... Jemens Muhamasheen: Jahrhunderte der Ausgrenzung und Marginalisierung – Drängt Saudi-Arabien dazu, den Jemenkrieg zu beenden – Covid-19 verbreitet sich im Jemen – Die Schlacht um Marib geht weiter – und mehr
April 13, 2021: The Blockade of Yemen and Prospects for Diplomacy – Mwatana blasts CENTCOM silence on civilians killed in Yemen – Yemen’s Muhamasheen: Centuries of Exclusion and Marginalization –– Push Saudi Arabia To End the Assault on Yemen – Covid-19 is spreading in Yemen – Marib battle continues – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-73b-yemen-war-mosaic-734b
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
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
cp13d 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
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K P)
Film: The Blockade of Yemen and Prospects for Diplomacy
On March 10th, a CNN investigation found that the U.S.-backed Saudi blockade of Hodeidah, Yemen's major port, was leading to deadly fuel and food shortages and exacerbating Yemen's humanitarian crisis. This was confirmed by the head of the UN World Food Programme and has reignited calls from lawmakers and civil society to end the blockade. Saudi Arabia, in response, has offered a ceasefire proposal which resembled previous proposals and entailed a partial lifting of certain aspects of the blockade. This deal was rejected by the Houthis, who argued it does not go far enough in lifting the blockade. It is still unclear how President Biden plans to proceed with his promise to end U.S. support for the war on Yemen, as the administration missed a deadline last week to answer clarification questions sent in a February letter by 41 lawmakers. In this panel, we will bring together experts who will discuss and answer questions related to: the humanitarian situation on the ground in Yemen, focusing on the effects of the blockade; the legal dimensions of the blockade; what US lawmakers and the Biden Administration can do about the current situation; the latest Saudi ceasefire proposal and the challenges and prospects of diplomacy and peace.
Panelists: Bruce Riedel – Director of the Brookings Intelligence Project; Senior Fellow, Center for Middle East Policy Dr. Aisha Jumaan – President, Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation Mohammad Alwazir – Director, Legal Affairs, Arabian Rights Watch Association Hassan El-Tayyab – Legislative Manager for Middle East Policy, Friends Committee on National Legislation Martha Mundy – Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and a founding member of the Thimar research collective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqg-efef7R8
(** B K)
Mwatana blasts CENTCOM silence on civilians killed in Yemen
Despite receiving comprehensive findings on 38 civilian deaths five months ago, CENTCOM has yet to respond says human rights group.
The Yemeni human rights group Mwatana has accused US Central Command of being “very disrespectful to victims”, after it emerged that CENTCOM has still not publicly responded to a major investigation into civilians killed by US airstrikes and ground raids. Given five months’ advance notice of the findings of the investigation, which comprehensively detailed the deaths of at least 38 civilians in twelve likely US actions in Yemen during the Trump presidency, Mwatana says that CENTCOM has still not responded.
The 124-page report from Mwatana, ‘Death Falling From The Sky’, was eventually published in late March without input from CENTCOM. It presents a grim view of an intensive campaign by the US military under President Trump to target alleged Al Qaeda fighters in Yemen, part of a long-running counterterrorism effort begun by Barack Obama in 2009.
In total according to Airwars monitoring, a record 327 US airstrikes and ground actions in Yemen were alleged during the Trump presidency, of which 181 were officially declared. As many as 199 civilian deaths were locally alleged, with Airwars presently estimating that, based on the available public record, between 76 and 152 civilians were likely killed by the US in Yemen under Trump in 26 incidents.
Mwatana’s own report focuses on just twelve of these events – recording in meticulous detail the devastating effects of some US actions on local communities. Dozens of family members, survivors and eyewitnesses were interviewed in person. Comprehensive paperwork including hospital records and university and workplace documentation was gathered, confirming the civilian status of victims. Photographs and videos detail injuries to victims and damage to homes.
“The standard of information, and what we were able to get from the ground, is built on years of Mwatana work,” says Bonyan Jamal, an accountability officer at the Yemeni human rights organisation. “Thanks to our incredible researchers, and high quality work, we are able to speak directly to families and gain their trust.”
All twelve events documented by Mwatana were already publicly known – though civilian casualties have only been admitted by CENTCOM in one case. A detailed review by Airwars of ‘Death Falling From The Sky’ found it to be meticulously researched and documented; and conservative in its estimates of civilian harm from US actions. Victims were only identified, for example, after being explicitly named by witnesses and surviving family members. In any case where the combatant status of a casualty was less than clear, they were excluded from the potential civilian tally.
CENTCOM: lack of accountability
US Central Command was first provided full details of the Mwatana investigation on November 4th 2020, says accountability officer Bonyan Jamal. “They have had more than five months to respond. We even delayed publication several times to give them the opportunity to respond. That CENTCOM didn’t even take the time to write a proper response to express their position on these findings is very disrespectful to victims.”
This echoes other recent experiences with the US’s largest combatant command. As this organisation recently noted in its own recent Yemen study Eroding Transparency, “Despite Airwars providing CENTCOM with its complete civilian harm findings on Yemen during the Trump presidency nine weeks prior to this report’s publication, officials unfortunately failed to provide any event responses.”
CENTCOM also had to issue an apology in late 2020 as a result of what it described as an “administrative error”, after conceding it had forgotten its own earlier public admission of the killing of up to 12 civilians during the raid on Yakla village in early 2017.
Accountability for civilian harm at CENTCOM appears to be in decline across several theatres under current commander General Kenneth ’Frank’ McKenzie, who took up his post in March 2019. As Airwars recently noted in its annual report, 2020 saw an unexplained 80 per cent drop in the number of civilian harm allegations deemed ‘Credible’ by CENTCOM assessors working with the US-led Coalition in Iraq and Syria. And in Afghanistan, US forces have taken an increasingly robust stance against UN data which continue to flag concerns about civilian harm from international actions.
“The great majority of alleged civilian deaths and injuries from US military actions each year are within CENTCOM’s area of responsibility. And we need to see significant improvements in its identifying, reviewing and reporting of those claims,” says Chris Woods, director of Airwars. “Mwatana’s investigation is scrupulously researched and offers compelling evidence of at least 38 civilians likely killed in recent US actions in Yemen. It is not good enough for CENTCOM apparently to ignore that evidence for more than five months.”
https://airwars.org/news-and-investigations/mwatana-blasts-centcom-silence/
(** B H)
Yemen’s Muhamasheen: Centuries of Exclusion and Marginalization
The issue of the Muhamasheen in Yemen does not occupy a significant place in literature, research and journalistic investigations, which from time to time shed light on an incident of societal bigotry or institutional discrimination against this group. But soon the incident is forgotten, without being followed by any serious efforts to tackle issues of abuse or lack of accountability and institutional and societal responsibility towards the historical patterns of discrimination and exclusion.
Who are the Muhamasheen?
The origins of this oppressed group are held in a mix of few facts and many myths. There are a number of historical narratives, some of which are transferred orally in popular circles, about the origins in Yemen of the Muhamasheen, who have dark skin and African features. There are those who claim that they are descendants from the army of Abyssinians who came to invade Yemen before Islam arrived, under the leadership of Abraha in the 6th century AD. They were defeated at the hands of Saif bin Dhi Yazan and his Persian allies, and some remained in Yemen, but they were ostracized and excluded as a response to the violations they had committed. Other accounts claim that they are the descendants of civilian groups that accompanied the Abyssinian occupants into Yemen and remained in the country. Despite the scarcity of historical facts documenting the origin of these people, some historians, such as AbdulRahman al-Hadhrami, believe that the ‘Akhdam’ (servants) are descendants of the Abyssinian rulers of the Najahid dynasty that ruled during the period 403–553 AH /1012–1158 AD.
The Muhamasheen, as referred to in modern human rights vocabulary, or ‘the Akhdam’, as they are commonly called in popular circles, are one of the isolated ethno-social groups at the bottom of the social ladder, having been stifled by social segregation for many centuries. They are characterized by ethnic African features, such as brown skin and curly hair. However, the most prominent characteristic of the group is the discrimination and social exclusion it has suffered for hundreds of years as a result of beliefs and myths that surround it. Imagination is intertwined with the reality of exclusion and ostracism in drawing an image of the group, and the dominant culture continues to tighten the social blockade on them. The Yemen report on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination[6] affirms that the reason for the marginalization of this group is that it has been deprived throughout history of agricultural work and of the right to own land, which is the most important productive asset. Consequently, it was denied contribution to any decision-making process. Its members have specialized in services and lesser professions. The situation continued even after the revolution of 26 September 1962, when many members of this group were brought from Tihama and assigned municipal work (street cleaning).[7] Today, the Muhamasheen people represent the vast majority of municipality workers and work without permanent contracts, insurance, licenses or other rights.
Members of this group were more fortunate in southern Yemen during the rule of the Socialist Party after the uprising of municipal workers in the early 1970s,
The majority of Yemeni society coexists with the Muhamasheen group or ‘Akhdam’ as if they were in a parallel world that does not collide with theirs, a coexistence based upon social alienation, as the marginalized people do not mix with other classes of society in social and religious events, do not marry with them, and do not engage in public or private political and social activities. The Muhamasheen group practices its rituals, its festivities and mourning, away from the rest of Yemeni society. Moreover, Muhamasheen children do not attend schools or universities except in rare cases, when they are able to survive the practices of bullying and exclusion of the other students. Many timid initiatives of the state and civil society have failed in integrating younger members of the group into public education and in society at large.
The Muhamasheen people often take up on city outskirts, vacant lands or highway side paths close to markets as neighborhoods and housing sites. Their gatherings consist of huts made of tin, plastic tarpaulins and worn-out fabrics that lack the basic necessities of a decent human life and lack all amenities such as electricity, water and sanitation. They often get washed away by heavy rains. The state may bulldoze the homes if they get in the way of public projects. The Muhamasheen live throughout Yemen, especially in the suburbs of major cities, where some sustenance and daily wages can be secured – in Sana’a, Aden, Taiz, Ibb, Hodeidah, Hajjah, Lahj, Dhamar, Shabwah and Marib.
Yemeni society weaves myths about the Muhamasheen that entrench practices of racial discrimination, that become justified by myths about the daily, religious and moral practices of this oppressed group. For example, there is a claim that the Muhamasheen people eat their dead because they do not follow public burial rituals and ceremonies. Many opinion leaders in society do not even take the trouble to refute such outrageous allegations to spread a culture of respect and equality. By way of explanation, one of the Muhamasheen people explained simply that they do not have the money to pay for proper burial ceremonies and for graves. Therefore, they often bury their dead silently, hidden in the darkness of the night, in a hurry – by Sabria al-Thawr
https://almadaniyamag.com/2021/04/07/yemen-muhamasheen/
(** B K P)
Push Saudi Arabia To End the Assault on Yemen
Biden Administration Should Halt Arms Sales Until Riyadh Quits the War
By last year the Saudis had tired of the costly campaign they started and wanted out.
They could have simply quit the war. However, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who cemented his rule by jailing critics and shaking down relatives, refused to acknowledge his blunder – and the lives and money wasted in six years of fruitless combat. So the Saudi regime sought to salvage its pride and negotiate an exit that would still give the royal family de facto control over Yemen. The KSA proposed a nationwide ceasefire with talks on Yemen’s future.
However, Ansar Allah refused to yield its advantage. The Saudis, having bombed mercilessly, increasingly found themselves to be targets.
In the meantime, Yemeni insurgents pressed toward Marib, an important city tied to the country’s energy resources. Its possession would give the movement powerful negotiating leverage in eventual talks.
Noted Hashemi, "Until now, the U.S.-Saudi peace plans have been predicated on Houthi surrender, which is a non-starter for peace in Yemen." Ansar Allah is no friend of America and shares responsibility for the disaster that Yemen has become. Nevertheless, Hashemi emphasized the Kingdom’s role in refusing to end the war: "In this context, Saudi Arabia is the recalcitrant party in blocking a genuine peace plan for Yemen."
However, the Saudis continue to participate in the war, attacking targets throughout Yemen. The KSA also maintains the starvation blockade.
Yet the administration appears oblivious to Riyadh’s continuing responsibility. An unnamed but clueless Biden official told the Journal: "The bottom line is that the Houthis need to know that we are standing with the Saudis and we will continue to support their right to self-defense."
The Biden administration should toughen its stance toward Riyadh.
The president also should suspend all US logistical and maintenance support and all arms sales as long as the KSA is involved in aggressive military operations against its neighbors. Currently "defense" against Yemen means protecting Riyadh from retaliation for its offensive operations. Until Saudi Arabia exits the war, the US should do nothing to shield the Kingdom from the natural consequences of its actions.
Some observers advocated aiding Saudi Arabia out of fear that a Houthi-led government might obstruct traffic in the Red and Arabian Seas. However, Ansar Allah always focused inward, hostile to but little interested in America – or other Western states. It was Riyadh’s U.S.-backed attack, termed the Saudi-American War by Yemenis, which created the threat of retaliation. As had happened in Iraq and Libya, US intervention created far more problems than it solved.
Peace will not be possible until Saudi Arabia ends its unnecessary war. And that requires the US to finally stop coddling the royals. Washington should end all military support as long as the regime is conducting a murderous war of aggression against its poor neighbor. Americans no longer should be complicit in the murder and mayhem being daily visited upon the people of Yemen – by Doug Bandow
https://original.antiwar.com/doug-bandow/2021/04/11/push-saudi-arabia-to-end-assault-on-yemen/
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(** B H)
Covid-19 kills Yemenis in 'an unequal battle'
The Yemeni people are fighting Covid-19 which has become the deadliest killer in a war-torn country where death causes are so many.
It is a battle that does not appear equal in any way, in light of an acute shortage of medical equipment, especially ventilators.
Official reports confirm that Yemen, which is inhabited by about 30 million people, has only 500 ventilators, one for every 60,000 people.
Six years of war have destroyed the infrastructure of the healthcare sector, exposing millions to the dangers of the virus which has exhausted the most advanced healthcare systems in the world.
The monitoring unit of the Supreme National Emergency Committee for Covid-19 said the country has seen the peak of the outbreak in March and the first week of April.
The numbers of infections and deaths are expected to rise due to the collapsing healthcare system, it said.
On Sunday the UNOCHA said the cases reported in the past five weeks were double the total cases confirmed in one year.
Though the daily number of the confirmed cases has exceeded 100 and the total deaths are near 1.000, the real numbers of infections and deaths are far higher of those reported by the authorities, according to medics and locals in the regions controlled by the internationally recognised government.
In the Houthi-run regions, the Houthi group has been hiding information about the pandemic.
The huge gap between real and reported numbers should be blamed on the deterioration of the healthcare system, limited tests, and failure to report all cases either because people don't like to go to hospitals fearing negligence or because some can't afford reporting their conditions or going to hospitals, observers said.
But the terrifying fact is that the number of associated deaths which is considered the highest in the world.
The WHO says 17% of those infected die in the country. Other reports suggest the fatality rate is 29%, five times the global average.
Nonetheless, there are no real numbers of deaths, but thousands of people are expected to have died from the virus across the country.
Marwan Al-Ghafouri, a Yemeni physician based in Germany, said the fatality rate among the medics indicates to the real number of fatalities from the virus in the country.
There is an equation for mortality rate, and it is as follows, between 200 and 600 people lose their lives per fatality among medics, he wrote on Facebook.
If we stand in the middle, at 400, the possibility would be that 36.000 people have died, he elaborated.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24358.html
(B H)
The puppet show teaching children in Yemen how to protect themselves from COVID-19
Despite this grim backdrop, the International Rescue Committee has found a playful way to teach children there how to protect themselves from COVID-19, cholera and others diseases: Puppets.
Meet children in Al-Manshar camp for displaced people in southern Yemen as they interact with puppet cows, foxes and other friendly animals and learn how to wash their hands and avoid crowded places.
“How do you protect yourself from the coronavirus and other diseases?” The puppets ask the children practical and engaging questions about how to stay safe from diseases such as COVID-19.
(* A H)
89 new cases of coronavirus reported, 5,446 in total
The committee also reported the death of 19 coronavirus patients, in addition to the recovery of 6 others.
2,151 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32698
(* A H)
81 new cases of coronavirus reported, 5,357 in total
The committee also reported the death of 18 coronavirus patients, in addition to the recovery of 26 others.
2,062 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32689
(A H P)
Houthis receive 10,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses
The Yemeni government has said it delivered 10,000 doses of the vaccine against COVID-19 for the areas under the control of Al Houthi militia in the war-devastated country.
The doses have been delivered to the World Health Organisation to be given to health workers in Yemen’s northern governorates under the rule of Al Houthis, Yemeni Health Minister Dr. Qasem Buhaibeh.
The supply came at the request of the rebels. “We are ready to give them a higher number of doses,” Dr Buhaibeh added on Twitter.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32688
(* A H)
43 new cases of coronavirus reported, 5,276 in total
The committee also reported the death of 9 coronavirus patients, in addition to the recovery of 40 others.
2,085 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32685
(* A H)
100 new cases of coronavirus reported, 5,233 in total
The committee also reported the death of 18 coronavirus patients, in addition to the recovery of 41 others.
2,050 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32678
(* A H)
86 new cases of coronavirus reported, 5,133 in total
The committee also reported the death of 18 coronavirus patients, in addition to the recovery of 60 others.
2,361 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32671
(A H)
Deputy Director of Hospital Dies from COVID-19
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32667
(B H)
Battling Trachoma in Yemen
A mass drug administration (MDA) to fight trachoma, which is supported by CBM and Sightsavers is due to recommence in May 2021.
The distribution of antibiotics is going to take place in the district of Far Al Udayn in the lbb governorate in Yemen. In addition, 250 surgeries will be performed to combat trachomatous trichiasis which left untreated can lead to permanent blindness.
https://www.cbm.org/news/news/news-2021/battling-trachoma-in-yemen/
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
Yemen War Map Updates
April 11: https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-april-11-2021-map-update/
April 10: https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-april-10-2021-map-update/
April 8: https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-april-8-2021-map-update/
(A P)
[Sanaa gov.] "Safer" committee announces reaching solutions to expedite maintenance agreement
The Supervisory Committee for the maintenance agreement of the floating oil tank "Safer" announced Saturday reaching solutions to expedite the start of the implementation of the urgent maintenance and the comprehensive evaluation for the ship.
The committee expressed, in a statement, its optimism that the United Nations experts would soon arrive to implement the maintenance and evaluation agreement, confirming that Sanaa is keen to facilitate the task of experts.
Another meeting would be held with the United Nations office at the end of this week to determine the deadline for implementing the agreement, the committee added.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3136101.htm
(B K P)
Audio: PeterSalisbury & kulrichsen
Just had a great @ConvSix chat wit @Dr_Ulrichsen about shifting intra GCC alliances and how they affect — and are affected by — other regional factors like the war in #Yemen.
https://www.conversationsix.com/p/QQYyrSAG5gJJAwfZR
(* B K P)
Hunting In Yemen – OpEd
Last week, we briefly examined an email exchange between two U.S. generals planning the January, 2017 night raid by U.S. Navy Seals in the rural Yemeni town of Al Ghayyal. The Special Forces operation sought to capture an alleged AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula) leader. General Dunford told General Votel that all the needed approvals were in place. Before signing off, he wrote: “Good hunting.”
The “hunting” went horribly wrong. Hearing the commotion as U.S. forces raided a village home, other villagers ran to assist. They soon disabled the U.S. Navy Seals’ helicopter. One of the Navy Seals, Ryan Owen, was killed during the first minutes of the fighting. In the ensuing battle, the U.S. forces called for air support. U.S. helicopter gunships arrived and U.S. warplanes started indiscriminately firing missiles into huts.
Mwatana found no credible information suggesting that the 20 civilians killed or wounded were directly participating in hostilities with AQAP or IS-Y. Of the 15 civilians killed, only one was an adult male, and residents said he was too old, at 65, to fight, and in any case had lost his hearing before the raid.
While UN agencies struggle to distribute desperately needed supplies of food, medicine and fuel, the UN Security Council continues to enforce a resolution, Resolution 2216, which facilitates the blockade and inhibits negotiation. Jamal Benomar, who was United Nations special envoy for Yemen from 2011-2015, says that this resolution, passed in 2015, had been drafted by the Saudis themselves. “Demanding the surrender of the advancing Houthis to a government living in chic hotel-exile in Riyadh was preposterous,” says Benomar, “but irrelevant.”
Waleed Al Hariri heads the New York office of the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies and is also a fellow-in-residence at Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute.
“The council demanded the Houthis surrender all territory seized, including Sana’a, fully disarm, and allow President Abdo Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government to resume its responsibilities,” Al Hariri writes. “In essence, it insisted on surrender. That failed, but the same reasons that allowed the UNSC to make clear, forceful demands in 2015 have kept it from trying anything new in the five years since.”
Does the UNSC realistically expect the Ansarallah (informally called the Houthi) to surrender and disarm after maintaining the upper hand in a prolonged war? The Saudi negotiators say nothing about lifting the crippling blockade. The UN Security Council should scrap Resolution 2216 and work hard to create a resolution relevant to the facts on the ground. The new resolution must insist that survival of Yemeni children who are being starved is the number one priority.
Now, in the seventh year of grotesque war, international diplomatic efforts should heed the young Yemeni-Americans fasting in Washington, D.C. We all have a responsibility to listen for the screams of children gunned down from behind as they flee in the darkness from the rubble of their homes. We all have a responsibility to listen for the gasps of little children breathing their last because starvation causes them to die from asphyxiation. The U.S. is complying with a coalition using starvation and disease to wage war. With 400,000 children’s lives in the balance, with a Yemeni child dying once every 75 seconds, what U.S. interests could possibly justify our further hesitation in insisting the blockade must be lifted? The war must end. – by Kathy Kelly
https://www.eurasiareview.com/10042021-hunting-in-yemen-oped/ = https://original.antiwar.com/kelly/2021/04/09/hunting-in-yemen-the-war-must-end/ = https://dissidentvoice.org/2021/04/hunting-in-yemen/
(* B K P)
Film: Yemen & Biden's Defense Consultant Problem w/ Dr. Annelle Sheline & Jonathan Guyer - MR Live
Sam and Emma host Dr. Annelle Sheline, Middle East Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute, to discuss the Yemen blockade and Jonathan Guyer, Managing Editor at the American Prospect, to discuss the consultant to policymaker pipeline in the Biden Defense Department. We're live at noon ET.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtvAxzMU7Rc
and part of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5vXBOGSV3c
(* B P)
Yemen: YJS reports 24 media freedom violations in first quarter of 2021
The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate has documented 24 violations of press freedom in the country between 1 January and 31 March 2021, ranging from arbitrary detentions to assaults and threats.
The YJS reports that the Houthi group was responsible for 14 of the cases, while the government was responsible for 9 cases. The remaining case was blamed on the Transitional Council.
The report reveals that all parties are harassing and attacking media workers' freedom and that they are all responsible for creating an unsafe environment where journalists are constantly facing more repression and abuse.
The report recalls that 13 journalists are still disappeared, having been kidnapped, 11 of them by the Houthis, some for five years
and also https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210408-yemen-24-violations-of-media-freedoms-documented/
(* A K P)
Houthis warn Turkey against Yemen intervention
A member of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, the executive body of the Houthi-led government based in Sanaa, has warned Turkey against any intervention in the country. Should it do so, said Abdul Wahab Al-Mahbashi, it will fare no better than Saudi Arabia, which has been leading a US-supported war in the country since 2015.
Al-Mahbashi was quoted by Iran's IRNA earlier today as saying, "If Turkish soldiers enter Yemen they will have a fate worse than that of the aggressors who preceded them."
His comments come amid reports that Turkish military vehicles and equipment have been transferred to ports in Somalia prior to being shipped to the Yemeni port of Qena. It is believed that they are intended for the Saudi-backed Islah militia fighting on behalf of the, internationally-recognised Yemeni government based in Riyadh.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210408-houthis-warn-turkey-against-yemen-intervention/
(* B P)
‘Men Have Been Tested and Failed; It’s Time for Women to Shine,’ Former Yemeni Minister Says (with VIDEO)
Nadia Al-Sakkaf has already gone where many would not dare to go. Born and raised in Yemen, Al-Sakkaf was editor-in-chief of The Yemen Times and later served as minister of information in the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Recently, she completed her Ph.D. in politics, researching gender in Yemen.
Al-Sakkaf: The statistics are very sad. One in two women over the age of 15 cannot read or write. Imagine what it’s like for women in university or in the workforce. Less than 20% of women are in the workforce. In fact, most of them are in agriculture as unpaid employees or unpaid workers. Women in health care, every day nine women die because of unattended pregnancy and delivery complications. Women do not have [proper] access to water and sanitation. Women are not there in the politics as much. Although there are a few women in the limelight, they are not representative of the greater women’s group.
TML: Yemen is in turmoil in the midst of a civil war, and looking back when you were on the streets of Sanaa and elsewhere, handing out pamphlets to get women and men to vote, do you feel that the country can emerge and actually come back to that point where young people will be able to vote and actually educate each other?
Al-Sakkaf: It seems like a long, long time ago. There is an armed conflict ongoing. There is instability. There is turmoil all over. It’s not just the political and security. The economic situation is very difficult. The social texture is being torn apart. So, it’s not just about elections. That seems like a luxury now. Now people want to survive. They just want to be alive.
Imagine that you don’t know if you go out of your house whether you will be coming back or not
TML: You just obtained a Ph.D. in gender studies, and Yemen, as I said earlier, is a great classroom. What do you feel that you can bring to Yemen that doesn’t exist today?
Al-Sakkaf: My goal is to change the mindset of Yemenis and those involved in Yemen to consider women as leaders and give them their rightful place. And I do believe the future is female. I do believe this is the time for us, because men in Yemen have been tested, and failed.
I think, as I said earlier, this is the time for women to shine, or this is the decade for women in power. Men have already been tested and failed, unfortunately, without giving the rightful place for women. We are going to miss out. I truly believe that women can bring change and that they can bring their society together for a better future. The last cabinet that we had, in December, was all men, and that was a huge disappointment. It has not happened before in the last 20 years. We created a campaign against this. The women’s movement came together. I think that this might be the opportunity to fight back because we have reached rock bottom. And the only way from here has to be up.
TML: You mentioned [that] you were marked by the Houthis. How did you flee?
Al-Sakkaf: I had to flee with the support of the United Nations. I fled under disguise.
TML: The new American administration has taken the Houthis off of the terrorist list, but there doesn’t seem to be a stopping, a cessation, of violence. Do you think that the Americans are doing the right thing?
Al-Sakkaf: I think the Americans are doing the right thing for America. I don’t think they are doing the right thing for Yemen, because you need to be consistent on how you define terrorism and what a terrorist is. It cannot be according to your whims or what serves you.
The line between journalism and activism has blurred so much since the Arab Spring in my region, and this is because so many activists took to social media platforms and created their own websites, and influenced the way traditional media is working to the extent that professionalism, neutral, unbiased reporting has become almost a myth. And now, every political party has its own political instruments in the media, and there are journalists who understand that if they write a certain way, they can get published. And also, there are activists who indirectly affect the nationalism of this industry, because they are passionate about their cause.
Sometimes risking the lives of innocent victims, taking photos of children, reporting on things without checking sources, so it’s a mess. And there is also the lack of interest. We have a very short concentration span now, so people do not want to read the proper journalistic report. They want a Twitter feed [that] they can read in three sentences. They want a quick video, not even more than 30 seconds. So, it’s kind of like chasing updates, without really understanding what’s really going on. And this is a problem.
Interview in Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6WLZj4drC4&t=374s
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A K P)
Aggression Coalition Piracy Of Oil Ships Under International Cover
The Saudi-led aggression coalition continues its unjust siege through maritime piracy actions on Yemen aimed at impeding the arrival of oil derivative ships.
A source in the Ministry of Transport stated that a giant oil tanker is on its way to the port of Dhaba in Al-Shahr in Mukalla to ship large quantities of the looted Yemeni oil.
The source said that the giant oil tanker is scheduled to arrive on April 15 with a total capacity of more than 315 thousand tons, and its capacity exceeds 2 million and 250 thousand barrels of oil.
He explained that what will be looted and transported from the ports of Bir Ali and Dhuba are more than 3 million barrels of oil, exceeding $ 195 million.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3136494.htm
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A State Dept. spokesperson just gave the Biden admin's fiercest denial yet about charges of a Saudi-led blockade in Yemen: "It is not a blockade," the spokesperson said, following up on this statement to me earlier.
Pointed me to this data (https://vimye.org/doc/OSMonthly/Operational_Snapshot_March2021.png…& https://vimye.org/doc/SAMonthly/20210228_Monthly_Situation_Analysis_February2021.png…), showing food still getting in, even though fuel went down hard.
The issue isn't the Saudis, the spokesperson said, it's the Hadi government in exile in Riyadh (the internationally recognized one). Says the UN and Hadi govt made a process system for ships to dock in 2016 that's still in effect. There've been probs of late with it.
That's what led to the severe fuel shortage, causing food and aid not to reach certain people. Still, that stuff was getting in means it's not a blockade, the official said: “A blockade would imply there’s nothing getting in.” Process improve now bc US helped make "smoother."
Now, could this all be right? Maybe. UN data clearly shows food, aid, and now fuel are getting in. But it's possible the Saudis have a veto over which ships get okay to dock as part of the process. Also, it's interesting that the process speeds up after Saudi lift offer.
It's also likely, as many reported, that the Saudis are really controlling what does and doesn't go into Yemen, despite UN-Hadi govt 2016 agreement. I will dig more into this. But I wanted y'all to see the Biden admin's line is, officially, "It is not a blockade" in Yemen.
https://twitter.com/AlexWardVox/status/1381730942369284099
Thank you Alex. In February, ZERO ships delivered fuel because they were held for 80 days in the Coalition Holding Area (CHA). The coalition includes US warships. Blockade? What blockade?
https://twitter.com/SolarMeter/status/1381802781086949378
Saudi intimidated everyone working in #Yemen not to use the term BLOCKADE. It was mentioned only on private discussions. Now, UN, media and WFP Chief is calling it out. @POTUS admin seems unhappy with uncovering the truth
https://twitter.com/AishaJumaan/status/1381773089193615361
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Ratcheted Congressional pressure on the US-Saudi relationship is having an impact.The Head of the Ansarullah-Houthi-run State Oil company @AmmarAladrai just sent this through; a tanker carrying fuel for UN agencies heading in to the Port of Hodeida (image)
https://twitter.com/nimaelbagir/status/1381497431762812930
(A K P)
Abdulsalam: US-Saudi Ongoing Siege on Yemen with Advent of Ramadan Stripping of All Values
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-24401.html
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Saudi Regime Bargains with Shipping Companies, Increasing Fuel Suffocation
Saudi-Emirati forces detained two ships Sea King and Trident Modesti in front of Hodeidah's port, despite obtaining entry permits from international monitoring mechanism team, UNFEM, in Djibouti.
Detention of the two ships, carrying nearly 45,000 tons of fuel, came in conjunction with forced departure of two others from detention site last week. The detention and siege continue while indirect consultations between the negotiating delegation of Sana'a and envoys, UN, Martin Griffiths, and American Tim Lenderking still ongoing.
Sana'a continued to warn the aggression against continuing to close the air and sea ports. It confirmed that closure of Sana'a International Airport caused death of 80,000 patients. The marine piracy of fuel supplies has cost Yemenis nearly $10 billion in losses.
Sana'a has renewed its absolute refusal to link the humanitarian issue with military and political negations
(* B P)
UNVIM Situation Analysis – March 2021
Food and Fuel Discharged in March 2021
In March 2021, there was an increase of 45% in food discharged compared to the 2020 average and 41% increase compared to the monthly average since May 2016, or 446,925 t compared to 308,746 and 301,885 t, respectively.
A 73% (38,309 t) decrease in fuel discharged in March 2021 compared to the 2020 average (142,221 t) and a 78% (180,339 t) decrease compared to the monthly average since May 2016
Four (04) tankers with 72,295 t of fuel were permitted to entered Hodeidah port in March 2021
Food and Fuel Vessel Delays in March 2021
In March 2021, food vessels spent an average of 2.9 days in the Coalition holding area (CHA), 4.7 days at anchorage and 7.9 days at berth, compared to an average of 3.4 days in the CHA, 8.7 days at anchorage and 4.6 days at berth in March 2020. Vessels spent 15% less time in the CHA and 46% less time at anchorage but spent 72% more time at berth compared to March 2020.
15 food vessels moved from CHA to the anchorage area, 14 were permitted to berth and 16 sailed in March 2021.
In March 2021, the average time spent by fuel vessels in the CHA in was 68.3 days. In contrast, fuel vessels waited an average of 17.4 days in 2019 and 82.6 days in 2020, showing a 118% increase and an 18% decrease, respectively.
Five (05) fuel vessels moved from the CH
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unvim-situation-analysis-march-2021
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UNVIM Operational Snapshot – March 2021
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unvim-operational-snapshot-march-2021
(* B P)
Concerns over Hudaydah imports deserve attention. I've been calling for KSA to allow fuel into Hudaydah for months. That said, 1) the solution is not as simple as 'lifting the blockade' and 2) most messaging around this on social media is unabashedly pro-Houthi, wittingly or not
What many activists call the Yemen blockade is part of a UN-sanctioned Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) intended to prevent weapons shipments to the Houthis. It is currently enforced by KSA and, crucially, the Yemeni government, which has to approve all ships
I've seen some debate by ppl whose opinion I respect, but imo it's undoubtable the Saudi-led coalition has used the UNVIM to 'blockade' the Houthis, refusing permission to allow fuel ships into Hudaydah after the group broke a deal over import revenues last May
Imo, the international community needs to pressure the coalition to allow more fuel ships in under the UNVIM. They have generally been letting food ships in, and let several fuel ships in provisionally over the past year
The thing is, a lot of Yemeni analysts are scared that if we completely lift the UNVIM (i.e. 'the blockade'), rather than just pressuring KSA to allow more ships under it, we'll run into the same problem it was originally trying to solve - Iran sending the Houthis lots of weapons
t was more open to debate a few years back, but it's fairly well-established now that Iran is sending the Houthis significant amounts of weapons thru smuggling routes, although these are still peanuts compared to what they could send in a cargo ship if the UNVIM were lifted
The concern is that if you lift the UNVIM without a very firm political settlement, not just a ceasefire commitment, you're basically just going to pour fuel on the fire by giving the Houthis access to much more and much better weaponry to try to win the war
https://twitter.com/NickJBrumfield/status/1380672598351224842
My comment: So what? The problem isn’t UNVIM but the Saudi-US naval blockade using UNVIM as a pretext. Obviously, US and Saudi naval ships might not play ANY role here.
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B H)
UNICEF Yemen Humanitarian Situation Report - reporting period 1 – 28 February 2021
A total of 190,858 children over one year old were vaccinated against cholera (94 per cent coverage); among them, 188,850 received the second dose and 2,008 were reached with the first dose of the Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV).
In 2021, the Yemen Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC), which is currently aligned to the 2020 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP), appeals for $577 million. The COVID-19 response is integrated into the programmes planned within the HAC. It is expected that the HAC will be revised with the release of the YHRP 2021 in the coming months. A total of $94 million was carried forward from 2020, and while UNICEF is actively fundraising for its 2021 HAC appeal, $11 million has been received as of 28 February for a total of $122 million funds available.
(B H)
A glimpse of hope in the heart of fire
UNICEF is working through the CHW Project to maintain the country's health system in order to ensure better health care for every child
Though most people are aware of the war that has been exhausting Yemen for several years, hardly anyone has heard of Hajjah, a small town at the very heart of the conflict. This area remains off-limits even for the bravest war correspondents, but bits and pieces of news have come out of this small town.
Ashwaq Mahmoud AbdoQabul is a brave 23-year-old woman who lives in Al-Jarf, a small village of Hajjah Governorate, with 10 family members. She was among the community health workers (CHW) who received financial incentives from UNICEF with funding from the European Union. Instead of spending the incentive money for her personal use, she decided to use it for a good cause.
Her idea was to build a Primary Health Care (PHC) station in the village. People were skeptical.
In Al-Jarf and many other villages in the country, people have not seen qualified medical help for years. Most of them got used to the course of events, injuries, diseases, and a heartbreaking rate of child mortality.
Ashwaq handled the incentive funds wisely and built a medical center in the village. As modest as this room might look, it is the only healthcare facility for many miles around and a chance for local people to get qualified primary medical help and assistance.
“The hospital is too far for people to go there considering their condition. I hope that UNICEF will help us and give adequate treatment for children and mothers”, she says.
https://www.unicef.org/yemen/stories/glimpse-hope-heart-fire
(B H)
‘Hunger Ward’ Director Skye Fitzgerald On How He And His Crew Got “Really Small” To Document Yemen’s “Invisible War” – Contenders Film: The Nominees
Skye Fitzgerald’s experience making films about human rights issues in the Middle East prepared him for one practical aspect of making Hunger Ward.
“There was only ever going to be one way we were going to be able to shoot this film, and that was by being really, really small,” the director said during a session at Deadline’s Contenders Film: The Nominees awards-season event. That meant no boom operator or other typical crew; just Fitzgerald and his director of photography, Jeffrey Ball, shooting continuously.
The resulting MTV Documentary Films release, which is nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary – Short Subject, captures what Fitzgerald calls the “invisible war” in Yemen.
https://deadline.com/2021/04/hunger-ward-oscar-interview-deadline-contenders-nominee-1234731738
and also https://nationalinterest.org/feature/bearing-witness-crisis-yemen-182313
and
(B H)
‘Hunger Ward’ director on the challenges of filming in war‑torn Yemen
Fitzgerald and Scheuerman remain in touch with Alsadeeq and Mahdi, who continue to work with children in Yemen. For Fitzgerald, the essential question his film asks is whether we want to live in a world where a 10-year-old girl can weigh just 24 pounds? “As a filmmaker, I feel deeply motivated to try to shine or point my lens at stories where we can intervene,” he says.
The filmmaking pair have worked hard to make Hunger Ward accessible and available, through online screenings for US policymakers and to civil society groups who are working to intervene in the conflict. It is available on US on-demand service Pluto TV, and MTV Docs/Viacom is backing an April launch on Paramount+. Fitzgerald admits not being able to travel to festivals has been a bit of a gut-punch, but he is looking forward to the film’s “non-virtual world premiere” at the Mountainfilm festival in Colorado at the end of May.
(B H)
Safiah and young family among millions trying to keep hunger at bay in Yemen
“Our children are more important than us,” says Safiah, who often skips meals so her children can eat. “I do not feel hungry when my children have their meal … if they are full, I feel full, and if they get sick, I get sick, too.”
In the summer of 2020, Safiah watched in agony as her son, Sultan, became acutely malnourished. Severe acute malnutrition – or SAM – is one of the most dangerous forms of hunger. Safiah’s husband, Arafat, was struggling to find work at the time as COVID-19 ravaged war-torn Yemen and the family could barely afford two meals a day.
At a mere 13 months, baby Sultan was at risk of losing his future. Fortunately, Sultan’s family, who fled to Sana’a after being displaced from Al Hodeidah by Yemen’s war, live near a nutrition clinic supported by the World Food Programme.
Safiah and Arafat took Sultan to the clinic where he was enrolled in WFP’s malnutrition treatment programme. With regular nutrition support, Sultan slowly began to improve
https://www.wfp.org/stories/safiah-and-young-family-among-millions-trying-keep-hunger-bay-yemen
(* B H)
Yemen is a Public Health Catastrophe
The effects of the war on the civilian population have been deepened by floods that have ravaged huge areas across the country, facilitating the spread of cholera and other waterborne diseases. Since January 2019 there have been over 2,500,000 cholera cases, 12-15 precent of them severe. As the medical situation further deteriorates, the humanitarian response has become more difficult.
Children have been the most affected by the conflict. For the past three years, 25 percent of civilian casualties have been children, according to statistics from Save the Children. What makes this situation even more dire is that children die either directly from the conflict or from entirely preventable causes.
The Saudi-Emirati-led coalition has placed severe obstacles to medical imports, depriving the Houthi-run public health system of critical medicines. This has proved deadly for patients on emergency care who rely on life-saving medical supplies. Houthi forces have been accused of stopping humanitarian cargo trucks, and holding them for days before allowing them to continue.
Public health personnel and hospital facilities have been attacked, leading to the closure of health facilities. This has further hindered the proper delivery of health care. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has consistently denounced those abuses. To make matters worse, 92-95 percent of medical equipment in Yemeni hospitals and health facilities no longer functions, according to that organization.
The situation is particularly dire in rural areas, which already lack the essential resources minimally available in the cities.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/04/09/yemen-is-a-public-health-catastrophe/
(* B H)
What is the best charity to donate to Yemen?
Here’s some advice for anybody wanting to Donate to yemen.
The best charity is to donate money
Provide frontline medical and aid workers with equipment and supplies to care for the sick and vulnerable.
Provide families with soap, clean water, and information on keeping themselves safe.
Make sure families get enough food to avert malnutrition, particularly amongst children.
https://ventsmagazine.com/2021/04/07/what-is-the-best-charity-to-donate-to-yemen/
(* B H)
Yemen Key Message Update: Temporary relief in fuel shortages expected after four ships are permitted to enter Al Hudaydah port, March 2021
In Yemen, protracted conflict has been the main driver of food insecurity for more than six years. In the coming months, ongoing conflict along the front lines — including recently intensified conflict in Marib — is likely to continue causing displacement and eroding livelihoods. Given this and the worsening macroeconomic situation, high humanitarian assistance needs and widespread Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are likely to continue at the governorate level, with pockets of Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes likely. If households are displaced to areas where assistance cannot reach, worse outcomes are possible. Although not the most likely scenario, Famine (IPC Phase 5) would be possible if food supply is cut off for a prolonged period of time.
The Yemeni riyal has generally continued to depreciate against the US dollar in Aden and other GoY-controlled areas in February and the first half of March according to key informants.
Ongoing severe fuel shortages in northern areas have continued to raise costs of livelihood activities, private sector activities, and the humanitarian response in Yemen. In late March, the GoY announced that four fuel ships would be allowed to enter the port of Al Hudaydah. This is expected to increase supply of fuel at official prices, providing some temporary relief for around one to two months. However, unless additional ships are permitted to enter the port, fuel shortages would be expected to resume. This would continue to put upward pressure on food prices and would threaten industrial activity
Seasonally, March marks the beginning of harvesting of winter cereals in the northern highlands and the beginning of land preparation and planting for spring cereal cultivation in higher elevation areas more broadly. In the coming months, below-average rainfall forecast for the first rainy season and high prices of fuel and agriculture inputs will likely contribute to reduced area cultivated under spring cereals among small-scale farmers as they consider their ability to irrigate crops.
(B H)
Catching up with the WFP ED in Yemen
ETC: How did ETC connectivity services and the team in general support your visit to UNCAF?
ED: The ETC team supported this critically important mission by ensuring stable internet connectivity wherever I was in Sana’a. This included the usual places such in my accommodation or at the WFP office. It also included more unconventional locations, such as in the car while moving between meetings and field sites.
On a high-profile mission it’s no exaggeration to say that every minute counts, and thanks to the ETC team I was able to use every moment as productively as possible. Not only was the internet connection seamless, but the whole team were extremely professional, friendly and service-oriented, and ready to help whenever any questions came up.
https://www.etcluster.org/blog/catching-wfp-ed-yemen
(B H)
Yemen – a country in crisis
KfW Development Bank supports the health sector in Yemen
In this critical situation, KfW Development Bank, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has been stepping up its involvement in the health sector since last year: financing agreements for EUR 11 million were signed with the Yemeni Yamaan Foundation for Health and Social Development in 2020 and 2021. Vouchers for safe motherhood and childbirth are distributed to poor women in three rural governorates. The Yamaan Foundation, a Yemeni non-profit organisation, was established in 2010 with the support of KfW to adequately address and advance the issues of reproductive health and family planning. Safe Motherhood voucher booklets are distributed to pregnant women and can be redeemed to provide transport to hospitals or health posts, pre- and post-natal check-ups, skilled birth attendance and treatment in case of complications. Malnutrition among many pregnant women increases the risk of maternal and infant mortality; babies born already underweight have a difficult start in life.
(* A H P)
Photos: Expired flour, cooking oil, and other legumes provided by the World Food Program @WFP were destroyed in Ibb Governorate today.
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1380211383179042831
Comment: Not the first or last time. Humanitarian orgs must be held accountable. But also relying on humanitarian aid to help Yemenis is neither effective nor sustainable. Donors need to shift funding to development & support local economy instead of pouring money to Intl Orgs.
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1380219899008651267
(B H)
Yemeni Development Network for NGOs (YDN) Monthly Bulletin, January-February 2021
Highlights
Health and Nutrition Program:
Conducting the second round of post service monitoring (PSM) in the targeted HFs in Kharif and Raydah district in Amran governorate.
Ministry of public health and population (MoPHP) and third-party visit to the targeted HFs in Kharif and Raydah district in Amran governorate.
Selection of CHVs to deliver Community Based Health and Nutrition Services in Bani Thabyan district of Sana’a Gov.
(B H)
Yemeni Development Network for NGOs: Annual Report 2020
During the year, we have done a good job covering the gaps in different sectors including health, Nutrition, WASH, food security, shelter and CCCM. Despite the scarcity in funding, we have managed to proceed the provision of services in different health facilities, IDP sites, and distribution points. This extraordinary work would never happen unless for the magnificent team of employees and volunteers in YDN's family.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemeni-development-network-ngos-annual-report-2020
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* A H)
Flüchtlinge vor Jemen ertrunken
Zwischen Jemen und Dschibuti ist ein Boot mit Flüchtlingen gekentert. Die UN-Migrationsorganisation spricht von mindestens 42 Toten.
Beim Kentern eines Flüchtlingsbootes zwischen Jemen und Dschibuti sind am frühen Montagmorgen mindestens 42 Menschen ums Leben gekommen.
https://taz.de/Migration-am-Horn-von-Afrika/!5765179/
und
(* A H)
34 Flüchtlinge aus Jemen sterben vor der Küste Dschibutis
Das Wetter war schlecht, die Küstenwache verfolgte das Boot, dann kenterte es: Im Meer vor Dschibuti verloren Dutzende Menschen aus dem Jemen ihr Leben. Im Bürgerkriegsland spitzt sich der Konflikt derweil wieder zu.
Beim Untergang eines Flüchtlingsboots vor der Küste Dschibutis sind 34 Migranten ums Leben gekommen. Wie der Regionaldirektor der Internationalen Organisation für Migration (IOM) für Ostafrika, Mohammed Abdiker, mitteilte, waren die Bootsinsassen mit Schleppern aus dem Jemen gekommen. Nach Angaben von Überlebenden waren ursprünglich 60 Menschen an Bord, wie aus IOM-Kreisen verlautete.
Das Boot sei von einem Schiff der Küstenwache verfolgt worden, außerdem seien das Wetter schlecht und die Wellen sehr hoch gewesen. Das Boot sei dann am Montagmorgen nördlich der Küstenstadt Obock gekentert.
Die Festnahme und strafrechtliche Verfolgung von Schleppern, die die »Verletzlichkeit von Migranten« ausbeuteten, müsse »eine Priorität werden«, forderte Abdiker im Onlinedienst Twitter. Zu viele Menschen verlören »unnötig« ihr Leben.
(* A H)
UN: 34 migrants drown off Djibouti after boat capsizes
Thirty-four migrants have died after their boat capsized off the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, the International Organization for Migrants said Monday.
IOM regional director Mohammed Abdiker in Twitter posts said the migrants were being transported by smugglers. He didn’t elaborate.
It is not immediately clear what countries the migrants who drowned were from, but many people seek to make that voyage from Ethiopia and Somalia. Fleeing poverty and other difficulties, they often seek to reach first Yemen, and then rich Persian Gulf nations. But the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges often force some to turn back.
Olivia Headon, the IOM’s spokeswoman in Yemen, said these migrants were returning from Yemen because of the dire situation in the Arab world’s poorest, war-wrecked country.
“They were so desperate to leave Yemen they put their lives back into hands of unscrupulous smugglers,” she said.
According to IOM even 42 deaths: https://www.iom.int/news/ethiopian-migrants-returning-home-yemen-iom-support-wake-tragic-boat-sinking
(* B H)
Yemen: Clean water and safe sanitation for displaced people in the world’s largest crisis
Many are exposed to dangerous diseases like cholera and COVID-19—both of which have had a devastating impact on the country’s population.
There are multiple risk factors that can impact vulnerable communities, as is the case for 4 million internally displaced Yemenis. In locations hosting high volumes of displaced people, the needs become even more magnified while resources are overstretched. This is particularly evident in Ma’rib, a relative haven for Yemen’s largest displaced population, despite nearby continuous clashes.
Within the last month or so, over 10,000 people were forced to flee areas in Sirwah close to the frontline, many of whom have been displaced for the third time or more and continue to live in fear of, once again, losing their supposed refuges and having to run.
Displacement sites in Ma’rib are overcrowded, with worryingly limited access to essential services like clean water supplies. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) provides comprehensive WASH support to 16 displacement sites across the governorate.
"We had a water network, but the supply was often interrupted because of old broken pipes,” said Hassan, a displaced person living in Maneen Al Hadad Displacement Site in Ma’rib’s Al Ashraf sub district.
“The pipes were rusty and so the system used to break down frequently. We were not able to easily pay for any maintenance from our own pockets, as families here live in poor conditions,” he added.
Due to the problems with the water network, Hassan’s family struggled to get enough water each day. Often, they were forced to travel long distances in search of working wells or required to pay large sums for purchasing and trucking water. Sometimes, they would be without water for several days, affecting the family’s health.
“It was difficult to fetch water and carry it back to the displacement site because of the long distance to a working water well,” recalled Safaa, a displaced woman in another displacement site in Ma’rib called Al Kuseef.
IOM rehabilitated the worn-out water network, extended pipes to the shelters that previously had no access to the network and installed a submersible pump and generator to guarantee a continuous flow. Over 5,830 families also received 500-litre tanks since January 2020, which allowed them to safely store water.
“It was very hard for us whenever our flow of water would be interrupted. We had no way of storing water for these emergencies. The storage tanks are a solution to our problems. Now, we are prepared for any possible future water shortages and we can also keep the water clean,” explained Hassan.
Unsafe Sanitation
Four years ago, Yemen experienced the worst cholera outbreak in modern times, yet sanitation continues to be a major issue across the country, making humanitarians concerned about future outbreaks.
It is estimated that less than ten per cent of displaced people have access to a safe latrine. Lack of privacy, acute watery diarrhea and the spread of disease are some of the ordeals that displaced people—especially women and children who make up over 70 per cent of the population—face in the absence of a proper sanitation system.
IOM provided displaced families with cash to build their own latrines, using materials from local markets. Around 1,450 latrines have been constructed by the families so far. The Organization also trained the families in skills needed to safely build a latrine according to Sphere´s Humanitarian Standards.
Already, the positive results of an improved sanitation system have become evident for the displaced community.
(* B H)
Yemen: Humanitarian and displacement situation Taizz governorate, 9 April 2021
Intense clashes are ongoing, particularly along the Al-Kadahah front. Fighting has also picked up in the south of Hayfan, near the border with Lahj Governorate. Civilian infrastructures, including schools, markets and houses have been significantly damaged by the recent escalation, which has resulted in about 120 civilian casualties, and triggered movement restrictions, new displacement and broad psychosocial trauma.
Maqbanah District of Taizz is one of the hardest to reach areas in Yemen. The district hosts more than 23,700 displaced persons who have been living in harsh conditions since the beginning of the conflict in 2015. More than 95 families (698 individuals) recently displaced from Al-Ma’afer district to Maqbanha district have settled in Al Barh village.
According to IOM, about 1,000 families (around 7,000 indidividuals) have been newly displaced in Taizz since the beginning of the year. The number continues to increase as more families escape ongoing fighting.
(B H)
IOM Yemen | Rapid Displacement Tracking (RDT) - Reporting Period: 04 - 10 Apr 2021
Since the beginning of 2021, DTM also identified 452 previously displaced households who left the displaced location and moved to either their place of origin or some other displaced location.
Between 04 April 2021 and 10 April 2021, IOM Yemen DTM tracked 183 households (1,098 individuals) displaced at least once. The highest number of displacements were seen in:
(A H P)
Swedish envoy for Yemen surveys IDPs camps in Marib
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46251
Photos. https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1380575737594413059
(B H)
Yemen - Flow Monitoring Points | Non-Yemeni Migrant Arrivals and Yemeni Returnees in March 2021
IOM Yemen DTM estimates that 1,358 migrants entered Yemen during the month of March 2021. Currently, IOM Yemen DTM does not have access to Manfath Alwadeeah FMP, on the KSA-Yemen land border point, and therefore cannot report information on Yemeni returnees. From 1st January to 31th March 2021, an estimated 5,113 migrants arrived in Yemen.
(B H)
Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 8 April 2021
Between 20 February - 30 March 2021, UNHCR and partners conducted protection monitoring exercises to assess the needs of some 16,300 displaced Yemenis in Marib governorate, including those displaced by the recent escalation of hostilities. To date, UNHCR has distributed cash assistance to 2,000 IDP families and emergency shelter kits to 1,900 families, reaching a total of some 24,000 individuals. According to IOM, over 2,600 families have fled hostilities in Marib since the beginning of the year.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-8-april-2021
(B H)
UNHCR Yemen: Key Figures
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unhcr-yemen-key-figures
(B H)
UNHCR Yemen Funding Gaps (8 April 2021)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unhcr-yemen-funding-gaps-8-april-2021
(B H)
UNHCR Refugee Program in Sanaa / Amanat al-Asimah Year 2020
At the end of 2020, the number of registered refugees and asylum seekers targeted by UNHCR for assistance stood at some 136,700 individuals. Of those, some 47,300 (35%) were registered in Sanaa / Amanat al-Asimah
During 2020, refugees and asylum seekers have been heavily affected by the deteriorating socio-economic situation in Yemen, further aggravated by the impact of COVID-19.
Between January and December 2020, through its seven partners operating in Sanaa / Amanat al-Asimah UNHCR provided a range of protection services and assistance activities to refugees and asylum seekers.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unhcr-refugee-program-sanaa-amanat-al-asimah-year-2020-enar
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A P)
Coalition countries must leave language of war, move toward peace
Mehdi Al-Mashat, President of the Yemeni Supreme Political Council said that Saudi-led coalition’s countries talks about peace with the continuation of their aggression and siege is nothing but propaganda to cover up their heinous crimes against the Yemeni people.
This came in al-Mashat’s speech that delivered on his behalf by Information Minister Dhaifullah Al-Shami on the occasion of Ramadan, The President said that the continuation of the suffocating US-Saudi blockade and aggression against the Yemeni people for the seventh year proves to the world that the coalition countries, led by America, are stripped of all human values.
He pointed out that the coalition’s tools are not worthy of responsibility and dishonest to people’s lives, money and conditions.
and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3136468.htm
(A P)
Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi speaks on the beginning of holy month of Ramadan
In a statement issued on Monday evening, Sayyid al-Houthi stressed the importance of taking advantage of this holy month in order to obtain its blessed rewards, foremost among which is achieving piety and consolidating ones relationship with Allah.
The Sayyid said that “the nation is at a stage of dire need for the guidance of Allah, at a time when human society suffers from the domination of oppressive powers led by the United States of America and Israel.”
(A P)
Film: Houthis led by former Houthi governor of Dhamar province, and dep minister of social affairs and labor I'm the stormed a restaurant and mall in #Yemen's central Dhamar 2 days ago, demanding Yer 100 million, according to this circulated footage.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1381451215008112641
(* B K P)
1410 children were killed in war fronts in2020alone.These statistics come directly from Houthi media platforms.Thousands others remain in fronts& #Houthis continue to indoctrinate & recruit more children to fuel their war against #Yemeni people (with film)
https://twitter.com/abduhothifi/status/1381020773901537280
(B P)
A month ago, Hesham underwent neck surgery as a result of Houthis' torture.
https://twitter.com/RiyadhAldubai/status/1381302682074411011
The number of spinal injuries I’ve read about in people who make it out of Houthi prisons is astounding. My own spine was fractured to the point that I couldn’t stand up and would have been paralyzed without surgery.
https://twitter.com/Macoombs/status/1381308108564094979
(* A P)
Four notaries die simultaneously in Houthi jails in Sana’a: Sources say
their simultaneous and sudden death to coronavirus, which is now blamed for large numbers of mysterious deaths that non-Houthi sources call “assassinations” by poison.
The Shia theocratic militia had rounded up 500 notaries in the previous months in a campaign to replace them with loyalists who will facilitate the militia’s control on public properties and religious endowments.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46270
and
(A P)
The Houthi militia are using the Lands Authority in Sana’a to produce more than15 thousand fake documents./Khabar News Agency.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46271
(A P)
Yemeni model Entisar al-Hammadi kidnapped by Iran-backed Houthis: Activists
Yemeni model and actress Entisar al-Hammadi was kidnapped by Iran-backed Houthis near the capital Sana’a, activists said in social media posts on Sunday.
“The Houthi terrorist group continues to terrorize Yemeni women,” an activism page called Yemeni Feminist Voice said in a tweet. “Entisar al-Hammadi is an actress and model who was kidnapped and held by the terrorist Houthi militia because of her job, which is considered a crime for the extremist and misogynist group.”
According to the tweet and other social media posts, the model’s whereabouts remain unknown.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1381208612152958980
and
(A P)
Yusra Ahmed (the left), a Yemeni model from Syrian mother and Yemeni father, was one of two other girls kidnapped by Iran-backed #Houthis in Sana'a over a month ago, according to local sources in Sana'a. The right is Entisar al-Hammadi.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1381754269464985602
(A P)
Yemeni journalists call for release of colleagues held by Houthi rebels
Four journalists face death penalty after being charged with spying and ‘collaborating with the enemy’
A group of Yemeni journalists who survived years of torture in Houthi prisons are calling on the international community to pressure the rebels to free four of their colleagues facing the death penalty.
Abdel-Khaleq Amran, Akram al-Walidi, Hareth Hamid and Tawfiq al-Mansouri were arrested along with six other journalists in raids in the capital, Sana’a, in the summer of 2015, shortly after the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen’s war.
The group of 10 were eventually charged with spying, including “collaborating with the enemy” and “spreading false news and rumours” to weaken the Iran-backed rebels.
The men say they were subjected to treatment such as torture, starvation and solitary confinement for years before their case was bought before a Houthi-appointed judge in April 2020. All 10 were convicted, but six were freed under strict surveillance conditions and banned from practising journalism, while the other four were sentenced to death.
(A K P)
14 deceived individuals [defectors] quit enemy camps
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3136118.htm
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-24399.html
(A P)
United Nations Looks for Obstacles Against Reforming Safer Tanker
Member of the Supreme Political Council, “Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi,” wrote in a tweet on Twitter, Saturday, that The United Nations is looking for obstacles against proceeding reform of the Safer tanker, under the pretext of putting in place logistical arrangements.
Al-Houthi added that the United Nations says it needs time to reserve ships, confirm crews, deploy equipment and make all other necessary arrangements.
He added that such measures confirm a lack of interest and a feeling of the utmost importance to spare the Red Sea the disaster of leakage.
(A P)
Renaissance Dam: Houthis propose mediation for Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt
Al-Houthi posted on Twitter: "We are ready to bring views closer to each other among Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt based on these principles: preserving neighbourhood rights, not detracting from the legitimate demands of each other, accepting solutions close to the demands of each party, using waters of the Nile in a way does not harm the others and stopping the media war."
(A P)
Houthis turn Saudi-German Hospital to quarantine centre for leaders
The Public Health and Population Ministry in the Houthi government has designated the Saudi-German Hospital in Sanaa for treating Houthi leaders infected with Covid-19, a source at the ministry said on Friday.
The hospital's management has evacuated all Covid-19 patients and put them in hotels, and the hospital is now receiving only Houthi leaders in critical conditions, the source said.
The Houthi Minister of Transport Zakaria Al-Shami and his mother were treated in the hospital before they died weeks ago.
His father has been also treated in this hospital.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24381.html
(B P)
Houthis Accused of Blocking 2nd Agreement for Transfer of Goods to N. Yemen
Efforts exerted to grant road access for the passage of goods to northern Yemen have once again stumbled at the intransigence of the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
The Civilian Alliance for Peace and the two chambers of commerce in Aden and Sanaa have been seeking to open the Ibb-Dhale route for the passage of goods from Aden port to provinces in northern Yemen.
The Houthis’ blocking of the road has forced travelers to take a longer route, which would take them over 12 hours to reach their destination.
Business and political sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the legitimate government had agreed to reopen the main highway that connects the Dhale province to Ibb to allow the easy transport of goods.
Authorities are now, however, waiting on the Houthis to sign the agreement.
The militias had previously blocked a similar deal in the past.
The Civilian Alliance for Peace and Aden and Sanaa chambers of commerce had kicked off efforts to reach the agreement some two weeks ago. They had held talks with the government and Houthis to ensure that they both approve of it.
Twelve days have passed since its approval and the Houthis have yet to sign it.
(A P)
Houthis Set Up Fund to Divert, Loot Humanitarian Relief in Yemen
A new Houthi-run fund in Yemen is set to add to the struggle of ensuring a fair distribution of humanitarian aid in the battle-weary country, with experts warning that the Iran-aligned group is trying to expand the scope of resources funneled into its war effort.
The fund will be managed and operated by the militia’s so-called Higher Council for Coordinating Humanitarian Affairs, a cover agency Houthis created two years ago to mask their exploitation and plundering of humanitarian aid originally donated to needy Yemenis.
According to circulars handed out by the fund, Houthis are forcing all international and local organizations working in Sanaa and other areas they control to deposit their donations to Yemen in the fund’s bank accounts.
Dozens of international agencies were also advised against giving any money to projects handled by local organization before first getting Houthi approval.
My remark: As claimed by a Saudi news site.
(A P)
Film: Scenes from the expanded meeting to prepare for the blessed month of Ramadan 1442 AH 04-09-2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok5XHzADDpM
(B P)
Disappearance of senior Houthi operatives won’t close women abuse issue: Female activist
A Yemeni female activist and former detainee in Houthi jails said the disappearance recently of senior Houthi operatives accused of arbitrary detention and horrific abuse of women in jails won’t meant the closure of the abuse issue since those abuses are blamed on the Houthis as a terrorist militia.
Sonia Saleh said in an interview with Alshari’ya TV channel said, “The crimes of Sultan Zaben [ the militia’s chief of Criminal Investigation Department] and Abdulhakim al-Kheiwani [the militia’s chief of Security and Intelligence] and other Houthi leaders are not personal crimes, but a systematic policy against women … so the women abuse issue won’t be closed whether Zaben has really died or been disappeared by the militia” to get rid of the burden he represents now to the militia.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46224
(B P)
Film: Houthi activities in schools promote a culture of extremism among Yemeni children.
https://twitter.com/abduhothifi/status/1380164230566064134
(A P)
Yemeni Embassy in Damascus Celebrates National Steadfastness Day
(A P)
Films: The funeral of Major General Al-Mujahid / Sultan Saleh Zaben, Director General of Criminal Investigation, 04-08-2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwe0fydB-x0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVoKJTTa3g4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvjaOPwGfxU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZX8mdvxrdg
(* B P)
462 non-governmental organisations active in Houthi-run Yemen
There are 462 local and international non-governmental organisations operating in Yemen, the Houthi Humanitarian Affairs Council in Sanaa on Wednesday.
These organisations are helping the Yemeni people in coordination with the international community and under the council's supervision, said Abdulmohsen Al-Tawoos, the Secretary General of the council.
Last year, they spent more than $1.2 billion on programs of emergency relief aid, cash assistance, institutional support, sustainable interventions, capacity building, and supporting the health and agricultural sectors.
In the coming days, we will order to shut down organisations that have violated regulations and laws in the country, he said in a statement carried by the Sanaa-based Saba news agency.
Meantime, we are closely watching aid materials provided by organisations to guarantee they are safe and in conformity with the required specifications, he said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24336.html
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(* A P)
Yemen: Southern Separatists 'create own economy' in Aden
The separatists of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen have created a separate economy in the south of the country and obstructed the role of the Yemeni government, an economic researcher has claimed. Faisal Abdul-Ghani made his comments in an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
He claimed that after returning to the interim capital of Aden, the Yemeni government has realised that the UAE-backed STC's control over that and other governorates in southern Yemen has allowed it to dominate public revenues and create its own economy. It has apparently infiltrated many economic, commercial, and investment sectors such as communications, real estate, and fuel trading.
Abdul-Ghani explained that the Yemeni government has escalated fighting in Ma'rib governorate in a bid to create a new route to export oil and liquefied natural gas, especially from the Safer fields in Ma'rib, in order to generate revenue. However, the fighting on the outskirts of the oil province has affected all plans to exploit the most important available natural resource.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210412-yemen-southern-separatists-create-own-economy-in-aden/
(* B P)
Authorities in Mukalla must free those being arbitrarily detained in Al Munawara Central Prison
At least 27 civilians remain in detention, the majority of them for more than a year, after being granted release by the Hadhramout Specialized Criminal Court.
The local authorities in Hadhramout Governorate must immediately and unconditionally release all individuals who have been arbitrarily detained in Al Munawara Central Prison in Mukalla City, Mwatana for Human Rights said. At least 27 individuals remain in detention in spite of being granted release: 13 were granted acquittals, three had their cases nullified by the court, and 11 have served their full sentences.
According to witness testimonies and the families of the detainees, Emirati commanders are putting pressure on the Hadhramout authorities to prevent the release of detainees. The mother of one of the detainees told Mwatana, “When we went to ask about my son, one of the officials told us that the local authority could not release them, as the detainees are wanted by the [Saudi/UAE-led] coalition, especially by the UAE.”
Mwatana has verified the abusive detention conditions detainees are subjected to in Mukalla through testimonies from former detainees, relatives of detainees, legal consultations, and field visits to the prisons. Since mid-March 2021, the city’s central prison has witnessed six suicide attempts by individuals who are being arbitrarily detained. The suicide attempts were in protest of their continued detention in spite of the acquittals that had been granted to them by the prosecution and the Hadhramout Specialized Criminal Court. Reliable sources told Mwatana that the detainees had attempted suicide by using razors in the prison bathrooms in at least four of the incidents, after which the victims were secretly taken to a hospital in Mukalla for treatment, and then were returned to the prison. According to family members’ testimonies, the six detainees are now in stable condition.
Groups of detainees in the so-called “political ward” of the prison have been attempting to go on hunger strikes since mid-February 2021 in protest of the authorities’ failure to implement the court’s release orders. The prison authorities ended the strikes by force-feeding the detainees. The last time families of the detainees were able to visit them was on March 23, 2021. Since then, the local authorities have suspended family visits for the detainees under the pretext of COVID-19 precautions, only allowing telephone communication once every three weeks for a period of ten minutes.
In addition, the 27 detainees have been subject to arbitrary and abusive conditions throughout their time in detention.
Mwatana also verified that ten of the 27 detainees were subjected to torture and cruel, degrading, and inhumane treatment during various stages of their detention in Al-Rayyan Airport Prison and Rabwah Prison in Hadhramout Governorate, as well as Balhaf facility in Shabwa governorate, before they were moved to Al- Munawara Central Prison in Mukalla. The methods of torture and other forms of abusive treatment ranged from deprivation of food, water, and sleep; severe beatings with iron bars, batons, sticks, and ropes; electric shocks; forcing detainees to roll on thorns; forcing them to embrace large ice blocks with their bodies until they melted; and forcing them to strip naked.
https://mwatana.org/en/al-munawara-central-prison/
(* A K P)
Abyan sees renewed fighting pitting Yemen gov't troops against STC
The Yemeni southern governorate of Abyan saw on Sunday renewed clashes pitting the official government troops against the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).
The fighting erupted in the coastal area of Khabr al-Maraqisha in Ahwar district, local sources said, after STC forces attacked government military sites at international road linking Abyan to Aden.
According to STC military spokesman, the confrontations in Khabr al-Maraqisha "expanded from al-Sahila (west) to Haid Yahiya (east)."
STC-affiliated Security Belt "forces fended off an attack by government troops in the area, and carried out a number of ambushes and raids, leaving deaths and injuries among government troops," Mohamed al-Naqib added on Twitter, "despite the huge reinforcements."
In the last two days, the STC deployed military reinforcements in Ahwar district and Zinjobar city, Abyan provincial capital.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24430.html
(* A K P)
STC orders its forces to stay on alert, prepare for all possibilities
The Southern Transitional Council on Saturday ordered its forces to stay on alert and be prepared to face all challenges and possibilities.
The order comes amid renewed confrontations between the forces of the council and the internationally recognised president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in Yemen's southern province of Abyan.
Continued attacks on the Security Belt Forces by the terrorist militias of the Muslim Brotherhood in the districts of Ahwar and Khanfar in Abyan aim to create a new reality in favor of the forces of terror and enabling them to reach the coast and other regions, it said in a statement.
The attacks aim to mix cards in a flagrant defiance of the Riyadh agreement and de-escalation efforts paving the way for a comprehensive political settlement, it said.
The developments in the area of Tour Al-Baha in Lahij province, including setting up new military camps, opening roads for the militias of the Muslim Brotherhood to carry out suspicious and illegal activities, come within a plot to declare war on soldiers and undermine peace efforts sponsored by the Saudi-led Arab coalition and the international community, it said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24400.html
(A P)
Yemen's Hadi skilled in abandoning honest men: Ex-minister
The Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi is skilled in forsaking men who stood with him and defended the Yemeni legitimacy, Yemen's former minister of transportation tweeted on Sunday.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24408.html
(A P)
Mass demonstration in Yemen's Abyan demands departure of coalition forces
Dozens of citizens staged on Saturday a mass demonstration in Al-Mahfad district of Abyan province, southern Yemen, demanding the departure of the Saudi-led coalition forces, and denounced the economic collapse.
(A K P)
STC Presidency warns of war planned against the South
The STC noted that the persistent offensives of the terrorist Brotherhood's militia against the Security Belt Forces in Ahwar district and Khubar al-Maraqesha of Khanfar district in the southwest of Abyan are meant to impose a new reality on the ground for the sake of terrorist forces and facilitate easy and safe access for them, especially to the coastal areas of Abyan.
The STC Presidency urged the Southern Armed Forces to be on high alert to face those challenges and to take the necessary measures against any hostile action.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32680
(A T)
Extremists destroy graves in #Hami #Hadhramaut in south east #Yemen
https://twitter.com/BashaReport/status/1380891293266632704
(A P)
Riyadh Agreement Reaches Level of Fragility
Member of the presidency of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, Salem Al-Awlaki, said, "The Riyadh agreement has reached the level of fragility due to the practices of the parties who rejected it from the beginning."
Al-Awlaki called in his tweet, to "deter thethe Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen, especially as they are preparing for a new war in the south to complicate the already complex situation," he said.
The Presidency of the Transitional Council said, last February, that "the Muslim Brotherhood is preparing to open a new battle in Lahj governorate."
https://english.almasirah.net/post/18786/Riyadh-Agreement-Reaches-Level-of-Fragility%C2%A0
(A P)
UAE-backed STC forces released director of #Marib governor's office &4 staff mmbrs, who wr arrested while en route to meet govt officials in #Yemen's southern Aden last month, in exchange for 15 STC-affiliated soldiers, who wr captured during fighting govt forces in Abyan last yr
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1380606779378241537
referring to https://twitter.com/almasdaronline/status/1380599194776387594 (photo)
(A P)
Passengers with Houthi-issued passports banned from travelling via Aden airport, Houthis claim
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Houthi government on Friday accused UAE-backed forces of preventing people who have passports issued in regions controlled by the Houthi group of travelling through Aden airport.
It warned of consequences of such provocative actions.
The statement was included in a letter sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hisham Sharaf to the UN Secretary General, the UN Security Council, the foreign ministers of the 18 countries sponsoring the peace process and the UN and US envoys to Yemen, the Sanaa-based Saba news agency reported.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24369.html
(A)
Yemeni Ryan airport receives first flight in five years
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24371.html
and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/32676
Photos. https://twitter.com/samwrax/status/1380577372571852806
(A K P)
Army foils new arms smuggling operations: News website
Yemen News website quoted a security source as saying that the army “foiled an attempt to smuggle arms to the [UAE-affiliated] Southern Transitional Council militia in Khabar Almaraqisha [Arabian Sea] coastal area in the province of Abyan on Tuesday evening and Wednesday dawn.”
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46226
My comment: This is claimed by Islah Party news site; rather doubtful.
(A K P)
Heavy clashes in Yemen’s Red Sea port of Mocha continues between the “Republican Guards” and tribal chieftain Alkharj, both affiliated to the UAE. /Multiple websites.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46225
(A K P)
Signs of a new war in Yemen’s south with UAE support and Saudi collusion./Yemen News Agency (YNA)
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46225
(A K P)
The [UAE’s] STC militia in Aden accused the army of seeking to control Ahwar town in Abyan and vowed “to not stay idle” calling on its forces to “rise the level of combat readiness.” /Multiple websites.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46225
(A K P)
Big Emirati arms shipments have arrived to the hands of the STC militia in Aden, as the STC encourages terror gangs in Abyan and launches a fierce media campaign against Shabwah. All those are signs of preparations for a new war [against the government]/Tweet by former Transport Minister Saleh Aljabwani.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46225
(* A K P)
violence has renewed in #Abyan province in south Yemen as local reports say the forces of the internationally recognised government and the UAE-backed southern transitional council have been fighting for days. Let's hope the fragile ceasefire has not come to an end!
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1380681560517718023
and
(* A K P)
Al-Naqib: Armed clashes resume in Abyan
The armed clashes resumed in Abyan governorate on Thursday night between the militias of Islah party, the Yemeni arm of Muslim Brotherhood organization within Yemen's legitimacy and the southern armed forces, military official reported.
The fighting erupted between the two sides after the failure of the efforts of the mediation committee to solve the dispute due to the intransigence of Brotherhood's militias, the spokesman for the Abyan axis, Captain Muhammad al-Naqib said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the Brotherhood's militias launched an attack on the locations under the control of the southern armed forces in Abyan in a clear and flagrant violation of the Riyadh Agreement and the ceasefire in the province, al-Naqib affirmed, adding that the attack was repulsed.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32673
My remark: This is by a pro-separatist news site, also this.
(A K P)
south-arabia/brotherhood-militia-attack-sites-of-the-southern-forces-in-abyan
and
(A K P)
Southerners, Brotherhood's militias swap prisoners in Abyan
Under the auspices of the Arab Coalition Command, a prisoner swap was achieved successfully in Abyan on Friday, between the Southern Transitional Council and the Islah party's militias, the military arm of Muslim Brotherhood organization within Yemen's legitimacy.
According to military officials, the exchange process took place in Sheikh Salem area of Abyan province where 12 southern soldiers were released from Brotherhood-run prisons in Shabwa governorate in return for 5 militants captured in battles of Abyan.
It's worth mentioning that one of the southern prisoners had been taken to hospital in Aden in critical condition due to maltreatment in Shabwa's Brotherhood-run prison.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32677
and
(A K P)
17 prisoners released in exchange in Yemen
5 prisoners released by government forces, 13 by transition council supported by United Arab Emirates
My comment: Government forces or Islah Party militia?
(A P)
[Saudi] Deputy Minister of Defense meets with Yemen's PM
Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defense, has had talks in Riyadh with Yemen's Prime Minister Dr. Mueen Abdulmalik Saeed.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2212931
(A K P)
Photos: First batch of the patrol police and road security graduated today in #Yemen's southern #Shabwah, the governorate's media department said
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1380943930502569989
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
United Nations Special Envoy’s press statement following the meeting with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas
We are here because this is a recognition of the critical moment we find ourselves in, with Tim Lenderking our friend here, in the negotiation process where we need more than ever the unanimous and full support of the UN Security Council but also the international community.
We all agree, and Heiko you just described it, that the only solution to end this tragedy is through a negotiated political settlement that meets the aspirations of Yemen’s women and Yemen’s men. What is the way to get there? I believe we must address first the critical humanitarian needs and build confidence between the parties, as you Heiko just said. The United Nations has put forward a plan that aims to secure a nationwide ceasefire where all forms of fighting would stop, and the main roads connecting the country from north to south, including in Taiz - that city which has been under siege for so long - would open for the free movement of civilians, commercial goods and humanitarian aid. We also aim to secure the opening of Sana’a airport to international and national flights; and to ensure the regular flow of fuel and other commercial commodities into Yemen through the ports of Hudaydah with associated revenues from that entry of fuel ships contributing to the salaries of civil servants. We hope together that an agreement on all those humanitarian measures will create a conducive environment for the parties to move swiftly to inclusive peace talks under the auspices of the UN to sustainably and comprehensively end the conflict.
But I’d like to pay tribute, as you did, to the United States through the person of their envoy who’s with us today, Tim Lenderking, who has redefined the notion of tireless by his activity and his perseverance in trying to help all of us to reach these conclusions, and reach these aspirations.
Film: https://twitter.com/GermanyDiplo/status/1381559244097458177
(A P)
Maas sieht neue Chance für Beendigung des Kriegs im Jemen
Bundesaußenminister Heiko Maas (SPD) sieht nach einem Kurswechsel der USA eine neue Chance für eine Beendigung des Kriegs im Jemen. Maas sagte am Montag nach einem Treffen mit dem UN-Sondergesandten Martin Griffiths, die neue Regierung von US-Präsident Joe Biden setze sich "sehr engagiert" für eine friedliche Lösung des Jemen-Konflikts ein. Damit hätten sich in dem Konflikt die Rahmenbedingungen geändert und die Zeit sei reif für einen neuen "diplomatischen Kraftakt".
(A P)
Yemen envoy summit in Berlin hears of Houthi offensive's devastating effects
A recent Houthi offensive in Yemen is set to heighten the “disastrous humanitarian situation” in the country, Germany’s Foreign Minister said.
Heiko Maas said that “fighting on the ground continues in all intensity and brutality”, despite political efforts to bring peace.
“The human suffering is hard to describe,” he said at a press conference in Berlin alongside the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths.
Film: https://twitter.com/GermanyDiplo/status/1381559244097458177
and
(A P)
US State Dep.: German FM @HeikoMaas welcomes #USEnvoyYemen Lenderking's appointment by @POTUS, which shows U.S. commitment to end #Yemen conflict.
@OSE_Yemen pays tribute to U.S., says Lenderking "redefined the notion of tireless by his activity & his perseverance in trying to help all of us." (photo)
https://twitter.com/StateDept_NEA/status/1381619202763685889
and also https://www.state.gov/u-s-special-envoy-for-yemen-lenderkings-trip-to-germany-and-the-gulf/
(A P)
Maas führt Gespräche mit Vertretern der UNO und der USA über den Jemen
Bundesaußenminister Heiko Maas (SPD) kommt am Montag zu Gesprächen mit dem UN-Sondergesandten für den Jemen, Martin Griffiths, und dem US-Sondergesandten für das Land, Timothy Lenderking, zusammen. Nach Angaben der Bundesregierung soll es dabei um die UN-Bemühungen für einen landesweiten Waffenstillstand im Jemen, vertrauensbildende Maßnahmen zwischen den Konfliktparteien und eine Rückkehr zum politischen Prozess gehen. Im Anschluss nehmen die Sondergesandten an einem virtuellen Treffen hoher Regierungsbeamter im sogenannten P5+4-Format zum Jemen teil.
https://de.nachrichten.yahoo.com/maas-f%C3%BChrt-gespr%C3%A4che-vertretern-uno-170910516.html
(A P)
US diplomat Lenderking flies to Germany, Gulf region for Yemen ceasefire talks
The UN envoy for Yemen said efforts to reach a ceasefire were at a “critical moment,” calling on all sides to “seize the opportunity that exists now and negotiate in good faith without preconditions”
The US special envoy for Yemen is making another trip overseas in a bid to garner more support for ending the war in Yemen, the State Department said Monday.
Tim Lenderking arrived in Germany for talks with Foreign Minister Heiko Maas “in conjunction with the visit of UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths,” according to the State Department.
On Monday, Griffiths said efforts to reach a ceasefire were at a “critical moment,” and he called on all sides to “seize the opportunity that exists now and negotiate in good faith without preconditions.”
Officials from the UN Security Council and leaders from Germany, Sweden, Kuwait, and the European Union gathered in Berlin for talks on Yemen.
Meanwhile, the State Department said Lenderking would discuss the need for “an immediate end to the offensive in Marib.”
My comment: This is really a strange show. Why they visit Germany to speak with an intellectual featherwight as this Heiko Maas is, instead with all sides of the conflict? When will Lenderking visit Sanaa instead of Heiko Maas? Some ideas, other important states he could visit for peace talks on Yemen: Argentine, Brazil, China, Denmark, Ecuador…
(A P)
Russia to continue urging sides of Yemeni conflict to constructive approach - Lavrov
Moscow intends to continue urging the sides of the Yemen conflict to display a constructive approach and readiness for compromises during discussions of existing disagreements, Russian Foreign Minister said in an interview Sunday.
https://tass.com/politics/1276617
(A P)
SECRETARY-GENERAL'S STATEMENT ON THE ROLE OF THE SULTANATE OF OMAN IN YEMEN
Over the years, the Sultanate of Oman has played an important role in building bridges for peace in the region, including in Yemen.
In particular, I am grateful to His Majesty, Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said, for his constructive and essential support to my Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths.
https://osesgy.unmissions.org/secretary-generals-statement-role-sultanate-oman-yemen
(A P)
Omani FM discusses with Houthi delegate peace course
The Omani Foreign Minister, Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, met on Sunday with Houthi negotiating delegation in Muscat, in a bid to bridge gaps between Yemeni rivals and pave way for sought peace.
The meeting discussed Yemen's political situation and course of ongoing negotiations with the international community on peace plan and political settlement, Houthi senior negotiator tweeted.
Oman exerts great efforts to support peace and alleviate humanitarian suffering in Yemen, Mohamed Abdul Salam added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24410.html
and also https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210412-oman-fm-discusses-yemen-situation-with-houthi-spokesman/
(* A P)
Yemeni prisoner inclusive swap.. is there indeed goodwill?
As the holy month of Ramadan is setting in, hundreds of Yemeni families pin hopes to reports that their detained relatives would be released under a prisoner inclusive swap between rivals, with politicians and rights activists doubting the Houthi initiative in this regard.
Last Monday, the Houthi group called on the Yemeni official government to exchange all the prisoners in the occasion of Ramadan.
On Tuesday, the government senior negotiator, Hadi al-Haij, said they are "fully ready for all-inclusive prisoner swap deal.
Having welcomed the Houthi call and the government preparedness for full swap, Abductees' Mothers League (AML) expressed hope to see this translated in reality, ending the suffering of people unfairly detained for more than five years. AML called on the government and the Houthis to immediately start prisoner swap, and to live up their words.
If it is positively dealt with, such a swap will help build confidence between Yemeni rivals and, thus, end the 6-year-old conflict, say observers.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24427.html
(* A P)
Yemeni Politicians Accuse Houthis of Evading Saudi Peace Plan
Houthis are being evasive when addressing the new Saudi peace plan for Yemen, government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that the militia is following Iranian instructions on trying to break the initiative into pieces.
“They (Houthis) are looking to separate the initiative’s humanitarian and economic parts from the military and political ones,” said Yemeni government sources, noting that the Iran-aligned group’s intentions have left the UN and US envoys to the war-torn country disappointed.
For the time being, analysts and observers remain skeptic on the current political atmosphere in Yemen yielding any positive engagement with international efforts seeking a settlement to the country’s ongoing crisis.
Houthis have demanded arranging unchecked direct flights to Iran, Syria and Lebanon, halting Arab coalition airstrikes, and easing restrictions on traffic to and from the seaport as preconditions for agreeing to a truce.
The government has rejected the Houthi demands as it remains greatly concerned that the militia might ferry fighters and weapons on direct flights and through seaports.
(* B P)
Film: “Local Mediation Efforts in the Prisoner and Detainee File – Taiz” A short documentary video highlighting the importance of past and ongoing local mediation efforts in the prisoner and detainee file between the parties to the conflict in Taiz governorate. The success of these efforts is demonstrative of the critical role local mediators are playing in Yemen’s broader peace process. This video is produced by the Youth Mediation Support Team (YMST), as part of its initiative to support prisoner exchange mediators in Taiz, and inform the public on the humanitarian nature of independent local mediation and how it plays an important role in building confidence between the warring parties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgnZ276xfsQ
(B P)
However this requires a changed approach by the international community. Dialogue must include all parts of society & their demands for decentralization listened to; aid should be used to invest in local produce & infrastructure, & to stabilize the currency.
Resorting to band-aid approaches where the Houthis and Hadi-gov only are coerced into another deal didn’t work in the past & won’t be enough in the future, & moreover can have detrimental consequences. We need to stop being driven by good intentions, & instead sustainable results
https://twitter.com/CZMolyneux/status/1380436618172104705
(A P)
Al-Houthi Reminds US-Saudi Aggression of Comprehensive Solution Document
The member of the Supreme Political Council, Mohammed Al-Houthi, affirmed that the US-Saudi aggression is still slowing down in taking steps for peace, indicating that the visions provided by Sana'a for solutions are sufficient to prove the seriousness of searching for peace.
"The countries of aggression are reluctant to take practical steps for peace, which the citizen seeks," Mohammed al-Houthi said in a tweet on the occasion of the anniversary of the presentation of the comprehensive solution document.
(A P)
Coalition states took no practical steps for peace: Houthis
The Saudi-led coalition countries have been unwilling to take practical steps for peace, member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council tweeted on Thursday.
The Houthi group introduced solutions enough to prove willingness to stop aggression, lift blockade and establish real peace pillars, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi added.
Free activists, politicians and journalists can discuss and republish the Houthi proposed solution for Yemen, he said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-24349.html
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp8 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-734b-yemen-war-mosaic-734b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-733-yemen-war-mosaic-733
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-733 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-733:
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:
