... Bab al-Mandab und die Rivalitäten der Großmächte – Der Kampf um Sokotra – Waffenexporte von Rheinmetall – und mehr
May 25, 2021: Saudi coalition air raids in April 2021 – Air Strikes against Yemen’s farms – Fate of migrants to Yemen – Yemens’ West Coast: Politics, Society and war – Bab al-Mandab disputed by great power rivalries – The battle for Socotra – Arms exports by Rheinmetall – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-742b-yemen-war-mosaic-742b
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
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenexporte / Arms exports
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp17a Kriegsereignisse: Schlacht um Marib / Theater of War: Marib battle
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Ältere einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Older introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
(* B H K P)
USCRI Backgrounder: Yemen
The situation in Yemen (“Yemen Crisis”) is currently the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, impacting more than 24 million people, nearly half of them children. Starting as a failed political transition, the armed conflict escalated in 2015 and has steadily grown worse, causing widespread displacement, spread of disease, famine, poverty, and death.
The direct and indirect impacts of the conflict in Yemen are significant and wide-reaching, even in regions where fighting is not active. Failed infrastructure and economy, poor food, water, and human security, limited access to health care, and great numbers of displaced persons and refugees are commonplace. As an indirect consequence, instances of human trafficking have also increased. 6 Moreover, nearly half of those detrimentally impacted are children. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought more destruction and challenges to the already dire situation.
According to the World Bank, more than 40% of households in Yemen are estimated to have lost their primary source of income and, consequently, find it difficult to even sustain basic nutrition. Prior to 2015, poverty affected nearly half the population. After the worsening of the crisis, between 71 per cent and 78 per cent live in poverty with women more severely affected than men.
Since 2015, Yemen's already struggling economy has contracted by around 50 per cent. Amid the conflict, the state has almost depleted its foreign reserves and the Central Bank of Yemen "remains largely dysfunctional", according to the World Bank. The central bank is also at the center of a political dispute between the internationally recognized Hadi government and the Houthi government. Prior to the escalation of the conflict, oil accounted for 90% of exports. While oil facilities have not been damaged, blockades and volatility have caused transportation, and thus trade to decline sharply, hindering economic activity and fuel inflation.
In addition to drastic economic decline, civilian infrastructure has been largely destroyed.
https://refugees.org/uscri-backgrounder-on-yemen/
Full document: https://refugees.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/USCRI-Backgrounder-Yemen.pdf
(B C P)
Film: A chronology of South Yemen and North Yemen from 1500s-2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpU-mBIoZZg
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K)
YEMEN DATA PROJECT AIR RAIDS SUMMARY MAY 2021
Saudi-led Bombings in Yemen Surpass 23,000
The number of Saudi-led coalition air raids* in the bombing campaign surpassed the 23,000 milestone in April, although month-on-month rates fell by 31% from a six-month high of 178 in March to 122 in April, bringing the monthly bombing rate down to the levels seen in December 2020 and January this year.
Yemen Data Project recorded 23,001 air raid incidents from the start of the bombing campaign in March 2015 to the end of April 2021, comprising up to 66,905 individual air strikes*. At least 10% of all air raids hit residential areas.
Eight civilian casualties were recorded in April, all in one incident when a coalition air raid hit a residential area in the Rahbah district of Marib governorate on 2 April, killing one civilian and injuring seven others - one of 8 bombings in the month that hit residential areas. Farms, two markets, a sports facility, and fruit cooling machinery in Sa'ada were amongst the sites bombed in April.
Sirwah: The Most Heavily Bombed District In The Air War
Sirwah district in Marib is now the most heavily bombed district countrywide since the Saudi-led air campaign began in Yemen six years ago. At least 1,482 air raids have hit Sirwah with up to 5,442 individual airstrikes since 2015. Almost one third (30%) of those airstrikes hit the district in the last 16 months.
YDP recorded at least 70 air raids in Sirwah in the last two months with up 610 individual airstrikes in 61 days - an average of 10 airstrikes per day in March and April. Of the 516 coalition air raids across Yemen so far this year, 75% have hit Marib. Despite the 31% countrywide month-on-month reduction in air raids in April, in Sirwah bombing rates were down only 16% from March.
From February to April those displaced by the conflict left nine displacement sites in the district out of 14 that were opened at the start of the year. The International Organization for Migration recorded more than 2,560 households (17,920 people) displaced from or within Sirwah, describing the situation in the district as "dire". Sirwah has an estimated population of 32,000 (including IDPs), meaning 56% of the district's population has been displaced so far this year.
Marib has been the mostly heavily bombed governorate for more than a year - in keeping with the military confrontations. In April there were three times as many air raids in Marib than in the second most heavily bombed governorate of Sa'ada.
In April 12% of bombings hit civilian targets** and 16% hit military targets. In 72% of air raids in April the target could not be identified. Of the 34 air raids where the target could be identified, 56% of bombings hit military targets. 44% of identifiable targets were civilian.
Of the 34 air raids where the target was identified in April 2021
8 hit residential areas, killing 1 civilians and injuring 7.
3 hit farms.
2 hit market places.
1 hit a Al-Thawra sports facility in the capital.
https://mailchi.mp/d66bd217db1d/may2021-yemen-data-project-update-6510288
(** B H K P)
Pandemic of Hunger Symposium: Starvation by Warfare–The Campaign of Air Strikes Against Yemen’s Farms
But, on May 23, 2017, the Saudi/UAE-led Coalition bombed the Al-Aqil farm, wounding three family members, two of them children. Everyone on the farm was a civilian, and there was no known military target in or near the farm at the time of the attack.
The Saudi/UAE-led Coalition attack did more than just wound three family members, it also destroyed the farm’s water pump, as well as parts of the irrigation network (essential to the farm’s production) and a large quantity of crops. The farm became inoperable after the attack.
The attack left the family, and the 21 workers and families who had previously been living on the farm, without access to their source of food and livelihood
There are many ways in which international law is meant to protect people’s right to food, including during conflict. Starvation as a method of warfare is considered a war crime under International Criminal Law. Further, International Human Rights Law provides a non-derogable right to food and water, which includes an obligation to refrain from undertaking activities which can have a direct impact amounting to the deprivation of a population’s food and water.
Most relevant to the strike on the Al-Aqil Farm is the prohibition of starvation as a method of warfare under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which specifically prohibits attacking, destroying, removing or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival (OIS) of the civilian population.
Mwatana has documented dozens of Saudi/UAE-led coalition airstrikes damaging and destroying farms, livestock, agricultural land, agricultural tools and equipment, and food in stores and vehicles in Yemen since 2015. Of these, approximately 30 occurred in Hajjah Governorate, where the Al-Aqil Farm was located.
Through these strikes, the Coalition has destroyed many residents’ main source of food and income, leaving many food insecure and in fear of future attacks. One of the health workers in the area, said, “There are no alternative sources of food in this area other than farms. All the residents in this area are farm owners or workers.”
The evidence Mwatana compiled in the aftermath of the attack on the Al-Aqil farm, through site visits and interviews with witnesses, suggests that the airstrike destroyed OIS of the civilian population, including agricultural land, crops, and the farm’s irrigation networks. Moreover, the farm itself— a critical OIS—was rendered inoperable by the attack.
Neither Mwatana, nor any of those interviewed, identified military objectives at or near the farm at the time of the attack. The farm was located in a rural area and the nearest military target identified were frontlines about 60-80 kilometers to the south of the farm.
In the context of extreme food insecurity, such as in the case of Yemen, the destruction of sources of food and water has the potential to cause significant civilian harm.
In March of this year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimated that by next month (June 2021), over 16 million people in Yemen (of a population of about 29 million) will face “high levels of acute food insecurity.” In February of this year the UN projected that “at least 400,000 Yemeni children under 5 could die of starvation this year.”
The issue of starvation is not new to Yemen—the WFP reported in 2014, prior to the current conflict, that approximately 41.3% of the Yemeni population was food insecure.
This series of airstrikes on farms is just one of many ways in which warring parties have contributed to starvation of the Yemeni population. The Coalition has attacked farms, water facilities, fishing boats and food markets, in addition to imposing an aerial and naval blockade since 2015 which has significantly impacted the flow of critical goods into the country.
However, despite the abundant documentation of the ways in which the warring parties have gravely exacerbated hunger in Yemen since the start of the conflict—including through violations of international law—to date, there is no international accountability mechanism examining these questions.
(** B H P)
The road to uncertainty: Devastation prevails on routes through Yemen
Like hundreds of thousands of other migrants from the Horn of Africa over the past few years, Mohammed was attempting to reach the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). People on this route typically hope for no more than making it to their destination to help their families moderately prosper. Most have no idea of the experiences they will have to first endure or that they may never make it.
Typically originating from Ethiopia and travelling towards the Somali or Djiboutian coasts, migrants face exhaustion and dehydration along the way, which proves fatal for an unknown number of people. Crossing the Gulf of Aden, they are crammed into smugglers’ boats; some succumb to asphyxiation or drowning. Once in Yemen, many migrants are held by smugglers for anywhere from days to months. Most are savagely beaten while their families are forced to pay ransom.
The IOM mobile medical team starts their day at around 7:30 a.m. when they set out for the Lahj coast, close to the hospital where Mohammed is receiving treatment.
“We begin early every morning with a renewed ambition to treat vulnerable migrants and help them on their way to living a dignified life,” explained Dr Yasser, the team leader. He runs an emergency health clinic for migrants newly arrived from Djibouti on the coast near Ras Al Arah, Lahj.
The mobile team travels four hours each way in harsh, hot weather, and even sandstorms, to reach their weary patients. On the long drive, they are fearful of accidents or criminals, but they are always determined to reach their destination.
“It's a beautiful feeling to save a vulnerable life – migrants have a right to health care like all of us. When I think of the cholera outbreak here in Yemen, at times, we literally had minutes to save a life,” added Dr Yasser.
After leaving his family’s onion farm, Ibrahim travelled to Yemen and became one of Dr Yasser’s patients.
“We walked for many days. People died along the way from drinking dirty water; I buried six people. In Djibouti, they crammed 250 of us into a truck. Those who died were thrown out without mercy,” Ibrahim explained, as he teared up.
Then Ibrahim was squeezed onto a small boat. When they arrived near the Yemeni coast, the smugglers forced him to swim through thrashing waves. By the time he reached the shore, he was in urgent need of health care. Dr Yasser and his colleagues ensured that he was helped.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, migrant arrivals in Yemen have lessened. However, over 32,000 migrants have become stranded across the country, some of whom are held in detention or by smugglers. The mobile team are encountering more injured migrants who had been held by smugglers for long periods.
One migrant told the mobile medical team about their experience with smugglers: “In Yemen, smugglers took us by force. In the holding pen, we could see people’s bodies were bloody from torture. They started beating us and made us call our families, asking them to send USD 1,500. I called my family and the next day, they sent USD 300. That was all they could afford.”
“The smugglers used to hang us from one leg, and take turns beating us. Even women and girls would be beaten. One girl was abused by seven men. Because my family only sent USD 300 first, I had to stay there for weeks until they sent another USD 1,200,” the migrant added. And in Ibrahim’s case, his family were forced to sell their onion farm to ensure their son’s release.
Most migrants do not get the medical attention they need after suffering at the cruel hands of smugglers. Those reached by IOM’s health teams are lucky.
IOM’s three mobile medical teams assist an average of 1,200 people per month in three locations: one along the coasts of Aden and Lahj, another in Shabwah and a third in Ma’rib, which has seen an escalation in recent violence.
https://storyteller.iom.int/stories/road-uncertainty-devastation-prevails-routes-through-yemen
(** B K P)
Yemen’s West Coast: A look into politics, society and war along the Red Sea
My destination during this trip was the port city of Mokha on Yemen’s west coast. The area has emerged as a key political and military center in Yemen, serving as the headquarters of the Joint Forces, an umbrella bringing together the Giants’ Brigades, Guards of the Republic and the Tihama Resistance that was established with Emirati support in 2018 during the offensive to liberate the Red Sea Coast from Houthi forces. It also has strategic importance for international stakeholders focused on potential threats posed to the Red Sea and international shipping emanating from the conflict in Yemen.
A Marginalized Society
The Tihama plain, which runs the length of Yemen’s Red Sea Coast, has generally been politically marginalized since the 1960s, with little real local participation in decision making beyond the symbolic representation of a few sheikhs in the central authority in Sana’a.
While there are no official estimates of the population of Mokha, it is clear that the number of inhabitants has greatly increased since 2018 when the city, and the relatively smaller city of Al-Khoukha, became the focal point of military operations against Houthi forces on the west coast. Along with the movement of money, fighters and citizens affiliated with the Joint Forces to the area, the city has witnessed a mini-boom in commercial activity and construction as businesses in Taiz governorate seek to benefit from Mohkha’s relative prosperity.
The Tense Stalemate Along the Coast
The Stockholm Agreement, the UN-brokered agreement signed in December 2018 between the internationally recognized government and Houthi forces, brought major fighting along the Red Sea Coast to a halt. Both parties settled across from each other on frontlines in Hudaydah city and in other parts of Hudaydah and Taiz governorates. However, tensions have continued, with some frontlines witness on and off clashes as Houthi forces in particular seek to exploit their positions in Hudaydah city – which they secured based on the Stockholm Agreement – and launch attacks to test their rivals’ defenses, hoping to regain territory lost during the government’s 2018 offensive. The districts of Al-Tuhayta and Al-Durayhimi and the city of Hays, all in Hudaydah governorate, have witnessed regular violent clashes despite the ostensible halt in hostilities. The Redeployment Coordination Committee, the UN body tasked with overseeing the Hudaydah cease-fire and redeployments from the city, has been generally ineffective since the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement. In particular, it has been weak in confronting Houthi violations, likely owing to the fact that the RCC is headquartered in the Houthi-held part of Hudaydah city, which allows the group to control the movement of RCC members and how they interact with local developments.
A New Political Power Emerges
On March 24, the National Resistance forces announced the establishment of the Political Bureau. Headed by Tareq Saleh, details about the bureau and its membership are scarce. However, political figures present during the announcement included several well-known individuals from the General People’s Congress (GPC) party, the former ruling party under Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The announcement of the Political Bureau reflects the growing political ambitions of the National Resistance forces which, as part of the Joint Forces, control one of the most sensitive and significant areas of Yemen for the international community.
The formation of the Political Bureau has raised concern among some parties related to the potential resumption of the Saleh family’s role in Yemeni politics. The influence of the Saleh family had been on the wane since former president Saleh’s killing, with Saleh’s son Ahmad, who is based in the UAE, generally unable to address or mend the party’s internal divisions. With Tareq Saleh leading the Political Bureau, it has an opening to benefit from the symbolic political capital of the former ruling party and its former wide base of support.
The Political Bureau is not only competing with the remnants of the GPC on the political scene. It is a rival for the Houthi movement, given National Resistance’s mostly northern character. Among the pro-government camp, Islah in particular warily views the National Resistance, given its alignment with the UAE amid Abu Dhabi’s efforts to push back against political Islamist groups across the region, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood and its various local affiliates, including Islah. This tension can be also seen as an extension of a rivalry that surfaced during the 2011 Uprising, as Islah sought to project itself as the heir to Saleh’s GPC-led regime.
Tareq Saleh’s ability to translate the military influence of the National Resistance into actual political power remains unclear – by Maged Al-Madhaji
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/14282
(** B P)
Yemen and the Curse of Geography: Bab al-Mandab Disputed by Great Power Rivalries
The regional competition revolving around Bab al-Mandab and its coastal extension is affecting the course of the war in Yemen.
Yemen’s successive crises, conflicts, and general instability, which have beleaguered the country for decades now, raise the questions of how Yemen’s unique geography has contributed to its woes. Has a “curse of geography” caused Yemen’s collapse? In his book The Revenge of Geography, political and military expert Robert Kaplan described Yemen as an “all important heart,” attributing its instability to its strategic location and its topography. Kaplan’s opinion is seemingly supported by the raging conflicts currently taking place on ground.
This complicated set of circumstances requires a thorough examination of the role that geopolitics plays in the evolution of Yemen's regional relations, particularly with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, and Turkey
This famous gateway has witnessed various wars, conflicts, and struggles throughout its history, like the 1973 blocked of Iranian oil tankers headed to Israel during the October war.
Given its distinguished location, it is unsurprising that Yemen is key to China’s "Belt and Road" initiative, also known as the “New Silk Road.” The strategic location of Yemen’s islands and the ports of Aden and Mocha should put Yemen in an ideal position to establish partnerships and acquire business opportunities that would ensure its economic vitality.
While representatives of Hadi’s government signed a preliminary Memorandum of Understanding with China in 2019, the UAE interfered, assuming complete control of Yemen’s vital ports and islands - inhibiting Yemen’s ability to participate in the project. The UAE’s decision also infringes on Yemen’s sovereign right to pursue its economic interests. The UAE, meanwhile, is pursuing an ambitious strategic agenda that seeks to ensure that DP World, a Dubai company, has full control over both the Yemeni ports and the Bab al-Mandab strait. This could ensure that the area becomes a hub for UAE commercial activities, while allowing the Emirates to play the role of a regional protector through control of the flow of arms and support to proxy groups.
In presenting itself to the West and Israel as the guardian of the region, the UAE is attempting to compensate for the failing Gulf policy of dual containment against Iran and Turkey. The Emirates have no qualms about insinuating that the alternative to its presence would be either the Iran-backed Houthis or the Turkish-backed Islah party.
Yemen’s successive crises, conflicts, and general instability, which have beleaguered the country for decades now, raise the questions of how Yemen’s unique geography has contributed to its woes. Has a “curse of geography” caused Yemen’s collapse? In his book The Revenge of Geography, political and military expert Robert Kaplan described Yemen as an “all important heart,” attributing its instability to its strategic location and its topography. Kaplan’s opinion is seemingly supported by the raging conflicts currently taking place on ground.
The war in Yemen began on the March 26, 2015, when an Arab Coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched operation “Decisive Storm” to overthrow the Houthis and restore the internationally recognized government to power. Soon thereafter, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates extended their territorial control over vital and strategic areas in Yemen, forming and supporting political and military entities parallel to, and sometimes competing with, the government. Meanwhile, the Yemeni president Abed Rabo Mansour Hadi lives in exile in Riyadh under quasi-house arrest.
This complicated set of circumstances requires a thorough examination of the role that geopolitics plays in the evolution of Yemen's regional relations, particularly with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, and Turkey.
BAB AL-MANDAB
Strategically located on the Bab al-Mandab strait, Yemen has long been at the center of regional geopolitics. The strait separates Yemen and Djibouti, and Asia from Africa, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The strait is 30 kilometers (KM) wide and is divided into two channels by Perim Island; the western channel is 26 KM wide and 30 meters deep, and the eastern is 3 KM wide and 310 meters deep.
This famous gateway has witnessed various wars, conflicts, and struggles throughout its history, like the 1973 blocked of Iranian oil tankers headed to Israel during the October war. Bab al-Mandab’s significance drastically increased upon the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, which led to growth in the volume of international maritime trade. Its significance rose again following the discovery of oil in the Arabian Peninsula and the rise of trade from East Asia. The vital waterway is now a major artery of globalization as it connects Europe to the Indian Ocean and East Africa.
SILK ROAD
Given its distinguished location, it is unsurprising that Yemen is key to China’s "Belt and Road" initiative, also known as the “New Silk Road.” The strategic location of Yemen’s islands and the ports of Aden and Mocha should put Yemen in an ideal position to establish partnerships and acquire business opportunities that would ensure its economic vitality.
While representatives of Hadi’s government signed a preliminary Memorandum of Understanding with China in 2019, the UAE interfered, assuming complete control of Yemen’s vital ports and islands - inhibiting Yemen’s ability to participate in the project. The UAE’s decision also infringes on Yemen’s sovereign right to pursue its economic interests. The UAE, meanwhile, is pursuing an ambitious strategic agenda that seeks to ensure that DP World, a Dubai company, has full control over both the Yemeni ports and the Bab al-Mandab strait. This could ensure that the area becomes a hub for UAE commercial activities, while allowing the Emirates to play the role of a regional protector through control of the flow of arms and support to proxy groups.
In presenting itself to the West and Israel as the guardian of the region, the UAE is attempting to compensate for the failing Gulf policy of dual containment against Iran and Turkey. The Emirates have no qualms about insinuating that the alternative to its presence would be either the Iran-backed Houthis or the Turkish-backed Islah party. This policy was directly illustrated by the UAE’s 2017 military engagement with Yemeni forces to remove the Houthis and the Islah party from control of Bab al-Mandab.
CONTROLLING THE LAND
In February of 2020, Abu Dhabi officially announced the withdrawal of its troops from Yemen, but it is likely that Abu Dhabi will retain its influence, either directly or indirectly, in strategic areas of the country. Though the UAE vacated most of its facilities in Eritrea, it recently began building a military base with an airstrip on the Island of Perim. It has also created several political and military entities to solidify its presence and control, including the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in 2017, headed by Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, and more recently in March 2020, the Political Bureau of the National Resistance, headed by Brigadier General Tariq Saleh, which administers several non-state armed groups thought to include a total of about 200,000 fighters.
These UAE-backed entities effectively control southwestern Yemen. They enjoy the backing of international great powers that do not hesitate to make public diplomatic gestures to show their support.
The UAE's control of the strait also suggests that there will be an indirect Israeli presence, especially after relations between the two countries normalized. It is no secret that the Bab al-Mandab strait is as important to Israel as it is to Egypt, especially if the Ben Gurion Canal, the Red and Mediterranean Sea waterway that the Israelis are promoting as a potential rival to Suez Canal, is ever constructed.
The UAE, Turkey, Iran, and Qatar all find themselves entangled in the war in Yemen. The frantic conflicts among countries involved in Yemen’s tragedy are the direct result of greed and regional ambitions that have destroyed Yemen and could very well lead to its fragmentation. The UAE continues to play its role in Yemen with tacit blessings from the U.S.
Abu Dhabi’s ambassador in Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, responded that [we] “believe that America's role in our part of the world provides stability, provides security, provides jobs, provides ideas. And so, we're not only in the pro-U.S. camp. We are the cheerleaders of the pro-U.S. camp." Additionally, the Biden administration has decided to proceed on a $23 billion arms sale to the UAE that includes F-35 fighter jets.
This understanding between the two countries indicates that Bab al-Mandab, and other vital areas, are likely to remain under direct UAE control in violation of Yemeni sovereignty until Yemeni actors agree to a unified political position or an unexpected fundamental change in regional dynamics occurs – by Ammar Al Ashwal
https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/84558
(** B K P)
Socotra, denying rivals of refuge
As the battle for the city of Marib rages on, the fight over control of Socotra island once again threatens to divide the Arab Coalition supporting President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and de-rail the Riyadh Agreement. Renewed tensions on the Gulf of Aden archipelago are rooted in the political conflict between southern elements and the Sunni Islamist party al-Islah, far beyond the headline-grabbing narratives of a UAE ‘takeover’. Southerners, led by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), primarily aim at eliminating access to southern territory for al-Islah as the city of Marib is likely to fall to Houthi rebels.
The Island of Socotra, seen as a strategic territory along the Gulf of Aden path into Bab al-Mandab and a platform onto the Horn of Africa, has been highly coveted by maritime powers.
STC rival media outlets have mostly fueled these claims of a UAE grab.
The fight for Socotra is primarily an extension of efforts by the STC to remove all vestiges of elements affiliated with al-Islah from southern territories. It is framed as protection of the south from legacy political actors with a long history of antagonizing the southern population and sustaining the presence of terrorist elements across southern provinces. Not only do southerners vividly recall the role of al-Islah during the war of 1994, but more recently Adenis remind al-Islah of the heavy-handed suppression of peaceful protests by Governor Waheed Rasheed between 2012 and mid-2014. Furthermore, this perception of al-Islah was reinforced by evidence of tactics used by al-Islah officials in Aden. For example, in July 2013 a high-ranking official in charge of the National Dialogue admitted Aden security officials were purposefully detaining young Hirak activists in cells shared with Ansar al-Sharia members, exposing the young Hirakis to radicalization and recruitment by known terrorists.
A conflict with legacies
Nearly six years since the liberation of Aden, and four years since the establishment of the STC, southern elements continue to see an existential conflict with legacy actors, primarily with al-Islah. The opposition to the role of the Sunni Islamists within the Legitimate Government is at the root of their resistance aiming to restructure the center of power on the ground and not just in the political sphere.
Since 2017, elements of Hirak have attempted to draw a wedge between president Hadi and al-Islah, to no avail. Corruption, smuggling of oil and unpaid salaries across southern provinces have been at the center of accusations by STC against Ahmed Bin Dagher, current PM Maeen Abd al-Malek, members of the president’s inner circle and affiliates of al-Islah within the National Army. STC narrative of opposition and resistance remains rooted on the marginalization, if not complete expulsion, of legacy northern political forces like al-Islah from the south. Having pushed back the Houthi-Saleh forces in May 2015 from southern provinces of Abyan, Aden and Lahj, southern forces shifted their focus to the Sunni Islamist party al-Islah, a partner of president Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi
The relationship between the UAE and Yemen’s south is not new. Primarily sustained through migrants from southern provinces, many owning small businesses across the Emirates and some even serving in the armed forces. In 2015, some of these expats facilitated contact between the UAE military and members of the resistance fighting Houthis, helping to direct financial and military assistance leading to the liberation of Aden. In the case of Socotra, Sheikh Ghanim al-Zahki says about 30 percent of Socotra’s population reside in the UAE, most of them living in Ajman, among them, Socotri students studying at the expense of the UAE government. “There are historic ties between Socotra and the UAE, such ties date back to the sixties”, said al-Zahki, a prominent tribal figure in Socotra.
Like the situation on the mainland, the lack of development and the political spilling onto the island since the spark of the Arabi Spring in 2011, relations between Socotris and the UAE were facilitated and strengthened via delivery of aid.
These ties between the UAE and the people of Socotra undoubtedly facilitated support for the STC, as an extension of Hirak and opposition to the role of al-Islah on the island. While the governor appointed by president Hadi was able to rally support against the alleged incursion of UAE military on the island, local residents view “former governor Ramzi Mahroos and the former minister of Fishery, Fahd Saleem Kafayin Rafoon, [as] the Islah top leaders in Soqotra, along with Eisa Muslim”, according to a local resident.
Regional positioning and isolation
As pro-Hadi government forces continue to lose ground to Houthis in Marib, the potential fall of the provincial capital could deeply impact the geography of the conflict. While the conventional view on Houthi ambitions in Marib centers on territorial gains and control of the refinery and power station, the fall of Marib city would dislodge elements of al-Islah from northern territories. Southerners believe pro-Hadi forces and political allies would only have areas in the south as refuge.
By strengthening their position in Socotra since 2019, the STC aim to deprive al-Islah of vital territory for refuge if Marib falls to Houthis. As government forces are pushed east and south by Houthis, president Hadi once again faces a new challenge, and his dependence on al-Islah is again at risk. At the same time, the relationship between the UAE and Saudi Arabia is tested over the role of al-Islah. The emergence of new elements aligned with AQAP, highlighted by Houthis, southern security forces and US officials, has reinforced STC views on emerging threats along southern provinces. Western Hadhramawt is seen as ripe for a safe haven for terrorist elements, and the STC believe control of Socotra also deprives such actors of further territory in southern Yemen – by Ali Mahmoud and Fernando Carvajal
https://gulfstateanalytics.com/socotra-denying-rivals-of-refuge/
(** B K P)
Die Machenschaften der Rüstungswirtschaft – dargestellt an Rheinmetall. Mitten unter uns.
Rheinmetall ist der größte Waffen- und Munitionshersteller in der BRD, der Branchenprimus, und verkauft seine Produkte weltweit, auch in Krisengebiete und an kriegsführende Länder. Aber das ist doch verboten, oder etwa nicht?
Für Exportgenehmigungen ist der Bundessicherheitsrat zuständig. Der entscheidet in geheimer Sitzung nach dem Kriegswaffengesetz. Wenn exportierte Rüstungsgüter zu friedensstörenden Aktionen oder zu Angriffskriegen verwendet werden könnten, ist ihre Ausfuhr verboten. Lieferungen von Kriegswaffen in Länder, die in bewaffnete Auseinandersetzungen verwickelt sind oder wo eine solche droht, dürfen nicht genehmigt werden. Ob die Einschränkungen zutreffen, liegt im Ermessen des Bundessicherheitsrates.
Um die tödlichen Produkte im Zweifelsfall trotzdem weltweit zu verkaufen, muss Rheinmetall die Bestimmungen gegebenenfalls umgehen. Und das gelingt vortrefflich: Rheinmetall verlagert einfach die Produktion in Länder mit weniger strengen Regeln und wickelt seine Geschäfte über das Ausland ab. Rüstungsgüter, die in anderen Ländern produziert werden, unterliegen nicht der deutschen Rüstungsexport-Kontrolle.
Rheinmetall übernahm zu diesem Zweck etwa eine Fabrik in der Region Domusnovas/Iglesias auf Sardinien, die früher Sprengstoff für umliegende Bergwerke herstellte. Sie wurde 2010 von Rheinmetall übernommen und zur Herstellung von Bomben und Munition um- und ausgebaut. 2012 begannen die Exporte. RWM (Rheinmetall Waffe Munition) Italia ist ein hundertprozentiges Tochterunternehmen von Rheinmetall, eine deutsche Fabrik für die Herstellung und den Export von Waffen und Munition auf italienischem Boden.
Die Fabrik in Sardinien steht in einer armen Region mit hoher Arbeitslosigkeit. Die Politik freut sich über die Investitionen aus Deutschland und mit Geld und Arbeitsplätzen wird die Kritik an den hergestellten Bomben zum Verstummen gebracht. Keiner fragt, was mit den Bomben passiert, die dort hergestellt werden. Man stellt sie dort ja nur her, was andere dann damit machen, ist nicht unser Bier.
Deutsche Bomben im Jemen abgeworfen
2016 dann der Skandal. Auf dem Flughafen und im Seehafen von Sardinien wurden Bomben im Wert von 411 Millionen Euro für den Export an die saudische Armee verladen, Fliegerbomben für den Abwurf im Jemen, gegen den Saudi-Arabien bereits damals den heute noch andauernden völkerrechtswidrigen Angriffskrieg führte. Trümmer der Bomben wurden dann auch im Jemen gefunden und es konnte anhand der Seriennummern der Nachweis erbracht werden, dass diese in der Fabrik in Domusnovas hergestellt worden waren, was Rheinmetall auch bestätigte.
Der Verkauf von Bomben an Saudi-Arabien ist auch nach italienischem Recht verboten, da sie an ein Land im Kriegszustand geliefert wurden. Alles klar also, die Bomben dürfen da gar nicht hin geliefert werden. Alles illegal also?
Mitnichten. Die italienische Regierung redet sich damit heraus, dass die Bomben keine italienischen Bomben seien, sondern von einer deutschen Firma hergestellt wurden. Also sei Italien hier nicht zuständig. Die deutsche Regierung redet sich damit heraus, dass der Verkauf von einer Firma in Italien ausging. Sie sei nicht zuständig, von Deutschland aus sei nichts exportiert worden. Die Italiener sagen, die Bomben seien deutsche Produkte und die Deutschen sagen, es seien italienische. So umgehen beide Länder ihre eigenen Waffenexportbeschränkungen. Keine Regierung will damit zuständig sein. Saudi-Arabien bombardiert, Rheinmetall kassiert, der Jemen ist weit weg.
Nach jahrelanger Kampagnenarbeit, zahlreichen Petitionen, Demonstrationen, Blockadeaktionen und Gerichtsverfahren hat die italienische Regierung im Februar 2021 doch noch beschlossen, die bereits in den letzten Jahren erteilten Genehmigungen von Waffenexporten nach Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabische Emirate nicht nur auszusetzen, sondern ganz zu widerrufen. Zudem werden weiterhin keine neuen Lizenzen für diese Staaten von der italienischen Regierung erteilt.
Aber RWMI hat Klage gegen diesen Beschluss eingereicht und führt heuchlerisch die Gefahr für rund zweihundert Arbeitsplätze in der strukturschwachen Region an. Es steht zu befürchten, dass der Beschluss von einer neuen italienischen Regierung wieder gekippt wird. Das Netzwerk Frieden und Abrüstung fordert, den Exportstopp von Rüstungsgütern auf alle neun Mitglieder der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Militärkoalition gegen Jemen auszuweiten. (Die USA, Großbritannien und Frankreich unterstützen die Kriegskoalition zusätzlich zu diesen neun, ohne aber aktiv einzugreifen.)
Rheinmetall liefert Waffenfabriken in alle Welt
Wenn der Trick, die Exporte von eigenen Firmen im Ausland aus zu tätigen, auch nicht mehr geht, dann gibt es noch einen dritten Weg, um trotzdem Geschäfte mit fragwürdigen Waffenkunden zu machen: Rheinmetall verkauft einfach eine komplette Munitionsfabrik an das Zielland. Man verkauft kein Kriegsgerät mehr, sondern stellt ihnen gleich eine ganze Fabrik hin, dann können die vor Ort selber produzieren, was sie brauchen. Dafür ist Rheinmetall eigens eine Partnerschaft mit einem südafrikanischen Staatskonzern eingegangen: Denel, mit dem Rheinmetall 2008 ein Joint-Venture-Abkommen schloss, die RDM (Rheinmetall-Denel Munition). Was von hier nach Saudi-Arabien verkauft wird, unterliegt den Exportgesetzen Südafrikas. Auch in Südafrika sind die Investitionen des deutschen Rüstungskonzerns hochwillkommen. Auch hier sieht man nur die Arbeitsplätze.
Denel lieferte den Saudis eine schlüsselfertige Munitionsfabrik. Saudi-Arabien kann dort herstellen, was es will, und alle waschen sich ihre Hände in Unschuld.
Andrew Feinstein, ein ehemaliger südafrikanischer Abgeordneter, meint zum Deal mit Südafrika: „Die Ursprünge von Denel waren kriminell und das Geschäftsgebaren ist bis heute kriminell geblieben.“
Italien und Südafrika sind Schlüsselstandorte für Rheinmetall Defense für die Umgehung der deutschen Rüstungsexportbestimmungen – von Marco Wenzel
https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=72647
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(A H)
4 new cases of coronavirus reported, 6,662 in total
The committee also reported the death of three coronavirus patients, in addition to the recovery of 15 others.
971 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33007
(A H)
9 new cases of coronavirus reported, 6,658 in total
The committee also reported the death of three coronavirus patients, in addition to the recovery of 44 others.
1,125 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32999
(* A H)
17 new cases of coronavirus reported, 6,649 in total
The committee also reported the death of two coronavirus patients, in addition to the recovery of 22 others.
925 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32990
(* A H)
19 new cases of coronavirus reported, 6,632 in total
The committee also reported the death of one coronavirus patient, in addition to the recovery of 20 others.
1,630 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32986
(* A H)
20 new cases of coronavirus reported, 6,613 in total
The supreme national emergency committee for coronavirus reported on Thursday, 20 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in three governorates; al-Baidha (12), Taiz (4) and Hadramout (4).
The committee also reported the death of three coronavirus patients, in addition to the recovery of 39 others.
3510 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32979
(* A H P)
Coronavirus: Yemen’s Houthi rebels refuse to distribute vaccine as case numbers increase
Yemen’s Houthi rebels are refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine and distribute it in areas under their control, the country’s internationally recognised government said on Thursday.
A vaccination campaign began last month in government-held areas after authorities received their first shipment from the global Covax vaccine-sharing scheme. The country has received 360,000 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine and expects to get 1.9 million doses this year.
“The Houthis' refusal to receive the Covid-19 vaccine is threatening the lives of citizens in areas under their control,” said Ali Al Walidi, the undersecretary of Yemen’s Health Ministry, during an online meeting hosted by the World Health Organisation.
WHO representative in Yemen, Dr Adham Abdel-Moneim, said the rebels had rejected a plan to implement a joint campaign to vaccinate medics in areas under their control.
“Initially they agreed, under insistence, to accept 10,000 vaccine doses, but those could not be delivered after they stipulated that they must be distributed separately from our supervision,” he said.
Dr Abdel-Moneim said the Houthis accepted only 1,000 doses that were intended to be given to 500 doctors, on the basis that they would be vaccinated under the rebels' supervision.
and also https://republicanyemen.net/archives/27933
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25158.html
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* B P)
VICE, tell the whole story about Yemen!
CODEPINK is calling on VICE and reporter Isobel Yeung to tell the whole story about Yemen. Their recent reporting said nothing about the suffocating Saudi-led blockade!
On April 28th, VICE released a video titled “How Children in Yemen Became Collateral Damage.” Just by reading the title, we assumed the story would cover how the Saudi-led blockade on Yemen that is systematically starving Yemeni children is being used as a bargaining chip in peace negotiations. However, the video did not include any information or mention of the blockade. We will highlight specific concerns with the reporting below, and we are asking that you accurately cover the blockade on Yemen in order to balance out your reporting on the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, as well as issue a clarification for misrepresenting the children’s rehab center shown in the video.
Reporter Isobel Yeung responded to criticism by mentioning that in the video she stated that both sides have committed war crimes. Yeung did state this fact, but did not elaborate at all. Merely stating without elaborating does not equate to balanced reporting.
The most troubling aspect of the piece was when Yeung visited a rehab center for children. Yeung states vey matter of factly what the center is and what it strives to do. However, she left out very critical information. The center is funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the very country that is permanently harming children with airstrikes and starvation. There was no mention of this by the reporter, just a banner with the Saudi crest hanging in the background.
This piece was a combination of unbalanced and irresponsible reporting that must be corrected. We ask that you make clarifying statements regarding the children’s center shown in the video as well as release an equally investigative report on the effects of the Saudi-led blockade. We look forward to seeing how you will carry these demands out.
https://www.codepink.org/vice_petition?page=60&recruiter_id=720209
(A K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Human Rights Organization Calls for International Investigation Committee in Yemen
Entesaf Organization for Women and Child Rights condemned US-Saudi crimes against women and children in Sana'a and Sa'adah. It called for formation of an international investigation committee to investigate crimes of the US-Saudi aggression against unarmed civilians.
(* B P)
Can Yemen Once More Be a United Nation?
Unity Day, a public holiday commemorating the unification of North Yemen and South Yemen 31 years ago, fell on Saturday, amid a bitter civil war that began six and a half years ago.
Asked about the prospects for a return to that unity, Muhammad Hussein, a 59-year-old Yemeni businessman, told the Media Line, “There are already two governments, two banks and two banknotes between Sanaa and Aden, and you are still talking about unity.”
“After the unification, we in the north did not face any harassment when we worked or visited the southern regions. However, after 2015, and after the civil war between the southern forces and the Ansar Allah forces [the Houthis), the story changed,” Hussein said. “We became afraid of visiting the south to travel [through Aden International Airport] or to work; we became outcasts and we could place ourselves at risk just by disclosing that we are from the north.”
Hussein explained that his job in the south was suspended many times due to hate campaigns against northerners, and many northerners were forced to employ intermediaries to be able to do work in the south.
‘Separation is a reality on the ground’
Journalist Samah Lotf said Ansar Allah forces took control of most of the north and so enabled the STC, militarily and politically, to control the southern and eastern regions. In addition, there is the complete absence of the internationally recognized government, which is based outside Yemen.
In light of the deteriorating economic and development conditions in the southern regions, to the extent that the currency collapsed, electricity and water were cut off and diseases spread, the return of Yemeni unity would be a “miracle,” Lotf said.
“Separation has become a reality on the ground, waiting to be announced,” she said. “We are already living the reality of separation in everything. In addition to the existence of central institutions in both the north and the south, such as the Central Bank of Yemen, the House of Parliament, as well as separate government and financial transactions, the social fabric has become separated, especially in the southern regions. Everything has come to produce the separation scenario.”
‘The Southern issue is a people’s cause’
Some people from the south believe the unity project has ended and that the solution lies in the establishment of two states within the borders of Yemen as they were in May 1990. Many blame the deterioration of the social and economic situation in the south and the deterioration of the health and security situation throughout the country on northern actors and their leaders.
Bassam al-Qadi, a southern activist, told the Media Line, “The rectitude of the southern people’s cause and the legitimacy of its legal and human rights, and the injustices inflicted on the southerners, are the only guarantor of the re-establishment of the southern state and the return to the two-state solution within the borders of May 1990.
“The issue of the south is a people’s issue and the southerners’ rights to regaining their state will be given to them sooner or later,” he said.
“The reality today proves the existence of two states, one in the south and another in the north, despite the conditions of war and the country’s placement under Chapter VII,” Qadi said.
“There is no just peace, nor a comprehensive solution to the crises and war in Yemen, except through a two-state solution and the involvement of the south in the current negotiations,” Qadi said, adding that the international community knows full well there will be no peace and no cessation of war except through a south-north dialogue.
Radwan Jawar, a political scientist, agrees that separation is inevitable, in light of the “clinical death” of the unity project and the division into political and military components and alliances that reject the legitimacy of the internationally recognized government.
https://themedialine.org/by-region/can-yemen-once-more-be-a-united-nation/ = https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/can-yemen-once-more-be-a-united-nation-668977
(A P)
Yemeni gov't pessimistic at new talks on Safer FSO
Any new UN talks with the Houthis on the floating storage and offloading (FSO) facility Safer are doomed to fail, the Yemeni information minister tweeted on Friday.
Previous rounds of talks and facts have proved that the Houthi group does not know dialogue language, and that it uses Safer file for political bargain and blackmail, Moammar al-Eryani added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25182.html
(A K P)
Desert Mirage 3 Maneuvers between Royal Saudi Air Force, US Air Force, Concluded
Royal Saudi Air Force and the US Air Force have concluded their joint Desert Mirage 3 maneuvers, which witnessed a number of trainings on joint combat scenarios to face off emerging threats.
The training aimed to upgrade the level of joint combat readiness and deepen the ties of cooperation among the Saudi forces and the US forces, to reach the required deterrence to any possible attack that would threaten regional security and safety.
Participating in the maneuvers were Royal Saudi Air Force systems' fighters (F-15 S I, F15 C, Typhon and Tornado) as well as the systems of (Early warning, e-reconnaissance and refueling) and from the US side the systems of (F15, F16, F18 and AWACS).
The exercises also shed light on the air capabilities and operational integration, in addition to enhance the concept of air command and control, in a continuation of joint cooperation among the Saudi and US forces, to maintain the security and stability in the region.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2230169
My comment: Whow.
(A P)
Palestine achieved global victory says Yemen Nobel Laureate Tawakkol Karman
The Yemeni recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, activist Tawakkol Karman, announced on Friday: "The Palestinians have achieved a victory and a major global breakthrough."
Karman wrote in a post on her Facebook page: "The Palestinians have achieved a victory and a major global breakthrough for their cause…This is a big and significant victory that will make a difference."
She added: "But there are those who are very uneasy about this victory. Among them is the so-called axis of resistance, headed by the Mullahs of Qom (referring to Iran) and Hassan Nasrallah (leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah), and the opposite axis of normalisation, led by the rulers of Abu Dhabi."
(B K P)
Film: “Isn’t it time for the war to end?”
Mohammed Ali, 21, is using poetry to speak out for peace in Yemen. As children struggle with the impact of conflict and COVID-19, his words are more important than ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWrNmqK-_0Y
(B H K P)
ZDF, 16.6.2021: Jemen - Leben im Krieg
INFO, DOKUMENTATION • 16.06.2021 • 05:30 - 06:15
Der sogenannte vergessene Krieg im Jemen findet in internationalen Medien nur wenig Beachtung. Eine Reise vom Norden in den Süden zeigt den Alltag der Bevölkerung. Was sind seine wahren Ursachen? Ist es ein Bürgerkrieg, der zu einem Stellvertreterkrieg zwischen Iran und Saudi-Arabien geworden ist? Oder ein Stellvertreterkrieg, der in einen Bürgerkrieg ausartete? Welche Interessen halten ihn aufrecht?
https://www.prisma.de/tv-programm/Jemen-Leben-im-Krieg,29840082
(* B K)
Film: Why Yemen's civil war is about to get worse
More than six years after Houthi rebels seized Yemen's capital and forced its government into exile, a bloody civil war still rages across the country. Despite a Saudi-led bombing campaign that has destroyed Yemeni infrastructure and crippled its economy, the Houthis remain in control of most of the country's population centres.
The Guardian's Middle East correspondent, Bethan McKernan, explains why a new Houthi offensive could heap more misery on the millions of civilians caught in the crossfire.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x81d9xk
(* B K P)
Audio: SEPADPod With Nadwa Dawsari
On this episode of SEPADPod Simon speaks with Nadwa Al Dawsari, a conflict and policy analyst, and a specialist in Yemeni tribes with over 18 years of field experience in conflict management and civil society development in Yemen.
On this episode, Simon and Nadwa speak about Yemeni politics, the fragmentation of the state, the challenges of peace building and much more.
https://soundcloud.com/richardsoninstitute/sepadpod-with-nadwa-dawsari
My comment: As she is biased anti-Houthi, I assume you will realize it.
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(A K P)
Yemen experiences worst fuel crisis in 60 years: YPC
Yemen currently is suffering from the worst fuel crisis it has ever experienced in 60 years, causing the world's biggest humanitarian disaster as oil ships are still detained by the US-Saudi aggression coalition, the executive director of the Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) said Monday.
During a protest organized by the company's employees in front of the United Nations office in the capital Sana'a, Ammar al-Adhraei said that the forces of the US-Saudi aggression are still holding 5 oil ships, which are a ship loaded with fuel oil and 4 ships loaded with 116,236 tons of gasoline and diesel for varying periods of more than five months.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3141133.htm
(A K P)
Five fuel vessels still held by Saudi acts of piracy near Yemen
The Yemeni Petroleum Company (YPC) confirmed on Sunday that the Saudi-led coalition forces are still holding five fuel ships, including one loaded with mazut.
The company stated in a statement issued on Saturday night, that the coalition has confessed to the detention of five oil vessels with a total tonnage of 116,236 tons of gasoline and diesel for various periods, including in one case no less than five months (about 174 days) of unprecedented maritime piracy.
The statement indicated that all ships have obtained permits from the United Nations, and that the cargo complies with the conditions mentioned in the verification and inspection mechanism operations.
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B H)
Photo: Cash brings light to the displaced families in Yemen. Ali Mahmoud bought a solar panel and food with the cash he received from UNHCR. “This small solar energy that enabled me to light my house and bring joy to my children” shares Ali.
https://twitter.com/UNHCRYemen/status/1396810928176369673
(B H)
UNICEF Yemen Humanitarian Situation Report - reporting period 1 – 31 March 2021
Highlights
The humanitarian situation in Ma’rib continued to be of concern, and with various waves of violence during the reporting period, the situation showed no signs of improvement. People’s lives remained to be impacted every day by fighting, and thousands were being displaced from their homes and displacement sites. Conflict continued as well as in Al Hodeidah, Taizz, and Al Jawf.
In March, 30,317 IDPs were displaced, with the majority of displacement waves coming from Ma’rib, Al Hodeidah, Taizz and Al-Jawf, as internal displacement within governorates towards safer districts increased.
The Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) reached an additional 3,500 newly displaced families, 2,200 families of which were in Ma’rib
(* B H)
WFP ramps up support to Yemen's famine risk areas
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is increasing the level of food assistance in Yemen’s worst hunger hotspots in an effort to prevent a devastating famine. But the agency’s ability to sustain the response to the end of the year remains uncertain.
“The continued fragility in Yemen, compounded by the persistent driving factors of food insecurity has left Yemen acutely vulnerable to worsening levels of hunger – and famine conditions,” said Laurent Bukera, WFP Country Director for Yemen. “Escalating conflict, economic decline, rising global commodity prices and COVID-19 have all contributed to an alarming increase in acute hunger over the last year.”
Nearly 50,000 people in Yemen are already living in famine-like conditions and 5 million people are in immediate danger. A child dies every 10 minutes of preventable diseases such as diarrhoea, malnutrition and respiratory tract infections.
Responding to these acute needs, WFP resumed monthly distributions to 350,000 people in 11 districts facing famine-like conditions (IPC5) in February.
In April and May this year, after new funds were confirmed, WFP began increasing assistance to nearly 6 million people in the nine governorates with the highest rates of ‘emergency’ food insecurity (IPC4): Hajjah, Al Jawf, Amran, Al Hodeidah, Raymah, Al Mahwit, Sa’ada, Dhamar and Taiz. From June, these people will again receive the full ration every month.
WFP supports a total of 12.9 million people with food assistance in Yemen, prioritising areas with the highest rates of food insecurity and providing rapid support to families displaced by conflict, such as in the Marib governorate. But in April 2020, in a challenging operating environment and facing reduced funding, WFP was forced to stop providing assistance every month, and instead provide it every two months, in the northern areas of Yemen.
This year, donors have so far stepped up with nearly $947 million for WFP’s famine prevention effort in Yemen, including large-scale support from the US, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and European Union.
https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-ramps-support-yemens-famine-risk-areas
and also https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1092602
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/wfp-yemen-situation-report-4-april-2021
(A H P)
WFP drops 38000 from beneficiaries list in Yemen government-held Marib
The World Food Program has dropped 38,000 people from its beneficiaries list in the Yemeni government-held province of Marib, a local official said, accusing the UN agency of “receiving orders from its main headquarters in the Houthi-militant controlled Sana’a.
Sayf Muthanna Hassan, the director of the Executive Unit for Management of IDPs Camps told Awam Online news website in an interview that the WFP has also “failed to add 18 thousand new IDPs” in the province to its monthly aid list.
“The WFP has dropped the food rations of 38 thousand people as of last March and has not restituted it despite the approaches to its office in the province,” he elaborated.
“The WFP has not assumed its responsibility toward the IDPs in the province of over two million IDPs as of early 2020, save a limited intervention this week: Transferring the food rations for Majzar and Madghal districts to the liberated districts.”
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46826
My comment: Islah Party propaganda mixing this with an anti-WHO conspiracy theory.
(B H)
Yemen: Education Cluster Gap Analysis (January - April 2021)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-education-cluster-gap-analysis-january-april-2021
Yemen: Education Cluster Coverage and GAP Analysis (as of April, 2021)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-education-cluster-coverage-and-gap-analysis-april-2021
Yemen: Education Cluster Humanitarian Response Dashboard (January - April 2021)
(B H)
Yemen Women Protection AoR Services, Apr 2021
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-women-protection-aor-services-apr-2021
Yemen Women Protection AoR Services, Jan- Apr 2021
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-women-protection-aor-services-jan-apr-2021
(B H)
Photos: “Everything in your life changes. You can no longer give your children comfort and proper food.” Salem was a fisherman, but #Yemen's fishing industry has been yet another casualty of the war. Everyday life gets harder for millions trapped by the #YemenCrisis.
https://twitter.com/WFPYemen/status/1395719445864144896
(B H)
Film: His leg was amputated and the other was broken by a Houthi mine ... Hassan is a disabled citizen who works on a motorcycle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6EHCcbK_WY
(A H P)
ICRC responds to accusations of supporting Houthis
The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday the essence of its mission is to help victims in conflict zones impartially.
The statement on Twitter was made after the ICRC was accused of helping the Iran-allied Houthi group which has been fighting the forces of the internationally recognised government since it seized the capital Sanaa in late 2014.
The ICRC and the Yemeni Red Crescent Society assistance to the victims of the armed conflict is impartial and need-driven, it said, adding that the Yemen Red Crescent is a national society that works as one body in 22 governorates.
We have recently supported them with 5 ambulances in Marib, Dhale, and Al Turbah and Mokha in Taiz, it said. 4 ambulances were provided to the society in Hajjah, Dhamar, Raymah and Hodeida, as part of our continued support to strengthen their response, it added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25132.html
(* B H)
First Person: ‘God save us from famine’
The conflict in Yemen forced Asia El-Sayeed Ali and her family from her home in Aden’s Al Tawahi district, where there was active fighting, in 2015. Today, she works at a health clinic supported by the World Food Programme (WFP), where she cares for children, and their mothers, suffering from malnutrition.
Malnutrition in Yemen has increased dramatically since the beginning of the war. Food prices are increasing with each new day, diseases are everywhere, life is becoming harder every day.
In the current situation the cost of food is very high, and there are people who can’t buy cheese or eggs for their children, or can’t find anything to eat at all.
Those of us who are lucky enough to have salaried work can’t cope with the situation: I can’t imagine what it’s like for those who don’t get a monthly pay cheque.
We pray to God to save us from famine. All those who face poverty and hunger are exhausted. When I see a child, who is suffering from malnutrition, I find them very weak, in the beginning. When a child has malnutrition, they become less active and lethargic, and they lag behind others in their education level.
If you could see them, your heart would break. When I look at them, I imagine my son in this position. Imagine having a seven-month-old child weighing just three kilograms. When I try to weigh them, I find it difficult to carry them. I ask the mothers how they are managing, and they tell me that they rely on God.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1091772
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwQlV0-YXEU&t=1s
(B H)
Yemeni Development Network for NGOs (YDN) Monthly Bulletin, March and April 2021
Highlights
1) Health and Nutrition Program:
- Closing primary health services project in Kharif and Raydah district in Amran governorate.
2) WASH Program:
- Septic tank in Al Udayn district of Ibb governorate successfully constructed.
- Conducting the regular Cleaning campaign rounds in Al Udayn district of Ibb governorate.
3) Shelter Program:
- The final round of rental subsidies was distributed for 680 households of vulnerable IDPs, in Al Udayn, Mudhikhera and Jiblah Districts, Ibb Governorate in March.
- YDN conducted S/NFIs distribution for 257 newly displaced families in Al Jubah district, Marib governorate under the contingency core-pipeline.
(B H)
Karte: Hunger im Jemen
https://www.gmx.net/magazine/infografiken/hunger-jemen-35828390
(B H)
This is how the bodies of most of the residents of Hodeidah became due to the heat of the weather and the power cuts, Obeid Al-Sayed and Musharafi in Al Hudaydah are striving to loot zakat, run convoys of the war effort, collect donations from citizens, and prevent them from providing the simplest services. And whoever wants electricity, he must connect it from commercial stations at a double price (photo)
https://twitter.com/baseem_aljenani/status/1394809218021089284
(B H)
World Bank: Social Protection and Jobs Responses to COVID-19 : A Real-Time Review of Country Measures (May 14, 2021)
The eighth payment cycle of the Yemen Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) project was launched on 27 June. During this payment cycle, humanitarian support was provided for a onetime top-up to the beneficiary amount to help beneficiaries cope with the COVID-19 global pandemic. The top-up amount was approximately 45 per cent of the beneficiaries’ quarterly base amount. As of 22 July, 1.418 million beneficiaries received their benefits with this top-up, which correspond to about 89 per cent of all cash recipients. Different COVID-19 preventative measures, identified through a thorough risk mitigation exercise, are in place to ensure the safety of beneficiaries and project personnel. Beneficiaries were requested to cover their nose and mouth, to maintain physical distancing while queuing and inside the payment sites and to use the provided hand sanitiser before entering and after collecting their cash. All project staff are using protective gear (masks and gloves) and a strong scheduling and crowd management mechanisms were put in place to prevent crowding at the payment sites.
In response to the curfew, the school feeding programme modality from WFP has been shifted to take-home rations, covering more than 393,000
anf if the link does not work: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/281531621024684216/social-protection-and-jobs-responses-to-covid-19-a-real-time-review-of-country-measures-may-14-2021
and
(* B H)
World Bank Reveals Aid Distribution Flaws in Yemen
The coverage rate of all humanitarian programs combined is sufficient to cover the entire Yemeni people, a recent World Bank report revealed, basing its conclusion on data released by the International Organization for Migration.
According to the study, some families are not receiving aid due to a lack of coordination.
The study said that exclusion could be reduced significantly by improving inter-agency coordination and by aligning the values of joint transfers according to the requirements of geographic targeting and target families.
It suggested that many families are receiving benefits from more than one program and that several may not be receiving any aid at all.
The size of duplication of beneficiaries in programs cannot be estimated without a representative survey, the study explained, recommending the setting up of detailed household or integrated recipient databases.
Published on Saturday, the study revealed that the percentage of families receiving aid is concentrated in the governorates of Marib, Hajjah, and Lahj.
By phone, 20%-30% of the participants surveyed through a vulnerability analysis by the World Food Program (WFP) reported not receiving any aid in 2020.
While the study showed that only 2.4% of the population reported receiving emergency food aid in 2014, the WFP’s in-kind food aid program alone covered around 26% percent of the Yemenis.
At least 1.39 million families received humanitarian relief from the WFP in 2020.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32965
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B H)
IOM Yemen: Ma’rib Response (28 April - 15 May 2021)
Over the past two weeks, conflict trends in Ma’rib have remained relatively the same with fighting concentrated across northwest, west and south-west of Ma’rib city; affecting people in Sirwah district the most. IOM teams have recorded more than 2,650 households (HHs) becoming displaced from or within the Sirwah district since February 2021, and in the first two weeks of May, 121 HHs within Sirwah alone. In total, some 2,912 HHs (20,384 individuals) are estimated to have been displaced across the governorate since February 2021. These numbers reflect those that have been registered by Rapid Response Mechanism teams, and reports indicate that the figures could be higher, as IOM continues to record new arrivals across various sites.
The rate of displacement is concerning, as the humanitarian and protection situation spirals and heavy rains are expected in the coming weeks. The types of shelters in some internally displaced persons (IDP) hosting sites (a majority being tents) will likely not withstand heavy storms and partners anticipate a further widening of shelter and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) gaps. IOM and partners estimate that the forecasted heavy rains and flooding will affect at least 90 per cent of IDPs living in formal/informal sites. In Al Sowayda IDP site, where the majority of the IDPs from Al Mil area in Sirwah are settling, there are large WASH and health gaps. The IDP site was affected by heavy storms in April when at least 512 shelters were destroyed. Since then, families who lost their household items and belongings are residing in makeshift shelters or sharing with others, relying on neighbourly support to survive. In addition to the need for an immediate shelter response, the site requires urgent flood risk reduction installations.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-ma-rib-response-28-april-15-may-2021
(A H)
IDP camp destroyed by fire in Hodeidah
A huge fire broke out in al-Zahra's internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Hodeidah governorate on Sunday.
The fire engulfed dozens of homes made of mud and thatch in al-Zahra's IDP camp which located in a Houthi-controlled area of Hodeidah, local sources said.
All the small wooden houses had been damaged along with the properties of the displaced people, the sources affirmed.
The same sources added that the Houthi authorities in the area ignored the disaster and they did not intervene to put out the fire or even help the affected IDPs.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32998
(B H)
Yemen Snapshot: Ma'rib Governorate Response to Newly Displaced Families (As of 30 April 2021)
Most newly displaced people lived in displacement sites and reported being displaced for the third or fourth time. Aid partners continue to respond to the needs of displaced families. As of 30 April , partners provided Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) assistance to 2,588 families, emergency food assistance to 4,813 families in need, and clean water to 1,664 families.
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A K P)
The [Saudi coalition] Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Hand-over and Repatriation of A Child Recruited by the Terrorist, Iran-backed Houthi Militia to the Legitimate Yemeni Government.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2230774
(A P)
Ansarullah Leader: Israel Will Suffer More Defeats Until Final Victory Achieved
Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi made the remarks in a Sunday live speech while addressing a ceremony held to inaugurate Ansarullah movement’s summer courses, which was attended by teachers and scholars, presstv reported.
Referring to plots hatched by the United States and Israel against Muslim nations, Houthi said, “We are facing an aggression supervised by the United States, planned by Israel and Britain, and implemented by their mercenaries”.
Elaborating on the latest round of military conflict between Israel and Palestinian resistance groups in the besieged Gaza Strip, the Ansarullah leader said, “The Israeli political circles have admitted that what happened in this round [of military conflicts] was a victory for the [Palestinian] resistance and a defeat for the Israeli enemy”.
and
(A P)
Sayyed Abdulmalik: Ready to Share all Life Necessities with Our Brothers in Palestine
The leader of the revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, called for continuing the campaign to gather donations and with coordination with the representatives of Palestine in Sana'a. He pointed out the Yemenis readiness to share all life necessities including food with our brothers in Palestine. He went even further to say that "the Yemeni people will put them ahead ourselves."
(A P)
Bin Habtoor: Countries Involved in Aggression Continuing Their Projects to Tear Yemen Apart
(A P)
Houthi warns to intensify attacks if Saudi siege continues
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi a member of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen warned the Saudi-led coalition of intensifying attacks in case of continuation of its attacks against Yemen and siege of this country.
In a tweet on Sunday, he pointed to the new sanctions imposed by the US Department of Treasury against two Yemeni commanders of the Ansarullah Movement and wrote, “Sanctions do not frighten Yemeni fighters. If your siege and aggression continue, we may target places that some member countries of the aggressor coalition do not expect."
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/173821/Houthi-warns-to-intensify-attacks-if-Saudi-siege-continues
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25199.html
(A K P)
The Houthi extremist militia have finalized preparations to launch summer camps next week and recruit tens of thousands of schoolchildren between the ages of 10 and 16 years old to attend the radicalization courses. /Almeethaq News website.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46825
(A P)
Infighting within Houthis: 76 Houthi leaders have been killed so far this year./Almashehad Alyemeni.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46825
(A P)
Yemeni Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtoor: invaders covet Yemen’s strategic location and natural wealth
Prime Minister of Yemen, Dr. Abdulaziz Saleh bin Habtoor, said on Saturday that “the countries attacking Yemen covet its strategic location and natural wealth, and are still continuing to draw up their projects to tear apart the Yemeni homeland and its national unity.”
(* B P)
Yemen: between war and Houthi abuses
The Houthi militia's crimes significantly aggravate the situation of Yemen's civilian population, which has been facing a war since 2014
On the other hand, Yemenis suffer from constant human rights violations by the Houthis.
These crimes against humanity include mass killings, looting, rape, torture and kidnapping. Some of the groups targeted by the Houthis include academics, politicians and journalists. On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Rights Radar recalled that last year there were 143 cases of abuses against journalists, including three cases of murder. Some of these reporters are behind bars on death row. The interiors of Yemeni prisons are also overcrowded with civilians and prisoners of war. Rights Radar noted that the Houthis have held more than 1,000 civilians, many of whom have been tortured to death. According to the Amsterdam-based organisation, the Houthis use torture to gather information about enemy sides, intimidate, psychologically destroy victims and, of course, indoctrinate through brainwashing. The latter plays a key role in indoctrinating minors to join armed groups.
https://atalayar.com/en/content/yemen-between-war-and-houthi-abuses
(A P)
Mohammed al-Houthi: The US should sanction Zionist entity rather than Yemen
Al-Houthi said: “I call on America to place the figures of the defeated Zionist entity on the sanctions list, as they are responsible for the annihilation of peace in Palestine after the aggression against Al-Aqsa and the occupied Palestinian people.”
(A P)
Yemeni Foreign Minister speaks with European Parliament representative
Foreign Minister of Yemen, Hisham Sharaf Abdullah, has on Thursday held a closed-circuit television meeting with the Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of the European Parliament, Maria Arena.
(B P)
Over 4,000 violations committed by Houthis in Sana’a within 3 months
A [Hadi] government report has documented more than 4,000 violations committed by Houthis during the first quarter of 2021 in the capital Sana’a.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46792
(A P)
Film: A large public demonstration in the city of #Taiz in solidarity with the Palestinian people and denounces the crimes committed by the Zionist occupation authorities.
https://www.facebook.com/lamees55/posts/4153546837999832
(* B P)
Report: Trained by years of guerilla war, Yemen’s Houthis want to export their revolution to Palestine
Ansar Allah, who has enjoyed staggering success in staving off the wholesale invasion of their country by the U.S.-backed Saudi military, is eager to export its resistance mentality and battlefield knowledge to Palestine.
Many Yemenis see the Palestinian protests, as well as the barrages of Hamas rockets into Israel, as heroic retaliation on a par with their own resistance against the heavily armed Saudi-led Coalition. “We shouldn’t let Palestinians drink from the same cup [as we do]. So any Yemeni military intervention against Israel will make me happy and give me hope of an eventual victory,” Ayesh said in the wake of Ansar Allah’s announcement that Yemen is ready to provide military support to the Palestinian resistance.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the movement’s leader, announced Ansar Allah’s stance on May 11.
Hoping to turn the tide
Ansar Allah, which has enjoyed extraordinary grassroots success in staving off the wholesale invasion of their country by the U.S.-backed Saudi military, is eager to export their resistance mentality and battlefield knowledge to Palestine. They see the Palestinian struggle as part of a broader campaign to violate the sanctity of Muslims around the world and hope to turn the tide by supporting the Palestinian resistance to Israel through transfer of battlefield know-how, specifically the use of ballistic missiles and armed drones, to fight a highly-advanced enemy equipped with the latest Western weapons. Ansar Allah was able to leverage these neo-guerrilla tactics to inflict a painful toll on the Saudi-led Coalition and, many experts believe, force them to the negotiating table
The Yemeni army, loyal to Ansar Allah, has reportedly now developed its arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones to a point where they are capable of hitting targets inside of Israel.
Now is the time
Signs of an imminent Israeli attack on Yemen seem closer than ever, according to statements by Israeli officials as reported by MintPress in January. Many Yemeni military experts who spoke with MintPress say that there is an increasing feeling within Ansar Allah that they should not wait for Israel to surprise them and that, if preemptive measures must be taken, now is the time to strike — both because of Israel’s ongoing violence against Palestinians and because the move could provide Ansar Allah much-needed support from the Arab world for its resistance against Israeli aggression, especially in light of the spate of highly unpopular normalization efforts between Israel and Arab governments.
(A P)
Iranian, Yemeni Diplomats Discuss Peace Process in Yemen
Senior Assistant to Iranian Foreign Minister in Special Political Affairs Ali Asghar Khaji and Deputy Foreign Minister of Yemen’s National Salvation Government Hussein al-Azzi exchanged views on plans to facilitate the peace negotiations in Yemen.
(* A P)
Houthis Detain Dozens of Yemenis for Tearing Down Posters of Khamenei, Soleimani, Nasrallah
The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen have detained dozens of people in the Mahwit province for tearing down posters of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, slain Iranian commander Qassem
Yemeni human rights sources said the posters had been posted by the Houthis.
“The residents of the village were outraged by the Iranian posters and Khomeini slogans that the Houthis have put up in all areas under their control, including schools, mosques, landmarks and state offices,” they added.
residents, therefore, decided to tear up the posters.
The move prompted a crackdown by the Houthis.
ACJ said this incident terrorized children and women after the heavily armed gunmen broke into houses and the village mosque and detained 42 citizens to a secret Houthi detention center.
“The abductees were subjected to inhuman treatment as well as physical and psychological torture with the aim of forcing them to confess that they were responsible for blurring some of the slogans of the Houthi group on some of the walls of village’s houses and the wall of the mosque beside tearing pictures of Houthi and Iranian leaders, including Soleimani and Nasrallah,” the Center said.
It quoted a relative of one of the abductees as saying: “It was a night of terror.
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2980801/houthis-detain-dozens-yemenis-tearing-down-posters-khamenei-soleimani-nasrallah = http://en.adenpress.news/news/32973
(A P)
Yemeni group donates Houthi-seized US$ 4 million for Palestine
The Yemeni Canaan Association on Monday donated a part of its funds held by the Houthi group in Sana'a for Palestine.
Canaan's chairman, Yahiya Mohamed Abdullah Saleh (nephew of Yemen's late president), allocated 2.4 billion Yemeni rials (more than US$ 4 million) from the Association funds in donation for Palestinians, the Association said in a statement seen by Debriefer.
The funds are transferable from Canaan's account, in the Yemeni Cooperative Agricultural Credit (CAC) Bank, in favor of the Palestinian Cause, the statement added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25106.html
(B P)
We hear a lot about how Houthis emerged to resist the salafi "invasion" of a Zaydi stronghold in the north. It is often cited to explain Houthis violent rise to power. That is half of the story. Here is the other half (text in image)
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1394978145598648322
(* B P)
[from 2017]: Identity Conflicts in Kurdish and Houthi Ethnic Groups
This paper investigates the role of identity in shaping violent conflicts by comparing Houthis in Yemen and Kurds in Iraq. The paper will initially explain identity and identity politics by focusing on theories of identity as being in flux and a way of organising society into smaller groups. Thus, identity politics is based on ethnic exclusions and mobilising ethnic groups to achieve territorial claims. Moreover, this paper argues that weak central governments and power-sharing disagreements can encourage people to focus on identity politics leading to conflict. The paper will then present a new analytical tool developed by Landon Hancock (2016), to understand and analyse identity-driven conflicts. The model suggests that individuals have primary core identity and several less salient role identities that are ordered hierarchically. Conflict susceptibility is increased when the core identity is threatened.
https://www.academia.edu/33575372/Identity_Conflicts_in_Kurdish_and_Houthi_Ethnic_Groups
(* B H)
Trained by Years of Guerilla War, Yemen’s Houthis Want to Export Thier Revolution to Palestine
Ansar Allah, who has enjoyed staggering success in staving off the wholesale invasion of their country by the U.S.-backed Saudi military, is eager to export its resistance mentality and battlefield knowledge to Palestine.
The recent Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza came at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and in the wake of Israel’s forced expulsion of dozens of Palestinians from their homes in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The timing of the move has agitated the Yemeni public, who share a strong sense of solidarity and kinship with the Palestinians on religious grounds and through a shared sense of brotherhood borne of having to endure violence and oppression with little support from the international community.
In Yemen’s capital city of Sana’a, hundreds of thousands of residents from the suburbs and neighboring towns gathered at Bab al-Yemen, the city’s main square, carrying Palestinian flags and holding banners encouraging Hamas to continue its campaign of pressure against Israel. In Hodeida, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets despite the ever-present threat of incoming artillery shells, snipers’ bullets, and Saudi warplanes hovering above.
Many Yemenis see the Palestinian protests, as well as the barrages of Hamas rockets into Israel, as heroic retaliation on a par with their own resistance against the heavily armed Saudi-led Coalition. “We shouldn’t let Palestinians drink from the same cup [as we do]. So any Yemeni military intervention against Israel will make me happy and give me hope of an eventual victory,” Ayesh said in the wake of Ansar Allah’s announcement that Yemen is ready to provide military support to the Palestinian resistance.
Ansar Allah, which has enjoyed extraordinary grassroots success in staving off the wholesale invasion of their country by the U.S.-backed Saudi military, is eager to export their resistance mentality and battlefield knowledge to Palestine. They see the Palestinian struggle as part of a broader campaign to violate the sanctity of Muslims around the world and hope to turn the tide by supporting the Palestinian resistance to Israel through transfer of battlefield know-how, specifically the use of ballistic missiles and armed drones, to fight a highly-advanced enemy equipped with the latest Western weapons. Ansar Allah was able to leverage these neo-guerrilla tactics to inflict a painful toll on the Saudi-led Coalition and, many experts believe, force them to the negotiating table.
The Yemeni army, loyal to Ansar Allah, has reportedly now developed its arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones to a point where they are capable of hitting targets inside of Israel.
Ansar Allah’s threats should not be taken lightly; the group is known to strike sensitive targets without hesitation.
Signs of an imminent Israeli attack on Yemen seem closer than ever, according to statements by Israeli officials as reported by MintPress in January. Many Yemeni military experts who spoke with MintPress say that there is an increasing feeling within Ansar Allah that they should not wait for Israel to surprise them and that, if preemptive measures must be taken, now is the time to strike — both because of Israel’s ongoing violence against Palestinians and because the move could provide Ansar Allah much-needed support from the Arab world for its resistance against Israeli aggression, especially in light of the spate of highly unpopular normalization efforts between Israel and Arab governments.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/yemen-ansar-allah-export-guerilla-tactics-palestine/277183/ = https://english.almasirah.net/post/19581/Trained-by-Years-of-Guerilla-War%2C-Yemen-s-Houthis-Want-to-Export-Thier-Revolution-to
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
President Al-Zubaidi chairs an important meeting to discuss the deteriorating economic situation in the south
During the meeting, Commander Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi stressed that the Southern Transitional Council senses the suffering of the people of the south, lives their pain, stands firmly with them, and adopts their legitimate demands, indicating that the Southern Transitional Council, with all its capabilities and capabilities, will be on the side of the proud southern people. President Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi called on all state institutions and security agencies in the capital, Aden and the southern governorates, to actively stand by the citizen and carry out their duties, and to harness all available resources to alleviate the suffering of the people of the south, and lift the burden off their shoulders. President Al-Zubaidi affirmed that the Southern Transitional Council will not stand idly by on the suffering of our southern people, and that it will have a firm and decisive stance to ensure that our southern people have a decent life by securing the basic needs and requirements of security and stability.
https://stcaden.com/news/14759
Comment: Note the tone toward the Yemeni government. Tensions are high lately.
https://twitter.com/ElanaGulf/status/1396866677044879362
(A E P)
Annual meetings between Govt, IMF's mission kicked off
The first session of the annual meetings between the Yemeni government and the mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) started on Monday, said the state news agency Saba.
The discussions co-chaired by Minister of Finance Salim bin Boreik and the Head of the mission for Middle East and Central Asia Bert Reiner.
The sessions are being held via video conference from May 24 through June 3.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33006
(A P)
Shabwa-armed-confrontations-between-southern-resistance-backed-by-tribes-and-muslim-brotherhood-militia-in-laqmoosh
(A P)
Yemeni Minister of Information Calls on Int'l Community to Designate Houthi Militia as Terrorist Organization
Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muammar Al-Iryani called on the international community to designate the Houthi Militia as a terrorist organization, adding that the recently-imposed sanctions on a number of Iran-backed Houthi militia leaders, reaffirmed the US administration's move towards rescinding its decision to revoke designing the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization.
He said that the US decision was a step basically taken to encourage Houthi militia to engage in the endeavor exerted to bring about tranquility and peace in Yemen, but the militia deemed it a green light for further escalation, politically as well as militarily.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2230855
(A P)
Leaders-of-the-transitional-council-return-to-the-southern-capital-aden
(A P)
Planning Minister calls on UNICEF to relocate its HQ in Aden
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32996
(A P)
UAE-backed occupation force on Socotra bans peaceful protests
The so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the UAE, has prohibited the activities of a peaceful sit-in committee in Socotra province.
A statement issued Saturday by the STC security committee said that the peaceful sit-in committee “represents a danger to the social fabric, establishes a culture of hatred for neighbouring countries and harms Socotra’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”
(A P)
Southern forces seize 26 northern passengers in Aden
Southern forces of the Transitional Southern Council (TSC) on Sunday seized 26 northern passengers in Aden.
The forces of TSC did not reveal the reasons for seizing the passengers so far, but in recent years hundreds of northerners coming to work in southern provinces are intercepted and abused by TSC’s forces.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-46856
and
(A P)
Arbitrary aggression against Yemeni civilians in Aden causes dismay
The [Sanaa gov.] Media Center for the Southern Provinces has condemned the practices of the Saudi-Emirati aggression coalition militias in
Al-Alam, which is located at the eastern entrance to the port city of Aden, southern Yemen.
In a statement, the center said that dozens of families and citizens were subjected to multiple violations, which varied between being prevented from entering the city of Aden to the detaining women, children and the elderly, and the threatening of those who reject these provocative practices with physical violence and arrest if they do not return to where they came from.
The center denounced the regional practices against women, children, elderly and sick travelers in Al-Alam point three days ago, considering such practices threaten the lives of dozens of patients who went to Aden for the purpose of traveling abroad to receive treatment.
“The timing of the resumption of these racist practices coincides with the escalation of street anger against the war of services led by the aggression countries and their mercenary tools in the southern provinces,” the statement explained.
(A K P)
Saudi foreign forces have occupied shipping and exchange outlets in Al Mahrah, obstructing exports between Yemen and the Sultanate of #Oman,and imposing restrictions and laws against the lives of the people and travelers in a provocative manner
https://twitter.com/anesmansory/status/1396030664252829702
(* A P)
Military conflict looms in southern Yemen as tension rises between rivals: sources
Military confrontations between forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Yemen's government became imminent amid rising tensions over the control of key areas, a military official told Xinhua on Saturday.
Tensions escalated in the wake of recent government's accusations to the STC on refusing to implement a Saudi-brokered deal signed between the two rivals in 2019.
"The government and the STC dispatched heavy troops backed by armored vehicles to areas near the coastal town of Shuqrah that's located on the Arabian Sea," the source said on condition of anonymity.
"The two sides are currently blaming each other for truce breaches and failure to implement the remaining security provisions of Riyadh deal," he said.
He said the STC's troops were fully prepared and ready to engage in new armed confrontations against the government forces in the country's south.
On the other side, the government forces raised the level of combat readiness of some units in an attempt to prevent the STC's troops from advancement on-ground and seizing new key southern areas, according to the official.
Another security official confirmed to Xinhua that the relationship between the two rivals representing the country's recent power-sharing government has strained further as the STC's troops tightened its grip over the Socotra Archipelago, an area officially part of Yemen.
"The STC that's part of Yemen's government heavily deployed its military units and tightened the security measures in the strategic Socotra Island," the official said anonymously.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-05/22/c_139963776.htm
(A P)
Shatara: Fighting Southerners' rights is legitimacy's only project
Yemen's legitimacy [Hadi gov.] no longer has any political or military project to fight the Houthis who schemed against it, said the member of the Presidency of the [separatist] Southern Transitional Council (STC), Vice-President of the National Assembly for Control and Inspection, Lufti Shatara.
He explained in a tweet on Friday that "the only political and military project of Yemen's legitimacy is fighting the South; war on services, instigation and using its instruments for the destruction of the political project of the Southerners and their right to the restoration of their state through the STC's political vision."
Shatara concluded his tweet by saying " No matter what they do, the South will triumph".
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32985
(A P)
Al Zubaidi delivers an important speech on the 27th anniversary of announcing the end of the unity
President Aidaros Qassem Al Zubaidi, President of the [separatist] Southern Transitional Council, Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the Southern Security forces, addressed the southern people at home and abroad, with an important speech on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the declaration of disengagement on May 21, 1994.
The speech went as follows :
Today, we mark the 27th anniversary of the disengagement declaration. On May the 21st,1994 the unity of the project was aborted by the regime in Sana'a when, it declared war on the South and invaded it. It occupied the land and killed its people. Since then, our people made great sacrifices in an ongoing legendary national struggle to regain their state. We continue to move on the same route of our martyrs who gave their lives to restore and build a fully sovereign, independent, federal southern state.
Today as southern people we are going through a pivotal phase of our struggle. We achieved great national gains in face of the unyielding acts of the old Sana'a regime’s forces which continue to increase against our people. The same regime is dedicated to implement a policy of collective punishment, reproducing terrorism, spreading chaos, plundering public funds and expending it to purchase ammunition as well as it tries to tear the social fabric of the southern people apart; thinking that through this approach it would achieve its goal but in reality, all it is doing is that it only accelerates the date of the end of its occupation in all its forms.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32991
(A P)
Al-Zubaidi Reviews Military and Security Readiness
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32989
(A P)
Shabwa-brotherhood-militias-gather-fighters-towards-laqamoush-tribes-and-create-checkpoints
(* A P)
Thousands take to streets in protest against deterioration of security, basic services in Aden
A mass demonstration was held in Yemen's interim capital Aden on Friday to protest against the deterioration of the national economy, security and basic services.
Demonstrators carried placards demanding to improve living conditions and address healthcare and sanitation problems and power outages.
They stressed the importance of finding quick solutions to the depreciation of the national currency and giving the salaries of the public servants and the security and military units regularly.
The organising committee urged in a statement to integrate the security units and activate the role of the judiciary and prosecution in order to put an end to the security deterioration.
The worsening situation in the city has sparked calls by youth initiatives and civil society organisations to take to the streets to protest corruption of the government.
Today's demonstration came amid divisions within the government which includes the UAE-backed southern transitional council.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25168.html
and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/32987
(* A B P)
Upcoming Friday of Aden: a terrifying scenario with different dimensions
The situation in Yemen's interim capital, Aden, is tense as the volatile is bracing for a massive demonstration on Friday to protest against deteriorating basic services..
Fears are growing of a possible deliberate terrorist attack against demonstrators in amid the fragile security in the city.
Some observers argued that the timing of the demonstration is very sensitive and politically motivated.
It will coincide with the 31st anniversary of the Unity between the north and the south.
Its organisers have urged demonstrators not to raise the flag of the former southern republic, raising concerns of the southern transitional council that it might be part of a plot to undermine its popularity.
More recently, government reports warned sleeper Houthi and AQAP cells could exploit unrest to strike and destabilise the city.
Political analyst Wael Saleh said such scenario would have serious repercussions on the future of the government and the STC and the history of the entire country. It would open the door wide to further bloodbath and conflicts that will not be easily brought to an end, he said.
The fragile legitimacy of the STC and the government would be destroyed but it is expected that each side will exploit the situation against the other then, he said.
The STC might use such scenario to accuse the government and the Islah Party of supporting terrorism and then hold them responsible, and the government could find it as a justification to pressure for implementing the military and security part of the Riyadh agreement, he said.
From its side, the Islah Party would accuse the STC and the Houthis of possible attacks, providing the Houthis with an opportunity to introduce themselves to the international community as trusted agents to fight Daesh and AQAP, he added.
Observers ask whether the government has decided to play with its partner, the STC, the same cards the council used
when it urged its fans to storm the Presidential Palace.
Perhaps Al-Zubaidi and his fellows have now realised the size of the dilemma they put themselves in as they are trying to reach desperate goals while Aden is still under control, observers said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25137.html
and
(B P)
If you have family or friends in the South of #Yemen talk to them & share their stories. The situation is at its worst now. Severe electricity & water shortages. This is all exacerbated by the lack of accountability from all authorities who claim to represent the South.
https://twitter.com/YemeniFatima/status/1395435781066575875
(A P)
Collective punishment of people shall be faced by all means
The collective punishment that is being meted out against the people to bring them to their knees and starve them is unacceptable and we will address this issue by all means and options, the member of the presidency of the [separatist] Southern Transitional Council (STC), Fadl al-Jaadi said in a tweet.
It is a war that doesn't differ much from the one on battlefield, al-Jaadi noted, adding that it is carried out with the same old fashioned way practiced by Saleh's regime for long years without succeeding in breaking the people's will and undermining their just cause.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32982
(A P)
Dozens of fuel locomotives burned in battle near Ma’rib
Dozens of locomotives loaded with oil derivatives and domestic gas were set on fire in the Al-Arakin junction in Ma’rib, following armed clashes between Hadi forces and tribal gunmen, tribal sources confirmed
The sources said that gas oil locomotives were hit by the clashes, which led to their explosion and burning, and the fire spread to a position where dozens of locomotives loaded with oil and gas are present. The fire can reportedly be seen up to 50 kilometers away.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/05/20/dozens-of-fuel-locomotives-burned-in-battle-near-marib/
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25157.html
Film: https://twitter.com/Moh_Alhouthi/status/1395090052548644871
Photo: https://twitter.com/Moh_Alhouthi/status/1395077375063437319
(* B P)
Al-Ahmar, Al-Issa, Other Leaders in Hadi's Government Wanted by Qatari Authorities
The Qatari authorities are pursuing prominent leaders in the pro-aggression government for having committed crimes of embezzlement and plundering Qatari public funds with hundreds of millions of dollars, an Arabic Manama-based newspaper said on Wednesday.
According to AlAyam, officials in Hadi’s government had participated in suspicious corruption and embezzlement deals with the detained Qatari Minister of Finance, Ali bin Sharif Al-Emadi.
The Bahraini newspaper quoted a source in the Hadi government embassy in Doha that Yemeni businessmen in leading positions in the presidency office are facing official Qatari charges of being involved in corruption and embezzlement.
The Yemeni officials include Hadi’s son, Nasser Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, deputy director of his office and advisor to Hadi for economic affairs, Ahmed Al-Eisi, the prominent businessman and leader in Islah party, Hamid Abdullah Al-Ahmar and a number of personalities, companies and contractors.
Hadi’s government officials are also accused of providing bribes, fraud, and plundering public funds from Qatar within the mafia associated with Qatari Finance Minister Ali bin Sharif Al-Emadi.
The Qatari police arrested the Minister of Finance, Al-Emadi, in the first week of May on charges of corruption, embezzlement and abuse of power.
(A P)
Protesters block roads in Hadhramaut for second day after ongoing power outage crisis
(B P)
There has been increased anger by civil society in Aden, and other freed provinces, for lack of basic services. There is absolutely no excuse for any entity -- not the government nor groups like STC -- to leave the capital in this shape with little effort to mitigate this crisis.
https://twitter.com/ToEducate/status/1395109741744074759
(A P)
Yemeni politician: Wherever Brotherhood exists, Al-Qaeda exists
Wherever the Muslim Brotherhood does exist, you will find the presence of Al-Qaeda terrorist organization such as what happened in Abyan where groups of al Qaeda militants entered the province disguised in the legitimacy's army uniforms, head of the Center for Political Studies, Dr. Khaled Al-Shamiri said on Wednesday.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/32974
My comment: Separatist propaganda.
(A P)
STC says Yemeni gov't absence from Aden unjustified
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Tuesday said it would take decisive stance in reaction to low services and absence of the cabinet from the interim capital, Aden.
Top official at the Yemeni presidency practice systematical collective punishment against southern provinces, leading to economic collapse, bad services and delayed payment of salaries, the Emirati-backed STC added at meeting on Tuesday led by STC chairman, Eidroos al-Zobaidi in Aden.
The meeting called on the government to return to Aden and do its duties, dubbing its absence from Aden as unjustified, as people live tragic conditions.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25123.html
(A K P)
South-arabia/security-belt-forces-in-aden-carry-out-campaign-against-abusive-acts-in-abyan-coast
(* B K P)
Emirati occupation of Socotra reportedly to be increased with 2,000 more troops
A leaked recording has revealed Abu Dhabi’s intention to establish a new military brigade on the Yemeni island of Socotra, away from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) that is already there.
According to Al-Mahriya channel, the recording was of a voice call between the former head of the STC in Socotra, Yahya Mubarak, and the current head of the Council on the island, Raafat al-Thaqali.
Addressing Al-Thaqali, Mubarak said in the phone call that there are Emirati directives to form an integrated brigade of 5,000 to 6,000 people from Socotra, whom are not subjected to Council authority, but would be directly linked to the Emirati regime.
In another recording, Mubarak clarified that he had agreed with the Emiratis to recruit between 1,500 to 2,000 people, indicating that he had agreed with Southern Transitional Council president Aidarous Al-Zubaidi that military ranks would be granted to individuals affiliated with the Council.
and
(* B P)
Israel tourists flock to Socotra part of illegal UAE-run holidays
The UAE is continuing to operate direct flights and tours to the Yemeni island of Socotra despite not having the permission of the government.
According to local sources, hundreds of foreign tourists have arrived on the archipelago over the past few days using visas granted to them by Abu Dhabi, from where weekly direct flights started in March.
Earlier this month an adviser to the Ministry of Information, Mukhar Al-Rahbi, said the island had "become violated by the UAE, which has planned to control it for years."
"Today [the UAE] has become the primary controller in Socotra. Even the tourist delegations take permission to enter Socotra from the UAE," he said.
Images of foreign tourists have circulated recently across social media, with many activists claiming most are Israeli.
and also https://alkhabaralyemeni.net/2021/04/10/125113/
Photo: https://twitter.com/alkhabar_ye/status/1380627062579466246
and
(A P)
Israeli tourists provoke Yemeni people by posting their pictures from Socotra
Activists on the social platforms circulated new pictures of foreign tourists. Most of the tourists are Israelis, according to the activists.
They called on the international community and the Security Council to take a serious and explicit stand in stopping UAE violations, particularly as the Hadi government fails to take clear steps towards the UAE occupation on Socotra Island. (photos)
http://en.ypagency.net/221025/
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp7 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-742b-yemen-war-mosaic-742b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-741-yemen-war-mosaic-741
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-741 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-741:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
Was ist Ihre Meinung?
Kommentare einblendenDiskutieren Sie mit.