Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 694 - Yemen War Mosaic 694

Yemen Press Reader 694: 18. Nov. 2020: UNOCHA-Lagebericht – Die vielfältige Unterstützung der Saudi-Koalition durch europäische, bes. französische, Rüstungskonzerne – Jemen, Rotes Meer u. Afrika

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Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

... Hindernisse für humanitäre Hilfe im Jemen – Die Huthis und der politische Zaidismus – und mehr

Nov. 18, 2020: UNOCHA situation report – European (especially French) arms companies’ various support for the Saudi coalition – Yemen, the Red Sea and Africa – Obstacles to humanitarian help in Yemen – The Houthis and political Zaidism – and more

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-694b-yemen-war-mosaic-694b

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 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 H)

Yemen Situation Report, 11 Nov 2020

Humanitarian situation continues its downward spiral

The humanitarian situation has deteriorated further in 2020, driven by escalating conflict, an economic crisis and currency collapse and exacerbated by torrential rains and flooding, COVID-19 and a fuel crisis. The operating environment remained restricted while the humanitarian response faces a huge funding shortfall. With more than 24 million people – 80 per cent of the country’s population – in need of some form of humanitarian or protection assistance, Yemen remains the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

At its core, the humanitarian situation is driven by conflict, which intensified in 2020 causing civilian casualties and displacement – over 156,000 people have been displaced this year alone, adding to the 3.6 million existing internally displaced persons (IDPs). Some of the highest levels of vulnerability are concentrated in IDP sites where few services are available. An estimated 422,000 migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees in Yemen are at extreme risk and an estimated 138,000 are completely reliant on aid.

Between April and August 2020, heavy rains and flooding devastated communities and IDP sites. Locust infestations are expected to cause damage and losses worth US$222 million to staple crops, animals and livestock. There are acute WASH deficits in 54 districts while 46 districts are at high risk of cholera.

Another key driver of the worsening humanitarian situation is the economy, which has collapsed further this year. A fuel crisis contributed to increased basic commodity prices and hindered access to basic services. By end of September, the Yemeni rial had depreciated to an all-time low of YER850/US$ in southern governorates as foreign reserves dried up. Remittances from Yemenis abroad, the largest source of foreign exchange, dropped by up to 70 per cent as a result of the COVID-19 global downturn, leaving more of the population unable to afford essentials. Aside of the economic impact of COVID-19, Yemen continues to grapple with the health impact of the virus – nearly six years of war have left the population with reduced levels of immunity and a decimated health sector.

By mid-2020, Yemen had returned to alarming levels of food insecurity, and a catastrophic food security crisis was looming. A partial Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) analysis published of southern governorates in July 2020, warned that economic shocks, conflict, floods, locusts and COVID-19 could reverse food security gains in Yemen. The report indicated that by December 2020, the population facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 and above) would increase from 2 million to 3.2 million people (40 per cent of the population analyzed) unless aid was maintained at 2019 levels.

A second IPC report in October 2020 covering the south of the country, highlighted how acute malnutrition rates among children under age 5 are now the highest ever recorded in some districts. The analysis reveals a near 10 per cent increase in cases of acute malnutrition this year. The greatest increase is in cases of young children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) which has increased by 15.5 per cent, leaving at least 98,000 children under age 5 at high risk of dying without urgent treatment.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-situation-report-11-nov-2020

(** B K P)

EU arms: The invisible link

A survey of the business of European armaments companies around maintenance work and training services

Our survey shows how European arms companies make money by performing maintenance and training in defiance of war crimes and arms export embargoes.

The aftermarket weighs more and more heavily within the arms industry: according to recent studies, it represents more than 50% of every large order. Apart from the sale and export, the parts maintenance and exploitation of the materials generate an important part of the receipts of the manufacturers of weapons.

Services such as training and maintenance work create an invisible but lasting link between customers and manufacturers. But, if these weapons are used to perpetrate war crimes, who bears the responsibility?

Our investigations show how the French arms industry goes against political commitments and the limits imposed by international law and fuels the Libyan conflict, in particular by delivering weapons, training and technical assistance to the Turkish armies and emirati. The results of our investigations show, among other things, that the French armaments company DCI is providing training on self-propelled Caesar-type guns to Saudi soldiers even as the war is raging in Yemen.

LIBYA: FRENCH COMPANIES FUELING THE CONFLICT

LIBYA: IS AIRBUS BREAKING THE ARMS EMBARGO?

YEMEN: SAUDI SOLDIERS TRAINED FOR COMBAT IN FRANCE

The French company DCI provides training to Saudi soldiers. These include operational trainings on self-propelled Caesar-type guns, an artillery system used in the war in Yemen.

Our investigation shows that the sale and export of artillery systems is only part of the contract signed between the French company Nexter, manufacturer of Caesar type guns, and Saudi Arabia. The other part includes ongoing services, including training. Training which takes place, in part, on French soil.

Asked, the French government declares that the said training does not violate international agreements.

The French company DCI , whose main shareholder is the French state, offers comprehensive training to personnel of the Saudi National Guard (SANG). These trainings are held in Draguignan.

DCI (Defense Conseil International) also has staff in Saudi Arabia. Trainers and technicians provide training and carry out maintenance work. Anonymous sources have confirmed to us that a large part of the French military know-how held by other private companies, such as Caesar International or ISD, is also made available on site.

The training provided on French soil is combat training on Caesar type guns, manufactured by the French company Nexter . Soldiers are trained, among other things, in the ATLAS computerized command and fire system, which plays an essential role in the automation of artillery warfare. The French company Thales and the Swiss manufacturer RUAG make their simulation equipment available. Former trainers have confirmed to us that soldiers are trained there for combat.

Ceasar guns used in the Yemen war

This information is crucial as the Caesar guns used in the Yemeni conflict could potentially be used to strike civilian targets. In 2019, ARTE and Disclose revealed that around 48 Caesar guns had been used by Saudi troops on the border with Yemen.

The Yemeni NGO Mwatana has documented artillery fire in the border region and these correspond to the Caesar cannon firing range. The situation is therefore as follows: there are countless incidents where civilians have been clearly killed or injured by artillery fire which could potentially come from, among other things, Caesar guns.

Who is legally responsible for violations of international law?

Based on the results of our investigation, DCI could be held responsible for breaches of its obligations under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. DCI should respect its duty of care. Or, in other words: DCI is required to examine the negative impact of its training and to immediately terminate all business relations if there is a risk of gross violations of human rights.

The services provided by DCI are part of a contract between Saudi Arabia and France, which issues export licenses for Caesar guns. It is, however, DCI's duty, in the context of such contracts, which are often long-term, to consult the licensing authorities and inform them of the risks or doubts that the company alone would not be able to to lift.

Is the State therefore the real responsible? Our specialist Annyssa Bellal emphasizes that the French state has the primary obligation to suspend Caesars' export licenses in the event of an increased risk of human rights violations (photos, films)

https://www.arte.tv/sites/story/reportage/euarms/

(* B K P)

Film: Jemen: Kampftrainings für saudische Soldaten in Frankreich

Das französische Unternehmen DCI stellt Trainings für saudische Soldaten bereit. Diese beinhalten operative Schulungen an selbstfahrenden Haubitzen des Typs Caesar, einem Artillerie-System, das im Jemen-Krieg eingesetzt wird.

Die investigative Recherche von Lighthouse Reports zeigt, wie Verkauf und Export von Artillerie-Systemen nur einen Teil des Vertrages zwischen dem französischen Unternehmen Nexter, dem Hersteller von Caesar-Haubitzen, und Saudi-Arabien darstellen. Der andere Teil betrifft fortlaufende Dienstleistungen, welche auch Trainings beinhalten. Trainings, die zum Teil in Frankreich stattfinden. Die französische Regierung gibt auf Anfrage zu Protokoll, dass diese spezifischen Trainings nicht gegen internationale Abmachungen verstoßen.

https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/100913-000-A/jemen-kampftrainings-fuer-saudische-soldaten-in-frankreich/

En Francais: https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/100913-000-A/yemen-des-soldats-saoudiens-formes-au-combat-en-france/

and

(** B K P)

Exposed: French complicity in Yemen and Libya

Hannah Neumann, a German Green MEP who drafted a report on arms exports, says France is one of the laxest when it comes to following the EU Common Position.

"In Germany, you have a government representative that is neutral towards the defence industry. In France, you have the defence industry sitting at the table," she pointed out.

That French liberal MEPs, many of them from president Emmanuel Macron's En Marche party, voted against greater EU oversight is not a surprise. Pascal Durand was the only French MEP in the group that voted in favour, citing reasons linked to his pacifism.

France has sold billions of euros worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), often including maintenance contracts that stretch over years.

Mirage jets, Caesar howitzers

The evidence points to the use of the French-made Mirage 2000-9 by the UAE in Libya. The fighter jet is suspected of destroying a migrant detention centre outside Tripoli last year, killing dozens.

It also points to the French-built Caesar self-propelled howitzer, an advanced long-range indirect-fire weapon system purchased by the Saudis.

The Caesars are produced by the French government-owned weapons manufacturer, Nexter Systems. Some 48 were stationed at the border with Yemen by the Saudi Arabian army in late 2018.

Yet a leaked internal document from France's military intelligence agency, the DRM, warned of the risks against civilians in Yemen posed by the Caesars already in 2018.

"The population concerned by potential artillery fire: 436,370 people," notes the document, dated 25 September, 2018.

The same document says the Caesars also play a role in supporting "loyalist troops and Saudi armed forces in their progression into Yemeni territory."

Ongoing training

In partnership with EUobserver, journalists at Lighthouse Reports along with Arte and Mediapart reveal how French companies continue training mission-critical skills to Saudi soldiers despite the raging war in Yemen.

Among them is French majority state-owned DCI Groupe, which is carrying out artillery training for members of the Saudi Arabian National Guard at a military school in Draguignan, a town in southern France.

The guard is one of the three major branches of the Saudi military, whose duties include protecting the royal family and its interests.

French multinational Thales and a French branch of the Swiss-based RUAG are also involved in training the guard, offering the simulation equipment needed to operate the Caesars that could potentially target almost half million people in Yemen.

DCI Groupe had been training the guard in Draguignan since at least 2016. In early 2018, they put online a video session where members of the Saudi guard are seen deploying a Caesar self-propelled howitzer.

Those sessions are thought have taken place in 2017, and involve operating artillery platforms by using a Thales-made control-and-command system known as ATLAS.

For its part, RUAG supplied an artillery and mortar-fire observation simulator.

But France also appears to be stretching the bounds of violating international laws for maintaining the Mirage 2000 fighter jets sold to the United Arab Emirates.

UN investigators cite the plane as the likely culprit behind the deaths of at least 53 people and 130 wounded in an airstrike at the Tajoura Detention Center outside Tripoli last July.

Now satellite imagery from June 10th of this year shows a plane with similar features stationed at the Gamal Abdel Nasser airbase in Tobruk, eastern Libya. Other images from inside Egypt, captured in May and last August, offer even greater clarity.

Like the Mirage 2000 planes operated by the Emirates, its nose is painted in a light-grey colour. These planes appear to be found in the captured images. The colour distinction is important because Egypt, which is the only other country in the region that flies the Mirage 2000, colours the nose black.

France had sold the Emirate planes in the 1990s but still provides maintenance through Dassault and Thales, in light of the possible war crimes committed by the Emirates in Libya.

The companies did not respond to media inquiries over the affair but the French government maintains the contracts still "respect international obligations."

https://euobserver.com/investigations/150097

(** B K P)

Yemen: What happens here sends waves all across the Red Sea

This article is part of the dossier:Red Sea Dynamics

Who controls Hudaydah (Hodeidah) controls a lifeline

Like in many conflicts, access to waterways has defined power-balances in Yemen, and once Sana’a fell for the Houthis, the core of the conflict moved to the coastline.

The battle for Dhubab became a watershed for the conflict. It reinstituted control over the Red Sea for the internationally recognized government and crippled the resource routes of the Houthis. Losing control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a longstanding smuggling route for everything from alcohol to weapons and motorbikes, deprived the Houthis of one of their primary supply lines for arms and income.

The implications of the talks in Stockholm had impact beyond the frontlines and brought fault lines from within the coalition to the surface. As the international outcry over the Hudaydah battles had mounted, so had the scrutiny Saudi Arabia was facing following the murder of the Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. These pressures presumably influenced Saudi Arabia’s willingness to back the Stockholm Agreement. The decision bought Saudi Arabia time, yet sacrificed the Emirati efforts in Yemen.

The Stockholm Agreement thus changed the tone of the generally harmonious relationship between the two partners. Leading to the talks, the United Arab Emirates had solidified its influence in the southern governorates of Yemen, and major Emirati allies had secured executive posts in the Yemeni government. In the meantime, Saudi Arabia had focused on the north.

An initial sign of tensions had emerged already prior to the talks when the Yemeni camp followed President Hadi’s decision to sack several Emirati-allies from their posts, including Aden’s governor, Aiderous al-Zubaidi, the governor of Hadramaut, Ahmed bin Breik, and Minister of State Hani bin Breik (no relation).

Following the chain of events, the officials formed the Southern Transition Council, which remains the largest political platform representing southern Yemen and enjoys unfaltering support from the United Arab Emirates.

The relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is just the tip of the iceberg. Despite bilateral grievances, the two allies shared the fear of the growing influence of the rivalling Qatari, Turkish, and Omani axis. The southern inland governorate of Taiz remains at the core of these dynamics, with the local militias led by Qatari-funded Sheikh Hamoud al-Mekhalfi also backed by Oman and Turkey.

The relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is just the tip of the iceberg. Despite bilateral grievances, the two allies shared the fear of the growing influence of the rivalling Qatari, Turkish, and Omani axis. The southern inland governorate of Taiz remains at the core of these dynamics, with the local militias led by Qatari-funded Sheikh Hamoud al-Mekhalfi also backed by Oman and Turkey.

To add to this, Qatari and Omani influence has traditionally extended to the Al-Mahra governorate bordering Oman. Yet, the war has redefined traditions with Saudi Arabia gaining ground through local proxies and government officials appointed by President Hadi.

Oman has sought to re-establish influence in Yemen by presenting itself as an interlocutor with the Houthis. This is in line with the sultanate’s balanced approach to foreign policy, not only in Yemen, but across the region

However, it is not only regional actors at play. The international significance of the Red Sea was put under a global spotlight early in the conflict when the US military vessel USS Mason was targeted by missiles launched from Yemen.

What happens on sea does not stay on sea

Instability in Yemen has undoubtedly exacerbated the unstable situation on the opposing African continent. This has manifested itself in the ongoing arms trade via the Yemeni coasts, and weapons from Yemen are sold in a number of African countries, ranging from Djibouti, South Sudan, and Kenya all the way to the Central African Republic. The flow of weapons from Yemen keeps smugglers in business as they face little risk for their significant profits.

Complications do not end in illicit naval trade. Regional players have vested interests in Yemen with, for example, Sudan participating in military operations against the Houthis since the very first military campaign of the Saudi-led Joint Coalition half-a-decade ago.

Sudan has also come to rely on Saudi and Emirate largesse ever since the popular uprising toppled the regime of President Omar al-Bashir a year ago. Support from the two Gulf States has equipped Sudanese troops in Yemen and helped maintain a status quo domestically.

The Sudanese uprising thus failed to turn the table for Sudan’s involvement in Yemen. The uprising brought Commander Mohammed Hamdan “Hemeti” Dagalo to the forefront and underscored his role as the commander of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces from which most Sudanese troops present in Yemen are drafted from.

Knowing Hemeti’s alliances with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, it is no surprise that the priority of Sudan’s military leadership has not been in the demands of freedom, peace, and justice rallied by the revolution. Priorities lie in maintaining strategic relations with the Gulf.

Sudan is no exception in the region. The complexities in Yemen have had ripple effects in the escalation of conflict in Somalia and between the United Arab Emirates and the Qatar-Turkey duo.

Qatar and Turkey look at the Emirati influence in Yemen, its military bases in Assab, Eritrea and Berbera, Somalia, and increasing leverage in Sudan with concern. The days when the two enjoyed influence in Sudan are gone. In response, the allies are vying for Somalia’s attention. Their minds are on the Red Sea too.

Bottom line

The need to engage in a political process seeking a resolution is clear. Yet, to pave way for a resolution, the political process must meet practical demands and address concrete grievances, such as access to ports and trade. There is no reason to believe that this man-made disaster will remain at the borders of Yemen. Nothing less than the stability of the Red Sea region is at stake.

https://www.theafricareport.com/50882/yemen-what-happens-here-sends-waves-all-across-the-red-sea/

(** B H P)

Humanitarian response in Yemen: time to go back to the drawing board

On 12 November, donors, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations will meet for discussions on the humanitarian response in Yemen. Funding for the response has fallen far short this year, a travesty given the depth of need in the country. MSF has seen, however, that the current model of assistance is simply ineffective. What is needed is not just more money, but a fundamental re-think of how aid is delivered in Yemen. The response programmes have to become more hands-on to improve quality and relevance; and the mechanisms to quickly switch into emergency mode to respond to new, rapidly-appearing crises, have to be much sharper and more reactive.
Currently, due to flawed ways of working and restrictions from the authorities, too much of the humanitarian aid in Yemen is managed remotely. It is rare that staff from the UN agencies or larger NGOs provide on-the-ground oversight of activities, making it nearly impossible to fully understand the reality of the situation on the ground, in order to effectively meet people’s actual needs.

Take the response to Yemen’s recent cholera outbreaks. MSF’s emergency treatment centres were full of sick patients, so we know that the crisis was acute and serious. But we also know that many diarrhoea treatment centres around the country lacked support on issues like infection prevention and control, vital to prevent the centres from becoming places where patients contract the disease rather than being treated for it.

In the spring of 2019, MSF teams visited nine diarrhoea treatment centres and found that infection prevention and control measures were sub-standard in six centres, and almost entirely absent in the three others. Hands-on oversight by the supporting organisations to identify the issues and provide training would have solved the problem. It was absent, however, so the problems persisted, unnoticed and unaddressed.

Another example is Ad-Dahi hospital in Hodeidah governorate, where maternity services are supported by a local NGO implementing the programme of a UN agency. While the UN agency pays incentives to top up staff salaries, they do not provide onsite technical support for medical staff. The result is that the maternity unit frequently cannot treat the patients who arrive because our colleagues who work for this NGO lack the capacity to do so.

An MSF team is present in the same hospital to manage the emergency room, which means that we see the results of insufficient maternal care and we often provide care for many of the complex obstetric cases. In other hospitals where specialised organisations are not present to offer complementary support to medical staff who are often overworked and under-equipped, this is having deadly consequences.

There is a structural flaw in the current approach that puts an overwhelming focus on support to state institutions with little oversight. The blurred discourse between humanitarian action and development benefits the authorities, who are further emboldened to argue that aid delivery must go through them. UN agencies and NGOs are routinely reduced to mere intermediaries between donors and state institutions, moving supplies and funds without providing any hands-on supervision, effective monitoring or technical support.

In addition, even after six years of conflict, the humanitarian response is still not able to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. COVID-19 is the latest example; at the onset of the pandemic, UN agencies evacuated a significant number of staff, leaving health authorities and organisations like MSF largely on their own.

In some cases, ventilators were sent to hospitals where there were no staff trained to use them or sometimes even electricity to switch them on. Without people on the ground, there was no way to ensure that the funds and supplies sent were improving people’s access to medical care in reality, or even making it to where they were most needed. Is this acceptable as a model of providing aid in Yemen? Or should this approach be reconsidered?

It is true that restrictions and obstacles imposed by authorities are a permanent feature of working in Yemen. Administrative difficulties to get visas for specialist staff and enormous difficulties importing supplies add frustration and complexity. And there are indeed areas where insecurity makes it difficult to travel. Despite these immense challenges, MSF and some humanitarian organisations do manage their projects directly, but without a fundamental review of the humanitarian response strategy, these examples are doomed to remain exceptions.

https://www.msf.org/back-drawing-board-humanitarian-response-yemen

(** B P)

The Houthi Movement from a Local Perspective: A Resurgence of Political Zaidism

The Yemen War is often characterized in international media as a proxy war framed as part of the broader competition for regional hegemony between Iran and Saudi Arabia. An excessive focus on regional geopolitics creates a narrative that largely ignores the local drivers of the conflict and the historic context in Yemen that shaped them. This is critical in the case of Ansar Allah, otherwise known as the Houthis, a relatively young, militant, religious group that rose to power in recent years and whose objectives remain little understood or scrutinized by Yemen analysts and commentators who miss a crucial question: How is the Houthi movement understood from a local Yemeni perspective?

To get a grasp of how the Houthi movement is seen from a local perspective, it is important to dissect the movement’s relationship to Zaidism, the religious school within Shia Islam almost exclusively found in Yemen. It is from the principles of Zaidism that the movement draws its legitimacy and, to a large extent, its ideological discourse and its practices. Historically, Zaidism was closely associated with the notion of the rule of the imam (al-imamah or wilayat al imam). The imamate is a Zaidi religious principle of governance, according to which the legitimacy of the ruler is granted through “divine” privilege based on ‘sacred lineage’. While Zaidism allows for the position of the imam to be contested it is, however, exclusively held by Hashemite families – meaning those who claim lineal descent from the Prophet’s daughter and her husband Ali (the Prophet’s cousin).

Although the Houthi movement rose to prominence more than four decades after the overthrow of the imamate in 1962 and the founding of the republic, the objectives and ideology of the group were deeply influenced by this event. Most of the leadership of the Houthi movement subscribes to Zaidism and many hail from Hashemite families, including the Al-Houthi family. Thus, while it is true that the Houthis have received support from Iran, this is not enough to explain their rise to power. Their biggest strength is that they rooted their ideas in certain historic events and icons that resonate with a segment of the Yemeni population. As such, Zaidism cannot be reduced to just a religious sect, it is the legacy of the Zaidi Hashemite imams that continues to influence perceptions of Zaidism and ‘Zaidi areas’ today. Post-1962, many people from historically Shafi’ Sunni areas moved into the capital area, which is historically part of the Zaidi northern highlands. Additionally, the rise of Sunni Islamist movements and the spread of Wahhabism led to a demographic shift that could be characterized as a wave of ‘Sunnization’ at the heart of historically Zaidi areas. This occurred as Zaidism contracted in the decades following the 1962 revolution from a school of thought that occupies the center of power to a personal system of belief and spirituality in the private sphere.

The rise of the Houthis to power awoke fears among many Yemenis of a restoration of the ancient regime represented by the Zaidi imamate in place of the republican system and, with it, a return to the pre-1962 social hierarchies, and a geographic divide along sectarian lines.

the success of the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979 was a source of inspiration for those who supported the revival of the principle of wilayat al imam. This includes, most notably, the Believing Youth, founded in 1992 as Zaidi revivalist movement based in Sa’ada, some of whose members would go on to form the core of the Houthi movement.

The Houthi movement emerged to further prominence after it came into open conflict with the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh. Military operations launched by the Yemeni army in Sa’ada governorate in 2004 resulted in the killing of Hussein al-Houthi, the founder of the Houthi movement and the elder brother of the current leader of the movement, Abdelmalek al-Houthi. This was the first of six rounds of armed confrontation between the Houthi movement and the Yemeni government that became known collectively as the Sa’ada War, or the Houthi Rebellion, and lasted until 2010.

The principle of the imamate in the Zaidi doctrine legitimizes rebelling against a standing imam who is deemed unjust or unqualified, but this right to rebel is exclusive to an aspiring imam who is a Hashemite himself. This Zaidi principle of the “right to rebel” marked much of Yemeni history with constant struggles for power among competing Hashemite families, and plays a key role in the Houthi movement today. It was used by the Houthi movement tacitly to justify its armed confrontations with the Yemeni state during the Sa’ada wars, and its rise to power backed by revolutionary rhetoric in the lead up to — and the aftermath of — of the 2011 uprising. Thus, while the Houthis draw some strength and impetus from foreign support, they are capable of creating a local base by embedding themselves in Yemeni history and a notion of a Yemeni traditional culture.

As a rising group that is still in the process of consolidating power, the Houthi movement does not officially adopt an anti-republic/pro-imamate position. However, its rising historical revisionist narrative that attempts to whitewash the imamate has become more visible and mainstream in some parts under the Houthi control; this is seen in the type of books showcased for the first time in Sana’a libraries that put the imamate legacy in a positive light. That being said, it is understandable that the Houthis do not officially or publicly adopt a pro-imamate position given the historic stigma it still carries, cemented in over half a century of republican rule. Thus, openly adopting a pro-imamate position now would risk alienating large segments of their supporters. Instead, the Houthis strategically chose to push for the more group-unifying victimhood narrative condensed in the idea that Zaidis have been persecuted in republican Yemen – which conflates the perceived political and developmental marginalization of Zaidis in Sa’ada during Saleh’s regime with the experience of the general Zaidi population.

Although the importance of understanding domestic conflict drivers in Yemen cannot be understated, it would be a mistake to gloss over the role Iranian support plays in the Houthis’ ability to remain in control. If anything, the group’s military and logistical ties to Tehran have increased during the war years. Nevertheless, the Ir anian influence is still largely confined to ideological, social and political support. – by Mohammed Abdulla Mohammed

https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/11925

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics

(* B H)

Audio: Arzt und Schriftsteller Marwan Al-Ghafory über Corona in Jemen

https://www.podcast.de/episode/504899992/%23formate20%3A+Arzt+und+Schriftsteller+Marwan+Al-Ghafory+%C3%BCber+Corona+in+Jemen/

(A H)

No new coronavirus cases reported

http://en.adenpress.news/news/30544

(A H)

Coronavirus patient dies in Hadramout

http://en.adenpress.news/news/30539

(B H)

Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 12 November 2020

On 7 November, the Government of Yemen reported no new case of COVID19 in the areas under its control. However, indicators continue to suggest that the virus is still spreading, and the number of confirmed cases and deaths reported are underestimated. A lack of testing facilities and official reporting (no data for the areas under the De Facto Authorities’ control), people delaying seeking treatment because of stigma, difficulty accessing treatment centres and the perceived risks of seeking care, are some of the reasons behind the low number of reported cases. Since the GoY reported the first case, in April, 2,070 COVID-19 cases including 602 deaths have been recorded in Yemen (WHO)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-12-november-2020

(A H)

No new confirmed cases of coronavirus reported

http://en.adenpress.news/news/30530

cp2 Allgemein / General

(* A K P)

Interactive Map of Yemen War

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(A K)

Updates on Yemen, Nov. 14, 2020

https://english.iswnews.com/16275/latest-updates-on-yemen-14-november-2020/

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Aid groups in Yemen say Houthi terror designation would deepen crisis

The Trump administration is weighing whether to designate the Iran-aligned rebel group as a foreign terrorist organization.

Should the Trump administration formally designate Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a terrorist organization, aid groups say it would greatly undermine their ability to deliver life-saving assistance to millions of civilians and worsen what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe.

In an effort to financially squeeze the Houthi group and pressure its regional backer, Iran, the State Department is considering naming the entire Houthi movement a foreign terrorist organization, as reported by Foreign Policy earlier this week. Saudi Arabia has lobbied hard for the terrorism designation, which would criminalize material support for the Houthis, trigger an asset freeze and impose a travel ban to the United States. The Trump administration might instead designate individual Houthi leaders as specially designated global terrorists, said a source familiar with the matter, in a mostly symbolic action that carries similar financial sanctions.

Relief organizations operating in Yemen warn that slapping a terror label on the Houthis could hamper aid work.

“For millions of Yemenis living in areas under Ansar Allah [Houthi] control, aid is a matter of life or death. We don’t want to think about what will happen if that lifeline is cut,” Sultana Begum, the Norweigen Refugee Council’s advocacy manager in Yemen, told Al-Monitor.

A terror designation would further complicate Yemen’s humanitarian response, with aid workers forced to spend more time and resources ensuring they’re in compliance with a confusing web of financial sanctions. The Treasury Department could issue exemptions known as general licenses to authorize specific humanitarian activities, but the application process is time-consuming and could delay the delivery of aid.

“Even if a humanitarian exemption is permitted, this designation will likely make reaching children and families more difficult and could also heighten security risks for our staff,” Janti Soeripto, president and CEO of Save the Children, told Al-Monitor.

Relief groups say a Houthi designation could also put off international donors at a time when an existing funding shortage is crippling aid operations in the Arab world’s poorest country.

The Donald Trump administration, which has accused the rebels of interfering with the food deliveries, suspended millions in humanitarian funding to Houthi-held areas in March. The US development agency USAID has set aside carve-outs for life-saving assistance, but aid workers say they are far too narrow to be effective.

“The reality is that the Houthis must be part of any final negotiated settlement to the conflict in Yemen, and designating them a foreign terrorist organization could be taken by the Houthis as a signal that they cannot achieve their goals at the negotiating table,” said Kate Kizer, the policy director for the advocacy group Win Without War.

“That's a recipe for more war and suffering for the Yemeni people, not peace,” she said.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/11/yemen-houthis-trump-terrorist-designation-aid-delivery-fto.html

My comment: And just another example of US global dominance.

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Audio: Der andauernde Krieg im Jemen

Wie hat der Krieg im Jemen begonnen, warum handelt es sich nicht um einen Bürger*innen-Krieg, welche Akteur*innen sind involviert, warum tragen Kindersoldat*innen im Jemen deutsche Waffen und was ist für einen Friedensprozess notwendig?
Der Staatswissenschaftler Dr. Said AlDailami arbeitet bei der CSU-nahen Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung, setzt sich beruflich und privat mit der Situation im Jemen auseinander und gibt einen Überblick über einen komplexen Konflikt

https://www.freie-radios.net/105383

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Future Generations: Voices of Yemeni Youth

Four leading Yemeni youth activists held an interactive online discussion with UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa MP James Cleverly on November 16, 2020.

Minister Cleverly said that “many Yemeni children and young people have only known lives ravaged by war. They face unimaginable threats, including violence and the alarming risk of famine. They must have their voices heard.

During the event, the speakers touched on a number of issues including UN Security Council Resolution 2250, saying that “the localization of this resolution in Yemen would not only help in achieving peace in the country, but it also would help the country make sustainable developmental gains that leave no one behind.”

Since the outbreak of the war, many Yemeni young women have spearheaded peacebuilding efforts in their country. One female speaker expressed her wish to improve the situation for women and girls in her country, calling on all parties to “work to end the war, alleviate the humanitarian crisis, and contribute to building a safe and stable Yemen so we are not all on the dark side of history.”

https://sanaacenter.org/publications/news/11916

My comment: It’s really propaganda BS to give a person like Cleverly – representing a country which had inflamed the Yemen war from its very beginning – to tell tall stories on how Britain cares for Yemenis.

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For How Long Will Continue bin Salman's Aggression Against Yemen?

The Experts reveal that the Saudi ambassador’s speech indicates the confusion among the Saudi leadership in this semi-final phase of the war, and there is nothing left in the Hadi government and the mercenaries of aggression except for some directorates of Marib Governorate, and if the Yemeni army liberate this vital Yemeni city, only the occupied southern governorates will remain for the Saudi and Emirati occupation in cooperation with local mercenaries.

Experts confirm that US is the one who has the decision to stop the war, noting that the war began with the presidency of Barack Obama, and perhaps the Americans had a desire to stop the war through John Kerry’s initiative, with which the Saudis did not respond because Obama had two months left in power and when Trump came, they continued. But they may return to the initiative with Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.

Military experts say that the Yemeni response operations will continue as long as the aggression continues in its raids and siege on the Yemeni people.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/16235/For-How-Long-Will-Continue-bin-Salman-s-Aggression-Against-Yemen%3F

My comment: A pro-Houthi view.

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Comparing Yemen’s plight to Turkey’s success in Libya, Azerbaijan, Somalia

Their intervention in Yemen for the last five years is not only far and beyond seeking a solution but has also further deepened the problem, dragging it into a dead end. The aim of the Operation Decisive Storm launched five years ago under the leadership of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was to defend the legitimate government in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthis that attempted to stage a coup against the legitimate government, and reinstate the administration. Yet, the Houthis could not be beaten throughout these five years. This, of course, is not because the Houthis possess extreme power. Regardless of the extent of support the Houthis get from Iran, it was impossible for them to continue a coup against the people of Yemen. However, while coalition forces were fighting the Houthis, they also pursued confidence-shaking policies that would weaken Yemen’s other forces.

Yet, it was never extremely difficult to establish peace and stability in Yemen. The people of Yemen want peace and stability anyway. Even if the ongoing dialogue atmosphere had remained as is, the process could have functioned without any intervention. However, considering all elements of Yemen as potential enemies in the present and the future, coalition forces implemented a strange balance policy. Their priority was never to bring peace and stability to the people of Yemen but to establish a government that would be obey them.

The way to bring stability to Yemen was to recognize all factions of the Yemeni public, and pave the road to a dialogue atmosphere that would ensure peaceful co-existence. It is impossible to ensure unity and integrity in a country through a policy that constantly uses one side against the other.

What is worse, the two big partners of the coalition follow policies that are miles apart from each other. - by Yasin Aktay, advisor to president Erdogan

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/columns/yasinaktay/comparing-yemens-plight-to-turkeys-success-in-libya-azerbaijan-somalia-2047668

My comment: From Turkey, praising Turkish foreign policy. This of course is propaganda.

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FSO Safer: risk and impact assessment

The coastline of Yemen’s Red Sea and of its neighbouring countries is at risk of an environmental disaster that could happen any day – with substantial humanitarian and economic impacts. It is increasingly likely that there could be an immense oil leakage from and/or an explosion of the FSO Safer, a floating storage and offloading unit anchored in the Red Sea, 60km north of the port of Hodeidah. If disaster strikes, the Safer could release four times the amount of crude oil that was spilled in the Exxon Valdez catastrophe of 1989 (UNEP 16/07/2020), which had major impacts on the environment and on people and their livelihoods in affected areas.

The risk from FSO Safer The FSO SAFER is a vessel, which was used to store and export oil from Yemen’s inland oil fields around Marib. In 2015 the vessel fell under Houthi control and has since been neglected.

Requests by the UN for inspection of the vessel been rejected by the Houthis. The lack of maintenance of the SAFER with its estimated cargo of 1.148 million barrels of Marib light crude oil makes two scenarios increasingly likely:

Oil spill: corrosion and lack of maintenance of the FSO unit for an extended period of time could lead to some of the oil leaking into the sea. In May 2020, an engine-room leak was discovered and temporarily fixed. A reoccurrence of this leak and water flowing uncontrollably into the engine room could destabilise and potentially sink the entire structure, likely causing a severe oil spill (Mashora Group 08/2020). Satellite images show that the FSO Safer has started moving clockwise since the beginning of October. Small oils spills have been detected around the unit and will be monitored. It is also likely that there are sea mines in the area where the Safer is located, which could hit the moving vessel (ACAPS internal analysis).

Explosion and a fire on board the FSO unit: this event could be caused by accidental ignition of gas accumulated in the cargo tanks, and consecutive leakage of most or all of the oil into the sea (UNEP 16/07/2020).

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/fso-safer-risk-and-impact-assessment

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Leaking Oil Tanker Abandoned Off Yemen a Red Sea Risk

Technical experts must be granted immediate access to a rusting oil supertanker threatening an environmental calamity in the Red Sea, an independent United Nations expert is demanding. Abandoned five years ago when its engine room flooded with seawater, the leaking 44-year-old tanker FSO Safer still holds 1.1 million barrels of light crude oil.

“A UN technical team should be given all necessary means to assess the dilapidated tanker and conclusively avert the threat of a spill from the dilapidated tanker.” said Marcos Orellana, UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights.

The floating storage and offloading vessel FSO Safer was abandoned off the coast of Yemen’s key port of Hodeidah, which has been under the control of Houthi militants, one side in the civil conflict between the group formally known as Ansar Allah, and the internationally-recognized Yemeni government.

Official approval to access the vessel still has not been granted by Houthi authorities, although they have expressed their intent in principle to allow a UN team on board.

The vessel lies about 32 nautical miles north-northwest of Hodeidah, a hotly contested city where international aid is delivered to the Yemeni people, millions of whom are living in extreme hardship after five years of war.

Since then, the Safer has not been maintained or inspected, raising fears that explosive gases have built up in the vessel’s storage tanks. If an explosion happens, large quantities of crude oil could be released into the Red Sea, causing devastating environmental and humanitarian damage.

The area where the Safer is moored includes diverse marine ecosystems, including coral reefs.

http://ens-newswire.com/2020/11/17/leaking-oil-tanker-abandoned-off-yemen-a-red-sea-risk/

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Yemen: The EEAS launches an awareness raising event about the conflict and its impact on people | EU Commission Press

The European External Action Service (EEAS) is launching an awareness raising campaign on the conflict in Yemen called ‘We need to talk about Yemen‘. It is a fully digital campaign with human stories, short movies, a Yemeni art online exhibition and social media activities. Due to coronavirus restrictions, the campaign will be formally launched by a virtual event on Tuesday, 17 November at 18:30 that will be livestreamed here. The High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell, explained: “For far too long we did not talk enough about the severe crisis in Yemen. We have to address this forgotten conflict and talk about it. We want to talk about Yemen, and more importantly – listen to what Yemenis have to tell us.”

https://www.pubaffairsbruxelles.eu/yemen-the-eeas-launches-an-awareness-raising-event-about-the-conflict-and-its-impact-on-people-eu-commission-press/

Film: We need to talk about Yemen

The idea behind the communication campaign We need to talk about Yemen is simple: in the past five years, Yemen and Yemenis have seldom received the international attention they deserve. They have rarely had the chance of telling their own stories, of talking about their personal struggles, resilience or talents. For far too long, Yemen has been a crisis we didn't hear much about, a forgotten conflict. By launching this campaign, we want to try to address this imbalance. We want to talk about Yemen, and more importantly - listen to what Yemenis have to tell us.

https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/88778/we-need-talk-about-yemen_en

My comment: Stop fueling the war by arms sales and other support (look at cp1!!!).

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Yemen: Child Casualties Skyrocket in Hodeidah and Taiz as World Leaders set to Meet

An escalation of the fighting in Yemen’s hotspots Hodeidah and Taiz has led to the highest number of casualties among children over the past year. The spike comes ahead of the G20 summit in neighbouring Saudi Arabia this weekend, where world leaders are promising “unprecedented actions to protect the most vulnerable.”[1]

According to data analysed by Save the Children, at least 29 children have been killed or injured in the two cities in October[2] as fighting flared up again – an increase of 55% compared to the monthly average in 2020. The violence is leaving children and their families caught between shells, bombs and bullets in daily attacks against civilians.

The number of civilians killed or injured in these conflict hotspots almost doubled in October, compared with the average in the previous nine months. Across the country, 228 civilian casualties were recorded in October- the highest monthly count since September 2019. Children are among the hardest hit, as they make up a quarter of conflict-related casualties recorded this year.

This spike in violence comes almost two years after the Stockholm agreement, which aimed to stop the fighting in Hodeidah and Taiz

https://www.savethechildren.net/news/yemen-child-casualties-skyrocket-hodeidah-and-taiz-world-leaders-set-meet

(A P)

[Hadi] Yemen government prepares case to Interpol for arrest of Houthi ‘diplomats’

Abdullah Sabri, who is wanted by the government, was named as the Houthi envoy to Damascus on Sunday

Yemen’s internationally-recognised government condemned the appointment of a new Houthi ambassador to Syria on Monday and urged the International Criminal Police Organisation to issue an arrest warrant.

Abdullah Sabri, who is wanted by the Yemeni government, was named as a Houthi envoy to Damascus on Sunday. He succeeded Naif Al Qanas who took the position in 2016.

"Various governments were informed not to deal with Abdullah Ali Sabri, Naif Al Qanas, and Ibrahim Muhammad Al Dailami, or to facilitate their movement and to hand them over to the government of the Republic of Yemen if found on their territory," a statement by the foreign ministry said.

"The judicial authorities in our country have initiated the necessary legal procedures to issue compulsory arrest warrants against the individuals via Interpol," the statement said.

The Yemeni governent is seeking a "Red Notice" on the individuals, administered by Interpol.

The procedure is not an international arrest warrant but rather an appeal from one state to another to assist in locating and arresting an accused person for the purpose of extradition, according to Interpol.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/yemen-government-prepares-case-to-interpol-for-arrest-of-houthi-diplomats-1.1112603

My comment: This would mean a misuse of Interpol for political reasons, which is excluded by the regulations.

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Audio: Episode 143 - Yemen can't wait w/ Shireen Al-Adeimi

https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=16814378

Snippet: https://twitter.com/east_podcast/status/1328004635127390208

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Houthi official blames Islah for Yemen's war

The Muslim Brotherhood [Islah] Party is to blame for the 6-year war in Yemen, member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council tweeted on Saturday.
The Yemen's war was a result of the wrong intelligence reports presented by the Muslim Brotherhood party during its control over the Yemeni security bureaus, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi added.
The change in Saudi stance at the Muslim Brotherhood group indicates that the Kingdom reconsiders its internal and foreign policies, he said.
While this step came late, the Houthi group waits for outcomes of further moves, the Houthi official added.
Last Wednesday, the Saudi senior religious scientists' board issued an official opinion labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist movement that does not represent real Islam.
Accordingly, most of the Saudi mosques devoted their Friday sermons to criticize the group.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21184.html

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We will never kneel: the struggle of Yemen’s tribal volunteers

Inside the battle against a Houthi offensive in Marib, southern Yemen

As Iran-backed Houthi rebels tightened the noose around the province of Marib in 2015, there seemed to be little to stop the well-organised force.

In Murad, on the south-western tip of Yemen, a block of local tribes took the lead to defend their homeland, even before the Saudi-led coalition launched Operation Decisive Storm in March 2015.

The tribal leaders of Murad gathered in Al Rahbah, their stronghold in southern Marib, bringing their personal arms to the frontlines to fight a desperate battle.

They eventually succeeded in pushing the Houthis back to the northern reaches of Sanaa province.

Prominent tribal leader Sheikh Mohammed Al Qardaei, who has been leading the second round of the war against the Houthis in southern Marib, described the struggle.

“We picked up our personal arms and took to the frontlines before the Saudi-led coalition announced its intervention. With help from Allah we could push them back,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

In the wake of the national army’s collapse and a doomed tribal uprising against the Houthis by the Al Awad tribes in Al Byadha in February 2020, Murad tribes gathered once more, resolving to fight the Houthis to the last man.

“Murad tribes have their own history,” Sheikh Mohammed told The National.

“Our men have never been late whenever our homeland called. We don’t fight for the sake of power but we fight for the sake of our land and our dignity,” he said.

But after years of attritional warfare in the country’s rugged terrain, the Houthis have launched a major new offensive, focusing on districts that form the stronghold of the Al Jada’an tribes in north-west Marib.

“They have been pushing more and more personnel towards Marib aiming to subjugate us by force, which will never happen as long we are still breathing,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

The rivalry dates back to 1948 when Ali Naser Al Qardaei Al Muradi, a top tribal leader in the Murad tribe, killed Yehya bin Hamid Al Din, the Zaidi imam of the short-lived Mutawakkilite Kingdom, also referred to as North Yemen.

“All of those who have been fighting the Houthis around Marib nowadays are the grandsons of the revolutionary leader Ali Naser Al Qardaei. We will never kneel except for Allah, that is a pledge we took on ourselves whatever the cost,” Sheikh Mohammed told The National.

That cost has indeed been high, and the Murad tribe has suffered greatly in its battle against the Houthis.

“Our tribe has sacrificed 3,000 honoured martyrs for the sake of defending Marib, the dignity of its people and the republican regime in Yemen,” Sheikh Ahmed Al Muradi, who is fighting in Al Rahbah, southern Marib, told The National

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/we-will-never-kneel-the-struggle-of-yemen-s-tribal-volunteers-1.1111858

(B K P)

Clashing UAE interest in Yemen: Report

The UAE is primarily interested in controlling south Yemen, particularly Aden and its strategic port.

The UAE has been a dominant partner in the coalition Saudi Arabia , but it has also charted its own course by establishing and supporting local militia groups in the south.

The irony here is that even Saudi Arabia and the UAE are, too, acting as proxies for the US and Western countries in slicing up Yemen.

The UAE seems oblivious to the fact that the south cannot have its own political identity, simply because Yemenis regardless of what part of Yemen they are from share a collective and ancient Yemeni identity even before the modern Yemen state was founded.

Although the UAE’s withdrawal , it neither suspends Abu Dhabi’s role in the coalition nor curtails Emirati influence on the ground.

The bedrock of the UAE’s “Peace First” strategy is a switch from direct to indirect engagement in the country through increased reliance on local proxies and partners.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3116161.htm

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French judge investigates Abu Dhabi crown prince after six Yemenis complain

Six Yemenis have filed a complaint in France against the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi for complicity in acts of torture and bombing of civilians.

French investigators have not yet contacted him. Adel, a 38-year-old former Yemeni officer, is nevertheless ready. He wrote it down. The names and photos of some of his jailers, the layout of the premises, the list of physical and psychological torture he suffered. He even bears some evidence on his body - his arms and legs burnt with cigarettes… The father of the family lodged a complaint in November 2018 with five other Yemeni citizens against the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Ben Zayed Al-Nahyane, known as "MBZ", for complicity in acts of torture committed in particular in secret prisons controlled by the Emirati forces in Yemen. "I am ready to come and tell my story to the French police",he says by phone from his exile in a Middle Eastern country.

The complaint with the constitution of civil party was lodged with the dean of the investigating judges of the pole "crimes against humanity" of the court of Paris by virtue of the universal jurisdiction of the French justice, when MBZ landed in France for an official visit in November 2018.

A judicial investigation was opened in October 2019, a Parisian examining magistrate now being in charge of the investigation.

Adel's testimony, recorded in the complaint that the JDD obtained, reveals details of rare violence.

The complaint that the French justice is now studying is not limited to the abuse inflicted in these clandestine jails. The responsibility of MBZ is also pointed there in a bombardment carried out on October 8, 2016 by the coalition against a building in Sanaa, where a thousand Yemenis were gathered for the funeral of the father of the Houthi interior minister at the time. Nearly 140 people were killed in this air raid. Ammar came out alive, and he agreed to be heard as a witness. "The first missile fell on the room, everything was on fire," the 35-year-old former bus driver recalled by phone, who still lives in Yemen. The guests started to flee through the main door, but five minutes later, another missile landed just in front, as people came to help the wounded.I had bombs on my back, my feet were fractured. My brother is dead. It was not, however, a political meeting… If we do not participate in this complaint, who will? https://www.lejdd.fr/International/un-juge-francais-enquete-sur-le-prince-heritier-dabu-dhabi-apres-la-plainte-de-six-yemenites-3991543

cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade

(A K P)

Oil derivatives crisis in Sana'a capital ended

Director of the Oil Company branch Abdullah al-Ashbat has confirmed the end of the oil derivatives crisis in the capital Sana'a.

He said 14 million liters of petrol and diesel were distributed over the past three days.

These quantities were distributed to 93 petroleum stations to meet the needs of the market and vital and service sectors of the various departments of the capital, al-Ashbat told Saba on Saturday.

He clarified that the distribution mechanism will continue providing oil derivatives to the capital Sana'a districts with an amount of 1.5 m liters per day.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3116308.htm

and

(A K P)

I filled my car with petrol. First time in many months, without lines that last for hours or days, without a black market. I stood at a regular gas station and it was over within minutes. What may seem normal in most of the world is like a dream in conflict zones. #Yemen #Sanaa

https://twitter.com/RAlmutawakel/status/1327676917328252929

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B H)

UNFPA Response in Yemen: Monthly Situation Report #10 October 2020

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the worst in the world; further deteriorating in 2020, driven by an escalating conflict, collapsing economy, a depreciating currency; exacerbated by torrential rains and flooding, COVID-19 and a fuel crisis. An estimated 24.1 million people – over 80 per cent of the population – are in need of some form of assistance, including 14.4 million who are in acute need.

The uptick in fighting across 47 active frontlines continued into October along hotspots in Taizz, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Marib and Al Bayda, leading to an influx of internally displaced persons. More than 156,000 people have been displaced this year alone, adding to the 3.6 million displaced persons. The UNFPA-led Rapid Response Mechanism continues to distribute emergency relief within 48 to 72 hours of displacement to those newly displaced. Since January 2020, nearly 75,000 displaced households have been reached with emergency relief.

Lack of funding continues to cripple the UN's humanitarian operation in Yemen with only 46 per cent received out of the $3.23 billion required for the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan in 2020.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unfpa-response-yemen-monthly-situation-report-10-october-2020

(A H)

UNICEF cargo plane arrives at Sana'a airport

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3116563.htm

(B H)

In #Yemen_war, life opportunities open widely to 3K rural people as we complete building a 6-km rural road linking 5 villages in Bani Omar to the Al-Shamayatayn district, #Taiz. Roads have become essential for economic and social recovery. (photos)

https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1328721873539108865

https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1328719904103608321

(B H)

Film: Amid Houthi Militias Atrocities and Siege, Patients with Blood Disorders are Suffering Exponentially

Amid war cruelties and the unbreakable siege imposed by Houthi militias on Taiz, patients with blood disorders are suffering the lack of medications in clinics and the rising prices of such medications in pharmacies. Sickle cell disease and Thalassemias are among the most prevalent diseases in Yemen, characterized by low red blood cells or hemoglobin which inhibit oxygen from reaching different parts of the body. World Health Organization indicated that treatment of Thalassemias in Yemen is impossiblle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Lbu8s_q4I

(B H)

Film: Three brothers open car wash to help cash-strapped family in Yemen

Three school-age brothers have opened a car wash to help their cash-strapped family in war-torn Yemen's #Sanaa where the #coronavirus #pandemic has worsened an already dire situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2XpMpOLHq0

(B H)

Audio: Berufung im Jemen gefunden

Damaris Kunz setzt sich für die dortige Bevölkerung ein.

Seit 2019 lebt die Deutsche Damaris Kunz im Jemen, wo sie für die Schweizer Hilfsorganisation Medair in einem Gesundheits- und Ernährungsprojekt tätig ist. Sie leitet ein Team von sieben einheimischen Mitarbeitern, welches aus Ärzten und Apothekern besteht. Zusammen arbeiten sie in fünf Kliniken eines Distrikts, wo sie die Grundversorgung für die Bevölkerung zur Verfügung stellen.

https://lifechannel.ch/leben/gesellschaft/weltweit/berufung-im-jemen-gefunden/

(B H)

Film: 13-year-old Areej shares some of the challenges girls face in Yemen due to conflict and COVID-19 with @liampayne.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wydHt5Iiz0 = https://twitter.com/UNICEF/status/1328397673024647171

(B H)

Film: The Recurring Story of #Children Targeted in the War An orphaned girl lost one leg from a missile and struggles to make it to school

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1328397422742048768

(B H)

Film by WFP: Getting food assistance that last mile in #Yemen is often the hardest. This area in #Yemen has at times been cut off by shifting frontlines but that doesn't stop @WFP! Whatever it takes, against all odds, we won't leave anyone behind

https://twitter.com/WFPYemen/status/1328248400912003072

(B H)

27 in thousand newborns die annually in Yemen, Houthi government

At least 27 in a thousand newborns are dying annually in Yemen as a result of the deteriorating healthcare services, said Yousef Al-Hadhri, spokesperson for the health ministry in the Houthi government on Monday.
Yemen's healthcare system is on the brink of collapse after six years of war. More than half of the medical facilities have closed down across the country and those functioning are coping with shortages of doctors, equipment and medicines.
Al-Hadhri said the UN is complicit in killing the Yemeni people, including children, through providing expired food and medical aid.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21212.html

and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3116443.htm

(B H)

Film: Yemen- Hajjah Governorate' Students Have Nothing Left But their School Rubbles

In the war-torn Ali bin Abi Talib School, 13 kilometers away from Midi city, students start their day with exercises as they stand in queues waiting for their classes to start. To cope with the gloomy reality of demolished schools, residents of Midi district in Hajjah Governorate embarked on constructing 8 class with straws and tree branches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuvcSAWZ7yI

(B H)

UNHCR Yemen Situation: 2020 Funding Update (as of 10 November 2020)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unhcr-yemen-situation-2020-funding-update-10-november-2020

(B H)

Yemen Emergency Dashboard, October 2020

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-emergency-dashboard-october-2020

(B H)

UNHAS Flight Schedule, December 2020

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unhas-flight-schedule-december-2020

(B H)

Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative: October Situation Overview 2020

The Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) was launched by REACH in collaboration with the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster and the Cash and Market Working Group (CMWG) to support humanitarian actors with the harmonization of price monitoring among all cash actors in Yemen. The JMMI incorporates information on market systems including price levels and supply chains. The basket of goods to be assessed includes ten non-food items (NFIs), such as fuel, water, and hygiene products, reflecting the programmatic areas of the WASH Cluster. The JMMI tracks all components of the WASH and Food Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) as well as other food and non-food items.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-joint-market-monitoring-initiative-october-situation-overview-2020

(B H)

Technical Guidance For Non-Food Items (NFIs)

This document guides humanitarian agencies involved in delivering Non-Food Items (NFIs) assistance in Yemen to support vulnerable families with individual and general household items to preserve their health, safety, dignity, and well-being. The kits used within this guide are based on an average family of 7 members. Nevertheless, family composition with the ratio/children/infant varying significantly from case to case, this document aim to offer flexibility respecting a commonly agreed rule for calculation. Partners should tailor packages (both in terms of type and quantity of items) based on cluster specifications stated below to ensure compliance to cluster guidelines.

A principal focus is to ensure that the quality of items distributed meets the needs of recipients adequately

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-12-november-2020

(* B H)

Film: Lage im Jemen besonders schlimm: Tausende Kinder werden jährlich zu Landminen-Opfern

Seit Jahren tobt im Jemen ein verheerender Bürgerkrieg, bei dem die Konfliktparteien auch Landminen einsetzen. Denen fallen immer wieder Kinder zum Opfer. Weite Teile der jemenitischen Stadt Taizz gleichen im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes einem Minenfeld.

https://www.n-tv.de/mediathek/videos/panorama/Tausende-Kinder-werden-jaehrlich-zu-Landminen-Opfern-article22168996.html

(B H)

Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY)

The CCY was formed as a response to the agreed need for harmonized tools and approaches and a cohesive Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) strategy for the most vulnerable conflict-affected households in Yemen. The intention is to set up harmonized registration and verification tools, eligibility criteria and scoring, which will improve the implementation of activities and lead to consistency in beneficiary selection. Interoperability between various agencies’ data systems, core to the strategy of the consortium, will enable a comprehensive sequencing and transitioning between various types of humanitarian and longer-term programming.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cash-consortium-yemen-ccy

(A H)

Yemen Foundation: October 2020 Accomplishments

Thanks to the support of donors like you, in October we were able to help Yemenis across the country by distributing food baskets to families in need, supporting orphans, and helping the country in its fight against COVID-19.

In October 2020, we distributed food for the entire month to 2,190 families — totaling 13,140 members. We focused on the neediest and internally displaced people in Taiz, Hamadan, Sana’a, and hard-to-reach areas such as Jabal Sabir, Almawsaed, Almaafer, Saada, Amakhader in Ibb, as well as areas with high levels of malnutrition such as Zabid, Hodeida and Hajjah.

https://yemenfoundation.org/covid19-malnutrition-orphans/

(A H)

Partner Relief: This week we have been able to provide uniforms & essential school supplies to orphaned children in #Yemen. If anybody deserves a little something extra, these kids do! (Thank you @monarelief team for distributing these items and @karmagawa for your support.) (photos)

https://twitter.com/PartnersRelief/status/1327512541719797761

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

(B H)

Map: CCCM Cluster Yemen: Households in IDP Hosting Sites (October 2020)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-households-idp-hosting-sites-october-2020

Map: CCCM Cluster Yemen: Sa'adah Hub IDP Hosting Sites (October 2020)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-saadah-hub-idp-hosting-sites-october-2020

CCCM Cluster Yemen: IBB Hub IDP Hosting Sites (October 2020)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-ibb-hub-idp-hosting-sites-october-2020

CCCM Cluster Yemen: Sana'a Hub IDP Hosting Sites (October 2020)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-sanaa-hub-idp-hosting-sites-october-2020

CCCM Cluster Yemen: Marib Hub IDP Hosting Sites (October 2020)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-marib-hub-idp-hosting-sites-october-2020

CCCM Cluster Yemen: Aden Hub IDP Hosting Sites (October 2020)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-aden-hub-idp-hosting-sites-october-2020

CCCM Cluster Yemen: Al Hudaydah Hub IDP Hosting Sites (September 2020)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-al-hudaydah-hub-idp-hosting-sites-september-2020

(B H K pS)

Film: A Houthi mine hijacks Abdullah's life and leaves his family to suffer an unknown fate and a painful life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvmdO8sGU2U

(B H)

Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 12 November 2020

Over the reporting period, UNHCR assisted over 12,240 displaced families countrywide with cash to make up for the loss of livelihoods due to COVID-19. In the north, UNHCR also completed the cash payment for batch #5 on 25 November. Close to 16,800 displaced families received cash to help them make rent and pay for medicine, food, clothes. UNHCR has since started the distribution of batch #6, where UNHCR will distribute some USD 4 million to over 25,000 displaced families.

UNHCR has assisted close to 4,500 conflict-affected displaced families with core relief items to address their shelter, hygiene and cooking needs. Close to 250 families recently displaced by conflict also received emergency shelter kits.

UNHCR and partners provided protection services to over 11,000 displaced Yemenis across the country. Displaced men, women and children, received psychosocial support, legal counselling, help with ID cards, and received specialized services for children and survivors of violence, referrals to other services, as well as cash to address their immediate protection needs.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-12-november-2020

(B H)

More than 200 internally displaced households flee their villages and areas from Ragwan, west Marib governorate, according to the Executive Unit of IDP Camps.

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1327975893667520513

(B H)

IOM Yemen | Rapid Displacement Tracking (RDT) - Reporting Period: 08 - 14 Nov 2020

From 01 January 2020 to 14 November 2020, IOM Yemen DTM estimates that 26,915 Households (161,490 Individuals) have experienced displacement at least once.

Since the beginning of 2020, DTM also identified other 1,312 previously displaced households who left the displaced location and moved to either their place of origin or some other displaced location.

Between 08 November 2020 and 14 November 2020, IOM Yemen DTM tracked 273 Households (1,638 individuals) displaced at least once. The highest number of displacements were seen in:

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-rapid-displacement-tracking-rdt-reporting-period-08-14-nov-2020

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

Siewhe / Look at cp1

(B P)

The Association of Abductees' Mothers documented 1,247 abductees held in #Houthi group prisons and 239 people that have been forcibly disappeared. The Association added in a statement to Belqees TV that 214 women have been subjected to arbitrary arrest.

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1329071887075328005

(A P)

MP Resigns due to Houthi Practices, Threats

Member of the Houthi-controlled parliament Abdo Muhammad Beshr has quit in protest to suspending sessions of the internationally unrecognized parliament upon the order of Mahdi Almashat, president of the so-called Supreme Political Council.

In his resignation letter, Beshr said he resigned upon the request of Mahdi Almashat, adding that he was subject to death threats because of his constant criticism of Houthi corruption.

“We can’t continue being in a parliament where the constitution is applied according to the desires of Houthis as there is no commitment to partnership,” Beshr said.

Beshr’s resignation came after Houthis suspended sessions of the parliament due to not electing Houthi candidates to the membership of the presidency of the parliament.

A few days ago, elections were held for the presidency of the parliament – the illegitimate one in Sana’a – in which Yahya al-Ra’i was elected president of the council, and Abdo Muhammad Beshr as vice president.

https://republicanyemen.net/archives/26271

My comment: This anti-Houthi source claims the Sanaa parliament to be “illegitimate”, what is rather odd because

(A P)

Ansarullah of Yemen calls stop arms sales to aggressors of Saudi Arabia

Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement has praised countries that have adopted measures to halt arms sales to the “child-killer” regime in Saudi Arabia, calling on other world states to follow suit.

https://en.abna24.com/news//ansarullah-of-yemen-calls-stop-arms-sales-to-aggressors-of-saudi-arabia_1087184.html

(B P)

The leader of the Baha'is in Yemen in an extensive dialogue with „Al Sharaea” after his exile from the country: No one has persecuted us except Iran and the Houthis

The persecution of the Baha'is does not exist worldwide except in Iran and the Houthi areas, and in the former Ottoman Empire

Baha'is in Yemen, in the thousands, come from various components, classes, and tribes of Yemeni society, and are present in most cities and governorates.

I am nothing but a Yemeni citizen, Baha'i Masal, I was born in “Hadibo”

I was detained unjustly for nearly 7 years on malicious and fabricated charges

I was kidnapped from my workplace in the Liquefied Gas Company in Shabwa, and suddenly I was taken out from the central prison in Sana'a to the airport directly, and deported from Yemen on July 30, 2020

The Houthi authorities insisted on persecuting us, then deporting us from our homeland, after we were arrested and imprisoned on malicious charges

The detention periods of my Baha'i colleagues ranged from 4 to 3 years, from forced and forced detention under conditions of psychological and physical torture.

The Yemeni authorities know our goal and have seen our achievements on the ground, but they insisted on deporting us from our homeland so that they could loot our possessions after they stripped us of it.

More than 20 Baha'is are still facing fabricated charges in the Specialized Criminal Court in Sana'a that carry the death penalty.

The Houthis have exiled us, but they are continuing to prosecute us, and they claim that we are fleeing justice!

There is no relationship between us and Israel, or any foreign government, and we are Yemeni citizens who love our country and our loyalty to our homeland.

https://alsharaeanews.com/2020/11/17/39597/

(A K P)

Houthis are forcing tribal chieftains in Dhamar province to mobilize new fighters to the militia’s warfronts. /Multiple websites.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43286

(A P)

Chief of Houthi “Military Intelligence” Al-Hakem leads a fierce crackdown campaign against notaries in Sana’a citing fakeries. Three hundred notaries were arrested to President Abd Rabbu Hadi’s house in the rebel-controlled Sana’a and subjected to Houthi radical religious re-education courses. /Voice of Yemen.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43286

(* A P)

Houthis attack 87 parties over six months

The Houthis have been attacking wedding and convocation parties in areas of their control claiming organizers play music which violates directions of their leader, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi.

Sources in Sana’a said that the Houthis’ violations to people’s freedoms included defining dress of women, men’s haircut style and storming wedding halls for playing music.

A local source in Sana’a said that a group of the Houthis militants stormed few days ago a wedding party hall in the Airport Street, north the capital Sana’a and shot randomly at the attendees that led to the death of one child and three people were injured among them the bridegroom.

The source said that the Houthis claimed that they stormed the hall because organizers refused to stop playing music.

Large number of parties were cancelled during the past period because of frequent intimidation led by the Houthis against parties. These intimidations are accompanied by arrests of organizers, family members to the bridegroom or singers.

Local reports said that the Houthis stormed over 85 wedding parties and convocations during the first six months of this year in Houthis-held provinces.

More than 220 family members to bridegrooms were arrested over the same reported period.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43283

(A P)

As @Ndawsari said, thinking that someone could influence Houthis is funny and you can take Islah as an example. In 2012 @MohAlydomi said Houthis can define their relationship with his party, his kiss ass approach was pathetic giving what was taking place on the ground I remember on Feb 2015 I told @BShtwtr Houthis wish if there is any war in Yemen that could link the US; hence, for them, their slogan would be justified, it didn't sound very real at the time, but then KSA launched the Decisive Storm and the Houthis revealed the hidden beast

KSA's horrible involvement fulfilled a prophecy of fighting western imperialism. Long story short, assuming they could be influenced or the war would end once KSA retreats is simply inaccurate.

https://twitter.com/HamzaShiban/status/1328552305038245889

(A H P)

Houthis restrict NGOs’ humanitarian work

Yemeni humanitarian groups said that the Houthis destroyed during the past few days hundreds of tons of aids that were confiscated by Houthis officials over the past period.

These seized aids were kept in secret stores until they have rotted.

Sources quoted by the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat daily Newspaper, said that the Houthis officials in Sana’a, Hajja, Dhamar, Raima and Taiz have destroyed hundreds of tons of aids after they expired.

Those aids were supposed to be distributed to needy households.

This coincides with ongoing seizure of 325 aid containers at the Houthis-held Hodeida port.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43265

(A P)

New Yemeni ambassador to Syria officially sworn in

https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/16/new-yemeni-ambassador-to-syria-officially-sworn-in/

(A P)

Deceived people released in Sanaa

About 18 people, who has been deceived by the Saudi-led coalition, were on Monday released in Sanaa.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3116363.htm

(A P)

Internal struggle within ranks of Houthi group, Saada's Hashimet wing led by al-Houthi & Sanaa's Hashimets, has ardy come up to the surface. Ystrday Houthi MOW Nabil al-Wazir referred to court 4 alleged corruption. Also Abdulrahman al-Moayad wz arrested. It's just tip of iceberg

https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1328172530071457793

(A P)

Yemeni bank reopened after Houthis raid in Sanaa

The Houthi central bank said it ordered the raid after finding out that the bank is involved in illegal financial activities

A major Yemeni bank on Sunday reopened branches across the country, days after shuttering its operations in the wake of a raid by the Houthis on the bank’s headquarter in Sanaa.

Last week, Houthi intelligence operatives stormed the main office of Tadhamon Bank in Sanaa and ordered workers to leave the building before switching off servers and cameras. The operatives seized control of the building for days and stopped operations, forcing the bank to close its branches across Yemen, giving employees leave and barring customers from making withdrawals and other transactions.

On Thursday, the bank issued a statement saying that it is in contact with the Houthi-controlled central bank for clarification about the raid, adding that the closure had disrupted the distribution of humanitarian assistance and affected customers’ businesses.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1763551/middle-east

and

(A P)

Economic think-tank warns against attacks on banks

The Studies and Economic Media Center (SEMC) warned on Saturday against the continuous double decision making on the banking sector in Yemen and illegal acts taken recently against banks.

“Those practices taken by some security services of the Houthis in Sana’a including storming banks and arresting management staff represent a serious attack that will lead to disastrous repercussion on the living standards,” the SEMC said in a statement.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43241

(A K P)

Yemen coast guard begins activity in Red Sea

The coast guard of Yemen’s National Salvation Government kicked off its activity in the Red Sea.

In the opening ceremony held on Saturday, the coast guard chief Abdul Razaq al-Miad said that the goal of the project is to increase the ability of monitoring and observing the regional waters, help fishers, supply shipping security, and protect vital interests of Yemen.

According to Al-Masirah, Yemen’s National Government has overhauled the motorboats of Yemen’s coast guard, and put some other relevant projects on agenda.

https://iranpress.com/content/29793

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuAxLrsO0mA = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T30xFbeGeUk

(A K P)

Houthis launch a new fighter recruitment campaign they name “Strong against the infidels.” By infidels they mean Yemeni government & other forces that r against their military expansion. Ironically, they also call anyone opposed to them “ISIS” #Yemen (photo)

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1327613675914604559

(A P)

A Houthi gunman kills Basheer Mansour, a doctor, in front of his wife and children in his house in Sana. Source of the story: Al-Shahed News website.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43224

(A P)

Houthi preachers say child can kill father in this case

Houthi jurists delivering the Friday sermon in a north Yemen province made it legal for a child to kill their father should the father “prevent the child from joining” the armed Houthi militia.

In a unified sermon in the mosques across the Houthi-held parts of Hajja province, the preachers said the punishment applies fathers “who disallow their child to join the Jihadist educational courses,” local sources reported.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43225

(A E P)

Wheat harvest kicks off in newly inaugurated Yemeni farms

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation has launched the harvest of wheat at the Qaa Sharaa Farm, which is owned by the General Organisation for Propagating Enhanced Seeds.

At the inauguration, which was attended by member of the Shura Council Abdo Al-Alawi, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture stressed the importance of expanding grain cultivation in a way that contributes to enhancing food security, especially in light of the existing challenges due to the aggression and blockade (photos)

https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/14/wheat-harvest-kicks-off-in-newly-inaugurated-yemeni-farms/

(A P)

Strafgericht verhängt Todesstrafe für den Feind unterstützende 21 Personen

Das spezialisierte Strafgericht erster Instanz in der Hauptstadt hat heute die Todesstrafe für 21 Personen verhängt, die wegen des Verbrechens der Unterstützung des Feindes verurteilt und zu Handlungen verurteilt wurden, die die Sicherheit und Stabilität der Republik Jemen beeinträchtigen.

In der heutigen Sitzung unter Vorsitz des Obersten Richters, Richter Mujahid Ahmed Al-Amdi, in Anwesenheit des Staatsanwalts, Richter Ahmed Al-Qais, und des Staatsanwalts, Richter Khaled Omar Saeed, wurde die Einziehung sämtlicher Immobilien und beweglicher Sachen der Verurteilten und deren Übergabe an die Staatskasse angeordnet.

https://www.saba.ye/de/news3116106.htm

(A P)

Houthi group hands death sentences to senior Yemeni officials, including premier

The Houthi specialised criminal court on Saturday handed down death sentences to 24 officials of the internationally recognised government on charges of committing crimes harming the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the republic of Yemen.

The officials included prime minister Maeen Abdulmalik, current and former governors of the Central Bank of Yemen Munassar Al-Quaiti and Mohammed Zimam, advisors to president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, ministers, province governors, MPs, diplomats, army chiefs and officers and an official in the southern transitional council.

The court also ruled to confiscate the properties of the officials, according to pro-Houthi media outlets.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21171.html

but correct figure:

(A P)

Criminal Court sentences 21 convicted to death for supporting enemy

The Court of First Instance in Sana'a has sentenced 21 to death convicted of supporting the enemy and inciting it to commit acts that affect the security and stability of the Republic of Yemen.

The operative part of the judgment held on Saturday presided over by the Chairman of the Court, Judge Mujahid al-Amadi, ordered the confiscation of all property of the convicted to the State Treasury.

The court also ruled against accepting the criminal lawsuit filed by the public prosecution against three suspects because it had ruled in the case.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3116307.htm

My comment: And again such a political judgement in absentia, as they have been committed by both sides.

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 P)

New gov't formation not Yemeni parties decision: Ex-minister

The formation of Yemen's new government under the Riyadh Agreement is not a decision to be made by Yemeni parties, Yemeni former foreign minister tweeted on Wednesday, as political parties', but not Yemeni people's, interests are behind the delay of announcing the government.
"If only the delayed formation of government in Riyadh was because the Yemeni parties trying to agree on a political program and priorities to save the Yemeni people," Abu-Bakr al-Qurbi added.
However, he said the "delay proved to be a result from a dispute over quota in order to gain interests, although they know that the decision is eventually not in their hands."

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21249.html

(A P)

Looks like there is a breakthrough in forming a joint

@HadiPresident and @STCSouthArabia gov't in #Yemen before the end of the month

https://twitter.com/BashaReport/status/1329123088622096386

My comment: Obviously this will not happen.

(B P)

#Yemen sure is complex. There are now 2 Sultans of #Mahra-#Socotra from rival branches of Bin Afrar clan 1/ Abdallah (since 2012). Qishn branch 2/ Muhammad (since 7/2020). Itab branch #Oman now backs Muhammad who entered the Mahri capital Monday with a typical display of strength

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1329058245353336837

(A T)

Emirates Red Crescent aid workers attacked in Yemen

Abu Dhabi's foreign ministry condemns 'cowardly terrorist shooting attack' in Taez

Humanitarian workers in Yemen’s third city, Taez were attacked on Wednesday by unknown gunmen, the Emirates Red Crescent said.

The attack targeted ERC medical staff who were working in a mobile healthcare clinic in the city.

Information about casualties and those responsible for the attack is yet to be made available.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/emirates-red-crescent-aid-workers-attacked-in-yemen-1.1113616

(A K P)

STC says its forces inflicted Yemeni gov't losses in Abyan

The Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces killed 40 of the Yemeni government troops in clashes seen in the last 2 days by the southern governorate of Abyan, spokesman of the STC forces there tweeted on Tuesday.
The government "enemy militias suffered grave losses in the last 48 hours," Mohamed al-Naqib added.
Among the killed troops were "leaders who came from the northeastern governorate of Marib, and emirs of al-Qaeda and Daesh," he claimed, without giving names.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21246.html

(A K P)

Ben Brik says it's time for 'no return' in Abyan

The acting President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), President of the National Assembly, Major General Ahmed Said Ben Brik said in a brief statement "Now is the time of no return.."
Ben Brik's statement was made against the backdrop of the renewed armed clashes that had been erupted in Abyan governorate on Tuesday night, between the militias of Islah party, the military wing of Muslim Brotherhood organization within Yemen's legitimacy and the southern armed forces.
Earlier, Ben Brik urged, on his official Twitter account, the southern field commanders in Abyan to implement “Plan B” to deal with he Brotherhood's militias.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/30552

(A P)

UAE-backed militias block Cabinet meet in Socotra

A Yemeni source said UAE-backed separatist forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen blocked a Cabinet meeting on the Socotra Island on Tuesday.

Amjad Muhammad Thani, the director-general of Socotra’s capital Hadiboh said: "The so-called security line forces of the UAE-backed Transitional Council prevented a meeting of Yemeni officials in the governorate."

"Separatist Forces closed the headquarters of the Public Health and Population Office, prevented employees from working, and cut off the main street leading to the place where the meeting is scheduled to take place,” Thani said.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/uae-backed-militias-block-cabinet-meet-in-socotra/2047176

and also https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201118-uae-backed-yemen-militias-prevent-government-meeting-in-socotra/

(A P)

Public teachers in Socotra threaten open strike

Public teachers in Socotra threatened on Tuesday open strike protesting suspension of their monthly payments by local officials affiliated to the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43284

(A P)

Al-Jaadi reiterates STC's adherence to power-sharing deal

Al-Jaadi reiterated the STC's adherence to implement the Saudi-mediated deal, indicating that the continued intransigence of the other party hamper the progress towards its achievement, referring to the military escalation on the ground by the Brotherhood's militias.
He also confirmed that the humanitarian aspects are at the top of the STC's priorities, denying fake news and rumors on social media about preventing injured people from having access to medical treatment and hospitals in the South.
For his part, Al-Ali stressed the need to speed up the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement and to finalize the formation of a new government, affirming that consultations are continuing to bring the process to a successful conclusion.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/30547

My comment: LOL. The separatists had left the Riyadh agreement consultations.

(A)

UAE ship capsize off Oman coast on way to Socotra

An Emirati cargo ship destined for the Yemeni island of Socotra sunk off the Omani coast yesterday according to shipping sources.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201117-uae-ship-capsize-off-oman-coast-on-way-to-socotra/

(* A K P)

STC turns Abyan in south Yemen into trap for government

It seems the UAE-backed southern transitional council has set a trap for the legitimate government which pins hope on the formation of a new government to end the violence and associated crises in the south. The southern province of Abyan is a good place for the trap.
The battles flare up in the province with every glimmer of hope to end crises in the country. There is mistrust between the two sides and it requires a miracle to bridge the gap between them.
Instead of forming a new government, international and regional sponsors of the peace process are busy with convincing the Yemeni factions to cease hostilities and stop trading accusations of igniting violence.
On Monday, the council accused the government forces of attacking positions of its forces within what it called continued breaches of a fragile ceasefire sponsored by Saudi Arabia.
Spokesperson for the council's fourth military command and Abyan front, Mohammed Al-Naqib, said the breaches took place in the area of Al-Tariyah and the coast strip.
The government forces attacked our positions with various weapons and tried to advance, he said. The council calls the government forces as terrorist militias of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Our forces responded to the assaults, inflicting heavy losses upon the enemy forces and forcing them to retreat, he said.
On Sunday, fighters of the council laid an ambush for a convoy of the government forces in the district of Al-Mahfad. The convoy came under heavy fire from light and medium weapons but managed to escape, local sources said. There were no reports of casualties.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21229.html

(* A K P)

Yemen: Clashes between government, separatists kill about 50

Fierce fighting in southern Yemen between Emirati-backed separatists and the country’s internationally recognized government killed nearly 50 fighters this week on both sides, security officials said Tuesday.

The flare-up of clashes in the province of Abyan was the latest blow to a cease-fire agreement brokered by Saudi Arabia late in 2019 with the goal of closing the rift between the two sides. The sides are allies in a U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition fighting against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels since 2015.

At least 47 fighters were killed and around 90 others were wounded in the clashes centered in Zinjibar, the Abyan provincial capital, and the officials described it as the fiercest in the recent months.

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-yemen-saudi-arabia-sanaa-0318ead6e4d9a2ff271df10d8fa43056

and the separatists story:

(A K P)

Brotherhood's militias sustain heavy losses in Abyan

The militias of Islah party, the military wing of Muslim Brotherhood organization within Yemen's legitimacy sustained heavy human and material losses in clashes with the southern armed forces in Abyan, military official said on Tuesday.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/30553

and

(A K P)

As fighting rages between gov’t forces and the UAE-backed STC militia in Abyan, armed drones [belonging to the STC] circle over the battle scene. /Yemen Voice.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43286

and

(* A K P)

UAE provides Yemen separatists weapons in Abyan governorate

The United Arab Emirates has provided Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) militias with a new shipment of weapons and thermal missiles to use in the ongoing confrontations against forces loyal to the internationally recognised government of President, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, in Abyan governorate.

The leader of the Southern Resistance, Adel Al-Hasani, said the UAE has delivered the new shipment of weapons and missiles to the STC through Salafist leader, Nizar Al-Wajeeh Al-Yafei, commander of the 4th Al-Amaleqah Brigade.

Al-Hasani posted pictures of the weapons on Twitter, explaining that they had already entered the battlefield during the recent confrontations in Abyan governorate.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201117-uae-provides-yemen-separatists-weapons-in-abyan-governorate/

(A P)

Supreme Judicial Council condemns attacks on judges

The Supreme Judicial Council condemned on Monday attacks on some judges and prosecution members in several provinces.

This was pronounced by the council during its regular meeting in Aden chaired by the head of council, Ali Nasser Salem.

It condemned acts that threaten judges and risk independence of the judiciary system.

This condemnation was made in reference to an assault attempt last October by gunmen affiliated to the separation rebels in Aden known as the Southern Transitional Council (STC) against one judge in Aden for wearing the official national badge.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43266

(A P)

Film: Yemen - Medical students in Aden protest for being excluded from formal education

Students of preparatory year in the medical college at Adan University have protested in front of the university because of their exclusion from formal education. Students expressed their dissatisfaction about the arbitrary decisions after they completed a whole year of study.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyT0sfpUgEk

(A K P)

Emirati occupation forces take new measures to isolate Socotra island from the rest of Yemen

https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/16/emirati-occupation-forces-take-new-measures-to-isolate-socotra-island-from-the-rest-of-yemen/

(A K P)

Security leader killed in Abyan

https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/16/security-leader-killed-in-abyan/

(A K P)

Brotherhood's militias continue breaching Abyan ceasefire

The artillery units of the Muslim Brotherhood's militias launched on Monday, an attack targeting the coastal areas and al-Toriya sector in Abyan.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/30543

My remark: As the separatists tell it.

(A K P)

STC forces ambush convoy of government forces in Abyan

Fighters of the southern transitional council have laid an ambush for a convoy of the government forces in Yemen's southern province of Abyan.
Local sources said a group of armored vehicles and pickup trucks of the government forces came under heavy fire from light and medium weapons in the area of Dhayqah west of the district of Al-Mahfad on Sunday night.
The convoy escaped the ambush and continued its way through the international road between Abyan and Shabwa provinces to the district of Shuqra, the sources said, adding that there were no casualties.

The ambush came hours after the STC forces received infrared home missiles from the UAE, military sources said.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21210.html

and

(A K P)

Several Hadi loyalists killed in separatist ambush

https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/16/several-hadi-loyalists-killed-in-separatist-ambush/

(A K P)

Islah's attack foiled in Abyan, another AQAP leader killed

The southern armed forces thwarted on Monday morning an infiltration attempt conducted by the militias of Islah party, the military arm of Muslim Brotherhood organization within Yemen's legitimacy in the province of Abyan.
Military field sources said that the Brotherhood's militias launched in the early hours of Monday a desperate attack on the locations under the control of the southern forces on Sala front in a bid to retake lost ground.
The southern forces managed to repulse the attack, inflicting heavy human and material losses on the Brotherhood's militias, the same sources added.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/30540

(A P)

The first achievement of Yemeni PM @DrMaeenSaeed since his appointment two years ago is that he could certify his account on Twitter. Congrats (image)

https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1328021978276638722

(A P)

Yemen's STC blamed for politician son abduction

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) has kidnapped son of the Revolutionary Movement Council (RMC) chief in the Yemeni southern governorate of Lahj, the RMC said Saturday in a statement.

Forces affiliated to the Emirati-backed STC abducted the son of Sheikh Ali al-Haushabi in al-Mosaimeer town, Lahj, the statement read.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21191.html

(A E P)

Filling stations shut down amid fuel shortages in Aden

Many filling stations in Yemen's interim capital Aden have shut down because of acute fuel shortages.

Local sources said the shutdowns have occurred in the past 48 hours, although fuel is available in large quantities in the black market.

The Yemeni petroleum company has not commented on the reports.

Last week, the petroleum company in the Houthi-controlled Sanaa said the fuel crisis in the north was over after more than 129.000 tons of fuel arrived at Hodeidah seaport.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21194.html

(* A K P)

Saudi forces establishes sites in Yemen’s Mahrah, overlooking Oman

Saudi occupation forces have set up new military positions and monitoring towers in nearby heights of Shihan border crossing in Mahrah province, eastern Yemen, overlooking the territory in Oman, on Sunday.
Local sources said Saudi occupation troops were carrying out ongoing developments as part of the militarization of the province.
Moreover, the occupation forces have continued to intensify and expand their military deployment in the coasts of Mahrah the province.
The sources affirmed on Saturday that the Saudi forces deployed military naval boats in Mahrah coast, under the pretext of combating smuggling and piracy. Those forces had previously prevented fishermen from fishing and seeking their livelihood on the coasts, using military force against them.
For his part, the chairman of the sit-in committee in the shihan directorate, Hamid Za’abanout said, in a tweet, that Saudi forces have developed sites for new watchtowers in the vicinity and inside the customs of Shihan port. He said Riyadh forces had set up new watchtowers in a mountain near the port.

https://en.abna24.com/news//saudi-forces-establishes-sites-in-yemen%e2%80%99s-mahrah-overlooking-oman_1086540.html

and also https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/15/saudi-arabia-develops-sites-in-yemens-mahrah-province-overlooking-oman/

and

(* A K P)

Huge military reinforcements, including Saudi armored vehicles arrive in southern Yemen

Huge military reinforcements arrived Saturday in the coastal city of Shuqra in Abyan province, southern Yemen.
According to an informed source, a military convoy consisting of Saudi armoured and military vehicles arrived at the Shuqrah front, coming from Marib.
The military reinforcements of Islah militants came after violent clashes with the UAE-funded Southern Transitional Council (STC) militias in recent days, which left dead and wounded of both sides.
The leader Ahmed Saeed bin Brik, has ordered his militias to use ” Plan B ” against Islah militants in Abyan, without disclosing details of the plan.
The clashes follow the failure of the so-called Riyadh Agreement

https://en.abna24.com/news//huge-military-reinforcements-including-saudi-armored-vehicles-arrive-in-southern-yemen_1086230.html

(A P)

Yemen’s presidential office says the new Cabinet is formed. The STC militia have to withdraw militarily first as per the Riyadh Agreement in order to declare the names. Source: Multiple websites.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43224

(A P)

The Yemeni [Hadi] government has begun cracking down on three Houthi militants impersonating diplomats in Syrian and Iran. The Yemeni judiciary is preparing to issue arrest warrants and hand it to the Interpol to get the three arrested. Source: Multiple websites.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43224

(* A K P)

Yemen STC sends military reinforcements to Abyan governorate

Yemen's UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has sent military reinforcements to the southern governorate of Abyan as clashes with forces loyal to the internationally-recognised government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have intensified, local media reported.

The battles between the STC militants and the pro-government forces in Abyan Governorate have resulted in many deaths and injuries and led to the closure of the main road leading to the province, the reports said.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201116-yemen-stc-sends-military-reinforcements-to-abyan-governorate/

and

(A K P)

Brotherhood sends more reinforcements to Abyan

The militias of Islah party, the Yemeni arm of Muslim Brotherhood organization within Yemen's legitimacy carried out a large military build-up by sending huge reinforcements, including military vehicles, heavy weapons and fighters coming from Yemen's Marib to Shuqra of Abyan governorate.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/30533

and

(A K P)

Confrontations intensified between southern forces and Brotherhood militia in Abyan

https://en.smanews.org/south-arabia/confrontations-intensified-between-southern-forces-and-brotherhood-militia-in-abyan/

and

(A K P)

Brotherhood and Al Qaeda militias admit the killing of number of their leaders in Abyan front

https://en.smanews.org/south-arabia/brotherhood-and-al-qaeda-militias-admit-the-killing-of-number-of-their-leaders-in-abyan-front/

and

(A K P)

Southern reinforcements sent to Abyan amid cautious calm

Cautious calm has prevailed on all the battlefronts of Abyan on Saturday, after heavy fighting between the southern armed forces and the militias of Islah party, the military arm of Muslim Brotherhood organization within Yemen's legitimacy.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/30526

My comment: From a separatist news site, naming separatist militia “southern forces” while Hadi governmment forces are named “Brotherhood militia”.

(A P)

UAE forces refuse even Western journalists access to key natural gas facility

The UAE occupation forces at the Balhaf gas facility in Shabwah province in southeastern Yemen have prevented a delegation of Western journalists from visiting the facility.

A press source accompanying the Western media delegation told news website Almawqeapost that UAE forces based in Balhaf refused to let the international journalists’ delegation enter the facility, despite them having gained the official approval of the local authority and the oil company to visit the facility.

The source pointed out that the UAE forces, which have turned the facility into a military barracks, deployed armoured vehicles in front of the main gate of the facility and deployed a large number of armed personnel.

An international press delegation has been visiting Shabwah for three days to learn about the general situation in the province and to discuss the latest developments.

https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/14/uae-forces-refuse-even-western-journalists-access-to-key-natural-gas-facility/

(A K P)

Blast targeting Emirati troops leaves one killed in Yemen's Shabwa

One person was killed on Saturday when a bomb blasted in the way of Emirati troops in the Yemeni southern governorate of Shabwa.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21170.html

and also, with photos: https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/15/one-person-killed-in-bomb-blast-targeting-emirati-occupation-force/

Comment: I am skeptical about the attack on the UAE convoy in Shabwa. It coincides with the request of visiting European journalists to visit Balhf LNG plant, which the UAE forces declined to. It strongly looks like it is meant to convey the message to the journalists that the UAE is struggling against terrorism in Shabwa, and so it is justified to keep occupying the gas facility of the Yemeni people. No attack against UAE forces in Shabwa was ever heard of before this one ! Why only now?!! A Facebook post by Abu al-Hassan.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43224

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

(A K P)

[Sanaa gov.] Army prisoners released in exchange swap

The head of the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs, Abdul Qadir Al-Mortada, announced on Wednesday the release of five prisoners of the army and popular forces in Marib front in an exchange deal.

Al-Mortada affirmed in a statement to Saba that the deal was made through local tribal mediation with the Saudi-led coalition forces.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3116639.htm

and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-21250.html

(* B K P)

Saudis seek buffer zone with Yemen in return for ceasefire - sources

Saudi Arabia has told Yemen’s Houthis in high-level back channel talks it would sign a UN proposal for a nationwide ceasefire if the Iran-aligned group agrees to a buffer zone along the kingdom’s borders, three sources familiar with the matter said.

If a deal is struck, it would mark the biggest breakthrough in efforts to reach a political settlement since the conflict - widely seen as a proxy war between arch-enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran - began in 2014.

Riyadh has demanded more security assurances from the Houthis, including a buffer zone along the borders with northern Yemen until a U.N.-backed transitional government is formed, the sources said.

Riyadh wants Houthi forces to leave a corridor along the Saudi borders to prevent incursions and artillery fire.

In exchange, the kingdom would ease an air and sea blockade as part of the U.N. proposal for a ceasefire, which already includes an end to cross-border attacks.

Last year, Riyadh launched indirect talks with the Houthis, as it seeks a way out of the conflict.

The talks have stalled over the last two months, the sources said, as fighting escalated in the gas-rich region of Marib, where the Houthis have launched an offensive to drive out Saudi-backed forces.

https://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-security-saudi-usa-int/saudis-seek-buffer-zone-with-yemen-in-return-for-ceasefire-sources-idUSKBN27X20B

and also https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-yemen-houthis-deal-buffer-zone

and

(* A K P)

Riyadh approves of Yemen ceasefire proposal which includes border buffer zone

Houthis' internal strife, Iranian influence could hinder deal.

According to the Reuters news agency, Saudi Arabia has conveyed to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen during high-level talks its approval of a United Nations proposal for a comprehensive ceasefire on the condition that the Iran-aligned group agree to a buffer zone along the kingdom's southern borders.

The proposal is part of an initiative referred to as “the Joint Declaration” by UN Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths.

Yemeni political sources previously spoke to The Arab Weekly of a struggle within the Houthis between a relatively pragmatic current and a more dogmatic faction linked to Tehran and rejecting any rapprochement with Yemen’s Arab neighbours. This faction does not accept any formula that does not first pass through the filter of Iranian interests.

Analysts believe that the Saudi offer to establish a buffer zone as a condition to support efforts aimed at reaching a political settlement to the conflict may constitute a milestone in the negotiated process for Yemen, even though many expect this conflict not to be completely over and to evolve into to a less severe and more local level.

Yemeni sources familiar with developments on the Yemeni file do not expect the success of any separate deal between the Arab coalition and the Houthis under UN and international sponsorship to end the war in Yemen, given the scope of the pro-Tehran ideological and military current within the Houthi group's influence.

https://thearabweekly.com/riyadh-approves-yemen-ceasefire-proposal-which-includes-border-buffer-zone

My comment: Caution, the subject is mixed with anti-Houthi propaganda. Afterwards, they changed the titel to emphasize the propaganda (really: the Bullshit) effect:

Riyadh approves of Yemen ceasefire conditioned on buffer zone, Iran lurks in the shadows, https://thearabweekly.com/riyadh-approves-yemen-ceasefire-conditioned-buffer-zone-iran-lurks-shadows

but

(* A K P)

Houthis deny reports about buffer zone with Saudi Arabia

The Ansar Allah group, known as the Houthis, on Tuesday denied reports about talks on a buffer zone with Saudi Arabia.
The report of Reuters about the buffer zone between the republic of Yemen and Saudi Arabia was delivered by the agency's correspondent in the United Arab Emirates who spread fake news, senior Houthi leader, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, said on Twitter.
This misinformation aims to serve the goals of some UAE-backed factions and to put psychological pressure on the pro-government factions that are backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, he said.
He called on Reuters to maintain its credibility, describing its report as unprofessional.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21235.html

My comment: The Houthis should not reject this idea. They should insist that there should be a demilitarized zone of the same size (5 km? 10 km? 20 km?) at both sides of the border and that an international “Blue Helmet” detachment should control it.

(B P)

Is the Yemen quagmire at an end?

A new initiative by UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths could form the basis of a political solution to the conflict in the country

Reports in recent weeks have been hopeful about a new initiative by UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, which could form the basis of a lasting political solution.

The anticipated moves are backed by Saudi Arabia

Yet, some are not so optimistic about any imminent end to the war in Yemen

The rush to find a solution to end the war in Yemen might be genuine, but many doubt it has a serious chance before the new US administration expresses its intentions and outlines its foreign-policy priorities in the region.

“If the local and regional parties could end this dilemma themselves, they would have done so two or three years ago and spared themselves the consequences of the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. So, why do you think they can do so now,” one source asked, stressing that tangible change will likely only come with the advent of the new Democratic administration in Washington.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1203/394030/AlAhram-Weekly/World/Is-the-Yemen-quagmire-at-an-end.aspx

My comment: A quite odd article. Some serious quotations here.

(A P)

Al-Murtada Reveals Postponement of The Negotiations Round on Prisoners' Exchange

Head of the [Sanaa gov.] National Committee for Prisoners Affairs, Abdulqadir Al-Murtadha, revealed that he had received a notification from the United Nations to postpone the negotiations on prisoners' issue.

Al-Murtadha said in a tweet, "The United Nations informed us to postpone the date of the negotiations round that were scheduled for Thursday, to an unspecified date."

https://english.almasirah.net/post/16224/Al-Murtada-Reveals-Postponement-of-The-Negotiations-Round-on-Prisoners-Exchange

(* A P)

Yemen's warring parties to start talks on second prisoner swap

Government and Houthi rebel representatives will convene in Amman on Thursday

Yemen's government will hold talks with Houthi rebels in the Jordanian capital on Thursday to arrange the next stage of a prisoner exchange deal, a government official told The National.

Majid Fadel, a member of the government's negotiating team, accused the Houthis of backtracking on an agreement reached at UN-led talks in Geneva in September to release all remaining prisoners including four high-level government figures held by the rebels.

“The new negotiation round will start next Thursday in Amman and I would like to remind the Houthis that we have agreed in the last negotiation round in Montreux to implement a second swap deal to free all the remaining prisoners," Mr Fadel said.

A member of the Houthi negotiating team told the rebels' Al Masirah news channel on Saturday that the next round of talks would be based on an agreement signed in Amman in February under which the government would release 200 Houthis in exchange for 100 prisoners held by the rebels, including Naser Mansour Hadi, the brother of the Yemeni President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi.

Mr Fadel rejected this, saying the agreement at the last round of talks in Geneva was for the rebels to free all prisoners. They would include the president's brother, former defence minister Brig Mahmoud Al Subaihi and two other senior figures.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/yemen-s-warring-parties-to-start-talks-on-second-prisoner-swap-1.1112625

and also https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2627871/consultations-set-jordan-2nd-phase-prisoner-swap-between-yemen-govt-houthis

and

(* A P)

Yemen: Houthis to release 301 prisoners

President’s brother also to be released in Jordan talks

Houthis rebels in Yemen said Sunday that 200 captives would be released by the government, while the group would release 101 during prisoner swap negotiations in Jordan.

Abdul Qader al-Murtaza, the head of Houthi Captive Affairs, said in a statement broadcast on Houthi-owned Al-Masirah television that rebels would also release the president’s brother, Nasser Mansour Hadi, during talks Thursday in Jordan.

Al-Murtaza said the Riyadh administration should also participate in negotiations for the release of Saudi Arabian prisoners held by the Houthis.

He also urged the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to join talks because of the presence of a military force in Yemen.

The [Hadi] government is not ready to release all prisoners, and the ropes are in the hands of the Saudi Arabia regarding this issue, said al-Murtaza.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/yemen-houthis-to-release-301-prisoners/2044123

and also https://hodhodyemennews.net/2020/11/15/details-of-upcoming-yemeni-prisoner-exchange-deal-revealed/

and

(A P)

Brother of Yemen president to be released 'in next prisoner swap', Houthis say

The brother of Yemen’s President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi will be freed among detainees in the upcoming prisoner swap, the Houthi rebels announced on Saturday.

Nasser Mansour Hadi, who has been held by the rebels since the war erupted in 2015, will be listed in the 101 prisoners due to be freed in exchange for 200 rebels held by the government and its allies, according to Abdul Qadir al-Murtada, who heads the prisoner negotiation department.
The move was also announced by Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, the former president of the rebel's Revolutionary Committee or Revolutionary Council.

https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/11/15/brother-of-yemen-listed-for-next-prisoner-swap-houthis

and

(A P)

Houthis demand Saudi Arabia, UAE attend talks on prisoners

The Ansar Allah group, known as the Houthis, has demanded that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates attend the new round of talks on prisoners.

The group said on Friday it had received an official invitation from the UN to a new round of talks on prisoners in Jordan.

The talks will begin on 19 November in Amman and we have confirmed our readiness to participate in them, the chairman of the group's committee for prisoners affairs Abdulqadir Al-Murtada said.

It is necessary that Saudi Arabia attends the talks on prisoners because it is leading the aggression on Yemen and a number of its soldiers are being held captive, he said in a statement carried by the Almasirah TV on Saturday.

The UAE should attend such talks as well because it has forces in Yemen and is backing some factions, he said, hoping the UN will help meet the demand.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-21187.html

and

(A P)

[Hadi] Gov’t: Houthis use civilian detainees as hostages to exchange them with prisoners

Member of the government’s delegation to the Prisoners’ talks, Majed Fadayel, said that the Houthis use the civilian detainees to swap them with military prisoners.

He indicated that even those who were proved innocent by illegal trials were exchanged with war prisoners including the recent released five journalists who were swapped with Houthis military prisoners.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43243

(A P)

[Hadi gov.] Minister of local administration, the chief of the Supreme Committee for Relief Aid Aruraqeeb Fatah: The UN Special Envoy Griffiths has to abide by the decree of his appointment and should not create initiatives that go outside his mandate. Source: Aden Alghad.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-43224

My comment: This means: The Hadi government claims that the UN envoy only is allowed to present “peace plans” which include Houthi capitulation, i. e. actually these would be war plans.

Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp8 – cp19

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-694b-yemen-war-mosaic-694b

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-693-yemen-war-mosaic-693

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-693 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-693:

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/

http://www.yemenwar.info/

Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:

https://yemen.bellingcat.com/

Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:

https://yemeniarchive.org/en

Dieser Beitrag gibt die Meinung des Autors wieder, nicht notwendigerweise die der Redaktion des Freitag.
Geschrieben von

Dietrich Klose

Vielfältig interessiert am aktuellen Geschehen, zur Zeit besonders: Ukraine, Russland, Jemen, Rolle der USA, Neoliberalismus, Ausbeutung der 3. Welt

Dietrich Klose

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