Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 726 - Yemen War Mosaic 726

Yemen Press Reader 726: 13. März 2021: Hungersnot im Jemen und saudische Blockade – Brand in Migrantenlager in Sanaa tötete zahlreiche Menschen – Medizinische Bedürfnisse der Menschen in Marib –

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... Zivilgesellschaft und Sicherheitssektor im Jemen – Miliz der „Aden-Sicherheit“ – und mehr

March 13, 2021: Yemeni famine and Saudi blockade – Fire in Sanaa migrant camp killed scores – Health needs of people in Marib – Yemeni civil society and the security sector – “Aden Security” military force – and more

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-726b-yemen-war-mosaic-726b

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

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

cp8a Jamal Khashoggi

cp9 USA

cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp12b Sudan

cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp17a Kriegsereignisse: Schlacht um Marib / Theater of War: Marib battle

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 P)

Film: Yemen, aGood Cast special

@AishaJumaan @yemenrrf @BBCNewsnight

https://twitter.com/alexdjfrost/status/1370462200117260296

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

(** B H P)

Famine has arrived in pockets of Yemen. Saudi ships blocking fuel aren't helping

Yemen has stepped up to the precipice of famine, and back again, many times over its six years of war. Now, famine conditions not seen in the country for two years have returned to pockets of the country.

An estimated 47,000 people are likely to be living with "catastrophic" levels of food insecurity -- or famine-like conditions -- according to an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world's authority on food security. A further 16 million are living in either "crisis" or "emergency" food security conditions, the analysis shows. That's more than half of Yemen's population.

The rapidly deteriorating situation is the result mostly of funding cuts that have battered activities by agencies like the World Food Programme, which is struggling now to meet the most basic of needs for millions of Yemenis, particularly in the country's north.

But it has also been exacerbated by a mounting fuel crisis. Staff at the hospital in Abs, where baby Hassan lost his life, say they will have to shut in less than three weeks if they don't receive more funding and fuel to keep their generators going. It's the same story all over the north.

"If fuel were easily available on the market, the number of cases we are seeing in the hospital would be much higher, because at the moment, there are patients who are staying at home, because of the challenges and expenses of traveling to the hospital," Dr. Salah said.

As a result, said Dr. Salah, children are simply dying in their homes.

Fuel typically comes into the country's north via the port of Hodeidah, usually bustling with economic activity at the best of times. Even during Yemen's ongoing civil war, it has been a lively gateway for the conflict economy, where food and other aid that Yemenis rely on arrive.

But the port is now a ghost town. Hundreds of food aid trucks sit parked in a line stretching for miles along a dusty road. A cavernous tank that usually stores some 2,500 metric tons of oil sits empty at the port. It lets off an echoey clang with the softest touch.

Saudi warships have not allowed any oil tankers to berth at Hodeidah since the start of the year, the Houthis say, an assertion backed by the World Food Programme. The practice is starving the north of much-needed fuel. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has been militarily supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which is now operating in exile from Riyadh.

The Saudi vessels that patrol the waters of Hodeidah have control over which commercial ships can dock and unload their cargo. Some goods are getting through -- CNN witnessed aid being loaded on to trucks at the port after being delivered by ship -- but not any fuel to deliver them.

CNN obtained documents from the port's arrival log showing that 14 vessels had been cleared by the UN's verification and inspection body to carry fuel to the country. The tracking website MarineTraffic.com shows those vessels are now sitting in the Red Sea between the Saudi-Yemen border and Eritrea, unable to unload their fuel.

The UN has previously accused the Houthis of siphoning hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel taxes earmarked to pay civil servants. Nonetheless, the UN has reiterated that agencies still need to operate in the north, where the need is greatest.

Houthi officials tell CNN that they are being fined millions of dollars by the companies that own the ships while they are unable to dock.

Nearly three years ago the UN Security Council criminalized "intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare," and demanded that "access to supplies that are necessary for food preparation, including water and fuel" be kept intact in northern Yemen.

A political solution, or at least an initial ceasefire, would go a long way in addressing the country's food security problems.

"Ultimately, until there's an end to the war, we are doing what we can to save lives. But Yemen needs peace," said the World Food Programme's Yemen spokesperson Annabel Symington.

In April last year, the WFP said it was forced to cut every second monthly food aid delivery to 8 million people in Yemen's north. It's now hoping to raise $1.9 billion, which will be enough just to avert widescale famine – By Nima Elbagir, Barbara Arvanitidis, Angela Dewan, Nada Bashir and Yousef Mawry, CNN, Video by Alex Platt and Mark Baron, CNN (with video)

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/10/middleeast/yemen-famine-saudi-fuel-intl/index.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fZRp4OmFg8

Film also at: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2021/03/10/tl-nima-dnt-live-jake-tapper.cnn

Audio: https://omny.fm/shows/the-lead-with-jake-tapper/biden-scores-major-win-with-passage-of-1-9t-econom = https://player.fm/series/the-lead-with-jake-tapper-1814536/biden-scores-major-win-with-passage-of-19t-economic-relief-bill-deaths-and-hospitalizations-continue-downward-trend-as-states-gamble-with-pandemic-progress-cnn-investigation-finds-us-backed-saudi-blockade-is-leading-to-deadly-fuel-food-shortages-in-yemen (starting at min 22:26)

Remark by Iona Craig: This is harrowing to watch. But it’s also a misrepresentation. Those food trucks stuck on the road in Houthi territory are not stuck because of the Saudis. Food trucks get held until they pay Houthis extra “taxes”. Both Houthis and the Saudi de facto blockade are starving Yemenis

https://twitter.com/ionacraig/status/1369947010745384962

Reply: the owners of the trucks said that they don't have fuel to transport the goods they have. about the fees, they are going to pay it any way, because its owned by private sector not WFP for instance.

https://twitter.com/Danial_Ymn/status/1370042906850029568

Lenderking denies Saudi blocking food. He must not have access to the UN commodity tracking report. Here it is since siege started in March 2015. There is nothing complex about ending a Middle Ages siege tactic, you just end it. (infographic)

https://twitter.com/AishaJumaan/status/1369846509559185409

referring to clip:

Film: @jaketapper: "Any response from the US yet?" @nimaelbagir: "He told us this is a 'complex environment', but he denies the claims that we show in that report." "He also says that food continues to flow through Hodeidah unimpeded, and also, that is just not true."

https://twitter.com/justfp/status/1369832588924354562

My comment: LOL. And again, the US demonstrates that it’s a warrying party in Yemen and no peace broker.

and

(** B H K P)

What about the Saudi blockade strangling Yemen?

The Saudi-led coalition imposed an air, land, and sea blockade in March 2015, cutting off all ports of entry and restricting the flow of food, fuel, medicine, and essential goods into the country. The blockade has also prevented commercial access to Yemen and delayed the arrival of humanitarian aid. A U.N. tracker monitoring commercial imports arriving in Hodeida and Saleef ports, two ports central to food security in Yemen, has documented severe reductions in food and fuel supplies since the outbreak of war. For example, U.N.-approved ships with critical food and medicine supplies destined for Hodeida are held off Yemen’s coast.

Ships wait months before they are allowed to continue to Yemen, incurring fines for the delays. Despite multiple inspections and official approval from the U.N., some ships have been detained for over 200 days. These delays cause a severe shortage of essential goods to the besieged country, especially the north, where around 80 percent of the population lives. Human rights agencies and the U.N. report that these delays have resulted in food spoilage and the expiration or critical medicines.

While some food still enters Yemen, the limitation on goods entering the country results in higher prices in both the official and informal markets. Prior to the blockade, Yemen imported 90 percent of its food supply. Currently, the Saudi-led coalition determines what goods may enter the country, and their quantity. Since January 3, no fuel-carrying vessels have been allowed to dock at Hodeida. Currently, 13 fuel vessels carrying over 350,000 metric tons of commercial fuel are being held. The blockade and the delays in Jeddah have made commercial shippers reluctant to import to Yemen due to high operational costs. When ships eventually dock and unload, the high costs they have incurred are passed on to consumers, resulting in fewer goods with higher prices. This, along with targeted air strikes at food production and distribution facilities, as well as a devastating war, has resulted in the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

This blockade has destroyed the Yemeni economy by contributing to shortages and inflation that make it extremely difficult for ordinary people to survive. The price of available food has skyrocketed, and will keep rising if the blockade and war continue. Paired with the collapse of Yemen’s currency, millions of Yemenis are unable to purchase the limited food that exists in markets. Meanwhile, civil servants have not received salaries since 2016. Food in Yemen has become a luxury item to which only a select few have access.

Despite the acute need of the millions of Yemenis, the Saudi/UAE coalition continues to impose the blockade with the support of Western powers. The United States and, indeed, all world leaders must press the Saudi/UAE-led coalition to unconditionally lift the land, air, and sea blockade on all ports of entry to Yemen.

As Bruce Riedel of the Brooking Institute notes, “the blockade is an offensive military operation that kills civilians.” If Biden is truly dedicated to ending U.S. offensive support to the Saudis and supporting peace in Yemen, he must press the two Gulf powers to immediately end their blockade. By lifting the blockade, we can avert the looming famine and start productive peace negotiations – by Arwa Mokdad

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/03/12/what-about-the-saudi-blockade-strangling-yemen/

(** A H P)

Mediziner berichten über mehr als 80 Tote bei Brand in Migrantenlager

Bei einem Feuer in einem Migrantenlager im Jemen sind offenbar viel mehr Menschen als bislang vermutet ums Leben gekommen. Möglicherweise wurde der Brand von Aufsehern gelegt.

In einem Flüchtlingscamp in Jemens Hauptstadt Sanaa sind nach Angaben aus medizinischen Kreisen am Sonntag mehr als 80 Menschen zu Tode gekommen. Die meisten Opfer seien Migranten.

Die Internationale Organisation für Migration (IOM) hatte zunächst von acht Toten und 170 Verletzten gesprochen. Laut IOM waren fast 900 Migranten vorwiegend aus Äthiopien dort untergebracht. Die meisten der weiteren 150 Verletzten schwebten in Lebensgefahr, erfuhr die Nachrichtenagentur dpa am Mittwoch.

Die jemenitische Menschenrechtsorganisation Mwatana for Human Rights teilte mit, dass einige der Verletzten festgenommen worden seien. Ihnen werde humanitäre Hilfe und der Besuch von Angehörigen verwehrt. Die Organisation berichtete unter Berufung auf Augenzeugen, dass zwischen Migranten und Huthi-Aufsehern Streit ausgebrochen sei. Als dieser eskalierte, hätten die Aufseher »rauchende Projektile« durch das Fenster geworfen. Diese seien explodiert und hätten den Brand verursacht. Im Internet kursierte ein Video, das Szenen nach dem Brand zeigen soll. In einem ausgebrannten Raum liegen mehrere verkohlte Leichen teils übereinander am Boden.

Die Huthi-Rebellen, die den Norden des Landes einschließlich der Hauptstadt Sanaa kontrollieren, hätten strenge Regeln in den Krankenhäusern erlassen, hieß es aus medizinischen Kreisen. Vertreter und Augenzeugen dürften nicht öffentlich über den Brand oder die Zahl der Opfer sprechen. Die Huthi-Rebellen kommentierten den Brand zunächst nicht.

https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/jemen-mediziner-berichten-ueber-mehr-als-80-tote-bei-brand-in-migrantenlager-a-74f9d43c-7c3f-4b0c-a479-2fc0d954c1e3

und auch https://www.bild.de/news/2021/news/jemen-mehr-als-80-tote-nach-brand-in-migrantenlager-in-sanaa-75688126.bild.html

https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/jemen-migrantenlager-brand-101.html

Frühere Berichte: Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 725, cp1

(** A H P)

Yemen: Sanaa migrant centre fire survivors grieve as death toll mounts

New footage shows scores of charred bodies inside overcrowded hangar detaining mostly Ethiopian migrants, as Houthis and IOM trade blame

It was just after midday on Sunday when smoke began to billow from an immigration detention centre in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

Ahmed, a Yemeni who lives near the facility, watched from his window as civil defence members battled the flames.

"We are used to seeing a similar type of smoke after an air strike, but we heard no sound before the smoke," he recounted to Middle East Eye.

"Many people thought it was an air strike because warplanes were flying over Sanaa," he said. "Ambulances and water trucks tried for hours to extinguish the fire before it finally stopped."

Local officials from the Houthi rebel movement and the UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said the fire had killed at least eight people and left 170 others injured, with some still in a critical condition.

But footage obtained by Middle East Eye of the fire's aftermath appeared to indicate that the death toll is significantly higher than previously reported.

A two-minute video clip showed charred bodies of dozens of victims, most of whom are reportedly Ethiopians. Filmed inside the confines of a dimly lit cell, migrants who survived the fire can be seen wailing with grief in Afaan Oromo, one of Ethiopia's most spoken languages. Coughing and screaming can be heard as migrants wade through burnt mattresses drenched in mud and human remains.

Two Ethiopians who survived the fire told MEE that it was triggered by a security guard firing a projectile into the crowded cell during a protest by detainees against poor living conditions.

"You can see some were crying because they had found their brother or cousin among the burnt bodies," said Ali, one of the survivors. "Others just fainted at the scene because they were in shock."

Ahmed Abdulrahman, a representative of the Ethiopian community in Yemen, said detainees told him that Houthi forces fired a smoke bomb, which sparked flames that spread rapidly because of the overcrowded conditions.

"The prisoners stood no chance in the extremely cramped conditions and were burned alive because of it," said Abdulrahman, who is based in Sanaa.

"Many of the detainees had been rounded up over the past month as part of a campaign to crack down on undocumented migrants."

The Houthis who run the facility held the detainees in a hangar and building inside the immigration authority's holding facility. The rebel movement, which controls Sanaa amid an ongoing war, rejected claims that it was responsible for the fire, and said it was investigating the incident.

Abdulrahman and other eyewitnesses have accused the IOM of downplaying the death toll, claiming it is much higher than initially reported.

The IOM has denied that it ran the holding facility, but said it had been given access to the centre by the Houthis in order to provide detainees with emergency care, clothing, hygiene kits and mattresses.

Olivia Headon, IOM's spokesperson in Yemen, also said the organisation was not "downplaying" the death toll. "We initially said eight because that was the number of bodies seen by our staff, and when we said the death toll was higher, we meant significantly higher," Headon told MEE.

"When the fire happened, there were 350 people in the facility and 170 treated for injuries. We were able to respond to the scene immediately and deploy transport to take people to the hospital."

Abdulrahman and other Ethiopian community groups in Yemen believe the death toll to be in the hundreds, but have been unable to confirm the number because Houthis have refused them access to the medical centres. The IOM also said Houthi authorities have denied it access to hospitals after it delivered medicine to help burns victims.

With no confirmed death toll, relatives in Ethiopia fear the worst for their loved ones stuck in Yemen.

Houthi authorities have blamed the IOM for the fire, saying the organisation had failed to repatriate detainees, leading to overcrowding inside the detention centre.

The IOM responded on 7 March, the day of the fire, and said it was "working with the government of Ethiopia to restart its Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme to the country, which has been on hold since the pandemic".

A letter dated 9 March seen by MEE showed Houthis asking Ethiopian officials to take back its nationals – by Zecharias Zelalem and Areeb Ullah

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-sanaa-migrant-centre-fire-survivors-ethiopia

and

(** A H P)

Migrant community: Fire at Yemen hangar on Sunday killed 44

A fire that earlier this week tore through an overcrowded detention center for migrants in Yemen’s rebel-held capital has killed at least 44 people, according to the latest death toll released Wednesday by the head of the Eritrean community in Yemen.

New dramatic details also emerged about the blaze on Sunday, with survivors and leading figures in the migrant community saying the fire started when guards fired tear gas into a crowded hangar trying to end a protest by the migrants.

Some 900 migrants, most of them from Ethiopia, were detained at the facility — including 350 inside the hangar — of the Passports and Naturalization Authority complex in Sanaa, which is controlled by the rebels, when the fire took place, the International Organization for Migration had said.

Sanaa Mohammed Nour, head of the Eritrean migrant community in Sanaa, said that along with the 44 killed migrants, more than 180 migrants were injured.

She feared the final death toll could be much higher. At least eight people were announced dead on Sunday, but the IOM did not have access to injured migrants at hospitals and could not confirm the final death toll.

A survivor of the fire, an Ethiopian detained by the Houthi rebels late last year, said dozens were trapped and unable to escape the blaze.

“I saw bodies being burned in the hangar,” said the man who was later released from detention. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, as did other survivors.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control the capital of Sanaa and most of Yemen’s north, did not reveal the cause of the fire, mention a protest or give a final casualty toll. The Houthis also prevented the International Organization of Migration from reaching injured migrants at hospitals, the agency said.

The rebels use the facility to detain African migrants crossing Yemen in hopes of reaching wealthy Gulf Arab countries. Hundreds of them had gone on a hunger strike earlier this month the protest alleged ill-treatment and abuses, an IOM official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to talk to the media.

Around 350 of the migrants had been moved out of the main building because of overcrowding and were held in the hangar. On Sunday morning, they launched a protest against their conditions, shouting and banging on doors, three survivors and the IOM official said.

The guards were unable to control them, and an anti-riot squad was called in. Scuffles broke out and the security forces fired tear gas and shot in the air, the four said. A Yemeni rights group, Mwatana for Human Rights, cited witnesses saying the rebels also fired unidentified projectiles through the windows into the hangar. The group said these projectiles caused a fire, which quickly spread.

At some point, the migrants managed to break down the doors and some escaped but were quickly recaptured, the survivors said.

A spokesman for the Houthis did not respond to multiple calls seeking comment.

The IOM official said the death toll could have been even higher as another 200 migrants were expected to arrive at the Sanaa facility on Sunday. That group was rerouted elsewhere because of the fire, the official said.

https://apnews.com/article/ethiopia-yemen-coronavirus-pandemic-sanaa-e878d366bde7d9f91cd3dc302bbddc26

and another film: https://twitter.com/maldhabyani/status/1369363617112600578

Photos: https://twitter.com/solimanalnoaab/status/1369544673459585025

https://twitter.com/AAlharazi/status/1369430062114746370

Earlier reporting: Yemen War Mosaic 725, cp1

and

(* A P)

Yemen [Sanaa gov.] is still providing humanitarian support for refugees: NCRA

The country is still providing the humanitarian support for the refugees in accordance with the available capacities, the National Committee for Refugees' Affairs (NCRA) said Wednesday.

The country's humanitarian capacities currently are scarce due to the aggression and siege imposed on Yemen for over six years that led to the worst humanitarian crisis.

In a statement issued by the committee regarding an unfortunate fire incident at an immigrant shelter in Sana'a, the NCRA said that it is following up the findings of the investigation, which is still underway.

The shelter is for the illegal immigrants and supervised by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in coordination with the Immigration and Passports, Authority in the capital Sana'a.

The NCRA said that the police, firefighter and rescue teams have made made their utmost efforts to save immigrants' lives, stressing that without their valuable effirts the numbers of the victims would be higher.

The government and all relevant authorities in Sana'a have made numerous appeals to the international community, humanitarian organizations, and the origin countries, urging them to share responsibilities and the burdens of hosting the continuing influx of illegal immigrants, the statement read.

They also repeatedly called for joint coordination with the relevant international organizations and origin countries to help addressing the huge numbers of immigrants flowing into the country, such as strengthening mechanisms of border control and providing economic support packages to the origin countries and other solutions to reduce illegal migration.

"There was no effective or responsible response to these calls", the NCRA said, adding instead, the relevant international organizations represented by the IOM have stopped any joint efforts aimed at returning the migrants to their countries despite their repeated demands and appeals.

The IOM has not showed any cooperation regarding the Yemen's request to provide adequate and safe accommodation and collection centers for illegal immigrants, the NCRA said.

The committee also confirmed its commitment to follow up the results of the investigation on the causes of the fire and to work in accordance with conscience and legal duty.

The Commission renewed its appeal to the United Nations and all humanitarian organizations working in Yemen to raise the level of assistance to refugees and to cooperate to improve their conditions.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3131960.htm

My comment: ?????????????

and

(* A P)

Houthis tried to blame UN + @IOM_Yemen for horrific fire in Sanaa #Yemen on Sunday. That's not what happened. Houthis started the fire, causing the deaths + injuries of scores of migrants, whom the Houthis had detained.

Justice is urgently needed. For what happened Sunday, and for all the other abuses those in #Yemen suffered at hands of warring parties. The issue isn't a lack of Yemenis demanding justice. What's missing is the international will to listen, support them, and act.

https://twitter.com/K_Beckerle/status/1369394750260936711

and a reminder from 2018: https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/17/yemen-detained-african-migrants-tortured-raped

and

(* A P)

Film: The Houthi militia in Sana'a imposes a security cordon on hospitals where hundreds of injured Africans are present, after they were burned collectively yesterday In a detention center

https://twitter.com/tsharabee/status/1369335518895423491

Film, demonstration: https://twitter.com/sameerahawri/status/1369581659838951425

(** B H K)

Health needs grow for people in former safe haven of Marib

Dotted across Marib governorate, in northeast Yemen, are 134 camps – temporary home to Yemenis displaced from their homes by the six-year-long conflict, African migrants stranded in Yemen, and members of a vulnerable minority group from Yemen known as Al-Muhamasheen.

Before the start of the conflict, Marib was home to almost 400,000 people, according to local authorities. Now, it hosts nearly 2.7 million people, including those displaced from elsewhere, all looking for a safe haven.

However, Marib is no longer a safe place to be. In recent weeks, the frontlines of the conflict have moved eastwards into the governorate. On 8 February, fighting escalated in Sirwah district, to the west of Marib city, causing large numbers of injuries and forcing some 10,000 people to flee, and about 600 families have settled in a camp about 20 kilometres outside of town. Teams from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) donated essential drugs to hospitals in Marib to help them cope with the influx of wounded, and have started providing basic healthcare to the newly displaced people.

As the frontlines approach Marib city, MSF is concerned that people sheltering in the area may find themselves with no place else to go.

Um Marzouk is a 30-year-old mother of five from Nehim, in Sana’a province. Displaced multiple times by the conflict, she and her family now live in Al-Sweida camp, five kilometres from Marib city.

“We have been displaced five times because of fighting,” says Um Marzouk. “It is difficult now even to think of returning to our home in Nehim because it was completely destroyed. Two of my children were born in different camps and it was so hard – I gave birth to one child with no medical care at all.”

Um Marzouk’s family is just one of thousands who have sought refuge in Marib over the past six years,

MSF’s team in Marib runs two mobile clinics, which regularly visit eight different sites around Marib city, providing people with basic healthcare, reproductive healthcare, vaccinations, treatment for malnutrition and mental health services. We also refer to hospital children with malnutrition and respiratory tract infections and women in need of emergency obstetric care.

“The needs are clearly visible wherever we go with our mobile clinics,” says MSF nurse Jethro Guerina. “The number of patients in our mobile clinics is increasing day by day. Some people here haven’t had a chance to see a doctor in a long time, if ever.”

Another site visited by our mobile team is Bin Muili camp, home to migrants from various African countries. Most of the estimated 6,000 African migrants in Marib come from Ethiopia and were heading for Saudi Arabia before being stranded in northern Yemen. Some have been stranded for several years due to conflict in the border area; others became stranded a year ago when the border was shut due to COVID-19.

Teams providing care to socially excluded groups MSF’s mobile team also provide healthcare in Hareeb Junction, a slum area on the outskirts of Marib city, home to Al-Muhamasheen – ‘the marginalised ones’ – a minority group who suffer discrimination, poverty and social exclusion, and whose ancestors were usually of African descent. Like most of the areas where Al-Muhamasheen live, Hareeb Junction has no running water, proper sanitation or rubbish collection. Its residents have few economic opportunities and receive very limited assistance from aid agencies.

“We used to feel safe in our homes and we did not know the meaning of misery, but that’s what we are experiencing now with the lack of basic services,” says 60-year-old Zabeidi Rashid, who lives in Hareeb Junction. “We are like birds that go to look for food to feed their children: if they don’t go out looking for food one day, their children will not eat that day.”

Zabeidi was displaced from his home elsewhere where he was living a relatively a better life.

With families in Hareeb Junction having an average of five children each, most of the people are children. With no school in the area, they receive no education and their parents cannot afford to buy them shoes, nappies or clothes. If they fall sick, there is no money to take them to see a doctor.

Our medical services are free of charge, so when the mobile team arrives, they are always greeted by a queue of people waiting for a consultation.

oticing that some of the children had experienced traumatic events related to the six years of war and displacement, the MSF team organises recreational activities, such as drawing sessions and games of football. These games play an important role in their development, say MSF mental health activity manager Lisa La Gattuta.

“These activities are very important as recreational activities for MSF teams to engage with the community, but above all to promote social interaction and mental health development,” La Gattuta says.

https://www.msf.org/health-needs-grow-former-safe-haven-marib-yemen

(** B P)

THE ROLE OF YEMENI CIVIL SOCIETY IN SHAPING SECURITY SECTOR REFORM

The core objective of security sector reform (SSR) is to build a security sector that is both effective in its provision of services and accountable to citizens. This suggests that SSR is a technically complex process that aims to professionalize security institutions, usually through institutional and human capacity building. It equally suggests that SSR is a political undertaking that aims to ensure civilian oversight over the security sector, as well as improve accountability and transparency control mechanisms.[1]

Historically, efforts to reform Yemen’s security sector have entailed a state-centric view of security. This traditional approach tended to prioritize SSR’s technical aspects, such as improving the operational capability of the police or the army, at the expense of more politically sensitive work that promotes democratic governance and accountability to citizens.[2] Neglecting this political dimension of SSR allowed security and intelligence institutions to oppress citizens with near impunity. This created a security sector that is unresponsive to the needs of the community, especially disenfranchised groups such as women and children. However, more recently, there has been a slow shift towards community safety initiatives that prioritize meeting the security needs of local communities. These initiatives focus on reforming security institutions at a more local level, and often include community-based assessments of security needs and of community policing programs that attempt to build bridges between local security actors and local communities.

Civil society has a crucial role to play in security sector oversight, ensuring that these community safety initiatives are people-centered, gender-sensitive, and locally owned. By virtue of being embedded in local communities, civil society organizations (CSOs) are uniquely positioned to design, promote, and monitor security policies and programs that take the security interests of these communities and individuals into account.

However, civil society’s influence in matters of national defense and security remains limited in Yemen despite research showing a broad recognition of its positive contribution to SSR

This paper considers what civil society involvement in SSR entails, largely through looking at the experiences of some local, national, and international organizations currently working on SSR in Yemen. It argues that it is precisely during this critical time that Yemeni civil society can, and should, impose itself on SSR activities, participate in visualizing the future of their country’s security sector, and develop the necessary practices to achieve that vision. It also recommends that external actors working in this field should push for more meaningful inclusion of civil society in SSR’s design, implementation, and monitoring stages to bolster ‘sensible’ local ownership predisposed towards democratic norms and respect for human rights.

WORKING AMID INCREASED INSECURITY

Pursuing SSR to create effective, inclusive, and accountable security institutions is a complex and controversial undertaking even during normal times. It becomes even more challenging in a conflict-affected environment, as in Yemen, where civil society’s activities are severely limited.

This highly unstable political climate has created a volatile civic space that is subject to restrictions and attacks from many sources. The large number of organizations that emerged after 2011, with many focusing on human rights advocacy and the promotion of democratic governance, have diminished as a consequence of war.[4] According to a 2015 survey, around 70 per cent of CSOs were forced to close their offices shortly after the 2015 outbreak of hostilities, and 60 per cent were subject to violence, looting, provocations, harassment, or asset freezing.[5] Moreover, journalists, human rights defenders, and community activists are subject to detention, harassment, and even death in response to their work, forcing many to escape the country.[6]

Civil society actors who are involved in SSR are especially at risk of reprisal and persecution if they adopt a confrontational approach to security forces. This applies to organizations monitoring human rights abuses, publishing reports denouncing them, and demanding accountability. CSOs’ endurance in the face of these intimidation tactics depends on the expertise and capacity of the institution and the strength of its social networks. For example, a renowned Yemeni human rights organization’s representative explained that although its members are harassed and detained, the organization is able to continue its sensitive work, benefitting from its quality expertise and operational capacity, as well as its strong partnerships with national and international civil society.

Conversely, local grassroots organizations with limited capacity and weak connections find it more challenging to continue their sensitive work in this climate of insecurity.

STRATEGIES TO CIRCUMVENT DIFFICULT SECURITY TERRAIN

Despite these challenges, many civil society groups have been able to push their way through this highly political and sensitive area and continue their work on SSR. Some organizations reported that building the capacity of local security institutions is a good entry point to building trust with security actors. Many of these security institutions, such as local police stations, courts, or prosecutors’ offices, suffered extensive damage during the conflict and thus require considerable rebuilding. Others lack basic facilities, such as electricity, sewage infrastructure, furniture, and office supplies

Yet, civil society must not cede ground on critical issues like ending impunity. After all, the sustainability of SSR necessitates strengthening checks and balances, with a mix of internal controls and external oversight mechanisms.

CIVIL SOCIETY AND LOCAL OWNERSHIP

Local ownership is one of the central underpinnings of SSR. According to the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD DAC), SSR should be “people-centered, locally owned and based on democratic norms and human rights principles and the rule of law”

MOVING FORWARD

Although promoting democratic governance and respect for human rights might appear futile in a conflict setting, it is precisely during this time that ‘windows of opportunity’ are created to transform the security landscape. If an effective, accountable, and responsive security sector is to be built in Yemen, civil society would have to assume a greater role in shaping the conditions that would lead to its establishment.

Given the low level of their current integration in SSR, civil society should impose itself on security debates and take on more initiative.

Considering that peace talks can be a major entry point for SSR, the United Nations, and especially OSESGY, should strive to empower civil society vis-à-vis political actors.[23] The inclusion of civil society at the early stages of peace talks not only ensures the integration of broad perspectives into the outcomes of these talks but also signals to political power holders that civil society must have a place at the table. To that end, OSESGY must consult with various civil society groups to determine how they can be effectively and safely included in peace negotiations. There should be more efforts to ensure those groups are representative of a wide range of social groups in different geographies. The success of the peace process rests on its inclusivity, which contributes to its legitimacy in the eyes of the Yemeni public – by Hadil al-Mowafak

https://www.yemenpolicy.org/the-role-of-yemeni-civil-society-in-shaping-security/

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ADEN SECURITY

According to analyst Hussam Radman, Aden Security, and its charismatic former leader, Shallal Ali Shaya, are inextricably linked with the survival of the government ministers. Shaya’s popularity is the reason why masses of people gathered to greet him as he arrived to Aden on the same plane. As a result, the airplane had to land at another gate away from the gate where the missiles struck (Radman, 19 January 2021). This piece takes a closer look at the composition and role of Aden Security.

Aden Security is a quasi-police force that is advancing the goals of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Aden. It has become prominent under its commander Shallal Ali Shaya, who shaped the evolution of the force up until January 2021. Since the beginning of January, Shaya took a step back (at least publicly) and the command was handed over to Mutahar Ali Naji Al Shuaibi (Aden Police, 3 January 2021). Abu Bakir Jaber remains deputy director (Aden Police, 31 December 2020).

Aden Security is like other governorate-organized security directorates in that it is formally part of the Ministry of Interior and assumes the role of a MoI-affiliated police force in Aden governorate. It consists of six battalions and has around 5,000-6,000 members, who come almost exclusively from Ad Dali province (Abaad, 11 August 2019). The emergency support forces, commanded by Muhammad Hussein al Khali, are part of Aden Security (Aden Police, 28 December 2020), as is the Counter Terrorism Unit, led by Yusran Al Maqtari (Medium, 26 May 2019; Al Khabar Al Yemeni, 5 January 2021).

In December 2015, President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi appointed Shallal Ali Shaya, a commander in the Southern Resistance, as a new director for Aden Security (Sky News, 7 December 2015; Medium, 26 May 2019), precipitating the future trajectory of Aden Security into becoming a pro-STC force. Shaya, who was born in Al Jalilah near Ad Dali city and whose family hails from the Al Shaeri area nearby, left his imprint on the composition of the force (Aden Time, 9 December 2015). Shaya draws his power base from networks he established during his early tenure as commander in 2016-2017. The new commander recruited new members, almost all from Ad Dali, into his force. Many received training in Aden and Ad Dali. Together with Aydarus Al Zubaydi, who was appointed governor at the same time, and the material and financial support of the United Arab Emirates, Shaya secured Aden in 2016-2017 against recurrent Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) attacks (for more on AQAP, see this recent piece by ACLED). Notably, in 2016, the affiliated Counter Terrorism Unit is reported to have conducted 130 raids, leading to the arrest of 104 AQAP and Islamic State in Yemen members (Medium, 26 May 2019; Aden Lang, 24 May 2017).

Aden Security transformed into a pro-STC force hand in hand with the STC gaining momentum in southern Yemen. Until August 2019, when the STC expelled pro-Hadi forces from Aden, Shaya maintained a level of cooperation with the Minister of Interior. This helped improve security in Aden during 2018-2019. Shaya, however, has been an activist for southern secession for a long time (Foreign Policy, 13 March 2013; Aden Time 9 December 2015). It was thus not a surprise that he started to express public allegiance to the STC in tandem with the STC gaining prominence. As a result, during the events of August 2019, Shaya participated in rallies supporting STC policies (Twitter, 10 August 2019, Twitter 14 August 2019).

As part of a July 2020 amendment to the Riyadh Agreement — originally signed in November 2019 under the auspices of Saudi Arabia in order to resolve the conflict in southern Yemen — Shaya was due to be appointed military attaché to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Al Hamidi, who had been head of the Hadramawt security since 2002, was not able to assume his role as newly appointed commander of Aden Security. His return to Aden was reportedly barred by higher ups. The decision had to do with Riyadh Agreement proceedings, as reported by Abubakr Hussein Jabr (Al Ayyam, 11 November 2020).

At the same time, Shaya, who was in de facto exile in Saudi Arabia and the UAE since March 2020, continued to be Aden Security commander (Al Wattan, 13 September 2020). Only with the reshuffling of commanding posts, and the return of the government to Aden in late December 2020, did Shaya come back from exile in the Gulf to the interim capital. Prior to that, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE had opposed his return to Aden (Al Masdar, 13 March 2020; Al Jazeera, 12 March 2020).

With the most recent breakthrough in December 2020 in negotiations between the STC and the internationally recognized government to implement the Riyadh Agreement, the conflict in the South seems to have calmed down for now.

Shuaibi, the new commander, seems to have been a compromise candidate acceptable to both parties. According to Al Masdar, his appointment, however, seems to favor the interests of the STC, rather than of the pro-Hadi groups, as Shuaibi comes from Ad Dali governorate like Shaya (Al Masdar, 2 January 2021) – by Matthias Sulz

https://acleddata.com/2021/03/11/aden-security/

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

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62 cases of COVID-19 reported, 2,729 in total

The committee also reported in its statement the death of 12 coronavirus patients in 4 governorates and the recovery of 5 patients in 2 governorates.
According to the daily counts of infections over the past hours, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the liberated areas of Yemen has reached 2,729, including 679 deaths and 1,469 recoveries.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/32450

(A H P)

Houthi prime minister catches coronavirus

https://debriefer.net/en/news-23738.html

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40 cases of COVID-19 reported, 2,667 in total

The supreme national emergency committee for coronavirus reported on Thursday, 40 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hadramout (27), Taiz (8), al-Mahra (2), Shabwa (2) and Marib (1).
The committee also reported in its statement the death of 6 coronavirus patients and the recovery of 12 patients.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/32442

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41 cases of COVID-19 reported, 2,627 in total

The supreme national emergency committee for coronavirus reported on Wednesday, 41 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in seven governorates; Hadramout (23), Shabwa (5), Lahj (5), Aden (3), al-Mahra (3), Taiz (1) and Abyan (1).
The committee also reported in its statement the death of 7 coronavirus patients and the recovery of 1 patient.
According to the daily counts of infections over the past hours, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the liberated areas of Yemen has reached 2,627, including 661 deaths and 1,452 recoveries.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/32438

(B H P)

Covid-19 vaccine: How the poor in the Middle East are being left behind

Health experts say vaccine rollout is inhibited by longstanding inequality, stunting progress worldwide

Several North African and Middle East countries are receiving Covid-19 vaccines at such a slow pace that it could lead to protracted public health crises, global inequality campaigners and health experts have told Middle East Eye.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) data obtained by MEE, only 14 out of 21 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMRO), which extends from Morocco to Afghanistan - but excludes Algeria and Israel - have received vaccines, amounting to little more than one percent of the population of the entire region.

Amgad El-Kholy, an epidemiologist at the WHO regional office for the Eastern Mediterranean, said wealthy nations were racing ahead of poorer ones to immunise their citizens, illustrating the inequities of the global rollout of vaccines.

"We are seeing [an] unequal distribution of vaccine rollouts around the world," El-Kholy told MEE.

"This has never been more critical than in our region, where health workers are a rare and valuable resource and vulnerable people should be the first to receive support, rather than be left behind."

El-Kholy's comments come just days after WHO expert Mark Ryan said that 80 percent of all global vaccines had been administered in just 10 countries.

The starkest illustrations of vaccine inequality were evident in the Middle East where countries such as Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were inoculating nationals and foreign workers at a frenetic pace while countries like Yemen lag behind.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/covid-vaccine-middle-east-apartheid-poor-left-behind

cp2 Allgemein / General

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Interactive Map of Yemen War

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

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MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MARCH 11, 2021 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-11-2021-map-update/

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MARCH 10, 2021 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-10-2021-map-update/

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Audio: You can’t just walk in and start taking pictures: War photographer on Yemen crisis

This is Daniel Johnson. Picture the war in Yemen and chances are you’ve come across an image or two by war photo-journalist Giles Clarke.

On his latest trip to the country that’s been ravaged by six years of war, he based himself in an abandoned school, that’s home to hundreds of displaced people.

The photographs he took and the stories he heard feature in a campaign to raise awareness about their plight. It’s called Inside Yemen, Portraits of Resilience, and it wasn’t easy, as he explained when I spoke to him for this UN News interview.

https://news.un.org/en/audio/2021/03/1087182

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Audio: What can be done to solve the crisis in Yemen?

A shortfall in international donor funding has been described as a 'death sentence' for millions of Yemenis on the brink of famine. Meanwhile, violence has escalated in the country's civil war. Solving the humanitarian crisis will ultimately depend on ending the politic stalemate, and there is hope that a new US administration could be the catalyst for change.

Guest: Elisabeth Kendall, Senior Research Fellow in Arabic and Islamic Studies at Pembroke College, Oxford University.

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/saturdayextra/what-can-be-done-to-solve-the-crisis-in-yemen/13240216

(A K P)

[Hadi gov.] Army frees child militants, ICRC flies them back to Sana’a

The International Committee of the Red Cross has flied 14 child militants back home to Sana’a, after they were released by the army in Marib where they had been arrested fighting alongside Houthi terrorists.

Sources in Sayoon Airport said the armed forces released them on account of their age and handed over to the ICRC to return them to their families.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-45663

Photos: https://twitter.com/abduhothifi/status/1370386003681275908

https://twitter.com/ycmhrv/status/1370384736133201930

https://twitter.com/ycmhrv/status/1370394196536856580

and also look at Jawf prov.: https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1370313671142936583

(A P)

Veteran #Iraqi journalist close to many in the region says #Saudi is seeking #Lebanese #Hezbollah to stop missile/drone attacks from #Yemen #Ansarullah. #Saudi Hezbollah relations included laundering 100s of millions by

@KingSalman late brother #Mishael

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1370548049953558530

referring to https://twitter.com/najahmalii/status/1370468425479376901

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Ansarullah: Der US-Vorschlag entspricht saudischer Zielvorstellung

Mohammed Abdul Salam, Sprecher der jemenitischen Ansarullah-Bewegung, sagte gestern gegenüber dem Al-Masira Yemeni Network: "Der amerikanische Vertreter im Jemen hatte keinen neuen Plan vorzulegen, und sein Vorschlag ist der gleiche wie der von Saudi-Arabien."

Es habe keine wirkliche Veränderung gegeben, um den Krieg zu beenden und die Belagerung aufzuheben", sagte er.

Ansarullah-Sprecher fügte hinzu: Das, was der US-Gesandte anbot, war eine Verschwörung, um den Jemen in ein gefährlicheres Stadium als die derzeitige Situation zu bringen, und was die Angreifer durch Krieg und Zerstörung nicht erreichen konnten, werden sie durch Dialog nicht erreichen können. Jeder kennt diese Tatsache. Aggression und Belagerung dauern seit sechs Jahren an und haben keinen einzigen Tag aufgehört.

Er fügte hinzu: "Die Amerikaner haben durch die Vorlage der Bedingungen der Saudis zur Beendigung des Krieges erneut bewiesen, dass sie eindeutig hinter der Aggression und Belagerung des Jemen stehen.

Der US-Sonderbeauftragte für den Jemen, Timothy Lenderking, kündigte am Freitag auf einer Sitzung des Think Tanks des Atlantikrates zum Thema Jemen ein landesweites Waffenstillstandsprogramm an und erklärt: Wir warten auf ihre Antwort (Ansarullah) auf den Vorschlag, der auf dem Tisch liegt.

Der US-Gesandte für Jemen, der kürzlich von einer zweiwöchigen Reise in den Nahen Osten zurückgekehrt war, nannte Gespräche mit den Konfliktparteien als Grund für seine Präsenz in der Region und sagte, er werde sofort zurückkehren, wenn Ansarullah zum Dialog bereit sei.

https://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i56712-ansarullah_der_us_vorschlag_entspricht_saudischer_zielvorstellung

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U.S. Yemen envoy says ceasefire plan before Houthi leadership, urges response

A “sound plan” for a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen has been before Houthi leadership for “a number of days,” but it appears the group is prioritizing a military offensive to take Marib, the U.S. special envoy on Yemen, Tim Lenderking, said on Friday.

“I will return immediately when the Houthis are prepared to talk,” Lenderking told the Atlantic Council think tank after a 17-day visit to the region to revive efforts to end the six-year conflict widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

“The U.S. and U.N. - we urge the Houthis to respond,” he said. “If we cannot make progress now, the country will spiral into greater conflict and instability.”

“We now have a sound plan for a nationwide ceasefire with elements that would immediately address Yemen’s dire humanitarian situation directly,” Lenderking said. “That plan has been before the Houthi leadership for a number of days.”

He provided no further details, and said the plan had Saudi support.

Yemen’s Houthis spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Salam told Al-Masirah TV on Friday the U.S. proposal for a nationwide ceasefire had nothing in it and represented the Saudi and United Nations vision.

The U.S. proposal does not include ceasing fire or breaking the siege, and it would lead to a resumption of a blockade, the spokesman added.

https://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-security-usa-int/u-s-yemen-envoy-says-ceasefire-plan-before-houthi-leadership-urges-response-idUSKBN2B41T4

and https://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-houthis-amirican-saudi-int/yemens-houthis-spokesman-says-the-american-proposal-has-nothing-idUSKBN2B42FA

Comment: Tim Lenderking, @StateDept_NEA, expressed "confusion" that the Houthis were unwilling to accept a ceasefire This demonstrates insufficient understanding of the Houthis & a US partnership w/ Saudi Arabia that prevents the US from being an honest broker

https://twitter.com/AnnelleSheline/status/1371203057271369729

and

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Biden's Envoy Tim Lenderking said the boats are currently off the port of Hodeidah, and THAT IS NOT TRUE. Lenderking said food continues to flow through Hodeidah unimpeded and THAT IS ALSO NOT TRUE. The BIDEN ADMINISTRATION is denying the FACTS

https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1370067699196387332

Rep Ro Khanna: Thank you @jaketapper for pursuing truth here. The Biden Administration needs to be honest. @jakejsullivan& @ABlinken committed that to me & other members. Please correct the facts today, acknowledge the blockade, and articulate a concrete plan to pressure Saudi to overturn it

https://twitter.com/RoKhanna/status/1370451794820730888

and

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Houthis Describe US Ceasefire Plan for Yemen as 'Dangerous Adventurism'

The Shia Houthi rebels have described the US ceasefire plan for Yemen as "dangerous adventurism" that may deteriorate the situation in the Arab nation.

"The proposal of the US special envoy is adventurism that may leave Yemen in a more dangerous situation than the current one. The US proposal has nothing new, only Saudi Arabia's conditions for a ceasefire. If Washington's proposals were acceptable, we would have agreed on them during the talks with Saudi Arabia," a spokesman for the Houthis, Mohammed Abdessalam, told the Almasirah broadcaster on late Friday.

From his point of view, the US initiative includes neither ceasing fire nor lifting the siege from northern Yemen.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202103131082329371-houthis-describe-us-ceasefire-plan-for-yemen-as-dangerous-adventurism/

and also https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/houthis-reject-us-proposed-cease-fire-plan-in-yemen/2174559

and

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Mohammed Abdulsalam denounces US “peace plan” as a conspiracy against Yemen

The head of the [Sanaa gov.] Yemeni national delegation, Mohammed Abdulsalam, has commented on the US envoy to Yemen’s ceasefire plan, describing it as “a conspiracy to put Yemen at a more dangerous stage than it is, and representing the Saudi vision.”

Mohammed AbdulSalam told Al-Masirah TV on Friday that the US proposal for a nationwide ceasefire had “nothing in it.”

“The US proposal does not include ceasing fire or breaking the siege, and it would lead to a resumption of a blockade,” the spokesman added.

He stressed that one of the conditions put forward in the initiative is to identify the destinations of Sana’a airport and issue licenses through the Saudi-led coalition.

“If they are serious about stopping the aggression and the blockade, they will declare a serious cessation of the war and the blockade. Only then we would welcome this step,” he said.

“The US envoy came to present a plan that is even less than what the UN envoy does. This is unacceptable.”

Abdulsalam also stressed that what the enemies have not gotten with war and destruction will also not be obtained through dialogue, pointing out that the aggression and the blockade have not stopped for a day in the past six years.

“By presenting Saudi conditions as a proposal to stop the war, the Americans have once again proven that they are behind the aggression and the blockade, explicitly,” he explained.

“They want us to respond through dialogue to what they have not achieved with war and siege, and this fact must be realised by all.”

On humanitarian aid, Abdulsalam described what the US envoy said about the arrival of humanitarian aid in Yemen.

He explained that oil ships are bought by Yemeni traders with their own money and obtained a UN permit, and still the aggression arbitrarily prevents them from reaching Yemen.

“We accepted all the conditions proposed by the other parties to ensure humanitarian access, and when they found no excuse to continue the blockade, they said it did not reach those who deserved it,” he noted.

“We are the ones who are asking for revenue consolidation in Yemen and the disbursement of salaries, and they are the ones who reject this. And yet they want to put the revenues at the disposal of a private account that they control,” Mohammed Abdulsalam concluded.

https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/03/12/mohammed-abdulsalam-denounces-us-peace-plan-as-a-conspiracy-against-yemen/

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Biden Navigates Through Yemen Hell, but Solution Lies in Riyadh and Tehran

Sixteen million Yemenis are on the brink of hunger, but internal power struggles are preventing a diplomatic solution

The military campaign waged by the Yemeni government, headed by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and the Saudi coalition against the Houthis is just one front in which Biden does not have an orderly plan.

Aidarus Qassem Abdulaziz al-Zoubaidi, the UAE-based leader of the southern secessionists, gave his blessing to the new government and approved his representatives’ joining the government as ministers

In an interview with The Guardian earlier this month, Zoubaidi said that if Biden wants to end the six-year civil war in Yemen, he can do so by backing a UN-sponsored referendum on independence for the South.

The fact that a Yemeni government exists, and that his council members are a part of it, is not enough for Zoubaidi. He also wants independent representation, which the United Nations and other participants in the diplomatic efforts are not planning on providing him with for the time being, out of fear that such a step could bring down the government and the mediation efforts. In the interview, Zoubaidi explained the logic behind his demand. If the Houthis conquer the Marib region, they will complete their takeover of the north and center of the country. This creates a situation in which Yemen will be controlled by two groups: the Houthis in most of the north and Zoubaidi’s forces in most of the south.

“In that case, it would make sense to have direct talks between the parties that are in control,” he said. In other words, according to his plan, the official government of Yemen, would not even have a place in the negotiations. It is unlikely that Zoubaidi’s plan of action will have any takers, but he also has the power to torpedo any negotiations if he decides his own political aspirations are not provided for.

Between Zoubaidi’s twisting of the Yemeni government’s arm and between the White House and the Saudis, Biden will have to decide whether he is even able to separate the crisis in Yemen from the rest of the conflicts in the Middle East – and especially from his desires to conduct negotiations with Iran. The United States has traditionally treated Yemen as a branch of Saudi Arabia, and allowed it to deal with Yemen as it saw fit.

Now that Biden is turning a cold shoulder to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he will have to convince King Salman that the war in Yemen – which his son declared – is a resounding failure and should come to an end. It seems that Salman has been convinced for two years now that this is an unnecessary and harmful war for Saudi Arabia. At that point, the Emiratis, who were Saudi Arabia’s partner from the beginning of the war, withdrew their forces from Yemen.

It is difficult to explain these considerations to the babies and children in Yemen who are starving for food, bottles of milk or the medicine that will keep them alive. After all, they are collateral damage and carry no strategic importance, statistics in the death toll, chilling personal stories that rouse little interest in the news reports.

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-biden-navigates-through-yemen-hell-but-solution-lies-in-riyadh-and-tehran-1.9614842

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Yemen Risk Overview: Outlook for December 2020 - May 2021 | Risk Update 11 March 2021

Risk 1 Depletion of foreign currency reserves drives inflation up; eroded purchasing power and high food prices result in increased levels of food insecurity

the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) previously contributed to the stability of the Yemeni riyal, but the KSA has so far not announced any additional injection of foreign currency into Yemen. Humanitarian funding, which is also important for foreign currency reserves, is expected to continue at low levels in the coming months. The current conflict situation in Marib – the main source of oil and liquefied gas in Yemen – could significantly disrupt oil and gas facilities and extraction operations, affecting Government of Yemen (GoY) revenues. In February, the riyal continued to depreciate in GoY-controlled areas, from YER 863 to YER 882 per 1 USD, and from YER 597 to YER 602 per 1 USD in the Ansar Allah-controlled north (YETI Dashboard accessed 09/03/2021). Food prices continue to increase steadily; however, prices can vary within the same district, making it difficult to properly track changes and the reasons for them.

Risk 2 Reduced capacity to deliver assistance – because of further cuts in humanitarian funding – impacts millions of people in need.

On 1 March, the governments of Switzerland and Sweden hosted a pledging conference in which USD 1.7 billion was pledged out of the USD 3.85 billion requested for the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2021 (OCHA 01/03/2021). The amount pledged is less than the funding Yemen received in 2020. With only reduced funding available, humanitarian organisations will likely have to downsize their operations

Risk 3 An attempt by Ansar Allah to enter Marib city intensifies the conflict, leading to mass displacement, civilian casualties, disruption to livelihoods, and lack of humanitarian access.

Risk 4 Sudden decline in public service provision in GoY-held areas leaves millions of people requiring external assistance for their basic needs, while humanitarian access is also reduced.

Progress in relation to the Riyadh Agreement is stalled. During a visit to Russia, the leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) – which, since December, has held seats in the newly formed cabinet along with the GoY – announced that the US government should support a referendum for the independence of South Yemen, which would contribute to ending the war in Yemen (The Guardian 01/03/2021). This statement casts doubts over the intentions behind successfully implementing the Riyadh Agreement between the STC and the GoY.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-risk-overview-outlook-december-2020-may-2021-risk-update-11-march-2021

(A P)

Saudi Ambassador to US Says Kingdom is Practicing ‘Extreme Restraint’ against Houthi Attacks

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US said that the Kingdom is practicing extreme restraint against the barrage of attacks launched daily by Iran-backed Houthi militias against its territory and expressed her country’s determination to restore peace and security to Yemen.

“We are exercising extreme restraint in the face of a daily barrage of weaponized drones and ballistic missiles,” said Princess Reema bint Bandar in a statement posted to the Saudi Embassy in Washington’s website.

The ambassador emphasized that Saudi Arabia has been determined to restore stability and security to Yemen, through a negotiated settlement, since the beginning of the conflict, and it has supported all UN peace initiatives since 2015.

https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2853766/saudi-ambassador-us-says-kingdom-practicing-%E2%80%98extreme-restraint%E2%80%99-against-houthi

and also https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210312-saudi-envoy-says-houthi-attacks-on-aramco-threaten-workers-from-80-countries/

My comment: Lol.

(* B K P)

Floskel mit Nebenwirkungen

Warum die Maxime „Keine militärischen Lösungen“ die Beilegung von Konflikten erschwert.

Für die Konflikte, die viele in den Vereinigten Staaten zu beenden hoffen, gibt es keine rein militärischen oder diplomatischen Lösungen. Wenn die diplomatischen Bemühungen, mit denen ein Konflikt beigelegt werden soll, nicht das militärische Kräfteverhältnis berücksichtigen, kann es sein, dass sie im besten Fall wirkungslos bleiben und im schlimmsten Fall den Konflikt verlängern.

Das soll nicht heißen, dass die Vereinigten Staaten oder irgendein anderes Land in einen bestehenden Konflikt zwangsläufig militärisch eingreifen sollten, um das Kräfteverhältnis in die eine oder andere Richtung zu verändern. Gemeint ist vielmehr, dass die Diplomatie militärische und sicherheitspolitische Aspekte ernsthaft in den Blick nehmen muss, wenn sie Wirkung zeigen oder zumindest die ungewollten Nebenwirkungen von diplomatischen Initiativen abfedern will, die diese Aspekte nicht berücksichtigen.

Beginnen wir mit der Tatsache, dass die Maxime „Keine militärische Lösung“ uns daran hindert, ernsthaft über die Sicherheitsfragen und militärischen Kräfteverhältnisse nachzudenken, von denen oft abhängt, ob ein bestehender Konflikt dauerhaft beendet werden kann oder nicht.

Doch wenn wir militärische Gewalt und Diplomatie als Fundamentalgegensatz begreifen und nicht einfach als unterschiedliche Facetten von Macht, landen wir bei falschen Konfliktanalysen und setzen auf eine unzulängliche Politik, mit der sich Konflikte nicht lösen lassen. Diplomatie kann nicht zum Erfolg führen, wenn sie das militärische Kräfteverhältnis auf den Konfliktschauplätzen ausblendet oder außer Acht lässt, wie die Wahrnehmungen, Interessen und Ziele der verschiedenen Konfliktparteien sich verändern, sobald dieses Kräfteverhältnis sich verschiebt.

Nehmen wir zum Beispiel den jüngsten Angriff der jemenitischen Huthi-Rebellen auf Marib. Das US-Außenmininsterium, der UN-Sondergesandte für den Jemen Martin Griffiths und die International Crisis Group gehen alle zu recht davon aus, dass diese Offensive die Diplomatie weiter zurückwirft. Sie lassen aber außer Acht, dass für die Huthi eine Verhandlungslösung nicht besonders attraktiv ist, wenn sie sich mit Gewalt nehmen können, was sie wollen. Schlimmer noch: Würden die Huthi-Rebellen Marib erobern, wäre Saudi-Arabien wahrscheinlich noch weniger bereit, über Verhandlungen über das Ende seiner militärischen Intervention im Jemen auch nur nachzudenken – von Peter Juul

https://www.ipg-journal.de/rubriken/aussen-und-sicherheitspolitik/artikel/floskel-mit-nebenwirkungen-5039/

and English version:

(* B K P)

Crowding Out Diplomacy

How the mantra of “no military solutions” makes it more difficult to resolve conflicts

As a matter of fact, there are no purely military or diplomatic solutions to the conflicts many in the United States hope to bring to an end. If it does not take the balance of military power into account, diplomacy intended to end a conflict may prove ineffective at best and could well prolong it at worst. That’s not at all to say that the United States or any other country should necessarily intervene militarily in a given conflict to tip the balance of power in one way or another. But it does mean that American diplomacy needs to take military and security considerations seriously if it wants to be effective – or at least mitigate the unintended consequences involved in certain diplomatic moves that fail to do so.

The mantra of “no military solutions” contains a large grain of truth

Let’s start with the reality that the “no military solution” mantra crowds out serious thinking about security considerations and balances of military power that often determine whether or not a given conflict can be brought to a lasting end.

But when we conceive of military force and diplomacy as intrinsically opposed to one another rather than simply different facets of power, we wind up with inaccurate analyses of conflicts and formulate inadequate policies to resolve them. Indeed, diplomacy cannot succeed if it fails to take into account the balance of military power on the battlefields of a given conflict – or how shifts in that balance of power affect the perceptions, concerns, and goals of various parties to the conflict. Insisting that there’s no military solution to a given conflict only blinds us to this sad reality and narrows American diplomatic options.

Take the recent Houthi assault on Marib, for example. The State Department, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, and the International Crisis Group all correctly observe that this offensive only sets back diplomacy. But they don’t take into account that when the Houthis can take what they want through force, a negotiated settlement isn’t a priority for them. Worse, a Houthi seizure of Marib would likely make Saudi Arabia even less willing to contemplate a negotiated end to its own military intervention in Yemen – by Peter Juul

https://theliberalpatriot.substack.com/p/crowding-out-diplomacy

My comment: The author is a member of “Center for American Progress”, a pro-Democrat centrist think tank: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_American_Progress . What does he really want to tell us? That diplomacy must take into account the military sutuation on the ground (that’s obvious) or that the US side should encourage to change the situation in favour of the US position before starting dipolmacy? This evidently would be a “Make war, not peace” option. And this exactly would be what the Houthis are doing in the moment.

(* B K P)

Film: Marie-Christine Heinze: ARABELLION. JEMEN - 10 JAHRE DANACH

GUDRUN HARRER IM GESPRÄCH MIT MARIE-CHRISTINE HEINZE 10 Jahre nach den Aufständen gehört der Jemen zu den Ländern der ‚Arabellion‘, die in deren Folge in einen Bürgerkrieg mit regionaler Beteiligung hinabgeglitten sind. Seit nunmehr sechs Jahren bekämpfen sich im Jemen verschiedene politische Fraktionen, während die Zivilbevölkerung hungert und kaum noch darauf hoffen kann, dass sich die Wünsche, Träume und Ziele von 2011 für sie oder ihre Kinder erfüllen. In diesem Gespräch wollen wir die Entwicklungen im Jemen seit 2011 erörtern und versuchen, den derzeit stattfindenden Konflikt im Lande besser zu verstehen. Wir wollen aber auch zu den Zielen der Revolutionäre von 2011 zurückkehren und gemeinsam darüber nachdenken, was geschehen muss, damit ihnen kommende Generationen vielleicht wieder ein wenig näherkommen.

Marie-Christine Heinze, Islamwissenschaftlerin, Friedens- und Konfliktforscherin mit Schwerpunkt Jemen und Vorsitzende von CARPO (Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient) Gudrun Harrer, Leitende Redakteurin, Der Standard; Lektorin für Moderne Geschichte und Politik des Nahen und Mittleren Ostens an der Universität Wien und an der Diplomatischen Akademie Wien

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CQ8UVQ5rEU

(B P)

Russia foreign minister’s Gulf tour: A bellwether of US-Saudi relations

As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov embarks on a four-day visit to the Gulf, Middle Eastern leaders are either struggling to get a grip on Joe Biden’s recalibration of US policy in the region or signalling their refusal to adapt to the president’s approach.

Mr. Lavrov is certain to want to capitalize on Mr. Biden’s rattling of Middle Eastern cages amid perceptions that recalibration of relations with Saudi Arabia and delayed phone calls suggest that the United States is downgrading the Middle East’s importance in its global strategy, reducing its security commitments, and potentially considering a withdrawal.

There is little doubt that the United States wants a restructuring of its commitments through greater burden-sharing and regional cooperation but is unlikely to abandon the Middle East altogether.

The question is whether Mr. Biden’s rattling of cages constitutes simply signalling US intentions or a deliberate attempt to let problematic allies and partners stew in uncertainty in a bid to increase the administration’s leverage.

Potentially the longer-term strategy may be an unintended yet beneficial consequence of the administration’s conviction that addressing domestic emergencies such as the pandemic and economic crisis as well as repairing relations with America’s traditional allies in Europe and Asia is a pre-requisite for restoring US influence and leverage that was damaged by former President Donald J. Trump.

If so, Mr. Lavrov may unwittingly be doing the Biden administration a favour by attempting to exploit perceived daylight between the United States and its allies to push a Russian plan for a restructured security architecture.

That plan envisions a Middle Eastern security conference modelled on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and a regional non-aggression pact that would be guaranteed by the United States, China, Russia, and India.

In doing so, Mr. Lavrov would be preparing the ground for debate about a concept that has been discussed in different forms at various points by US officials, in which a United States that credibly is getting its house in order would retain its dominant position as the military backbone of a new security architecture.

It would also drive home the point that neither Russia nor China are willing or capable of replacing the United States and that Middle Eastern countries are likely to benefit most from an architecture that allows them to diversify their relationships and potentially play one against the other.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/03/11/russia-foreign-ministers-gulf-tour-a-bellwether-of-us-saudi-relations/

(* B K P)

Film: US Congress Virtual Hearing

The Crisis in Yemen: Part 1

Witnesses: Ms. Radhya Almutawakel, Co-Founder and Chairperson Mwatana for Human Rights; Mr. Abdulwasea Mohammed, Policy and Advocacy Advisor Oxfam; Ms. Amanda Catanzano, Senior Director International Programs Policy and Advocacy International Rescue Committee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG4oQ7clXEc&t=3s

and at this hearing:

@RAlmutawakel: With increased efforts advocating for peace and justice in #Yemen, regional actors have used tricks to avoid pressure, and to avoid their legal and ethical responsibilities.

These actors have denied their involvement in the war (like #Iran), declared their formal withdrawal from the war (like the #UAE), or hid behind a weak government (like #SaudiArabia).

The international community should work towards an urgent ceasefire in #Marib and across #Yemen.

The #Saudi/#UAE-led Coalition has hit farms, water points and fishermen in their airstrikes, while the #Houthis have laid landmines near food and water sources. All parties have obstructed, and blocked humanitarian access #Yemen.

For many years, the #US obstructed accountability efforts for Yemen. This should change. #Yemen would not have been the worst humanitarian crisis in the world except for the absence of #accountability.

#US should not block the #UNSC from referring #Yemen to the International Criminal Court. The US should work with others to push a concrete accountability strategy including justice for war crimes, reparations for victims and support to UN investigations.

https://twitter.com/MwatanaEn/status/1370031512083718149

and

Biden's Yemen actions on right track but more is needed, experts say

The U.S. needs to continue to step up its funding because that will push others to do so as well, Catanzano said.

The key to ending the suffering of the Yemeni people is first seeking a ceasefire, then working toward lasting peace, the trio of experts told members of Congress.

“The only way out is a political settlement. There is a lot the U.S. can do to bring us closer to that,” Catanzano said.

An end to the war would help Yemenis get their jobs and salaries back, she said, allowing the country to rebuild state services and a functioning economy.

Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee, questioned the Biden administration’s decision to remove the designation without seeking concessions in return. Radhya Almutawakel, co-founder and chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, a Yemeni human rights organization, responded: “The designation did not make Houthis weaker, revoking it did not make them stronger.” And that would only have hurt Yemenis, she added.

She also cautioned lawmakers to “never try to search for the good guy or make one guy the bad guy.”

“All parties are committing horrible violations,” she said. “They do this because they trust impunity more than anything else. They don’t think they will be held accountable.”

The U.S. needs to support and explore international criminal accountability measures for all who committed violations, something it has obstructed in the past, Almutawakel said. The U.S. should support efforts to refer Yemen to the International Criminal Court and “work with others to push a complete accountability strategy,” she said.

The U.S. should also push for a new U.N. Security Council resolution that enhances accountability and brings all parties to the table to negotiate peace, Almutawakel said. U.N. Resolution 2216, which was adopted in 2015 and detailed the conflict and parties involved, presents an outdated narrative of the war that shouldn’t be used as a framework for peace talks, she said.

“It is very important that the U.S. keeps involved and exerts pressure, uses leverage with all parties to conflict to implement a nationwide ceasefire,” Mohammed said.

https://www.devex.com/news/biden-s-yemen-actions-on-right-track-but-more-is-needed-experts-say-99384

and

IRC's Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy testifies at US House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the Yemen crisis

While the humanitarian suffering in Yemen is tragic, it is not accidental. It is the predictable outcome of a war that has put civilians in the crosshairs. The conflict is complex. But, one truth is clear: the Yemeni people bear its brunt.

While the crisis is protracted, it is not static. Yemenis are trapped in a hellish cycle. The international response treats the worst symptoms, but fails to address the conflict that drives the needs. Yemenis must confront new shocks with fewer resources, less resilience. And the cycle restarts.

Preventing famine must be an urgent priority. To this end, the U.S. should lift the USAID suspension on humanitarian assistance in the North - both to free up much needed funding and to bolster U.S. efforts to push others to fill the response’s dangerously empty coffers.

https://www.rescue.org/press-release/ircs-senior-director-policy-and-advocacy-testifies-us-house-foreign-affairs-committee

(B K P)

Saudi Arabia Receives Last-Half Strikes from Yemen

If the US-Saudi aggression coalition on Yemen conducted a transparent and clear review, it will find that it has not achieved any of the goals it declared with the start of the aggression.

And if it wants to delve more deeply into its review, it will find that it loses all its opportunities as a new stage started with the abandonment of the US sponsor .

The recent strike by the Yemeni forces against the Saudi oil installations in Dhahran, in the east of the kingdom, is not new. But it shows the facts indicating that Saudi Arabia is losing control of the course of affairs.

Riyadh's losses began as the Emirati ally turned around, withdrawing its forces. Regarding the economic path, its groups in southern Yemen exploited it. But all these did not hurt Saudi Arabia as much as the blows it has recently received from the Yemeni Army in the depths of Saudi Arabia, at a time when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seeks to use economic and development issues internally to promote himself to the West and the new US administration.

The aggression against Yemen ended its effectiveness a year after its start. The Saudis understood this reality, but they insisted on continuing the aggression and besieging the Yemeni people, causing their famine and their tragedies.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/18229/Saudi-Arabia-Receives-Last-Half-Strikes-from-Yemen

My remark: A Houthi viewpoint.

and also

(B K P)

Yemeni Drones, Remnant of Saudi Prestige

The information received from Saudi Arabia indicates that the Yemeni drones cause real terror for the Saudi regime. It seems that this Yemeni weapon impose a state of Saudi alert, especially with the inability of the weapons systems in Saudi Arabia to stop these drones.

After the Yemeni drones targeted important sites at Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, which separates it from the Yemeni border about 200 km, the Yemeni Army talked about targeting Jeddah airport in the context of the response to the US-Saudi escalation and their committed massacres against Yemeni people .

https://english.almasirah.net/post/18230/Yemeni-Drones%2C-Remnant-of-Saudi-Prestige

(* B K)

#UAE is involved in shipping arms & drones to #Yemeni #Ansarrulah to target #Saudi Arabia according to this well-informed #Yemeni source

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1370072301803335683

referring to

The documents of the Council of Experts Committee are circulated confirming that the Houthi drones that bomb the # Saudi Arabia are shipped to the Houthis via the Emirates and by the Lichipping Company Ltd. in Dubai and unfortunately the shipping identity is forged as being from the Sultanate of Oman ... there is a thousand evidence and evidence of the UAE support for the Houthis (documents)

https://twitter.com/anesmansory/status/1370069614751850497

(A K P)

Gemeinsame Erklärung der Regierungen Deutschlands, Frankreichs, Italiens, des Vereinigten Königreichs und der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika zu den Angriffen der Huthis

Wir, die Regierungen Deutschlands, Frankreichs, Italiens, des Vereinigten Königreichs und der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika verurteilen die fortgesetzte Offensive der Huthis auf die jemenitische Stadt Marib und die schwere Eskalation der Angriffe gegen Saudi-Arabien, die von den Huthis ausgeht und zu denen sie sich bekannt haben. Ihre Angriffe auf Marib verschärft eine bereits dramatische humanitäre Krise.

Unsere neuerlichen diplomatischen Bemühungen um die Beendigung des Jemen-Konflikts, mit denen wir den VN-Sondergesandten mit Hilfe Saudi-Arabiens, Omans und der internationalen Gemeinschaft unterstützen, bietet die beste Möglichkeit, diesem Krieg ein Ende zu setzen. Wir fordern die Huthis nachdrücklich auf, diese Gelegenheit zur Herbeiführung des Friedens zu nutzen und die andauernde Eskalation zu beenden.

Wir bekräftigen unser Bekenntnis zur Sicherheit und Unversehrtheit des saudi-arabischen Hoheitsgebiets und zur Wiederherstellung von Stabilität und Ruhe entlang der saudi-arabisch/jemenitischen Grenze. Wir bestätigen erneut unsere starke Unterstützung für eine rasche Lösung des Jemen-Konflikts, die der Region zu der so dringend benötigten Stabilität verhelfen und der Bevölkerung Jemens unmittelbar nutzen wird.

https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/newsroom/-/2447174

(A K P)

Joint Statement of the Governments of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America on Houthi Attacks

We, the governments of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, condemn the sustained Houthi offensive on the Yemeni city of Ma’rib and the major escalation of attacks the Houthis have conducted and claimed against Saudi Arabia. Their determined attack on Ma’rib is worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis.

Our renewed diplomatic efforts to end the Yemen conflict, in support of the UN Special Envoy, with the support of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the international community, offer the best hope for ending this war. We urge the Houthis to seize this opportunity for peace and end the ongoing escalation.

We reiterate our firm commitment to the security and integrity of Saudi territory, and to restoring stability and calm along the Saudi/Yemeni border. We reaffirm our strong support for a swift resolution of the Yemeni conflict, which will bring much-needed stability to the region and immediate benefit to the people of Yemen.

https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/newsroom/news/-/2447178 = https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-of-the-governments-of-france-germany-italy-the-united-kingdom-and-the-united-states-of-america-on-houthi-attacks = https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/yemen/events/article/joint-statement-of-the-governments-of-france-germany-italy-the-united-kingdom

My comment: A “firm commitment to the security and integrity of Saudi territory” really is a strangematter, as there never had been any Western “firm commitment to the security and integrity of Yemeni territory”.

(A K P)

Coalition Confirms Support to Yemeni Army in Ending Houthi Coup

The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen said it will continue to support the national army until the state is restored and the Houthi coup is terminated.

Speaking after meeting with senior Yemeni army officials in Marib and al-Jawf, Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki praised the efforts of the armed forces and popular resistance against the Iran-backed Houthi militias.

https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2853671/coalition-confirms-support-yemeni-army-ending-houthi-coup

(* B K P)

Audio: Order from Ashes Podcast: Yemen’s Wars at a Turning Point

On this episode of Order from Ashes, we talk to two analysts who know Yemen intimately: Nadwa al-Dawsari and Peter Salisbury. It might be possible for the United States to wash its hands of the Yemen war, they argue, but very hard for Washington to catalyze a resolution. What are the realistic options, and what’s best for the long-suffering civilians caught in the conflict?

Participants include:

Nadwa Al-Dawsari, non-resident fellow, Middle East Institute

Peter Salisbury, senior analyst, Yemen, International Crisis Group

Thanassis Cambanis, senior fellow, The Century Foundation

https://tcf.org/content/commentary/order-from-ashes-podcast-yemens-wars-at-a-turning-point/?agreed=1

(* B H K P)

Audio: The dramatic shortfall in this year's UN #Yemen appeal equates to a "death sentence" for Yemenis. This makes de-escalating the conflict even more urgent. Join me in conversation with

@Dr_Ulrichsen

https://www.conversationsix.com/p/H9PvtRaXwNKCQwuGu

clip: https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1369697388416401414

(* A K P)

Construction Of A Large Runway Suddenly Appears On Highly Strategic Island In The Red Sea

Satellite imagery shows that, earlier this year, construction began on a new, approximately 6,150-foot-long runway on Perim, an island right in the middle of the highly strategic Bab Al Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In addition to its location inside this critical maritime junction, which is an important route for both naval and commercial ships, Perim is situated less than five miles off the coast of Yemen, making it a valuable potential staging area for military operations in that country, possibly against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, as well as elsewhere in the region.

Images from Planet Labs that The War Zone reviewed show that construction of the airstrip, which is around 165 feet wide, on the northwest portion of Perim, also known as Mayyun, only began sometime between Feb. 18 and Feb. 22, 2021. The full outline of the runway, with a turnout at the western end, was visible by March 3.

Available imagery also shows that two new small hangar-like structures appeared on a concrete pad to the south of this runway work sometime after Feb. 24. That paved area is part of an apron left over from a separate, now-dormant project that began in 2016 and that was working toward the establishment of an air base with a nearly 10,000-feet-long runway.

There has been no active work on this larger facility since 2017. It's not entirely clear what happened, but Perim, a remnant of an ancient volcano, has an unforgiving climate that has frustrated attempts to build military outposts on it for centuries.

There is activity at this older site, beyond the construction of the two structures, but it appears to be linked to the new runway. An additional image of the island, dated March 8, that The Intel Lab, an independent intelligence analysis group, obtained from Airbus, seen in the video below, strongly suggests that workers are using this older, half-built site as a dumping ground for earth and stone is being removed as part of the construction of the new runway (photos)

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39686/construction-of-a-large-runway-suddenly-appears-on-highly-strategic-island-in-the-red-sea

and also https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202103101082308717-photos-mysterious-airfield-construction-spotted-on-yemeni-island-formerly-controlled-by-uae/

https://apnews.com/article/eritrea-dubai-only-on-ap-united-arab-emirates-east-africa-088f41c7d54d6a397398b2a825f5e45a

https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/secret-red-sea-air-base-built-on-strategic-island-off-yemen-coast-45027

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_RlIije7nI&t=28s

(A K P)

Jemen-Krise: Ölpreis steigt nach Angriffen der Huthi-Bewegung auf saudische Ölanlagen

Saudi-Arabien werde Maßnahmen ergreifen, um Angriffe auf seine Ölanlagen abzuwehren, sagte der Außenminister auf einer Pressekonferenz mit seinem russischen Amtskollegen Lawrow. Die Ölpreise legten mittlerweile nach einem weiteren Angriff auf Anlagen des Ölkonzerns Aramco zu.

https://de.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/114194-jemen-krise-olpreis-steigt-nach/

(A K P)

Saudi Arabia to take action to protect oil facilities, foreign minister says

“The Kingdom will take the necessary deterrent measures to protect its national capabilities,” the prince said.

He said international efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthis for six years, must tackle the matter of “Iran providing Houthi militias with advanced weapons including ballistic missiles and armed drones”.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-russia/saudi-arabia-to-take-action-to-protect-oil-facilities-foreign-minister-says-idUSKBN2B21KJ

My comment: LOL. These Iranian arms supplies are a fly shit compared to US/UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia and UAE. If arms supplies to the Yemen war must be “tackled”, take these first.

(* B K P)

YEMENI PEACE STANDS AT A CROSSROADS

Much of this suffering within Yemen is manmade—caused in part by the Saudi coalition’s air campaign and blockade of the country, as well as indiscriminate mining and shelling by Houthi and other armed actors—and encompasses sweeping human rights violations by all actors involved in the hostilities.

The culmination of these events, from new U.S. policy stances to an increasingly dire humanitarian situation, has boiled over in Marib Governorate since last October. Today, Marib is the physical embodiment of the crossroads that Yemen is experiencing, with Houthi, pro-government, and Saudi forces engaging in fierce combat amongst an internally displaced person (IDP) population of over 800,000 people.

U.S. officials also understand the importance of the governorate to wider peace negotiations in Yemen and have called for the Houthis to cease their offensive in support of a diplomatic resolution.

Regardless of the powerful statement, rhetoric alone will not stop the Houthi offensive into Marib, just as it is highly likely that the pro-government defense of the governorate appears unlikely to hold in the long-term. The Houthis know that control of Marib opens opportunities for additional offensives into other governorates like Shabwah or Hodeidah, which would almost certainly mark the end for the Hadi government. Most importantly, Houthi control of Marib likely coincides with worsened negotiation prospects as the Houthis will view their position as advantageous and that negotiations are not in their interest. This is exactly why the U.S. has publicly condemned the fighting.

A successful ceasefire can emerge if Washington can convince Riyadh, and subsequently, the Hadi government that minor and temporary concessions based conditionally on Houthi actions in Marib and elsewhere are a small price to pay relative to the risks associated with the loss of the governorate and northern Yemen. As the International Crisis Group correctly identifies, minor concessions such as a lift of some restrictions on Hodeida port and the resumption of some commercial flights to Sanaa airport may be realistic for the Saudis and Hadi, as well as acceptable to the Houthis. Of similar importance, it could also support the free flow of more humanitarian aid and goods into the country.

Such a deal will prove critical to follow-on talks that subsequently allow Saudi Arabia to remove itself from the conflict. This will allow the United States to support regional diplomatic efforts through Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, such as Oman due to its neutrality across the conflict, that hopefully bring the UAE and Iran to cease support for their proxies in the conflict—the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Houthis, respectively. These efforts should fall under the overarching policy priority of removing direct military support by regional powerhouses for Yemeni armed groups, which will be quite difficult but is critical to any future peace talks through United Nations Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.

Regardless of the difficult road ahead, a sustainable Yemeni peace, elusive due to decades of hostilities between political, ethnic, and religious groups in the country, can only be attained through an inclusive process by and for all the factions within Yemen. Without cooperation between all states involved either directly or indirectly, the conflict will continue to be fueled by outside actors with geopolitical interests that only harm Yemen. Hopefully, the crossroads at Marib operates as a point of reflection that produces a shift in this direction – by Alexander J. Langlois

https://www.diplomaticourier.com/posts/yemeni-peace-stands-at-a-crossroads

(A P)

Iranian envoy to S. Arabia: Keep your money; let go of oppressed people of Yemen

Iran’s ambassador to a UN Human Rights Council meeting advised the Saudi officials to stop killing the Yemenis and destroying their country.

Mohammad Sadatinejad made the remarks on Wednesday in reaction to a speech delivered in the same meeting by his Saudi counterpart.

“My Saudi counterpart is proud of sending financial assistance to Yemen and asks others to do so, but I advise them to keep their money and stop killing the Yemenis and destroying their country instead,” the Iranian ambassador said.

“The fact that you have money is no good reason to create chaos in the region, support extremism, and chase and slaughter your opponents around the world.”

https://en.irna.ir/news/84259546/Iranian-envoy-to-S-Arabia-Keep-your-money-let-go-of-oppressed

and also https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991220000714/Envy-Sadis-Beer-Sp-Massacre-f-Yemenis-insead-f-Preaching-Ohers

cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B H K P)

YPC: $34.5 mln fines for detaining fuel vessels

Yemen has to pay fines of up to $34.5 million for the delay in the delivery of oil ships, which are detained by the Saudi aggression, Yemeni Petroleum Company (YPC) Executive Director said Friday.

Despite the calls for distress and repeated requests for the release of the fuel ships, not a single liter of oil derivatives was allowed during 2021, YPC Executive Director Ammar al-Adhrue'e said in a protest held by the YPC employees in front of the United Nations office in the capital Sana'a.

He noted that 26 million Yemenis were threatened by piracy on fuel vessels and continued detention despite being granted UN permits.

"We have handed over all international reports, as well as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to remind them of the article stipulates that all countries in the world should make every effort to stop and prevent piracy against any country in the world outside its territorial waters," he said.

"But we have not found such assistance from any country," he said, stressing the reason behind that is the UN's misleading reports to the public, particularly the reports come from the office of UN envoy Martin Griffiths," he said.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3132234.htm

and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/18251/YPC-Holds-UN-Responsible-for-26-Million-Yemeni-Life

https://debriefer.net/en/news-23757.html

(A H P)

Al-Sabeen Hospital Warns of Stoppage Due to Aggression

Al Sabeen Maternity and Child Hospital in Sana’a has appealed to the United Nations and the international community to urgently intervene to release the fuel tankers to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/18227/Al-Sabeen-Hospital-Warns-of-Stoppage-Due-to-Aggression

(A H P)

Health sector in Houthi-run Yemen unable to offer partial services, minister

The Ministry of Public Health and Population in the Houthi government on Wednesday said the health sector in the Yemeni regions controlled by the Houthi group has entered a dangerous phase with hospitals unable to provide partial services due to acute shortages of fuel.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-23699.html

and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/18220/Minister-of-Health-Medical-Sector-in-Yemen-Ringing-Alarm%C2%A0

and

(A H P)

[Sanaa gov.] Minister of Oil Calls on UN to Put Pressure on US-Saudi Aggression to Release Fuel Ships

https://english.almasirah.net/post/18202/Minister-of-Oil-Calls-on-UN-to-Put-Pressure-on-US-Saudi-Aggression-to-Release

(B H K)

Another humanitarian catastrophe faced by 5200 patients of kidney failure threatened with death result stoppage of dialysis centers due to lack oil. UN & international community should force Saudi coalition to release the oil derivative ships that have been detained for 11month (list of vessels)

https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1369650131268755456

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B H)

Audio: Die Not der Menschen im Jemen

Fast sechs Jahre schon herrscht Krieg im Jemen. Die Vereinten Nationen sprechen von der weltweit schwersten humanitären Krise, die es derzeit gibt. Aenne Rappel, Vorsitzende der Stiftung Jemenhilfe Deutschland, berichtet über die Notsituation der Menschen.

Die Lage im Jemen sei aktuell sehr dramatisch, sagt Aenne Rappel, Gründerin und Vorsitzende der Stiftung Jemenhilfe Deutschland. Die Stiftung betreibt unter anderem ein Kinderhaus in der jemenitischen Stadt Taiz.

Das Kinderhaus befinde sich zwar in einem geschützten Bereich, doch die Stadt wird momentan täglich bombardiert, berichtet Rappel. In ihrem Kinderhaus betreut die Stiftung circa 120 Menschen. "Und es wären wesentlich mehr, wenn wir noch Platz hätten“, sagt die Stiftungsvorsitzende. Außerdem betreibt die Jemenhilfe noch ein Krankenhaus in der Nähe von Taiz.

Wegen des Bürgerkriegs im Jemen kann die Stiftung derzeit nicht selbst aktiv werden, erklärt Rappel. Stattdessen werden die Spenden aus Deutschland gesammelt und an die jemenitischen Helfer der Stiftung in Taiz weitergegeben, die vor Ort im Kinder- und Krankenhaus arbeiten.

Trotz der aktuell ausweglosen Situation aus Bürgerkrieg und Hungersnot werden Sie und ihre Stiftung weiterarbeiten, verspricht Rappel.

Wegen des Bürgerkriegs im Jemen kann die Stiftung derzeit nicht selbst aktiv werden, erklärt Rappel. Stattdessen werden die Spenden aus Deutschland gesammelt und an die jemenitischen Helfer der Stiftung in Taiz weitergegeben, die vor Ort im Kinder- und Krankenhaus arbeiten.

Trotz der aktuell ausweglosen Situation aus Bürgerkrieg und Hungersnot werden Sie und ihre Stiftung weiterarbeiten, verspricht Rappel.

https://www.inforadio.de/programm/schema/sendungen/int/202103/12/537182.html

(* B H)

U.N. looks to U.S. private equity investor to help fund famine fight in Yemen

The United Nations World Food Programme is hoping to get a share of hundreds of millions of dollars from a private foundation set up to help Yemen by U.S. private equity investor Tim Collins, U.N. food chief David Beasley said on Friday.

In a document shared with aid groups and seen by Reuters, the 2021 Famine Prevention Foundation aims to “avert a widespread famine by getting immediate assistance to the maximum number of people” experiencing famine or on the brink of famine.

Beasley said that he has spoken with Collins several times about the foundation, which has yet to be publicly announced.

“Tim’s working hard on a private foundation of funds,” Beasley told reporters. “He expressed his concerns about the governments around the world being stretched because of the crisis that we’re now facing because of COVID.”

Collins, founder of U.S. private equity firm Ripplewood Holdings LLC, declined to comment.

Most funding for U.N. aid appeals comes from governments, so the creation of the Famine Prevention Foundation is novel.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-aid/u-n-looks-to-u-s-private-equity-investor-to-help-fund-famine-fight-in-yemen-idUSKBN2B42MI

(B H)

Yemen | Humanitarian situation and People in Need, Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) – DG ECHO Daily Map | 11/03/2021

https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-situation-and-people-need-emergency-response-coordination-centre-ercc

(B H)

Photo: The fuel crisis is pushing citizens to use firewood to provide the most basic necessities of life, even at the expense of destroying the environment and our natural resources. These sidr trees, which take a long time to grow, have become fuel for a bakery. Literally fabricated crises destroy everything

https://twitter.com/faizahsulimani/status/1370003446242365442

(A H)

#Savinglives of the most vulnerable and affected wherever they are and in extremely exceptional evironments is a critically unparallelled action. Nearing the completion of rebuilding, equipping and furnishing Munabeh Rural Hospital #Saada. (photos)

https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1369699427791802374

https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1369699062920998912

(B H)

Yemen | Humanitarian Response Plan 2021

to assist 6.3 million people

FAO requires USD 90 million

period January–December 2021

Yemen is suffering the worst humanitarian crisis worldwide as a consequence of six years of violent conflict and an economic collapse. Urgent action is needed to protect, rebuild and restore agricultural productivity and create livelihood opportunities to reduce the alarming levels of food insecurity and nutrition while also stimulating economic recovery.

http://www.fao.org/emergencies/appeals/detail/en/c/1372770/

(A H P)

Humanitarian aid activities multiply as fighting escalates in Yemen: gov't official

Humanitarian aid activities and campaigns have multiplied as fighting continues to escalate in various areas of the war-torn Yemen, a government official told Xinhua on Wednesday.

"The escalating fighting prompted many local and international humanitarian organizations operating in Yemen to speed up aid operations to meet the needs of war-affected families," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The humanitarian organizations began moving urgent aid to support people living in war-ravaged areas amid lack of food supplies, he added, citing that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Red Cross Organization instantly doubled its humanitarian operations responding to the increasing number of displaced families and their harsh living conditions in Yemen.

Last week, the new power-sharing government based in Yemen's southern port city of Aden warned the international community about its collapsing economy.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-03/10/c_139800251.htm

(B H)

SFD Yemen: For ages, #Yemeni_woman remains largely under-represented in economy and paid #employment.In order to strengthen this area over the last decade, our #Cash4Work program alone #ChooseToChallenge and employed 68,000 women

https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1369350176075300870

(* B H)

Film: The UN warns that a massive number of Yemeni children could die from malnutrition if urgent humanitarian programs are not funded properly.

https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1369573744696582144

(* B H)

Bilder: Jemen: Krieg und Hunger zerstören eine ganze Generation

Photos: War and hunger destroy a whole generation

https://www.gmx.net/magazine/unicef/jemen-krieg-hunger-zerstoeren-generation-33797030

(* B H)

Film: Ongoing war in Yemen called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis

ABC News’ Ian Pannell reports on the dire situation in Yemen, where war and lack of aid is pushing millions of people, especially children, to the brink of starvation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0LTT5W3kic

(* B H)

WFP Chief appeals for peace as Yemen teeters on edge of famine

The Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme issued an urgent plea for peace in Yemen and called for funding to help the most vulnerable hungry families as he wrapped up a two-day visit to the country where the worst famine the world has seen in modern history is now looming.

"Over half of the people in Yemen are facing acute food shortages with millions knocking on the door of famine. These are not just numbers. They are real people and it is heartbreaking," said David Beasley. "Famine-like conditions are emerging across Yemen and the answer is simple. We have a vaccine for this. It is called food. All we need to save lives is funding."

In Sana'a, Beasley visited a hospital and witnessed first-hand the devastating toll that malnutrition is having on Yemen's children. Half of all children under five in Yemen -- 2.3 million -- are projected to face acute malnutrition this year, with nearly 400,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition and likely to die if they do not get urgent treatment.

"In the children's wing of any hospital in the world, you usually hear crying or laughter but in these hospitals in Yemen, there is dead silence as the children are too sick and too weak to either cry or laugh. But they are still the lucky ones who were able to make it to the hospital," Beasley added. "Many poor families cannot afford the cost of transportation to bring their children to hospitals or they arrive and are turned away because there are not enough beds for their sick children."

The WFP chief also met 2-year-old Sultan, a little boy treated by WFP for malnutrition, who came for a check-up.

"Meeting Sultan shows me what WFP can do. We can make a difference here, but we need the funds to do it -- and these children need to be given a chance to grow up in a country at peace," said Beasley.

https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-chief-appeals-peace-yemen-teeters-edge-famine

Film: https://twitter.com/WFPChief/status/1369669436194570243 = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=621bdx2X7is

and

(* B H P)

Film: Hunger crisis in Yemen: ‘It’s like a living hell on earth’

The head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning World Food Programme discusses his eye-opening trip to Yemen and the worldwide fight to end hunger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB6EH_Amy8k

and

(A H P)

[Sanaa gov.] Health Minister: World Food Program Should Meet Responsibilities towards Malnourished Patients

https://english.almasirah.net/post/18198/Health-Minister-World-Food-Program-Should-Meet-Responsibilities-towards-Malnourished-Patients

(B H)

Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative: February 2021 Situation Overview

The JMMI incorporates information on market systems including price levels and supply chains. The basket of goods to be assessed includes ten non-food items (NFIs), such as fuel, water, and hygiene products, reflecting the programmatic areas of the WASH Cluster. The JMMI tracks all components of the WASH and Food Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) as well as other food and non-food items. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, REACH has adapted the JMMI to begin assessing the potential impact of the pandemic on markets and on respondents' businesses.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-joint-market-monitoring-initiative-february-2021-situation-overview

(* B H)

Women and Civil Society: Capacity Building in Yemen - A Research Perspective on Development PDF

This work is the result of fruitful collaboration between the department of cooperation in the French Embassy in Sana'a and CEFAS (French CEnter for Archeology and Social Sciences in Sanna). It aims to present a joint reflection on experiences in gender and development projects, and to join in the debate they foster not only in Yemen, but on a much wider scale as well, beyond cultural and contextual particularities.
This initiative connects with practical and critical research concerned with the transnational promotion of civil society, participation, empowerment and capacity building through various development and assistance schemes. It is divided up into two parts: firstly, a contribution by Blandine Destremau, aiming to provide a sense of perspective to the patterns of development implemented and experimented in Yemen, by sketching a critical history of ideas and institutions dealing with issues of gender and development.
Secondly, an impact assessment carried out in the field by Maggy Grabundzija, an anthropologist, focusing on two projects funded by the French Social Development Fund, chosen for their engagement in girls' education in rural areas.

https://sites.google.com/a/ed.books-now.com/en26/9782909194585-74diabiGEpropgi86

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A H K)

Yemen: Ma'rib Situation Update No. 1, 12 March 2021

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Armed confrontations, which erupted in several districts of Ma’rib in the first week of February 2021, have continued unabated, especially in western and northern parts of the governorate. This has led to the displacement of at least 1,532 families (about 11,000 people), according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Many of those displaced are from Sirwah District – which has continued to see some of the heaviest fighting – with some having to flee displacement sites as fighting drew near, displacing them anew. A majority of internally displaced persons (IDPs) reported being displaced for the third or fourth time.

Ma'rib Governorate hosts the largest IDP population in Yemen, according to local authorities – with some living in approximately 125 IDP sites. Sirwah District hosts around 30,000 displaced people in at least 14 displacement sites, and there are reports of fighting close to several sites.

According to IOM, most newly displaced people had been living in displacement sites, with some reportedly carrying their shelters with them to their new locations. Most new IDPs moved from three of the largest displacement sites in Sirwah (Al Zur, Dhanah Al Sawabin and Danah Al Hayal) to Al Rawdah IDP site in Arak, also in Sirwah District. Some displaced families have also sought refuge in Ma'rib Al Wadi District and Ma'rib City, and it is expected that further displacement will bring new people to these areas, where conditions in displacement sites are already overcrowded and needs are reportedly severe.

Field reports indicated that about 167 families were displaced to Sana’a Governorate and Sana’a City.

HUMANITARIAN IMPACT AND NEEDS

Local populations and displaced people have continued to bear the brunt of ongoing hostilities, with some seeing their homes destroyed or having to flee their communities and displacement sites. The overall civilian casualty figures and the number of displaced persons remain unclear due to continued fighting in the affected areas. While IOM estimates that 1,532 families (11,000 individuals) have been displaced between 8 February and 9 March 2021, the Executive Unit for IDPs (Government of Yemen) estimates that 2,053 families (about 14,371 individuals) were displaced as of 27 February. Aid agencies estimate that the actual number of displaced families might be much higher. A large number of displaced families fled to safer areas within Sirwah District, Ma'rib Al Wadi District and Ma'rib City, with most displacement being secondary from existing displacement sites and locations to safer areas in Sirwah District. According to IOM, Al Rawdah IDP site in Sirwah, which hosted 677 families before the recent hostilities broke out, has seen its population increase three-fold.

This influx has strained existing resources at the site, stoking tensions between existing residents and new arrivals.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-marib-situation-update-no-1-12-march-2021

(* A H K)

Flash Update: Escalation and Response in Marib Governorate - Issue #7 | 20 Feb - 10 Mar 2021

Intense clashes which broke out in several districts of Marib Governorate in the first week of February 2021 have continued, leading to the displacement of more than 11,000 people, most of them from Sirwah District, which has seen the heaviest fighting.

Marib Governorate already hosts an estimated one million Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in 125 IDP sites. Sirwah District hosts around 30,000 displaced people in at least 14 displacement sites, and there are reports of fighting close to several of these sites.

The newly displaced are some of the most vulnerable; with an estimated 70 per cent being women. Urgent needs as reported by partners include additional food assistance, non-food items, clothing and protection of civilians still trapped between frontlines.

With continued fighting, more civilians are expected to continue to flee towards the eastern outskirts of Sirwah and into Marib City, where IDP sites are already crowded and response capacities are overstretched. Should hostilities move towards the city and surrounding areas, 385,000 people could be displaced to the suburbs of Marib City and to areas in Hadramout Governorate.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/flash-update-escalation-and-response-marib-governorate-issue-7-20-feb-10-mar-2021

(B H)

Yemen - Flow Monitoring Points | Non-Yemeni Migrant Arrivals and Yemeni Returnees in February 2021

From 01 to 28 February 2021, IOM Yemen DTM estimates that 1,255 migrants arrived in Yemen. The migrant caseload was 87 per cent Ethiopian and 13 per cent Somali, with 89 per cent of those tracked heading to Saudi Arabia and 11 per cent towards Yemen. The migrants are predominantly male (78%), with 11 per cent women, eight per cent boys and three per cent girls also among the travelers.

Through February reporting period, 585 migrants arrived from Somalia and were recorded at Eyn Bamabad (425 migrants) and Ber Ali (160 migrants) flow monitoring points in Shabwah governorate. Al Aarah flow monitoring point in Lahj governorate saw the highest number of migrant arrivals, with 670 migrants arriving from Djibouti.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-flow-monitoring-points-non-yemeni-migrant-arrivals-and-yemeni-returnees-february

(A P)

[Hadi] Gov’t. condemns Houthi militia’s gruesome crime against African internees in Sana’a

http://en.26sepnews.net/2021/03/10/govt-condemns-houthi-militias-gruesome-crime-against-african-internees-in-sanaa/

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A P)

Funeral held in Sana'a for Ethiopians died in immigrant center

A Funeral was held in Sana'a on Friday for 43 Ethiopians.

They died a few days ago in an unfortunate fire incident in the illegal immigrant shelter center in Sana'a.

A lot of officials have attended the funeral, including representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the government, the acting Ethiopian ambassador, the saff of the Ethiopian embassy in Sana'a, and a large gathering of the leaders and members of the Ethiopian community and other African communities in Yemen.

After the funeral ceremony, deputy foreign minister Hussein al-Ezi expressed the condolence of the Yemeni government and people to the Ethiopian government and people, stressing that the funeral was held at the request of the Ethiopian community.

Al-Ezi indicated that investigations were underway to determine the causes and circumstances of the incident.

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3132262.htm

My comment: The causes seem to be pretty clear (look at cp1 and at Yewmen War Mosaic 725, cp1. Crocodile tears won’t do it.

and

(A P)

Human rights symposium about Yemen

On March 10, the Yemeni Coalition for Independent Women and the European Organization’s Union for Peace met to discuss the events of March 7 in Sana’a, Yemen, in which hundreds of Ethiopian migrants were burned alive by Houthi rebels in a containment facility. The meeting was the 46th session of the symposium and continued a series of discussions regarding Houthi rebel influence in the region.

https://thelevantnews.com/en/2021/03/human-rights-symposium-about-yemen/

My comment: This seems to have been an anti-Houthi propaganda event.

(A K P)

Capital organizes major convoy in support of Marib Front

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3132202.htm

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQqvAG3bVvE

(A P)

@EUinYemen @giz_gmbh funding project to educate Yemeni journalists in Huthi-controlled areas on "how to develop media against agression " (image)

https://twitter.com/Aliriani/status/1370031154934378497

and

(A P)

[Hadi] Government urges aid agencies not to accept Houthi dictates, extortion

Yemen's internationally recognised government on Thursday called on international aid agencies to reconsider their performances and not to accept dictates of the Houthi group.

Aid agencies working in the country should do their job according to stated objectives and standards, on top of which are the delivery of relief aid to people affected by a war imposed by the group and contribution to peacebuilding, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muammar Al-Eryani said.

He urged the EU mission and GIZ to give clarifications on their financial support to a training program for a group of Houthi female recruits.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-23732.html

and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-45660

(A K pH)

Yemen Vows to Continue Retaliatory Attacks Until Saudi Arabia Ends War

Colonel Aziz Rashed, a Spokesman for the Yemeni Army, said the country’s forces will certainly continue their retaliatory strikes deep into Saudi Arabia until the Riyadh regime ends the aggression and lifts the blockade on Yemen.

He warned that Western and American air defenses will not be able to repel the attacks, and that the Yemeni forces will have surprises for the enemy, Yemeni News reported.

"The Yemeni military wants to convey a message to Saudi Arabia. It says that if you keep occupying and besieging Yemen, from today on, neither the Patriots nor the Black Hawks will be able to secure Riyadh," he stated.

https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991221000500/Yemen-Vws-Cnine-Realiary-Aacks-Unil-Sadi-Arabia-Ends-War

(A K pH)

President Al-Mashat Opens Martyr Leader Exhibition

The president Mahdi Al-Mashat, Thursday, opened the Martyr Leader Exhibition for Military Industries, in the anniversary of the martyr of the leader Sayyed Hussein Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi.

https://english.almasirah.net/post/18225/President-Al-Mashat-Opens-Martyr-Leader-Exhibition

and also https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/03/11/president-mahdi-al-mashat-opens-exhibition-in-honour-of-martyr-sayyid-hussein-al-houthi/

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3132165.htm

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBUA_oU5zNQ

and

(A K pH)

Yemen Unveils New Domestically-Developed Military Hardware

Yemen unveiled new achievements in the defense sector, including ballistic missiles, drones and artillery as well as anti-tank and light and heavy weapons.

The equipment, manufactured by Yemeni military experts, were put on display at an exhibition in the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a on Thursday, Al-Masirah TV channel reported.

The exhibition kicked off in a ceremony attended by several military and political officials, among them Mahdi al-Mashat, the President of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council.

Mashat congratulated the Yemeni Armed Forces and people on their new military achievements, which he hailed as a victory for the nation in the strategic sector.

He also noted that the military equipment will be used to confront the enemy.

Mashat further stressed that all the weapons at the exhibition were unveiled for the first time and that they were all produced by Yemeni experts.

https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991221000468/Yemen-Unveils-New-Dmesically-Develped-Miliary-Hardware

and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3132121.htm

https://english.almasirah.net/post/18226/Armed-Forces-Unveil-Advanced-Missiles%2C-Drones%2C-Naval-Mines

https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/03/11/yemen-unveils-three-new-types-of-ballistic-missiles-and-seven-drone-aircraft/

Comment: In 2016, Houthis posted photos of drones they said they were developing. We all laughed about it and dismissed it as propaganda. Now we know we clearly underestimated them and we continue to do so

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1370009799371460621

Photos: https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1370016556810260480

Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOwiwwWQdSg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5p28s-17qw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mF5waY2eTc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS2bVzoFyk0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVvakSERU8A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37IvJBUd6Y4

and also https://twitter.com/hafeed000/status/1370097112579518466

https://twitter.com/hafeed000/status/1370095508128157696

https://twitter.com/ahmedayed2000/status/1370127231259922433

https://twitter.com/ameanhayyan/status/1370028330771046403

and

(A K P)

Houthi new naval mines rouse Yemeni watchdog concerns

The new naval mines introduced by the Houthis on 12 March rouse concerns, the Yemeni Mine Watchdog (YMW) tweeted late on Thursday.
The Houthi exhibition of naval mines are troublesome, YMW said, particularly since the naval mines previously spread by the group in Hodeida coats left tens of fishers killed or injured.
"These mines pose grave threat to fishermen and international navigation in the Red Sea," the watchdog warned.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-23742.html

(A P)

The Cost of Journalism in Yemen: Death Sentence or Prisoner Exchange

The Specialized Criminal Appeals Court in Sanaa, Yemen, held a hearing on Sunday, February 28 to decide on the case of four Yemeni journalists who were sentenced to death. The journalists were allegedly released as part of a prisoner’s exchange and did not appear at the hearing.

In April 2020, four Yemeni journalists, Hareth Humaid, Tawfiq Al-Mansouri, Akram Al-Walidi and Abdelkhaleq Amran, were sentenced to the death penalty by the Criminal Court of Sanaa in Yemen. [1]

The four journalists have been detained since 2015 when they were accused of spying for foreign enemies and spreading false news. [2] After their capture, the journalists were accused of collaborating with the Saudi-led coalition, which the Houthi government [3] considered as their major enemy. [4] In actual fact, the charges were made against them for simply doing their jobs as journalists and for being active on social media.

The case of the four journalists was scheduled for a hearing at the Specialized Criminal Appeals Court in Sanaa on February 28, 2021. [5] The Gulf Center for Human Rights reported that the journalists did not appear at the hearing and a representative of the Yemeni Security and Intelligence Services informed the court that the journalists were released as part of a prisoner’s exchange deal. [6]

While in prison, the four journalists continued to encounter a lack of access to adequate medical care and worrying living conditions in prison. “They are facing a risk of being exposed to COVID, and the living conditions in Yemen’s prisons are not safe nor healthy,” reported Khalid Ibrahim, the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights.

https://clinics.law.harvard.edu/advocates/2021/03/10/the-cost-of-journalism-in-yemen-death-sentence-or-prisoner-exchange/

(A P)

Ansarullah-Führer warnt vor US-israelischen Verschwörungen, um jemenitische Ressourcen auszubeuten

Der Leiter der jemenitischen Houthi Ansarullah-Bewegung, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, warnte vor Verschwörungen der Vereinigten Staaten und des israelischen Regimes gegen den Jemen und sagte, Washington sei danach aus jemenitische Menschen und Ressourcen auszubeuten und die Kontrolle über seine strategische Position zu übernehmen.

Houthi, der am Jahrestag des Märtyrertodes von Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, einem ehemaligen Ansarullah-Führer, sprach, sagte, die Vereinigten Staaten hätten eine Verschwörung ausgearbeitet, um sein Land zum Ziel zu nehmen, genau wie es mit dem Irak und Afghanistan geschah.

"Der Jemen ist eines der Länder, die von der US-Verschwörung betroffen sind, und wie von den US-Führern zugegeben, haben sie den Jemen nach Afghanistan und dem Irak auf die Liste ihrer Zielländer gesetzt", sagte er.

Er fügte hinzu, dass die strategische Position des Jemen und seine Ressourcen das Interesse der USA geweckt hätten, und bemerkte: „Die USA führen einen regelrechten Krieg gegen unser Land und wenn unsere Nation ihre Verantwortung, dieser Verschwörung entgegenzuwirken, aufgibt, bedeutet dies, dass sie sich ergeben hat.“

https://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i56664-ansarullah_f%C3%BChrer_warnt_vor_us_israelischen_verschw%C3%B6rungen_um_jemenitische_ressourcen_auszubeuten

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGSor6bBJ8g = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2zVNFelw1A

(A P)

Sayyed Abdulmalik: Washington Deployed Al-Qaeda Individuals in Yemen, Controlled Security Policy

The leader of the revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, said today, Wednesday, that "Al-Qaeda and the takfiris are destroying Arab countries to submit it to the Israeli enemy and America," adding that "their plan is to directly control the nation after bringing it to total collapse."

During a televized speech on the occasion of the anniversary of the martyr Hussein Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi, Sayyed Abdulmalik indicated that "the takfiris were the main tool for implementing the US-Western-Israeli project," considering that "the enemies wanted the takfiri discourse to dominate the front of the Islamic nation, as if they were the ones who would defend it."

"The takfiris are a model made for achieving American hegemony as they move to stop the goals set by America," Sayyed Abdulmalik added. He indicated that Al Qaeda had carried out crimes in Iran, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, the Gulf, Egypt, Africa and Europe.

"The movement of the takfiris is paralleled by a Western American move to deceive the people under the pretext of fighting terrorism", Sayyed Abdulmalik said.

In this context, Sayyed Abdulmalik said, "Yemen's strategic location, its people, and its wealth prompted the Americans to place it at the forefront of those targeted in our nation,"

https://english.almasirah.net/post/18216/Sayyed-Abdulmalik-Washington-Deployed-Al-Qaeda-Individuals-in-Yemen%2C-Controlled-Security-Policy

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGSor6bBJ8g = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2zVNFelw1A

and

(A P)

Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi: Yemen will always support Islamic Brotherhood and cause of Palestine

Leader of the Yemeni Revolution, Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi has on Wednesday reaffirmed the Yemeni people’s adherence to the principle of Islamic brotherhood and continual support for the Palestinian cause.

“We will continue, with the free people of our Islamic nation, all efforts to confront the Israeli enemy and its conspiracies facing the nation,” Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech he delivered this afternoon, on the occasion of the anniversary of the martyrdom of the founder of Ansarullah, Sayyid Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi.

The Leader of the Revolution stated that “the Yemeni people will continue to support the Palestinian cause as a religious principle, a human right and a moral duty.”

He also denounced the normalisation of relations between some Arab countries and the Israeli enemy, considering this move a “betrayal of Islam and Muslims.”

Sayyid al-Houthi affirmed that the US is the main plotter of the invasion against Yemen. The Leader noted that “Washington seeks to dominate Yemen at the lowest cost, which is through appealing to other countries to undertake the task.”

According to the Sayyid, Yemen along with other countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq were intended to be occupied from the beginning, based on the US strategic interests.

https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/03/10/sayyid-abdul-malik-al-houthi-yemen-will-always-support-islamic-brotherhood-and-cause-of-palestine/

and also https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991221000135/Ansarllah-Leader-Warns-f-US-Israeli-Pls-Expli-Yemeni-Peple-Resrces

and

(A K P)

Ma’rib Main Front for US-Saudi Aggression against Yemen: Houthi

Leader of Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said the country’s army and Popular Committees are fighting in Ma’rib against the US-Saudi aggression as they have turned it into a main front for the aggression.

In a speech Wednesday on the occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of Sayyed Hussein Al-Houthi, a former Ansarullah leader, he said that since the beginning of the US-Saudi aggression, the enemies have turned Ma’rib into a main front for their aggression, and moved in it militarily with their armies from various countries and Takfiri groups.

Houthi stated that Ma’rib front did not have any truce since the beginning of the aggression. He emphasized that the achieved victories in Ma’rib bothered the Americans to express their concern and demand an end to the progress.

With regard to the displaced, he said that the presence of millions of displaced people in Ma’rib is a big lie, there are a number of displaced camps that “we care about and are not in the context of targeting”.

He underlined that the militant camps are not camps for the displaced, al-Masirah reported.

Houthi also said the United States was hatching a plot to target his country, just like what it did with Iraq and Afghanistan.

https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2021/03/11/2468115/ma-rib-main-front-for-us-saudi-aggression-against-yemen-houthi

and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3132060.htm

https://english.almasirah.net/post/18217/Marib-Front-since-Beginning-of-US-Saudi-Aggression-an-Active-Battleground

and

(A P)

#Houthi leader AbdulMalik al-Houthi personally disseminates hate language on public TV (10 Mar 2021) and declares #Bahais #Jews #Ahmadis and #Atheists to be enemies of Islam (Film)

https://twitter.com/DefendingBahais/status/1370758163511840770

and

(A P)

In arguing against equal rights for all Yemenis, Abdulmalek al-Houthi says US came up with religious minorities like Ahmadiyya, Jews and Baha'is (latter of which Houthis are systematically persecuting) in order to undermine sovereignty of Islam in Yemen. QAnon level nonsense (film)

https://twitter.com/Macoombs/status/1371192367458422786

and

(A P)

Houthi leader Abdul Malik earns scorn after claiming US spreading AIDS in Yemen

The recent claim by a Houthi leader that the US is responsible for the spread of disease in Yemen has been met with derision across social media in the country.
From his hideout Saada, Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi militia in Yemen, gave a speech on the anniversary of the death of the group’s figurehead Hussein Badreddin Al-Houthi, in which he alleged that the US had spread AIDS and cancer across the war-torn country.
“The Americans have done all they could to spread AIDS in Yemen, and they have even promoted it to the extent that the disease has been widely featured in newspapers,” Al-Houthi said.
Al-Houthi went on to claim that the US was also fighting to undermine traditional Yemeni attire to stop men carrying daggers, encouraging students, politicians and social elites to shun such items in favor of pants and other forms of Western dress.
A number of Yemeni social media users, though, were less than impressed by Al-Houthi’s claims, with several openly mocking him.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1824646/middle-east

(A P)

Former Houthi member slams Houthi leader

Former member of the Houthi group Ali Al-Bukhaiti on Thursday criticised the group's leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi for his appearance on TV on the 17th anniversary of the killing of his brother, the founder of the group, Hussein Al-Houthi.

Abdulmalik Al-Houthi is unaware of what is going on in the modern ages, Al-Bukhaiti, who is based in London, wrote on Twitter.

He urged him to stop delivering televised speeches proving that he is only linked to his own aides within the group and separated from the external world.

https://debriefer.net/en/news-23731.html

(A P)

Protests over refugee burning in Sana’a

Large numbers of Ethiopian refugees organized a protest in Sana’a on Tuesday to protest at the burning of hundreds of fellow Oromo clansmen in a detention facility in the Houthi militia-controlled city.

The protests were held in front of the UNHCR office.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-45613

Yemeni Foreign Ministry dismisses propaganda about Red Cross meeting with Iranian ambassador

https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/03/10/yemeni-foreign-ministry-dismisses-propaganda-about-red-cross-meeting-with-iranian-ambassador/

Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp6 – cp19

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-726b-yemen-war-mosaic-726b

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-725-yemen-war-mosaic-725

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-725 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-725:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:

(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)

http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/

http://www.yemenwar.info/

Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

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

https://yemen.bellingcat.com/

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

https://yemeniarchive.org/en

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

Dietrich Klose

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

Dietrich Klose

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