen that fails to address the country’s mental health crisis will likely fail to provide any meaningful security for the country and its citizens in the long-term.
Yemen’s mental health crisis
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is an ongoing global “mental health crisis” caused by stress and anxiety related to the worldwide lockdown and the secondary effects of COVID-19.[7] But for Yemenis, COVID-19 and its attendant anxieties is just one mental health trigger in the country amid a mental health crisis. It has become something of a cliché at this point to say that Yemen is facing a crisis; almost every day we seem to read about how Yemen is “on the brink” of some sort of disaster. Much is written about how and why Yemen is facing disaster from a logistical and practical perspective, how they are physically confronting the next big outbreak of violence and disease, what sort of precautions they are taking, etc. However, not enough is written about how Yemenis emotionally deal with the trauma inherent to living through war, or to the relationship between the psychological welfare of Yemen’s citizens and the country’s basic security.
There is an unprecedented mental health crisis in Yemen. While mental illness has always been a problem in the country, six years of conflict have taken an unprecedented psychological toll on the population. The government lacks the capacity to deal with an issue of this subtlety and magnitude, and the current warring parties do not care about the physical well-being of the people (let alone their psychological wellbeing).
There is a cultural stigma surrounding mental health in Yemen in that experiencing poor mental health and seeking treatment for it are both viewed negatively by society. Despite the increasing prevalence of mental health issues, the disease itself remains in many cases a source of stigma and shame for the families of those affected. A significant number of children, women, and men who experience mental health issues are neglected by their families as a result, and sometimes even abandoned and disowned by them. [8] People in Yemen generally live in large multigenerational homes where conflict often ensues but is rarely addressed outside the family household. Abuse, both verbal and physical, is often considered an acceptable way of dealing with such issues in the absence of mental health and domestic violence awareness.
In rural areas especially, mentally ill people who are afflicted with any kind of socially unacceptable disorder may be locked away in cages or chained up by family members who do not know how to deal with them. While certain Yemeni methods for managing mentally ill individuals can appear shockingly inhumane, they are often the only options available to most Yemenis, who simply lack the resources and understanding to manage complex illnesses. Alternatively, many Yemenis in rural areas spend all their savings on sending their loved ones to Qur’anic therapeutic centers, which offer hope to families desperate for a cure but do not offer medically sound treatments.
Yemen’s addiction to Qat, a mild narcotic leaf chewed by 90% of the male population, is reflective of Yemen’s mental health crisis.[9] Qat, which produces the required neurotransmitters to induce serotonin, can be considered another form of self-therapy for those suffering from depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. In my interviews, many doctors claim qat’s popularity is due to it being the only widely available psychoactive substance present in the country that is deemed socially acceptable. Women and men and children of all ages use the plant everyday as a form of self-medication.
Such self-medication reflects the structural barriers to mental health care in Yemen, starting with poor education about mental health and limited resources for those in need of therapy or medication. Chronic mental health illnesses in Yemen often require expensive medication and supervision, and based on my conversations, only 50 mental health specialists exist in the entire country.[10] These specialists are mainly concentrated in cities, meaning that people outside urban areas are often unaware of their very existence and/or could never afford to travel to receive treatment. Those lucky enough to have access to professional psychiatric help can end up at the mercy of specialists who use outdated methods of diagnosis and treatment, such as electroconvulsive therapy, shock therapy, and lobectomy. – by Raiman al-Hamdani; Yemen Policy Center
https://pomeps.org/yemens-mental-health-crisis-and-its-implications-for-security
(** B K P)
Yemen's ancient 'Manhattan of the Desert' risks collapse
Dubbed the "Manhattan of the desert" for its centuries-old skyscrapers, Yemen's ancient city of Shibam escaped damage in the civil war -- but faces collapse from disrepair amid rains and floods.
But Shibam is struggling.
The mud-brick constructions need constant repair, but Yemen's economy has collapsed in the brutal civil war raging since 2014, creating what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
"The city looks like it was hit by a disaster -- without precedent," said Abdulwahab Jaber, a local official in the town, 480 kilometres (300 miles) east of the capital Sanaa.
Jaber said at least four towers have been completely destroyed and 15 others damaged in recent floods, which have killed scores of people across Yemen.
Hassan Aidid, head of the General Organisation for the Preservation of Historic Cities in Yemen, said that the roofs and the exterior of the mud towers had sustained the most damage.
"Residents of the city have been unable to restore them because of the war and the difficult situation in which they live," Aidid told AFP.
The city, with its densely-packed tower houses and alleyways often too narrow for cars, was put on the UNESCO heritage list in 1982 -- but in 2015 it was also added to the "List of World Heritage in Danger."
Aidid said an emergency response plan in cooperation with UNESCO is underway, with approximately 40 buildings being restored at a cost of $194,000.
Private donors have also offered to help, including a Saudi businessman who donated approximately $54,000, Aidid said.
But while restoration plans are going ahead, helped by some funding from the European Union, they are not going fast enough, said Barak Baswitine, head of the association of mud-brick architecture in Shibam.
"There have been some difficulties," he said. "The work is slow due to lack of local skilled manpower that meets the standards."
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkZM3rvG1_Q = https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7x7i4r
(** B K P)
USA planen Verkauf hochmoderner Kampfjets an Emirate
Die USA planen offenbar den Verkauf hochmoderner F-35-Kampfjets an die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE). Wie ein Abgeordneter am Donnerstag in Washington sagte, reichte die US-Regierung beim US-Kongress eine informelle Benachrichtigung über den Rüstungsdeal ein.
Nach Angaben der Nachrichtagentur Reuters streben die Vereinigten Staaten und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate an, rechtzeitig zum Nationalfeiertag der VAE, der am 2. Dezember gefeiert wird, eine Einverständniserklärung für den Verkauf von F-35-Jets zu haben. Die Ausschüsse für auswärtige Beziehungen des US-Senats und für auswärtige Angelegenheiten des Repräsentantenhauses, deren Mitglieder die Rolle der VAE bei Ermordung der Zivilisten im Jemen bereits kritisierten, haben das Recht, Waffenverkäufe im Rahmen eines Überprüfungsverfahrens zu untersuchen und zu blockieren.
Der Verkauf der Kampfjets könne das militärische Gleichgewicht im Persischen Golf erheblich verändern und Israels militärischen Vorsprung beeinflussen, sagte der demokratische Politiker Eliot Engel, Leiter des Ausschusses für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten im US-Repräsentantenhaus. "Schließlich wird der Transfer dieser Waffen in einen arabischen Staat unweigerlich Forderungen von anderen Staaten in der Region hervorrufen. Wird der Preis für die Normalisierung mit Israel eine Infusion fortschrittlicher Waffen sein?" erklärte er weiter. Der Kongress, in dem die Demokraten das Repräsentantenhaus kontrollieren, könnte den Verkauf der F-35-Jets stoppen. "Der Export dieses Flugzeugs bedarf sorgfältiger Überlegungen. Der Kongress muss alle Auswirkungen des Geschäfts untersuchen. Niemand hat Interesse daran, diesen Verkauf zu überstürzen", sagte Engel.
Israel hatte bislang sämtliche US-Kampfjet-Lieferungen an arabische Staaten strikt abgelehnt.
https://deutsch.rt.com/international/108383-usa-planen-verkauf-von-hochmodernen/
(** A K P)
U.S. moves forward with sale of 50 F-35 jets to UAE - sources
The U.S. State Department notified Congress it approved the sale of 50 Lockheed Martin Co LMT.N F-35 jets to the United Arab Emirates in a deal that could be worth $10 billion, sources said on Thursday, potentially setting up a showdown with lawmakers over the deal.
The United States and the UAE aim to have a letter of agreement for the F-35 jets in time for UAE National Day celebrated on Dec. 2, Reuters reported in September.
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committees, whose members have criticized the UAE’s role in civilian deaths in Yemen, have the right to review, and block, weapons sales under an informal review process.
Israel initially balked at the prospective sale but last week dropped its opposition after what it described as U.S. guarantees that Israeli military superiority would be preserved.
Any deal must satisfy a longstanding agreement with Israel that any U.S. weapons sold in the region must not impair Israel’s “qualitative military edge,” guaranteeing U.S. weapons furnished to Israel are “superior in capability” to those sold to its neighbors.
“We all face a common threat,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an apparent allusion to Iran, told reporters on Thursday when asked about reports of the impending UAE jet sale.
“But with that said, it was important that the (Israeli) defense establishment received this clear American undertaking to preserve our qualitative military edge,” added Netanyahu, who earlier on Thursday hosted visiting Pentagon chief Mark Esper https://www.reuters.com/article/israel-emirates-f35-int-idUSKBN27E2VG
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(A H)
Covid-19: 1 death, 9 recoveries, no new cases
http://en.adenpress.news/news/30448
(A H)
One new case of coronavirus reported in Aden
http://en.adenpress.news/news/30431
(A H)
One new case of coronavirus reported, 2,062 in total
http://en.adenpress.news/news/30419
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K P)
SAUDI-BACKED FORCES PUSH TO REGAIN INITIATIVE IN YEMEN’S AL-JAWF PROVINCE (MAP UPDATE)
MAP COMPARISON: SETBACKS OF SAUDI-BACKED FORCES IN YEMENI WAR SINCE START OF 2020
Latest updates on Yemen Oct. 31, 2020
https://english.iswnews.com/16054/latest-updates-on-yemen-31-october-2020/
(A P)
Yemeni Journalists Syndicate condemns threat made against its former chairman
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/26072
(A P)
Death of new abductee released from Houthi prisons
Mustafa Kaed Hezbar was one of the abductees released in the recent prisoners swap between legitimate government and Houthi.
But he “died in a hospital in Marib as he was in very bad health status due to torture he suffered in the militias prisons in Sana’a”, the sources added.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2020/11/03/death-of-new-abductee-released-from-houthi-prisons/
(B P)
Audience Question: Is it possible to reunite south of Saudi provinces back to Yemen? How do you analyze Najran delegation trip to Yemen and showing support for Ansar Allah?
Participation of Najran delegation in holy Prophet birthday anniversary ceremonies in Yemen is more due to the tribal relations of the area and these travels have always happened, thus, they are not a real threat to Saudi sovereignty.
The tendency to be part of great Yemen can be seen in some tribes and people in south of Saudi Arabia but it is not at threat level to Saudi coalition or an opportunity for Ansar Allah.
(* B P)
Yemen's 'floating bomb' tanker: Millions kept safe by skeleton crew
Moored off the coast of Yemen’s western port of Ras Issa, a decaying 45-year-old tanker is manned by a skeleton crew of five to seven people at all times.
For years, these men have been keeping the giant from leaking 1.1 million barrels of oil – or worse, exploding, killing them and the armed Houthi rebels on board.
Named the Safer Floating Storage and Offloading, it was due for decommissioning in 2015, to be replaced by a land-based terminal, when civil war broke out in Yemen.
Since then, experts say, the crew has been unable to obtain any supplies or replacement parts.
Technically Yemeni-flagged, the ship is operated by the Safer Exploration and Production Operations Company and the crew’s intimate knowledge of the ship’s structure is the only thing maintaining the delicate status quo.
“The team on board is keeping the vessel on life support and are doing a very impressive job at managing that,” said David Soud, head of research and analysis at maritime security consultancy IR Consilium, which has published in-depth reports on the Safer with the Atlantic Council.
Corrosion, natural wear and tear, failing systems and the vapour from dilapidated storage tanks pose risks of an explosion that could be provoked by a single spark, Mr Soud said.
“If you’ve got men with guns, men who might want to have a cigarette, men who might want to charge their cell phone in the wrong place at the wrong time, that poses a greatly heightened risk of igniting an explosion,” he told The National.
“The technical team that is on the Safer, of course, knows all the risks and are extremely well versed – they’re expert in those things. The Houthis are not.”
Gaining access to the ship is as volatile as the situation on board.
The Houthis claim repeatedly that they are extending a hand while simultaneously stonewalling UN attempts to board it for inspection.
They agreed in June to allow a team on board, but later retracted the promise.
Britain’s ambassador to Yemen, Michael Aron, said gathering the UN team would take at least a month as its members are being mobilised from different parts of the world.
“There are nearly 17 engineers from a Singaporean company for whom the Houthis agreed to provide visas,” Mr Aron said in a statement to the press in June.
Why has nobody tried to take the ship by force?
It would be nearly impossible to militarily storm the ship without igniting a fatal spark that could lead to a deadly explosion, Mr Ralby said.
“It’s a terrible idea. It could blow up and can trigger other [vessels] to do the same.”
Being connected to the Marib-Ras Isa oil pipeline, military action could also cause a secondary spill if the ship becomes detached.
Moreover, the UN, who deal with the Houthis as a de facto authority in the country’s northern region, “cannot do anything without their consent”, a former adviser to the foreign minister of the internationally recognised government said on condition of anonymity.
The official believes the solution lies in offloading the oil, but did not say what could happen beyond this point.
My remark: By UAE news site, therefore with an anti-Houthi bias.
and
(A P)
The UK, Germany, the Netherlands and France are financing a UN mission of experts to carry out maintenance for the decaying Yemeni oil tanker of Safer in the Red Sea. Source of the story: Almashehad Adowali.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43008
and
(A P)
Yemeni [Hadi] gov't: Houthi gunmen presence on Safer worsens its condition
The Houthi group has intensified its military presence on Safer without observing the safety and security rules, worsening the Yemeni floating storage (FSO) facility's condition, the official government oil minister said Monday.
Safer's bad conditions are exacerbating daily, Aus al-Aud added, citing the Houthi denial to allow the UN experts access to the supertanker off Ras Isa port in Hodeida, according to the Riyadh-based Saba.
The Houthi irresponsible actions by increasingly sending more militants will lead the FSO to explode or sink, he warn, putting the Red Sea at risk of environmental disaster.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20901.html
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43000
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201103-yemen-warns-of-leaks-from-oil-tanker-seized-by-houthis/
(A P)
Yemen: [ Hadi] government calls on Houthis to release all detained journalists
Rebels committed more than 2000 violations against journalists and media institutions, say officials
Yemen’s Houthi rebels must release all detained and abducted journalists without any conditions, government officials said on Tuesday.
Dozens of journalists have been held in Houthi prisons since the conflict kicked off in 2014, but only a few have been released under a UN-led prisoner exchange operation.
“We call on the international community and organisations concerned with protecting journalists to review the tragic conditions experienced by journalists in areas controlled by Houthi militia and condemn the crimes and violations against them,” Yemen’s information minister, Muammar Al Eryani said.
His comments coincide with the international day to end impunity for crimes against journalists.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43024
My comment: This is true of course – but why the Hadi government itself does not free all journalists it had detained?
(B P)
IFJ: Masterminds of journalists’ killings walk free
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) confirmed on Friday death of 44 journalists in Yemen between 2010 and September 2020.
No one of the masterminds of journalists’ deaths has been prosecuted yet.
Instability and presence of multiple authorities have been blamed for lack of justice to journalists sustained physical attacks in Yemen, according to the IFJ.
In addition to death, media professionals in Yemen are at risk of injury, arbitrary arrests, threats, restriction of movement and suspension of monthly payment, the IFJ said.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42965
(B E P)
US-Saudi Aggression Imposes a Suffocating Siege on Yemeni Aviation
Informed sources revealed that the US-Saudi aggression prevented Yemeni aviation from staying overnight in Aden and Seiyun airports that are under the control of its forces.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper published in London quoted an official in the Yemeni General Authority of Civil Aviation and Meteorology, which is subject to pro-aggression government, that the aggression prevented Yemeni aviation from staying overnight in Aden and Seiyun airports.
The official said that the aggression measures cost it huge sums of money because it is staying in airports outside the country, adding that what is happening is the systematic destruction of sovereign symbols such as currency, air, sea and land ports.
The official confirmed to the newspaper that the goal is to tighten the screws on the country and control it in parallel with the methodology of flooding it with conflicts, and weakening and dispersing all Yemeni parties.
The Yemeni Airlines, which is subject to the pro-aggression government, confirmed in the last week that it was unable to supply its plane with fuel, after the oil company in Aden refused to grant it its usual prescribed share of fuel as a result of the current crisis hitting the southern provinces. It pointed out that this situation will force the aviation to take off and land repeatedly at the nearest airport it reaches, in the neighboring countries, with the aim of refueling, due to its inability to supply it at the only Aden and Seiyun airports, which Yemenia uses in a limited way.
(* B P)
'We have a right to be at the table': four pioneering female peacekeepers
The activist: ‘The feminist movement has really progressed’
Rasha Jarhum, Yemen
Jarhum began her own activist career in 2008, when she began working for Amal Basha, at the Sisters’ Arab Forum for Human Rights.
In 2016, she was among seven women invited by the UN special envoy to Yemen to support the peace talks held in Kuwait and later briefed the UN security council on Yemen and women’s rights to push for peace. She has gone on to co-found the Peace Track Initiative, which promotes peacebuilding through women, youth and civil society groups in Yemen and the Middle East, as well as the Women’s Solidarity Network, a coalition of 270 Yemeni women and women-led organisations working on the protection of women and peacebuilding.
Undeterred, the Women’s Solidarity Network has held consultations on issues such as child recruitment, arms sales and disarmament, drafting national agendas, which they share with the UN security council, says Jarhum. Their point is to make women’s views heard even if, formally, no such views have been sought.
“Humanitarian agencies portray Yemeni women as passive victims waiting for someone on a white horse to come and save them. But women on the ground are so active. Mothers of abductees were able to facilitate the release of 940 people, and women in Taiz are tiptoeing on mines to bring food to trapped families in the firing lines.”
Jarhum wants gender quotas imposed on the UN peace processes. “It’s not about what women bring to the table. It’s our basic right to be at the table.”
(B K P)
Audio: A brief extract of my conversation with @shireen818 about the world's worst humanitarian crisis unfolding in Yemen.
https://twitter.com/east_podcast/status/1321934656699310080
(* B P)
Iran’s New Ambassador to Sanaa Signals Prolonged War in Yemen
Iran’s announcement of the arrival of its ambassador in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, has shocked many Yemenis. It has provoked a myriad of questions and sparked new doubts about the Saudi-led coalition’s role and intentions in Yemen.
In view of Iran’s success in sending its envoy to Yemen, two explanations can be derived. The first is that the Saudi-led coalition overlooked Iran’s preparation for sending an ambassador to Yemen intentionally. The coalition would have been capable of fending off such development, but it did not want to. Its intention could simply be to prolong the war in Yemen and weaken the legitimate, internationally recognized Yemeni government further.
Indeed, the coalition, mainly headed by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, has repeatedly undermined the Yemeni government in the south, leading to its total banishment, including the prime minister and the president. At present, the government lives in exile in Saudi Arabia while the Houthis remain the ruler of Yemen’s north.
After six years of a Saudi war ostensibly against Iran in Yemen, Iran defiantly sent its envoy to Sanaa provoking a state of euphoria among the Houthis. Yemeni allies in Tehran now are powerful and dominant while Yemen’s Saudi allies are dispersed and expatriated. This reality has dashed any hopes that Saudi Arabia would be reinstating the government in Yemen’s north or south.
For Saudi Arabia to restore the Yemeni government to power, it must first genuinely recognize its legitimacy by allowing it to return to Houthi-free areas and giving it room to run these territories without much interference unless invited. Otherwise, the coalition is only using the Yemeni government to perpetuate its ruinous policies in the country with the intention of taking over strategic coastal lines or islands as the UAE has been doing in Yemen’s south.
The second explanation for the arrival of Iran’s ambassador in Yemen is that Saudi Arabia has failed to uncover and foil the transfer of the Iranian diplomat to war-torn Yemen. This is indicative of other failures regarding the prevention of smuggling activities which largely feed the Houthis with the weapons needed to keep the war going.
But pinning blame on smuggling cannot save face. Whether Saudi Arabia turned a blind eye to Irloo’s travel to Sanaa or it did not detect his movement, it would not be good for Riyadh’s reputation and status, particularly among anti-Iran Yemenis and Arabs.
Regardless of any statements or stances on the arrival of Iran’s ambassador to Yemen, this development indicates that the conflict in Yemen is nowhere near an end. It is a reminder that Iran is deepening its role in Yemen while Saudi Arabia seems to prefer the continuation of a nation split between militias rather than a united, stable, and sovereign Yemen.
https://insidearabia.com/irans-new-ambassador-to-sanaa-signals-prolonged-war-in-yemen/
(A K P)
Arab coalition commander renews support to Yemen
The coalition will continue backing Yemeni military forces fighting the Houthis until the country returns to normal, the commander of Arab coalition forces in the southern city of Aden has said.
During a meeting with Aden’s new governor, Ahmed Lamlis, Brig. Gen. Nayef Al-Otaibi said that the coalition would continue its support till Yemen recovered from the war and its state bodies functioned normally, Yemeni state media said on Wednesday.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1755881/middle-east
My comment: What a threat.
(* B H P)
Violations of rights of women, girls reach unprecedented level in Yemen, says organisation
Violations of the rights of women and girls in Yemen have reached an unprecedented level, ranging from direct attacks and abductions to arbitrary arrests, torture and sexual abuse, the abductees mothers association said on Thursday.
The Yemeni women badly need to translate the agendas of women and peace and security into realities, the association and the women solidarity organisation said in a statement on the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
The statement pointed to the role of women and girls in making peace despite their absence in all committees formed under the Stockholm agreement between the government and the Houthis.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20812.html
(B K)
Audio: Childhood in Taiz means playing in streets stalked by snipers. We spoke to some of the child victims’ families in the besieged city for this report by
@paulybrown and me (starts at 13:30)
https://twitter.com/SumayaBakhsh/status/1321773077882130432
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w172x7bh36rl7q1
(B P)
Film: Ten Years On: A Post-Arab Spring Middle East
How have the Arab Spring protests changed the Middle East and affected regional stability over the past decade? What role does the United States play in the various crises throughout MENA and how does it affect American foreign policy goals?
Ndawsari says the conflict started on a very local level. Over time, it has evolved to have local, domestic, & regional dimensions. #MEIEvents On the U.S. interests in #Yemen, @Ndawsari says it has always been #security and that has been the flaw of the U.S. approach to Yemen. "I won't say policy, since the U.S. has never really had a Yemen policy."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVuDGnDRdMc
(* B K P)
[from 2018] POMEPS STUDIES 29 Politics, Governance, and Reconstruction in Yemen
Media coverage is dominated by propaganda, reinforcing prevailingnarratives of either Iranian encroachment or Saudi adventurism. Tese conditions have not been conducive to sustained, rigorous, empirically and theoretically informed analysis of Yemen. How havepolitical coalitions and movements adapted to more than two years of war and economic devastation? How does governance actually work under the Houthis, the coalition, and in other areas of thecountry? How has the intervention changed the prospects of the southern secessionist movement? What prospects exist for a political agreement which might end the war? On November 10, the Project on Middle East Political Science convened a workshop on these questions with participants from Yemen, Europe, and the United States. Te invited scholars and analysts all have longstanding research ties to the country, and most have been able to carry out very recent research inside the country.
https://www.academia.edu/40572818/POMEPS_STUDIES_29_Politics_Governance_and_Reconstruction_in_Yemen
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(* B K P)
Film: ‘Saudi-led blockade keeps lifeblood Yemeni port at standstill’: News report
News report on the deteriorating situation at Yemen’s lifeblood port of Al Hudaydah caused by the Saudi-led blockade. Source: RT Arabic
RT reporter: A complete standstill and empty berths with no commercial ships nor humanitarian aid… This is the situation at the Yemeni port of “Al Hudaydah” that is waiting for cargo-laden ships to bring it back to life.
Al Hudaydah Port is the second biggest Yemeni port. It is the lifeblood of two-thirds of Yemen’s population. The overpopulated provinces receive imports, and medical and food aid via this port. The restrictions and measures imposed by the (Saudi-led) Arab coalition on the entry of ships (to the port) increase the suffering of civilians, as asserted by those in charge of the facility who have called on (the Saudi-led coalition) to keep the port out of the conflict.
Yahya Sharaf (Al-Deen), Vice Chairman of Red Sea Ports Corporation in Hudaydah:
The blockade and restrictions on foodstuff and oil products are one of the most significant factors that have led to this humanitarian crisis. However, unfortunately, the United Nations (UN) does not mention the (Yemeni) crisis except when it is looking for donors. It talks about the suffering and humanitarian crisis in Yemen only to scrounge help from (other) states. However, it turns a deaf ear o the actions of the (Saudi- led) coalition that are preventing the Red Sea Ports Corporation from receiving oil products and food supplies.
RT reporter:
The dockers at the (Al Hudaydah) Port are living in terrible conditions due to the decline in the number of ships arriving. Their suffering worsens because their source of income has been cut off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szlry1As6jQ
and older films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpH7wBX1Yy8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBR5-5zFtWQ
(A K P)
Fuel shipment arrives at Hodeidah seaport
A new shipment of fuel arrived at Hodeidah seaport on Saturday, the Houthi-run Yemen petroleum company said, adding that the shipment was imported by the private sector and had been held by Saudi-led coalition for 41 days.
The shipment of 10.221 tons of diesel arrived aboard the tanker Lourdes, the company said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20847.html
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B H)
Film: Das unbeachtete Leid der jemenitischen Kinder
(B H)
You remember the girl Makiah, weight 1.20kg, severe acute malnutrition, Thanks to God & generosity of donors, ur humanity helped us provide treatment & nutrition for her. I received pictures, She is in good health now, I'm happy http://Chuffed.org/project/food-and-medicine-for-yemen… (photos)
https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1323316153272487937
(B H)
Film: Child labor has worsened in #Yemen amid the deterioration of the economic situation and the high poverty rate. Zaher is a child who left his school to work in a car repair shop to support his family and provide medicine to his father.
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1323305116741623810
(B H)
Film: The deterioration of Food security rise the number of malnourished children in Yemen
Military conflict, economic deterioration, and other factors worsened the condition of the youngest children in Yemen. Doctors in Taiz, southern Yemen, confirmed that cases of severe malnutrition rose to the highest level among children under 5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NufE3s39A4
(* B H)
YEMEN mVAM Bulletin no.54 (July-August-September 2020)
Against the increase in food prices, deterioration in incomes and livelihoods, rising conflict and the reduction in humanitarian assistance, more households were unable to consume their minimum food needs during June-September 2020, compared to the beginning of 2020. The share of households with poor food consumption - severe deprivation - increased to 15 percent in September, compared to 10 percent in May and 13 percent in August 2020. This is the highest rate recorded throughout 2020 and 2019; converging to 2018-crisis level of 17 percent.
In five governorates, the share of households with poor food consumption has already reached or crossed the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) critical threshold, affecting 20 percent or more of households (Lahj, Raymah, Al Jawf , Shabwa and Al Dali), while five other governorates were clustered just underneath the IPC threshold (Amran, Al Baydah, Dhamar, Sana’a and Ibb).
Displaced households (IDPs) continue to show high prevalence of inadequate food consumption. In September, 43 percent of displaced households were unable to meet their minimum food needs.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-mvam-bulletin-no54-july-august-september-2020
(A H)
Photos: Our humanitarian team distributed 52 food packages to the poorest families & orphans in the capital, Sana'a. Thanks to Allah & all donors. Pls #donate via link to feed more poor families http://Chuffed.org/project/food-and-medicine-for-yemen…
https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1323013236233510925
(B H)
Central Asia and Yemen Price Bulletin, October 2020
Wheat is the staple food for poor households in Yemen and sorghum is most often consumed as a substitute. The price trends of wheat and wheat flour are generally stable month‐to‐month basis with some variations due to seasonal on a demand (i.e. during the Ramadan festivities). Rice is important to all wealth groups. Livestock husbandry is important for highland areas of the country. Sana’a market is important in Yemen and supplies other markets within the country.
Wheat milling is concentrated at the ports of Aden and Al Hudaydah, which also serve as the main reference and source markets for the southern and northern regions, respectively. Aden is the reference market for the southern region, located in a deficit zone, and is the largest wholesale market with a large storage capacity. Al Hudaydah is an assembly, wholesale, and retail market located on the western coast – one of the most populated areas in the country where many households are staple food market‐dependent
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/central-asia-and-yemen-price-bulletin-october-2020
(B H)
How RDP Protects Women's Dignity From Open Defecation
Due to its hazardous health and social impacts, open defecation is rejected everywhere, yet most people in remote areas of Yemen still defecate outdoors. Unimproved sanitation facilities are a key factor behind defecating in the open, Al-Qafr and Khayran Al-Muharraq districts of Ibb & Hajjah governorates are a case in point.
"As men, we answer call of nature/defecate behind trees, houses, or any other place where nobody can see us. Women around here do the same but have a different timing, particularly when it gets dark. There are a few houses which have simple latrines - three walls without ceiling and less than 1 meter in height - made of mud, but these latrines don't have waste disposal system, causing environmental pollution and a huge prevalence of diseases," Saeed, one of the beneficiaries, stated.
An estimated number of 325 HHs in Masrooh sub-district and 273 HHs in Bani Saif Al-Safel & Bani Mubariz sub-districts don't have latrines at all while more than 900 HHs - in these sub-districts don't have proper sanitation systems, resulting a huge prevalence of contagious diseases and outbreaks such as Malaria, Cholera, Typhoid, and Schistosomiasis/bilharzia among children.
By targeting the displaced, poorest, and physically challenged families, RDP, in partnership with YHF, ensured easy access to a proper use of latrines by constructing 172 households latrines
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/how-rdp-protects-womens-dignity-open-defecation
(B H)
Ein Café im Jemen, das von Frauen für Frauen geführt wird.
Als Um Feras feststellte, dass es in ihrer Stadt im Jemen keine Freizeiträume für Frauen gibt, gründete sie ein eigenes Café und hofft, die Einstellung gegenüber von Frauen geführten Unternehmen ändern zu können.
“Es gab keine Orte, an denen sich Frauen bequem versammeln konnten, keine Orte, die der weiblichen Gemeinschaft angehörten: Wo das Team von der Verwaltung bis zum jüngsten Angestellten weiblich ist”, sagte sie aus dem Morning Icon-Café, das sie im April letzten Jahres in Marib, Zentral, eingerichtet hatte Jemen.
Traditionelle, konservative Einstellungen, die viele vor Ort gegenüber Frauen vertreten, die außerhalb des Hauses arbeiten, bedeuten, dass ihr Projekt für einige Menschen neu und seltsam ist, sagte Um Feras.
“Das Wort ‘Cafe’ kann mit negativen Ideen und Überzeugungen in Verbindung gebracht werden … Jede neue Idee wird ihre Anhänger und Gegner haben”, sagte sie und fügte hinzu, dass sie mit gutem Beispiel vorangehen möchte, um zu zeigen, dass Frauen Unternehmen führen können.
https://tekk.tv/welt/ein-cafe-im-jemen-das-von-frauen-fur-frauen-gefuhrt-wird/
(B H)
A cafe in Yemen run by women, for women
When Um Feras realised there were no leisure spaces for women in her city in Yemen, she founded her own cafe and hopes to change attitudes about women-led businesses.
“There were no places for women to gather comfortably, no places belonging to the female community: where the team from administration to the youngest employee is female,” she said from the Morning Icon cafe she set up in April last year in Marib, central Yemen.
Traditional, conservative attitudes held by many locally against women working outside the home mean her project is new and strange for some people, Um Feras said.
“The word ‘cafe’ can be associated with negative ideas and convictions ... Every new idea will have its supporters and opponents,” she said, adding she wants to lead by example to show that women can run enterprises.
(* B H)
Film: Yemen: Taiz students continue their education despite widespread destruction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je1565CQE4Q
(A H)
Photo: This is the condition of teachers today ... Only to realize in what abyss we have become ... This is one of the teachers after the owner of the house took him out due to the accumulation of rent, so he became with his family on the street
https://twitter.com/faizahsulimani/status/1321796577841864706
(B H)
RDP | Nutrition Success Story | Oct 2020 | Yemen - BSFP Limits the Growth of Malnutrition
Sara, the CNV, assured Mohammed’s mother that she would take good care of her son. She immediately referred the son to the closest health facility to receive MAM treatment. Mohammed’s mother felt grateful and became relieved when she knew her son would be receiving free-of-charge therapeutic treatment.
(B H)
Yemen: Nutrition Cluster, Partners Operational Presence (Jan-Sep, 2020)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-partners-operational-presence-jan-sep-2020
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(B H)
Photos: I love this project! Displaced families & communities hosting them get together to wave these locally-produced palm leaves to build shelters adapted to the climate. Cash for work promoting local solutions, self-resilience & social cohesion.
https://twitter.com/jnbeuze/status/1323578579444183040
(* B H)
IOM Yemen: Situation Report September 2020
With the conflict in Yemen in its sixth year, fighting again intensified in Marib governorate over the past month, with nearly 4,000 households displaced towards Marib city in September alone (see IOM’s Marib Response Update for more information). As one of the governorates with relative stability from the beginning of the conflict in 2015, Marib has seen major shifts in frontlines in 2020, with an estimated 15,000 individuals displaced to or within Marib since January. If hostilities continue, with no significant advances on either side, humanitarian partners have estimated that 3,500 households in locations close to the frontlines could be displaced towards Sirwah, Marib City and Marib Al Wadi. A worst-case scenario sees that between 34,000 – 55,000 households may be displaced towards Marib Al Wadi and into Hadramaut – a governorate with a vast desert and extremely limited humanitarian services available which would require a largescale humanitarian response1 . Marib requires an increased humanitarian presence in relation to the estimated 15 partners currently active in the governorate responding to the displacement crisis, most of which are national NGOs with limited human and financial resources.
With COVID-19 movement restrictions still in place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Ethiopia and Somalia, thousands of migrants remain stranded throughout Yemen, with at least 5,000 migrants stranded in Aden, 4,000 in Marib, as well as thousands reportedly stranded at the border with KSA.
Access constraints continue to be faced by the humanitarian community across Yemen, but are particularly restrictive in northern governorates.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-situation-report-september-2020
(* B H)
IOM Yemen - Marib Response (27 September - 24 October 2020)
Conflict activities in Yemen’s hotspots continue to intensify, and areas close to frontlines in Marib and Al Jawf are the worst affected. The third quarter of the year has seen an increase in civilian casualties and infrastructure damage, largely attributed to the escalation in hostilities here. As frontlines continue to shift within both Marib and neighboring Al Jawf, thousands are fleeing conflict affected parts in northwestern Al Jawf, and southwestern and northeastern Marib. The deteriorating security situation in these areas is leading to a mass displacement situation and exacerbating already widespread needs. Humanitarian access to some of the most vulnerable communities near to conflict points remains restricted, and most partners are unable to safely access parts of Al Jawf as well Majzar and Madghal districts in Marib.
Even before the recent upsurge in hostilities, internally displaced persons (IDPs) have long fled to Marib, as the governorate has seen relative stability since the beginning of the conflict in 2015. IOM assessments from 2018 indicate that around 800,000 IDPs were residing in the governorate, a majority living with relatives or renting accommodation in the host communities (over 300,000 people in 2014). Today, IDPs arriving in Marib city and surrounding areas are some of the most vulnerable, having left everything behind and many having already been displaced previously.
As vulnerabilities within displaced communities rise, the population of stranded migrants in Marib is also growing.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-marib-response-27-september-24-october-2020
(B H)
IOM Regional Office for Middle East and North Africa COVID-19 Response - Situation Report 15 (16 - 28 October 2020)
As conflict frontlines along Marib and Al Jawf governorates continue to shift, causing more and more people to flee active fighting, the risks of COVID-19 transmission in already overcrowded IDP sites increases. With the highest case fatality rate in the world, any increase in COVID-19 transmissions is likely to be catastrophic. While in the north west of Syria, the number of COVID-19 cases has risen drastically in the last month, with IDPs, often located in cramped conditions, some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19 transmission.
(B H)
Film: 5 orphans, a widowed mother, and a journey of exodus; The outcome of a Houthi sniper bullet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1eHkiIW-O4
(B H)
IOM Yemen | Rapid Displacement Tracking (RDT) - Reporting Period: 25 - 31 Oct 2020
From 01 January 2020- 31 October 2020, IOM Yemen DTM estimates that 26,376 Households (158,256 Individuals) have experienced displacement, at least once.
Since the beginning of 2020, DTM also identified other 1,284 previously displaced households who left the displaced location and moved to either their place of origin or some other displaced location.
Between the 25 October 2020 and 31 October 2020, IOM Yemen DTM tracked 252 Households (1,512 individuals) displaced at least once, the highest number of displacements were seen in:
(B H)
UNHCR Yemen: IDP Protection Monitoring Update (1 Jan 2020 – 30 Sep 2020)
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(B P)
In the first days of prison, I was told you were not kidnapped. You are the journalists in the host of Mr. The longest hospitality in history was very enjoyable and lasted for five and a half years in which generosity, violence, injustice and cruelty were sufficient, during which the criminals alternated with their clubs and barbed wire to disrupt our capabilities and exhaust our living forces.
https://twitter.com/haithamshihab/status/1323330382440353793
(A P)
Tens of deceived people freed in Hajjah
About 28 men, who had been deceived by the Saudi-led coalition, were freed in Hajjah province on Tuesday.
The local council's secretary general of the province, Ismail Al-Muhaim, indicated that the aggression was behind those the deceived to join its ranks and camp, calling those who were released to join the homeland and defend its sovereignty.
Al-Muhaim called on all those deceived to back to the right path and return to their homeland party.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3114931.htm
(A K P)
The Houthi militia in Sana’a buried 550 fighters they sacrificed in the battle against the government forces on different warfronts during the month of October. Source: Almashehad Adowali.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43008
and
(* A K P)
Film: #Houthi militia continues to brainwash, exploit & recruit children. The militia has recently arranged for the funeral of 6 #child_soldiers from #Hodeidah: Hussein Nahari, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Mohammed Al-Abyadh, 13 Basheer Radman, 12 Ibrahim Futaini, 13 Bashar Kuddaf, 14
https://twitter.com/Yemen24/status/1322710386773282816
https://twitter.com/abduhothifi/status/1322700430028263424
(A P)
Parliament passes freedoms committee, human rights' report
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3114826.htm
(A P)
Al-Dailami: Reopening Iranian Embassy in Sana'a to Encourage Other Countries to Open Their Embassies
The Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen in Tehran Ibrahim Al-Dailami affirmed that Yemen is the main part of the axis of resistance that opposing the US-Zionist project. He added that obtaining weapons from others is a legitimate right for Yemenis to confront the aggression.
and
(A P)
Yemeni Ambassador in Iran: Obtaining Weapons Legitimate Right of Yemenis
The Ambassador of Yemen in Tehran, Ibrahim Al-Dailami, affirmed that obtaining weapons from others, to confront the US-Saudi aggression, is a legitimate right for Yemenis. He explained that the arrogant countries, provide the aggression with the most advanced weapons to use against civilians. "The whole world is supplying weapons to the US-Saudi aggression to bomb and destroy the Yemeni people," he said.
(A P)
Houthis shut down 86 medical centers in Sana’a
The Houthis have closed 86 medical centers in the capital Sana’a claiming that they violated health regulations.
However, medical sources said that the action is intended to extort owners of the targeted facilities to pay illegal money.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42988
(A P)
Marginalized Youth Stage a Sit-in Protesting against Houthi Discrimination
A number of young people from the Yemeni marginalized community staged a sit-in on Saturday in front of Houthi-run Ministry of Higher Education in the rebel-held capital, Sana’a, protesting against discrimination practices against them in Sana’a University.
Participants in the sit-in accused the Houthi militia of depriving them of the free scholarships allocated for their community.
President of the National Union for the Marginalized Noman al-Huthaifi accused Iran- backed Houthis of deliberately suspending scholarships allocated for his community, saying that the militia aims at luring youth into joining the frontlines of their senseless war.
‘”The Houthi group has been recruiting children from the marginalized community (the poorest community in Yemen) in mass numbers,” Noman al-Huthaifi said in a tweet.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/26049
(A P)
Associate professor dies after three weeks of being released from Houthi-run prisons
An associate professor at Sana’a University died today of a stroke, after three weeks of being released from Houthi-run prisons in the rebel-held capital, Sana’a.
According to the source, the associate professor was suffering from chronic diseases and his condition worsened due to not being able to take his medicine while being held in prison where he was subject to physical and psychological torture.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/26037
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42987
(A P)
Parliament approves manuscripts bill
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3114651.htm
(B P)
Houthi dissident: Irloo appointment as envoy hides his real role in Yemen
The appointment of Hassan Irloo as Iran's envoy for Yemen suggests "very perilous indications", a Houthi dissident leader tweeted on Friday, as this "intelligent move" will further empower Tehran in the country.
Irloo is in charge of Yemen's file, works directly for Khamenei office, has nothing to do with the Iranian foreign ministry, and was enlisted in the IRG force," Ali al-Bokhaiti added.
"Given his relations with most of the Houthi leaders, Irloo appointment as an ambassador to the Houthi-held Sana'a has very dangerous indications and dimensions," the former member of Houthi politburo argued, noting that the Iranian officer "hosted Houthis leaders and released their dues in Beirut and Iran before sending them to Yemen during the last decade."
He was appointed as an envoy to cover the real role Irloo would play in Yemen. He represents Ali Khamenei in Yemen, so "you may imagine the vital part he is tasked with.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20850.html
and
(B P)
Former Houthi official: Eyrlo is the new ‘Khamenei’ in Yemen
Tehran’s new ambassador to Sanaa’s government in Yemen works directly under Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and has a long history of bribing members of the Houthi group giving him leverage to act as a supreme leader in Yemen, a former Houthi politburo official said on Saturday.
Iran has for years backed the Shia Houthi movement in Yemen, supplying them with money and arms. It also champions the Houthis as part of its regional “axis of resistance”, and the movement has adopted elements of Tehran’s revolutionary ideology.
Ali al-Bukhaiti, an ex-Houthi minister of information currently living in exile in London, detailed how he met the new Iranian ambassador Hassan Eyrlo in Lebanon, and how they traveled from Beirut to Qatar and then to Tehran.
“He arranged for a tour of the Khomeini mausoleum, Khomeini’s house and other places. He also took me to Khamenei’s house where I performed group Friday prayers led by Khamenei himself,” Bukhaiti said in a thread of tweets.
Bukhaiti said that Eyrlo is in charge of the “Yemen file” in Iran and that his code name is “Abu Hassan.”
The former Houthi official said Eyrlo worked directly with Khamenei’s office, and despite being an ambassador, he “had no ties whatsoever to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was not among its diplomatic ranks.”
http://en.adenpress.news/news/30433
My comment: There seems to be a lot of propaganda here. Whatever irloo really is, his power at Sanaa will be very limited. As the Houthis are no Shiites, he never will be a new ‘Khamenei’ in Yemen. This is propaganda.
(A P)
Houthis bury assassinated minister
The Ansar Allah group, known as the Houthis, on Friday buried youth and sports minister in its government Hassan Zaid who was assassinated on Tuesday in Yemen's capital Sanaa.
A solemn funeral attended by officials and hundreds of people was held for him.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20836.html
Photos: https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/1322150510737137666
and
(* A P T)
Key member of youth minister assassination cell killed
Interior Ministry announced on Saturday the killing of a key member in the assassination cell of Minister of Youth and Sports Hassan Zaid.
In a statement, the ministry confirmed the killing of the criminal Mohammad Hanash, the main member of the cell in Maifah Ans district in Dhamar province.
The statement added that Hanash was killed after resisting the security campaign in Horour area in Maifah Ans.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3114514.htm
and also https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990810000674
and
(* A P T)
Ministry of Interior: Death of Main Criminal in Assassinating Martyr Hassan Zaid
Yemen’s Ministry of Interior announced the death of the main member of the criminals who assassinated the martyr Minister of Youth and Sports Hassan Zaid.
The Ministry of Interior stated in a statement that in cooperation with the Security and Intelligence Service the criminal, Mohammad Ali Ahmed Hanash, was killed after he resisted the security crackdown in the Horour area of the Mayfa'at Anss district of Dhamar province.
The Ministry of Interior announced in a statement, on Wednesday evening, the death of two of the perpetrators of the assassination operation, which the intelligence services of the countries of aggression are behind them.
It explained that the perpetrators of the crime are: a motorcycle driver, Yasser Ahmed Saad Jaber Muthanna, and the direct perpetrator of the criminal shooting, Ibrahim Saleh Abdullah Al-Jabaa.
It indicated that, "after careful monitoring and continuous follow-up, the security services were able to reach the perpetrators of the crime in Mayfa'at Anss district, at the entrance to the Horour area in Dhamar."
It added that the location of the two criminals was surrounded and when they called to surrender, they began firing at the security men and threw an attack grenade, which resulted in the injury of a member of the security forces.
“During the clash the criminal Ibrahim Al-Jabba was killed and the criminal Yasser Jaber was seriously injured and died as a result,” it added.
(A P)
Houthis use new tactics to recruit Yemeni schoolchildren
Education sources in the capital Sana’a have revealed that Houthis are using new tactics to recruit school children.
The sources said that 50,000 students of secondary and primary education are at risk of being recruited by the Houthis after the Houthis deliberately reported them failed in the past year’s tests.
Sources quoted by the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat daily Newspaper said that the Houthis deliberately reported failure results to a large percentage of students.
Parents who spoke to the paper said that the Houthis aim to push their children out of education to send them to warfronts.
The Houthis’ leader’ brother, Yahya Al-Houthi who runs the Education Ministry in the Houthis’ cabinet has been accused of using the education for military purposes to his group.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42939
(A P)
Millions of Yemenis Commemorate Mohammed’s birthday
Millions of Yemenis have commemorated the anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muḥammad in the capital Sana'a and other provinces.
Despite aggression, siege and the difficult economic conditions, the Yemenis strongly participated in the celebration of the Prophet's birth, held on Thursday, in an unprecedented way.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3114512.htm
(A P)
Mass rallies held across Yemen in celebration of the Prophet’s birthday
Massive rallies have been held all over Yemen, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), which is annually commemorated on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi al-Awwal, which this year coincides with the Gregorian date of 29 October.
On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of faithful from all over Yemen flocked to Sabaeen Square in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, in which mass demonstrations were held in celebration of the Prophet. Other rallies were held in others provinces as well.
The participants in the mass rally carried banners and leaflets, which express their immortal love and respect for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). They confirmed their adherence to the prophet’s approach, teachings and examples set during his life.
The Leader of the Revolution, Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badreddin al- Houthi, hailed the huge crowds of people and congratulated them on the anniversary of Birthday of the Messenger, known as Mawlid al-Nabi.
and
(A P)
Film: Yemenis gather across the country to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad and protest anti-Islam statements by French President Macron. Journalist Hussein al Bukhaiti reports
https://twitter.com/TRTWorldNow/status/1321832916117262338
and
(A P)
First photos of today's massive rally of prophet Mohammed's birth celebration in the capital Sana'a.
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1321826071596204034
More photos: https://twitter.com/LongLiveYemen/status/1321834787900968960
Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbNlcs0crI = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-YNzh1FVVU
https://twitter.com/mamashami/status/1321847765723394048
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1321904051953479681
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1322615645746450432
and the day after endless films by Almasirah TV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6gUZwhwspo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5aJlKHugnY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXYyjJT7kbI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXAow-PioSs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4DJoIcYo_c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TP_0BfXc9E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DAdTrOoW0c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcabmsf2i4k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LftLkKcGAXY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHTSJ4Cinkg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gtHWtExMKk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw4UYQ9ihL4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vUpKPMDE8s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDMn4nWKZ58
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqJnKW9oyCc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf560TgdPr0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQU6syT-ixc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAjuZFh9vEw
and by Ansarullah Media Center:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UGq2vi5R7Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsJF8SxF_r4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufFEnMwLxyg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkoFGeGY4gI
and
(A P)
Film: Under Tightened Security Measures, Ambassador of Iran to Yemen Participates in Prophet Muhammad' Birth Anniversary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XJdVN-3KrI
(A P)
Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi: US, Israeli Enemy Tyrannical Power of the Time, Macron Puppet of Jewish Zionists
The Leader of the Revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi confirmed in a speech on Thursday afternoon, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Prophet’s birth, that any violation of the system of divine instructions has negative effects on the reality of man and his surroundings.
Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi : We Must Confront Indirect Wars Targeting Islamic Nation
The Leader of the Revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, confirmed today, Thursday, that the enemies are targeting the Islamic nation in every possible way. In a speech he delivered during the birth anniversary of the Prophet, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi also renewed his rejection to the US colonial policy that is hostile to the Arab and Islamic nation. He reiterated his stand with the axis of resistance to confront the threat of US and Israeli.
Sayyed Abdulmalik Renews Yemen's Firm Stance Towards Nation's Issues, Especially Liberation of Palestine
The leader of the revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, confirmed the steadfast and principled position of the Yemeni people towards their cause and the fateful issues of the Islamic nation, supporting the Palestinian people in their cause.
Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi: Macron Is Nothing But Puppet of Jewish Zionists
The leader of the revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, said that the Islamic nation today is fraught with problems and crises, and the occasion of the Prophet’s birthday should be a station to face these challenges.
and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3114519.htm
(A P)
Millions of Yemenis Prepare to Commemorate Birth of Prophet Mohammed
Millions of Yemenis in the capital Sana'a and other provinces are commemorating anniversary of the birth of the Prophet of Islam Muḥammad (PBUH), Thursday in a way that is unparalleled in the whole world. The Organizing Committees completed vetting 15 major squares in 12 provinces, Sana'a, Sa'adah, Hajjah, Hodeidah, Dhamar, Ibb, Taiz, Amran, Al-Mahwit, Al-Jawf and Al-Baidha, to receive millions of Yemenis.
(B P)
Film (in Arabic): A talk of one of the prisoners about the torture he received by the Houthi militia, a description of the humanitarian situation he lived, and enforced disappearances in addition to physical and psychological disabilities, this is the case for all prisoners and detainees
https://twitter.com/Alhadath_Ymn/status/1322523633198288897
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
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 K P)
New reinforcements pushed into Shabwah in preparation for more infighting
Saghir Bin Aziz, chief of staff of Hadi’s forces, has on Tuesday pushed large reinforcements into Shabwah province in anticipation of a confrontation with enemy factions in the province.
Local sources said reinforcements, including UAE troops and armoured vehicles, had arrived in the Bayhan district to reinforce the battalion set up by Ben Aziz in the oil-rich directorate.
The reinforcements came after the governor of Shabwah, Mohammed Saleh bin Edou, directed the formation of a military force of more than 60 military personnel in order to storm Bayhan and arrest the local militia leader.
Tension continues to prevail in the Bayhan district as mutual tensions between UAE-backed factions and groups loyal to the Muslim Brotherhood escalated
(A K P)
Three Islah Party leaders killed in targeted attack
Three leaders of the special forces loyal to the Islah Party in Shabwah were killed on Tuesday in Ma’rib province.
Islah militants accused Hadi’s chief of staff, who is close to the United Arab Emirates, of being directly implicated in the killing of these leaders, through targeting their vehicles with improvised explosive devices, tribal sources in Shabwah said Tuesday.
The sources said that Major Ahmed Qarhan al-Baresi and his companions Faisal Al-Tawsali al-Awlaki and Dhya al-Qaisi died of their wounds in an ambush during their passage near Bin Ma’ili station.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/03/three-islah-party-leaders-killed-in-targeted-attack/
and
(A K P)
Landmine kills three Yemeni special security troops in Shabwa
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20919.html
(A K P)
Intense flight of coalition war planes over armed Brotherhood camps in Shabwa
(A P)
Islah Party Militia Smuggle 10 to 20 Million Dollars Monthly of Oil Derivatives in Shabwa
The smuggling of oil derivatives on the shores of the Yemeni governorate of Shabwa increased to the highest levels recently. After the Islah militia controlled all the roads of Shabwa governorate, the port of Bir Ali turned into a safe passage for smuggling oil derivatives.
Through the information recently obtained by the Media Center for the Southern Governorates, the activity of smuggling oil through the port of Bir Ali, which is under the control of the Islah party militia, is one of the main factors of its adherence to Shabwa, as its monthly revenues exceed 10 to 20 million dollars.
The oil coming through the port is consumed in the black markets of the southern governorates, and quantities from it are contraband to the northern governorates that suffer fuel crisis as the coalition detained more than 20 oil tankers in the port of Jizan, preventing them from entering the port of Hodeidah.
The active smuggling from the port of Bir Ali on the coasts of Shabwa coincides with the smuggling of large quantities of crude oil from the port of Nashimiya in the coasts of the district. As one to two ships are smuggled monthly, with quantities ranging between 800 thousand barrels and one million barrels.
(A P)
Yemeni ex-minister suspects new government capacity to solve crises
Yemeni former foreign minister on Tuesday doubted the upcoming government's ability to maintain the war-torn country's sovereignty and solve its crises.
"The formation of the government ignored two facts," Dr. Abu-Bakr al-Qurbi added on Twitter. First, "parties to the coalition [government] have not agreed to its national program [aimed] to maintain Yemen's sovereignty and unity and to solve its economic and humanitarian crises."
The second fact is the lack of an accord on the criteria to select ministers so as to help enable the government to fulfill its program away from any effects of party-based interests and foreign agendas, he said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20917.html
(* A K P)
Military developments in Abyan threaten consultations to form new Yemen government
Fighting has resumed between the forces of the government and the southern transitional council in Yemen's southern province of Abyan for the first time since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire weeks ago, in a dangerous development threatening consultations to form a new government.
The development coincided with a meeting between president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and prime minister Maeen Abdulmalik who is tasked with forming the new government.
For more than a year, battles in Abyan have represented a roadblock to reaching a political solution accepted by the two sides despite Saudi interventions and sponsorship of the Riyadh agreement in November 2019 and then a mechanism this year to accelerate the implementation of the agreement.
On Sunday, the two sides exchanged heavy fire in the town of Shoqra and the areas of Qarn Al-Kalasi and Al-Sheikh Salim in the east.
The violence broke out after STC reinforcements arrived in the capital city Zinjibar, sources said.
Military observers said the military developments are a sign of stalemate in the talks to form the new government.
Last week, sources said the announcement of the new government was still not possible though the factions have agreed to initial understandings on quotas.
Though the STC is the big winner, it is using the new government as a chance to legitimise its bid to control the entire south, observers said.
As it is giving positive statements about the upcoming government, it is sending messages through politicians loyal to it that it really does not want a new government to be formed.
Director of the Washington-based Aden research centre, Ahmed Al-Saleh, doubts the integrity and competence of the picks of all factions for the new government.
Al-Saleh, who is also a spokesperson for the south youth forum, wrote on Twitter: "The formation of the government is a matter of time. Nonetheless the problem is not with its formation but with its structure and the integrity and competence of its members".
Political analyst Hussein Laqour, who is close to the council, criticised the internationally recognised government, saying it is weakening itself and that it has recently appeared dissonant.
Laqour accused the government of blackmailing a Saudi-led coalition backing it, addin, "But the coalition knows about the government's intentions and moves".
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20891.html
and
(A P)
Hadi insists on the Southern Transitional Council’s implementation of the military aspect of the Riyadh Agreement first, to be followed by the formation of shared Cabinet. Source: Multiple websites.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43008
(A P)
New government in Yemen expected Thursday
A new Yemeni government is expected to be announced this Thursday, diplomatic sources said on Monday.
It will be formed with 50/50 representation from the south and the north in accordance with a mechanism presented by Saudi Arabia in July to accelerate the Riyadh agreement. The agreement was signed by the internationally recognised government and the UAE-backed southern transitional council on 5th November 2019.
Recent consultations between prime minister Maeen Abdulmalik and the factions have overcome most of the challenges facing the formation of the new government, including those regarding the names of ministers, sources said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20894.html
and
(* A P)
Hadi: Implementing Riyadh accord key to defeating Houthis
Implementing the Riyadh Agreement was the key to overthrowing the Houthis, foiling Iran’s designs in Yemen, and building an efficient federal system in the country, the Yemeni president said on the anniversary of the historic accord.
Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was speaking during a meeting with his advisers where he updated them about ongoing discussions between different parties over the formation of a new government.
Despite naming a new governor and security chief for Aden, the formation of a new government that would include the STC has been slow as some parties have opposed the distribution of ministries.
In Riyadh, Hadi on Sunday repeated his support for Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, Yemen’s prime minister-designate, in his effort to announce a new government.
Official media said that Hadi told Saeed that his government should live up to the aspirations of Yemenis and work on addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis caused by Houthi military activities throughout the country.
Several government and STC sources last week told Arab News that the prime minister was close to finalizing his government, but on Monday sources in Riyadh revealed that an announcement had been delayed due to some parties, mainly the General People’s Congress and Islah party, that were unhappy with their portfolio of ministries, refusing to name their ministers.
The congress and Islah, two major parties that have dominated the political establishment in Yemen for ages, are demanding better representation in the new Cabinet.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1757761/middle-east
(* A P)
Internal bickering threatens to tear apart Saudi plan to form new puppet “government” of Yemen
The Saudi-led coalition has on Sunday refused the proposal of self-proclaimed President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, to name Ahmed al-Maisari as Minister of the Interior in the new government.
This move could stir up the conflict in the southern provinces due to the social and military weigh of al-Maisari there.
Diplomatic sources said that the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, told Hadi that al-Maisari and al-Jabwani are excluded from the new composition.
Hadi’s share in the new government remains miniscule, as the coalition requires the approval of the Southern Transitional Council to name most of its ministers.
Hadi retains only four sovereign portfolios, including those of Finance, Interior and foreign Affairs, but he cannot actually appoint any ministers to these positions without the STC’s explicit approval.
These developments point to a new crisis over the formation of a new puppet government, and harms the propaganda campaign portraying the administration as legitimate.
(A P)
Yemeni President: Implementing Riyadh Agreement is in Yemen's Interest
During his meeting with his advisors today in Riyadh, President Hadi said: "We trust the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's efforts to make Riyadh Agreement successful, backing it with economic package to sustain the national currency value and support the government to do its new tasks and meet the Yemeni peoples' needs"
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2150601
(A K P)
Yemen pro-government forces clash with southern separatists
Forces loyal to the internationally-recognised government of Yemen have clashed with militants affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the Al-Tiriya and Sheikh Salem areas in Abyan governorate in the south of the country, Anadolu reported.
The agency quoted a member of the mediation committee in Abyan, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah Al-Marqashi, as saying that the sound of shells and bombs could be heard throughout the provincial capital, Zinjibar on Saturday evening, adding that traffic between the capital and the city of Shaqra came to a halt for hours as a result.
Meanwhile, a pro-government military official said the STC militants have bombed the army forces’ positions in Al-Tariya, northeast of Zinjibar, prompting the army forces to respond and silence them.
and also https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/01/fierce-infighting-resumes-in-abyan-province/
and how the separatists tell it: https://en.smanews.org/south-arabia/militia-of-the-brotherhood-renews-its-violations-in-abyan-and-southern-forces-respond-strongly/
and
(A K P)
Uneasy calm in Yemen's Abyan after overnight clashes
Uneasy calm prevailed in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Sunday after overnight clashes between forces of the government and the UAE-backed southern transitional council.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20875.html
(A P)
Journalist reveals the greatest theft of petroleum products run by organized smuggling network
(A P)
Activist released by southern Yemeni separatists after days of torture
(A P)
Ex-Yemen minister accuses UAE of bribing senior official
Yemen’s former Minister of Transport, Saleh Al-Jabwani, on Saturday accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of bribing a “high-ranking” Yemeni official to approve the bombing of pro-government forces in the city of Aden in August 2019 in what later became known as the Al- Alam massacre.
“After the Al-Alam massacre, the UAE deposited a large sum of money in the senior executive’s bank account, who transferred part of it into a luxury property in Cairo, at the same time sums were distributed to five officials who were tasked with preparing reports stating that the National Army consists of the Muslim Brotherhood militias and terrorists, and leaking them to major countries,” Al-Jabwani said on Twitter.
Following the tweet, the head of the Geneva-based SAM Organisation for Rights and Liberties, Tawfiq Al-Hamidi, demanded Al-Jabwani reveal the identity of the “high-ranking official”
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201102-ex-yemen-minister-accuses-uae-of-bribing-senior-official/
(A P)
How can new gov't succeed under STC arms: Yemeni MP
If Yemen's war is to end, all coup projects against the legitimate authorities should be reversed and Arab coalition countries be persuaded to end the bloody scene in favor of legitimacy, a Yemeni MP said Sunday, among a set of factors.
Based on its own calculations and its members' goals and interests, the Saudi-led coalition has not shown real desire to bring about a decisive win in favor of the legitimate authority, the Yemeni ex-minister Najeeb Saeed Ghanim added.
The mutual interests of regional powers and local coup leaders, along with the international community's abandonment, have led Yemen to this impasse and made the 6-year war be forgotten, he said in an interview.
Yemen's prospect is now more tragic, particularly in the humanitarian aspect, as the "international and regional co-makers of this prospect are now more clearly disclosing their blatant intents and goals in prolonging this war."
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20873.html
(A P)
STC tightens security grip on Yemen's Socotra
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Monday took security measures aimed to widen its power on the Yemeni southern governorate of Socotra's sovereign facilities, Yemeni sources said, following the arrest of the port's director loyal to the official government.
Head of the STC office in Socotra, the Salafist Rafat al-Thaqali, issued a number of security directives intended to tighten grip on the island's coasts and assets long sought by the United Arab Emirates, the sources added.
Military patrols and armored vehicles have already been stationed in Socotra port since Sunday, local source said anonymously, while further patrols were deployed in Qulonswa district, where government supporters are hosted and many rallies were staged against the STC.
Late last week, the STC forces vowed to launch a wide arrest campaign targeting opponents, and labeled legitimacy supporters as outlaws, the source told Al-Araby al-Jadeed.
According to the STC website, once he chaired the security committee, Mr. Thaqali issued decrees deploying patrols to control any suspicious moves in the island, hinting at the government supporters.
The measures newly taken by the Emirati-backed forces in Socotra would undermine the relative progress and understanding achieved in applying the Riyadh Agreement after the Saudi pressures on the government to form the new cabinet during the coming days, the sources added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20915.html
(A P)
Yemen's STC forces arrest Socotra port director
emen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces on Sunday arrested the director of the southern seaport in Socotra governorate, said Yemeni informed source.
The Emirati-backed forces took Riyadh Saeed Suleiman to one of their prisons in the island, the source told the Anadolu Agency asking anonymity for security reasons.
While the source said the causes were still unknown, the arrest was ordered by the STC chief in Socotra, according to local sources.
On 20 September, Suleiman informed the Yemeni official government that an Emirati ship illegally entered the port in Hadibo, Socotra provincial capital, without permission from official authorities.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20867.html
(* A P)
UAE Expands Its Intelligence Work in Yemen's Socotra Island
A new Emirati intelligence cell arrived on the occupied Yemeni Socotra island. Local sources on the island reported that the cell led by the retired Emirati officer, "Muhammad Ali Rahmeh", accompanied by two others, arrived at Hadibo airport.
The sources added that the cell joined the larger Emirati cell headed by the Emirati delegate Khalfan Al Mazrouei, to carry out special tasks against the Saudi 808 Forces.
The sources indicated that, after their arrival, they met social figures and leaders in the Transitional Council of the Emirates, in addition to leaders from the People's Congress Party on the island.
"Leader of the Emirati cell handed every social and political figure a check with huge sums of money under the pretext of the so-called “generosity of Mohammed bin Zayed” as buying loyalties and implementing an agenda," the sources added.
The sources pointed out that Al-Rahma cell will be organized into intelligence and espionage centers, including cells that follow the leaders: Ali Al-Bayraq, Abu Nasser, Abu Sultan, Sultan Al-Kaabi, and Ali Issa.
https://english.almasirah.net/post/15988/UAE-Expands-Its-Intelligence-Work-in-Yemen-s-Socotra-Island
and also https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/03/new-emirati-intelligence-operations-set-up-on-socotra-island/
(A T)
Taiz University vice president survives assassination attempt
(A P)
Military tribunal in Marib asks Defense Ministry deal with Iranian Eyrlo as belligerent enemy
A military tribunal in Marib has issued a memo to the Ministry of Defense asking it to regard Hassan Eyrlo, Iran’s “ambassador” to the Houthi militia as a belligerent enemy.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43009
(A K P)
At least one killed in clashes between mercenary forces in Aden
At least one killed and four others wounded on Saturday due to armed clashes erupted between gunmen affiliated with militias loyal to Saudi-led coalition, in the port city of Aden, southern Yemen.
The clashes that broke out in a popular market in Sheikh Othman left one dead and four wounded, according to local sources.
(A P)
Braving occupation, residents of Hadhramaut celebrate Prophet’s birthday by the thousands
Thousands of people from the city of Tarim in the occupied Hadhramaut province on Thursday commemorated the prophet’s birthday in all the mosques of the city.
(A T)
7 civilians injured as explosive device hits military vehicle in southwest Yemen
At least seven civilians, including two children, were injured when an explosive device hit a military vehicle in Yemen's southwestern province of Taiz on Friday.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20837.html
reporting 10 injured: https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/10/30/roadside-bomb-injures-at-least-ten-in-taiz/
(A P)
Yemeni legitimacy lives hard times Presidential advisor
Ambassadors of some countries interfere in the formation of Yemen's new government, advisor to President Hadi said Thursday, criticizing the approach to sharing the seats in the recently-leaked cabinet as proposed under the Riyadh Agreement and its acceleration mechanism.
"There was persistent rejection coupled with interferences by some [unnamed] ambassadors. So we [the GPC] had only two options; either to accept the offer we received, or to refuse and not take part in the government.
"We had to accept participation lest we seem as extremists, hinderers or – at the best – out of harmony in the eyes of legitimacy, Arab coalition and international community," he said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-20819.html
(A P)
Yemen [Hadi government] slams statement of UK Ambassador
Yemen slammed on Thursday a statement by a British Diplomat who asked the Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi and the Houthis rebels to accept a peace draft by the United Nations (UN) envoy to Yemen.
“We reject any dictation whatever they were because we care more about the suffering of our people,” Yemen’s Foreign Minister, Mohamed Al-Hadhrami said.
This rejection followed a statement by the British Ambassador to Yemen, Michael Aron, posted on Twitter
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42941
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-20820.html
and
(A P)
Minister of State, Mayor of Sana’a says the British ambassador has addressed President Hadi in a blatant manner and a line should be drawn to stop him. Source: Almostakbal Online.
A tweet by the British ambassador provokes anger across the community of Yemeni activists. Source: Voice of Freedom.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-42942
My comment: The Hadi government wants war, not peace.
(* B P)
[from 2019] The Battle for South Yemen
Yemen’s war has always had many sides. It may now be the case that the fight for the future of the country has begun between forces that want militarily either to occupy or liberate South Yemen
Background to the events in Aden in April 21, 2020 when the Southern Transitional Council declared self-rule of southern Yemen
https://www.academia.edu/42888225/The_Battle_for_South_Yemen
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-686-yemen-war-mosaic-686
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-686 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-686:
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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