Feb. 2, 2021: Final report of the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen – The Riyadh Agreement and Yemen’s new cabinet – Wasbah air raid: A war crime – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-713b-yemen-war-mosaic-713b
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavitrus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Ältere einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Older introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B H K P)
Final report of the Panel of Experts on Yemen (S/2021/79)
Summary
The situation in Yemen has continued to deteriorate, with devastating consequences for the civilian population. Three main factors are contributing to the catastrophe: (a) economic profiteering by all Yemeni parties, affecting human security; (b) continuous and widespread human rights and international humanitarian law violations, with impunity; and (c) escalations in fighting and its impact on civilians, including displacement.
The Government of Yemen lost strategic territory to both the Houthis and the Southern Transitional Council, both of which undermine the objectives of Security Council resolution 2216 (2015). Therefore, the Houthis are not the only force to which paragraph 1 of the resolution applies.
The activities of the Southern Transitional Council, under the leadership of Aydarus al-Zubaydi and Hani Bin Brik, constituted a violation of paragraphs 1 and 6 of resolution 2216 (2015), which demand that all Yemeni parties refrain from unilateral actions that undermine the political transition. The Southern Transitional Council’s unilateral declaration of self-administration in April 2020 led to significant destabilization in Abyan, Aden, Shabwah and Socotra.
The lack of a coherent strategy among anti-Houthi forces, demonstrated by infighting within them, and disagreements between their regional backers, has served to strengthen the Houthis. However, within the Houthi leadership, competing power brokers emerged, notably Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, Ahmed Hamid and Abdulkarim al-Houthi.
In territory controlled by the Government of Yemen, there is a risk of the disintegration of power into a patchwork of competing factions, as observed in Ta‘izz. There is opacity in the relationships between non-State armed groups and the Government of Yemen, as demonstrated by the illegal recruitment of fighters by Hamoud Saeed al-Mikhlafi. Confrontations in Shabwah between the Government of Yemen, the Southern Transitional Council and affiliated forces continues to pose a threat to stability.
There was limited progress regarding peace negotiations, with the exception of an exchange of 1,056 prisoners under the Stockholm Agreement. Developing national peace initiatives while working under the influence of wider regional struggles remains highly challenging. Conflicts in Yemen are overshadowed by tensions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America.
The extent of external support for the parties to the conflict in Yemen remains unclear. The United Arab Emirates is a member of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, yet its support to the Southern Transitional Council undermines the Government of Yemen. An increasing body of evidence suggests that individuals or entities in the Islamic Republic of Iran supply significant volumes of weapons and components to the Houthis. The Panel is also investigating a group of individuals who travelled to Oman on “mercy flights” in 2015 and onwards to the Islamic Republic of Iran. One later publicly stated that he had received naval training in Bandar Abbas and went on to facilitate maritime smuggling for the Houthis.
The Houthis continue to attack civilian targets in the Saudi Arabia, using a combination of missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles, while waterborne improvised explosive devices are regularly launched into the Red Sea. While most attacks are foiled by the Saudi military, the group’s ability to project power beyond Yemen remains a threat to regional stability and a challenge for future peace negotiations. There was an escalation of attacks on civilian vessels in the waters around Yemen in 2020; thus far, the identity of the attackers remains unclear.
The Panel documented several supply routes to the Houthis involving traditional vessels (dhows) in the Arabian Sea. Arms and equipment are trans-shipped in Omani and Somali waters to smaller boats, with the cargo being delivered to ports on the south coast of Yemen and smuggled overland to the Houthis or, in some cases, through the Bab-el-Mandab directly to Houthi-held areas. The lack of capacity of the Yemeni Coast Guard and prevailing corruption in areas held by the Government of Yemen are contributing factors that allow smuggling to flourish despite a number of high-profile seizures.
The economy of Yemen continued to contract, weighed down by double-digit inflation and a collapsing currency, which has a devastating impact on the population. Parties to the conflict appear to be indifferent to these developments, both remaining unaffected by the plight of Yemenis and continuing to divert the country’s economic and financial resources. The Houthis perform functions that are exclusively within the authority of the Government of Yemen, collecting taxes and other State revenue, a large portion of which is used to fund their war effort. The Panel estimates that the Houthis diverted at least $1.8 billion in 2019, originally destined to fill the coffers of the Government of Yemen, pay salaries and provide basic services to citizens, to fund their operations.
The Government of Yemen is, in some cases, engaging in money-laundering and corruption practices that adversely affect access to adequate food supplies for Yemenis, in violation of the right to food. The Government of Yemen implemented a scheme to divert funds from the Saudi deposit, in which $423 million of public money was illegally transferred to traders. A total of 48 per cent of this amount was received by the Hayel Saeed Anam Group.
All parties continue to commit egregious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including indiscriminate attacks against civilians, enforced disappearances and torture. The widespread use of landmines by Houthis poses a constant threat to civilians and contributes to displacement. Houthis continue to recruit children. Migrants are regularly victims of serious human rights abuses.
The Panel documented an alarming pattern of the repression of journalists and human rights defenders by the Government of Yemen, the Southern Transitional Council and the Houthis, comprising a blatant violation of the freedom of expression and impeding their capacity to identify and report on violations of internationa l humanitarian law and international human rights law, which can contribute to the protection of civilians.
Since the beginning of the conflict, there has been no significant initiative to hold perpetrators of violations to account. The absence of the rule of law and the dysfunction of the judicial system give leeway to impunity and contribute to the recurrence of violations.
Despite some progress made in the past few months, substantial hurdles to principled humanitarian action remain in Houthi-controlled areas. The Panel also documented obstruction to humanitarian assistance in Aden.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/final-report-panel-experts-yemen-s202179-enar
and full document: https://undocs.org/S/2021/79
(** B P)
The Riyadh Agreement: Yemen’s new cabinet and what remains to be done
Although the formation of the power-sharing government comes more than a year after the month-long timeline proposed by the Agreement, the international community perceived this step as an important breakthrough. The formation of the government is a positive development amid multiple factors that have slowed tangible progress.
With the formation of the power-sharing government, the STC has gained political recognition without having fulfilled its military and security obligations or having abandoned its declared objectives, including secession. The new government also offers a pathway for the STC to partake in UN-sponsored peace talks between the government and the Houthis. In contrast, it is still unclear how the agreement benefits the regime of President Hadi
Ahmed Nagi, a non-resident scholar at The Carnegie Middle East Center, asserted that the Riyadh Agreement sought to “represent the interests of the coalition members, through the appointment of their proxies.”
In the run-up to the announcement of the new cabinet in December, the Saudi monitoring committee supervised the symbolic redeployment of several units of the Yemeni Armed Forces and STC-aligned forces from the frontlines in Abyan. This move was meant to signal progress on military and security issues to the ROYG, which prioritizes laborious security arrangements.
Ripe conditions for a quick overturn
Most importantly, the lion’s share of laborious military and security arrangements remains unrealized. There has been a clear lack of progress in several aspects: the demilitarization of Aden; reintegration of STC-aligned forces under the command of the defense and interior ministries of the ROYG; and disarmament and withdrawal of militias. The range of outstanding issues indicates
The status quo that paved the way for the government ouster in January 2018 and August 2019 remains largely unchanged. This means that the government of Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed may be forced to rely on STC-aligned forces, not Interior Ministry forces, for security provision in Aden.
Considering that the Governor of Aden – who sits on the STC’s leadership – commands the Security Committee in Aden, disputed security arrangements similar to those of 2017-2019 will likely be a recipe for instability. The terrorist attack targeting members of the ROYG upon their arrival at the Aden Airport on December 30, 2020 reveals how contested security provisions in Aden led to confusion.
It is clear that the RA still has not come to full fruition.
Power sharing but with exclusions
The newly formed government, headed by Maeen, consists of 24 ministers, 13 of whom are from the south. The composition of this government is less skewed in favor of southerners, who made up nearly 70 percent of the previous one. More importantly, representation has been granted to the Hadramawt Conference, a Hadhrami movement seeking to address grievances in the region. On the other hand, several ministers lack the prerequisite experience and the exclusion of important regions and marginalized groups sets a dangerous precedent. Overall, the Maeen government ministerial line-up has significant shortcomings.
For the first time in over three decades the government excluded cabinet ministers from the governorate of Hodeida, and more broadly the Tehama region.
Furthermore, women are not represented for the first time in nearly two decades. These shortcomings reflect the commitments and priorities of parties represented in the cabinet as well as the struggle for power and existential threats some actors face, most notably Islah, in view of the relative unrest in Yemen’s south.
Eleven Key Challenges Ahead for the Maeen Government
At the most general level, the ROYG must improve revenue collection and public services, regain public trust, and strengthen its bargaining position and leverage. Moving forward, it faces several more specific challenges.
- Coordinating a “team of rivals”: Maeen’s government is not an ordinary coalition government but a power-sharing establishment that includes ministers who have publicly vowed to work against the principles of the oath of office.
- Avoiding expulsion from Aden for what would be the third time: The government needs to re-establish its popular legitimacy and authority. Without control over security and military affairs in Aden, the Maeen government is vulnerable to expulsion. If the STC continues to advance factional interests despite objections from other parties, or others actors fail to prudently manage power sharing, the RA will have legitimized the STC without attaining the Agreement's objectives.
- Limited revenues: To regain a monopoly over the effective collection of state revenues the government must prevent the STC (or other entities) from reasserting control over revenues in Aden.
Overall, it remains to be seen whether the RA will pave the way for greater stability in the south and east, while also strengthening the newly formed government of PM Maeen. The assassination attempt on cabinet members should be an incentive for local actors and the RA’s sponsor, Saudi Arabia, to double down on efforts to achieve peace, security, stability, and prosperity – by Ibrahim Jalal
https://www.mei.edu/publications/riyadh-agreement-yemens-new-cabinet-and-what-remains-be-done
(** B K)
The analysis of a ‘war crime’
A Sky News investigation has exclusively pieced together the harrowing final few moments before a family was massacred in northern Yemen.
A total of nine people were killed in the airstrike – all of them women and children.
The evidence has finally led to the Saudi-led coalition admitting for the first time it made a mistake and the missile did not hit its intended military target because of "bad weather".
A UN report today demands answers about the deadly airstrike, largely drawing on the Sky team's detailed reporting of the incident.
Based on eyewitness testimony and the evidence of the survivors who we tracked down, we've put together a timeline of events and recreated what happened inside the family's home in the minutes before it was hit.
Our investigation details just where everyone was when the attack happened on 12 July 2020 - and what they were doing when the missile struck the village of Washah with such deadly impact.
The village of Washah is in the northwest of Yemen, close to the border with Saudi Arabia.
Witnesses say the jets were flying over the village for more than an hour before the airstrike, and this was not unusual.
People in Washah have described to us in detail the layout of the targeted home. The scene inside was one of typical Yemeni domesticity.
We have spoken at length to survivors and eyewitnesses who were there and pieced together what happened in the moments before the attack
The house itself was typical of homes in the village. A single-storey building made from bricks and cement. This one was perched on the hillside
Twelve members of the Mujali family lived here – and their home was made up of six rooms
On the day of the attack, the matriarch of the extended Mujali family, 55-year-old Juma'a, was busy inside with her two daughters-in-law. Their partners - her sons - were outside the village working.
There were no adult men in the house at the time of the attack
There are only civilian homes in the immediate vicinity
When we visited we found no evidence of any weapons at all at the site
At 1.10pm, villagers saw and heard a huge explosion – a missile had hit the house.
Mrs Mujali, her children and grandchildren who were still eating in the main living room were all killed.
Her young daughter Naseem who had gone to the bathroom was also killed.
Minutes later, villagers who rushed to the site could hear Ghazi screaming in pain. They found him under the rubble with burns on his body.
Noura and her baby were injured, but survived.
In all, nine members of the family died that day.
Our investigation began last September when we were the first independent journalists and only outsiders to reach Washah after the attack.
It was a long and arduous drive through dry river beds and up rocky paths – and a final climb on foot.
In the aftermath of the bombing, the witnesses who rushed to the site told us they did not expect to find any survivors. The home had been almost entirely levelled.
They told us of mutilated bodies and multiple body parts - some blown on to neighbours' roofs or laying in nearby backyards.
Mrs Mujali, the matriarch of the family who'd been serving lunch was identified by her barely recognisable torso. They never found the rest of her body.
Much of the debris and detritus of the house were still scattered around when we visited.
There were babies' clothes and toys alongside broken solar panels, multiple kitchen paraphernalia and pieces of shrapnel from the bomb.
How anyone survived is a miracle. Certainly, a crew unleashing a missile on that small structure would not have expected anyone to emerge alive.
Noura, Mrs Mujali's daughter-in-law, who'd taken herself and her baby, Qanas, to one of the back bedrooms to breastfeed him, survived because of her last-minute decision.
The missile landed on the opposite side of the house. She and her baby escaped with slight shrapnel wounds.
The other survivor, Mrs Mujali's 14-year-old son, Ghazi told us the last memory he has of that horrifying day, when most of his family were obliterated, is of flicking through the television channels.
Ghazi spent nearly two months in hospital recovering from his burns and shrapnel wounds and learning to walk again.
But his memory stops at the final second just before the bomb exploded.
They found Ghazi buried under piles of heavy stones. The door to his room had been blown over him. That protected him from the rubble which then rained on top. He was bleeding, badly burned and covered in ash and dust.
As they were trying to pull him to safety, the jet circled menacingly above. They were terrified another missile was heading their way. This went on for 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes of sheer terror, stepping over severed hands and feet and finding their toddler cousins crushed to death.
Later, after the jet's departure, they gathered body parts in plastic bags so they could mourn them, and bury them. A final dignity for the dead from people who loved them.
They wrapped the children in blankets for burial, and they took photographs. They are heartbreaking images. Their clothes soaked in blood. Their eyes closed. Their faces cloaked in the grey-white mask of death. Young people who were born into war, lived all their lives through war and who died at the hands of unseen bombers.
The initial response from the coalition to inquiries about the airstrike did not even confirm its aircraft were flying in the area at the time. A spokesman did say it was conducting an investigation into the possibility of an "accidental loss of civilian life" while targeting Houthi rebel leaders. In September, they told us they were still carrying out inquiries.
By then we had tracked down the survivors, spoken to them and multiple witnesses - as well as carrying out a thorough search of the area.
We collected shrapnel, and also viewed parts with identifying markings gathered and photographed by neighbours immediately after the attack.
Weapons experts we consulted told us the fragments found seem to be part of a GBU-12, 500lb fin-guided bomb, manufactured in America and commonly used in the five-year long coalition bombing campaign in Yemen.
According to the US military's own analysis, the GBU-12 is an "exceptional weapon" which hits 88% of its targets.
We sent team members back to the site to speak to more witnesses to get a detailed account of what happened inside that house when the missile hit.
Attacking a civilian target either deliberately or by accident is considered an international war crime.
The powerful, rich, strong nations who paid for, enabled and directed the bomb which landed on the Mujali home by mistake that day may reasonably have gambled no one would care about their massacre.
They may have reasonably deduced no one would survive to detail what happened. They may have reasonably thought, given all the restrictions and danger, no one would be able to investigate and gather multiple testimony, shrapnel and footage of the crime scene. They gambled wrong.
The surviving relatives, and the Washah residents who witnessed it, are now demanding justice for the Mujali family. They want someone - and all those nations responsible for this massacre - to be held accountable – by Alex Crawford (with photos and more)
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5goVSZj-RM = https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=269078327966836
and
(** B K P)
Yemen conflict: UN report demands answers about deadly airstrike investigated by Sky News
UN investigators have written to Saudi Arabia asking for more information about the incident and are awaiting a reply.
The United Nations has today demanded more answers about an airstrike on a family home in Yemen which a Sky News investigation highlighted last September.
The Sky team travelled to the remote village of Washah near the Yemeni-Saudi border where 12 members of the Mujali family lived, to examine the area and talk to multiple eyewitnesses as well as survivors of the 12 July 2020 attack.
Nine people died on that day - all women and children. There were only three survivors - a young mother who was breastfeeding her baby son and a teenage boy.
The evidence has finally led to the Saudi-led coalition admitting for the first time it made a mistake and the missile did not hit its intended military target - nearly 800m away from the Mujali family home in a completely separate area called Beit al Qateeb - because of "bad weather".
Amid allegations it is a possible war crime and demands for justice for the Mujali family, a UN report on Friday into the airstrike, which has largely drawn on the Sky team's detailed reporting of the incident, says the house "is in an isolated position in a rural area, thus the chances of hitting the house by accident appear to be low".
UN investigators have written to Saudi Arabia asking for more information about the incident and are awaiting a reply.
My comment: The reply will be PR fake “investigation” by the Saudi “JIAT” team.
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(A H)
One new case of COVID-19 reported in Shabwa
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32120
(A H)
Yemen records one confirmed and seven suspected cases of covid-19./News Line.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44836
(* B H P)
Australian nurse calls for vaccination rollout in war-torn countries
In a makeshift treatment centre in the Middle East, Australian nurse Kieren Box was trying to treat COVID-19 patients with other things on their mind.
Convincing people to get tested in the war-torn country of Yemen was the biggest challenge.
After more than six years of war, Yemen — bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north and the Red Sea to the west — is dealing with violence, famine and the constant outbreak of rampant diseases.
In a country the United Nations has labelled the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the arrival of COVID-19 was another issue locals had to deal with.
Mr Box, back in Australia working at the Howard Springs quarantine facility near Darwin, fears conflict-ridden countries such as Yemen and Syria will not receive the vaccines they require.
“In terms of vaccination, I don’t know who will support Yemen,” he said.
“I think the developed nations of the world, for want of a better word, have a responsibility to help countries in need at the best of times.
“At the moment this country is suffering famine, war, uncertainty about its political future – the last thing they need in the world is another tragedy on top of everything else that has happened to them.”
While Aden was mostly peaceful while he was there, Mr Box said presentations for COVID-19 testing and treatment were “quite low”.
“The problem was a lot of people didn’t present to the medical centre until they were very sick and when they presented very little could be done for them, unfortunately many died.
“The locals started associating seeking medical care with fatality instead of presenting earlier. I did hear stories of families buying their own oxygen tanks and treating people at home.”
“There were tensions a few times with people being tested – people were anxious. They already had enough to worry about with the political situation,” Mr Box said.
“It’s just another thing that has piled on top of all the other issues they have, and maybe that’s one of the reasons the public is not really accepting of it. They’ve already got so much going on they just can’t grasp the concept of something else going on.”
(B H P)
Yemen: Delivering COVID assets through the project’s chain
One of the key challenges of expanding coverage to new beneficiaries under the World Bank’s Yemen Emergency Crisis Response Project (YECRP) was accessing data to assess household needs. The project team did this by hiring consultants from the localities being surveyed in order to protect against spreading COVID-19 between different communities.
All of the enumerators used personal protective equipment (PPE) and practiced physical distancing. Their survey was used to raise awareness of COVID-19 among tens of thousands of people. The Social Fund for Development (SFD) hired health advisers and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) specialists to ensure that the enumerators and beneficiaries were protected. They developed data collection applications that synchronized data with project servers to minimize the use of paper while providing information in real-time.
Data application systems were adapted to capture behavioral changes. The data tracks farmer behavior and records patterns in production, the prioritization of grant utilization, knowledge sharing on productivity, and raising awareness about COVID-19.
Approximately 50% of adult Yemenis do not possess a national ID; in the poorest districts this number is closer to 70%. The project used enrollment to help cash-for-works beneficiaries obtain an ID by including the time taken to do so as part of their hours worked. This amounted to 5% to 10% of the entire payment.
Onboarding beneficiaries included continuous awareness of OHS and COVID-19.
https://blogs.worldbank.org/arabvoices/yemen-delivering-covid-assets-through-projects-chain
(A H)
Recovery of coronavirus patient reported in Hadramout
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32113
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
Yemen war – Map Updates
Feb. 1: https://southfront.org/saudi-arabia-claims-it-successfully-intercepts-houthi-drones-in-the-south/
Jan. 31: https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-january-31-2021-map-update/
(* B H K P)
Film: Yemen: A complex history
https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/098814-004-A/yemen-a-complex-history/
(* A P)
Abductees Mothers Association call to urgently save sick abductees
As Yemeni parties meet to negotiate in Jordan, hundreds of civilians have been detained for more than six years, including dozens of sick ones.
At Abductees’ Mothers Association, we hold the negotiating committees, from both parties, fully responsible for the lives and safety of sick abductees and arbitrarily detained persons, and demand their immediate release.
For six years, mothers have inhumanely been worn out, longing for their detained sons. Yet, the pain worsens as the sons severely fall sick. We appeal to the world conscience to save our abducted and detained sick sons, and take the necessary actions to end the suffering of hundreds of abductees and arbitrarily arrested and forcibly disappeared persons.
http://ama-ye.org/?no=1589&ln=En
(B H P)
Schweizer IKRK-Delegierte in Jemen: «Wir funktionieren permanent im Krisenmodus»
Katharina Ritz arbeitet für das Internationale Komitee vom Roten Kreuz in den gefährlichsten Ländern der Welt, derzeit in Jemen.
Sie leitet eine Delegation von rund 800 Personen in mehreren Städten, auch über die Frontlinie hinweg. Wenn ihre Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter im Land reisen, benachrichtigt das IKRK alle Konfliktparteien. Sie fahren erst los, wenn jede einzelne die Reise bewilligt hat. So sichern sie sich ab gegen Luftangriffe und gegen das Risiko, dass Soldaten sie an den Checkpoints für Spione halten.
Manchmal müssten sie auf halbem Weg trotzdem umkehren, weil jemand finde, die Passierscheine stimmten nicht. «Das ist jeweils frustrierend.» Manchmal können Ritz und ihr Team aber auch Erfolge feiern. Zum Beispiel im Oktober, als sie nach über fünf Jahren Krieg zum ersten Mal den Austausch von 1000 Gefangenen zwischen den Konfliktparteien organisieren konnten. «Ich als Individuum kann nicht so viel erreichen. Aber wir als Team bewegen manchmal sehr viel», sagt sie.
(* B K P)
Ten years after the Arab spring, Yemen has little hope left
Racked by war, cholera and now coronavirus, the country faces the world’s worst famine in decades
A decade since Yemenis dared to dream during the 2011 uprisings that swept across the Arab world, and six years after foreign actors piled in, unleashing a war of devastating proportions, Yemen resembles a jigsaw puzzle for which there is no simple solution.
As the conflict grinds on, the accompanying humanitarian crisis is on the verge of a terrible new zenith, in the form of the worst famine the world has witnessed in 40 years.
The possibility that the jigsaw pieces can fit back together again is becoming more and more remote.
It was so powerful and intoxicating, that feeling that for the first time ever, people in Yemen were unified. It didn’t matter what your tribe or religious or political affiliation was, the gender dynamic, we all showed up together, week after week,” said Raja al-Thaibani, a Yemeni-American who put her university studies on hold in 2011 to participate in the uprising.
“A few months in, the cracks in that unity started to show, but I think a lot of us refused to acknowledge it.”
Malnutrition, cholera, dengue fever, and now coronavirus stalk the young and the frail in what the UN has called the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world”.
The main reason widespread famine has not been declared is because meeting the complex technical definition requires quality data, which Yemen lacks.
“The Houthis in the north, and their Iranian backers, are not going anywhere,” said Mahdi Balghaith, an analyst with the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies thinktank, during the Guardian’s last visit to Yemen in November.
“They are ready to play the long game in a way the Gulf powers are not. In the future, the US will not be reliant on the Gulf for oil and gas any more and that longstanding partnership will disintegrate. Then what would stop Tehran from marching north to Mecca itself?”
“Yemen is just made up of gangs now. There’s no apology, no court for us to take our complaints. The war has forced us to rely on the old ways of doing things … If there’s no state we must rely on tribal networks and tribal justice.”
(* A K P)
Report of UN panel of experts on Yemen ignores key issues
The latest report of the UN panel of experts on Yemen has caused a sensation in the country.
While some observers said its content was the strongest since the experts started their mission, others put the spotlight on shortcomings that have been overlooked despite their importance and dangerous repercussions on the Yemeni war file and the country's future in general.
Ignoring Saudi and UAE ambitions in some Yemeni provinces such as Mahrah and Socotra undermining legitimate government and Yemen's sovereignty remains incomprehensible، observers argued.
The report also ignored Houthi attempts to obliterate the Yemeni identity and falsify the collective consciousness through changes made to school curricula on sectarian bases to booby-trap minds of new generations, war profiteers from all the warring parties including army chiefs and Houthi blockade suffocating Taiz province for five years, they said.
In addition, restrictions on personal and community freedoms and extreme measures like those imposed by Al-Qaeda and Daesh in Iraq and Syria, including removing pictures of celebrities, statues and plastic mannequins on grounds they stir instincts and cause moral decay were not included in it.
Contrary to what was expected, its conclusions and recommendations did not bring up the issue of Sanaa airport and demands to reopen it, at least for humanitarian purposes, in particular for patients who require medical treatment abroad.
Abductions and forced disappearances, including of activists while travelling or returning to the country through Aden airport, such as old cleric Al-Shaibani, were ignored by the report. Al-Shaibani was abducted at Aden airport while he was travelling for medical treatment abroad. His fate is still unknown.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22821.html
(* B H K)
Film: Jemen: Unerreichbare Einheit?
„Mit offenen Karten“ erzählt die Geschichte des seit Jahrzenten zerrissenen jemenitischen Staats, in dem die Gegensätze zwischen Nord und Süd ebenso schwer wiegen wie der Konflikt zwischen den beiden Metropolen Aden und Sanaa. Aufgrund seiner geostrategischen Lage zwischen Afrika und dem Nahen Osten war Jemen schon immer ein Zankapfel zwischen den großen Regionalmächten Saudi-Arabien, Iran und Vereinigte Arabische Emirate, die heute einen Stellvertreterkrieg auf jemenitischem Boden führen. Zehntausende Opfer von Terror und Stammeskriegen, Hungersnot, Cholera und nun auch noch die Corona-Pandemie: Jemen steht am Abgrund. Gibt es eine Zukunft für das Land?
https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/098814-004-A/mit-offenen-karten/
(* B P)
Die jemenitische Revolution: Würde war hier
Angesichts des schrecklichen Krieges und der Hungersnot im Jemen ist es Bushra al-Maktari nicht leicht gefallen, sich an die hoffnungsvollen Anfänge der Revolution zurückzuerinnern. In einer fast spirituellen Rückschau umreißt sie aber ein auch für die jemenitische Revolution zentrales Konzept: Würde.
Erst in den Körpern von Menschen, die dem Tod ins Auge blicken und dem Scharfschützen entgegentreten, der es auf ihre Träume abgesehen hat, erst dort wird die Würde zur Naturgewalt.
Etwa um die gleiche Zeit war es, dass die Journalistin Maha Al-Sharjabi wie ein Morgenstern in unser Leben kam. Wer den Spuren der Würde in der Geschichte der Revolution folgen will, kommt nicht umhin, über sie zu sprechen. Wie sie mit ihrer kleinen Kamera herumlief, um tagein, tagaus Demonstrationen und den Alltag im Protestcamp auf dem Platz der Freiheit zu dokumentieren. Oder wie sie einmal die aus Islamisten bestehende Menschenkette sprengte, mit der diese weibliche von männlichen Demonstranten trennen wollten. Mit ihrem Sonnenschirm als Waffe führte sie den Marsch an. Als echte Bürgerin stellte sich Maha nicht nur der Diskriminierung von Frauen entgegen, sondern kämpfte gegen autoritäre und patriarchale Unterdrückung.
Da war diese Situation, als vor dem staatlichen „Krankenhaus der Revolution“ ein Panzer stand und Granaten auf die Demonstranten feuerte. Überall wurde geschossen, ein Demonstrant wurde getötet. Während alle um ihr Leben rannten, lief Maha todesmutig auf einen Soldaten zu. Ich sah sie mit ihm diskutieren und dabei sein Gewehr festhalten, bis er schließlich den Lauf seiner Waffe senken musste und den übrigen Demonstrierenden gestattete, die Demo fortzusetzen.
Ich erinnere mich an eine andere Demo, bei der die Menschen ihre innere Angst in Mut verwandelten.
Würde zieht oft Unterdrückung nach sich, zum Beispiel wenn das Regime den Menschen das Demonstrationsrecht verweigert oder Protestcamps niederbrennt. Dann kann man sie kaum noch fassen. Doch selbst inmitten solchen Unrechts scheint es, als erschüfen die Menschen die Würde mit ihren bloßen Körpern neu.
Würde ist stark und kennt kein Erbarmen, wenn sie die ängstlichen Schritte auf ihrem Weg vorwärts zwingt.
Wenn einmal entgegen aller Widrigkeiten ein Wunder geschieht, leuchtet die Würde aus den Gesichtern.
Wenn diejenigen fallen, die nach Freiheit gerufen hatten, und sie nicht mehr erleben, dass ihre Träume sich verwirklichten, dann wird Würde zu Verlust und zu Trauma. Den Augenzeugen ätzen die Getöteten die Kapitel der Tragödie für immer ins Gedächtnis.
Würde ist machtvoll, wenn sie einen letzten Versuch unternimmt, ihren Traum zurückzugewinnen. Wenn sie ihre Stimme erhebt gegen das Bündnis derer, die ihre Revolution geplündert und ins Gegenteil verkehrt haben. Selbst dann, wenn sie keiner mehr hört.
Würde hat unzählige Formen. Aber zehn Jahre nach dem Ausbruch der jemenitischen Revolution habe ich einen bitteren Geschmack im Mund, sobald ich mich an den Glanz erinnere, der nun verloschen ist. All die Menschen, die für sie gestorben sind!
Sich daran zu erinnern, tut weh. Nicht nur, weil die Revolution keines ihrer Ziele erreicht und sich stattdessen in einen Krieg verwandelt hat, der bis heute so viele Jemeniten und Jemenitinnen das Leben kostet. Auch, weil viele der Revolutionäre, die damals Freiheitsparolen gerufen haben, heute zu Warlords geworden sind. Im Höllenfeuer dieses Konflikts wurden sie neu geboren: als Händler, Diebe oder Sprachrohre für die Kriegsparteien und die Regionalmächte, die um ihr Land kämpfen.
Bei aller Enttäuschung über das Scheitern der jungen Revolution, die wie jede Revolution ihre Licht- und Schattenseiten hatte, bleibt der Traum doch bestehen – auch wenn ich ihn mir gerade genauso wenig vorstellen kann, wie ich einen Lufthauch zu packen vermag. Aber eigentlich weiß ich es ja: Dieser Traum ist so glaubwürdig und integer, wie all jene, die an ihn geglaubt haben, aber seine Früchte nicht ernten konnten.
https://www.boell.de/de/2021/01/29/die-jemenitische-revolution-wuerde-war-hier?dimension1=startseite
(* B P)
Film: How women played a major role in Yemen's Arab Spring - BBC News
Women were part of the protests against unemployment, economic conditions and corruption that saw long-time ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh toppled from power. But with Yemen now gripped by war, how much has changed for women since the uprising? BBC Monitoring's Sumaya Bakhsh spoke to Ishraq al-Maqtari, who was among the first women to take to the streets. The lawyer and women's rights activist recalls how the uprising was an unprecedented opportunity for women to have their voices heard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-6cYx3OBSo = https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=843102879597933
(A K P)
Five soldiers freed in Marib
Head of the [Sanaa gov.] National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs Abdul Qadir al-Murtada has announced the liberation of five prisoners of the army and popular committees.
Al-Murtada added the prisoners of the army and popular committees were freed in an exchange process through a local mediator in Marib front.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126479.htm
(A K P)
Former official expects imminent breakthrough in Yemen conflict
Former Yemeni foreign minister Abu Baker Al-Qirbi on Thursday expected an imminent breakthrough in the six-year conflict between the internationally recognised government backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi group.
The new US administration gives priority to ending the conflict and has put that among urgent issues to be addressed during the first 100 days of the new US President, he said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22784.html
(* B P)
Somalia, Syria, Yemen most corrupt states in the world
A report by the global watchdog group Transparency International has ranked Somalia, Syria, and Yemen as among the most corrupt states in the world in a list of 180 countries.
The annual Corruption Perceptions Index survey released by Transparency International, which measures perceived public-sector corruption and highlights the impact of corruption on government responses to COVID-19, revealed that the three countries with the lowest perceived corruption levels are Denmark, New Zealand, and Finland.
Meanwhile, Somalia and South Sudan fared the worst with scores of 12 to put them at 179th place, behind Syria with a score of 14, Yemen and Venezuela at 15, Sudan and Equatorial Guinea with 16, and Libya with 17.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210128-somalia-syria-yemen-most-corrupt-states-in-the-world/
(B P)
Elements of Transition Strategy for Yemen In: Arab-Governance-Report-2017-english.pdf
The Arab-Governance -Report III/2017 is a periodical report published by UNESCWA. I contributed to writing the part dedicated to Yemen, PP139-171. It focuses on the building of the State institutions in Yemen in case of the hostilities are brought to an end. It contains historical background, explanations, and proposals related to the rebuilding of the Financial, Security, Administrative, Judicial, and Political Institutions, as well as the Private Sector and NGO's. The study has been written in 2017. Some of its recommendations are actually applied to the current situation after the Agreement of Stockholm, concluded in the end of 2018.
(* B K P)
In Arabic: Arabic documentary "Yemen Despite the War"
by Laura Silvia Battagalia
https://twitter.com/BashaReport/status/1356283013399773185
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(* B H)
Yemen’s triple emergency: Food crisis amid a civil war and COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract
Yemen has been termed as the world's worst humanitarian crisis by the United Nations. About 20.1 million (more than 50% of population) Yemenis are facing hunger and 10 million are severely food insecure according to reports by the World Food Programme. With the spread of COVID-19, the situation in Yemen has worsened and humanitarian aid from other countries has become the basis of life for hundreds of thousands of Yemenis after the threat of famine. Yemen is practically one of the poorest countries in the world. It has structural vulnerabilities that have developed over a protracted period of conflict and poor governance and more than 50% live in starving, they suffer for getting one meal a day. To prevent a total collapse of Yemen's food crises, the government and the international community should act now more decisively.
With the dwindling humanitarian aid, the ongoing war and the COVID-19 pandemic, Yemen is facing a triple emergency [12]. To prevent a complete collapse of Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, the Yemeni government and international community should act more decisively and implement rules and regulations that can aid the Yemeni people with fundamental human rights. While the most crucial step is to urge the leading Yemeni authorities to restart negotiations to end the war, the more urgent action is to demand the local authorities to join forces in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting their interferences toward the much-needed humanitarian assistance.
(* B H)
Covid 'not number 1 worry' for Yemen amid humanitarian crisis, says ICRC
In the battle to survive an escalating humanitarian crisis, coronavirus is the last concern for Yemenis.
Individuals living in the Middle East’s most dangerous zones, such as refugee camps and areas of conflict, have more pressing worries than the virus that has killed more than 2 million people worldwide.
“Covid-19 is not number one. I was in Yemen, and I said, 'oh my god it's totally disconnected'. The priority for people in the region is to survive,” said Fabrizio Carboni, regional director for the Near and Middle East for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“It’s not about health, it's about the capacity to survive in these kinds of bleak environments. We shouldn’t look at the narrative of Covid through the eyes of the privileged, which in my view would be narrow,” Mr Carboni said.
He called on privileged states in Europe when allotting aid to consider how the virus affects countries battling other issues.
For conflict areas in the region, the devastating effects of war wrecks economies, making it harder for people to put food on the table or have access to proper health care, clean water and sanitation.
“I was in Yemen 10 days ago, just watching people in the streets, and you realise that people are not in good health. You don't need a sophisticated needs assessment to know how Yemeni people are doing, you just have to watch,” Mr Carboni said.
“You see the kids going to school and many of them are skinny, you see this,” he said.
The ICRC believes that Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is a consequence of the political instability the coun
Mr Carboni believes the international community needs a different perspective on what humanitarian action is to be able to tackle the challenges in the region.
"Humanitarian action needs to be sustainable for long-term effects to take place in the region," Mr Carboni said.
Short-term responses, such as emergency action, are not sufficient enough to create major changes.
Hundreds of millions of dollars pledged by donor countries during last year’s aid conference has not yet been paid.
The total submitted pledges amounted to only $1.61 billion, making it less than half of 2019’s funding.
“Some states are reprioritising their human resources towards their internal priority with Covid-19. Others are staying committed,” Mr Carboni said.
The deficit presents obstacles for the ICRC and Mr Carboni said it is challenging to ask states to increase their contribution.
“In our view, humanitarian action should be based on needs and not on political interest,” he said.
The ICRC found that some states have not stayed true to this principle, making it difficult for the organisation to remain a neutral actor in a conflict zone.
“Some say we will give you something but only if you assist those people, but not those ones and this is really hard for us. We try to explain our perspective, engage and not judge,” he said.
By averting this challenge, the organisation is prioritising and focusing on the most “needy states, countries that are most affected by violence and conflict”.
https://thenationpress.net/en/news-89846.html
(B H)
WHY YEMEN CAN’T WAIT
Ongoing violence in Yemen has pushed the country into a devastating humanitarian crisis. Tens of thousands of Yemenis have been killed and over three million have been forced to flee their homes. In this interview with France 24, Action Against Hunger Regional Operations Director for the Middle East Jon Cunliffe describes the situation on the ground and the heavy toll imposed by recent sanctions.
“The aid agencies combined – all of us are just a drop in the ocean of what is needed inside of Yemen,” he says. “The commercial sector must be allowed to reopen fully. Boats must be allowed to unload their products without being hampered – spending months waiting for permission to arrive in Yemen to unload food or petrol or other basic products. The entire aid community (…) cannot replace the commercial sector. This is a whole country that is starving.”
Our programs have taken on new urgency in the context of the COVID pandemic, which has escalated pressure on the health system. Our teams are travelling to communities, delivering door-to-door awareness raising campaigns and spreading the message about how to stay safe through the pandemic, using visual guides when necessary. Volunteers are visiting rural homes and meeting families using outside spaces to maintain social distancing measures. However, given the urgent humanitarian situation, COVID remains a “hidden problem,” according to Cunliffe. Famine conditions and deadly outbreaks of diarrheal disease like cholera have overshadowed this rising threat.
This year, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is only expected to worsen. As more infrastructure like hospitals and schools is destroyed and food insecurity increases, more resources will be needed to reach the children and families in urgent need of help. Please consider supporting Action Against Hunger’s efforts in Yemen with a donation.
https://actionagainsthunger.ca/why-yemen-cant-wait/
(* B H)
WHO Yemen Situation Report, December 2020 - Issue No.12
Malnutrition response: WHO and partners continue their fight against child malnutrition in Yemen as the country records new highs of acute food insecurity
Malaria response: WHO supported malaria indoor residual spraying campaign in the southern parts of Tehama.
The campaign targets 147,000 households in 28 districts in 6 governorates;
Wash support: WHO kickstarted a series of training sessions on healthcare waste management and disposal for 225 workers from 45 health facilities from several governorates.
P 05
Cholera response: As part of its support to Yemen’s national cholera response, WHO supported an oral cholera vaccination campaign targeting 24,000 households in Al Dhale’e and Hadramaout governorates.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/who-yemen-situation-report-december-2020-issue-no12
(B H)
Yemen - Geographic Distribution of Treatment Centers, December 2020
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-geographic-distribution-oral-rehydration-corners-december-2020
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(A H)
IOM Yemen | Rapid Displacement Tracking (RDT) - Reporting Period: 24 - 30 Jan 2021
DTM’s Rapid Displacement Tracking (RDT) tool collects and reports on numbers of households forced to flee on a daily basis, allowing for regular reporting of new displacements in terms of numbers, geography and needs.
From 01 January 2021 to 30 January 2021, IOM Yemen DTM estimates that 593 households (HH) (3,558 Individuals) have experienced displacement at least once.
Since the beginning of 2021, DTM also identified other 6 previously displaced households who left the displaced location and moved to either their place of origin or some other displaced location.
Between 24 January 2021 and 30 January 2021, IOM Yemen DTM tracked 234 households (1,404 individuals) displaced at least once. The highest number of displacements were seen in:
(* B H)
Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 28 January 2021
Ongoing air raids, artillery fire, and clashes across multiple governorates continues to trigger new displacements and hinder the protection space for civilians. Hudaydah, Sa’ada, and Marib governorates in particular experienced clashes resulting in a number of civilian casualties. During the reporting period, UNHCR provided over 500 conflict-affected Yemenis in Hudaydah with temporary shelter. Since the start of the year, UNHCR has further provided over 1,500 displaced Yemeni families (9,000 individuals) with Tehama Emergency Shelter Kits to meet their immediate shelter needs.
According to the latest OCHA report on humanitarian access, during the last two months of 2020, a total of 624 access incidents were reported across Yemen. Restrictions on the movement of humanitarian organizations, personnel, and goods into and within Yemen remained the most widely reported problem for those taking part in humanitarian responses. In particular, reports of restricted movement of cargo and personnel were reported in the south.
UNHCR Yemen recently issued its 2021 Operation Plan
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-28-january-2021
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp15
(A P)
Contacts &friends in #Yemen's northern Amran told me #Houthis begun marking & confiscating all houses &property of their opponents. This seriously threatens the social fabric of Yemen, killing the chance 4 peace (photo)
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1356384364922331139
(* B K P)
1,000 Houthi Fighters Killed in Ma’ain District
The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen have set up a photo exhibition honoring those who died in battle, revealing that over 1,000 recruits were killed from a single district in Sanaa. This prompted many Yemeni families to demand that the Houthis disclose the fate of their relatives, who were drafted and deployed to front lines in recent months.
Droves of families in Sanaa’s second largest district, Ma’ain, have accused the militias of kidnapping youths and minors, indoctrinating them through a sectarian program and then sending them off to frontlines where they are used as cannon fodder.
The accusation was made after dozens of families whose children have disappeared were stunned by the portraits Houthis hanged around a parliament building under construction to commemorate those killed in battle, Sanaa-based sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Houthis have erected around 176 billboards that collectively display the portraits of around 1,060 deceased fighters, most of whom were youths hailing from Ma’ain’s three main neighborhoods.
Hammoud Abad, who serves as a senior Houthi administrator in Sanaa, had inaugurated another permanent exhibition dedicated to the group’s Sanaa “martyrs” in early January.
In Ma’ain, Yemeni families are complaining against the Houthis’ continued targeting of youths and minors for recruitment. They accuse coup militias of deceiving and brainwashing their children to use them to implement their war agenda.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32123
(A P)
Parliament's Presidium approves resumption of parliamentary sessions next Saturday
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126831.htm
and
(A P)
Yemeni Parliament Affirms Rejection of Foreign Interference in Yemeni Affairs, Condemns Abduction of Women in Marib
(A P)
Arab coalition commits corruption in Yemen: Houthi
The Saudi-led coalition has committed corruption in Yemen and imposed levies for the entry of ships transporting essential supplies to Houthi-held areas, member of the group's Supreme Political Council tweeted on Sunday, calling for international fact-finding panel.
"Yemeni pay levies to the aggression countries for allowing them access to their basic needs," Mohamed Ali al-Houthi said, claiming that the coalition detains oil tankers and rejects UN permits to double transport fares.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22867.html
(B P)
There are women in Yemen who are in prison for criticizing gender discrimination laws imposed by the Houthis militia. The Houthi leaders have been inciting violence against women during Friday prayers in the mosques
https://twitter.com/YNadheri/status/1356268106495242246
(A P)
Photo: Houthis start building barriers inside calsses at Sanaa University in order to segregate boys from girls.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1356277729805611015
My comment: Wahabism at its worst.
(A P)
Security services release 11 deceived people in Sana'a
Sana'a security services released on Sunday 11 deceived people who tried to return to their areas without coordination with the concerned authorities.
The security services issued a security circular concerning returnees to the homeland to call 176 so as to receive them and facilitate their passage at the security checkpoints as well as ensure their safety.
During the release, the director of the military prison, Col. Mohammed al-Shahari, explained that the deceived were detained due to their lack of coordination with the National Center for Returnees.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126750.htm
My remark: “Deceived” = former anti-Houthi fighters.
(A P)
Abdul Majeed Al-Houthi, the most prominent person involved in child recruitment, appointed head of the Zakat Authority..to complete control over money,the mosque and school, and to exploit more children in #Yemen
https://twitter.com/abduhothifi/status/1355969713684144131
My remark: Zakat is a form of almsgiving treated in Islam as a religious obligation or tax. Today, in most Muslim-majority countries, zakat contributions are voluntary, while in Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen, zakat is mandated and collected by the state
and
(A P)
#Houthis created General Authority of Endowments (Awqaf), appointing extremist religious leader Abdulmajid al-Houthi( Hashimite& close to Abdulmalek) as its head. So he wud be responsible 4 state property & all what hv bn illegally confiscated by their Judicial Guardian.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1355988233058967553
Comment: The dismantling/marginalization of formal state institutions and creation of quasi-state authorities in their place continues, as power is consolidated by the Houthi inner circle
https://twitter.com/Macoombs/status/1356017061659459585
(A P)
A merchant named Ali Gahraz was killed and another one was wounded by Houthi gunmen during a campaign to collect illegal taxes in A'ns district, Dhamar province.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1355975267018272775
(A P)
Houthi militant kills, injures family at lunch
A Houthi militant killed and injured a family while having lunch in Al-Sayani district of the central Yemen’s Ibb province for no known reasons on Saturday, local sources said.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44816
(A P)
Yemeni minister calls for preservation of airport infrastructure despite blockade
Yemeni Minister of Transport Zakaria Al-Shami had on Sunday stressed the need to preserve the campus and lands of the Republic’s airports from any unauthorised encroachments.
(A P)
Clashes erupt between Houthis and tribes in Rada’a, the provincial capital of Yemen’s central Beidha./Multiple news sources.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44836
(* B K P)
Houthis Capitalize on Tribal Conflicts, Poverty for Recruitment
Despite losing tens of thousands of fighters in battles waged against Yemen’s internationally recognized government, Houthi militias have managed to continue drafting and deploying tribesmen and disadvantaged Yemenis to battlefronts.
Through exploiting deeply rooted tribal disputes in the country’s north and crippling poverty which affects over 80% of the Yemeni population, Houthis have successfully recruited many desperate Yemenis to fight their battles.
Houthis refusing to pay the salaries of public servants in areas under their control coupled with scores of businesses and projects shutting down in the war-torn country have left many with the only option of joining the war to secure a monthly income.
The payment of salaries of nearly a million civil servants and hundreds of thousands of military personnel has been frozen.
As for securing public services, Houthis have been utterly neglectful and rather focused on seizing state resources to fund their war effort. Militants have even resorted to doubling levies paid by merchants, companies, and farmers in areas run by Houthis.
In Yemen’s north, Houthis introduced themselves as valuable allies in the ongoing conflict between the Hashid and Bakil tribes.
“They (Houthis) worked to win over some tribal leaders from Bakil, who viewed the regime of the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh to be a pro-Hashid tribal ruling system,” sources with knowledge of the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Other than boosting their alliances with Bakil chiefs, Houthis also sought to fill a leadership vacuum in the Hashid tribe created by key figures exiting the scene after the ouster of the Saleh regime.
More so, Houthis have offered millions of Yemeni rials to tribesmen who can bring them more recruits.
My remark: By a pro-Saudi news site, biased.
(A P)
Deputy FM denies issuing decree banning women from working
Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Ezzi on Sunday denied issuing any official decree preventing women from practicing work.
In a post on his Facebook page, the Deputy Foreign Minister called for investigating the credibility and information from its sources.
He explained that if individual acts occurred, they would represent "a weak reflection of the sediments of Wahhabi culture that the opponents have worked to strengthen it over the past decades."
Al-Ezzi stressed the government's keenness to control any such practices and perpetrators must be held accountable.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126605.htm
and also https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/01/31/deputy-fm-yemeni-government-supports-womens-right-to-work/
My comment: There are so many examples of Houthis behaving like Wahhabis or even worse… as for example:
(A P)
Film: Houthi senior cleric Ahmed Mutaher al-Shami attacks #Yemen-i women for demanding their rights and gender quality. "You want equality you "Mutayhuwdat"- Jewish women- who r influenced by Jews & Christians [Western culture & lifestyle]. What equality.."
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1355638682875797504
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44837
and
(A P)
[Hadi gov.] Info Minister condemns Houthi discrimination against women
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44812
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-22847.html
and
(* B P)
Over 200 women tortured in Houthi militia run prisons, says SRFO
More than 200 women inside Houthi militia-run prisons are being tortured, according to a report released last week by Sam for Rights & Freedoms Organization.
The organization has monitored a number of serious violations and war crimes in the prisons and detention facilities of the Houthi militia.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2021/01/31/over-200-women-tortured-in-houthi-militia-run-prisons-says-srfo/
(* B P)
22 Yemeni teachers died from torture inside Houthi prisons between September 2014 and November 2020, spokesperson for the Yemeni teachers' syndicate Yahya Al-Yana'e told this website on Saturday
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1355543184739340294
referring to https://twitter.com/almasdaronline/status/1355513595325526016
(A P)
Houthis hail Italy’s block of arms sales to Saudi, UAE
"Italy's announcement of halting arms sales to the countries that are engaged in an aggression on Yemen is a positive move,” rebel spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Salam said on Twitter.
He said the move would “contribute to protecting [Yemeni] civilians and support the peace process”.
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/houthis-hail-italys-block-of-arms-sales-to-saudi-uae-3559783
(A P)
Ansarullah fordert UNO auf, katastrophale Lage im Jemen zu untersuchen
Ein hochrangiges Mitglied des Hohen Politischen Rates von Ansarullah-Bewegung hat Vertreter des UN-Sicherheitsrates aufgefordert, in den Jemen zu reisen, um die durch Angriffe der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Kriegskoalition verursachte katastrophale Situation zu untersuchen.
"Die Lage im Jemen ist so, dass sie als größte menschliche Katastrophe bezeichnet werden kann", schrieb Mohammad Ali al-Houthi am Samstag auf Twitter, wie der jemenitische Nachrichtensender Al-Masireh berichtete.
Al-Houthi forderte in diesem Tweet auch die Vertreter des UN-Sicherheitsrates auf, ihre menschliche Verantwortung zur Bekämpfung des Hungers, der Blockade und der Sanktionen gegen das jemenitische Volk zu übernehmen.
(A P)
Al-Houthi calls humanitarian situation in Yemen catastrophe
The chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee of Yemen said that the humanitarian situation in the country is catastrophic, calling on the representatives of the UN Security Council to visit the country.
Mohammad Ali al-Houthi stressed that the situation in this country has reached the level of the greatest humanitarian catastrophe.
"We call on the representatives of the Security Council to visit the Republic of Yemen and observe its catastrophic situation, which has reached the level of the greatest humanitarian catastrophe," he wrote in his Twitter account.
"We call on them to play their humanitarian role in combating hunger, siege and sanctions, and to listen to the words of the employees whose salaries have been withheld by the aggressor coalition," he added.
"We once again invite the representatives of the Security Council and all the freedom-seeking people of the world to visit Yemen," he noted.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/169238/Al-Houthi-calls-humanitarian-situation-in-Yemen-catastrophe
and also https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-rebels-invite-un-envoys-to-assess-famine/2128233
(B P)
Film: 4 #Yemeni journalists have been sentenced to death in a grossly unfair trial. Be their voice and join us in calling for their freedom.
https://twitter.com/observatoryihr/status/1355138743368343555
(A P)
The Houthi militia announce they have begun minting a new coin made of gold./Almashehad Alkhaleeji
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44769
(A P)
As internal rivalry between the militia’s key figures escalates, the son of a senior Houthi leader gets killed in the heart of Sana’a./Yemen Time.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44769
(A P)
[Houthi] clerics in Sanaa used Friday prayer yesterday to attack women, saying they're not entitled to work unless it is at girls schools or women's hospitals.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1355305452704321536
referring to
https://twitter.com/MohammedGhobari/status/1355160483905548288
and
(A P)
After banning birth control methods in areas under their control, #Houthis are now, according to local sources, preventing women from working in restaurants. They stormed some restaurants in Sana’a and forced female workers out of those restaurants.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1354916867815702529
and also https://twitter.com/BShtwtr/status/1354848716235153408
and
(A P)
Amnesty slams Houthi ban on Yemeni women
Local media says Houthi rebels prohibit women in Sanaa from working in restaurants
Amnesty International has condemned a Houthi decision banning Yemeni women from working in restaurants, calling it "shameful and discriminatory”.
In a thread on its Twitter account, the human rights organization said it stands with all Yemeni women “in their fight for their rights”.
“Institutionalizing discrimination increases oppression on women and impedes the foundation for sustainable and gender-equitable recovery and reconstruction in Yemen,” it said.
Amnesty stressed that UN efforts to achieve a “peaceful reconciliation” in Yemen are impossible “without safeguarding and protecting women’s rights”.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/amnesty-slams-houthi-ban-on-yemeni-women/2128179
and
(A P)
Houthi ban on birth control methods enrages Yemenis
The recent Houthi ban on birth control methods has enraged Yemenis especially activists who dare to refuse due to being outside the areas of control of the Shia extremist militia.
Journalist Ghamdan Alyusufi attacked on his twitter account the Houthi ban of the IUDs and the anti-pregnancy bills for unmarried women saying: “Do you know that doctors can prescribe anti-pregnancy bills to unmarried women as a medication for hormonal disturbances?.”
“Houthis want to force Yemenis to endure two hardships: The suspension of salaries and the ban of IUDs, which means more children, expenses and responsibility,” said Rashad Alsoofi on twitter.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44771
Documents: https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1354614648004358147
(A P)
Supreme Political Council: Yemen Will Not Allow US-Saudi Aggression to Continue to Multiply Suffering of Yemenis
The Supreme Political Council affirmed on Thursday that while the Republic of Yemen welcomes all sincere steps to bring peace, it will not cease to be unable to defend the right of the Yemeni people to live a decent life.
“Yemen will not allow the aggression to continue to multiply the suffering of the Yemeni people by preventing the arrival of oil derivatives in light of the silence of the international community, especially after many health and service facilities have stopped,” it added.
(A P)
Yemen Rebels React to Biden Moves, Say US Must 'Stop War, Lift Siege' to Save Lives
The Yemeni rebel movement fighting a civil war in the beleaguered Arab nation is calling on President Joe Biden to expand the efforts to end it that he and his newly appointed Secretary of State Antony Blinken have announced.
A representative of the Zaidi Shiite Muslim movement Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, told Newsweek that the new U.S. administration should pressure regional partners to end the conflict and remove all restrictions surrounding the flow of goods into the country in order to save human lives.
"The true position as it relates to Yemen is to stop the war and lift the siege," Ansar Allah spokesperson Mohammad Abdul Salam told Newsweek. "This will address all the negative humanitarian and military effects and will allow the Yemeni political process to begin."
https://www.newsweek.com/yemen-rebels-react-biden-moves-stop-war-lift-siege-1565221
and
(A P)
Houthis dismiss US decision halting arms sales to Saudis as non-deterrent
The decision taken by the United States to temporarily freeze arms deals (approved by former President Donald Trump) to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi is not deterrent, member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council tweeted on Wednesday.
A decision to halt arms sales cannot discharge the "responsibility for killing, destruction, famine and blockade by the American-Saudi-Emirati persistent aggression's terrorism against the Yemeni Republic," Mohamed Ali al-Houthi added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22771.html
and
(* B P)
Sea Lanes within Strategic Yemeni Response to US Designation of Ansarullah as “Terrorist Organization”
None of the sincere observers discuss the legality of former US President Donald Trump's decision to classify Ansarullah as a terrorist organization, because the matter is outside the circle of discussion, and it does not have any credibility, neither legality nor legitimacy nor humanity nor even logical.
In fact, the decision can be included in a failed and wrong path that former US President Donald Trump used during his rule. It is one of the internationally controversial or rejected and reprehensible decisions not only were rejected by the Yemeni people. Imposing sanctions on the right and left in an illegal way, or the criminal assassinations, or at the international level, withdrawing from dozens of international agreements and treaties without any legitimate or legal justification are rejected.
Practiclly, the new US administration (Biden administration) began to return to some of the treaties and agreements which President Trump withdrew, and indicated the possibility of reviewing some of them, including the nuclear agreement with Iran and the decision to put Ansarullah on the list of terrorism, immediately before Trump's arrival to his tourist resort in Florida. However, how can the recent tweet of a member of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen be understood? Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi said specifically: “The council is considering notifying the government to study the use of the sea corridors as land belonging to the Republic of Yemen and should be used?” And can it be considered that the tweet carries a maneuver to respond to the mentioned classification?
First, there is no doubt that Al-Houthi’s reference in his tweet to a request from the government to study the use of sea lanes as Yemeni vital facilities carries a “national” dimension, confirming the concept of sovereignty, national right and duty, according to international laws, customs, regulations and agreements.
Second, the right to benefit from all national facilities that belong to any state is a legal sovereign right enjoyed by all countries without exception, and it is a historically protected and preserved right, on the charter of human rights and international concepts and principles, particularly, on the United Nations and the rights of states to invest all its wealth and facilities.
Third, as if Al-Houthi’s tweet also refers to the humanitarian aspect, if the aggressor , complicit or silent countries about this aggression that exceeded six years, remain with an iota of humanity. Where the Yemeni people are besieged to have the most basic health and humanitarian needs, while in its seas, ports and waterways, the movement of transport, maritime transport, the trade of the aggressive neighbors, and the whole world is benefiting from this trade, however, the Yemeni people cry out, hungry, sick and trapped.
(A P)
Abdulsalam: Designating Ansarullah Terrorists Has No Political, Economical Impact But Adds to Our Pride
The spokesman for Ansarullah and head of the National Delegation, Mohammad AbdulSalam, sees the American classification of Ansarullah, as a "terrorist organization," a testimony which Ansarullah are proud of.
He explained that this classification comes after this administration has exhausted all its options against Yemeni people, indicating that the aggression, waged against Yemen for the past six years, is American and the blockade is imposed by America, while Saudi Arabia is only implementing the US policy in the region.
He added, "The comprehensive aggression, politically, militarily and economically, didn't achieve the desired results, and the American classification of Ansarullah is its last thing." He stressed that "America today revealed its intentions. This stage reveals the failure of mercenaries and US tools in carrying out their assignments, fighting a US war."
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B P)
Under torture in Yemen
In 2017, the lawyer Huda Al-Sarari has brought to light a network of at least eighteen secret prisons . The UAE runs these inhumane places in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and some local groups. The inmates within them suffered both physical and psychological violence such as beating, rape, electrocution, and simulated drowning (or waterboarding).
As of 2016, UAE troops are taking thousands of civilians, both young and adult, from their homes in the middle of the night. Later, they put bandages on their eyes and take them inside secret prisons. The latter are usually located in military bases, airports, private basements, and even nightclubs. In these places, the guards 'crush' the detainees in crowded containers, where they then remain there for weeks with tied limbs and a blindfold.
UAE troops use secret prisons to lock up political dissidents, alleged supporters of Al-Qaeda. However, within them there are several people who are even just related to the real target of the armed forces. These individuals are denied any kind of legal advice. Furthermore, the detainees do not receive any kind of explanation regarding the allegations made against them. One prisoner recounted how his captors tortured him for days for no apparent reason before trying to extract information from him. He added: ' Sometimes I have wished they would accuse me of something, so that I could confess and end the pain .'
The US Department of Defense has confirmed the presence of US officers within these secret facilities. However, he denied any kind of complicity in acts that violate human rights. Apparently, the officers had been given a simple order to interrogate the prisoners according to the rules of international law. Even if that were the case, 'tormenting' individuals who are close to being tortured is a clear act of complicity. This situation is regulated by Article 4 (1) of the Convention. The latter prohibits Member States from participating in and complicity in acts involving torture.
https://www.agoravox.it/Sotto-tortura-in-Yemen.html
(A P)
Place: Marib Military Hospital Time: Jan. 25, 2021 Topic: a women sent to the hospital by military intelligence dead body.
The document that is being circulated is correct and through the investigation it became clear that the woman died in 2020 and she is the daughter of Brigadier General Khaled Muhammad Saleh Al-Hoshaby, she was kidnapped among a group of Al-Hushaibi women who were taken to the forcible investigation in 2020 after the arrest of her father, son and nephew, according to Al-Ayyam newspaper.
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1356455652961435650
referring to
https://www.alayyam.info/news/88VULER6-EQCKF9-9C84
(A P)
Bogdanov, Al-Zubaidi discuss developments in Yemen
The Russian President’s Special Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met in Moscow on Monday, with the President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Commander-in-Chief of Southern Armed Forces, Aidroos Qassem al-Zubaidi.
The discussions focused on the tasks of the newly formed power-sharing government that the STC is a part of it for the first time, the statement indicated.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two men touched on the means to end the conflict in Yemen to start peace talks between the official Yemeni authorities and the Houthi movement.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32118
(A K P)
Yemeni minister: Houthis targeted Aden airport with Iranian missiles
The Houthi group used Iranian-mad missiles to attack Aden international airport on 30 December 2020 upon arrival Yemen's new government, the information minister tweeted on Sunday.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22865.html
(* A P)
Activists dub Yemeni gov't new program as disappointing
The Yemeni UN-recognized government on Monday declared its general program draft, in preparation for referral to the Parliament for approval.
The 7-section draft covers security and defense; fiscal and monetary policies; economy and investment; infrastructure, energy and environment; general administration and good governance; human development; and foreign relations, planning and information.
The draft is based on accurate analysis of outstanding challenges and most urgent needs, as well as policies and interventions necessary to cope with all challenges, reorganize and unite the military and security institutions in the face of Houthis, and mobilize resources from donors, the Yemeni prime minister said.
The program reflects the government's commitment and determination to start new course of work aimed at restoring the State, ending the Houthi coup and achieving economic stability and recovery, Maeen Abdulmalek added at press conference in Aden after cabinet extraordinary meeting.
The real criterion of this draft will be the assessment of progress based on achievement and implementation, requiring the government members to work according to different rational mechanisms to effectively tackle the challenges, he told reporters.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22869.html
(A P)
Despite the government’s return to Adena month ago, the army has still not received the salaries of several months./24 Post
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44836
(* A P)
UAE-backed mercenary group confirms seeking secession of South Yemen
The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has on Sunday said that they are committed to the option of a renewed secession of southern Yemen from the Republic of Yemen.
Aidarous al-Zubaidi , head of the STC, made the remarks after arriving in Moscow, according to Aden TV.
On Sunday morning, al-Zubeidi arrived in Moscow at the head of a council delegation, at the invitation of the Russian Government.
“We are in Russia today to discuss the issue of the people of the South and the restoration of their state,” al-Zubeidi said.
He refers to the “State of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen”, which existed before the unification of northern and southern Yemen on May 22, 1990.
“We will discuss with the Russian Foreign Ministry, the State Duma and the Council for Strategic Studies many issues related to the issue of the South and its people.”
He predicted that his talks would be “positive, fruitful and in the interest of the southern cause”.
Al-Zubeidi said he “sent a message to the southern people which is that we are on a safe path towards the liberation of their land and the restoration of their state,” according to the channel.
(A T)
Motorbike bomb explodes near security patrol in Aden
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/02/01/motorbike-bomb-explodes-near-security-petrol-in-aden/
(A P)
30 HR Organizations declare support for Houthi militia’s designation as terrorist group
(A P)
Aggression mercenaries kidnap 7 women in Marib
The aggression mercenaries in Marib city kidnapped 7 women and took them to an unknown destination in a new crime that is added to a series of aggression mercenaries' violations against civilians in the province.
A local official told Saba that groups of mercenaries raided homes of displaced persons on Saturday evening and kidnapped 5 women then returned Sunday morning to kidnap 2 others.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126743.htm
and
(A P)
Mercenary forces raid civilian houses in Ma’rib
A number of military vehicles belonging to the so-called Special Forces led by Abu Mohammed Sha’alan has on Sunday stormed several houses in Ma’rib city, arresting seven women and a number of children, local sources reported.
The arrest of the women and children came under the pretext of their alleged belonging to a secret cell that provides coordinates to National Salvation Government forces, according to the sources.
During the raids, the coalition forces beat several of the abducted children and women with their rifles, the sources added.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/01/31/mercenary-forces-raid-civilian-houses-in-marib/
and also https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1355925198785146882
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22857.html
and how a pro-Hadi government news site tells it:
(A P)
Marib Security forces arrest a Houthi female terrorist cell./Multiple websites
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44836
and Houthi claim:
(A P)
Houthis say Yemeni gov't commits very bad practices in Marib
The Yemeni official government has committed "very bad" practices against tribesmen in the northeastern governorate of Marib, the Houthi spokesman tweeted on Monday.
"Abduction of women" in Marib city by government security bodies is "a crime added to their crimes against Al Sobai'e, the Ashraf and Marib tribes," Mohamed Abdul Salam added.
Marib tribesmen experience woes due to very bad practices, with no consideration for religious values or tribal traditions, he claimed.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22864.html
(* A K P)
Coalition deploys large reinforcements to Yemen's Shabwa
A Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has deployed reinforcements to the southeastern province of Shabwa, local sources said on Saturday.
The large reinforcements arrived in two separate groups coming from Aden and included troop carriers, rocket launchers, armoured vehicles, tanks and other weapons, the sources said.
Part of them moved to the local airport, and the rest to the Balhaf LNG facility where UAE troops have been stationed for years, they added.
Meanwhile, governor Mohammed bin Adyo is still in the Saudi capital Riyadh. He was summoned by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi a week ago amid tensions with the UAE-backed southern transitional council.
Observers argued that the reinforcements come within more efforts to implement the Riyadh agreement, especially the military and security arrangements.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22832.html
(B P)
Israel plündert Ressourcen auf Jemens Insel Sokotra unter dem Deckmantel der VAE
Der Verkehrsminister der jemenitischen Regierung der Nationalen Rettung, Zakaria al-Shami, sagt, Israel plündere natürliche Ressourcen auf der strategischen Insel Sokotra.
"Das zionistische Regime operiert in Sokotra unter dem Deckmantel der VAE, plündert und raubt seine natürlichen Ressourcen und nutzt neben seinen anderen Reichtümern auch seine geografische Lage, sein Rohöl sowie seine medizinischen und touristischen Kapazitäten", sagte Shami am Samstag in der jemenitischen Hauptstadt Sanaa.
Der Minister betonte die dringende Notwendigkeit, den abgelegenen Archipel des Arabischen Meeres zu schützen, der wegen seiner biologischen Vielfalt und natürlichen Schönheit ein Kandidat für die Anerkennung als Weltnaturerbe durch die UNESCO ist.
(B P)
Israel looting resources on Yemen's Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister
Minister of Transport in Yemen's National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.
“The Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,” Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana’a on Saturday.
The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.
(A P)
Al-Zubaidi to visit Russia, European countries
Head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) Aidroos al-Zubaidi is expected today to visit Russia at the start of a tour that will take him to some European countries, according to media reports.
Al Zoubaidi will lead a number of STC officials on the trip that will take several days, Yemeni news portal Adan Al Ghad said.
He is expected to discuss the implementation of a power-sharing pact mediated by Saudi Arabia and signed by the STC and the Yemeni government in 2019.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32112
and
(A P)
Delegation from Yemen separatists flies to Russia
A high-level delegation from the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen flew to Moscow on Sunday for talks with Russian officials.
The delegation, led by STC chairman Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, will hold talks with government officials and members of the Russian parliament on a host of files, the STC said in a statement, without elaborating.
The STC, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said the visit comes upon an invitation from the Russian government.
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/delegation-from-yemen-separatists-flies-to-russia-3559836
and also https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210131-delegation-from-yemen-separatists-flies-to-russia/
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32116
(A P)
Saudi Arabia Seeking help of Americans and British after Its Failure in Al-Mahrah: Locals
A leader in the Mahra sit-in committee confirmed that Saudi Arabia sought help from the American and British forces after its agenda in the governorate failed.
The head of the, Shehn district, sit-in committee, Sheikh Hamid Zaabnout, said on his Twitter account that "the entry of military experts from America and Britain to Al-Ghaydhah International Airport, which is controlled by the Saudi occupation forces, reveals Saudi Arabia’s use of the United States and Britain after it failed to pass its agenda in Al-Mahrah Governorate."
He added that Saudi Arabia failed to implement its plan, on top of which is the oil pipeline from al-Mahra lands, to develop military sites for itself and its forces, so it went to hand over the governorate of Mahrah to American and British forces, just as it handed over the governorate of Socotra archipelago to Israeli enemy forces.
He pointed out that the pro-aggression government neglecting the national sovereignty of Yemen's lands and airports when allowed the Saudi occupation forces to seek the help of the American and British forces present at Al-Ghaydah International Airport.
It is noteworthy that informed sources revealed last week the arrival of American and British forces to the headquarters of the Saudi forces present at Al-Ghaydah airport.
(A P)
STC calls for implementing military side of Riyadh Agreement
The Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council stressed the need to finalize the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, in particular appointing governors and security directors, and to support the power-sharing government.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32106
My comment: ??? The agreement requires that the STC militia must leave Aden, and they still stay.
(* B P)
With Last Minute Pro-Saudi Government in Aden, What Are Possible Scenarios for Future of Southern Yemen?
The recent bombings of Aden airport came to outline the next stage in southern Yemen, entitled "instability", amid the ongoing war between the Saudi mercenaries and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council on the one hand, and Hadi's forces on the other hand, which includes the Islah party (The Muslim Brotherhood).
The process of forming a new government headed by Moein Abdul-Malik did not give any serious indications of a consensus between the Southern Transitional Council and Hadi's authority, after several rounds of fighting in which the Emirati supported Transitional Council was able to control large areas of southern Yemen, including Aden, the temporary capital of Hadi's authority.
That government, which was formed according to the "Riyadh Agreement" of November 2019, did not address the imbalances in the "Saudi alliance", but rather it was prepared in a hurry at a time when the Sana'a government was making remarkable progress in northern Yemen, specifically in Marib which is the most important stronghold of the coalition forces.
Therefore, southern Yemen will face several scenarios regarding various internal and external factors, due to the formation of the new government loyal to the Saudi coalition by 24 ministers. The formation of this government was accompanied by an external movement, through the Gulf reconciliation, and this in itself is one of the factors affecting the expected scenarios, due to the repercussions that will affect the political and military front. The Emirati-supported transitional council confronts Hadi's government on the pretexts that it is under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is close to Qatar and Turkey, although Yemen has some exceptions regarding the Brotherhood’s political loyalty, however this factor cannot be overlooked in reading the political reality of southern Yemen.
Therefore, the scenarios of the future of Yemen remain related to the success of the announced agreement between Hadi's authority and the Transitional Council, which was translated into the formation of a government emanating from the "Riyadh Agreement", the seriousness of the Gulf parties in reconciliation, especially Qatar and the UAE, and the ability of the Saudi coalition to regain the initiative in the battles against the Sanaa government, especially in Marib and the demarcation lines separating the southern and northern governorates.
These scenarios are divided into 3 possible paths:
[…]
All these scenarios show a turbulent picture for Saudi Arabia, which is trying not to recognize, which is the weakening of the coalition that it leads. The scenarios in southern Yemen are subject to developments in the field against the Sanaa government in addition to the ability of the Transitional and Hadi's authority and its allies to walk under the umbrella of the "Riyadh Agreement", which wes imposed under the bullets, artillery and raids, confirming a reality that the "legitimate authority" that Saudi Arabia claims has waged the war for is not welcome in Aden or Sanaa.
As for the south of Yemen in general, its political, security and social stability will not take place under the authority of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, as is the situation now, and the experiences during the years following the presence of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in southern Yemen confirm this fact.
My remark: A pro-Houthi view.
(* B P)
In Yemen, torture is carried out in Total facilities requisitioned by the army
According to an NGO, part of a Total factory in Yemen, requisitioned by the army, would serve as a place of imprisonment and torture in the context of the conflict that animates the region. A situation that raises doubts about the compromise of the multinational and the French state.
As Yemen, in the grip of a terrible civil war, became a ground of confrontation between the regional powers of the Arabian Peninsula, a factory managed by Total was requisitioned by the local government to serve as a military base. An NGO report dated December 2019 claims that the site is actually used as a prison, where acts of torture were allegedly carried out, the French government has since continued to remain silent on the issue. The facts detailed in the [report -> file: /// C: /Users/sford/Downloads/rapport-yemen-total-final.pdf] produced by the Armaments Observatory, Friends of the Earth, and SumOfUS intervene in a conflict situation, where the actors are numerous and the situation changing. However, the serious accusations made by NGOs,question the responsibility of Total in this affair, while the silence of the French authorities questions.
The factory in question is located in Balhaf, in the south of Yemen. It is not managed directly by Total, but by a consortium, Yemen LNG, which Total manages, and in which it holds 39.6% of the shares.
After agreements with local tribes, in a context where the Yemeni State no longer exercises authority over the area, Total is therefore not abandoning the site and continues to operate the Balhaf gas pipeline from the beginning of 2017.
The situation changes in nature as the site is partly requisitioned, formally by the State of Yemen, in reality by the United Arab Emirates army, which sets up a military base there. According to the information published in the newspaper Le Monde in November 2019 = https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2019/11/07/un-site-de-total-util-comme-prison-au -yemen_6018350_3210.html), the site would also serve as a place of pre-trial detention, a transit space for detainees who will be transferred to a larger prison. While Total maintains its activity on part of the site, separate from but close to the military base, the multinational, like its Yemen LNG consortium, claim to know nothing about the actions of the army there. Asked by the journalist from Le Monde, these representatives did not provide an answer at the time. Already at this period, many testimonies nevertheless left heavy suspicions of arbitrary arrests and torture +> https://www.revolutionpermanente.fr/Yemen-Une-prison-secrete-dans-un-site-du-geant- petroleum-Total )
The report written by three NGOs (+> https://actions.sumofus.org/a/operation-shabwa-la-france-et-total-en-guerre-au-yemen ) clarified these gray areas and highlighted light the compromise of Total and the French State in the actions of the United Arab Emirates on the spot. Explaining that some people were arrested on the Total site itself, the NGOs detail that there are "cases of torture and ill-treatment" and that in particular "the prisoners are beaten, the sick left without care. ".
The investigation carried out by the arms observatory, SumOfUS and Les Amis de la Terre, even concluded: “our investigation shows that France has provided, through Total, the logistics necessary for a program of torture and enforced disappearances. ". These serious accusations, made by associations whose seriousness is not in question - one of them, the Armaments Observatory, notably received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, for its participation in the International Coalition for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons - show the passivity of Total and the French State, while war crimes are carried out in these premises.
(A P)
Upon [Prime Minister] Maeen Abdulmalik’s orders, each minister gets YR 20 million and a land cruiser car at the orders. While Aden city is left in power outage and employees without pay./Almashed Aldowli
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44769
(A K P)
Ten members of Hadi’s presidential guard abducted in Aden
At least ten of so-called Hadi’s Presidential Protection personnel assigned to guard the Palace of Al-Masheeq in Aden have been kidnapped by UAE-backed southern Transitional Council (STC) militias on Friday.
This was reported by Yemen News Portal, based on local sources.
According to the sources, the soldiers went out on Friday in civilian clothes to roam the streets of the city, and were intercepted by security forces belonging to the STC, who took them to an unknown destination.
The fate of the recruits has not been yet known.
The kidnapping came after the deployment of Hadi’s forces in the city.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/01/30/ten-members-of-hadis-presidential-guard-abducted-in-aden/
(A K P)
Clashes break out between Security Belt militia, gunmen in Aden
Armed clashes broke out between the UAE’s Security Belt militia and gunmen north of Aden on Friday afternoon, local sources said.
One source told Almasdar Online that local gunmen repelled an attempt by the Security Belt to arrest young men in the center of Sheikh Othman city which ignited clashes with light and medium weapons
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-44779
(A K P)
Mercenary official assassinated by unknown gunmen in Mocha
Unidentified gunmen have assassinated a military official in the mercenary forces funded by the UAE in the coastal city of Mocha in Taiz province, southwest Yemen, local sources reported on Saturday.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/01/30/mercenary-official-assassinated-by-unknown-gunmen-in-mocha/
(A P)
Brotherhood militias abduct four people in Shabwa
The Islah militias (Yemen's Muslim Brotherhood) abducted on Friday, four people from Haban district of Shabwa province.
Locals sources said that the Islah-linked armed forces carried out a campaign of raids and arrests in Haban where they took four persons, three of whom are brothers, to an unknown location right after their unlawful arrest.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32099
(A P)
Security Belt pledges to make MSF's activities possible in Aden
Commander of the Security Belt Forces, Brigadier General Jalal Al-Rubaie held a meeting in Aden on Thursday with a delegation of Doctors Without Borders (MSF-Belgium).
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32092
My comment: UAE-backed militia promoting MSF? LOL.
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(* B P)
Yemen: Prisoner swap talks raise hopes for families
301 prisoners expecting to be released at the end of UN-brokered talks between Yemeni government and Houthis in Amman
The new round of UN-brokered negotiations has revived hope among many families awaiting the return and release of their relatives from various detention centers dotting the country, ravaged by civil war, mainly between the Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi-led Yemeni government and the Houthi armed movement.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Almatalsalam al-Hajj, chairmen of Abductees’ Mothers Association said that around 1,270 people are reportedly lodged in different prisons, the majority of them held by Houthis, who control most of the northern part of Yemen's territory.
“There are three groups in Yemen doing these illegal practices; the armed Houthi group, Aden-based UAE-backed group affiliated with Southern Transitional Council (STC), and some forces aligned with the internationally recognized government,” she said.
According to her group, 307 prisoners have died so far, 83 because of torture, 14 succumbing for want of health care, and 210 killed in prison attacks. She said that Houthis are holding 725 prisoners, including 2 women.
Out of these, 127 are reported sick. As many as 119 civilians have also disappeared from the country. The forces belonging to an internationally recognized government (IRG) are also reported to arbitrarily detaining six civilians.
“The fifth meeting of the Supervisory Committee on the Implementation of the Prisoners and Detainees Exchange Agreement has started in Amman, Jordan. The Committee resumes discussions between the parties to the conflict in Yemen to discuss the release of more detainees following the release of 1,065 detainees last October,” Yemen Martin Griffiths, the UN envoy to Yemen said in a statement.
Many women like Al-Sheikh are hoping that these negotiations will bring an end to their sufferings.
“We feel happy and hope that this is the beginning of a good thing. Even if my husband is not going to be released, I will still be happy for others because all detainees are our brothers too,” she said.
For over the past many years, whenever there is any prisoner exchange process, she knocks doors of authorities to enquire if her husband is also on the list. While every time, authorities promise to seek the release of her husband, but in the end, she does not find him among the swapped prisoners.
Tawfiq al-Humeidi, head of Geneva-based SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties blamed all parties for indulging in arbitrary arrests. He, however, admitted that methods and proportions differ.
“There is no doubt that the Houthi group takes lead among the groups in this issue. In 2020, there were around 1,000 new cases of detentions. Out of the 810 were detained by Houthis, including more than 70 children, 150 were detained by STC forces, and 20 were detained by the legitimate government’s forces,” he added.
So far, there are no official details available on the number of prisoners to be released in the current deal. But Al-Humeidi claims some 301 detainees, including President Hadi's brother, General Nasser Mansour Hadi, may be released soon.
“I do not think that there will be a major achievement other than what was previously agreed upon unless the Houthis try to obstruct reaching any agreement,” he added.
Al-Hajj has urged the parties to isolate the issue of prisoners from their political battles. She said mothers of prisoners were watching these negotiations with great hope.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-prisoner-swap-talks-raise-hopes-for-families/2129533
(* B P)
Saudi Arabia Thwarts Talks of Prisoners Affairs, Controlling This Issue: Senior Leader in Hadi Government
A senior leader in the "Hadi government" accuses the coalition countries of thwarting talks regarding the prisoners affairs, stressing that the Saudi Arabia is the one controlling this issue.
Anis Mansour, a former media advisor at the Hadi government's embassy in Riyadh, said that Saudi Arabia had foiled the prisoners ’negotiations with Ansarullah to release the former Defense Minister, Major General Mahmoud Al-Subaihi. He added that the Kingdom and Hadi government did not care about the fate of the Yemeni prisoners or the conditions of their families, except for the captive Nasser Mansour Hadi, Abd Rabbo’s brother.
Mansour indicated that the Kingdom intervened to stop more than one deal. It also transferred Houthi prisoners from the prisons of the "Hadi" forces to their prisons in order to exchange them for civilian spies, including Saudis, who have sent the coordinates to the coalition aircraft.
(* B H P)
Yemen: Government supporters turn on UN, claiming it imported rotten food aid
Decision by UN to call for revoking of terror designation of Houthis by US has been met with anger and accusations
The issue of rotten food aid has taken centre stage in Yemen after the United Nations spoke out against the decision by the outgoing Trump administration to designate rebel Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).
Houthi authorities have long accused the UN of sending rotten food to Yemen over the last five years, while the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has denied the accusations.
Until now, pro-government activists, politicians and officials had supported the UN against the Houthis' accusations but following the UN's call for the ending of the FTP designation those forces are now taking aim at the UN.
Since 2015, those same forces had been happy to accuse accuse the Houthis of looting aid and allowing the distribution of rotten aid, as well as accusing them of creating obstacles for organisations such as the WFP to distribute food.
However, Yemen's government has been calling for the FTO designation of the Houthis for years and it has been outraged by the UN and other bodies' response.
As a result, some pro-government journalists have started publishing documents which they say prove that UN agencies have been deliberately importing rotten aid and passing it on to needy people in Yemen.
Others have claimed that large quantities of aid have been damaged after remaining for long periods of time in UN warehouses.
Leaked documents revealed by the pro-government journalist Baseem Al-Jenani state that tonnes of rotten food were imported to the port of Hodeidah and then distributed to people in Houthi-controlled areas.
In one of his tweets about the claims, Jenani said that: “181 containers of rotten peas imported by WFP are waiting to fumigation in Al-Hodeida seaport to be sent and distributed to people. The Authority for Standardisation and Metrology has already reported this isn’t valid for human beings and it should be re-exported.”
A source in in the Information Ministry in Aden, the current base of the government, told Middle East Eye that UN agencies were supporting the Houthis “in one way or another” and that they were both involved in the damage to aid in the northern provinces.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-un-food-aid-government-supporters-rotten
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp7 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-713b-yemen-war-mosaic-713b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-712-yemen-war-mosaic-712
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-712 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-712:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
Was ist Ihre Meinung?
Kommentare einblendenDiskutieren Sie mit.