... Wie die Houthis humanitäre Hilfe als Waffe benutzen – Jemen: Landwirtschaftliche Lebensgrundlagen und Ernährungssicherheit im Kontext von COVID-19 – Vertreibung und Binnnenflüchtlinge in Marib – Noch einmal das Migrantenlager bei Sanaa – und mehr
March 17, 2021: Washington's Yemen ceasefire proposal is a work of fantasy – Yemen: Annual Humanitarian Access Overview, 2020 – How Houthis weaponize humanitarian aid – Yemen: Agricultural livelihoods and food security in the context of COVID-19 – Displacement in Marib – The Sanaa migrant detention center again – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-727b-yemen-war-mosaic-727b
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
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Söldner / Mercenaries
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: A History of Conflict - Narrated by David Strathairn - Full Episode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpPpXM7hSXk
(* B H K P)
Film:
Ongoing war in Yemen called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0LTT5W3kic
(* B H)
Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan - Humanitarian Program Cycle 2021 (March 2021)
At the start of 2021, Yemen is at risk of descending into deeper crisis. Recognized as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis for the past four years, the country is now hurtling towards the worst famine the world has seen in decades. Unprecedented levels of humanitarian assistance helped to avert a famine and other disasters in 2019, yet the underlying drivers of the crisis persist. As the devastating armed conflict continues, vulnerable populations are increasingly unable to cope.
Today in Yemen, 20.7 million people, two out of every three Yemenis, need some form of humanitarian and protection assistance. Of these, 12.1 million people are in acute need. More than half of the population are facing acute levels of food insecurity. Cases of acute malnutrition among children under five are the greatest ever recorded. Preventable disease is pervasive, and morbidity and mortality are increasing.
Health partners are doing everything they can to mitigate and address the spread of COVID-19, while safeguarding the existing health system from collapse.
The conflict continues to devastate families, put civilians at grave risk and cause the death and injury of men, women, girls and boys. Since its start, the conflict has displaced over 4 million people, making Yemen the fourth biggest internal displacement crisis in the world.
The humanitarian situation was aggravated in 2020 by escalating conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, disease outbreaks, torrential rains and flooding, a desert locust plague, economic collapse, a fuel crisis across northern governorates and reduced humanitarian aid. Alarming levels of food insecurity and acute malnutrition returned, exacerbated by the economic downturn spurred by COVID-19. The operating environment was extremely restricted, characterized by extensive access challenges and insecurity that hindered a principled aid operation.
While system-wide efforts resulted in improvements, work is ongoing to ensure a principled response and allow humanitarians to reach the people most in need. When principled delivery is at risk, agencies will continue to calibrate assistance to reduce risk levels and strengthen measures to ensure aid goes where it should.
Last year, the response was significantly underfunded, forcing key programmes to close or reduce. By the end of January 2021, only US$ 1.9 billion, 56 per cent of the $3.38 billion needed for the 2020 response, had been received. As a result, hungry families received only half as much food as they should have and facilities providing water, sanitation and health services stopped delivering. In past years, generous donor contributions enabled the massive scale-up of humanitarian assistance in Yemen and the rollback of catastrophic levels of food insecurity, cholera and other humanitarian needs. For 2021, indications are that with escalating conflict, a deteriorating economic situation and worsening livelihood, food insecurity and nutrition conditions, needs will only increase.
Shocks such as disease outbreaks, natural hazards and a potential oil spill from the FSO Safer threaten to cause more suffering for millions of Yemenis. If adequate funding is not received this year, gains achieved will be reversed, and Yemen will plunge even further into crisis.
Despite immense challenges, partners delivered assistance and protection support to up to 10.7 million people per month in 2020.
and also https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-response-plan-2021-march-2021
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B P)
Washington's Yemen ceasefire proposal is a work of fantasy
There are many problems with the Biden administration's new ceasefire proposal for anyone who has followed Yemen's civil war since 2015.
The proposal doesn't take into account the fact that the blockade, in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic, is still in place despite repeated warnings by the United Nations that 400,000 children will starve to death this year. The botched initiative does not reflect the U.S. military’s role in maintaining the Saudi blockade.
President Biden's special envoy for Yemen would like to claim otherwise. He thinks that by taking the wrong path he can lead all of the warring factions to the right one. Upon returning from his lackluster trip to the region on March 13, Timothy Lenderking blamed the Houthis for his failure to reach a ceasefire. He said the proposal "has been before the Houthi leadership for a number of days" and praised the Saudis for what he said is a commitment to "a unilateral ceasefire."
As maintained by Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdulsalam, however, Lenderking's proposal is not designed to end the blockade, which is what the Houthis demand, as it would only partially open Sanaa airport to select destinations through permits issued by Riyadh.
Here is a look at some key points about the new development and the reasons why the blockade and the blame game need to come to a decisive end as established by UN authorities.
According to the UN's World Food Program, the Saudis have not allowed a fuel ship to dock in Hodeidah since January 3 and the lack of fuel is impeding food, medicine and other essential supplies. Worse still, Lenderking denies the reality and downplays the humanitarian impacts of the U.S.-backed embargo.
In the current atmosphere, expect widespread famine in the coming months. The long-term prospects would be even worse, particularly in the north, where the blockade has reportedly spurred widespread anger, even among those supporting the U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition.
The siege has failed to stop the Houthis from launching cross-border missile and drone attacks inside Saudi Arabia. The Saudis also continue their aerial bombing campaign. This clearly shows that all of the warring factions are not committed to any ceasefire proposed by the U.S. The horrific suffering caused by their fighting does not comfort with international humanitarian law. The slight easing of blockade is not enough to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. This is one of the primary causes of the problem.
Without naming any particular country, some political leaders claim they remain steadfast in their support of the Yemeni people and ceasefire, but they are not prepared to either reduce or cut off arms supplies, even under their own rules and common values. Under the universal code on military exports and legislation, weapons sales are forbidden if they undermine peace, security and stability in the Arabian Peninsula.
There is a legal basis for the exporting countries to keep human rights at the center of their foreign policies and to backtrack on their arms export licences. They are not in a position to dictate policy or be the exporter of "democracy" in Yemen.
The choice now is between resolution and complicity. All possible means and diplomatic channels can be exhausted to lift the blockade and allow unhindered humanitarian and commercial access to millions of civilians in need. There is a way to end this folly with no strings attached. History has proved many times that the path of military conflict was often the wrong path.
It is incumbent on the civil society to step in. There is a reasonable and legal basis for the UN to call for a ceasefire and a diplomatic resolution of the conflict. Humanitarian aid is not the ultimate solution to this catastrophe; only a binding ceasefire deal and peace process can halt the horrendous human suffering. The UN could devise a common position on this matter to be credible in its promotion of humanitarian law and dialogue-based approach to Yemen's conflict resolution and reconstruction.
Moving in this direction is not going to be easy, but it's possible.
The case for Lenderking's ceasefire proposal is particularly noteworthy, as in many respects the cost of the U.S.-backed blockade is being measured in the number of lives that are lost in Yemen. Within this context, the only option is for Washington to stop maintaining the blockade and supporting the conflict.
All parties to the conflict have been able to come to terms with this bitter reality that has gone on for over six years. They must reject the glorification of violence as nobody will win. By towing the wrong path, they have only alienated the Yemeni people and pushed their country closer to implosion – by Bobby Naderi
(** B H P)
Yemen: Annual Humanitarian Access Overview, 2020
In 2020, humanitarian access to people in need in Yemen remained extremely challenging. Nearly 80 percent of the people in need (19.1 million people) were estimated to be living in areas that humanitarian organizations consider Hard-to-Reach (HtR) i.e. where safe, sustained and principled deliveries of assistance and services, at a scale commensurate with the assessed needs, were challenged by restrictive regulations and bureaucratic impediments, armed conflict and insecurity and logistical impediments. The HtR areas were predominantly in northern Yemen where most people in acute need of humanitarian assistance were located.
Humanitarian partners reported 4,484 access incidents across 119 districts and 20 governorates in 2020. At least 9 million people were estimated to have been affected by delayed or interrupted assistance at some point during the year. This is an increase from 2019, when 2,380 incidents were reported. The increase reflects improved reporting modalities and a continued negative trend in the access environment since the second half of 2019. Bureaucratic impediments imposed by the parties to the conflict were the most widespread type of constraint, accounting for over 93 per cent of the incidents. These affected every aspect of the humanitarian response in possible contravention of obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL) and relevant UN Security Council resolutions to facilitate humanitarian access. The large majority of incidents were reported in areas under the control of the Ansur Allah (AA) based in Sana’a, though there was an increase in the frequency and severity of access challenges reported in areas controlled by Government of Yemen (GoY).
Armed conflict continued to have a devastating impact on civilians and severely constrained access to affected populations
The threat of COVID-19 disrupted humanitarian access into and within Yemen. The number of access incidents peaked in March and April when humanitarian organizations faced an unprecedented level of restrictions to their operations.
Restrictions on the movement of humanitarian personnel and goods within and into Yemen remained the most widely reported constraint for humanitarian operations, with 1,971 and 989 incidents reported respectively. In areas controlled by AA, all types of movements, ranging from aid deliveries to routine staff travel, were challenged by delays and denials of travel permits. Notably, travel permits were arbitrarily withheld for certain organizations as a sanction for not complying with various demands, such as for sharing protected or sensitive beneficiary information and as a way of suspending certain activities. Lengthy visa and residency processes, along with arbitrary refusal to grant visas to staff with certain profiles, have strained efforts by humanitarian partners to maintain appropriate staff capacities commensurate with programming and operational needs across the country.
Partners across Yemen reported that humanitarian movements were blocked at roadside checkpoints. In northern governorates, ad hoc requirements were increasingly imposed on humanitarian missions at checkpoints, such as requiring national female staff members to travel with a mahram (a male family member) or for the removal of communication equipment from UN vehicles, which sometimes led to the cancellation of missions and deliveries. In southern governorates, movement challenges were mainly incident-based and reported along key access routes outside Aden. These ranged from unpredictable and lengthy inspections of documentation to arbitrary fees demanded for passage. A requirement for humanitarian notification paperwork issued by the Saud-led Coalition continued to be imposed at the Dhubab checkpoint in Taizz Governorate for movements heading north along the Red Sea coast, despite the voluntary nature of the Humanitarian Notification System.
The movement of humanitarian supplies into and within Yemen was constrained by irregular clearances, taxes and transportation restrictions. Partners continued to face effective double customs charges for clearance of cargo that was transported from Aden, where it was cleared by the GoY, to areas administered by the Sana’a-based authorities, where fees were charged for tax exemption documents.
In mid-2020, the Logistics Cluster was refused permission to undertake road transport on behalf of partners in northern governorates while partners faced increasing interference in the contracting of warehouses and transportation from private companies. Disruptions arising from import controls imposed by parties to the conflict in GoY-controlled areas and restrictions imposed by the Sana’a-based authorities continued to severely hinder the timely delivery of life-saving supplies in northern governorates. In areas controlled by the GoY, cargo movements continued to be challenged by a multitude of security and military actors involved in coordinating movement clearances across southern governorates, especially in Aden. Finally, restrictions imposed by all sides for crossline humanitarian missions continued to obstruct efforts by partners to reach people in need in a timely and efficient manner.
Pervasive interference in the implementation of humanitarian activities challenged a timely, needs-based and principled response.
Some 1,216 separate incidents of interference were reported in 2020. The vast majority of the incidents was reported in northern Yemen, though an increasing number of incidents involved forces and actors in GoY-controlled areas. The incidents predominantly involved attempts to restrict, control or otherwise influence the selection of implementing partners; procurement, transportation and distribution modalities; beneficiary selection, targeting and registration; and project design and other programming elements such as needs assessments and monitoring.
Assistance for up to 9 million people were affected by delays and refusals of NGO project sub- agreements
Restrictive regulations further reduced humanitarian space. The regulatory environment continued to close in on humanitarian organizations in northern Yemen, where the authorities issued about 180 regulations and directives that often contravened humanitarian principles, organizations’ rules and regulations and contractual agreements with donors.
Humanitarian organizations continued to be targeted with violence and hostilities with 96 incidents were reported.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-annual-humanitarian-access-overview-2020
(** B H P)
Special investigation: How Houthis weaponize humanitarian aid
Almasdar Online interviewed dozens of struggling Yemenis from the same area who said that the distribution of aid is subject to loyalty to the Houthis.
While the Houthis are not the only armed group in Yemen to have weaponized food aid during the war, the rebels have institutionalized the practice. Whether using it as a means to impose control and enhance influence, mobilize fighters to the battle fronts, or enrich those in power, the exploitation of food aid has exacerbated the conflict and prolonged the war.
Despite supplying record amounts of aid each year of the war to these areas, the WFP has consistently raised concerns in internal audits that the food may not be reaching the most food insecure and vulnerable populations due to Houthi obstruction.
In this investigation, Almasdar Online spotlights how Houthis divert humanitarian aid from those who deserve it the most in order to enhance influence and consolidate control in central and northern Yemen. The investigation also sheds light on the hidden role of international aid in shaping the economies of Yemen’s civil war,
Imposing control
Hazaa’s village in the Sharab district of northern Taiz is a clear example of how the Houthis use food baskets, in the absence of security forces, to impose control and mobilize fighters from the countryside to the war fronts.
Sharab is home to about 300,000 residents, scattered across 500 square kilometers. In this vast area, the Houthis have a minimal armed presence. Indeed, the district has experienced no battles, nor registered any internally displaced people (IDPs). The Houthis maintain control over the population by purchasing the loyalty of its community leaders with humanitarian aid.
According to a number of residents who spoke to Almasdar Online, the Houthis rule these areas by granting local village sheikhs the powers to control the distribution of the aid. The sheikh of one village of about 2,000 people recruited about 70 young fighters to Houthi battlefronts last year, including his 15-year-old son, who was killed in clashes with internationaly recognized government forces at the end of November.
This arrangement has left thousands of impoverished villages throughout Houthi-controlled territory with little or no humanitarian aid. A UN aid worker told Almasdar Online that the existing methods of aid distribution in Yemen are prone to corruption and serve the objectives of armed groups. "The registration of the needy in villages takes place through so-called village councils and in cities through community committees, which of course are not neutral,” said the UN employee, who requested anonymity. “Local aid organizations are often biased or forced to be biased and obedient.”
The executive director of a local aid organization working in Houthi-controlled areas said UN agencies have failed to devise an effective method of aid distribution. That has led to the diversion of most of the aid to those who either don’t need it at all or who need it less than the intended beneficiaries, she said.
Food for Fighters
In Bani Al-Awam district in Yemen’s northwestern Hajjah governorate, the Houthis lure young males to the war fronts using a recruitment tactic known among the local population as “food for fighters.”
Residents in the district told Almasdar Online that the granting or withholding of food aid is directed by the Houthi authorities and based on certain conditions such as the provision of fighters from families that are registered to receive the aid. One resident said that the sheikh of the region is rewarded with sums of up to 200,000 riyals (about $250*) for each fighter brought to the battlefronts.
Muhammad Abdullah, an employee in Hajjah’s private sector, said poor residents in the governorate suffer in despair as they watch the food aid go to those who need it less than they do. Many families in Hajjah face two choices: death by starvation or death on the battlefields, he said.
The Houthis have actively promoted a culture of martyrdom that facilitates this food for fighters arrangement. Last May, in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, a Houthi official said during a televised interview that “Death on the battlefronts is better than death like sheep inside homes due to the Corona epidemic.” The official, who worked as an advisor to the Houthi-run foreign ministry, died two months later from the coronavirus.
Crumbs for the displaced
Displaced Yemenis in the Bani Hassan IDP camp in Hajjah’s Abs district told Almasdar Online that local officials steal food aid and leave those in the camp with crumbs.
"Food aid doesn't reach dozens of displaced families, and the poor conditions are seen in the thinning of the bodies of children who suffer from severe malnutrition," said Mohammed Badi, a resident of the camp.
UN-Houthi partnerships
International relief agencies supported by the UN are managing what is described as the largest humanitarian operation in the world in Houthi-controlled areas through partnerships with local and international non-governmental organizations, many of which are affiliated with or managed by Houthi loyalists. Some of these organizations provide aid directly to Houthi fighters as beneficiaries, while the families of soldiers killed or wounded also enjoy privileges. In other cases, some of the aid is sold on the black market for the benefit of the group and its leaders.
WFP's primary local partner in Houthi-controlled areas is the School Feeding and Humanitarian Relief Project (SFHRP) of the Sana’a-based Ministry of Education, which distributes 60 percent of food aid provided by the UN agency to the needy.
The SFHRP, which is supervised by Minister of Education Yahya al-Houthi, who is the brother of the group’s top leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, has been accused of diverting more aid from those who deserve it than any other local organization. The food aid is manipulated in a number of ways, including diverting it to the fronts or to the black market, according to a statement by the minister himself, testimony of an employee in the project, and dozens of beneficiaries.
Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdi said in late 2018, shortly after his defection from the Houthi government and his departure from Sana’a, that about 15,000 of the aid rations distributed by the school feeding project went to Houthi militants. In an interview with Almasdar Online, Al-Hamdi said that the aid diversion by Houthi authorities "is widespread and may have increased further in the past two years."
Aid diversion soars in the countryside
The rates of aid diversion are high in remote areas, which WFP says its monitors are often prevented from reaching. In Saada governorate, a Houthi stronghold, the UN agency periodically allocates food baskets for more than 100,000 families, while in neighboring Hajjah governorate, nearly 33,000 food baskets are distributed in the Houthi-controlled districts of Aydinah, Bani Qais, Khayran Al-Muharraq and Aflah Al-Sham, among others.
Nearly one-third of the 16,000 monthly food baskets intended for afflicted people in Khayran Al-Muharraq go to Houthi fighters on the Midi, Haradh and Hayran battlefronts, according to a worker at a food distribution warehouse in the area. He witnessed small trucks with no affiliation to aid agencies being loaded almost daily with large quantities of wheat and transported to unknown destinations. Based on his intimate knowledge of the aid distribution process in the area, he suspected that they were being sent to the battlefronts.
Three witnesses from the neighboring district of Al-Mahbeshah, one of whom was a food transport driver, told Almasdar Online that he saw a truck loaded with bags of wheat bearing the WFP logo arrive to the district most mornings and leave a few hours later carrying large quantities of ready-made bread. The activity was unusual, he said, as the WFP wheat normally goes to individuals who make the bread themselves.
According to local residents in Al-Mahbeshah, many women in the Hajar area, most of whom come from Houthi-aligned families, are conscripted to make bread that is sent to fighters on the war fronts and at checkpoints. In return, the families of these women receive a steady supply of wheat rations and household cooking fuel that is usually only available on the black market at the prohibitively expensive price of about $12 per container. Almasdar Online was not able to verify whether the wheat used to make the fighters' bread came from the looted warehouses.
Houthi-run aid organizations
Since their rise to power six years ago, the Houthis have established a number of new humanitarian organizations
Among the organizations that are most active on behalf of the Houthis in diverting aid are the Yemen Thabat organization, Yemen Future and Homeland of the Free. The organizations allocate a significant amount of the funds from the UN and regional aid organizations to the war fronts and to support the families of fighters.
Humanitarian workers told Almasdar Online that the Houthis often force the UN and other international aid agencies to work with local organizations loyal to them or close to certain leaders within the group.
Fraud and extortion
Almasdar Online heard testimonies about Houthi leaders known as “supervisors” forcing people to pay money in exchange for promises to register them on aid recipient lists provided by UN organizations, or to obtain aid through other channels.
Black market for spoiled aid
In the early years of the war, black market goods spread throughout Sana'a, Hajjah, Aden, Taiz and other governorates. At the markets, one could find an array of international humanitarian aid including WFP food, UNICEF school supplies and IOM tents that were supposed to be provided to impoverished Yemenis free of charge.
The humanitarian war economy
The obstacles humanitarian organizations face in distributing aid and carrying out relief work increased significantly in late 2019 with the formation of the Houthi-run Supreme Council for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Cooperation (SCMCHA), according to an international humanitarian official who spoke to Almasdar Online on condition of anonymity.
Formed as a successor to the Houthis’ National Authority for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (NAMCHA), SCMCHA was given expanded financial oversight by coordinating directly with international humanitarian donors, an authority that previously belonged to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. It also oversees all IDPs in Houthi-controlled areas, a responsibility which previously belonged to the Executive IDP Unit.
“Our humanitarian mission has faced continuous fabricated bureaucratic obstacles, some of them by [SCMCHA], which caused delays in the delivery of aid and the implementation of projects," the foreign aid official said, adding that the lives of many Yemenis were lost due to famine amid these delays.
Entities created by the Houthis to control lucrative aid flows, such as NAMCHA and SCMCHA, have had several rounds of conflict with the humanitarian community.
Severe shortage and theft – by Farouk Al-Kamali, Moath Rajeh
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/917
(** B H)
Yemen: Agricultural livelihoods and food security in the context of COVID-19, Monitoring Report, January 2021
The enacted COVID-19 restriction measures that aimed at curbing the spread of the virus have affected the country’s agricultural value chains, from producers to consumers. For the agricultural community, the implications have been particularly relevant in terms of accessing agricultural inputs, pastureland, water and transportation of products to the market. In ensuring the resilience and sustainability of these livelihoods, livestock producers and fisherfolk included in the sample found these measures more challenging than did the crop producers surveyed.
> Food insecurity as measured through the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) module concluded that about 53.6 percent of the surveyed households find themselves in a state of moderate food insecurity or worse. In turn, 19 percent of households surveyed attributed their food insecurity experiences mainly to COVID-19 and its impacts on their livelihoods.
> Based on a combination of livelihood and food security indicators, the top four hardest hit household categories were:
- households whose primary source of income comes from agricultural wage labour;
- households relying on non-agricultural wage labour;
- households deriving their main income from humanitarian and other forms of assistance; and
- households producing and selling livestock products.
> Over one-third of the surveyed households reported more than a 50 percent decrease in their main source of income over the past three months, while 85 percent reported having incurred in debt that they had not been able to repay at the time of the survey. Still, it is worth noting that the household survey was administered during the planting and growing season of major crops, which normally involves higher than usual investment costs for households.
> The majority of households have been resorting to negative coping strategiesin times of crisis in order to meet their immediate food needs. The most commonly adopted coping strategies reported include:
- borrowing money or buying food on credit;
- reducing essential non-food expenditure; and
- reducing expenses on agricultural, livestock or fisheries inputs.
Despite a favourable weather forecast for crop production, 43 percent of the surveyed households expect that their production will be lower than the previous year. In addition, a large majority (66 percent) of the surveyed households experienced unusual difficulties in crop production, namely pest infestations and high prices of agricultural inputs, but only 8 percent of the surveyed households reported difficulties in accessing land due to COVID-19 restrictions.
> Over 40 percent of the surveyed households reported a decline in the number of livestock owned compared to last year. The major difficulties cited by livestock producers were animal disease and lack of feed and veterinary services.
> One in two of fisherfolk households reported a decrease in fish production of over 50 percent during last three months, citing constraints to fish production activities due to a lack of fishing materials, reduced market demand and high fuel prices.
> Disrupted livelihoods and stifled income opportunities are increasingly diminishing people’s purchasing power. Traders experienced a reduction in the number of customers and an increased number of requests from the customers for carrying out purchases on credit.
> Both the high transportation cost of food commodities due to fuel shortages and the limited movement capacities due to COVID-19 restrictions impacted food availability in the surveyed markets.
> Cash, seeds, fertilizer, destocking and agricultural equipment were cited as priority needs for households.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-agricultural-livelihoods-and-food-security-context-covid-19-monitoring-report = http://www.fao.org/emergencies/resources/documents/resources-detail/en/c/1381037/
(** B H K)
IOM Yemen | Displacement in Marib | Flash Update | 03 March 2021
The escalating conflict in Ma’rib continues to cause the largest displacement in Yemen. Some 21,000 households (HH) have been displaced since the fighting started in January 2020. More recently, starting on 08 February, hostilities increased across parts of western, northern and southern Ma’rib, leading to the displacement of more than 1,400 HHs. The actual number of displaced is likely higher, with IDP registration activities ongoing by IOM and partners. Overall, people are moving mainly within Sirwah (962 HH), Ma’rib city (376HH) and Ma’rib Al Wadi districts (63HH), where IDP sites are already crowded, and response capacities are overstretched. The situation requires humanitarian partners to urgently scale up response activities. Already, Ma’rib Governorate hosts an estimated one million internally displaced persons (IDPs) – the largest IDP population.
IDPs are living in approximately 125 IDP sites across the governorate, one of which is the largest IDP site in the country: Al Jufainah Camp, hosting 10,000 IDP HHs in Marib city. Over the course of the conflict since January 2020, a majority of IDPs have moved into Marib city (70%) and the burden on resources in the district – which was home to only 40,000 people in 2014 – has been overwhelming. Across all sites and sectors, service gaps are widespread. In 2020, IOM and partners estimated that 19 IDP hosting sites or informal settlements opened; the last time partners saw this many new sites open in Marib was in 2016 when 24 new sites were formed in a year. With continued fighting, the situation is expected to continue to worsen and service gaps are expected to widen as people continue to flee towards the eastern outskirts of Sirwah and into Ma’rib City. Humanitarian partners are operationalizing plans to respond to up to 15,000 HHs (105,000 people) are displaced over the next six months into Ma’rib City and Marib Al Wadi. Should fighting reach Marib city, IOM and partners estimate that a further 385,000 people will be displaced into Hadramawt and Shabwah. The most significant challenge is the limited partner presence and insufficient resources to sustain response and preparedness activities.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-displacement-marib-flash-update-03-march-2021
and
(** B H K)
IOM Yemen | Displacement in Marib | Flash Update | 03-09 March 2021
The conflict in Ma’rib has continued to be a major driver of displacement in Yemen and the humanitarian situation remains of serious concern. Since the first major offensive in January 2020, the conflict has forced more than 21,000 households (HHs) out of their homes or displacement sites. Of these, at least 1,532 HHs (11,000 people) have been displaced since 08 February 2021 because of the intensified hostilities in parts of western, northern and southern Ma’rib , mainly moving closer to Arak in Sirwah (983 HHs), with smaller numbers into Ma’rib city (482 HHs) and Ma’rib Al Wadi (63 HHs) districts.
So far in March, there have been no major changes on frontlines, and conflict activities have continued to be concentrated in parts of Sirwah. With frontlines, however, remaining active, local populations and IDPs have continued to bear the brunt of hostilities, seeing their homes destroyed, fleeing their communities and displacement sites, and facing uncertainties over their safety. Almost all new IDPs are being displaced for the second or third time, having moved from three of the largest displacement sites in Sirwah (Al Zur, Dhanah Al Sawabin and Danah Al Hayal sites) to another in Arak, Sirwah (Al Rawdah IDP site).
Prior to the recent developments, Al Rawdah Sirwah IDP site hosted an estimated 677 HH in a large, flat rocky area between two mountain ranges near Ma’rib Dam —today the camp population is nearly three times that size. The influx has strained the existing resources, with many of the current population finding it difficult to share their few resources with new arrivals. With new arrivals having been IDPs before, many arrived with little to nothing and are sharing shelters and resources with the IDPs in Al Rawdah now hosting them. Although IOM teams are seeing reduced flow of new arrivals in March, the situation for the pre-existing and new IDPs in the area remains difficult. Compounding the difficulties IDPs are facing are the concerns for their safety and uncertainty over whether fighting will force them to move again, further into Ma’rib city.
The situation requires humanitarian partners to urgently scale up response activities. Already, Ma’rib Governorate hosts an estimated one million internally displaced persons (IDPs) – the largest IDP population in Yemen. IDPs are living in approximately 125 IDP sites across the governorate, one of which is the largest IDP site in the country: Al Jufainah Camp, hosting 10,000 IDP HHs in Ma’rib city. Over the course of the conflict since January 2020, a majority of IDPs have moved into Ma’rib city (70%) and the burden on resources in the district – which was home to only 40,000 people in 2014 – has been overwhelming. Across all sites and sectors, service gaps are widespread
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-displacement-marib-flash-update-03-09-march-2021
(** B H P)
Yemen: Scores Die in Migrant Detention Center Fire
UN Eminent Experts Group Should Investigate Alleged Houthi Abuses
Scores of migrants burned to death in Yemen on March 7, 2021, after Houthi security forces launched unidentified projectiles into an immigration detention center in Sanaa, causing a fire, Human Rights Watch said today.
Hundreds of surviving migrants, mostly Ethiopians who were protesting their conditions in the center, were being treated for burns in hospitals in the capital where a heavy security presence has been deployed, posing problems for relatives and humanitarian agencies seeking access to the injured. The Houthi armed group, also known as Ansar Allah, should immediately allow humanitarian groups to assist those in need of medical or other aid. The United Nations Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen should include the incident in its ongoing investigation into human rights abuses in the country.
“The Houthis’ reckless use of weapons that led to scores of Ethiopian migrants burning to death is a horrific reminder of the dangers migrants face in war-torn Yemen,” said Nadia Hardman, refugee and migrant rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Houthi authorities need to hold those responsible to account and stop holding migrants in abysmal detention facilities where their lives and well-being are at risk.”
Human Rights Watch spoke by telephone with five Ethiopian migrants detained in the Immigration, Passport and Naturalization Authority Holding Facility (IPNA) in Sanaa, as well as United Nations officials in Yemen.
Those interviewed said the conditions in the IPNA facility were cramped and unsanitary, with up to 550 migrants in a hanger in the facility compound. They said they were not given mattresses to sleep on but could purchase a mattress from the guards. Food was limited and there was not enough drinking water, forcing detainees to drink from the faucets above the squat toilets.
They said that after weeks living in the overcrowded facility, the detainees organized a hunger strike to protest the conditions and their continued detention. They said that the only way to be released was to pay a 70,000 Yemeni rial (US$280) fee to the security guards. Migrants also described verbal abuse by the guards, including racial slurs, threats, and frequent swearing.
On the morning of March 7, the detainees said, they refused to eat breakfast. At about 1 p.m., the guards returned with lunch, which they also refused. A skirmish ensued during which detainees said the security guards identified the protest organizers and took them outside the hanger and beat them with wooden sticks and their firearms. The detainees responded by throwing plates, striking one security guard in the face, injuring him. The guards then rounded up the migrants nearby and locked them in the hanger, the detainees said.
The security guards left and returned several minutes later with security forces wearing the black, green, and gray uniforms of the Houthi forces. They were equipped with military weapons and equipment. The interviewees said that security guards told the detainees to say their “final prayers.”
One member of the newly arrived force climbed onto the roof of the hanger, which had open air areas, and launched two projectiles into the room. The migrants said the first projectile produced a lot of smoke and made their eyes water and sting. The second, which the migrants called a “bomb,” exploded loudly and started a fire. Human Rights Watch cannot verify the type of projectiles used, but the witness accounts indicate the possible use of smoke grenades, teargas cartridges, or stun grenades, also called “flash-bang” devices.
“There was a lot of smoke and a lot of fire,” a 20-year-old migrant said. “I don’t have the words to express what it was like – [the projectiles] exploded, and there was so much smoke and then there was a fire that spread. I was terrified, I felt like my mind was blocked with smoke. People were coughing, the mattress and blankets caught fire.… [P]eople were roasted alive. I had to step on their dead bodies to escape.”
About 10 to 15 minutes later, people outside the hanger helped break the walls and door, and took many survivors to nearby hospitals.
Human Rights Watch has received and analyzed video footage that corroborates the witness accounts, including two videos taken in the immediate aftermath of the fire in which scores of charred dead bodies can be seen lying in positions that suggests they were trying to flee but were overcome by smoke and fire.
Following the incident, a heavy security presence was deployed in the hospitals. Interviewees said that they saw the Houthi security forces rearrest migrants who were not severely injured.
The IOM said that the Houthis should give aid workers and health workers access to the hospitals.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/16/yemen-scores-die-migrant-detention-center-fire
My remark: More in cp4
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(* A H)
72 new cases of COVID-19 reported, 2,908 in total
The supreme national emergency committee for coronavirus reported on Monday, 72 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The committee also reported in its statement the death of 9 coronavirus patients and the recovery of 9 patients.
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 2,908, including 698 deaths and 1,500 recoveries.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32473
(* A H)
65 new cases of COVID-19 reported in 5 governorates
The committee also reported in its statement the death of 6 coronavirus patients and the recovery of 19 patients.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32465
(* A H)
42 cases of COVID-19 reported in 4 governorates
The committee also reported in its statement the death of 4 coronavirus patients and the recovery of 3 patients.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32456
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
Yemen War Map Updates
March 16: https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-16-2021-map-update/
March 15: https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-15-2021-map-update/
March 14: https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-14-2021-map-update/
March 13: https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-12-2021-map-update/
(* B H P)
Film: In Yemen’s brutal ongoing war, ‘the weakest no longer survive’
Jane Ferguson updates us from Yemen on the war's terrible toll, and Nick Schifrin speaks with the Biden administration's envoy about the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
The technical classification for famine, as calculated by the U.N., has been met for tens of thousands of Yemenis. It's called the integrated food security phase classification, or IPC, for short.
The group of people just underneath famine classification is so vast, it encompasses millions. That has never been seen on this scale before in modern times.
Timothy Lenderking: We do think that moving the fuel ships into Hodeidah is a critical priority for Yemen.
We have seen the incredible images of hospitals and other areas where the lack of fuel is hurting Yemenis. I have been in touch with the Saudis and the Yemeni government just over the weekend, of course, in a renewed push to see this all happen.
I'm optimistic that we will see some movement here in the near term. And I think that is very important also as a — sort of as a confidence building-measure.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/in-yemens-brutal-ongoing-war-the-weakest-no-longer-survive
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjkyqtPmk_4
(* A B K P)
US revives Yemen peace process but battle for Marib a new hurdle
The United States' intervention to end Yemen's long conflict has energised a once lifeless peace process, observers say, but savage fighting in the country's north has thrown up yet another barrier.
"Lenderking has been doing the rounds in the region, engaging with parties to the conflict," a Gulf-based Western official told AFP.
"American involvement is bringing new momentum" to end the stalemate, the official said. "The support for Griffiths has never been stronger."
Despite the optimism, Lenderking received a cool response to his proposal to kick off a revived peace process, and a source close to the UN efforts said the initiative is effectively on hold until the battle raging outside the city of Marib is won or lost.
The Huthis are throwing everything they have at the fight for the capital of an oil-rich region, sustaining heavy casualties as a price worth paying for the last piece of the north that the government still controls.
Its capture would hand the rebels an important new revenue source as well as a stronger position at the negotiating table, or even embolden them to push for more territory.
The battle is "holding back the negotiations ... because the Huthis want to see how far they can go," the source familiar with the UN efforts told AFP.
Lenderking has said he will return to the region when the Huthis "are prepared to talk".
My comment: Overview article, which is baised anti-Houthi and pro-US.
(* B K P)
Yemen: Try, Fail, Repeat
The rebel offensive has failed to push government forces out of the province completely and weakened the rebels sufficiently for the recent government counterattack to force the depleted rebel forces back. The February offensive was encouraged by UAE forces leaving Marib in early 2020 because of disagreements with Saudi Arabia over strategy and to deploy all their military forces in the UAE where they were needed to discourage any Iranian aggression against the UAE itself. For that reason, the UAE took their missile defense systems with them when they left Marib and that made government military bases more vulnerable to rebel ballistic and cruise missiles provided by Iran.
https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/yemen/articles/20210315.aspx
My remark: Overview of several warfronts by an anti-Iranian, anti-Houthi US site.
(A P)
US must withdraw its forces from Yemen: Official
Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee of Yemen on Monday called on the United States to withdraw its forces from Yemen.
Turning to the American intervention in Yemen, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi said, "We are waiting for the Americans to withdraw their forces from Yemen."
He reacted to the continued US interference in Yemeni affairs, calling it to withdraw forces from Yemen, Almasirah reported.
“US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has recently spoken about the need for lack of foreign intervention in Yemen’s internal affairs and we consider this statement positive but proving America's good faith requires practical steps, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi added.
Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee of Yemen also reminded that the first practical step that the United States should take is to withdraw its forces from Yemen. "We are waiting for Americans to withdraw their forces and military experts from Yemen.”
Among the other steps that Americans must take is to order their navy to lift the siege against Yemen, he said, adding that Washington must also withdraw its weapons from Yemen.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/171124/US-must-withdraw-its-forces-from-Yemen-Official
(* A B K P)
Difficult throes of war file in Yemen may end with political settlement
The last few days have seen accelerating military developments in Yemen, coinciding with intensive diplomatic efforts to find a political settlement to the six-year war in the country.
Taiz province has again returned to the forefront of events after fierce battles between the forces of the internationally recognised government and Houthi group renewed on some of the front lines in it. The government forces have made advances in western and southwestern parts.
Battles between the two sides have also resumed in Hajjah province, mostly in the district of Abs, with the government forces beating the Houthis and retaking strategic areas.
The military developments imply tactical dimensions to ease pressure on the government forces in Marib province, according to observers. The Houthis have been intensifying their assault on Marib for more than a month, raising local and foreign concerns over deepening humanitarian crisis.
Observers argued that the latest military escalation in Taiz and Hajjah aims to put pressure on the Houthis and bring them back to the political process in order to put an end to the devastating conflict. Meanwhile, the US Administration has said that it is giving priority to ending this conflict.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23800.html
(* B K P)
From Sana’a to Riyadh, 6th Operation of Balanced Deterrence a Massage
The 6th Operation of Balanced Deterrence is a strong and clear message that affirms that the Saudi regime and its vital depth will be hit by Sana'a and its ballistic missiles and drones, except by declaring to stop its hostile military operations and immediately lifting the blockade that imposes it.
Sana'a will not be dragged behind any false calls for peace, such as these issued by the White House.
The Saudi regime's pleas to the international community for its support will not be useful in preserving what it calls global energy supplies, as long as its alliance prevents the entry of energy supplies into Yemen by preventing the entry of fuel tankers to Hodeidah
This major military operation is a message to those who were denying Sanaa's right to respond to the aggression, calling for false peace issued by killers.
The message was that it is better for the Saudi regime and its alliance to end the aggression and blockade.
6 operations were carried out by Sana'a against the coalition of aggression.
They were able to transfer the battle to the depth of Saudi Arabia, making Saudi regime look for how to defend its lands and protect its airspace, in light of its inability to respond, as its bank of targets in Yemen has been exhausted.
(* B E H K P)
The United Nations Security Council needs to authorize military action to prevent the spill of the FSO SAFER
The time has come for the United Nations (UN) Security Council to pass a resolution authorizing military action to prevent what could be the worst humanitarian and environmental disaster of the century. The FSO SAFER and the five miles of subsea pipeline to which it is attached threaten to pour 2.14 million barrels of oil—more than eight times the amount of the EXXON VALDEZ spill of 1989—into the Red Sea. Between Yemen’s reliance on food shipments to stem a widespread famine, and the wider region’s reliance on desalination plants for drinking water, realistic estimates put the potential death toll from the spill in the millions. Without sweeping the area around the SAFER for mines—and without providing continual security for the duration of the month-long extraction process—no one can reasonably expect the threat of the SAFER to be successfully addressed. The Houthis who control the coastal area of Ras Isa and who have a small group of armed men onboard the tanker have reneged on virtually every agreement they have signed, so any ostensible guarantee of security on their part would not be worth the paper on which it was written. Their recent attacks on the Saudi oil port of Ras Tanura show that they have no hesitation about risking catastrophic harm. The lives of millions along the Red Sea coast are at stake; this is a matter that significantly impacts peace and security, and the UN should invoke Chapter VII in order to finally solve this solvable problem.
There will be no excuse for failing to prevent the spill of the FSO SAFER and the connected pipeline. Ample warnings have made clear the price of inaction. Even a few days’ disruption by a spill of access to Hodeidah—the port into which food aid is shipped—will be devastating. At the same time, desalination plants along the Red Sea coast provide the drinking water for millions of people whose water supply will run out in three days once the SAFER’s oil reaches the intake systems.
And the inevitable and lasting losses to the marine environment—including ten species of fish, vibrant mangroves, and the world’s most temperature-resistant coral system—will impact national economies and coastal communities for generations.
The UN’s record on this matter is thus far lamentable. Millions of dollars have been spent over years on failed attempts just to get onboard to assess the vessel. Not only has the UN been unable to take any meaningful action to prevent the spill, no physical mitigation measures have been put in place to ensure that, even if a catastrophic spill occurs, access to Hodeidah is maintained and desalination plants are protected.
A limited military authorization, paired with a mandate for response planning in case a spill from the vessel or pipeline does occur, may do more good than just resolving the SAFER. It may actually have a direct impact on the bloody Houthi offensive underway in Marib. The Houthis want to be able to use the SAFER to export oil from Marib, to which the SAFER is connected by nearly three hundred miles of pipeline, only the last five of which run beneath the Red Sea. Without the SAFER, those pipe dreams of oil wealth disperse, reducing the incentive to fight for Marib, though the desire for victory and for domestic fuel may still persist. It is, at least, a further consideration – by Dr. Ian Ralby, Founder and CEO, Rohini Ralby, Managing Director, and Dr. David Soud, Head of Research and Analysis at I.R. Consilium, LLC. Dr. Ian Ralby is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center.
My comment: Yes, the Safer problem urgently must be solved. It could be used as lvereage for further negotiations in Yemen. US voices have no other solution for regional problems than a military intervention (off course, we should presume, by the US as world policeman). And, even more, the authors even connect the SAFER problem to totally different matters, i. e. the geopolitical interests of the US-Saudi anti-Houthi alliance. Stop the war and get this problem solved, and do not propagate even more war.
(B H K P)
Der endlose Krieg
Freiheit. Zehn Jahre nach den arabischen Revolten.
Die Interventionen des Iran und Saudi-Arabiens haben den Konflikt im Jemen und die humanitäre Notlage verschärft, doch keine Seite kann einen militärischen Sieg erzwingen.
In Syrien wie im Jemen spielte das Eingreifen des Iran für die Eskalation eine zentrale Rolle. Nur liegt der Jemen nicht wie Syrien auf der Europa zugewandten Seite des Nahen Ostens, und das erklärt wohl, warum der Konflikt im Westen weitgehend ignoriert wird.
https://jungle.world/artikel/2021/10/der-endlose-krieg = https://jungle.world/entityprint/pdf/node/70816/
Mein Kommentar: Überblicksartikel. „Eingreifen des Iran“: Das ist Quatsch, für den Jemen wie für Syrien. damit wäscht der Westen sich selbst weiß – Eingreifen der USA wäre bei beiden Ländern korrekt.
(A K P)
[Hadi] Yemeni Government Affirms that Houthi Military Escalation Seeks to Completely Eliminate Political Path
The Yemeni Government said that the military escalation by the Houthi terrorist militia on Marib Governorate, and using ballistic missiles to shell residential quarters, in the governorate and cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, seek to completely eliminate the political path, end years-long political efforts and consultations exerted by the international community and undermine any hopes or future of peace, in Yemen.
In a statement, the government said that the Iran-backed Houthi militia has faced the new US administration calls to back up the peace process, with opening new fronts and escalating military aggression on the civilians in Marib, Taiz and Hodeida. It pointed out that the militia has launched, during last February, as many as 25 ballistic missiles on Marib city
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2199816
and also https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/804062-yemen-accuses-houthis-of-opening-new-fronts
(* B H P)
Yemen: The century’s worst famine and a stain on the conscience of humanity
The conflict in Yemen is a humanitarian crisis made worse by the involvement of Western governments around the world
ONE MIGHT ACCUSE the U.N. of being too diplomatic in describing the “disappointing outcome” of Monday’s donor conference for Yemen. The meeting of representatives from over 100 countries pledged U.S.$1.9 billion (AU$2.4 billion) in aid, barely half of the target of U.S.$3.4 billion (AU$4.4 billion).
Far more than a source of “disappointment”, it is yet another callous gesture by the international community as to the value they place on Yemeni life.
While often far from the top of the news agenda, the carnage in the Arab world’s poorest nation has dragged on too long for anyone to plead ignorance.
In the years since, Western governments have sold eye-watering volumes of weapons to the Arab coalition.
The U.S. State Department’s rescinding of former President Trump’s terrorist designation of the Houthis was a welcome but initial step in the process of addressing the humanitarian catastrophe.
The Houthis, at least those with whom I have had contact, have shown no interest in whether the State Department classifies them as “terrorists”. Their single most insistent condition for ending the missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia is the complete lifting of the land, sea and air blockade.
While the Houthis are by no means immune from criticism, their repeated demand aligns with almost the entire humanitarian community’s calls for the blockade to end since the onset of hostilities.
The fact is, however, that the majority of the human misery in Yemen results from the actions of the Western-backed Saudi-led coalition. Every conceivable aspect of food production, storage and water treatment has been targeted by fighter jets, tanks and armoured vehicles stamped with the Saudi flag but which are unmistakably American, British and Canadian in origin.
The level of Saudi dependence on Western weaponry and maintenance makes the continuation of the war, to a large extent, an American decision. If Washington continues not to exercise its full influence over the Saudi regime, the scope of the consequences will be hard to fathom.
Without immediate and decisive action, Yemen’s starvation will be mentioned in the company of Mao’s Great Leap Forward, the Ukrainian Holodomor and the great Bengal famine as the defining atrocities of their era and Yemenis will rightfully see us collectively as its accomplices.
(A P)
Abdulsalam to US: Success of Political Process Should not be Based on Extortion of Humanitarian Situation
The head of the [Sanaa gov.] National Delegation, Mohammad Abdulsalam, accused the US administration of subjecting the humanitarian situation to military and political bargaining. This is something inconsistent with its allegations t concerns about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
He stressed that the success of any political process is linked to non-humanitarian blackmail, pointing out, "We realize that US is aware of what brings peace in Yemen, but it does not want that, based on its misleading and illogical statements."
Abdulsalam affirmed that "our position is defensive," and that "America must first oblige the aggressors against Yemen to stop the aggression and lift the blockade."
(A P)
Houthis says Blinken statement 'positive', call for end to U.S. military involvement in Yemen
U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s comments about supporting a Yemen free from foreign influence are “positive”, Houthi official Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said on Twitter on Monday.
He said the United States should back up its intentions by ending its involvement in military operations carried out by the Saudi-led coalition against his group.
and
(A P)
Al-Ruwaishan US Proposal Not Include Humanitarian Concern
[Sanaa gov.] Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs commented, Sunday, on the US proposal on Yemen and the battle of Marib.
Lieutenant General Jalal Al-Ruwaishan said to Almasirah that "the US proposal on Yemen did not bring anything new. Rather, it repeats the mistake of previous administrations in dealing with Sanaa through Riyadh."
He added, "The Americans, along with the Europeans, should be concerned with stopping the aggression and lifting the siege on the Yemenis, and then the negotiations will come."
Al-Ruwaishan indicated that the US proposal expresses only US interests, while humanitarian concern and the Yemeni interests were not mentioned.
Lieutenant General Al-Rawaishan welcomed any clear calls for peace based on ending the war and lifting the siege.
(A P)
Ansarullah will not accept US proposal: al-Ajari
A member of Yemeni Ansarullah’s political council says the movement will not accept the US proposal for the Yemeni crisis as the plan is in line with Saudi Arabia’s vision.
“The fact is that what he [Lenderking] has offered is the same conditions set by Riyadh for a ceasefire. Lenderking should know that if such proposals were acceptable, we would have accepted them directly from Saudi Arabia and there would be no need for the presence of an American envoy,” al-Ajari said.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/171027/Ansarullah-will-not-accept-US-proposal-al-Ajari
and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/18264/No-Need-for-US-Envoy-Adopting-Saudi-Vision
(B K P)
Iran’s plan to end Yemen war most practical, best idea: Analyst
A prominent Middle East affairs analyst said here on Saturday as of the beginning of the Yemen crisis Iran proposed a plan to end it that is still the best: immediate ceasefire as a basis for forwarding emergency humanitarian aids.
Ja’far Qannadbashi said in an exclusive interview with IRNA that "everything in Yemen is now under the influence of the ongoing military engagements in Marib, that has been sieged by the Yemeni Army and that country’s resistance forces for months and as the ring of siege gats tighter, the probability of defeat of the Saudi-backed coalition that supports Abdu-Rabbeh Mansur Hadi, too, gets stronger."
He said that the Saudi Air Force bombardments, too, are now under the influence of Marib armed clashes, as the Saudis are trying to rescue the allied forces of Mansur Hadi and have therefore intensified their attacks against various Yemeni cities to dishearten the Yemenis and encourage them to abandon support for Ansar-Allah and the Yemeni Army and force them to end the siege of Marib.
The West Asia analyst said that thus far Ansar-Allah has managed to respond to Saudi air raids resorting to its drone attacks. “Ansar-Allah has launched an unprecedented volume of fire against Saudi targets at the vastest possible geographical sphere during the past days in response to the Saudi attacks against Yemeni cities.
Qanandbashi added that both the volume of Yemeni armed forces’ fire and the unprecedented vast area under their fire have created great horror for Saudi state officials as the scene of the Yemen war has changed into a scene of very vast asymmetrical, full-scale battles.
https://en.irna.ir/news/84261813/Iran-s-plan-to-end-Yemen-war-most-practical-best-idea-Analyst
My remark: From Iran.
(A K P)
Hadi-Doha reconciliation: A Saudi trap for Qataris?
While as a result of the advances of the Yemeni army and popular committees in the push for Ma’rib province liberation the resigned and fugitive President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi faces political and military challenges, he in an attention-calling move sent his Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak to Qatar on Monday.
Although the top discussion case in Doha visit is said to be the Arab peace process and restoration of Aden-based government relations with Qatar, certainly the principal goal is to attract Doha support to prevent Ma’rib fall to the resistant forces and also strengthen the Saudi-backed coalition cabinet in southern Yemen.
Concerned about the conditions that can follow Ma’rib fall and disappointed with UAE-backed southerners, the Muslim Brotherhood camp in Yemen considers reconciliation with Ansarullah as one option to save its place in the course of political developments. This vision gains traction more and more as Ansarullah and the army forces tighten Ma’rib encirclement.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Hadi see the closest path to persuasion of Islah to continue its alliance with Aden runs through Doha exercising influence on the party. Shortly after media reported Hadi’s FM visit to Doha and delivery of a message from King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, Qatar condemned the recent Yemeni attack on Saudi oil giant Aramco’s facilities.
Although there are doubts about Qatar’s ability to save the falling-apart southern alliance, in the Saudi viewpoint, improved Doha-Aden ties can help cut off the financial, media, and even logistics support of the Qataris to Ansarullah.
In fact, the Saudis believe that Doha played a role in defeating the Saudi military operation in Yemen with the help of Ansarullah after leaving the military campaign of the Saudi-led aggression in Yemen in 2017.
https://en.abna24.com/news//analysis-hadi-doha-reconciliation-a-saudi-trap-for-qataris_1122776.html
(B P)
[from 2019]
The Great Saudi-Iranian Proxy Game
I ran and Saudi Arabia have their fingerprints on every battleground in the Middle East.1 Both countries support proxy militias that align with their own politics, and both interfere in their neighbors’ affairs to advance their own interests. These external interventions bolster foreign clients who, in turn, support the patron regime back home, further legitimizing Tehran and Riyadh’s roles as regional hegemons.
Peace in the region will remain elusive as long as Tehran and Riyadh remain on a collision course. The ideal solution would be for both states to transform into democracies that no longer see each other as adversaries. In the meantime, Washington must do what it can to manage, rather than resolve, the conflict and shape the regional context in its favor.
https://www.academia.edu/41256311/The_Great_Saudi_Iranian_Proxy_Game
(A P)
Hadi advisor warns against deal makes Houthi military loss political win
A repetition of "Stockholm disaster", in the form of a new pact, could reward the Houthis for their offensive against Marib and make the group's loss a win, advisor to the Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi warned on Friday.
"Beware of rewarding the Houthi for his crimes and attack on Marib through a deal that could make his military defeat a political win legitimizing his presence and somehow persisting the war under the pretext of ceasefire and stopping the attack on Marib," Abdul Malik al-Mikhlafi added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23763.html
and also https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2860971/popular-pressure-grows-freeing-hodeidah-houthi-hold
(B P)
Under US Direction, 23 Al-Qaeda Members Released
The [Sanaa gov.] Deputy Head of the Security and Intelligence Service, Major General Abdulqadir Al-Shami, said that the US regime dealt with the Yemeni security services during the previous regimes as their subordinate apparatus.
Maj. Gen. Al-Shami added that the US used to deal with the Yemeni security services in the past as their sources of information, using the alleged terrorism to infiltrate the state security apparatus.
He emphasized that the security services in the previous stages had been completely paralyzed since the year 2000, and the US became the decision-maker in the security issue.
"23 Members of the so-called Al-Qaeda were arrested by the Yemeni security services and were released under US direction," he said.
https://english.almasirah.net/post/18266/Under-US-Direction%2C-23-Al-Qaeda-Members-Released-
(* B H K)
Violations of US-Saudi Aggression against Yemeni Women
The Yemeni Women and Child Rights Organization, Intasaf, addressed the violations committed by the Saudi-led forces against Yemeni women, confirming that "456 women and children were raped, while 423 women were kidnapped."
In a press conference, at the headquarters of the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sana'a, the organization said that "the West Coast region, which is under the control of the UAE-backed forces, witnessed 685 crimes, including 132 crimes of rape of women."
https://english.almasirah.net/post/18280/Violations-of-US-Saudi-Aggression-against-Yemeni-Women
(* B K P)
[from April 2018] Yemen: Civil War and Regional Intervention
This report provides information on the ongoing crisis in Yemen. Now in its fourth year, the war in Yemen shows no signs of abating and may be escalating. In recent weeks, the northern Yemeni armed militia and political movement known as the Houthis have launched several missile attacks into Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi-led coalition, a multinational grouping of armed forces primarily led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has continued to conduct airstrikes inside Yemen. Including combatants, the war in Yemen may have killed more than 10,000 Yemenis and has significantly damaged the country’s infrastructure. As the war continues, the risk of it spreading beyond Yemeni territory appears to be growing.
https://www.academia.edu/37047692/Yemen_Civil_War_and_Regional_Intervention
(* B P)
Newly revealed secret documents show extent of collaboration between former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and US imperialism
Al-Masirah news channel has revealed secret documents and two secret phone calls between former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the director of the American secret service CIA, which reveal US ambitions in Yemen and the involvement of Saleh’s regime in the betrayal of Yemen.
The documents and the first private call between President Saleh and former CIA Director George Tenet – which was presented by the Moral Guidance Department – revealed the size of American ambitions in Yemen and the strong relationship between the man who was president of Yemen between 1990 and 2012, and the United States.
The call included an acknowledgment of the direct relationship between US intelligence and Al-Qaeda, in addition to the involvement of the former regime in this betrayal. It also included an acknowledgment from the top of the hierarchy of the CIA that they had direct relations with leaders from Al-Qaeda.
The call also showed US insistence on removing one of the intelligence agents detained in the Political Security prison in the capital, Sana’a, following the bombing of the USS Cole, a warship that was bombed by Al-Qaeda in 2000.
The second call presented by the guidance department, which Saleh made with Tenet on the same day, includes Saleh’s agreement to release the arrested operative in Sana’a and hand him over to the Americans.
Telephone call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veyLP3na6gw
and
(* A P)
Secret Calls, Document Reveal Relation Between Saleh and USA
The call which was published by the Moral Guidance Department included an acknowledgment of the direct relationship between the American intelligence and the takfiri individuals called "Al Qaeda" and the involvement of the former regime in this betrayal. As well as an acknowledgment from the top of the hierarchy of the American intelligence apparatus CIA of their direct relationship with leaders of the Takfiri elements called "Al Qaeda".
The call also included an American insistence on the release of one of the intelligence agents detained in the Political Security prison in the capital, Sana'a, following the bombing of the USS Cole. Regarding the second call, Almasirah said that the call was between Saleh and Tenet, on the same day, informing him of his agreement to release the arrested individual in Sana'a and hand him over to the Americans.
The Moral Guidance Department revealed a document issued by the US State Department on "some important affairs in Yemen" for the year 1998. It said that one of the US State Department offices includes a report on the geographical, demographic and economic details of Yemen, in addition to an overview of the foreign military presence in Yemen.
The US State Department document talks about the reactivation of Jewish synagogues and Christian churches, and the role of American forces in Aden in protecting members of the Jewish community in Sa'adah and Sana'a. It also identifies a number of places for selling alcoholic drinks in Sana'a and Aden, and talks about entities that manufacture “beer” from local sources.
A report of a US State Department office issued on May 30, 1998, talks about the establishment of an American naval base for the "Marines" forces in the Buraiqah area in Aden governorate. It talks about equipping the naval base in Buraiqah for the presence of reconnaissance, fighter, bomber aircraft, an aircraft carrier, some submarines and naval military pieces, and it also includes an agreement signed by General, Anthony Zinni, commander of the US Central Forces in the Middle East and the Yemeni government in May 1998 on services. The naval base in Buraiqah.
The report speaks about a naval base in Aden that will work to equip a military port to provide US naval units with fuel and other services, and will also work to equip anchorage for US naval vessels that serve the US aircraft carrier operating in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
The Moral Guidance Department indicated that the report of a US State Department office says that "the US forces’ base in Aden will include stores of fuel and ammunition, and warehouses for nuclear and chemical weapons and waste. This base is also a military supply base for the US forces in the Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Horn African and Red Sea."
and
(* B P)
Obtained US Documents Shows Major US Plots in Yemen
The US State Department document also identified places for prostitution and entertainment in Aden and says that they are encouraged and supported by some parties from top authorities. It also talks about benefiting from “clubs” in the regions of Aden to serve American soldiers in Yemen. The document also identified a number of places that sell alcoholic beverages in Sana'a and Aden, and talks about entities that manufacture "beer" from local sources.
The report said, the naval base in Al-Buraiqah should be equipped for the presence of reconnaissance, fighter and bomber aircraft, an aircraft carrier, some submarines and marine military equipment. An agreement signed by General "Anthony Zinni", commander of the US Central Forces in the Middle East, and the Yemeni government in May 1998 regarding services of the naval base in Al- Buraiqah.
The report confirmed that the naval base in Aden will work to equip a military port to provide US naval units with fuel and other services, as well as to equip anchorage for US submarines, including submarines operating with atomic fuel. It also added, the naval base will work to equip anchorage for US naval vessels that serve the US aircraft carrier operating in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean. US forces' base in Aden will include fuel and ammunition stores, waste, atomic and chemical weapons stores, and it is a military supply base for our forces in the Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.
The report included a part highlighting the geographical, demographic and economic details of Yemen, in addition to an overview of the foreign military presence in Yemen.
https://english.almasirah.net/post/18345/Obtained-US-Documents-Shows-Major-US-Plots-in-Yemen
and
(* B P T)
Houthi official: CIA asked Yemen's Saleh to release Al-Qaeda member
In the conversation, Tenet asks for the release of "someone important to me personally, within two days" who was arrested in connection to Al-Qaeda's role in the attack against a US naval destroyer, the USS Cole in 2000. However, when asked by Saleh for a name, Tenet is said to have responded that it was too risky to reveal names over the phone, adding that they both knew who this individual was. According to Abdul Qader Al-Shami, the deputy head of Yemen's Houthi-aligned Security and Intelligence Services, the Al-Qaeda member in question was the US-born cleric-turned Al-Qaeda propagandist and leader Anwar Al-Awlaki who was killed in a controversial US drone strike in 2011 approved by former President Barack Obama.
A statement issued by the pro-Houthi Yemeni armed forces said the conversation proved the existence "of direct relations between the CIA and Al-Qaeda terrorists and cooperation on the part of Saleh government's officials in formation of the relationship".
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(* B K P)
Six Years Later, Yemen Is Still Being Starved
The U.S. shares responsibility for this killing blockade. As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, the US supported UNSCR 2216, which authorized an arms embargo that has become the pretext for trying to starve Yemen into submission. As an arms embargo, it has been a complete failure, but as a weapon against the civilian population it has been alarmingly effective. The US has also supported the enforcement of the blockade. As Bruce Riedel recently argued, the blockade itself is part of the Saudi coalition’s offensive operations, and the US needs to pressure the Saudis and the UAE to end it. All parties to the conflict are responsible for using food as a weapon, but the root of the problem is the blockade that has strangled normal commerce for more than half a decade.
Writing at Responsible Statecraft, Arwa Mokdad describes the effects that the blockade has had on the country since it was first imposed
A shortage of fuel is the most critical problem right now. Even when essential goods are eventually allowed in, there is not enough fuel to move them around the country. Likewise, fuels shortages have made it prohibitively expensive for people to bring their sick children to medical facilities. According to a new CNN report, over a dozen oil tankers are sitting offshore where they have been prevented from docking.
The Biden administration has taken a few of the right steps in reducing US involvement in the conflict and reducing the burdens on the civilian population.
Congress will need to keep pressing Biden to rein in the Saudi coalition. We have learned over the last six years that it is only sustained activism to change US policy towards Yemen that produces results. The Biden administration has started moving in the right direction, but they have to be pushed to keep moving that way.
UNSCR 2216 has provided the Saudi coalition with a legal fig leaf to commit what are for all intents and purposes crimes against humanity. The Saudi coalition has pursued a policy of deliberate mass starvation with Washington’s approval. Yemenis are being starved to death, and it is primarily the result of the coalition’s actions. There needs to be a new Security Council resolution that abandons the unrealistic political demands of UNSCR 2216 and forbids all parties to the conflict from impeding the delivery of essential food and medicine. Beyond that, the US needs to use the significant leverage that it has with Saudi coalition governments to get them to stop strangling Yemen.
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is entirely man-made, and our government is one of the main authors of that catastrophe. The US has an obligation to use whatever influence it has to stave off the famine that our policy helped to create. America owes the people of Yemen sustained assistance in rebuilding the country because of our role in wrecking it. Before that can happen, the US needs to rein in the reckless clients that it has indulged for the last six years – by Daniel Larison
https://original.antiwar.com/daniel_larison/2021/03/16/six-years-later-yemen-is-still-being-starved/
(B P)
Anelle Sheline: As I said on @ajmubasher, the blockade is failing to prevent the Houthis from accessing weapons, therefore its only effect is starving Yemenis. If @StateDept_NEA is serious about getting the Houthis to the table & helping Yemen, he must pressure the Saudis to lift the blockade
https://twitter.com/AnnelleSheline/status/1371206687064002560
(A K P)
Aviation Authority: Sana'a airport forced to close due to fuel run out
Head of the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Meteorology Raed Jabal confirmed on Sunday the inability of Sana'a International Airport to continue to provide navigational services to United Nations aircraft and humanitarian and relief organizations.
"Sana'a International Airport is forced to close to international flights due to the depletion of oil derivatives and the inability of the airport to provide the necessary quantities to operate the airport to receive international flights." Said Jabal in a statement to Saba.
He said the airport is unable to operate generators, fire trucks, equipment to provide services to UN aircraft, and humanitarian and relief organizations that arrive and leave Sana'a International Airport on a daily basis.
Sana'a airport has been facing great difficulty in providing for more than two months its needs for essential oil derivatives, he said.
Jabal stressed that preventing the US-Saudi aggression coalition from entering oil derivatives ships to the port of Hodeida harms traffic and public activity in Yemen, including air navigation at Sana'a International Airport.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3132542.htm
and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/18300/Closing-Sana-a-International-Airport-to-UN-Flights%C2%A0
and
(A K P)
Undersecretary of Sanaa Int'l Airport, Raed Jabal, has warned of the airport's inability to provide air navigation services to receive UN & humanitarian & relief organizations' planes in the coming days due to a close depletion of its oil derivatives, Saba News Agency reports.
The source didn't give an exact time for closing the airport.The airport authorities blocked UN flights last September over the lack of fuel while the Saudi-led coalition was holding 21 commercial vessels from entering Hodeidah port, preventing entering of 500,000 tonnes of fuel.
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1371178736767406082
(* A K P)
US-Saudi Aggression Continue Detaining 13 Fuel Tankers, One Has left
One of the fuel tankers, that are detained by the US-Saudi coalition for more than 10 months, was forced to leave the detention area off the coast of Jizan and return.
A source in the Yemeni Petroleum Company in Sana'a said that the vessel, "Bending Victory", was forced to leave the detention area due to a series of malfunctions due to staying in the detention area over 10 months, stressing that the number of detained ships as of Friday evening reached 13 fuel tankers in the Red Sea.
The US-Saudi aggression continues the maritime piracy and detain fuel tankers, and prevent them from entering the port of Hodeidah, despite obtaining permits from the United Nations. The detaining exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe due to the suspension of many service and vital sectors, especially hospitals, electricity, water, cargo trucks, as well as trucks transporting waste.
The Yemeni Petroleum Company spokesman, Esam Al-Mutawakel, said that the fuel tanker "Bending Victory" left the area after 10 months of being detained off the coast of Jazan, where it was subjected to a series of breakdowns that forced it to leave. In a tweet, AlMutwakel said that the total of the detained fuel tankers reached 13.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23789.html
(* A K P)
Int'l community using coalition's holding of fuel ships as negotiation bargaining chip, Houthis say
The Ansar Allah group, referred to as the Houthis, on Saturday accused the international community and the UN and US envoys of using its demand to pressure a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen to release fuel ships held in the Red Sea as a negotiation bargaining chip.
14 fuel ships have been blocked from berthing at Hodeidah seaport for a year though they have been inspected and given licences by the UN, member of the group's negotiation team Abdulmalik Al-Ojari wrote on Twitter. There is no justification for holding them but the obstinacy of the coalition, he said.
"We have asked the UN and US envoys and the international community to pressure the coalition to allow the ships to enter Hodeidah seaport, but instead of doing that, they are using our demand as a negotiation bargaining chip. This is alone a crime and flagrant complicity," he said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23774.html
(B K P)
Naval Blockade of ships humanitarian crisis in Yemen
The seizure of ships led to a crisis of oil products, the effects of which were reflected in the lives of citizens, the economic, social and living conditions and food security in Yemen.
As well as, it left consequences, whose indicators will be seen in the widening poverty and unemployment rate, high prices, and difficulty in accessing basic services, as well as the increasing need for food security.
On the agricultural sector, the two-thirds of the agricultural sector in Yemen was affected by the holding of oil derivative ships, in addition to damage to agricultural crops and more than 1.2 million agricultural holders in several governorates.
The most governorates are living in catastrophic situations as a result of the oil derivatives crisis, fuel shortage and high prices.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3132432.htm
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B H)
Film: Schüsse, Explosionen, Raketen – das hören diese Schüler aus dem Jemen oft während des Unterrichts. Aber sie lassen sich nicht stoppen. Sie wollen lernen, auch in einer Ruine.
https://twitter.com/dw_deutsch/status/1371850242514063360
(B H)
Yemen: RDP Monthly Situation Report (February 2021)
Reducing the risk of high rates of child mortality and malnutrition by supporting 12 health facilities with TSFP services in Sama and As Silw districts of Taizz gov.
Working to strengthen the accessibility and availability of health care services through the implementation of MSP project in As Silw district of Taizz gov.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-monthly-situation-report-february-2021
(* B H P)
Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ramesh Rajasingham lecture to Columbia School of International and Public Affairs on the United Nation’s role in the humanitarian system
To reach people in need we need humanitarian access – something that is negotiated and agreed ahead of time. OCHA manages a ‘humanitarian notification mechanism’ in Yemen which informs Coalition forces of the locations of humanitarian movements and premises, to protect operations so they can continue. This enables the Coalition to fulfil its obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in conflict.
Similar notifications also go to Houthi forces.
In 2020 the system processed 13,500 notifications, 98 per cent of these were acknowledged by the Coalition. But aid agencies continue to face administrative hurdles, as well as insecurity that hampers their ability to reach all in need. It’s the enemy of life-saving operations.
And next, funding. Two years ago humanitarian agencies staved off famine in Yemen as donors took note, and stepped up their funding. And last year we reached more than 10 million people a month across all of Yemen’s 333 districts.
But this year, severe funding shortages mean many families get just half the food they need.
(B H)
Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY) - Price Monitoring Tool: February 2021
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cash-consortium-yemen-ccy-price-monitoring-tool-february-2021
(* A H P)
UNDP and the European Union enter the largest agreement to improve the economic and social wellbeing in Yemen
The European Union (EU) and United Nations Development Programme in Yemen (UNDP) have signed a partnership agreement aimed at improving the economic and social wellbeing of Yemenis. With concentrated efforts toward the poorest and most vulnerable populations, the EURO 69.8 million (approximately USD 82.4 million) partnership will be the largest of its kind and will work to strengthen local authorities, bridge lifesaving humanitarian and longer-term development work, and engage the Yemeni private sector to fight poverty.
A three-year initiative, the Strengthening Institutional and Economic Resilience in Yemen (SIERY) intends to rebuild community trust in the Yemeni state and help redefine the central-to-local relations. SIERY will help scale-up support to the Yemeni formal local governance system to help maintain and ensure citizens’ have access to a wide range of basic services, that conflict is minimalized and social cohesion is fostered at the community-level, and that there is a sustainable economic recovery process in place for communities.
Fully aligned with the EU’s Global Strategy to build resilience by supporting good governance, strengthen humanitarian-development nexus and support private sector development, SIERY responds to crucial development challenges.
(B H)
Film by WFP: Meet the future of #Yemen: together with local partners, @WFP is helping these girls get back-to-school. As you can see, school meals have incredible impact: they renew hope, lead to packed classrooms and pave the way for a country's next generation of leaders!
https://twitter.com/WFPChief/status/1370672230649106434
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B H K)
IDPs number increases to 4.5 million in 15 Yemeni provinces, say Houthis
The Houthi supreme council for the management and coordination of humanitarian affairs on Monday said the number of the internally displaced persons in Yemen increased to 4.5 million until the end of February.
Around 670.343 families have been displaced due to deteriorating conditions in 15 provinces, with the largest numbers in Hajjah and Hodeidah, it said in a report.
The provinces include Marib, which the government says is hosting more than one million IDPs, Sanaa, Bayda, Saada and Dhale, according to the report.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23830.html
(* B H P)
Migrants Detained in Yemen Are Forced To Pay for Their Freedom
The number of detainees has increased in the Saada's militarized zone, which is one of the main African migration routes to Saudi Arabia.
The Mwatana Organisation For Human Rights Director Radhya Almutawakel denounced that over 6,000 African migrants are inside detention centers in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, where they remain imprisoned until they can pay a bribe in exchange for their release.
Over the last year, the number of detainees has increased in the Saada's militarized zone, which is one of the main African migration routes to Saudi Arabia, although it is the scene of violent fighting and bombings.
Migrants who survive the journey are often taken in "cattle trucks" to Sanaa, and placed in detention centers, where they remain for months or years until they can scrape together US$280. This is the current price of their freedom in a bribery business that has become very lucrative.
After payment, the migrants are abandoned in desert areas close to zones controlled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government. From there, they embark on a journey without food and water until they reach a location.
(A H P)
Stranded migrants arrive in Ethiopia from Yemen on first return flight since start of COVID-19 pandemic
Today, a flight carrying 140 stranded migrants departed from Aden International Airport for Addis Ababa. This was the first flight to Ethiopia from Yemen under the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme since the COVID-19 global pandemic was declared.
“This flight is a vital lifeline for migrants who have been stranded for months on end in unsafe conditions,” said António Vitorino, IOM Director General. “In the coming months, we hope to see more migrants able to safely go home to their loved ones in this way.”
Smuggling networks that operate along this route across the Gulf sometimes force migrants off overcrowded boats. Earlier this month, IOM reported that 20 migrants lost their lives in such an incident.
Since 2020, IOM teams in Aden registered over 6,000 migrants expressing a wish to return to Ethiopia. In December, the Government of Ethiopia visited the ancient coastal city and verified the nationality of 1,100 people, the first step of the voluntary returns process. The remaining migrants from this group are expected to travel in coming weeks. Additionally, thousands of other migrants remain stranded elsewhere in Yemen, including Ma’rib, where IOM hopes to extend its returns efforts soon.
“I am thankful to the governments of Yemen and Ethiopia for working with each other to help this group of migrants,” added Director General Vitorino.
(A H P)
QRCS, UNHCR support life-saving surgeries, provide medical equipment for Yemen hospitals
Doha: In partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) executes a project to enhance health care services for refugees in Yemen.
(* A H P)
Ethiopian migrants who escaped Sanaa fire tell of Houthi coercion
Yemeni rebels threatened to press migrants into fighting the government if they did not pay for their release
Ethiopian migrants who survived a fire at a Houthi-run detention centre in Sanaa have spoken to The National about events which led to the tragedy.
A number of survivors fled to Aden after the March 8 inferno that may have killed at least 45 people and injured more than 170.
Survivors claim that Iran-backed Houthi militias rounded up hundreds of migrants, predominantly from Ethiopia's Oromo ethnic group.
They were forced to either pay the Houthis or join them in their fight against the government.
"They forcibly detained me while I was working in a restaurant in Sanaa city last week," said Radhwan Oromo, a young Ethiopian migrant.
He was among the migrants protesting in front of the UNHCR office in Aden on Thursday to demand international support.
"The Houthis told me that they would take me to the holding centre where they would take my fingerprints and let me go, but when I arrived, I found hundreds of fellow Oromo Ethiopians detained in the hangar," he said.
"The hangar was crowded, so they put small groups in the yard, and later they told us that we must pay 70,000 Yemeni rials [$280] or go to the front to fight with them."
For the vast majority of Ethiopians, this would be a prohibitive sum of money.
"The majority of the detainees refused the Houthi proposal and started demanding to be released and repatriated. This ignited a dispute with the Houthis, who threw grenades into the hanger, starting a blaze among our fellows inside," Mr Oromo said.
"Most of the Oromo fellows inside the hanger were harmed except those who hid in the toilets."
Abdullah Kamel, another Ethiopian migrant who survived the fire and fled to Aden, also told The National how the Houthis proposed to recruit them to fight on the front lines.
"When the Houthis refused to free us, we started a food strike," he said. "They brought us breakfast and we refused to eat and asked them to release us. The top officer came to us and told us we would not be released unless we let our relatives transfer 70,000 rials for each man. Otherwise, we would have to join the frontlines to fight."
Other Ethiopian migrants who fled to Aden after the fire expressed anger over the inhuman treatment they received in Houthi-controlled areas.
"Why did the Houthis kill my Oromo fellows in such cold blood?" said Ali Ahmed, an Ethiopian migrant in his forties.
"Why should we die? We came from our country to Yemen as refugees and we have official IDs, so why did they kill us? What is the reason?"
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has called for urgent humanitarian access to the survivors of the fire, including those injured.
The death toll has reached 45, while 170 other migrants suffered burns. Most of them are receiving treatment at three public hospitals in Sanaa city, according to Olivia Headon, media officer at IOM-Yemen, who spoke to The National last week – by Ali Mahmood
a new film: https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1370797296670154754
My remark: By an UAE news site.
as reminder from 2018: https://al-masdaronline.net/national/916
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/17/yemen-detained-african-migrants-tortured-raped
and
(* A H P)
Statement by IOM Director General António Vitorino on the deadly fire at a migrant holding facility in Yemen
I am deeply saddened by the deaths of dozens of migrants in a fire at an Immigration Nationality and Passport Agency holding facility in Sana’a, Yemen, last Sunday (07/03).
Our thoughts are with the families of those who died, and the more than 170 injured survivors.
Conditions in the holding facility, which was three times over-capacity, were inhumane and unsafe.
IOM does not establish, manage or supervise detention centres in Yemen or anywhere else in the world. Our teams provided migrants essential services like food, health care and water they otherwise would not have received.
In the aftermath of the fire, our teams were at the facility providing emergency health assistance and saving lives. IOM continues to support the survivors today, where access allows.
The United Nations Network on Migration advocates that detention should be the measure of last resort in any context, and that governments take a human-rights-based approach to migrant detention.
In March of last year, IOM joined other UN partners to urge the release of migrants held in cramped and unsanitary conditions in formal and informal places of detention in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.
We continue to do so in Yemen, where the arbitrary arrest and forced movement of migrants has increased since the COVID-19 outbreak began.
IOM has also been working with all concerned authorities to restart its Voluntary Humanitarian Return programme from Sana’a to Ethiopia, a lifeline for many stranded migrants in dangerous situations.
(* A H P)
Migrants demand international probe into deadly Yemen fire
A leader of the migrant community in the Yemeni capital on Saturday called for an international probe into a fire that tore through a detention center last week, killing at least 44 people, mostly Ethiopian migrants.
In a news conference in Sanaa, Othman Gilto, who heads the Ethiopian community, blamed “negligence” by the Houthi rebels who control the capital, as well as the United Nations, which has aid agencies present in Yemen. The fire also injured more than 200 people, he said.
Some 900 migrants, mostly from Ethiopia, were detained at the facility — including 350 inside a warehouse — when the fire took place on Sunday, according to the International Organization for Migration. That was three times the facility’s capacity, it added.
At least 43 of the dead were buried in a Sanaa cemetery on Friday amid tight security. Women from the migrant community were seen screaming and crying while ambulances, carrying the bodies, arrived from a funeral service at a major mosque.
Abdallah al-Leithi, head of the Sudanese community in Sanaa, said many of the dead lacked IDs and could not be identified, adding that most “had not given their real names” on documentation before the fire.
and
(A P)
Abdullah Allaithi, head of Sudanese community: -800 migrants were held in a detention center of 4 wards -Fire erupted in ward number 1 - 44 migrants were killed. They were buried on Friday and DNA samples were taken to identify them for they weren't carrying IDs.
-202 were injured and transferred into hospitals of whom only 22 still at hospitals including four in critical condition. -408 migrants were deported following the fire incident. (photos)
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1370811472352317449
and
(A P)
African communities refuse politicization of refugee shelter fire in Sana'a
African communities confirmed on Saturday that the National Salvation Government in Sana'a has shown full and transparent cooperation in reaching the full truth behind the fire incident at the refugee shelter.
In a statement issued after a press conference in front of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)'s office in the capital Sana'a, representatives of the Ethiopian, Sudanese, Eritrean, Somali, and Djiboutian communities refused the politicization of the issue of shelter fire, noting that the investigation into the accident is continuing.
In their statement, the African communities confirmed that the Salvation Government, despite the difficulties of the war and the blockade, provides aid to African refugees, and the foremost of that aid is that their children receive free education.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3132380.htm
My comment: ???????????????
and
(B H P)
An Ethiopian #migrant told #DW that he, along with tens of migrants, endured beating & torture by #Houthis after refusing to join battlefronts. Mustafa said he had to ask some of his relatives working in KSA to send him SAR 5000 to give it to Houthis in exchange for his release.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1370785476953608195
and
(* B P)
When black lives don’t matter: World silent on Houthi ‘Holocaust’ of African migrants
By most accounts, Yemen’s Houthi militia just burnt alive nearly 500 African migrants. But where is the outrage among the heavy hitters of human-rights advocacy or the liberal commentariat? This is no rhetorical question but rather one asked in earnest.
To be sure, selective global outrage is nothing new; it has been around since the birth of the international community and the early days of the human rights movement. But the deafening silence of those who claim the role of international moral arbiters over the latest Houthi outrage is a scandal in itself.
Even by the standards of Houthi disregard for civilian safety, what happened on March 7 in a detention center in Sanaa was despicable. The militia used force to end a strike by migrants who were protesting against cruel treatment, extortion and poor conditions inside the facility, the Geneva-based SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties said on the basis of interviews with some survivors.
Its conclusion left no room for whataboutery by the usual suspects: “The Houthis were directly and consistently responsible for the killing and injury of approximately 450, mostly Ethiopian, migrants in a detention center, on 7 March, 2021, in a fire caused by bombs apparently fired by Houthi forces.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1825071/middle-east
(A H)
Eye clinic visits displaced in Yemen
Ras Morbat Clinic staff have visited Khor Omer in Yemen, to treat civilians displaced by ongoing fighting in the region.
The settlement of Khor Omer has no electricity, and the supply of water is limited to deliveries by truck every two weeks. A small building doubles as a mosque and health centre. Here, staff were able to carry out eye exams, dispense medication and schedule future treatments.
Staff also distributed PPE—the only protection against Covid-19 to have been provided to date (photos)
https://cypgulf.org/the-gulf/eye-clinic-visits-displaced-in-yemen/
(B H K)
[Sanaa gov.] Humanitarian Affairs Council Reveals Tolls of Displaced People Due to US-Saudi Aggression
The council stated, in a report, that the number of displaced families reached 670,343 families in 15 Yemeni governorates, amid the deteriorating humanitarian conditions, which is the worst in the world, in light of the continued piracy of the US-Saudi aggression against the fuel tankers.
The report indicated that the number of displaced persons in Hajjah governorate reached 791 thousand and 147, in Hodeidah governorate 804 thousand and 461 displaced persons, and in the capital Sana'a, the number of displaced persons reached 582 thousand and 855 displaced persons.
In Amran governorate, the number of displaced persons reached 285,999 IDPs, in Al Dhale` Governorate 47,271 displaced persons, while the number of displaced persons in Marib Governorate reached 49,291.
The report stated that the number of displaced persons in Al-Baydha governorate reached 114,226, while in Raima governorate there are 62,29 displaced persons.
According to the report, the number of displaced persons in Dhamar Governorate reached 268,674, and in Al-Jawf Governorate, 154,119 displaced persons.
The report indicated that the number of displaced persons in Ibb governorate is 226,65, while the number of displaced persons in al-Mahwit governorate has reached 54,894 individuals.
In Sana'a Governorate, the number of displaced persons reached 208,705 IDPs, while in Saadah Governorate, the number of displaced persons reached 504 thousand and 18 displaced persons, and Taiz Governorate recorded 342,804 displaced persons.
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp4
(A P)
Yemeni Parliament Refuses Any Initiative Doesn't Alleviate Yemeni People Suffering
and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3132711.htm
(* B P)
The Media Center for the National Resistance documents, in names, the policy of the Houthi dynastic takeover of the state’s knuckles
The Media Center for the National Resistance revealed, recently, dozens of Houthi names, most of them claiming the descendent affiliation of the Prophet, which the militia leader called Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi enabled him to join the state, while he practiced a wide exclusion of Yemenis with experience, experience and qualification.
The "December 2" agency publishes part of the names mentioned in the report of the National Resistance Media Center, as an example of the practices of acquisition and exclusion that the Houthi militia has been pursuing since its seizure of the capital, Sanaa, and a number of governorates. Noting that the center continues to monitor the names of the Houthi dynastic acquisition of the Yemeni state.
https://2dec.net/news39293.html
My remark: By an anti-Houthi organization.
(A K P)
Film: The Houthi group admitted today, Sunday March 14, 2021, the murder of 3 children on the #Marib frontlines, who had been recruited earlier: Haitham Ali, 13 Mothanna Hussen, 17 AbdullQawi Al-Khudairy13 years old
https://twitter.com/SaeedAlhajj2/status/1371213856245215233
(A P)
Yemeni Arabic newspaper "Al-Hawyah" describes in its Sunday issue the U.S. Envoy for Yemen Mr. Timothy Lenderking as "Deputy of 'Mr. Bone Saw' " (image)
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1371207212895498243
(B P)
How a Red Sea storm pushed five Bangladeshi sailors to captivity in Yemen
They were sending money to their families in Bangladesh. Until a Red Sea storm changed everything. Jobless, now the five Bangladeshi sailors are staring at an uncertain future.
When their ship sank, they were rescued by others. But they were captured by Houthi rebels of Yemen. After 11 months in captivity, they have returned home.
Md Alauddin, Mohammad Alamgir Hossain, Rahim Uddin, Mohammad Yusuf and Abu Toyob are all from Chattogram.
Speaking to bdnews24.com on Saturday, Alauddin, Rahim and Yusuf said they had lost hope of returning home during the terrifying months in captivity.
They were kept and fed in the hotel well for two days before being taken to the basement, where they spent the next 10 months.
The sailors had been given only one meal a day -- lentil and rice – in this period.
Yusuf and many others fell ill. The Houthi rebels threatened to beat and kill them when the abductees wanted to raise the issue.
Those guarding them were between 12 and 14 years old.
Yusuf said he was hospitalised following repeated requests from his colleagues, but another danger ws lurking for him there.
A bag of blood was taken from him under the excuse of a test.
“The others decided not to go to hospital when they fell ill after hearing of my experience,” Yusuf said.
“We had no idea when we would be freed. We had no hope. We spent the time in panic as the hotel’s walls were shaken by loud bangs of bombings and gunfire every night,” said Alauddin.
He said they did not let their families get a sniff of their situation while speaking to them over phone. They were given mobile phones for half an hour every week after three months.
When they contacted their employer, he said they were trying to free them, but declined to give details.
(A P)
Prominent sheikh killed, his body burned in rebel-held capital Sana’a
A group of gunmen stormed the house of Sheikh Mohammed Asker Abu Shawarib, killed him, and burned his body on late Friday, a local source reported.
Abu Shawarib, a prominent tribal sheikh in the northern province of Amran, was killed and then burned in his home in the rebel-held capital, Sana’a, by a group of unknown gunmen, Almasdar Online___ a local news site___ said, citing two sources close to Abu Shawarib’s family.
According to the sources, the gunmen shot Sheikh Abu Shawarib in the head and burned him in one of the house’s rooms.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/27499
and also https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1370756716212654081
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(A P)
Presidency of Transitional Council stands on government’s performance and steps to adress the detoriating situation
(A P)
Yemeni ex-minister calls for new gov't formation
Prime minister of the Yemeni official government colludes with the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), Yemeni former minister tweeted on Tuesday, calling for the formation of a new cabinet.
"The collusion of Maeen Abdulmalek with the Emirati militia and its STC, in failing to apply the [Riyadh Agreement] military and security part, led to this shameful result," Saleh al-Jabwani added, hinting at the raid into the presidential palace.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23839.html
(A P)
Saudi Arabia condemns protesters storming presidential palace in Yemen’s Aden
and alsdo https://www.arabnews.com/node/1826811/saudi-arabia
(A P)
UK ambassador expresses sympathy with protesters in Aden
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32487
referring to tweet:
(A P)
I sympathise with Yemenis suffering from lack of income & services. Implementation of Riyadh Agreement is key. Government needs resources to deliver reform & improve conditions. Political forces should act responsibly demonstrators with restraint & security forces with discipline
https://twitter.com/HMAMichaelAron/status/1371897088586440709
(A P)
Two-state solution remains only way out of crisis: Shatara
Member of the Presidency of Southern Transitional Council (STC ), Vice-President of the National Assembly for Control and Inspection, Lufti Shatara made it clear that the two-state solution (North and South) remains the only acceptable way out of the Yemeni crisis.
Following the public anger and frustration that continue to grow in Aden and the South, Shatara said on his official Twitter account that the people are sick and tired of broken promises, procrastination and circumventing their will.
He affirmed that the people will not lose more than they have already lost in the Houthi war on the South and during years of suffering and humiliation endured in after that war.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32485
referring to tweet: https://twitter.com/lutfshatara/status/1371764216068202497
(A P)
Clashes in Aden continue as protest leader calls for storming of Saudi military base
the head of the Aden Center for Strategic Research and Statistics, Hussein Hanshi, has on Tuesday called for demonstrations to move towards the Saudi-led coalition military camp in the same city.
Hanshi confirmed in a message on Twitter that the “correct place for the protests is the headquarters of the coalition.”
He pointed out that the coalition military camp is “the real seat of governance and control, considering that those who were present in Ma’asheeq Palace are nothing but tools.”
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Husaenalhanachy/status/1371773654548238336
(A P)
Yemen says storming presidential palace attack on gov’t
"This demonstration, which is no longer peaceful, only serves those who call for chaos, those who threaten security and stability, especially the Houthi militia," Yemen's official news agency reported.
The government said it understands the legitimate demands and rights of citizens, especially on the level of service and the improvement of the economic situation, which are "priority issues.”
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-says-storming-presidential-palace-attack-on-gov-t/2178504
(A P)
Government still in Aden after protesters storm Presidential Palace
Government and diplomatic sources denied that Yemen's internationally recognised government left the interim capital Aden after angry protesters stormed the Presidential Palace, Al-Maashiq, on Tuesday.
I contacted Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and he confirmed that he and other government members are still in the palace, the Yemeni ambassador to Morocco Ezz Al-Din Al-Asbahi said.
The forces fired bullets in the air to disperse dozens of people who stormed the gates of the palace in protest against the failure of the government to address the issues of the army and security retirees, a government source said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23846.html
(* A P)
Jemen: Demonstrierende stürmen Präsidialpalast ohne Widerstand
In Aden im Südjemen haben zahlreiche Menschen am Dienstag (16.03.2021) gegen die sich verschlechternden Lebensumstände innerhalb des Landes protestiert. Sie drangen dabei in einen Gebäudekomplex der Regierung vor. Die Demonstranten seien ohne Widerstand auf das Gelände des Präsidialpalastes gelangt, berichten Augenzeugen.
Kurz darauf sei Polizeichef Mutahir al-Schwaibi eingetroffen und habe die Demonstranten überredet, das Gelände zu verlassen, wie die „Deutsche Presse-Agentur“ aus Regierungskreisen erfuhr. Mehrere Minister der Regierung seien zum Zeitpunkt des Protests auf dem Gelände des Präsidialpalastes gewesen, hieß es.
https://www.fr.de/panorama/jemen-buergerkrieg-demonstranten-palast-aufstand-krieg-news-90245119.html
und auch https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/398749.jemen-demonstration-in-aden.html
(* A P)
Yemeni protesters storm palace with cabinet members inside
Dozens of Yemeni protesters stormed a presidential palace in the southern port city of Aden on Tuesday demanding payment of public sector salaries, witnesses said.
Yemen’s Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and other members of the internationally recognised government remain holed up inside the building, two Yemeni officials said.
Most of Aden is controlled by forces of the United Arab Emirates-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which had fought the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in the past.
Tuesday’s protest broke out over public services and after the government failed to pay salaries of retired soldiers, the witnesses said.
Footage on social media showed Aden’s security chief, Mathar al-Shaebe, negotiating with a group of protesters and asking them to leave the security perimeter of Maasheq Palace.
and
(* A P)
Protesters storm presidential palace in Yemen’s Aden
A government official told Al Jazeera Yemeni and Saudi forces evacuated members of the cabinet, including Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, to a military building situated near the palace grounds.
Local sources told Al Jazeera the protesters had found no resistance from forces loyal to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). Some carried flags of the STC separatist movement.
Shortly after the incident, a government source said Aden’s police chief, General Mutaher al-Shuaibi, arrived at the scene to talk to protesters and convinced them to leave.
Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal said the protesters are members of the national security forces who have not been paid for nine months.
The palace, which the government had taken as its headquarters, is guarded by Saudi troops on the inside, Elshayyal said.
“But from the outside, it is guarded by the separatists – the STC – which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, which in theory is meant to be backing Saudi Arabia but in reality has been supporting the separatists that have been calling for a secession,” he explained.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/16/protesters-storm-presidential-palace-in-yemens-aden
and also https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-aden-protesters-presidential-palace-wages
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210316-yemeni-protesters-storm-aden-presidential-palace
Photo: https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1371778444355330053
Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeS62_ERp2Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUv36b8BsX4
https://twitter.com/alimahmood19844/status/1371751238048620550
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsktvby_dsA
(A K pS)
Retired general says army warfronts need ‘real’ support: quality weapons
A retired army general has told Almashed Alyemeni that the [Hadi gov.] Yemeni army needs ‘genuine, not fake’ support if it is to counter the well-armed Houthi militia.
The general told the news website on the condition of anonymity that the army’s recent gains or successful resistance of the Iran-backed militia are a success given that the army has “resources less than that which Houthis have.”
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-45724
(A K P)
Key political parties demand gov’t to pay army, supply it ammunition
Yemen’s key political parties have demanded the government to pay the long withheld salaries to the army and supply it with the ammunition it needs to counter the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-45723
(A P)
STC rally campaigners storm into Seyoun local authority office
The Yemeni official government forces have opened fire at protesters in the southern city of Seyoun, a district of Hadhramout, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) said Monday.
Tens of the Emirati-backed STC supporters stage a rally in protest of bad services and decline in the national currency worsening the livelihoods and increasing the fuel prices.
The protestors stormed into the Seyoun local authority HQ, eyewitnesses said, as security forces used force to disperse demonstrators leaving casualties.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23813.html
and how the separatists tell it: http://en.adenpress.news/news/32471
(* B P)
Film: President of Yemeni STC: Co-existence with Houthis not acceptable | CNN International
Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, President of the Yemeni Southern Transitional Council, speaks to Becky Anderson about the situation in Yemen, the impact of the U.S. withdrawing support for the war and whether he is optimistic about a solution to the conflict.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izda8TvGW5w
(A P)
Yemen Parliament condemns deadly ballistic missile on school
It was a terrorist and cowardly attack, it said, adding that continued Houthi attacks on schools, hospitals and other civilian objects are war crimes and a blatant violation of international law.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23804.html
My comment: As the school had been misused by the military (15 injured soldiers), this was a military target.
(A P)
[Pro-Hadi gov.] Yemen religious scholars condemn burning of refugees in Houthi-held Sana’a
In a statement, the Authority of Yemen’s Ulema (Religious Scholars) condemned the militia’s detention of the refugees in an attempt to “forcibly recruit them to the warfronts” against the Yemeni people, and the “mass burial of the victims in one of the cemeteries without the participation of relatives and friends.”
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-45697
(A P)
Excellent news: Journalist Adel al-Hasani released after 6 months horrific detention in #Yemen.
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1371157410862280719
and
(A P)
Yemen .. STC releases a journalist after America's request to enter the UAE
In Yemen, on Sunday, the release of journalist Adel Al-Hasani after he spent about 6 months in a prison run by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, in the southern governorate of Aden.
CNN quoted an American official source who was involved in lobbying for Al-Hasani's release as saying that President Joe Biden's administration "urged the UAE to use its influence with the Southern Transitional Council to secure the release of Adel Al-Hasani."
Al-Hasani worked, with many prominent international media outlets, in his coverage of the Yemeni crisis, and was arrested at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Aden in September 2020.
Last February, Human Rights Watch accused the Southern Transitional Council of arbitrarily detaining Al-Hasani, and said that he was detained. "Just to do his job."
https://f4pamuz3c7lwlbwmnob2b4c6ii--debriefer-net.translate.goog/news-23797.html
and report from Feb. 22: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/22/middleeast/yemen-journalist-adel-al-hasani-intl/index.html
(A P)
Houthis send false letter on African migrants fire: Yemeni gov't
The Houthis have sent a false letter bearing the Yemeni official foreign ministry's logo to "deceive the international public opinion" on the fire that affected African migrants in Sana'a-based migrant detention center, the Yemeni foreign minister said.
All the information issued by the Yemeni foreign ministry to the UN state members will be circulated via Yemen's permanent mission to the UN, FM Ahmed Bin Mubarak added in a letter sent to all the Yemeni diplomatic missions.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23766.html
My comment: “It’s no false letter” but by the Sanaa Minitry of Foreign Affairs.
(A P)
Houthi sea mines pose serious threat to cargo ships off Yemen, says government
https://debriefer.net/en/news-23773.html
(A P)
Mossad agents visiting UAE-held Yemen
Informed sources revealed on Saturday that Israeli intelligence officers had visited Socotra Island, southern Yemen.
The sources said that officers from Israeli secret service Mossad, accompanied by Emirati officers, visited Socotra Island last week.
The Emiratis have brought in the Israeli officers under the cover of the so-called Khalifa Foundation and its humanitarian work, the source added.
The sources explained that the UAE is working on accelerating equipment transport to make Dersa island, one of the Socotra archipelago’s islands, as headquarters for an Israeli base.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/03/13/mossad-agents-visiting-uae-held-yemen/
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp7 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-727b-yemen-war-mosaic-727b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-726-yemen-war-mosaic-726
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-726 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-726:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
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