... Wie der Krieg Jemens Fischereiwirtschaft zerstörte – Endlich ein Ende der US-Saudi-Allianz – Frieden zwischen Saudis und Israel? – und mehr
Feb. 5, 2021: US: Biden proclaims end of US support for Saudi Yemen War – Film: Yemen at war (in German) – Yemen’s Abductees Mothers’ Association – How war destryed Yemen’s fishing industry – Final end of US-Saudi alliance – Saudi-Israel peace? – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-714b-yemen-war-mosaic-714b
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Biden beendet US-Unterstützung im Jemenkrieg / Most important: Biden ending US support for Yemen War
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp12a 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
(** B H K)
Film: Jemen – Leben im Krieg
Der sogenannte vergessene Krieg im Jemen findet in internationalen Medien nur wenig Beachtung. Eine Reise vom Norden in den Süden zeigt den Alltag der Bevölkerung.
https://www.zdf.de/dokumentation/zdfinfo-doku/jemen--leben-im-krieg-100.html
(* B H K P)
Silent humanitarian calamity in Yemen: Who to blame?
What are the main reasons for Yemen's civil war and humanitarian catastrophe? The polarization of Yemeni politics, to begin with, is one of the main contributors to the current situation, having led to the political alienation of internal actors.
The fighting sides heavily invest in the military sector, paying high salaries to the militias fighting the civil war.
Therefore, internal factions can be blamed for the current humanitarian crisis, including the Houthis, pro-government militias and al-Qaida as well as its affiliated groups.
As polarization increased within the country, political actors representing the Zaidi Shiite minority and the traditional Sunni majority began to otherize one another, eventually resorting to violence.
Throughout the war, these groups have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, de facto diving the country into several political entities with each of the groups establishing checkpoints in the area under their control.
Groups such as Houthis steal humanitarian aid provided by other states and international institutions.
Second, the three interventionist states, namely Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), must be held responsible for the humanitarian crisis.
It is evident that these three states do not want a resolution to the crisis, made clear through their exploitation of domestic political fault lines, instrumentalizing resources for their national interests.
Regional powers and their proxies on the ground have invested in killing rather than caring for the people of Yemen and unfortunately will not draw the line when it comes to achieving their objectives.
Thirdly, the global powers that have been providing weapons to the regional states and their proxies in Yemen are also responsible for the humanitarian crisis.
Both global powers and world public opinion remain largely indifferent to the tragedy in Yemen.
Global institutions such as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and regional platforms such as the Arab League did next to nothing to prevent the disaster.
https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/columns/silent-humanitarian-calamity-in-yemen-who-to-blame = https://www.setav.org/en/silent-humanitarian-calamity-in-yemen-who-to-blame/
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
Joe Biden etc.: Siehe / Look at cp1b
(** B P)
Yemen’s Abductees Mothers’ Association Advocates Peace To Begin In Mothers’ Hearts
The unprecedented October exchange is due to the efforts of the women-led civil society organization, Abductees Mothers’ Association (AMA) which since 2016 has advocated for the release of innocent abductees with peaceful protests before prisons, researching, reporting and sharing information with international organizations.
And at the center of it all is one woman, Dr. Amat Al Salam, AMA’s President and a member of the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL). She was arrested and imprisoned after the Houthis abducted her male relatives. She galvanized the women in her family to gather in front of the prison to demand their release, which initiated AMA’s launch.
Independent of any partisan politics and funding, AMA is a 60-member volunteer group, and social activists, lawyers, media contacts, and others. They are mothers, sisters, wives, and female family members of the disappeared detainees, demanding the release of their relatives, and ensuring the abductee and detainee’s rights and freedom. With regular prison searches to locate and reach the disappeared abductees, they document and monitor cases, work with local authorities and mediators, follow local security authorities, provide reports to concerned international bodies, amplify cases through media reports and engage lawyers, social workers, tribal leaders, and psychotherapists to secure the release, and heal the wounds of a war-torn country.
AMA continues work on the remaining 1,200 prisoners–of who four are women, according to Al Salam. In my virtual interview with Al Salam, we discussed AMA’s achievements, the work ahead, and what the future holds for Yemen’s ongoing war, which has taken 233,000 lives.
Amat Al Salam: Our branches in Sana’a, Aden, Taiz, Hodeidah and Marib have different activities, as cities are run by different parties, which makes our work extremely difficult. We monitor and document all the cases that we can reach and support all the victims whose families seek our help. Our members adhere to our guidelines: we are independent, follow international standards when dealing with the political parties, our work focuses on the injustice of the detained civilians and their legal rights.
The situation in Yemen is complex. Suppression of freedoms is a method the parties exercise towards civilians, weakening the civil role, shrinking spaces for coexistence–kidnapping and detention continues.
We work on the ground; we talk with all parties about all the victims without political, racial or religious distinction. Our priority is the right of freedom for all detained civilians. Most local mediators respect and offer special treatment to women, especially to mothers–they consider us like their mothers. The defenders believe in us and our capabilities–they stand up for us, represent us, and use our words in all their human rights stances. They told us: We thought the rough stances of the parties to the conflict, the attacks, and the threats on you and your children would stop you after a year or two, but you proved to us, to Yemen, and to the world that mothers do not give up working for the rights of their children, whatever the risks. And that women, with their strength, can stand up in front of guns to rescue the innocent.
Many parties, locally and internationally, have adopted our just demands.
Women still enjoy a lot of power in confronting oppression. We use tribal customs to pressure tribes to assume responsibilities. Our older members know well the social and cultural traditions, and the tribal leaders.
We take enormous risks. With every stand, there is a threat. We have been subjected to 19 attacks in several governorates. In some provinces, we travel to other cities to carry out a stand or send a statement to the media. We cannot reach many international meetings–most of us use a pseudonym. But we are not alone, they harass our families and relatives in prisons. As if the cost of war, with all its misery and dangers, does not suffice!
We only demand freedom of all the abducted and detained civilians because we believe this supports coexistence, social peace and strongly contributes to bridging the enormous gap filled with hatred and gunfire.
We have responded to repression and violations–learned how to work under these circumstances, preserving our team’s safety.
(** B E H K)
How War Destroyed Yemen’s Once-Thriving Fishing Industry
Amid an ongoing media blackout, Yemen’s fishing communities must choose between starving and dying in combat
“We cannot enter the sea and fish to make a living like we used to before the war,” 35-year-old fisherman Abu Suleiman — not his real name — told Newlines on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution. “If you do, you risk being hit from land or air, or you risk detonating a mine in the sea.”
Fishing was once Yemen’s second largest economic sector after oil, producing about 400,000 tons of seafood annually, according to government reports. The industry provided a livelihood for over 2.5 million Yemenis who lived along the Red Sea coast, many of them “old-styled” fishermen supplying a once-thriving industry that included canneries, factories, and fish export businesses.
Less than one in five fishermen continue to fish today, according to local activists, and they do so at their peril because “the alternative is to starve.”
“Many have lost their life … and some have been detained (by al-Houthi rebels) for continuing to fish,” one underground activist in Al Hudaydah told Newlines on condition of anonymity.
According to a Norwegian council for refugees, there have been at least 334 fishermen killed or injured since 2015, when the war began.
Asked about his thoughts on the impending environmental disaster along the shoreline, one fisherman shrugged and said: “We’re already in a disaster. We haven’t been able to work in six years! We’re denied the ability to fish whether SAFER sinks or not. How much worse would a SAFER (oil spill) be?”
Another fisherman spoke about his family’s difficult choices after losing the only livelihood he and many around him have relied on for generations.
This fisherman, who goes by the name Ahmad, told Newlines that he raised four sons and taught all of them to fish. But then the war started and fishing was banned, so “two of them joined the Houthis as fighters, and that’s the only work available in Yemen today,” he said. “One of my sons returned to us as a lifeless body. The other is still missing.”
This is not a unique story in Al Hudaydah
One fisherman captured the level of desperation that prevails because of the choice they are forced to make. “I grew exhausted searching for work. All the factories have been destroyed, and the merchants complain about their losses, and everything is closed in your face. It’s better I die in battle than die out of hunger at home,” he said. “Either I find sustenance for my children or I’m better off dead.”
The daily lives of the fishermen have become an “unbearable hell,” as described by one aid worker in Al Hudaydah. “Most of the fishermen have become dependent on the aid of organizations that barely cover their needs, barely provide a daily meal, and even that doesn’t come on a regular basis,” the aid worker told Newlines. “As for the children, none go to school anymore, and many resort to begging in the hopes of bringing back some food to their family.”
Asked about the difficulty of distributing aid to families, the aid worker lamented corruption and a local bureaucracy that hinder the distribution of much-needed help – by Suha Mohammed
https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/how-war-destroyed-yemens-once-thriving-fishing-industry/
(** B P)
Finally Ending The Despicable U.S.-Saudi Alliance
Trump's friendliness to the murderous regime was indefensible. Joe Biden should quickly change our course.
President Joe Biden is now in charge, and he called the Kingdom’s de facto ruler a “pariah” who was killing “innocent people.” The Biden administration is filled with officials who worked for President Barack Obama and regret giving Riyadh a blank check for its brutal war of aggression against Yemen. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Biden “has made clear that we will end our support for the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, and I think we will work on that in very short order.” Today would not be soon enough.
In response, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is putting on a confident public face. For instance, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan declared: “We are optimistic of having excellent ties with the U.S. under a Biden administration.” In a desperate resort to flattery, he also complimented the new president on his appointees, observing that they shared an “understanding of the common issues.”
Moreover, the crown prince temporarily dropped his swaggering arrogance hoping to placate the new occupant of the White House. The Wall Street Journal, a fan of the brutal, corrupt royals, argued approvingly that Riyadh—which has promoted murder and mayhem throughout the region—“is making concessions to improve stability in its neighborhood.”
Long one of the world’s most prolific executioners, Saudi Arabia announced a moratorium on capital sentences a couple days before Biden’s inauguration. The regime also changed the law that allowed the killing of minors as well as those arrested for political offenses.
Moreover, after years of broken promises, Riyadh finally reduced hate-mongering in Saudi textbooks. So vile were the Kingdom’s past educational materials that they were used by the Islamic State. Infamous for demonizing the other, these texts indirectly encouraged murder and terrorism. However, volumes prepared for the 2020-2021 school year were markedly improved, though not completely cleansed of hate-promotion.
The regime also attempted to soften its international image. In early January the regime cut oil production, appealing to Washington, which prioritized protection of U.S. shale oil firms over consumer protection.
Even more dramatic, shortly before Biden’s inauguration the Kingdom ended its diplomatic and economic assault, initially backed by invasion plans, against neighboring Qatar. The campaign conveniently was initiated shortly after Trump’s inauguration.
No doubt, MbS hopes these steps will help counteract calls to hold him accountable for his crimes. However, his offenses remain too many to excuse. Indeed, the Kingdom continues to target America. For instance, Riyadh actively sought to limit access to the new film, The Dissident, which explores the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist and onetime royal confidant who resided in the U.S.
Saudi online trolls drove down the well-regarded film’s online ratings. Worse, fear of royal retaliation appeared to deter major streaming services from carrying it.
Moreover, the Saudi government continues to protect its citizens from American justice.
Saudi diplomats routinely assist Saudi citizens charged with crimes to jump bail and return home.
The crown prince has become the fount of regime criminality. The royal family dictatorship was generally moderate in its repression and collegial in its corruption until King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud took over in January 2015. He put his favorite son, MbS, in charge. The latter loosened cultural strictures while tightening political control.
Saudis affirm that the situation is worse than ever. MbS has an almost pathological determination to punish any Saudi who criticizes his rule. According to the Financial Times: “Waves of crackdowns have continued.
Torture is routine. Bloggers and writers even have been arrested for what they did not say—failing to sing the regime’s praises after it unveiled its blockade against Qatar, for example.
Riyadh targets foreigners as well. MbS’s greatest single crime was the invasion, in partnership with the United Arab Emirates, of Yemen in March 2015.
Through it all Trump and the congressional GOP shielded the Kingdom from accountability. MbS also relied upon the KSA’s ambassador to America, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud.
Hopefully such dissembling will not work on Biden.
The time is long overdue for Washington to reshape U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, which uses American military personnel as royal bodyguards. Indeed, the Trump administration was preparing to expand American military access to Saudi military facilities. Biden should instead make the relationship more normal. Rather than use their vast weapons purchases to attack their neighbors and seize regional hegemony, the royals should focus on defending themselves.
Saudi Arabia is no ally of America. The U.S. should treat the Kingdom like any other country and hold it accountable for its crimes against the Saudi people, neighboring nations, and America – by Doug Bandow
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/finally-ending-the-despicable-u-s-saudi-alliance/
and
(** B P)
Could an Israeli-Saudi peace deal be imminent?
The Israeli-Saudi peace deal is, to coin a phrase, oven-ready, a source close to the negotiations told me this week. After many months of covert meetings, the detail has been agreed and the Israelis are ready to commit. All that’s needed is for the Saudis to sign on the dotted line. This means that an alliance could be sealed within six months.
Of all the Arab-Israeli peace agreements, a Saudi deal would be the most significant.
According to insiders, the Saudis have been considering gift-wrapping the deal for the new US president. But it will come with strings attached. For one thing, Riyadh will want a seat at the Iranian decision-making table, demanding that its interests are respected in any future nuclear agreement. Biden’s almost religious zeal for a new Iran deal is causing sleepless nights in more places than Jerusalem.
For another, there would have to be arms sales. The Saudis will not countenance anything less than the F35 stealth jets that were offered to the Emiratis. And then there is the issue of legal immunity for Saudi figures who have not been, shall we say, whiter than white.
The 35-year-old Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, or ‘MBS’ as he is known, is a case in point.
All of this has placed MBS at risk of legal action should he set foot in the United States. A peace deal with Israel would go a long way towards sanitising his image and attracting inward investment, rebranding the Wahhabi kingdom as a forward looking, liberal Muslim state that is very much open for business. After all, the only stable countries in the Middle East are the ones with relations with the Jewish state.
The PR campaign has started already. Last week, the Future Investment Initiative, MBS’ brainchild, took place in Riyadh’s luxurious King Abdulaziz conference centre, attracting figures including the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, and Britain’s trade minister Lord Grimstone of Boscobel.
If it wasn’t for the constraining hand of the Crown Prince’s father, the octogenarian King Salman, the deal would be done by now, negotiators told me. In today’s Middle East, the only leaders who agonise over the Palestinian cause are those in Jerusalem and Ramallah. But the elderly king, who has long spoken loudly on the issue, is proving slow to adapt, and MBS cannot pull rank.
In the desert kingdom’s national security calculations, its reputation as the world’s leading Muslim country is of great importance. Both Iran and Turkey are challenging for this crown. Their attack lines tend to focus on Saudi Arabia’s behaviour as custodian of Mecca and Medina. A deal with Israel could offer Saudi enemies an open goal for propagandists – ‘Jews will visit the holy sites!’ – playing badly with Muslims stretching as far as Malaysia and Indonesia, and weakening Riyadh’s hand across the region.
Domestic Saudi opinion polls reveal that Iran, not Israel, is now seen as the number one threat to the kingdom. But the Saudi public remains far from fond of the Jewish state.
Then there’s the new man in the Oval Office. Israeli negotiators are troubled by the question of whether Biden will revert to the discredited Kerry doctrine of no peace without Palestinian peace. That would mean instant game over – by Jake Wallis Simons
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/could-an-israeli-saudi-peace-deal-be-imminent-
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(* A H P)
Yemen to get first COVID-19 shots by March through COVAX, Saudi could pay for others
Yemen expects a first batch of 2.3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by March through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, and Saudi Arabia could separately finance shots for around 50% of the population, agencies involved have said.
“The government of Yemen has applied to the COVAX initiative to cover the initial needs of 23% of the population of Yemen, about 14 million doses,” Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF’s representative in Yemen told Reuters.
“A first allocation of 2.3 million doses has been confirmed and should be available by end-February, beginning of March, depending on the suppliers’ availability of vaccines.”
COVAX is co-led by the GAVI alliance, which secures vaccines for poor countries, the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Yemen will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine through COVAX as this can be used in the existing cold chain infrastructure, Duamelle said.
The aim is to vaccinate 70% of Yemen’s population. The health ministry for Yemen’s internationally recognised government on Friday said it had applied to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) for it to finance vaccines for 50% of the population.
The government of Yemen intends the COVAX vaccines to be distributed throughout the country, including to Houthi areas, health minister Ali Walidi told Reuters.
“GAVI, WHO and UNICEF teams are in constant discussion with the government of Yemen and the authorities in the north to define the logistical arrangements and the vaccination modalities,” Duamelle said.
and also https://twitter.com/HMAMichaelAron/status/1357043932417384449
(A H)
COVID-19 patient recovered in Hadramout
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32129
(* B H)
Yemen witnesses unprecedented outbreak of diseases, epidemics in 2020 due to aggression
Yemen has witnessed an unprecedented outbreak of deadly diseases and epidemics that caused thousands of deaths as a result of the aggression and the siege imposed on the Yemeni people six years ago.
The blockade and the closure of Sana'a International Airport and the failure to enter the necessary medicines have caused the spread of epidemics and diseases in light of the difficult living situation, which has exacerbated the human tragedy that Yemenis are experiencing in full view of the world.
The Saudi-led aggression coalition intends to increase the suffering of the Yemeni people by preventing the entry of oil derivatives, which led to the spread of epidemics and diseases such as cholera, malaria, dengue and others, and the difficulty in obtaining good health services and clean drinking water.
A report issued by the Ministry of Public Health and Population, of which the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) obtained a copy, stated that the total number of suspected cholera cases in the past year 2020 amounted to 228,000 cases, while the cases of suspected seasonal influenza infections reached 6,615 cases.
The report indicated that the suspected cases of diphtheria amounted to 14,210 cases, while the suspected cases of rabies reached 14,210 cases.
About 1,200,000 suspected cases of malaria were also recorded, and the number of confirmed cases reached 152,000 cases, while confirmed cases of dengue fever reached 57,000 cases, according to the report.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3126980.htm
(* B H)
78 deaths from cholera in Yemen in 2020
The World Health Organisation said on Tuesday it registered 78 deaths from cholera and 218.000 suspected cases in Yemen between January and November in 2020.
The provinces of Taiz, Hodeidah, Bayda, Ibb and Sanaa have seen the largest outbreak, it said in its annual report.
The Houthi health ministry said cholera suspected cases reached 228.000 last year.
In the last years, more than 1.2 million suspected cases have been registered, including 152.000 confirmed cases of the pandemic, the ministry said, adding that the confirmed cases of dengue fever reached 75.000.
Around 6.615 uspected cases of seasonal flu, more than 41.000 suspected cases of diphtheria and more than 41.000 cases of rabies were registered last years, it said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22910.html
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Biden beendet US-Unterstützung im Jemenkrieg / Most important: Biden ending US support for Yemen War
(** A K P)
Joe Biden kündigt Bruch mit Trumps Außenpolitik an
US-Präsident Biden will den Krieg im Jemen nicht mehr unterstützen
US-Präsident Joe Biden will den von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Krieg im Jemen nicht länger unterstützen. Der Schritt sei Teil der amerikanischen Rückbesinnung auf Diplomatie, Demokratie und Menschenrechte, sagte Biden in Washington, wo er seine künftige Außenpolitik skizzierte und dabei in vielen Punkten mit der Politik seines Vorgängers Donald Trump brach. Der Krieg im Jemen habe zu einer "humanitären und strategischen Katastrophe" geführt, sagte Biden weiter. "Dieser Krieg muss enden."
Er ernannte den Diplomaten Timothy Lenderking zum Sondergesandten für Jemen.
Nun will sich die US-Regierung unter Biden mit den Vereinten Nationen um einen Waffenstillstand, den Zugang zu Hilfsgütern und Friedensverhandlungen bemühen. Die Strategie sei vorab mit den Verbündeten in Saudi-Araben und den Emiraten besprochen worden, teilte Bidens Nationaler Sicherheitsberater Jake Sullivan mit.
Das Königreich Saudi-Arabien unterstrich nach den Äußerungen Bidens, dass es "eine umfassende politische Lösung" für den Jemen suche. Die Führung Saudi-Arabiens begrüße, dass Biden den Schwerpunkt auf "diplomatische Anstrengungen" zur Beilegung des Konflikts lege, meldete die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur SPA.
Allerdings ging die SPA nicht konkret auf Bidens Ankündigung zum Ende der Militärhilfe ein. Die Agentur meldete lediglich, Saudi-Arabien heiße Bidens Absicht willkommen, mit dem Königreich bei der Verteidigung von dessen Souveränität gegen "Bedrohungen" zu kooperieren.
US-Anti-Terror-Einsätze im Jemen seien von der neuen Linie nicht betroffen, betonte der nationale Sicherheitsberater Jake Sullivan.
Der neue Kurs der Regierung betreffe daher nur Kampfhandlungen, "die den Bürgerkrieg verlängert haben, der zu einer humanitären Krise geführt hat", sagte Sullivan. Als Beispiel nannte er den inzwischen blockierten Verkauf von Lenkraketen, der von der vorigen US-Regierung unter Präsident Donald Trump genehmigt worden war. Biden will nun auch die Einstufung seines Vorgängers der Huthi-Rebellen als Terrororganisation überprüfen.
In seiner außenpolitischen Grundsatzrede kündigte Biden nun aber an, dass "relevante" Waffenverkäufe beendet würden. Was dies genau bedeutet, ließ er offen. Die US-Regierung hat bereits zuvor angekündigt, milliardenschwere Rüstungsgeschäfte mit Saudi-Arabien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten – dem wichtigsten Verbündeten der saudischen Regierung – im Jemen-Krieg unterlassen zu wollen.
(* A K P)
Biden setzt auf enge Kooperation mit traditionellen Verbündeten
In einer weiteren Abkehr von Trumps Außenpolitik kündigte Biden ein Ende der US-Unterstützung für die von Saudi-Arabiens angeführte Militärallianz gegen die Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen-Konflikt an. “Dieser Krieg muss aufhören”, sagte er. Die US-Unterstützung für “offensive Militäreinsätze im Jemen, einschließlich wichtiger Waffenverkäufe” werde beendet.
Unter Trump hatten die USA die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Militärallianz logistisch und mit Waffenlieferungen unterstützt. Biden kündigte nun an, seine Regierung wolle sich dafür einsetzen, dass humanitäre Hilfe die notleidende jemenitische Bevölkerung erreicht.
Saudi-Arabien versicherte als Reaktion auf die Biden-Rede, das Königreich strebe “eine umfassende politische Lösung” für den Jemen an. Riad begrüße, dass Biden den Schwerpunkt auf “diplomatische Anstrengungen” zur Beilegung des Konflikts lege, meldete die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur SPA. Auf das von Biden angekündigte Ende der Militärunterstützung für Riad im Jemen-Konflikt wurde in der Meldung nicht eingegangen.
Die Huthi-Rebellen begrüßten Bidens Änkündigungen. “Wir hoffen, das wird der Anfang einer Entscheidung, den Krieg gegen den Jemen zu beenden”, sagte ein Huthi-Vertreter der Nachrichtenagentur AFP. “Wir sind optimistisch.
Biden ging in seiner Rede nicht auf das internationale Atomabkommen mit dem Iran ein, in das er die USA zurückführen will.
und auch https://de.qantara.de/content/riad-bekennt-sich-zu-politischer-loesung-fuer-den-jemen
(** B K P)
U.S. Support For The Saudi Coalition War On Yemen Is Finally Ending
Ending support for offensive operations is an important step in the right direction. It does not go quite as far in cutting off all U.S. military assistance to the Saudi coalition states as I would like, but it is a very good start and Biden deserves credit for doing this so soon after taking office. Sheline is correct that the U.S. will need to do more to pressure the Saudi coalition to end its campaign, lift the blockade, and cease their economic warfare against the people of Yemen. Biden’s announcement today marks a major win for supporters of a more peaceful and restrained foreign policy, and it is the result of many years of activism and advocacy by Yemenis and Yemeni-Americans and the work of many antiwar organizations. We should be proud that U.S. support for Saudi coalition attacks is finally ending, but we need to keep the pressure on the Saudi coalition until Yemen is finally at peace. That will mean continued pressure on Congress and the White House to halt all arms sales to belligerents in Yemen at least until they halt their involvement in the conflict. It also means holding the Biden administration accountable if they should backslide on this policy.
The announcement comes on the same day that the Biden administration has named its new special envoy on Yemen, Tim Lenderking. Lenderking has significant experience in Yemen and is respected by all sides in the conflict. Together with the announced end of support for Saudi coalition attacks on Yemen, Lenderking’s appointment signals that the Biden administration is serious about bringing the war to an end and not merely ending U.S. involvement in it. The war is the main driver of the country’s humanitarian crisis, and until there is a lasting ceasefire the crisis will continue to worsen. The Biden administration seems to understand that, which is why they issued a license to suspend the sanctions connected to Pompeo’s malevolent decision to designate the Houthis as terrorists. Now they need to follow up on these actions by reversing the designation, resuming full funding for humanitarian aid, and pursuing a new Security Council resolution that can serve as the foundation for a political settlement – by Daniel Larison
(** A K P)
Biden ends U.S. support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen, says war 'has to end'
President Joe Biden on Thursday declared a halt to U.S. support for a Saudi Arabia-led military campaign in Yemen, demanding that the more than six-year war, widely seen as a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, “has to end.”
Biden also named veteran U.S. diplomat Timothy Lenderking as the U.S. special envoy for Yemen in a bid to step up American diplomacy “to end the war in Yemen, a war which has created humanitarian and strategic catastrophe.”
“This war has to end,” the Democratic president said during a visit to the U.S. State Department in Washington. “And to underscore our commitment, we’re ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales.”
The move is a reversal of a policy of both the Democratic Obama and Republican Trump administrations. Biden was vice president in the Obama administration.
“At the same time,” he said on Thursday, “Saudi Arabia faces missile attacks, UAV (drone) strikes and other threats from Iranian-supplied forces in multiple countries. We’re going to continue to support and help Saudi Arabia defend its sovereignty and its territorial integrity and its people.”
Saudi Arabia welcomed Biden’s remarks, particularly his commitment to the country’s defense and addressing threats against it, according to the country’s state news agency.
Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier on Thursday that the end of U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition’s operations in Yemen does not extend to efforts to combat the regional affiliate of the al Qaeda militant group.
Sullivan said the Biden administration already had halted two sales of precision-guided munitions and kept regional allies in the region informed of actions to avoid surprises.
“Any move that reduces the number of weapons, military activity, is to be welcomed and will give more space and more hope not only to the talks, but importantly more hope to the people of Yemen,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday.
The State Department is also reviewing a Trump administration designation last month of the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization.
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Biden ending US support for Saudi-led offensive in Yemen
President Joe Biden announced Thursday the United States was ending support for a grinding five-year Saudi-led military offensive in Yemen that has deepened suffering in the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country, calling the move part of restoring a U.S. emphasis on diplomacy, democracy and human rights.
“This war has to end,” Biden told diplomats in his first visit to the State Department as president, saying the conflict had created a “humanitarian and strategic catastrophe.”
The Yemen reversal is one of a series of steps Biden laid out Thursday that he said would mark a course correction for U.S. foreign policy. That’s after President Donald Trump — and many Republican and Democratic administrations before his — often sided with authoritarian leaders abroad, in the name of stability.
The announcement on Yemen fulfills a campaign pledge. But it also shows Biden putting the spotlight on a major humanitarian crisis that the United States has helped aggravate. The reversal of policy also comes as a rebuke to Saudi Arabia.
“We welcome President Biden’s stated commitment to work with friends and allies to resolve conflicts, and deal with attacks from Iran & its proxies in the region,” Saudi Prince Khalid bin Salman, a son of King Salman and the kingdom’s deputy defense minister, tweeted.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the U.S. action will give more space and more hope “not only to the talks but, more importantly, more hope to the people of Yemen.”
Biden called Thursday for a cease-fire, an opening of humanitarian channels to allow more delivery of aid, and a return to long-stalled peace talks.
Biden also announced an end to “relevant” U.S. arms sales but gave no immediate details on what that would mean. The administration already has said it was pausing some of the billions of dollars in arms deals with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia’s main partner in its Yemeni offensive.
The ending of U.S. support for the offensive will not affect any U.S. operations against the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, group, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
In what was seen as the latest in several Saudi gestures toward Biden, the State Department said Thursday the kingdom had conditionally released two dual Saudi-U.S. citizens detained in a crackdown on civil society there, and reduced a sentence for a third, Dr. Walid Fitaihi, convicted of “disobedience” to the government.
The weeks-old Biden administration has made clear that shifting its stance toward the Yemen war, and toward Saudi Arabia over the Yemen offensive and other rights abuses, was a priority. Other measures have included a review of the Trump administration’s categorization of the Houthis as a terror group.
https://apnews.com/article/biden-end-support-saudi-offenseive-yemen-b68f58493dbfc530b9fcfdb80a13098f
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Pariah with benefits: US aiding Saudi defense despite chill
But if Biden is making Saudi Arabia a pariah now, it’s a pariah with benefits.
While Biden announced Thursday he was making good on his campaign commitment to end U.S. support for a five-year Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen, his administration is making clear it won’t abandon U.S. military assistance for the kingdom and plans to help Saudi Arabia strengthen its own defenses.
His approach reflects the complexity of the U.S.-Saudi relationship. While Biden is taking a tougher line than his predecessors, he and his foreign policy team recognize the U.S. can’t allow relations to unravel. They see the importance of maintaining aspects of a military, counterterrorism and security relationship seen as vital for security of both nations.
“The United States will cooperate with Saudi Arabia where our priorities align and will not shy away from defending U.S. interests and values where they do not,” the State Department said in an emailed response to questions from The Associated Press.
The aligned priorities have included a longstanding U.S. emphasis on playing a lead defending the kingdom and its oil from attacks that would jolt the world’s energy markets and economies. U.S.
That will include helping protect Saudi Arabia’s territory, critical infrastructure and shipping routes from the kingdom’s opponents in neighboring Yemen, the Houthis, the State Department said. The Biden administration has yet to spell out how it plans to boost defense of the kingdom. Saudi Arabia points to missile and drone strikes and other cross-border attacks launched by Houthis in Yemen.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat and critic of U.S. involvement in the Saudi air campaign in Yemen, agreed that the U.S. may still have a security interest in helping guard the kingdom.
“Our focus should be providing basic defensive capabilities to help Riyadh defend itself from external threats, not fighting those threats for the Saudis,” Murphy said.
But the U.S. should provide no “additional military support to Saudi Arabia unless we can clearly conclude that support...will not be used as irresponsibly as it has been in Yemen,” Murphy said. He called the kingdom an important partner nonetheless, and said he would work with the administration to reset relations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations.
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Biden announces end to US support for offensive operations in Yemen
Officials in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which is also part of the Yemen coalition, have been notified of Biden’s decision to end support of offensive operations, Sullivan said.
“We are pursuing a policy of no surprises when it comes to these types of actions, so they understand that this is happening, and they understand our reasoning and rationale,” he said.
Longtime opponents of the war in Yemen hailed Biden’s decision Thursday to end support for offensive operations, but stressed it should be just a first step.
“Today marks the beginning of a new era in our foreign policy — one that prioritizes human rights and diplomatic solutions,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said in a statement.
“In addition to ending U.S. military, logistics and intelligence support for the Saudi coalition, the U.S. must cease involvement in the Saudi-led de-facto blockade of Yemen that has helped push millions of Yemenis to the brink of starvation,” Khanna added. “We should also swiftly and fully reverse the Trump administration’s reckless designation of the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. It’s critical we ensure Yemeni civilians have access to the food, medicine, fuel and other necessities on which they rely.”
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Biden ends US support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen
War in Yemen 'has to end', Joe Biden says in first foreign policy-focused address as president
Anti-war activists and lawmakers have been pushing to end the US involvement in the Yemen war. Beyond weapons sales, Washington had been providing logistics support and sharing intelligence with the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Afrah Nasser, Yemen researcher at Human Rights Watch, welcomed the announcement but said the new administration needed to investigate whether any US officials were complicit in war crimes.
"This looks like a very positive step, but does not dismiss the fact that the US, according to investigations by Human Rights Watch and reports by a UN panel of experts, has risked complicity in committing war crimes over weapons sales to the Saudi-led coalition," she told Middle East Eye.
"As much as this is a welcome step, it's important that accountability comes as a central element of withdrawing support. And this means that the US has to seriously investigate whether US officials were involved in war crimes in Yemen," Nasser said.
Ariel Gold, national co-director at the anti-war group Code Pink, said when her organisation started protesting against the war in 2015, "We were often out in the streets by ourselves with small numbers."
"I feel celebratory, filled with hope," Gold told MEE. "And yet, I also know that this isn't the end. There's still much more work to be done. This won't end the war entirely, and we don't know the full extent yet of what exactly Biden is going to do."
Rasheed Alnozili, publisher of Yemeni American News, a bilingual publication based in Detroit, welcomed the announcement and lauded Biden for fulfilling his campaign promise.
"But this is just the beginning," Alnozili told MEE. "Ending US support for the Saudi-led coalition is a means. The goal should be ending the war altogether, which is a more difficult task."
He called on the Biden administration to encourage Saudi-Iranian dialogue to address the various conflicts in the region, including that in Yemen.
The US role
Details about what Biden's decision will entail and how exactly it will impact the conflict are sparse. It is not clear whether the decision will affect weapons sales or Washington's role in a blockade that has been a catalyst for shortages and suffering.
"Certainly this is good news, as Biden seems to be following through on his campaign promise to end all US support for the war. However, it remains to be seen what his administration considers 'offensive' vs. 'defensive,' as Obama's justification for entering this war was defending Saudi Arabia against Yemen's Houthis," said Shireen al-Adeimi, a Yemeni-American activist and professor at Michigan State University.
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who represents a large Yemeni community, welcomed the move by Biden, saying that the war had caused "immense pain and suffering".
"By ending support for offensive operations, our government can focus on the diplomacy and humanitarian relief necessary to bring peace and safety to millions in the country and surrounding region… Today, we begin a new chapter of American leadership in Yemen, but that only means the hardest work is ahead of us," Dingell said in a statement.
Imad Harb, director of research and analysis at the Arab Center Washington DC, said Biden's announcement is a "major step" that will likely shake US-Saudi relations.
He said Washington has been "almost as guilty as Saudi Arabia and the UAE" of the human suffering in Yemen, but that Biden was trying to separate himself from the policies of the previous administration.
"Let's not forget that Biden has to answer to a domestic audience, especially within the Democratic Party, that is objecting to further US assistance for the war efforts in Yemen," Harb said.
While opponents of the war celebrated Thursday's announcement, many called for more specifics about the new US policy. The White House did not respond to MEE's request for comment.
"Ending US support for the war in Yemen, which has killed thousands of people and left millions in need of humanitarian assistance, is a really important step and one that we owe to many years of grassroots activism including from Yemenis and Yemeni Americans," said Annie Shiel, senior adviser for US policy and advocacy at the Center for Civilians in Conflict.
Shiel added that while the policy implications of Biden's remarks are not entirely clear, she hopes the new approach includes permanently freezing recent arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
She accused the two countries' air campaign in Yemen of killing, displacing and starving civilians and bringing about "the destruction of schools, hospitals, markets, and other essential infrastructure and services".
"To continue to send arms given the fact that there has been no accountability for any of the harm to date, including several significant incidents, would also send a harmful signal of impunity."
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-saudi-arabia-war-us-support-biden-end
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Biden's first big foreign policy speech calls out Russia, limits role in Yemen
It was not immediately clear whether the Yemen announcement was much more than a symbolic move, as the U.S. military currently plays an extremely limited role in the conflict. The Trump administration, under Congressional pressure, ended the practice of providing aerial refueling support to the Saudi-led coalition. Currently the U.S. military’s role is limited to conducting training for the coalition on reducing civilian casualties, and sharing some intelligence related to the defense of Saudi Arabia.
Defense officials said they had not yet been given clear guidance by the administration on whether or how these operations will change moving forward. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/04/biden-yemen-war-lgbtq-rights-465910
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Biden to end US support for war in Yemen
Biden’s team may see the withdrawal of U.S. support for offensive military action as fulfilling his stated commitment. Yet the move is insufficient to address U.S. complicity in Yemen’s misery. Biden must insist that Saudi Arabia and the UAE fully withdraw from Yemen and end their support for warring factions. Foreign support tends to lengthen civil wars, and given the external resources supporting opposing sides in Yemen, the war is not going to end anytime soon. As long as the U.S. remains the preeminent military force in the region and its main supplier of weapons, America is culpable for Yemen’s destruction.
Yemenis are aware of this, even if many Americans are not. The war is known as the Saudi-American war in Yemen. The blockade of the Houthi-controlled ports is referred to as the American blockade. Starting in mid December 2020, an online campaign circulated on Twitter in Arabic with the hashtag “Yes to the end of the American blockade of Yemen.”
Civil wars only typically end when the warring parties run out of the resources to continue, or one side decisively defeats the other(s); neither of these outcomes is likely to occur in Yemen without decisive action from the U.S.
For Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the Houthis’ missiles imperil his subjects’ safety. Although initially the threat was limited to areas near the border, the Houthis have fired rockets deep into Saudi Arabia itself, even threatening Riyadh, over 600 miles away from the border with Yemen.
Saudi Arabia could try to neutralize the Houthis by investing in development in order to undermine the movement’s narrative of identitarian grievance and ability to recruit impoverished supporters. In 2018 the war was estimated to have cost $100 billion, by now, the price may have doubled; investing in northern Yemen would cost significantly less. Yet Saudi Arabia would have to resist its usual impulse of using foreign investment as a means of spreading Wahhabism. Resisting Saudi efforts to spread Wahhabism in their territory was one of the Houthis’ early calls to action, as many members of the movement are Zaydi Shi’a.
Transitioning from airstrikes to aid would require MBS to admit defeat, a humiliation that the young prince appears unwilling to stomach. MBS has trumpeted national pride, and he may fear that ending the war on Yemen could make him appear weak. Despite frequent reports that the Saudis are eager to end their failed war, especially following their unilateral ceasefire in April 2020, the cost of the military campaign has not yet become prohibitive.
Biden needs to make MBS and MBZ understand that they can stay involved in the war in Yemen, or they can maintain a relationship with the United States. They cannot have both.
Meanwhile, ongoing U.S. and Saudi antagonism contribute to Iran’s determination to cause headaches for its adversaries by partnering more closely with the brutal Houthi movement.
Decisive victory
The example of Libya demonstrates how an influx of additional resources can tilt the balance in a stalemated civil war.
The fact that no foreign power has yet subjugated Yemen by force is not for lack of trying. Much of northern Yemen is mountainous. Like Afghanistan, Yemen already had a reputation as a graveyard of imperial dreams. Saudi Arabia failed to overwhelm the Houthis with superior firepower and funding. A conclusive military victory for any side seems improbable.
How to end the war?
Fully ending U.S. support for Saudi airstrikes on Yemen is an important first step for the Biden administration. Yet it will not be enough. If Biden tries to wash his hands of the Yemen issue simply by ending U.S. involvement, this will not remove the blood of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis already dead and dying.
Instead, Biden must require the Saudis and Emiratis to fully withdraw from Yemen and end their support for factions there. The Biden administration should also rejoin the JCPOA without imposing additional conditions, in order to move towards a functional relationship with Iran as quickly as possible. There is no more time to waste - by Annelle Sheline
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/02/04/biden-to-end-us-support-for-war-in-yemen/
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Biden Taps Career Diplomat as Envoy to Yemen
By selecting Timothy Lenderking, Biden signals that he wants a quick end to the war there.
President Joe Biden is set to choose Timothy Lenderking, a career foreign service officer with deep knowledge of the Gulf region, to serve as the administration’s envoy to Yemen, potentially signalling a more concerted effort to end the conflict that has left millions on the brink of starvation.
Lenderking served as a deputy assistant secretary of state focused on the Gulf during the Trump administration. Biden has yet to make other key appointments for ambassadors to Saudi Arabia, or the United Arab Emirates.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/04/biden-taps-career-diplomat-as-envoy-to-yemen/
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Biden announces end to US support for Saudi-led offensive in Yemen
The distancing of Washington from Riyadh is one of the most conspicuous reversals of Donald Trump’s agenda, but it also marks a break with the policies pursued by Barack Obama, who had backed the Saudi offensive in Yemen, although he later sought to impose constraints on its air war.
William Hartung, the director of the arms and security programme at the Centre for International Policy, welcomed Biden’s move, but he added: “The devil will be in the details.
“To be effective, the new policy should stop all arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both proposed and in the pipeline, including maintenance and logistical support; increase humanitarian aid to Yemen and reverse the designation of the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, which severely undermines the ability of aid groups; and press Saudi Arabia and the UAE to commence a ceasefire and negotiate in good faith for an inclusive peace agreement,” Hartung said.
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Yemen war: Joe Biden ends support for operations in foreign policy reset
These announcements confirm President Biden's pledge to end Yemen's destructive war. Halting US support to the Saudi-led coalition's offensive operations won't close this bloody chapter, but it sends a strong signal to leaders in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi - they've also been trying to find ways to extricate themselves from this quagmire.
Achieving peace among Yemen's bitter enemies will be a monumental challenge. Tim Lenderking is set to be the first US envoy for Yemen since this war was unleashed nearly six years ago. He's worked on this file for years and is known to everyone who matters.
Western diplomats, as well as Yemenis, have welcomed this new US engagement.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55941588
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/04/biden-taps-career-diplomat-as-envoy-to-yemen/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/4/biden-to-announce-a-special-envoy-for-yemen
and by Saudi Al Arabiya: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/04/Biden-to-announce-the-end-of-US-support-for-offensive-operations-in-Yemen
Film (Biden): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsXLBSpMyi4 = https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/biden-announces-end-to-american-support-for-offensive-operations-in-yemen-100542533553 = https://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2021/02/04/joe-biden-foreign-policy-yemen-saudi-arabia-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/ = https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3852377371539042 = https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20210204-this-war-has-to-end-biden-pulls-us-support-for-saudi-led-offensive-in-yemen
Film (Sullivan): https://twitter.com/NBCPolitics/status/1357372965080494081
Film (Blinken / Biden): https://www.pscp.tv/w/1zqKVXNOyvVJB
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About Those Executive Orders…
Back on January 17, The New York Times reported that on his very first day in office, Biden was contemplating a whole raft of executive orders, to overturn Trump’s scabrous legacy. I looked at that raft. Where was the order reversing U.S. support and complicity in the slaughter in Yemen? It wasn’t there. And in the days following Biden’s inauguration, it didn’t appear. This caused lots of alarm in anti-war quarters. It looked like Biden was reneging on a campaign promise. He wasn’t. He was being cautious, which is what many hoped.
Bolstering this hope was Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s comment during his confirmation hearing that Biden’s team would no longer support the Saudi assault on Yemen. So it was reasonable to think, the sooner Biden acted on it, the better. Famine stalks Yemen. Children starve to death there every day – in large part thanks to the U.S. military. Blinken’s actual words were: “The President-elect has made clear that we will end our support for the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen. And I think we will work on that in very short order.” That moment has now, apparently, arrived.
If Biden thought he needed cover on Yemen, he already had it – namely the bill congress approved and Trump vetoed to end U.S. support for the Saudi slaughter. That gave Biden more than enough excuse to extend the pause in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which he announced on January 27. Blinken said this pause, this review was “typical” of any new administration. Who cares what he called it, so long as this murderous trade ceases? Trump sold the lives of Yemenis to the highest weapons manufacturing bidder. A pause is beyond welcome. Now it will become a complete halt. And that will unravel the Saudi’s genocidal endeavor.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/about-those-executive-orders/
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Joe Biden’s Steps Toward Ending Saudi Arabia’s War on Yemen Are Tentatively Hopeful
In this context, any rethinking or diminishment of that US support is a positive thing. Likewise, the appointment of a special envoy signifies a new US effort to push for a diplomatic end to the Yemen war, instead of leaving any diplomatic efforts up to the Saudis as the Trump administration did.
Lenderking doesn’t seem to be that well known, but he is familiar with the region and with the Yemen war in particular, and the fact that he is a career diplomat is probably a mark in his favor — at least compared with the background of another recent US envoy.
Without being unduly skeptical, however, until the administration fills in the details behind this announcement, it will be difficult to know just how positive these developments are. In particular, the administration should explain exactly what it means by “offensive” operations.
Distortions of the terms “offensive” and “defensive” with respect to warfare are almost as old as war itself, though we don’t need to dip too far back into the past to find egregious examples like Turkey’s 2016 invasion of northern Syria under the moniker “Operation Euphrates Shield,” Israel’s 2014 war in Gaza under the name “Operation Protective Edge,” or even the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, which the Bush administration characterized as “preventive.” We don’t even need to leave the conflict in Yemen, which the Saudis have long been describing as “defensive” despite substantial evidence to the contrary.
In a speech at the State Department on Thursday afternoon, after Sullivan’s announcement, Joe Biden pledged that the United States would “continue to support and help Saudi Arabia defend its sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and its people.” Unless his administration explains clearly what it means by “offensive” versus “defensive” operations, we simply do not know just how big a change Thursday’s announcement represents.
Will the United States stop providing logistical support for the Saudi blockade and/or its air strikes? What if the Saudis claim those operations are necessary to defend the kingdom from Houthi missile and drone strikes?
Similarly, the administration should provide more information about its recent decision to suspend arms sales to the Saudis and to the United Arab Emirates, whose leaders are also culpable in the Yemen disaster, though they’ve stepped down their overt involvement in the conflict since the middle of 2019. The freeze seems intended to pressure the Saudis to negotiate, but the administration should outline what it expects the Saudis and Emiratis to do in order to resume those sales.
In his speech, Biden spoke of suspending “relevant” arms sales, suggesting the freeze isn’t total. More clarity here would also be welcome.
There are other concerns. The administration says it intends to continue US military operations in Yemen (primarily drone strikes) against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and it’s safe to say that also applies to Islamic State elements that are active in Yemen. US “counterterrorism” (CT) operations are inherently destabilizing, and their continuation in Yemen is a potential roadblock to the peace process. However, as Win Without War’s Kate Kizer wrote on Twitter after the announcement, ending US involvement in the war “opens the door” for a new debate on that CT mission and its effects.
The US State Department also continues to list the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization,
Again, these are all caveats — unanswered questions surrounding what has the potentially to be a dramatically positive change in US foreign policy. But they should not diminish the significance of what the administration announced on Thursday.
It also suggests that despite Biden’s long history as a warmonger, because of the changed conditions his administration is operating in, he may be responsive to the concerns of and pressure from human rights and anti-war organizations, and that their mobilization has the potential to impact US policy decisions. After the past few years, both would be very welcome changes – by Derek Davison
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2021/02/joe-biden-ending-yemen-war-saudi-arabia
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Biden ending US ‘support for offensive operations’ in Yemen doesn’t mean actual end to war, skeptics caution as activists rejoice
While peace activists cheered the news that the US will be ending its support for Saudi-led “offensive operations” in Yemen, that’s a far cry from actually ending the six-year war that began with Barack Obama’s tacit blessing.
Other critics of the US intervention in the Arabian peninsula were more skeptical, however, pointing out that details are where the devil usually hides.
As one journalist pointed out, all Saudi Arabia has to do is declare its military operations “defensive” in nature in a rhetorical sleight of hand.
Actually ending the war in Yemen would involve ending US weapons sales to the Saudi-led coalition, as well as refueling, repairs and assistance with targeting, for example.
All of those were extended to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt by the Obama administration – in which Biden was vice president – in March 2015 (with statements in Twitter)
https://www.rt.com/news/514642-biden-yemen-war-operations/
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US to withdraw support for Yemen war in break with Trump
A former senior Obama official described the decision announced on Thursday as a significant step, saying Saudi Arabia’s air force relied on US expertise and maintenance.
“Saudi Arabia’s air operations are a huge element of their war effort and if they can no longer do that, their war efforts are likely to be dramatically curtailed,” the former senior official said. “The Trump administration’s efforts to solve the Yemen war were feeble and this step is a very significant move to bring the war to an end,” the former official added.
https://www.ft.com/content/b592364d-080e-4e30-a3dd-5910c0a12146
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IN DRAMATIC POLICY SHIFT, BIDEN WITHDRAWS U.S. SUPPORT FOR SAUDI “OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS” IN YEMEN
One of the primary backers of the vetoed resolutions, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told The Intercept by phone that Biden’s announcement was a victory. “This is now a decisive step and really what the war powers resolution was calling for, so I’m very pleased,” Khanna said.
Asked if Congress’s job was done, Khanna said he thought the legislature still had a role to play in supporting diplomatic efforts and reversing last-minute policy changes by the Trump administration.
The Biden administration has not yet announced operational details of the move or clarified what they meant by “offensive operations.” In his address, Biden said that the U.S. would continue to help defend Saudi Arabia from drone and missile attacks, some of which have come from Yemen and have led the Saudis to claim that they are pursuing the war in self-defense.
An administration official declined to share operational details of what the cutoff meant but pointed to the fact that the Biden administration had previously announced they were “reviewing several arms sales to ensure they are in line with our strategic goals, including ending the war.”
Briefing reporters on Thursday morning, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the prohibition would extend “to the types of offensive operations that have perpetuated a civil war in Yemen that has led to a humanitarian crisis,” but would not result in the U.S. halting its own operations against Al Qaeda in the country.
Kate Kizer — policy director with the progressive group Win Without War, which has lobbied to end U.S. support for the intervention — told The Intercept by phone that understanding the details of the distinction are important because the Saudis have frequently claimed that they were acting defensively.
“The coalition has tried repeatedly in the past to say that airstrikes in residential areas in Yemen have been ‘defensive’ operations because they were responding to a ballistic missile strike,” Kizer said. “So it’s really important to define what that means.”
Biden’s call is a hard won-victory for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, much of which had urged Obama and Trump to end U.S. support for the war.
Kizer told The Intercept that building support for ending the war has been a long process among progressive activists, and that it was important to move the discussion beyond a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. “I think what really has been the gamechanger over the years is building a public education campaign that really changed the terms of the debate about what’s happening in Yemen,” Kizer said. “When we started in 2015, it was totally framed through the lens of Iran, and the détente with Saudi Arabia and the Iran nuclear deal. Very little was said about Yemen.”
https://theintercept.com/2021/02/04/biden-saudi-yemen-arms/
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When Obama entered the war on #Yemen, he cited "defensive" reasons (protecting Saudi from Houthis.) It soon became clear that it was nothing but an offensive attack that killed & starved hundreds of thousands. Biden must end ALL forms of support & the US must be held accountable.
https://twitter.com/shireen818/status/1357391964367388674
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EXPLAINER: What US ending Saudi war support means for Yemen
How those fractious forces respond will be key as the United Nations, the West and regional countries try to find a power-sharing political arrangement agreeable to all sides. Yemen’s long-troubled modern history suggests any deal will be difficult to reach and perhaps even harder to stick to.
Biden’s announcement appeared designed to put new pressure on Saudi Arabia to end its coalition campaign there. The UAE pulled out its ground forces in 2019 and has been urging a negotiated settlement to the war. Saudi Prince Khalid bin Salman, a deputy defense minister and son of King Salman, wrote on Twitter the kingdom wants to work toward “implementing a sustainable political settlement” in Yemen. The war has been a costly, bloody stalemate for his father, as well as his brother Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
However, previous U.N.-led efforts have yet to end the conflict. Meanwhile, secessionists allied to the UAE have openly battled other troops allied to the coalition. Any peace between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis may only see the country divided again in the future
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Progressives Cheer End of U.S. Support for Yemen War After More Than 230,000 Deaths
Senator Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent from Vermont, cheered the decision in a Thursday Twitter post. Sanders was instrumental in leading the efforts to pass a bipartisan war powers resolution to end U.S. support for the conflict, but Trump vetoed that bill in 2019.
"Today's announcement that the White House will end military support for the Saudi-led...Yemen war is a tribute to the work of so many activists over the years. Yemen needs food, medicine, and health care—not bombs and blockades," Sanders tweeted
Representatives Ro Khanna of California and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, both prominent progressive Democrats, voiced their support for Biden's decision as well.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, tweeted, "I have been calling for an end to US support for the senseless military campaign in Yemen, which only brought death and destruction to the Yemeni people. I fully support President Biden's announcement today on the end of US support for Saudi-Emerati offensive operations."
Democratic Representative Mark Pocan of Wisconsin wrote on Twitter, "This is a huge win—led by the work of @USProgressives—demanding for years that America ends its complicity in the Saudi war in Yemen and the human rights disaster that has resulted."
Defense Priorities, a national security think tank, also spoke favorably of the announcement.
"Ending U.S. offensive support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen would advance U.S. interests and values. This move could be a long-overdue step toward a more sensible and balanced U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East," Defense Priorities fellow Daniel DePetris told Newsweek.
"Because U.S. security does not depend on who wins Yemen's civil war, U.S. policy there need not sacrifice U.S. values to please the Saudis or Emiratis. The U.S. should be neutral and support a settlement," DePetris added.
Sanders: https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1357402795100504065
Khanna: https://twitter.com/RepRoKhanna/status/1357399891149008906
Pocan: https://twitter.com/repmarkpocan/status/1357389832281067522
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Chairman Schiff Statement on Yemen
Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement:
“For far too long, the United States has enabled the Saudi-led bombing campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, leading to horrific human suffering and devastation. The United States must fully end its involvement, because there is no military solution to this conflict.
“President Biden’s announcement that the United States has terminated support for ‘offensive operations’ in Yemen and will undertake a diplomatic effort to end the conflict there sets out exactly the right course. Bringing the conflict to a prompt end and alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe is in the interests of the United States and also our partners in the region.
“The Administration must also adjust other aspects of our cooperation with Saudi Arabia and our Gulf partners, consistent with our values and national interest. American support for Saudi Arabia must not be a blank check and Riyadh should understand that we will no longer look the other way when it commits human rights abuses.”
https://intelligence.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1116Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement:
“For far too long, the United States has enabled the Saudi-led bombing campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, leading to horrific human suffering and devastation. The United States must fully end its involvement, because there is no military solution to this conflict.
“President Biden’s announcement that the United States has terminated support for ‘offensive operations’ in Yemen and will undertake a diplomatic effort to end the conflict there sets out exactly the right course. Bringing the conflict to a prompt end and alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe is in the interests of the United States and also our partners in the region.
“The Administration must also adjust other aspects of our cooperation with Saudi Arabia and our Gulf partners, consistent with our values and national interest. American support for Saudi Arabia must not be a blank check and Riyadh should understand that we will no longer look the other way when it commits human rights abuses.”
https://intelligence.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1116
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'A Day Peace Activists... Have Been Waiting For': Biden Vows to Curb US Support for Saudi-Led War on Yemen
"This decision is the result of years of activism from Yemeni Americans and grassroots activists all over the world. Congrats to lovers of peace everywhere who know #YemenCantWait."
Danaka Katovich, Yemen campaign coordinator at the anti-war group CodePink, described Thursday as "a day peace activists around the world have been waiting for. On the campaign trail, President Biden said he would end support for the war in Yemen, and I hope he keeps that promise to the fullest extent."
As Medea Benjamin, CodePink's co-founder, pointed out on social media, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration's cessation of U.S. support for offensive operations in Yemen will include "an end to precision-guided munition sales," which have contributed to the massive civilian death toll.
While the Biden administration's "decision to stop U.S. support for 'offensive operations' by Saudi Arabia is critically important," said David Segal, co-founder and executive director of Demand Progress, "we must learn more about how 'offensive operations' are defined—and ensure that Biden's plans entail ending targeting support, spare parts transfers, and other logistical support, both known and unknown to the general public."
As for the White House's appointment of Lenderking, Martin said the new special envoy to Yemen "can push Saudi Arabia and the UAE to change its conduct and negotiate in good faith to end their war on Yemen and allow humanitarian aid to flow."
Martin added that Peace Action wants "to make sure the details include stopping all support and blocking all arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE."
Concerns about the fine-print were shared by Segal, who said the Biden administration should show Thursday's announcement "carries serious weight by immediately canceling the pending arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both of which have proven they cannot be entrusted with billions of dollars of advanced U.S. weaponry,"
Calling Biden's announcement a "historic win," peace activists at Just Foreign Policy (JFP) echoed those at Peace Action and Amnesty, emphasizing that "advocates will need to ensure that [halting U.S. participation in offensive operations in Yemen] includes all unconstitutional support for the war."
Hassan El-Tayyab, legislative manager for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), called the Biden administration's decision "the result of years of activism from Yemeni Americans and grassroots activists all over the world. Congrats to lovers of peace everywhere who know #YemenCantWait."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/04/day-peace-activists-have-been-waiting-biden-vows-curb-us-support-saudi-led-war-yemen = https://www.alternet.org/2021/02/biden-yemen/
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Bernie Sanders Says Biden Decision on Yemen a Tribute to 'So Many Activists Over the Years'
"Yemen needs food, medicine, and healthcare—not bombs and blockades," said Sanders.
Sen. Bernie Sanders was among those welcoming the White House announcement Thursday that the U.S. will limit its role in the Saudi-led war on Yemen by ending support for "offensive operations," with the Vermont Independent calling the development "a tribute to the work of so many activists over the years."
"Yemen needs food, medicine, and healthcare—not bombs and blockades," the senator tweeted.
In a statement, Sanders pointed to the legislative effort he undertook three years ago along with Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah ) to end U.S. participation in the bombing campaign of Yemen—now in its sixth year—as well as sustained activism by peace advocates.
MPower Change campaign director Sijal Nasralla said in a statement that it still represents "a real, monumental victory."
"We celebrate this massive step forward even knowing that under the war on terror, the United States will still have carte blanche to bomb Yemen, even if the immense suffering from this particular campaign ends," he said. "We also know that we must end the forever wars, and the Authorization for Use of Military Force that legally powers it."
Like Sanders, Nasralla gave a "massive thank you" to international peace activists "who began the effort under the Obama administration, kept it up under Trump, and have brought us to this moment under Biden."
"Let's remember," he said, that "this coalition effort saw one of the only real votes in Congress in decades to curb U.S. imperialism," referring to Sanders' war powers resolution. "Trump vetoed it then, but it helped lay the groundwork for this moment."
Nasralla called for continued pressure "to push the U.S. to end all of its forever wars."
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Biden’s Yemen U-turn gets thumbs-up overseas
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde welcomed the “enhanced US diplomatic support for UN peace efforts in Yemen” and Mr Biden’s appointment of Tim Lenderking as US envoy to a country ravaged by six years of bloodshed.
“A strong international push is needed to end the fighting and launch political talks,” Ms Linde said on Twitter.
The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, distanced the Emirates from the military campaign in Yemen, which Abu Dhabi left in October for a pivot to peace talks.
“Eager to see the war over, the UAE has supported UN efforts and multiple peace initiatives,” Dr Gargash wrote on Twitter.
“Throughout, the UAE has remained one of the largest providers of humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people.”
A statement in Arabic from the government-run Saudi Press Agency praised Mr Biden’s pledge to “co-operate with the kingdom to defend its sovereignty and address the threats against it”.
Activists offered stronger words still. The UK-based group Amnesty International urged Mr Biden to go farther and cease arms sales to any hot spot where “they will be used to commit war crimes”.
https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/biden-s-yemen-u-turn-gets-thumbs-up-overseas-1.1160105
and
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UAE FM Gargash: The UAE ended its military involvement in Yemen in October of last year. Eager to see the war over, the UAE has supported UN efforts & multiple peace initiatives. Throughout the the UAE has remained one of the largest providers of humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people.
https://twitter.com/AnwarGargash/status/1357424434999664643
and http://en.adenpress.news/news/32148
Comments: The Biden administration is not naive Gargash!! They know that the UAE Armed Forces are still present in Shabwa, at Alam. A military base was established in Balhaf"petroleum exporting site" on the coast of Shabwa. Al-Rayyan airport in Hadramout is used as a military base.
https://twitter.com/aalnaasi/status/1357432225097265154
President @JoeBiden and the US are not stupid and they know very well that the UAE is in #SouthYemen (South Arabia) just like US forces are there too, as part of an international counter terrorism coalition. The United States relies on the UAE and STC forces to fight terror.
https://twitter.com/saharyafa/status/1357488172859547649
You control Aden’s and Rayan’s airports. You control Shabwa oil fields, you occupy Socotra, you provide weapons, training and funds to your proxies in the South and the North and you operate secret prisons. So, let me know when you really leave #Yemen.
https://twitter.com/AishaJumaan/status/1357455937276006401
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Saudi Renews Support For Yemen Political Solution After Biden Speech
Saudi Arabia reaffirmed support for a "comprehensive political solution" in Yemen, state media reported early Friday, after President Joe Biden ended US support for the kingdom's military campaign in the country.
"The kingdom has affirmed its firm position in support of a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis, and welcomes the US emphasis on the importance of supporting diplomatic efforts to resolve the Yemeni crisis," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
Saudi Arabia also welcomed Biden's "commitment to cooperate with the kingdom to defend its sovereignty and counter threats against it", it added.
The statement did not address Biden's pledge to terminate US support for Saudi-led offensive operations in Yemen.
and
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Riyadh vows to continue military support to Yemen
Move comes following US decision to halt operations in Yemen
Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said on Friday that the Kingdom will continue its political and military support to the Yemeni government in the face of the Iranian-backed Houthi group.
Earlier on Thursday, US President Joe Biden made a decision to end US support for the kingdom's military campaign in Yemen.
Bin Salman, however, said: "We look forward to continue working with our American partners to alleviate the humanitarian situation and find a solution to the Yemen crisis."
He also reaffirmed the Kingdom's commitment to support diplomatic efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement in Yemen based on the Gulf initiative, the UN Security Council resolution 2216 and the outcomes of the Yemeni national dialogue.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/riyadh-vows-to-continue-military-support-to-yemen-/2134810
and
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Saudi Arabia Skips Over Joe Biden Ending U.S. Support in Yemen War
Saudi Arabia has skipped over the main thrust of President Joe Biden's promise to end U.S. support for the disastrous war in Yemen, instead focusing on the commander-in-chief's commitment to defending the kingdom from missile attacks and his call for a diplomatic solution.
The president said the U.S. would continue to provide defensive support to the Saudis to guard against Houthi missile and drone attacks, which have targeted oil infrastructure, major cities, airports and shipping. The U.S. will also continue operations against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which has exploited the war to seize more territory in Yemen.
Riyadh is facing a period of frosty ties with the U.S., a major departure from the Trump administration's glowing support for the royal family despite its well documented human rights abuses.
Saudi officials seized on Biden's defense commitments, sidestepping the president's clear rebuke of the kingdom's military campaign in Yemen.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the kingdom's foreign minister, said it "welcomes the United States' commitment, expressed in President Biden's speech today, to cooperate with the Kingdom in defending its security and territory," Arab News reported.
The Saudi deputy defense minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, also focused on the American push for peace rather than the fact that Biden will cut U.S. support for the Saudi campaign. The minister said the kingdom looked forward to working with Biden to "alleviate the humanitarian situation and find a solution to the Yemen crisis, and ensure peace and stability."
The Saudi Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said the kingdom "affirmed its steadfast position in supporting a comprehensive political solution to the Yemen crisis, and welcomed the US' emphasis on the importance of supporting diplomatic efforts to solve the Yemeni crisis."
The statement added: "The kingdom will continue its remarkable efforts to alleviate the human suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people, and has provided more than $17 billion over the past few years."
The ministry also said it would work closely with the U.S. "to deal with challenges in the region."
and Saudi statement in full:
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Saudi Arabia welcomes US commitment to cooperating with it in defending its sovereignty, to confronting threats targeting it, as expressed in President Joe Biden’s speech
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes the United States’ commitment to cooperating with the Kingdom in defending its sovereignty and to confronting threats targeting it, as expressed in President Joe Biden’s speech today.
The Kingdom reiterates its firm stance in supporting efforts to achieve a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Yemen. The Kingdom welcomes the United States' position underscoring the importance of supporting diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation in Yemen, including the efforts of the United Nations Yemen Envoy, Martin Griffiths. Within that framework, the Kingdom has undertaken several important steps to improve the chances of advancing the political track, including the Coalition’s unilateral cease-fire declaration, in response to the UN Secretary General’s call.
The Kingdom looks forward to working closely with President Biden's Administration and with the US Envoy for Yemen, Timothy Lenderking?, the United Nations, all Yemeni parties and the members of the Coalition, in the hope of reaching a comprehensive political solution in Yemen, in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2216, the GCC Initiative and the outcomes of the Yemeni National Dialogue.
That is the path the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is pursuing to help the brotherly nation of Yemen advance towards stability and prosperity. The Kingdom will continue its efforts to alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the brotherly people of Yemen. The Kingdom’s humanitarian assistance has surpassed 17 billion dollars in the past few years alone, and the Kingdom calls on all friendly nations and international organizations to intensify their humanitarian and relief assistance to the Yemeni people.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also looks forward to the continuation and strengthening its cooperation and coordination with the United States to address regional challenges, including advancing the Middle East peace process, resolving conflicts and promoting stability in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and the Sahel countries as well as confronting terrorism and extremism, and address the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic and work, as partners in the G-20 group, towards stabilizing international energy and financial markets and strengthening cooperation in the area of environmental protection, to advance our shared interests and to promote peace and stability in the region and the world.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2186797
My comment: A larger comment would be necessary here!
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Yemen, Houthis, S.Arabia hail Biden's decision on Yemen
US President Joe Biden formally ended support for Saudi-led offensive in Yemen, prohibits all 'relevant arms sales'
Houthis
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen also saluted Biden's decision.
"We welcome every effort by the US to stop the war in Yemen and to lift the siege on the country," the so-called Foreign Minister of the Houthis, Hisham Sharaf, told Al-Mayadeen channel affiliated with the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Referring to a Houthi source, which it did not reveal, the channel also claimed that there had been talks between the Houthis and the new administration of the US for a week.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-houthis-sarabia-hail-bidens-decision-on-yemen/2134623
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Yemeni warring factions welcome Biden peace push
Yemen's warring factions declared their readiness to act after US President Joe Biden called for renewed efforts to end their conflict, but experts said Friday that a real solution appears out of reach.
Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, welcomed his remarks and stressed the "importance of supporting diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis".
It hailed Timothy Lenderking's appointment as US envoy, describing it as "another important step" taken by the US to "end the war caused by the Iran-backed Huthis".
The Huthi rebels, who control much of the country, including the capital Sanaa, said they supported the approach of the new US administration.
"The real proof to achieve peace in Yemen is an end to the aggression and a lifting of the blockade," Huthi spokesman Mohamed Abdel Salam in a tweet.
"Yemen's missiles are for the defence of Yemen and stopping them comes when an end to the aggression and a lifting of the blockade are totally achieved," he added.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210205-yemeni-warring-factions-welcome-biden-peace-push = https://www.rfi.fr/en/middle-east/20210205-yemeni-warring-factions-welcome-biden-peace-push
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[Hadi] Yemen gov’t says willing to work with Biden to end Saudi war
Yemen’s foreign minister said his government will work with President Joe Biden’s administration to end the war in the Arab world’s poorest country.
Still, Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak insisted the Houthi rebels and their Iranian backers remain the main obstacle to peace — an apparent defense of Saudi military involvement in Yemen.
“We will deal positively with the attitude of the new U.S. administration, which wants to end the conflict in Yemen,” Bin Mubarak told The Associated Press late Thursday.
“This has always been our goal since the war started, and we dealt positively with all U.N. initiatives in the past, but we are always faced with the intransigence of Houthi militias and Iran’s agenda in the region,” he said.
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-middle-east-yemen-sanaa-fb9af5e407862d5a55df72db0969229b
and
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[Hadi] Yemen Govt Welcomes Biden’s Support for Diplomatic Efforts to Resolve its Crisis
The legitimate Yemeni government welcomed on Thursday US President Joe Biden’s remarks on its country’s conflict and his underlining of the need to reach a diplomatic solution.
It hailed the appointment of diplomat Timothy Lenderking as the US special envoy for Yemen, deeming it a significant step as part of its efforts to support the Yemeni government and people as they attempt to end the conflict that was sparked by the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
The government reiterated its commitment to working with its brothers in the Saudi-led Arab coalition and members of the international community to reach a political solution that leads to comprehensive and sustainable peace in Yemen.
The solution, it continued, must be based on the Gulf initiative, national dialogue outcomes and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, specifically resolution 2216.
My comment: LOL. And they again claim their so-called “three references” – which would claim the Houthis must capitulate and the Hadi government would be Yemen’s sole legitimate government body.
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Amnesty International: AS BIDEN ENDS SUPPORT TO CONFLICT IN YEMEN, ARMS FLOWS MUST ALSO BE STOPPED
Responding an announcement today from the Biden administration that the United States will cease support to the Saudi/UAE-led coalition engaged in Yemen, Philippe Nassif, the advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa said:
“As the conflict in Yemen enters its seventh year, it is vital for the United States to commit to prioritizing the safety of civilians in the country. Central to these efforts will be stopping the flow of arms from the United States into situations where they will be used to commit war crimes and grave human rights violations. Halting the sale of precision guided munitions is the first big step. The human tragedy of United States arms sales is immense pain and suffering inflicted on civilians in Yemen that must not be continued to be swept aside, and crimes committed with arms sold by the United States must be investigated.
“Paveway guided missiles were found by Amnesty International to have been used to commit war crimes in Yemen. All arms sales to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia should be blocked lest they be used to commit further war crimes in Yemen.”
https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/as-biden-ends-support-to-conflict-in-yemen-arms-flows-must-also-be-stopped/ = https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/us-halting-arms-sales-saudi-arabia-big-step-helping-end-yemen-war-more-must-be-done
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Biden Says He’s Ending the Yemen War—But It's Too Soon to Celebrate
The details of Biden’s Yemen war announcement are what matter. Those are still not clear.
But Biden’s foreign policy speech, delivered just hours after Sullivan’s teaser, unfortunately underscored that we must not celebrate the end of the war until we verify that it has actually, materially ended. That is because Biden’s remarks leave just enough room for the president to gesture toward ending the war without actually halting all U.S. participation in it.
Biden first noted that USAID will reach Yemeni civilians who have suffered “unendurable devastation” (the Trump administration suspended aid to much of Yemen in 2020) and declared “this war has to end.” He then added, “We are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen including relevant arms sales.” But the president continued, “At the same time, Saudi Arabia faces missile attacks and UAV strikes and other threats from Iranian supplied forces in multiple countries. We are going to continue to help Saudi Arabia defend its sovereignty and its territorial integrity and its people.”
Unfortunately, qualifiers like “offensive” and “relevant” do not signal a clear commitment to ending all forms of support for the U.S. war in Yemen, which includes targeting assistance, weapons sales (the U.S. is the largest supplier of arms to Saudi Arabia), logistics, training, and intelligence sharing with the Saudi-led coalition. Labeling Yemen’s Houthis as “Iranian supplied forces,” and making a commitment to defending Saudi Arabia’s “sovereignty,” echoes President Obama’s initial pretense for entering the war on Yemen in 2015.
from the outset, this onslaught was framed by the U.S. as defensive.
Importantly, Sullivan noted that ending the war in Yemen “does not extend to actions against AQAP,” or al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. While sanctioned by the AUMF, it’s important to oppose this parallel U.S.-led war in Yemen that has also led to the killing of civilians.
Now, more than ever, it is vital to hold a firm line about what a real end to U.S. participation in the Yemen war means: an end to all U.S. assistance, including intelligence sharing, logistical help, training, providing spare parts transfers for warplanes, bomb targeting, weapons sales and support for the naval blockade (we still don’t know the full extent of U.S. support for the latter). It also requires that the United States immediately reverse the Trump administration’s designation of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), a determination that is cutting off critical aid to northern Yemen and significantly escalating the crisis of mass starvation.
Because these things have not yet come to pass, it is critical to keep up the pressure until the war is really ended. As much as we might welcome positive messaging — no doubt a result of the pressure exerted by dogged organizers — we must not rest until we have won actual material relief.
This is not to sow nihilism: It is significant that President Biden, whose own Obama-Biden administration first initiated U.S. involvement in the war, feels that he has to answer to anti-war activists.
But rhetoric and positive signals are not enough. We need a material end to all U.S. assistance now, before one more Yemeni dies, and we need to verify that this assistance has ended before we declare victory. The Trump administration claimed, at various points, that it was working toward the end of the war via a “political solution.” Of course, the Trump administration horrifically escalated the war — rhetoric to the contrary did not shield Yemenis from U.S.-manufactured bombs, or the assault on the port city of Hodeidah.
The Obama-Biden administration made numerous announcements in 2012 and 2013 that it would end the U.S. war in Afghanistan by 2014. But we saw that declarations do not, in themselves, end U.S. aggression. This principle especially applies when declarations are loaded with red-flag-raising qualifiers like “offensive operations” and “relevant weapons systems.” We should know in a matter of weeks what the details of Biden’s plans for Yemen are. The job in the meantime is to maintain pressure, to ensure the Biden administration brings about a real end to the war that the president helped start — and says he wants to bring to a close.
https://inthesetimes.com/article/yemen-war-end-saudi-arabia-biden-sullivan-trump
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Yemen Yes! Now Afghanistan!
Making sure those statements are held true in the ordinary sense of the words will take ongoing vigilance. One can expect attempts at exceptions for particularly desired drone murders, which is a large part of what created the war on Yemen in the first place. Ending a war needs to mean ending a war. That sounds obvious, but it never has meant that before. Both Obama and Trump were given credit (by different people) for years for “ending” wars they didn’t end. This one has to be real. That includes making sure “relevant” arms sales doesn’t rely on a new definition of “relevant” crafted by a lawyer for Raytheon.
“Ending the war” is shorthand for ending U.S. participation of all sorts in the war, of course. But this is a war that cannot last without U.S. participation.
There are reasons to think this ending can be made to stick. Biden has not informed journalists of deceptive meanings in his statements (yet, to my knowledge). Lying this prominently and early on this topic would hurt this president. In addition, this is the first war ended by Congress. Sure, Congress ended it when Trump was president and he vetoed that, but very clearly Congress was going to be compelled to end it again — compelled by the public — if Biden did not act. So, Biden knows this wasn’t a choice left up to him. It was also something that he (and the 2020 Democratic Party Platform) had already been obliged to promise.
The most important lesson here is that public pressure on and through numerous governments worked.
http://warisacrime.org/2021/02/04/yemen-yes-now-afghanistan/
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An End to U.S. Participation in the War in Yemen: “A Critical Step to Saving Children’s Lives”
Save the Children applauds the Biden Administration’s announcement that it will take concrete steps to end U.S. participation in Yemen’s conflict
“Yemen’s children have suffered untold horrors over the last six years—their schools and hospitals have been attacked, their parents have been killed, and they’ve had to watch their siblings starve to death. Today’s announcement by President Biden is a critical step to saving children’s lives in Yemen and giving them the future they deserve,” said Janti Soeripto, President and CEO of Save the Children
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IRC's David Miliband responds to end of US support for offensive operations in Yemen
David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, said, “President Biden promised that he would reverse failed policies in Yemen and today he has delivered. After years of diplomatic inertia at best and diplomatic vandalism at worst, his announcement of a new US approach to the war in Yemen is a vital first step in reversing the tide of human misery that has engulfed the country. The shift from a failed war strategy toward a comprehensive diplomatic approach cannot come a moment too soon.
“The end of US support for offensive operations, alongside the pause in arms sales, and the appointment of a new Envoy, are necessary and welcome.
and Oxfam tweet: https://twitter.com/OxfamAmerica/status/1357433851744813056
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CAIR Welcomes President Biden’s End of U.S. Military Support for Saudi Military Campaign in Yemen
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed President Biden’s announcement that the U.S. will no longer support “offensive” operations in Saudi Arabia’s disastrous military campaign in Yemen.
(A P)
More statements: I agree this war has to end. So end it, @JoeBiden. End all arms sales (not just "relevant" ones). End all targeting, logistics, & training. Stop using Saudi as an excuse to bomb & starve #Yemen. End the war you started so that Yemenis no longer suffer "unendurable devastation"
https://twitter.com/shireen818/status/1357421187824033794
My heart is beating, not for the announcement itself but for thinking of it is a huge step towards a real peace agreement in #Yemen between all parties to the conflict. A step towards life. I miss life a lot. Thank you to each single effort that led to this. Waiting for more.
https://twitter.com/RAlmutawakel/status/1357405695856017408
@JoeBiden will end US participation in the Saudi-led war on #Yemen. This decision is the result of years of activism from Yemeni Americans and grassroots activists all over the world. Congrats to lovers of peace everywhere who know
https://twitter.com/HassanElTayyab/status/1357382080276164611
-Suspend all weapons transfers to Saudi Arabia/the UAE until they curtail unlawful airstrikes in Yemen
Now, the US admin must: -Credibly investigate past alleged violations by US-made weapons -Investigate US officials for potential complicity in war crimes in Yemen
https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser/status/1357383563616935937
Since 2015, the U.S. has been providing the coalition w/: arm sales (we're the largest arm sales exporter) military support: targeting & logistical & repairs enforcing the blockade which has starved millions cutting aid into Yemen ALL of this 'support' MUST END!
https://twitter.com/Jehan_Hakim/status/1357394309150986240
(B P)
The "end the war" discourse is problematic. The war won't end by halting arms sales to Saudis although that would help. The Biden admin need to understand that #Yemen war is much more complex & won't be resolved through a political settlement between Houthis & Hadi govt. 1/5
Such political settlement excludes most Yemeni groups. It also risks tipping military balance in favor of Houthis who so far exploited every ceasefire to regroup & expand militarily much like they did following the Stockholm agreement that was brokered by UN Envoy in Dec 2018.2/5
A political settlement under current conditions will be a quick win for western diplomacy. But it will reinforce the power dynamics that gave rise to the conflict, empower war criminals at the expense of Yemenis,& undermine opportunities to build genuine & sustainable peace.
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1357440151102910472
My comment: Why the UN should take a non-neutral position???
cp2 Allgemein / General
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Interactive Map of Yemen War
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Yemen War map updates
Feb. 4: https://southfront.org/biden-to-announce-end-to-us-support-for-saudi-led-coalition-in-yemen/
(A P)
Saudi Arabia Pays More to US to Protect It from Yemeni Retaliatory Attacks
Saudi Arabia insists on not learning from its experiences, as a spokesman for the US Central Command revealed, on Wednesday, that a plan has been drawn up to prepare supply and logistical services bases in several bases in Saudi Arabia, to protect them from drone and cruise missile attacks.
Saudi Arabia, which has waged a brutal aggression on Yemen since 2015, is unable, despite all the billions it pays to the US, to stop Yemen's retaliatory attacks on strategic targets in Saudi Arabia, with the aim of deterring the aggression, stopping its siege and starving the Yemeni people. So far, US weapons and advanced Patriot missiles have failed to repel Yemeni attacks, despite their reliance on homemade weapons and modest capabilities.
Instead of Saudi Arabia seeking to stop the war and get out of its predicament in Yemen through dialogue and end the aggression against the neighboring Muslim Yemeni people, the Riyadh authorities insist on paying more to the US to transfer more US weapons and equipment to the region and give the American colonialist more justifications for his presence in the oil-rich region. This was evident through the alleged attack on Riyadh with drones, which Saudi Arabia announced last week, as the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees denied launching any attack, saying that it would announce if it attacked.
(A K P)
[Hadi] Government warns of humanitarian catastrophe in Marib amid Houthi military escalation
Yemen's internationally recognised government on Wednesday warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Marib province due to continued military escalation by the Houthi group.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Awadh bin Mubarak said at a virtual meeting with the Swedish envoy to Yemen Peter Semneby the humanitarian situation is very worrisome in the province hosting hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-22921.html
(A P)
Int'l team arrives in Aden to probe deadly airport bombings
An international team arrived on Wednesday in Yemen's southern port city of Aden to investigate the deadly bombings that struck the city's airport at the end of December 2020, a government official told Xinhua.
A UN plane landed at the Aden International Airport carrying "senior international experts" to investigate "the missile attack on the city's sole airport," the local government source said on condition of anonymity.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-02/03/c_139718954.htm
(B K P)
Leitartikel: Der Krieg ohne Ende
Hinzu kommen alte Wunden, die das Bürgerkriegsland seit jeher plagen und nicht verheilen wollen. Sie übertönen lautstark die erste Euphorie der Demokratisierungswelle nach dem Rücktritt Salehs. Denn zu tief sitzen die historischen, kulturellen, geografischen und religiösen Spaltungen innerhalb eines Landes, in dem unterschiedliche Gruppierungen – Huthis, Separatisten im Süden des Landes, Loyalisten und unterschiedliche Stämme – um Macht und Einfluss ringen, befeuert durch geopolitische Interessen der „big player“ Saudi-Arabien und Iran. Ein hochexplosiver Cocktail, dessen Leidtragende die Zivilbevölkerung ist, die bereits von Hungersnot und Cholera heimgesucht wird.
Der Jemen scheint gefangen in einem unentwirrbaren Teufelskreis. Eine militärische Lösung kann es aber nicht geben. Ein Weiterführen des Krieges würde nur noch mehr Opfer fordern und die Fronten bei künftigen Friedensverhandlungen verhärten. Eine politische Lösung muss her, und zwar schnell, um das entsetzliche Leid der Zivilisten zu beenden. Das setzt aber voraus, dass Saudi-Arabien und Iran bereit sind zu verhandeln und als Vermittler aufzutreten sowie Nahrungsmittel und medizinische Versorgungsgüter statt Waffen und Kampfflugzeuge in den Jemen schicken, die nur zur weiteren Eskalation beitragen. Und das setzt voraus, dass die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate mit ihrem doppelten Spiel aufhören, indem sie einerseits Teil der von Saudi-Arabien geführten Koalition sind, parallel aber die Separatisten im Süden unterstützen und den Konflikt damit weiter anheizen.
https://www.wort.lu/de/international/leitartikel-der-krieg-ohne-ende-601adab7de135b9236763d37
Mein Kommentar: Oberflächlich schnell hingeschrieben; der Iran spielt keine solche Rolle im Jemen. Und die USA und Großbritannien werden nicht einmal erwähnt!
und
(B K P)
Jemen: Wo 24 Millionen Menschen hungern
Die humanitäre Tragödie im Jemen hat sich weiter verschärft. Eine Kurs-Korrektur der Biden-Administration macht jedoch ein wenig Hoffnung.
https://www.wort.lu/de/international/jemen-wo-24-millionen-menschen-hungern-601aa649de135b92360523cf
(* B E H P)
Ineptitude, corruption render Yemenis’ lives even more dire
For years, more than a million government employees have been living in Houthi-controlled areas without salaries, despite the group’s ability to pay them, which has led to an increase in extreme poverty and deterioration in living conditions.
Booming corruption amid ongoing conflict in Yemen is complicating international efforts to alleviate the acute humanitarian crisis.
Despite the support of donors who have invested billions to help Yemenis cope with their difficult situation, the conditions in the country are deteriorating and the whole aid process is almost at a standstill.
At a time when Yemen is enduring a tragic humanitarian crisis, the persistence of war economy and the accumulation of illicit wealth have become entrenched in the poorest Arab country, leading to the loss of billions of dollars that could have been sufficient to alleviate the country’s worsening humanitarian situation.
The war, which has lasted for more than six years, has claimed the lives of at least 233,000 people. About 80% of Yemen’s population has become dependent on aid to survive while facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the United Nations.
Corruption and the squandering of aid funds are not blamed on one side of the conflict. The Iran-aligned Houthi militias and the “legitimate” government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi are both accused of money laundering and diverting funds, according to UN experts who released a report last week.
The Houthis did not respond to a request for comment on the accusations in the UN report and the Yemeni government rejected the accusations, with the Central Bank saying the operations it carried out were transparent and compliant with international banking and trade requirements.
Yemeni economic researcher Abdul Wahid al-Aubali said that “the revenues received by the Houthis annually amount to more than $1.8 billion.” He told the Anadolu news agency that the Houthis are practically taking over these revenues from taxes, customs and fees, which constituted about 30% of the Yemeni government budget, according to 2014 figures.
Aubali noted that “the Houthis receive more money than the UN report mentioned, but the lack of transparency and terrorism practiced by the militias against journalists have hindered the monitoring and documentation of their abuses.”
The researcher considers that “the UN report contains very dangerous information, and it will affect the Yemeni government’s ability to restore confidence in its financial institutions, because trust is an integral part of the capital of any bank.”
“The documentation of corruption within Yemen’s Central Bank by a UN body will make it difficult to restore confidence and will delay the cooperation of donors, particularly Saudi Arabia, possibly leading to a delay in response to government’s requests for support with new deposits,” Aubali added.
Afaf al-Abarra, a Yemeni journalist specialised in humanitarian affairs, says that the war economy has been entrenched in the country since the beginning of the conflict,allowing many figures affiliated with both the government and the Houthis to accumulate wealth.
Abara explained that “illicit wealth, financial corruption, widespread exploitation and trade in international aid are all factors that have led to the deterioration of Yemenis’ living conditions, with many being on the brink of starvation.”
She pointed out that “at a time when more than a million employees live without salaries, there is a great squandering of funds to finance the war.”She condemned authorities’ indifference to people’s suffering, noting that most employees are “now living in poverty.”
https://thearabweekly.com/ineptitude-corruption-render-yemenis-lives-even-more-dire
My comment: By a pro-UAE news site. Should the Houthis really be blamed in this way: “For years, more than a million government employees have been living in Houthi-controlled areas without salaries, despite the group’s ability to pay them”? In war, alls governments spend all they can for war efforts. If the Houthi government has 30 % of the pre-war budget – how to pay ca. 75 % state employees?
(* A P)
Yemen rebels 'ready' for UN mission to repair tanker, deny delay
Yemen's Huthi rebels said Wednesday they are "ready" to allow a UN mission to inspect a long-abandoned fuel tanker which threatens to cause a massive oil spill, denying UN allegations of new delaying tactics.
"There is nothing new, no problems and no delays," Ahmed Dares, a Huthi official responsible for oil affairs, told AFP.
He said they were "ready for maintenance operations" to commence in March, as previously announced by the United Nations.
and
(* A P)
U.N. bid to avert oil spill off Yemen uncertain as Houthis mull 'review'
Yemen’s Houthi group has advised the United Nations to pause preparations to deploy a team to assess a decaying oil tanker threatening to spill 1.1 million barrels of crude oil off the war-torn country’s coast, a U.N. spokesman said on Tuesday.
The tanker Safer has been stranded off Yemen’s Red Sea oil terminal of Ras Issa for more than five years, and U.N. officials have warned it could spill four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska.
Houthi authorities gave long-awaited approval in November for a visit to assess the tanker. A U.N. team, which includes a private company contracted by the world body to do the work, was aiming to travel to the tanker early next month.
But U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that time line was now uncertain amid U.N. concerns about signals from the Houthis that they are considering a “review” of their formal approval of the tanker mission.
“Houthi officials have advised the U.N. to pause certain preparations pending the outcome of such process, which would create further delays to the mission,” he said in a statement.
He said the United Nations had so far spent $3.35 million on preparing for the mission. The world body also has to lease a technically equipped vessel, but needs a letter from the Houthis with security assurances.
“We regret that, to date, we have not received a response to our multiple requests for this letter, the lack of which would increase the cost of the mission by hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Dujarric said.
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV last week quoted a senior Houthi official as saying the United Nations had made additional requests that had not been part of an agreed framework.
“Their new requests are related to their financial relationship with insurance firms and we will not get involved in matters that do not concern us,” the Houthi official said.
and also https://apnews.com/article/yemen-red-sea-united-nations-e32c2bacd0e7d7e8a8cefc983c099d48
and by an UAE news site: https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/yemen-s-houthis-are-stalling-repairs-on-rusty-tanker-un-says-1.1158492
and
(* B P)
The Oil Tanker Waiting to Ruin Yemen’s Coast
How squabbles over oil in the SAFER tanker off the coast of Yemen is preventing a simple solution to an environmental crisis
The vessel, moored 4 miles off the Ras Isa port in Yemen, was used as a storage terminal for crude oil until 2015, when it was abandoned after much of Yemen’s western coastline fell under the control of al-Houthi rebels. Neglected and without maintenance for over five years in the hot, saline waters of the Red Sea with over 1 million barrels of crude onboard, the “SAFER” — its English transliterated name — has decayed rapidly, threatening an oil spill four times the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989.
None of the countries bordering the Red Sea is more vulnerable to a SAFER spill than Yemen. A huge contamination of oil threatens to upend every layer of the war-torn country’s fragile socio-environmental system, from its mangrove swamps and bountiful fish stocks to its largest port in Al Hudaydah, where virtually all of the nation’s humanitarian aid arrives.
Despite these risks, the challenging political climate in the region has led to years of inaction as the vessel slides further into disrepair. The SAFER crisis would only be the latest — and possibly the most egregious — example of the willingness of regional actors to put the environment and the people who rely on it in extreme danger to maintain a status quo that is favorable to their geopolitical interests.
When Yemen’s war broke out in 2015, workers were told to abandon the SAFER. Since then, Gaghman said, “the fate of the ship has been at the mercy of God and the sea.”
Using data from Yemen’s Environmental Protection Agency and Central Bureau of Statistics, the Yemeni environmental organization Holm Akhdar (Green Dream) estimated that a massive oil spill near Ras Isa would destroy over 800,000 tons of fish stocks in Yemen’s waters and that the marine ecosystem could take over 25 years to recover. Other experts have warned of consequences beyond the mass death of marine life.
The al-Houthi rebels that control access to the tanker have scoffed at the environmental concerns of marine scientists.
“The life of the shrimps is more precious than the life of a Yemeni citizen to the U.S. and its allies,” wrote top al-Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, apparently responding to warnings of environmental devastation from international experts.
The sentiment echoes a long-standing tension in crisis areas — that concerns of ecological degradation obscure the plight of ordinary people.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the SAFER situation is the logistical simplicity of its solution
https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-oil-tanker-waiting-to-ruin-yemens-coast/
(* B P)
How the odds were stacked against Yemen's Arab Spring revolution
For many Yemenis, this historic event signalled a shift away from oppression towards unified hopes for freedom. It ultimately led to huge setbacks however, in the form of a brutal conflict, humanitarian anguish and counter-revolutionary agendas.
Nabil al-Bokairi, a Yemeni researcher, described it as one of the most peaceful and civil Arab Spring uprisings, which managed to reach "the first stages of political and democratic transition through the completion of the national dialogue and the draft constitution."
"However, it turned against Yemeni legitimacy and transformed the Yemeni revolution from a democratic transformation into a sectarian coup that subsequently turned into a civil and regional war that has not stopped since its outbreak six years ago," he told The New Arab.
The revolution was seen as positive for initially uniting Yemenis from all walks of life, including liberals, socialists, feminists and Islamists, all with the same ambition of regime change.
However, there were also positives in that the revolution shifted the debate over the role of women, who played a prominent part in the revolution and joined the struggle for change.
"The distinctive presence of Yemeni women in the revolution was very striking to a patriarchal and conservative Yemeni society," Saba Hamzah, who took part in the revolution, now living in the Netherlands, told The New Arab.
Counter-revolutionary agendas
However, there were other forces seeking to derail the revolution and steal the hopes of freedom away from the people. The first was the Houthi insurgency in September 2014
My comment: No, this wasn’t the Houthi uprising. The revolution had been stolen much earler – by the GCC which managed to stop it by installing a puppet president (Hadi), himself a corrupt figure of the old regime, who tried to fool the Houthis by his federation plans and then tried to impose austerity measured the IMF wanted to be introduced.
(B P)
Film: Decade after Arab spring, Yemen has little hope left | 10 years of Yemen's Civil War
It has been 10 years since the Arab Spring broke out in the middle east, but in the troubled nation of Yemen despite the fact that decade has gone by there is a little hope of peace. WION brings you a report.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkoVHz7m98A
(* B K P)
Diwan Episode 4 - Yemen's Uprising, ten years on
To commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the 'Day Of Rage' in Sana'a, and the subsequent youth-led uprising, Diwan gathered a diverse group of Yemeni figures to discuss the events leading up to the uprising, the impact on Yemen's structure of power and how the effects manifest today, six years into a devastating civil war. We are joined by : Dr. Abu Bakr al-Qirbi (former Minister of Foreign Affairs), Mr. Amr Ali Salem al-Baydh (member of the STC), Nasser Arrabyee (Sana'a-based journalist), Mr. Labib Nasher (independent activist) and Mr. Ibrahim Qatabi (Yemeni-American activist).
https://anchor.fm/fernando-carvajal0/episodes/Diwan-Episode-4---Yemens-Uprising--ten-years-on-eptjk1
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(B H K)
Siamese Twins Suffering Highlights Impact of Saudi-led Forces Blocked of Sana'a Int. Airport, 3 Thousands Need Treatment Abroad
"The case of the Siamese twins is a simple example of the suffering of Yemeni children, as there are more than 3000 cases of congenital anomalies that need treatment abroad."
He stated that "rapid surgical intervention is the essential step to avoid any complications on the lives of the Siamese twins, and we have done everything we can in this matter and sent all the required reports to Jordan."
He added that there are 72 thousand cases of cancer registered in the National Center, but there are many cases in remote areas that cannot reach the capital due to the aggression.
(B K P)
YPC: US-Saudi Aggression Continues to Detain Oil Ships to Pressure Sana'a Government
Yemen: Saudi-led aggression continued to detain fuel vessels to pressure the Sana’a government, Executive Director of Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) Ammar Al-Adhrai said on Thursday.
In a statement, Al-Adhrai indicated that the aggression’s continued piracy against fuel ships is causing great losses to the Yemeni.
“The Petroleum Company’s stock has run out since mid-January, and all service sectors may stop in the coming days,” he added, indicating that no liter of fuel has entered since the beginning of January until today.
The coalition did not only detain fuel ships by sea, but also it holds smugglers’ trucks in Abyan, Al-Adhrai explained.
Al-Adhrai pointed out that the direct and indirect losses might exceed 20 billion dollars, calling on all free peoples of the world to claim the release of the Yemeni fuel ships held by the US-Saudi aggression.
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A H)
Turkish charity distributes aid in Yemen
Kardes Eli Humanitarian Aid Association distributes clean water, food, hygiene packages among needy people
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkish-charity-distributes-aid-in-yemen/2135052
(* B H)
Hunger deaths aren’t simply about famine or no famine
‘Focus on loss of life – and urgently trying to prevent it – rather than whether a famine has been declared.’
The “f-word” has been on the tongues of leading humanitarians a lot lately, with famine found “likely” to be occurring in one area of South Sudan, and – despite a lot of warnings from the United Nations – no famine found thus far in Yemen.
But a declaration of famine – or the lack thereof – doesn’t tell the whole story: After years of violent conflict, lives are likely being lost every day in both Yemen and South Sudan from hunger and malnutrition-related causes.
The way we analyse and determine famine – the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, which we are all involved in – frequently doesn’t have information about deaths in real time, and doesn’t assess cumulative mortality. Intended as a technical analysis of food security, it amalgamates different kinds of information into a single analysis, classifying the severity of a food security and nutrition crisis. These classifications, called “Phases”, range from no or minimal food insecurity, which is Phase 1, through to the most severe: famine, which is Phase 5.
To designate a famine, specific thresholds of hunger, malnutrition, and mortality must be surpassed. But establishing this can be hard. In places that are difficult to access because of conflict, figures are frequently incomplete and some may be out of date. In South Sudan and Yemen, mortality numbers are often missing because authorities have not permitted country-wide data collection.
Journalists, humanitarians, and politicians often portray acute food insecurity crises as a dichotomy between famine and no famine, especially if they are keen either to draw attention to a crisis or to downplay it.
They shouldn’t.
IPC Phases should not be viewed in isolation. They should be considered alongside two often overlooked factors: the magnitude of a hunger problem (how many people are in the various Phases in a particular setting), and the duration (how long they have been in it).
Here’s just one current example of why magnitude matters.
Nobody knows the actual death tolls in South Sudan or Yemen. But we believe it’s quite possible that future demographers and nutritionists will conclude that hundreds of thousands of people died from hunger and related causes in these countries, and that almost all died in places where there was never an official designation of famine
(* B H)
Yemen’s ‘marginalized ones’ endure hunger, displacement
Conflict and displacement have compounded centuries of discrimination against Yemen’s Muhamasheen minority, denying access to jobs, documentation and humanitarian aid.
While the conflict in Yemen has hit the entire country hard, few have felt the deprivation as keenly as the Muhamasheen, an underclass to which Mariam belongs. The outcast ethnic group dubbed the ‘marginalized ones’ were already suffering the legacy of centuries of discrimination and poverty before fighting broke out in 2015.
The deeply rooted discrimination they face is believed by some to be linked to their ethnic origin as the descendants of African slaves brought to the region in the sixth century. They are mostly confined to slums on the outskirts of towns and cities with few economic opportunities, and lack access to basic services such as water, sanitation and education.
To ease the sense of marginalization surrounding the group, the Sana’a authorities recently renamed them the “grandchildren of Bilal”, after a highly respected historical figure in the Muslim world – a former African slave and close companion of the Prophet Mohammed who led the first call to prayer.
Mariam, 50, and her family were forced to flee their home in Sa’ada, north-western Yemen, after the conflict erupted in 2015. She now faces a daily battle for survival alongside 136 other families on a site hosting displaced Yeminis in the Kharif district of Amran governorate, north of the capital Sana’a.
A widow with six children of her own, Mariam adopted seven of her nieces and nephews after her brother and his wife were killed in the bombing that forced her to leave home. Undernourished and gaunt, she must now feed and take care of 13 children on her own.
Mariam doubts that an education will do much to improve their prospects in any case, as Muhamasheens often have few alternatives to menial, low-paid jobs. Her adopted son Hassain, 20, earns a little money by collecting and selling recyclable waste at the Kharif hosting site to supplement what little support they get from aid agencies.
“At night it gets very cold, but we don’t have a blanket for everyone, so one blanket is shared by three,” said Mariam, pointing to a small pile of blankets folded up in one corner of the tent.
Their lack of identity documents and exclusion from any tribal affiliation also means that Mariam and most of her children are often ineligible for food distributions and other forms of humanitarian aid, receiving only a fraction of the assistance they need based on the documents of her four children.
While the actual number of Muhamaseen is not known, estimates range from between half a million to 3.5 million, with most residing in Al Hudaydah, Taizz, Ibb, Lahj, Mahaweet, Hajjah and Hadramout governorates.
Despite this assistance, millions of people in Yemen continue to suffer. Ongoing conflict is leading to a sharp deterioration in living conditions across the country. UNHCR is witnessing a spike in people’s needs, exacerbated by new frontlines, a collapsing economy, diminished social services and a loss of livelihoods.
(B H)
Film by World Bank: Saving Lives by Protecting Essential Health Services in Yemen
Every day, Yemenis travel hundreds of kilometers across rough terrain to reach the nearest hospital—unsure if they will even get the treatment they so desperately need. Through the Emergency Health and Nutrition Project (EHNP), the World Bank, UNICEF, and WHO have made health care accessible for millions. They are working to help improve and strengthen human capital for the future – Yemen’s future. People no longer have to travel hundreds of miles to seek care. Through this project, there are now health facilities that have been equipped to meet their needs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdd46iNQ9oA
More information: https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P161809
(B H)
Video from @SMEPSYEMEN shows new local manufacturing of drip irrigation systems. Making this technology available locally helps sustain agriculture, saves water, reduces cost & massively contributes to food security.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGaPgL5XL4Y
and also https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1356964533433212928
(B H)
Good news. Salwa is getting better and she is recovering slowly. Thank you so much all for standing with her. (photo)
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1357008389885358091
(B H)
HI builds a rehabilitation unit in Sanaa, Yemen
Humanity & Inclusion (HI) has built a rehabilitation unit in Sana’a, North Yemen, where patients will have access to specific rehabilitation equipment such as treatment tables, shoulder wheels and exercise bikes. This unit will complete the Al Kuwait hospital which is one of the main hospitals in Sanaa.
Humanity & Inclusion (HI) has built and kitted out this rehabilitation unit with specialist equipment, to enable patients of Al-Kuwait hospital to receive the high-quality medical support they need before being discharged. The rehabilitation unit will be run by one physiotherapist and three assistants trained by HI.
300 patients are expected to benefit from the new facility each month. This will include inpatients from every hospital department such as orthopaedic, neurological and surgical departments as well as outpatients.
https://humanity-inclusion.org.uk/en/news/hi-builds-a-rehabilitation-unit-in-sanaa-yemen-
(* B H)
Disfigured by acid, the face of violence against Yemen's women
Married at the age of 12, rejected at 16, and then disfigured in an acid attack, Al-Anoud Hussain Sheryan's fate is a shocking illustration of abuse in a society beset by war and poverty.
Now aged 19, the Yemeni woman agreed to relate her ordeal at the hands of her abusive husband -- rare testimony in a country where domestic violence is largely hidden.
"He grabbed me by the hair and poured the acid on me while laughing," she told AFP as she sat with her veil framing a face badly scarred by last October's assault that also left deep wounds on her body.
"I went through hell," she said, describing her years of marriage which she said she spent chained and often beaten.
When her father died, Al-Anoud's mother remarried and then hurried to find a husband for her daughter.
In a 2020 report, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which deals with sexual and reproductive issues, estimated that 2.6 million women and girls are at risk of gender-based violence in Yemen.
It pointed out that in the era of Covid-19, with lockdowns that cause great strain, "cases of domestic violence are on the rise".
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2061891/disfigured-by-acid-the-face-of-violence-against-yemens-women = https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/disfigured-by-acid-the-face-of-violence-against-yemens-women
and also https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1357081450785484802
(B H)
Solarenergie befähigt junge Frauen im Jemen
Zehn Frauen im Bezirk Abs im Jemen haben ein Solar-Mikronetz gebaut und betreiben es jetzt.
Das Projekt wurde 2019 mit Hilfe des UN-Entwicklungsprogramms ins Leben gerufen.
Die Frauen betreiben die Station nun als eigenes Unternehmen und versorgen eine Gemeinde in der Nähe eines Kriegsgebiets mit erschwinglicher, erneuerbarer Energie.
Aufgrund des Projekterfolgs ist der Bau von 100 Mikronetzen im ganzen Land geplant, in denen mehr Frauen aus der Region beschäftigt sind.
https://gettotext.com/deutsch/solarenergie-befahigt-junge-frauen-im-jemen/
(A H)
MONA Relief: Meals for students at public schools in #Yemen is ready now. The project which was funded by Partners Relief and Development and carried out by @monarelief will target 180000 students in 21 schools in Sana'a for 3 months (photos9
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1356584733942153219
(A H P)
Japan pays $20.5m in food aid to Yemen
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210202-japan-pays-20-5m-in-food-aid-to-yemen/
(B H)
Yemen: Access Constraints as of 2 February 2021
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-access-constraints-2-february-2021
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H K)
UN: 600 Yemen families displaced in January
Some 600 families were displaced in Yemen last month, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced yesterday.
"From 01 January 2021 to 30 January 2021, 593 households, about 3,558 Individuals, have experienced displacement at least once," IOM said in a report, adding that 234 households, or 1,404 individuals, had been displaced during the period 24-30 January.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210203-un-600-yemen-families-displaced-in-january/
(B H P)
Yemen can’t wait: Millions of Yemenis urgently need our help to survive war and winter
This winter is particularly difficult – Abdu and other fathers and mothers - like you and me – will be worried about their kids or their own parents catching COVID-19. The pandemic has made their situation, from dire to deadly. How will they survive the winter and COVID in one single room? What will happen if they get evicted? What will they eat when Abdu’s earning will not be sufficient?
Six years of raging war has forced 4 million Yemenis out of their homes. The conflict and now COVID has finished destroying the economy. Inflation is soaring. Famine is, looming. And this year, the humanitarian partners did not receive half of the money we needed to save lives.
I am heartbroken every time I see children shivering in the cold under flimsy tents or in damaged buildings without proper heating, warm clothes and food.
The conditions are equally precarious for those living in urban slums or damaged and abandoned buildings. Like Abdu, most families have exhausted their financial savings on food and rents.
With the generous zakat donation from Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani Humanitarian Fund, Eid Charity amongst many others who support our work through the UNHCR Refugee Zakat Fund, my organization the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), is helping Abdu and millions of families across Yemen.
My remark: From Qatar.
(* B H)
Child marriage in Yemen: a mixed methods study in ongoing conflict and displacement
Abstract
This study assesses the prevalence of and risk factors for child marriage in Yemen, which was experiencing a nationwide conflict at the time of the study. Study Design: We conducted a survey of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities using a stratified multistage cluster sampling design. Each household included an interview with a female adult (n=1210), a household roster (n=8400), and one female adolescent interview (n=1210). We used multivariate logistic regression to assess the association between child marriage and various risk factors. We also used data from focus groups (n=411) and key informant interviews (n=30) to explore community perspectives and understand contextual factors relating to child marriage. Results: Prevalence of child marriage among IDP females aged 10-19 was 18.1% compared to 12.7% among hosts. In the regression model, being older (aOR=1.95), never attending school (aOR=3.94), place of origin of Saada (aOR=4.41), and unemployment of the female adult (aOR=2.84) showed increased odds of child marriage. Head of household unemployment (aOR=0.58) and completed higher education (aOR=0.42) showed decreased odds. Qualitatively, economic factors were cited as central factors in decision-making, both for host communities and even more so for IDPs. Perceptions of marriage readiness and negative consequences of child marriage were dependent on gender normative expectations. Conclusions: Displaced girls experience child marriage more than boys or host girls . Displacement effects economic security and household power dynamics, which affects marriage decision-making and girl s ability to self-advocate. Efforts to address child marriage in Yemen should include livelihood support, with awareness and conflict management components that start in pre-adolescence and include married and unmarried girls.
https://academic.oup.com/jrs/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jrs/feaa144/6126388?searchresult=1
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp5 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-714b-yemen-war-mosaic-714b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-713-yemen-war-mosaic-713
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-713 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-713:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
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