... Von US-Militär getötete Zivilisten im Jemen – Migranten und Flüchtlinge im Jemen – Militärpräsenz der Emirate im Jemen Anlass zur Sorge – Sokotra und ausländische Touristen – Einsatz für Freilassung von Gefangenen im Jemen – Die Huthis und Covid-19 – und mehr
June 5, 2021: The Houthis are no Iranian puppets – US has Yemen policy backward – The US should end America’s involvement in Yemen’s war – Yemeni civilians killed by US military – Migrants and refugees in Yemen – UAE's military presence in Yemen raises concerns – Socotra and foreign tourists – Helping to release Yemen’s prisoners – Houthis and Covid-19 – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-744b-yemen-war-mosaic-744b
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
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b 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)
Ten things you need to know about Yemen
Yemen, now in its seventh year of conflict, remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis
The situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate as the country is falling off a cliff. Almost 21 million people require humanitarian aid and protection. An estimated 12 million people are in acute need, and if urgently needed funding is not secured to enable a massive scale-up of life-saving aid, millions of people risk falling into more extreme levels of need.
Large-scale famine is looming
Sixteen million people in Yemen are going hungry this year. Already, nearly 50,000 people are essentially starving to death, as pockets of famine-like conditions have returned to the country for the first time in two years. Another 5 million vulnerable people are just one step away from famine. The international community must not wait for a famine declaration before it acts. By then, it will be too late. Millions of Yemenis have exhausted their coping strategies, and food insecurity will continue to rise without immediate humanitarian support.
Malnutrition has never been worse
This year, nearly 2.3 million children under age 5 in Yemen are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition. Of these children, 400,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition and could die without urgent treatment. Around 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women are projected to be acutely malnourished this year. These are among the highest levels of severe acute malnutrition recorded in Yemen since the conflict began in 2015.
https://unocha.exposure.co/ten-things-you-need-to-know-about-yemen
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K P)
Die «Helfer Allahs» sind keine Marionetten Teherans
Der Bürgerkrieg im Jemen stellt die neue US-Regierung vor strategische Entscheidungen von grosser Tragweite, aber davor schreckt der US-Präsident vorerst zurück.
Dabei sind die Huthis heute entgegen landläufiger Auffassungen keineswegs «Marionetten» oder Erfüllungsgehilfen Irans. Allerdings nutzen sie die Unterstützung Teherans zur Stärkung ihrer militä- rischen Schlagkraft.
Allein Gewalt scheint noch den Zugang zu Ressourcen und Teilnahme an allfälligen Verhandlungen über eine Beilegung dieses immer weiter ausufernden Konfliktes zu erlauben.
Dazu gehört, dass die Huthis im Lande selbst keineswegs beliebt sind. Viele Jemeniten wünschen eine Rückkehr zum Demokratisierungsprozess nach der Abdankung Salehs. 2013/14 hatten Frauen und jüngere Bürger an einer «Konferenz für nationalen Dialog» teilgenommen, der jedoch bei den Huthis und Separatisten im Süden auf Widerstand stiess. Beide Gruppen setzten statt auf Demokratie auf Gewalt – dies durchaus mit Erfolg. Denn zumindest die Huthis sind heute in einer derart starken Position, dass MBS nach einem halbwegs würdevollen Rückzug aus dem Konflikt sucht. Obwohl die Saudis mit der Blockade des Hafens von Hodeida noch über ein wichtiges Faustpfand verfügen, scheinen die Huthis dazu jedoch kaum gewillt. Die Blockade soll den Import iranischer Waffen verhindern und basiert auf der 2015 vom UN-Sicherheitsrat erlassenen Resolution 2216. Die Kontrolle von Hodeida würde den Huthis nicht allein Zugang zu Nahrungsmitteln und sonstigen Gütern gewähren, sondern auch erhebliche Einnahmen etwa durch Zölle.
So herrscht im Jemen ein wachsender Mangel an Treibstoff, der die Lieferung von Nahrungsmitteln ins Hinterland ebenso unmöglich macht wie die Versorgung von Spitälern mit Medikamenten oder Diesel für Stromgeneratoren.
Dazu kommen gezielte Luftangriffe der Saudis auf Ackerland und die ländliche Infrastruktur. So rührt die grassierende Not im Jemen direkt aus der saudischen Intervention. Für den um das Image des Königreichs besorgten Kronprinzen ist dies ein weiterer Grund für einen Abzug. Aber der Jemen ist ein Nachbarland und erscheint daher auch als direkte Bedrohung.
Bidens Fokus auf die Region
Die USA pflegen derweil mit sämtlichen Golfmonarchien enge Sicherheitspartnerschaften. Dazu gehören allein 45 Stützpunkte auf der arabischen Halbinsel und 23 weitere unter dem für die Region zuständigen «Central Command» (Centcom). Gleichzeitig aber bauen Russland und China ihre Beziehungen zu den Golfstaaten stetig aus und drohen damit die Rolle Amerikas als regionaler Hegemon zu untergraben. Nach der primär auf materielle Transaktionen angelegten Aussenpolitik Trumps will Biden die moralische wie militärische Führungsrolle Amerikas wieder aufrichten. Doch trotz seines Pochens auf Menschenrechte können die Verbündeten der USA in der Region dabei wohl auf Nachsicht bei ihren Verstössen dagegen rechnen.
Ohnehin gilt zu erwarten, dass die Biden-Regierung wie ihre Vorgänger den Jemen vorwiegend durch die Linse der regionalen Rivalität zwischen Iran und Saudi-Arabien oder als Rückzugsgebiet für Terroristen betrachtet. Dies erinnert an die Lage im Jahr 2015. Biden will das in seiner Zeit als Vizepräsident ausgehandelte internationale Atomabkommen mit Iran (JCPOA) neu beleben.
Fragilität immer deutlicher
Den Mitgliedern des «Gulf Cooperation Council» und darunter besonders Saudi-Arabien und den VAE war daher bewusst, dass eine Normalisierung amerikanischer Beziehungen zum Iran und dessen Rückkehr an die Ölmärkte ihren eigenen Einfluss und ihre Einnahmen empfindlich schmälern würden. Und während der Konflikt im Jemen immer mehr zu einem endlosen Ringen mit enormen zivilen Verlusten geriet, sahen Militärs und Aussenpolitiker in Washington darin ein Warnsignal – würde ein Abzug aus der Region dort nicht den vollständigen Kollaps der «Pax Americana» zeitigen? Doch damit ist es schon seit vielen Jahren nicht weit her.
Inzwischen hat sich die Lage jedoch geändert, dies vor allem infolge der Trump-Regierung.
Zudem hatte Trump zwar gegenüber den Saudis grosses Entgegenkommen gezeigt, nicht aber im September 2019 auf die anscheinend seitens der Huthis mit iranischer Hilfe durchgeführten Attacken auf Ölanlagen im Königreich reagiert. Dies wiederum hat bei den Golfmonarchien ein Umdenken ausgelöst – sie glauben seither, ihre Sicherheit nicht mehr allein auf Amerika bauen zu können. Obwohl Washington weiterhin Zehntausende starke Truppen am Golf stationiert, verstärkt der von Biden angeordnete Abzug aus Afghanistan diesen Trend. Dieser ist an ersten Anzeichen einer Entspannung zwischen Riyad und Teheran zu erkennen. Andere Mitglieder des «Gulf Co-operation Council» haben ebenfalls Tuchfühlung mit Iran aufgenommen: Gerade amerikanische Abwesenheit hat der Diplomatie am Golf neue Chancen eröffnet.
Riyads Position wackelt
In dieser Entwicklung mag auch Hoffnung für den Jemen liegen. Das Land ist wie Syrien und Libyen zu einem Spielfeld fremder Mächte geworden, die hier ihre Konflikte austragen. Dies gilt speziell für die Saudis, die einen iranischen Vorposten an ihrer Südgrenze befürchten. Als Ausweg erscheint daher nur ein umfassender Ausgleich zwischen Iran und Saudi-Arabien, der einen von den Huthis dominierten Jemen grundsätzlich als Bedrohung ausschalten würde. Auch die «Helfer Allahs» sind an einer Ausweitung ihres Rückhaltes interessiert und bauen für ihre Beziehung zu Iran weniger auf religiöse Affinitäten als auf eine geteilte Abneigung Saudi-Arabien gegenüber.
So erscheint in Riyad zumindest beim Jemen ein Abzug und das Eingeständnis einer dortigen Niederlage unausweichlich. Die Alternative für MBS bestünde in einem «endlosen Krieg» zur Unterstützung der schwachen und korrupten Hadi-Regierung. Dieses Dilemma ähnelt durchaus den Problemen der USA in Afghanistan – wobei hier zwischen den Ländern eine immense Distanz liegt. Doch wie die USA im Krieg gegen die Taliban intervenierte Saudi-Arabien im Jemen mit der Illusion eines schnellen und leichten Sieges. Weder Amerikaner noch die Saudis vermochten ihre technologische Übermacht in einen Erfolg über Gegner zu verwandeln, die ihren Kampf als Verteidigung einer angestammten Heimat gegen fremde Aggressoren erklären können – von Annelle Sheline
https://www.aufbau.eu/artikel/fokus/die-helfer-allahs-sind-keine-marionetten-teherans
(** B K P)
Washington Has Yemen Policy Backward
The Houthis have defeated Saudi Arabia—and peace won’t come by dictating terms to the victors.
In a recent interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria discussing the war in Yemen, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted that “the Saudis have been engaged productively in trying to bring this war to an end.” He criticized the Houthi rebels, known formally as Ansar Allah, who “continue to hold out” by not agreeing to negotiate. His statements reflect the official U.S. stance, yet they betray either a lack of information or a refusal to accept the reality on the ground: The Houthis have defeated the Saudis.
The Saudis’ recent willingness to negotiate a cease-fire reflects their weakened position.
Yet the reason the Saudis feel ready to engage and the Houthis do not lies in the terms of the negotiation. Blinken failed to acknowledge that the Saudis’ cease-fire proposal, as well as the terms offered by U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking in March, impose harsh terms on the Houthis. The U.S. and Saudi claim that they are pursuing peace is less than honest, because the plans they’ve offered the Houthis could encourage them to keep fighting rather than accept a truce.
To end a war, the victors usually dictate terms to the losers. Imposing maximalist demands on the victors is futile: They will simply continue fighting.
To understand today’s impasse, some diplomatic history is essential. The framework for all international negotiations on Yemen remains United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216. The Security Council passed Resolution 2216 in April 2015, just after the Saudis led a military coalition to try to expel the Houthis from territories they had seized.
The resolution defines the Houthis as the primary belligerent in Yemen’s conflict. It established a U.N. mechanism to review imports to Yemen in order to prevent Iran from smuggling weapons to the Houthis, which Saudi Arabia uses to justify its ongoing blockade. Most significantly, Resolution 2216 demands that the Houthis relinquish their weapons and territorial gains. But, given the present situation on the battlefield, the Houthis will reject any negotiation based on these outdated terms.
Resolution 2216 reflects conditions in Yemen six years ago, when it still seemed possible for Yemen to return to a U.N.-supported political transition process that the Houthis disrupted by seizing Sanaa in late 2014. It does not reflect today’s balance of power.
As long as Resolution 2216 remains the framework for negotiations, it will continue to impede progress by allowing the Saudis to justify their actions as condoned by the U.N., while dissuading the Houthis from negotiating. A new resolution is necessary and should be guided by three principles: restore sovereignty, prevent meddling, and encourage inclusivity.
The current 2216 framework justifies the ongoing involvement of foreign actors in Yemen; the new resolution must emphasize Yemeni sovereignty. It should affirm Yemen’s control over its own ports and borders. The resolution should require the withdrawal of all foreign militaries from Yemen, including the illegitimate military presence of Saudi Arabia in Mahrah governorate, as well as that of the UAE on the islands of Mayun and of Socotra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Yet in confirming Yemen’s oversight over its territory, the resolution should also emphasize Yemen’s responsibility toward its neighbors, such as condemning the Houthis’ missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The resolution should have mechanisms to prevent future instances of foreign meddling in Yemen’s affairs.
Continuing to use Resolution 2216 as the basis for international negotiation reflects a tacit willingness to prolong the conflict, in the vain hope that the Houthis might eventually concede to negotiations. In the meantime, the World Food Program estimates that 400,000 Yemeni children under 5 are likely to die of starvation in 2021—approximately one child every 80 seconds – by Annelle Sheline
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/06/03/houthis-saudi-arabia-biden-yemen-policy-backward/ = https://www.islamtimes.org/en/article/936434/washington-has-yemen-policy-backward
Comment: 2216 Definitely failed and not reservation about reformulating it in a way that deals with the failure of Saudi and Hadi’s problem, but the problem is the logic of the article that rewards the Houthis and does not recognize their role in the conflict and simplifies their problem
https://twitter.com/MAlmadhaji/status/1400922074198253571
(** B K P)
The US Cannot Bring Peace to Yemen, But It Can End America’s Involvement in Yemen’s War
Two successive U.S. administrations were complicit in war crimes in Yemen.
Despite the problems with countries claiming universal jurisdiction over human rights crimes, it would be salutary in this case to end Washington’s exemption from accountability. An indictment of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump for crimes against humanity would catch Washington’s attention.
To President Joe Biden’s credit, he ended the previous blank check for Saudi Arabia’s murderous royals. However, though he pledged to treat the regime as a "pariah," he dropped any effort to hold Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Moreover, the president said Washington would still help defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after declaring that he was ending support for offensive Saudi operations.
He and the rest of the ever-pampered and -sheltered royals appeared surprised when Yemeni insurgents, led by the Ansar Allah movement, or Houthis, returned fire after being attacked. Having enjoyed immunity from all the normal exigencies of life, the Saudi royal family apparently assumed that aggressive war was a royal prerogative as well. Increasing drone and missile attacks on the KSA demonstrated otherwise
Of course, the war should end. It is a humanitarian horror for the Yemeni people. And Ansar Allah makes no pretense of respecting human rights or democracy.
However, the US has no leverage with the Houthis. Washington declared some Ansar Allah leaders to be terrorists, which they decidedly are not—demonstrating yet again that the designation is meaningless, just a political epitaph. It would be more appropriate to label as a terrorist MbS, who has invaded foreign nations, kidnapped foreign leaders, underwritten jihadist insurgents, and turned his nation into a prison state. Anyway, few Houthis hold American bank accounts or plan to vacation in the US, making the penalties meaningless.
Washington also blames Iran, which backed the Yemeni insurgents after they were attacked by the U.S.-Saudi (and Emirati) axis. In this case, America’s sanctimonious cant is worse than normal. Tehran is a malign force in the region, but frankly less so than the Kingdom which, with the full backing of the Trump administration, recklessly intervened in Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Yemen.
In fact, the Biden administration’s bid to end the Yemeni conflict demonstrates continuing American arrogance: that the US can parachute in and solve problems reaching back decades and more. The underlying fighting has nothing to do with America. There is little Washington can do to end it, other than urge the combatants to stop. That the administration should continue to, but without illusion or expectation.
The US had nothing to do with any of this. America didn’t cause any of it. And there is no reason to believe that Washington could stop it. The US has little relationship with any Yemeni faction. Hadi is nominally the "legitimate" president, but he is discredited, hated by his own people for calling in foreign airstrikes on them, seen as compliant front man for the Saudi royals, and abandoned even by the United Arab Emirates, which began pushing separatist forces in Yemen’s south. The conflict is a tragic political miasma about which Washington can do little, other than exit.
America chose to participate in the ongoing Yemeni civil war. The conflict didn’t matter in any material sense to Washington.
Although there was enmity between Ansar Allah, a Shia-offshoot, and the Sunni Kingdom, which had promoted the hateful Wahhabist theology in Yemen, the Houthis were too busy battling internal adversaries to threaten the Saudis.
Thus, the US had no reason to get involved. However, the Obama administration took America into the war as a misguided payoff to the Kingdom, which opposed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran.
Although Washington cannot end the underlying conflict, it can halt American participation. And that should extend to halting all support for Saudi Arabia that even indirectly aids the latter’s war effort.
The administration should continue to send American diplomats to crisscross the Middle East advocating peace in Yemen. However, Washington should realize its limitations. The administration should focus on ending America’s involvement in an immoral and counterproductive war. Americans have been accomplices to war crimes. If Riyadh continues to play reckless aggressor, it should bear the full consequences of its crimes – by Doug Bandow
(** B K P)
US Military Admits Killed Civilian in Yemen after NGO Investigations, But Refuses to Provide Remedy
The US military acknowledged one new civilian death caused by a January 2019 drone strike in Yemen, but continues to deny the vast majority of civilian harm caused by its lethal operations in Yemen, Mwatana for Human Rights and the Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic said today. The organizations called on the US to conduct comprehensive investigations of all prior US operations in Yemen and provide a full and accurate accounting of the civilian impacts.
“We welcome the admission, but the US military’s assessment of the civilian harm resulting from US operations in Yemen remains far below that credibly and painstakingly documented by independent organizations,” said Sarah Knuckey, Director of the Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic. “And the US refuses to provide any compensation or apology, even to the families of the civilians it admits it has killed. Civilians are left fearing for their safety, and struggle in vain for years for truth and justice.”
The US military’s new civilian casualty admission first came in response to investigations by Mwatana and the Columbia Clinic. It then appeared in the US Department of Defense’s annual report on civilian casualties worldwide, released this week. The human rights organizations investigated 12 incidents and sent detailed files of evidence on 38 civilian deaths, 7 injuries and other civilian harm, including property damage, to the military. Four months after submitting the cases and requesting a reply, Mwatana published its information in an in-depth report. The 12 cases are among over 500 strikes since the US began operations in Yemen 20 years ago.
“The US military has spent nearly 20 years killing people in Yemen but still hasn’t worked out how to properly investigate and ensure accountability,” Radhya al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, said. “This new, belated admission by the US military shows how inadequate initial US assessments of its own operations are. Its records cannot be trusted.”
Despite the significant evidence of civilian harm reported to the US military, it made only one additional civilian casualty admission. For Yemenis who have been directly affected by US lethal operations, it is nearly impossible to directly report civilian harm.
The one new civilian casualty admitted by the US military was in a 2019 air strike in Al Bayda governorate. In a statement a few months after the strike, the US claimed “all strikes this year targeted AQAP terrorists.” However, the strike killed a 67-year-old civilian man, Saleh Al Qaisi, who worked in Saudi Arabia and who supported his immediate and extended family. He was in Yemen visiting his family at the time of the strike. The US military said it would not provide any condolence payment to the family, despite the significant suffering caused them.
“The US military has the authority and the funding to provide payments to civilians impacted by US operations in Yemen, including for deaths, injuries, and property damage,” said Priyanka Motaparthy, Director of the Counterterrorism, Armed Conflict and Human Rights Project at the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute. “Commanders have made these payments to civilians harmed in other countries, and they should do so in Yemen.”
The US military’s admission of a civilian casualty in the 2019 strike is just the second time the US has acknowledged a civilian harm case in Yemen since a January 2017 raid in Yakla, Yemen. Both acknowledgments came in response to NGO reporting.
The US response to the files of evidence Mwatana and the Clinic submitted was also deficient in other ways. The US did not offer an apology to the families of those killed. Even where the US acknowledged civilian deaths, it did not identify any of the civilians killed by name, age or gender. And the response to Mwatana and the Clinic only mentioned civilian deaths, not civilian injuries, trauma, property damage, or the long-term harm of being attacked and falsely accused of being a terrorist. While the US Defense Department’s latest annual civilian casualty report mentioned civilian injuries, it did so by stating that the US military had assessed no civilian injuries in Yemen, including in the 2017 raid in Yakla, in which Mwatana documented multiple children injured.
“Over and over we’ve seen the US military throw around the ‘terrorism’ label to try and paper over civilian harm in Yemen. And now when the US has finally acknowledged a tiny fraction of that harm, the military uses the same old excuse to refuse remedy to the families left behind,” said Beckerle. “The Biden Administration has the opportunity to take a rights-respecting approach to Yemen. Its course correction must include accountability and reparation to civilians.”
https://mwatana.org/en/us-military-admits-killed-civilian-in-yemen/
full report: https://mwatana.org/en/death-falling-from-the-sky/
(** B H)
A great unseen humanitarian crisis: Migrants and refugees in Yemen
The road from Ras al-Ara to the port city of Aden, in southern Yemen, runs for almost 90 miles through barren, windswept desert. The landscape is scorched by the sun, and temperatures often teeter around 40°C. Reminders of Yemen’s complex six-year-old war abound: burned-out tanks litter the roadways and stern fighters man checkpoints. Occasionally, along the road, you’ll see small clusters of people—mainly young men—making the arduous trek towards some dimly glimpsed point on the horizon, often carrying only a bottle of water and wearing only flip-flops on their feet.
These lonely figures in the burning desert are some of the tens of thousands of East African migrants and refugees — mainly from Ethiopia and Somalia—who head north, braving the dangers of war-torn Yemen in search of a better life in Saudi Arabia. They are part of “one of the great unseen humanitarian crises of our era,” as an international aid worker in Aden put it recently. They have arrived in rickety, overcrowded dhows from smuggling ports in Djibouti and Somalia, yet they count themselves the lucky ones. That’s because they have often seen their fellow travellers dead of thirst in the deserts of East Africa, and because many of the boats sink in the choppy, shark-infested waters of the straits that lie between Africa and the Middle East. In 2018, there were 274 recorded deaths on such dhows, but without proper registration and tracking that number is surely much higher.
The elder Mohamed started to tell the story of their first week in Yemen. Six days beforehand, after a sea journey that lasted around 12 hours, their boat landed just before dawn on the shore nearby. “We arrived on the boat, and immediately we were surrounded by men with guns,” he said. “They demanded money and held us until we paid. Of the 60 who arrived, 54 are now free. There are still six people being held by them.”
In Yemen, migrants like the two Mohameds face kidnap, torture, detention and abuse by smugglers, armed groups and criminal gangs, who try to extort their already impoverished families. Kidnappers will get their captives to call their families and funnel more to their facilities, from where they promise to spirit the migrants to Saudi Arabia, but where they actually extort them for every penny they can find.
“The smugglers gave us mobile telephones to call our families, and they told us to transfer money to them,” said the older Mohamed. “During the time, they beat us, using long sticks—”
“—and the butts of their rifles,” added the younger Mohamed.
“We were just being beaten, and there was nothing to think about except the beatings,” the elder Mohamed continued. “We spent every day there fearing death.”
The Yemeni kidnappers demanded that their captives paid them 600 Ethiopian birr (around US$15). According to IOM, they were lucky: some migrants get extorted for more than $1,000. It took the young men’s families about six days to gather the money and transfer it to Yemen. “When they received the money, they released us, each by name,” the elder Mohamed said.
Now, they were both continuing on. Where to, they didn’t know exactly, but they would try Aden and then head north. What about the front line? The war? “Eh, we are not scared,” one of them said. “After what we have just been through, we might die but we cannot be scared.” (with photos)
https://unocha.exposure.co/a-great-unseen-humanitarian-crisis
(** B K P)
UAE's military presence in Yemen raises concerns
UAE has consolidated its military presence in Yemen’s southern regions, including Perim Island
Latest reports about the construction of an Emirati airbase on Yemen’s Perim Island have raised concerns about the country’s sovereignty and security of international naval trade routes.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak denied in a statement any foreign legal activities on the Perim Island. “There is absolutely no agreement signed with anyone regarding the establishment of a military base on the Yemeni soil," he said.
However, Adel Dashela, a Yemeni analyst, believes that the UAE has suspicious political and military plans in Yemen.
“Yemen's national security is under unprecedented danger and it is time to stop this absurdity,” Dashela told Anadolu Agency. “The base UAE is building on Mayun Island must be destroyed and its forces must be expelled,” he said.
An official source from the Saudi-led coalition described reports of the UAE military presence on Mayun and Socotra as “not true”, and defined its current efforts in Yemen as “compatible with the coalition forces in defending Marib from Houthi militias' air attacks,” according to a statement by the official Saudi news agency SPA.
The statement said the construction on Mayun Island is under the control of the Saudi-led coalition and will enable the Yemeni government and coalition forces to confront Houthi rebels, secure maritime navigation, and support the West Coast forces.
Abdulsalam Muhammed, chairman of Abaad Studies and Research Center, said the coalition’s confirmation of the UAE presence on the island “collides with the UAE’s earlier announcement of its exit from Yemen”.
This means that “Saudi Arabia is coordinating with the UAE in all its activities in the south of Yemen,” Muhammed told Anadolu Agency.
Muhammed continued, “Referring to Marib in the coalition’s statement indicates linking the violation of Yemen’s sovereignty to the justification for defending Marib, which is an act of blackmail”.
“They condition protecting Marib in exchange for occupying the islands of Mayun and Socotra, controlling Mocha in exchange for Taiz, and keeping the legitimate government forces in Shabwa in return for handing over Aden to Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces,” he added.
Saudi message
Dashela echoes a similar belief, saying the coalition’s statement conveyed a clear message to the Yemeni government to “either remain silent on what is happening in Socotra and Mayun islands, or they will stop their air support and let the Houthis storm Marib.”
In March, the Saudi-led coalition withdrew its Patriot defense system, which was protecting Marib from Houthi missiles. The move enabled the Iran-aligned rebels to take advantage of the situation to start an ongoing offensive campaign on Marib since February.
Red Sea
Over the past five years, the UAE has pursued an ambitious strategic agenda in the Red Sea, building military installations and securing control of the southern coasts of Yemen along the Arabian Sea in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Socotra Island.
Muhammed, who is also the co-writer of the newly published book “UAE’s Game in Yemen”, believes that the UAE's repeated attempts to gain control of the Yemeni coast show the “real motives for its participation in the Arab coalition and intervention in Yemen”.
“The UAE’s political and military influence in southern and western coasts of Yemen will give it superiority over regional powers competing with it over the southern Red Sea region and eastern Africa, including Turkey, Qatar, Iran and Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Analysts think that the UAE is using Yemen’s weakness to build its own military outlets in an attempt to control international naval trade lanes.
“The UAE believes that its control of the Yemeni coasts will guarantee its alliance with international powers which might assign it to play an international role in protecting global economic interests by participating in securing maritime trade and oil routes in the Red Sea,” Muhammed argues – by Mohammed Alragavi
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/uaes-military-presence-in-yemen-raises-concerns/2260190
(** B P)
Foreign tourists can finally visit Yemen's idyllic Socotra. Yemenis cannot
Yemenis accuse the UAE of illegitimate control over access to the island and allowing foreigners in without government approval
The UAE, which entered the conflict fighting as part of the Saudi-led coalition propping up the Yemeni government against the Houthi movement, deployed on Socotra and its surrounding islands, declaring its troops were there to help the cyclone’s victims.
Emirati forces were initially welcomed by the government and locals, who were grateful for the construction of emergency accommodation and the installation of water and healthcare infrastructure, including repairs to damaged health centres, providing patients with cheap or free treatment, and even arranging flights to medical facilities across the Gulf.
As the Emiratis increased their presence and influence on the island, Socotra has become accessible to visitors from the UAE and there have been direct flights from Dubai to Socotra.
In the past five years, residents have become accustomed to seeing Gulf nationals on their island, however, recently, the UAE has started facilitating the entry of foreign tourists to Socotra.
Like many islanders, Aqeel was not happy about Socotra becoming part of Yemen’s conflict, which has deprived them of their main sources of income generated by tourism.
Aqeel, however, is pleased to see foreigners coming back to the island.
“I know these tourists come through the Emirates without any coordination with the Yemeni government and that’s not good, but at least we are seeing some foreigners on the island again,” he said.
Aqeel confirmed that some Yemeni visitors from different provinces have also been visiting the Island, via both air and sea, but their numbers have also not been the same as before the war.
“Regardless of the political disputes over Socotra and the lack of coordination, foreigners have given us a glimmer of hope that the island may return to the way it was before the war,” Aqeel said, thinking of a time when Socotra felt safer with no military personnel spread around the island as they are now.
“Armed people can be seen everywhere, especially when there are foreigners on the island.”
Social media activists, from Socotra and elsewhere, have accused the UAE of sending Israelis to the island, but neither the UAE nor its supporters on the island have addressed these claims. National and international outlets have also reported that Abu Dhabi has been facilitating these trips.
“We’ve heard rumours that Israelis have been visiting the island but we don’t know anything. For us, we only know that they are foreigners and only security forces can know,” Aqeel said.
Mariam al-Socatri, a Socotran social media activist who lives in Kuwait, in May posted photos of foreigners in Socotra on her Twitter account, claiming that the UAE was facilitating the entry of Israeli military intelligence posing as tourists.
Mukhtar al-Rahabi, an adviser to the Yemeni information minister, has accused the UAE of violating Socotra and of having planned for years to impose its control over the island.
"Today it has become the primary controller in Socotra. Even the tourist delegations take permission from the UAE to enter Socotra," he said in a tweet early last month.
“The UAE sends delegations of foreign tourists to Socotra and this is a clear violation of Yemeni sovereignty.”
The Yemeni ambassador to Jordan, Ali al-Imrani, on 25 May also posted a tweet accusing the UAE of illegitimate control of the Yemeni Island.
“They [UAE] came to restore legitimacy to Sanaa but then they expelled it from Aden and supported the opponents of legitimacy, including [southern] separatists in order to control the islands of Socotra, Mayyun [an island right in the middle of Bab al-Mandeb] and others.
“They bring foreign tourists to Socotra without visas from the Yemeni government.”
A source in the Information, Tourism and Culture Ministry in Aden confirmed to MEE that while the ministry and national security must be aware of any tourists coming to Yemen, they in fact did not know anything about what was happening in Socotra.
“Socotra is out of government control and all tourists come directly from the Emirates without a Yemeni visa,” he said. “This is illegal and the Yemeni government should raise this issue to the international community as the UAE has occupied Socotra.”
The source was unhappy about the violations by the UAE and the silence of the government against what was happening in Socotra.
"No one can say no to the Emirates and the Yemeni government knows it can’t do anything so they keep silent against such violations,” he said.
But while the current Yemeni government, formed last year to bridge differences between the nominal allies, is divided between the STC and Hadi’s ministers, the separatists still don’t recognise the president’s legitimacy.
“Socotra belongs to the south and the Emirates is our ally and has been supporting us in different fields so we welcome them and their tourists in Socotra and across the south,” Ahmed al-Hamidi, a supporter of the STC, told MEE.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-socotra-uae-tourists-visit-locals-not
(** B H P)
Her Personal Mission: Helping to Release Yemen’s Prisoners in Its Continuing War
“They dug a hole in the ground, threw us in and shot at us randomly. I only survived because a body laid on top of me. Al Qaeda has my friends — please help me save them.” With those words, 13-year-old Adel barged into my office in Sana, Yemen, in 2015, and introduced me to the country’s detainee crisis, sending me on a mission that has changed my life. In the process, I have helped to free some 1,000 prisoners and earn myself a reputation as the “mother” of Yemen’s detainees.
Throughout most of Yemen’s six-year civil war, I have worked closely with detainees and their captors as an independent broker. Now, as the prospect of revived United Nations-led talks have suddenly died down again, but as governments around the world, including the United States, recommit themselves to a negotiated resolution, ending arbitrary detention is emerging as a moral imperative and a practical way to build confidence in the peace process, however slow and balky.
Yemenis themselves, particularly Yemeni women, must be directly involved in this effort not just as beneficiaries of internationally brokered agreements but also as crucial players in negotiating detainee releases, visiting prisoners and securing their freedom.
It is hard to overstate the gravity of Yemen’s detainee crisis, a problem widely ignored by media covering the war. While the precise number of detainees is unknown, the United Nations Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen warns that Yemeni civilians are being held by all sides of the conflict — the Houthis and the Yemeni government — without charge for prolonged periods. Journalists and human-rights defenders have been arrested for speaking up against ruling authorities, and innocent bystanders have been captured and used as bargaining chips in prisoner-exchange deals. Amnesty International reports that Yemeni civilians have been given politically motivated death sentences by the Houthis and their allied forces and are being forcibly disappeared and tortured in “black sites” across the country.
In the last year, detainee release emerged as one of the few areas of agreement between the warring parties.
This release of prisoners was a milestone. But those freed represent just a fraction of Yemenis still jailed. Tens of thousands of people likely remain in secret and known prisons. As the war wages on different front lines, arrests continue, the number of detainees grows and it becomes harder to create leverage on both parties to secure more prisoner releases. We cannot wait and hope that the two factions act on the detainees file through ad hoc meetings; we must do more to prioritize the plight of detainees and secure their release.
The detainees issue is important not only because it constitutes tremendous suffering for those imprisoned and their families. Reaching an understanding on the issue and securing releases is a litmus test for confidence-building between the warring parties. Progress on the matter can be a stepping stone to gains on other elements of contention between the parties and a broader solution to the Yemeni crisis.
The key lies in engaging Yemeni activists and local mediators championing the detainees issue, particularly women.
Across conflicts, women are working behind the scenes to negotiate truces and secure releases. We are risking our lives to free prisoners, and we are often doing so with few resources and little international support. Too often, our success comes at a steep cost.
As I came to learn, gaining a reputation as a defender of detainees, peace and human rights eventually puts a target on your back. I became inundated with violent threats (many of a sexual nature) that forced me to leave Yemen for Egypt. Yet I remain heavily involved in this work and others have stepped in to join the fight. But we cannot do it alone. Local female mediators need the international community’s support, and our integral role in the process needs to be recognized from beginning to end.
If the next phase of Yemen’s peace process is to succeed, its detainee crisis — and the women striving to solve it — must get the recognition and resources that we deserve – by Laila Al-Thor
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(** B H P)
Yemen: Houthis Risk Civilians’ Health in Covid-19
Stop Spreading Disinformation; Ensure Access to Testing, Health Care, Vaccines
Houthi authorities in Yemen have suppressed information about the dangers and impact of Covid-19 and undermined international efforts to provide vaccines in areas under their control, Human Rights Watch said today. Since the start of the pandemic in Yemen in April 2020, Houthi officials have actively spread disinformation about the virus and vaccines.
After the start of a second wave of Covid-19 in Yemen in March 2021, the number of confirmed cases doubled, according to a statement by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, on April 15. Nevertheless, the Houthi authorities in Sanaa have maintained a policy of withholding data on cases and deaths. No vaccines have reached areas under Houthi control. Houthi authorities should take immediate steps to facilitate efforts to provide vaccines in northern Yemen and stop spreading disinformation about the virus.
“The deliberate decision of the Houthi authorities’ to keep the real number of cases of Covid-19 under wraps and their opposition to vaccines are putting Yemeni lives at risk,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Pretending Covid-19 does not exist is not a mitigation strategy and will only lead to mass suffering.”
Between mid-April and early May, Human Rights Watch interviewed four Yemeni health workers based in Sanaa, three based abroad who have close knowledge of the Covid-19 crisis in Yemen, Yemeni doctors living abroad, and one international health worker involved in Covid-19 response efforts. All asked not to have their identities revealed for fear of reprisal. Human Rights Watch also reviewed and verified videos in which Houthi officials appear to spread disinformation about the virus and vaccines.
Human Rights Watch reached out to Houthi Health Ministry and Foreign Ministry officials requesting comment but have not received a response.
As of early 2021, the Houthi-controlled Health Ministry in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, has reported only one Covid-19-related death, four confirmed cases, and two recoveries since the pandemic began. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that informal indications are that cases are rising in the north. Doctors without Borders reported in March that their teams in Yemen were seeing a drastic rise in the number of people seriously ill with Covid-19.
Yemen received 360,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 31 as the first batch, part of 1.9 million doses that Yemen is due to receive throughout 2021. According to the Yemen Covid-19 National Vaccination Plan, the priority groups during the first phase are healthcare workers, people age 55 and over, people with comorbidities, and social groups unable to practice physical distancing, such as internally displaced people and refugees.
The plan envisages that the Houthi authorities would receive vaccines to distribute in areas under its control; including Sanaa, Ibb governorate, and Hodeida governorate. However, one medical source interviewed who has direct knowledge of the circumstances said the group’s failure to cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Yemeni government has prevented any vaccines from reaching the north. As a result, as of writing, vaccinations are only occurring in the south.
On April 23, in a virtual conference, Yemen Covid-19 Response, organized by HPY-UK, a UK-based charity organization, the WHO’s representative to Yemen, Adham Rashad Abdel-Moneim, said that the Houthi authorities initially agreed under pressure to accept 10,000 doses of vaccine, but the vaccines could not be delivered after the Houthi authorities set a condition that the vaccines could only be distributed by the group without WHO’s supervision. The WHO refused, because WHO would need to ensure there was no risk of diverting the vaccines.
The following day, the WHO stated in a post on its Facebook page that the Houthi authorities asked to only accept 1,000 doses instead of 10,000 provided that the share of doses to the north will be increased in the next batch of the vaccines. In May 8, the internationally-recognized Yemeni government’s Health Ministry in Aden governorate reportedly delivered 10,000 doses to the WHO to vaccinate health personnel in Houthi-controlled areas.
Numerous Houthi officials have spread disinformation about Covid-19 stating that the virus is a “conspiracy.”
Health workers interviewed said they believed that the Houthis were refusing to acknowledge the pandemic to keep the economy fully open and to allow the political elite to syphon off exorbitant fees imposed on businesses. The Houthis have sharply increased revenues over the past two years by engaging in a number of predatory and corrupt practices, according to the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies.
Houthi Disinformation and Failure to Adequately Address the Pandemic
Health workers interviewed by Human Rights Watch said that the Houthi authorities’ lack of transparency and disinformation have put civilians’ health at risk and prevented efforts to protect against the spread of the virus. Two health workers said that after the start of the first wave in Sanaa in May 2020, the Houthis placed a special intelligence unit under the command of the group’s political security apparatus in medical facilities, apparently to intimidate and threaten health care staff as well as to limit the information they can provide to the media or international organizations.
In early 2021, the WHO asked Houthi authorities to apply to the organization for vaccines, but the Houthis delayed and missed the deadline, one medical source with direct knowledge of the circumstances of the process said.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/06/01/yemen-houthis-risk-civilians-health-covid-19
and shorter media reports: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-s-houthis-block-information-on-pandemic-hrw/2260566
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-houthi-rebels-blocking-covid-19-vaccines-hrw
http://jordantimes.com/news/region/human-rights-watch-says-houthi-insurgents-blocking-covid-vaccines
https://thearabweekly.com/bid-block-vaccines-yemen-houthis-dismiss-covid-conspiracy
(B H P)
WHO: Deutschland muss Impfdosenspenden vorziehen
In vielen armen Ländern ist noch nicht mal das Gesundheitspersonal gegen Corona geimpft, während reiche Länder schon gesunde junge Menschen impfen. Die WHO appelliert auch an Deutschland.
Die Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) appelliert an Deutschland und andere Länder, die versprochene Spende von Corona-Impfdosen für arme Länder vorzuziehen.
Die Bundesregierung hat die Abgabe von 30 Millionen Dosen bis Ende des Jahres in Aussicht gestellt. Nötig sei der Impfstoff in ärmeren Ländern aber in den nächsten drei Monaten, sagte Bruce Aylward in Genf. Er ist WHO-Koordinator für das Programm ACT Accelerator, das Corona-Impfstoffe, Diagnostika und Tests fördert.
https://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/politik/who-deutschland-muss-impfdosenspenden-vorziehen-art-732695 = https://www.abendblatt.de/politik/ausland/article232453885/WHO-Deutschland-muss-Impfdosenspenden-vorziehen.html
(A H)
6 new cases of coronavirus reported, 6,773 in total
The committee also reported the recovery of 27 coronavirus patients. No death has been recorded.
931 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33084
(A H P)
US plans Covid-19 vaccines delivery to Yemen
The Unite States plans to deliver 25 million anti-coronavirus vaccines globally, Yemen's minister of planning and international cooperation said Thursday, noting that his country was considered in the plan.
The ministry of planning wants to secure sufficient shots against Covid-19 and mobilize support needed to combat the pandemic, Wa'id Ba Dheeb added.
The ministry is currently in talks to raise additional funding of US$ 19 million from the World Bank, the Yemeni minister said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25412.html
(A H)
8 new cases of coronavirus reported, 6,767 in total
The committee also reported the death of two coronavirus patients and recorded the recovery of 12 patients.
1,127 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33080
(* B H P)
Yemen Had the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis. Then Covid Came
Masks and social distancing are scarce in the port city of Aden, where many see Covid-19 as less of a threat than cholera or typhoid.
[At Aden] There were few masks visible on crowded buses and minivans, at a restaurant serving a buffet dinner, or in a packed outdoor market selling qat, the mildly narcotic leaf locals like to chew.
Covid-19 is low in the pecking order of catastrophe for Yemen.
Yemen has struggled with mass outbreaks of cholera, dengue fever, and typhoid, and poverty has surged to affect as much as 78% of the population since 2015, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and their allies began an offensive to restore the government ousted by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Now, as the world tries to emerge from a public health disaster, Yemen looks poised to hurtle more deeply into another one. After a first coronavirus wave in mid-2020, Covid-19 has “come roaring back” to Yemen, Mark Lowcock, the United Nations undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, warned in April.
“Corona got lost amid the other diseases and issues we have,” Afra Hariri, 46, a human-rights activist and lawyer, said.
With families packed into small homes, Yemenis ask how they can socially distance. With frequent cuts to water supply, they wonder how they can keep their hands clean. With almost no power, they can’t turn on fans or air conditioners, which they say makes it impossible to wear masks, especially because the temperature in late spring in Aden already reaches into the mid-30s Celsius.
The cost of protecting themselves is beyond most Yemenis.
Mohammed Huwaish, a medical student who heads a volunteer group that raises awareness about the virus, says he asked the driver of a minivan taxi to cut the number of his passengers by half to avoid crowding. “The driver asked me if I would reimburse him for his loss,” says Huwaish, 23. “I had no response.”
(A H)
8 new cases of coronavirus reported, 6,759 in total
The committee also said one coronavirus patient passed away in Taiz and no recovery has been recorded today.
1,124 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33070
(A H P)
Covid-19 vaccination in Yemeni Taiz halted indefinitely
Health authorities in the Yemeni southwestern governorate of Taiz have declared pause of Covid-19 vaccination as of Wednesday, 2 June, until later notice.
The campaign was paused after most of the injection centers run out of shots and vaccination cards, and following decrease in coverage of over-60-year group and health workers, Taiz health office said in a statement.
Last week, Taiz health office decided to suspend activity at vaccination centers for one day because of the heavy turnout, as thousands of Yemeni expats flocked into the centers to get cards allowing them entry permits to Saudi Arabia.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25375.html
(A H)
9 new cases of coronavirus reported, 6,751 in total
The committee also reported the death of one coronavirus patient, in addition to the recovery of 27 others.
1,173 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33065
(* A H P)
WHO to start COVID-19 vaccination in Houthi-run north Yemen
The World Health Organisation will start COVID-19 vaccinations next week in north Yemen where the Houthi authorities in control have played down the impact of the pandemic, largely denying any outbreak there.
The WHO's representative in Yemen, Adham Abdel-Moneim, said 10,000 vaccine doses arrived at Sanaa airport on Monday and were put into cold storage.
Only healthcare workers would be given the shots at this stage, beginning next week, at the health ministry in Sanaa "under the control and management of the WHO", he told Reuters on Tuesday.
Yemen's COVID-19 vaccination campaign began in government-held areas on April 20, using a first shipment of 360,000 doses of AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) vaccine from the global COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme. read more
A batch of 10,000 of those doses intended for Houthi-run areas had been caught up in wrangling between parties over how it would be administered, according to humanitarian aid sources and Yemeni officials.
(A H)
5 new cases of coronavirus reported, 6,742 in total
The committee also reported the death of one coronavirus patient, in addition to the recovery of 18 others.
1,269 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33059
(* B H)
Yemen: Secondary Desk Review of WASH Needs in Sa’ada (June 2021)
Household data from 2018 likely underestimates the current WASH needs in Sa’ada governorate, due to escalating crisis in the country over the past three years. Funding for the humanitarian response in Yemen has been significantly reduced since 2018; only 56.5% of the $3.38 billion humanitarian response plan (HRP) budget was funded in 2020, and only 54% of the budget for WASH aid was funded. Furthermore, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for health and WASH services to serve those affected by COVID-19, displaced people from areas where the disease is spreading, and has created new logistical challenges when delivering services. Unprecedented floods in 2020 have also affected an estimated 500,000 people in Yemen, washing contaminated waste into water systems in some areas. Finally, WASH and other infrastructure has most likely been further damaged since the 2018 household assessment, as airstrikes have increased by 140% compared to 2019.
Poliovirus has re-emerged in Yemen, with an outbreak declared in August 2020 following the identification of multiple cases in the Sa’ada governorate. Since January 2020, 33 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) cases have been reported, spreading among a few select districts in Sa’ada governorate (Table 2; page 8).
Along with vaccine coverage, poor sanitation and hygiene are major risk factors related to transmission of poliovirus, due to the importance of the faecal-oral transmission route. The objective of this report is to provide an updated WASH needs overview in Sa’ada governorate to inform the cVDPV outbreak response in Yemen.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-secondary-desk-review-wash-needs-sa-ada-june-2021
Full document: https://www.impact-repository.org/document/reach/f0a4869b/REACH_YEM_SO_Polio-and-WASH_Jun2021_EN.pdf
My comment: Let it sink: “Since January 2020, 33 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) cases have been reported”.
(* B H)
Diphtheria kills 330 Yemenis in three years: Study
The Yemen outbreak of diphtheria epidemic has affected almost all governorates, with 5,701 probable cases and 330 deaths during the period from October 2017 to April 2020, said a study conducted by scientists from the Paris-based Institut Pasteur.
The scientists sought to investigate the epidemiological, clinical and microbiological features of this outbreak. "Our study is based on several national-level data sources and an international collaborative effort involving epidemiologists, microbiologists and experts in bacterial genomics. We defined the dynamics of the diphtheria epidemic and identified three outbreak periods in Yemen," explains Sylvain Brisse, Head of the Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens Unit.
Scientists observed that the proportion of cases among children aged 0 to 4 fell during the second period (June 2018 to May 2019) following a vaccination campaign conducted to control the outbreak.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33081
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
Yemen War Daily Map Updates
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-3-2021-map-update/
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-2-2021-map-update/
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-1-2021-map-update/
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-may-31-2021-map-update/
(* B K P)
Will Houthi offensive on Marib end soon?
Despite world opinion, Houthi rebels continuing their offensive on key city for establishing peace in Yemen
For the past four months, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen has made several calls on Houthi rebels to end their offensive on the city of Marib, but things have yet to change.
The fact that the Houthis continue to fight in Marib has become an increasing focus of international efforts and “condemnation from the United States, from the UN Security Council, from the P5 and from other international actors as well,” said Timothy Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen, in a special briefing via telephone with the US Department of State’s Dubai Regional Media Hub on May 21.
“The Houthis are completely isolated when it comes to the Marib offensive. They are against world opinion on this,” he added.
Marib hosts many state institutions including the Ministry of Defense, possesses the country's largest water, oil and gas reserves, and has the largest electrical station that supplies electricity to most parts of the country.
No potential winner
The offensive in Marib is not going anywhere. During the past four months, the Houthis have rejected local and international calls to halt their deadly assault on the city.
Through their media outlets, the Houthis tried to promote the narrative that they were going to seize Marib during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan (from April 13 to May 12) and break their fast inside the city.
“Marib, despite their predictions, did not fall during the month of Ramadan. It’s not falling now, and it’s not going to fall anytime in the foreseeable future,” Lenderking said.
With no accurate data on the death toll of Houthi fighters, the Saudi-led Arab coalition announced the killing of more than 700 Houthis in four days as a result of airstrikes and battles with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in February.
The Yemeni army also announced on Feb. 27 the killing of 350 Houthis in Marib in only 30 hours.
According to Houthi media outlets, 522 pro-Houthi fighters were killed during the month of Ramadan, which increased their death toll to 2,852 since the beginning of this year.
“The Houthis are not in a hurry to end the fighting in Marib. Rather, they plan to advance towards neighboring districts like Shabwa and Al-Bayda after taking control of Marib,” General Ahmed Garhash, a retired military expert, told Anadolu Agency.
Despite suffering a significant number of casualties, the areas under Houthi control enable them to have a large amount of manpower to recruit more fighters and continue the war.
Dr. Annelle Sheline, Middle East Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute, believes the Houthis did not halt their assault on Marib because they feel they are winning and have no incentive to stop their offensive now.
The Houthis have repeatedly demanded the lifting of the Saudi blockade on land and airports which prevents food and fuel from entering the country. They refuse to negotiate a cease-fire while the blockade remains in place.
The United Nations has been mediating negotiations for over a year between the warring parties to achieve a nationwide cease-fire, lift restrictions on the freedom of movement of people and commodities to and from Yemen, and relaunch the political process.
“I know how difficult a decision is to transition from wartime to peacetime, to demand the greatest concessions and sacrifice in leadership of the parties. It takes courage to move away from war and the suffering of war and to enter into the uncertainties of peace,” Griffiths said.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/will-houthi-offensive-on-marib-end-soon/2264441
(B K P)
Peace out: from bad to worse in Yemen
The Saudi-backed government is hobbled; separatism is spreading; a humanitarian crisis grows by the day. A rebel advance: www.economist.com/middle-east-and-…ntent=show-notes on a once-safe city will only prolong a grinding war.
https://soundcloud.com/theeconomist/peace-out-from-bad-to-worse-in = https://play.acast.com/s/theeconomistallaudio/peaceout-frombadtoworseinyemen
(* B K P)
Audio: Reporting on Human Rights in Yemen with Afrah Nasser
Declarations: The Human Rights Podcastt
This week, host Muna Gasim and panellist Akshata Kapoor welcome journalist Afrah Nasser for an in-depth discussion on human rights reporting, bias, gender inequity, and more in Yemen and the international community at large. Our discussion this week covers topics ranging from the role of objectivity in human rights reporting to both the benefits and pitfalls of technology and social media. Nasser shares insights with Muna and Akshata on finding role models and the most important ways that governments and residents alike can support Yemeni rights.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4EA1XGtlsknUYUd7zMOxcH
(* B K P)
US arms sales to KSA causing genocide in Yemen: Analyst
America’s policy of selling weapons to autocratic regimes like Saudi Arabia is causing the slaughter and the genocide in Yemen, according to Stanley L. Cohen, a US-based attorney and human rights activist who has done extensive work in the Middle East and Africa.
Cohen, who has served as a consultant to Middle East governments and resistance movements Hamas and Hezbollah, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Tuesday.
Cohen said that “the UN position on Yemen is not terribly different from the United States position on Yemen today or you know anyone's position on Yemen for the longest. As long as the Security Council can exercise veto power over any issue of concern countries that are up against cabals of power for proxy battles are doomed to fail, well not to fail, they're doomed to pain and suffering.”
“So, you have the United Nations, which is talking and investigating and if anything gets in the Security Council gets vetoed. Yet with the United States, which was the last president, there was actually a bill that was passed to prevent the United States from selling any weapons or providing any weapons to Saudi Arabia, that would end up or be used in any way shape, or form for the slaughter and the genocide in Yemen. And that bill was vetoed by the President, they didn't have to vote so to override it,” he added.
“The current president has recently been asked by a number of senators for clarification on whether each complying with their desire that no weapons of aggression are being used or being provided for use in Yemen, and he is contemplating it, reviewing it, discussing it, thinking about it being while it continues to the tune of 230,000 civilians that mostly have been killed. A country with 20 million people, of which 70% are people in need by virtue of the sanctions including 11 million children because as with Palestine, you've got this enormous blockade. That's what another blockade claims and United Nations should be able to see the risk but they're ignoring it,” he explained it.
“They claim that the blockade is limited to weapons. Nevertheless, like with Israel, they are applying it to what's considered dual-use. Somehow, this dual-use means medication and food because if you are medically fit, and if you're eating enough to part then you're able to fight. So, they’re not going to allow for medicine to go in either,” he observed.
“So, once again we have this cabal where whether it's the United Nations indifference because of the refusal for the General Assembly to take any particular actions which they can't take without the power of the Security Council and yet the Security Council with the veto will bring the United States, whether it's the last administration or the current administration, refusing to embargo the sanction to stop the sale and supply of weapons to KSA and UAE and increasingly we're seeing militias and mercenaries from Sudan there, which in effect we're now I guess in year seven and as the world turns Yemen has been one of the poorest countries in the world, being one of the brownest countries in the world. We have this surrogate battle but this is the way the Persian Gulf states and this is the way Israel, this is the way the United States and this is the way much of the Security Council can battle back against they believe Iran because they just can't understand that people have a right, not just the right but a legitimate expectation and self-determination, and this is the notion that people do not see justice and liberation for themselves unless they're working as proxies for others,” he pointed out.
“I find it interesting that Israel could be a proxy for the United States, Saudi Arabia and UAE and Sudan now, could be a proxy for Israel. Not a word was spoken about it. But here we have this cabal which is now directed at Iran and trying to impose maximum pain and suffering and anguish against the people of Yemen who have been involved in a struggle for self-determination against UAE and against KSA, and we've got proxies, fighting, and we've got massive death and destruction. We've got outbreaks of cholera unseen in generations. You've got 230,000 mostly civilians that have been slaughtered. We have 11 million kids that are done,” he stated.
(A P)
Photos: #USEnvoyYemen Lenderking visited the #Yemen Pavilion @Expo2020Dubai, which will display to the world the richness of Yemen’s culture and history. Yemen’s history is world history.
https://twitter.com/StateDept_NEA/status/1399113135684997121
My comment: ????????????? With Socotra dragon trees?????
(A P)
Rights group calls for ending Yemeni abductees' file
A Yemeni rights group on Monday called on the international community to exert pressures on warring parties to end the file of abductees in the war-torn country so as to achieve peace.
After a rally staged outside the UN special envoy's office in Sana'a, the association of abductees' mothers accused parties to Yemen's war of ignoring the sufferings of 624 abductees and forcibly disappeared people, including 4 women, detained in Houthi jails, and 25 detainees in government prisons.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25342.html
and by Abductees Mothers, with photos: http://ama-ye.org/index.php?no=1667&ln=En
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(* B K P)
YPC: Continued Piracy on Fuel Ships Doubles Suffering 26 million Yemenis
The Yemeni Petroleum Company YPC confirmed that, since the beginning of the year 2021, forces of aggression have released only two ships of diesel for public consumption, representing nine percent of the actual need in normal supply situation.
The Executive Director of YPC, Ammar Al-Adrai, explained that Red Sea pirates, led by America and with participation of UN, are trying to beautify their image in front of world by releasing part of the fuel ships seized after piracy, kidnapping and detention for more than six months.
He said, "At a time when they are confiscating the rights of 26 million Yemenis and doubling their suffering, they are seeking, by releasing a small part of detained oil derivatives ships, to present this as an achievement in humanitarian file."
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142620.htm
and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/19794/Continued-Piracy-on-Fuel-Ships-Doubles-Suffering-of-Yemenis
(B K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Health Minister: Catastrophic Humanitarian Situation Result of Saudi-led piracy on Fuel Ships
The Minister of Health reviewed health situation in Yemen and difficulties faced by health sector, especially in light of coalition's prevention the entry of medicines and medical supplies, including medicines for patients with chronic diseases.
He touched on catastrophic humanitarian situation as result of continued piracy of fuel derivatives ships, which leads to a new humanitarian catastrophe due to suspension of some services and departments in hospitals and medical facilities.
(B K P)
The UN permits granted to fuel ships headed to #Yemen have become no more than ink on paper. Looks like the US doesn't give a shit for those permits nor for the humanitarian situation in (image)
https://twitter.com/noamen13/status/1400584073031077890
(A P)
Ansarullah: Erhalt von UN-Hilfen ist bedingungsloses absolutes Recht der Jemeniten
Die jemenitische Ansarullah-Bewegung hat die UNO kritisiert, weil sie sich mit der Lieferung humanitärer Hilfen an das vom Krieg zerrüttete Land rühme.
Die Ansarullah-Bewegung sehe den Erhalt solcher Hilfsgüter als das "bedingungslose absolute Recht" aller Menschen auf der ganzen Welt ebenso wie der Jemeniten an.
Der Sprecher der Ansarullah-Bewegung Mohammed Abdul-Salam schrieb am Dienstag in einem Tweet auf Arabisch, die Einfuhr von Medikamenten, Nahrungsmitteln und Ölderivaten in den Jemen sei ein unveräußerliches Recht, und daher sei es ziemlich absurd, den Jemeniten ein Schuldgefühl zu geben.
(A P)
Abdusalam: US, Saudi Regime Can't use Basic Rights against Yemen, These Are Guaranteed to All Humanity
Head of the [Sanaa gov.] National Delegation said on Tuesday that the arrival of medicine, food and fuel to the Yemeni people is a guaranteed right, unconditional.
Abdusalam said in a tweet, "allowing fuel ship to reach Yemeni ports, from time to time, is for publicity against the Yemeni people. Describing it as an achievement, despite all violations, is an unparalleled absurdity."
He added, "The access of medicine, food and fuel to the Yemeni people, nor restriction or condition and in all circumstances, is a guaranteed right with."
(A E P)
YPC Renews Demands to UN, Release Fuel Ships Detained by Saudi-led Forces
The trade union committees of YPC called on UN to release the fuel ships detained by the US-Saudi Forces and to abide by the Convention on Law of Sea which criminalizes piracy on fuel and medicine ships.
In a protest Executive Director of Yemeni Oil Company, Ammar Al-Adrai, condemned the acts of maritime piracy of US-Saudi aggression on fuel ships and the continuous violations of international and humanitarian laws.
(A E P)
Yemeni gov't allows oil tankers in Houthi-held areas
The Yemeni official government on Tuesday said it allowed oil tankers in the western Houthi-held seaport of Hodeida, with severe shortage of fuel worsening the humanitarian crisis in the war-plagued country.
Despite Houthi persistent violation of Stockholm Agreement and aggression against Marib, the Yemeni government let anew a number of oil tankers in Hodeida to alleviate the ongoing humanitarian situation, foreign minister, Ahmed Bin Mubarak, tweeted.
While Yemen's FM gave no details on the tankers' number or oil quantity, no immediate comment has been released by the Houthi-run Yemeni Petroleum Company (YPC) on the government statement.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25358.html
and
(A P)
Yemen’s Government Permits Access to Oil Tankers in Hodeidah
Yemen’s internationally recognized government on Tuesday said it allowed oil tankers in the western Houthi-held seaport of Hodeidah, with a severe shortage of fuel worsening the humanitarian crisis in the war-plagued country.
Despite Houthis violating the UN-sponsored Stockholm Agreement and their pressing on with an aggressive offensive against the northeastern governorate of Marib, the Yemeni government approved the entry of several oil tankers to the coup-run port.
My comment: It’s odd that the Hadi government – and the saudis abd the US) should have any influence on this.
and
(A P)
Houthis belittle Yemeni gov't allowing oil tankers in Hodeida
The permit given by the Yemeni official government to allow oil tankers access to Houthi-held Hodeida seaport is "incomparable silliness", Houthi spokesman and senior negotiator tweeted on Tuesday.
They allow "one oil tanker to Yemen from time to time.. and hail that as an achievement, despite violations," Mohamed Abdul Salam added.
"Delivery of medicines, food and oil derivatives to the Yemeni people is a right unconditionally provided for" by laws, he said, stating that his group would not "accept any bargain or blackmail in human rights."
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25373.html
and also https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000312000386/Ansarllah-UN-Aid-Spplies-
(* B H P)
Thread by @FCNL: Saudi Blockade on #Yemen and it's impact on the Humanitarian crisis. The blockade is used to starve Yemeni, yet the US #Lenderking refuses to delink it from the military and political negotiations. It seems US is OK with using starvation is a war tactic.
https://twitter.com/AishaJumaan/status/1400118796526919683
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B H)
Surgery on the Frontlines of the Yemen Civil War
Ammar Darwish’s experience of operating and teaching in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
David and Ammar were called up by Syria Relief to assist the medical staff in the city of Marib, who were facing an unprecedented number of patients injured in the intensifying conflict of which the city had become an epicentre.
Although the local surgeons are very experienced, they have not dealt with many of these cases before. David and Ammar spent many hours training the local surgeons, imparting their years of knowledge gained through war surgery and taking them through complex operations.
“When everything had calmed down, especially at night, we used to give teachings. David gave lectures on different kinds of injuries and how to manage those injuries. David did the main teaching, and Mounir and I helped to translate”.
The team did around 45 operations in Yemen. This ranged from life-saving trauma surgeries to complex reconstructive surgeries (photos)
https://davidnottfoundation.com/david-nott-and-ammar-darwish-return-from-yemen-mission/
(B H)
Yemen Aid US: Implications of not addressing psychosocial support for individuals impacted by conflict can lead to adverse mental health issues and deteriorating human development. However, with a grant from @ARKUpdate, we assisted 137 individuals in Dhala, Marib & Hadhramout. Details below:
A special psychological support-based response was developed in order to prevent, mitigate or address protection needs and risks, and enhance individual and community coping strategies. Additionally, we offered multiple certified therapy sessions focusing on cognitive behaviors. (photos)
https://twitter.com/YemenAid_US/status/1400807253133959171
(B H P)
Yemen: EU co-hosts humanitarian community meeting as famine looms
The humanitarian situation in Yemen is alarming, with millions of people facing famine. On 1 June, the European Commission and Sweden co-hosted the third Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said: “Yemen remains the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with an unprecedented famine looming. The EU is committed to supporting the people in need. I welcome today's discussion by the humanitarian community on how to ensure that assistance gets to the Yemeni population quickly and effectively. I call on the parties to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian law and allow the delivery of urgently needed aid to the affected population throughout Yemen.”
Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs Per Olsson Fridh stated: “We remain committed to supporting the Yemeni people, who have borne the brunt of this devastating conflict for more than 6 years. Today, we have reaffirmed our steadfast support to the lifesaving work of humanitarian actors and the collective message is clear: relief efforts must reach all Yemenis in need of emergency assistance and protection. The SOM approach is unique and has demonstrated that tangible improvements can be achieved when we speak with one voice as a humanitarian community. It is crucial that we jointly monitor progress and continue to push for more improvements.”
https://ec.europa.eu/echo/news/yemen-eu-co-hosts-humanitarian-community-meeting-famine-looms_en
(* B H)
Yemen Key Message Update: Tens of thousands impacted by flooding, while food assistance is scaled up in the north, May 2021
High assistance needs persist in Yemen as the country enters its seventh year of conflict. The macroeconomic situation continues to deteriorate, driving further increases in food prices. High levels of displacement continue, separating households from livelihoods and assets and increasing competition for income-earning opportunities and resources in host communities. Widespread Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes persist, with some households facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4) or worse outcomes. Although not the most likely scenario, Famine (IPC Phase 5) remains possible should there be a significant shock to commercial import levels or if food supply is cut off from particular areas for a prolonged period.
In April and May 2021, WFP resumed monthly distributions of approximately 80 percent rations of emergency food assistance in 11 northern districts under the control of the Sana’a-based authorities (SBA). WFP plans to resume monthly distributions throughout nine of thirteen northern governorates in June. Food assistance has been delivered once every two months to beneficiaries in SBA-controlled areas since April 2020. This is expected to improve access to food for around 6 million beneficiaries, reducing consumption gaps for many households.
The monthly average parallel exchange rate in both SBA- and Internationally Recognized Government (IRG)-controlled areas remained stable from March to April 2021
In SBA-controlled areas, unofficial prices of petrol and diesel decreased by 1 percent and 4 percent, respectively, from March to April according to FAO Market Information Dashboard. This is mainly attributable to increased fuel availability following some fuel imports through the Red Sea ports in March and April.
Heavy rains from mid-April to the first week of May caused severe flash flooding, impacting around 6,855 families (41,130 people) in Aden, Hadramout, Hajjah, Lahj, Abyan, Dhamar, Taizz, Marib and Al Bayda governorates according to OCHA.
(B H)
Film: In #Yemen, the price of water has shot up by 50% in some areas as a result of prolonged fuel shortages. Most Yemenis cannot afford these new prices. Sadam is one of them
https://twitter.com/NRC_Norway/status/1399647503411187715
(B H)
Yemen in Crisis: getting urgent medical support to pregnant women
However, thanks to your generosity, we are providing essential medical support to women like Iqbal and Saeeda, who have safely given birth during this conflict. Read their inspiring stories.
Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers in Yemen are facing huge risks when they give birth in this country that has been brought to its knees by conflict. For these women, there is an increased risk of death and severe complications during childbirth due to a lack of access to essential healthcare and food in the war-torn region.
Food shortages have left an estimated one million pregnant women malnourished and threaten the lives of 144,000 women who are likely to develop complications during childbirth.
Malnutrition is widespread in Yemen and further increases the demand and pressure for medical services. Less than 50% of health facilities across the country are fully functional. Those that are operational lack specialists, equipment, medical supplies and medicines.
Currently, more than half of Yemeni people lack access to even basic healthcare
https://www.trocaire.org/news/yemen-in-crisis-getting-urgent-medical-support-to-pregnant-women/
(* B H)
Overview of Gaps in Education Service Delivery in Yemen and the Drivers of Poor Educational Outcomes
The crisis in Yemen has caused hundreds of schools to close, and thousands more to be only partially functional. The lack of functioning school infrastructures, coupled with limited capacity building support for teachers, and poor access to learning and teaching materials, have contributed to high rates of out-of-school children. Many children that drop out of school are unlikely to return to formal education. Poor economic conditions often lead to an increase in the number of children being out-of-school, as well as in the use of coping strategies such as child labour or child marriage (which might also be driven by social norms). Therefore, out-of-school children may face a wider range of protection concerns.
Approximately, one million internally displaced children need educational support in Yemen.
(A H)
UN says worker died after being hit by cargo at Yemeni port
https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-yemen-1beef4f107e587cf7a5e32ed0b4f5416
(* B H K P)
The War on Childhood in Yemen
Memories of halcyon summers have given way to famine, conflict, and loss
The war and blockade on the country destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and continues to restrict the flow of food, medicine, and other essential goods. The conflict and blockade have created a humanitarian crisis—over 80 percent of the population relies on aid for survival now.
Children bear the brunt of the conflict, with a child dying every 75 seconds in Yemen. Most surviving children face starvation and poor mental health outcomes. The rate of child malnutrition in Yemen is among the highest in the world with 2.3 million children under 5 requiring treatment for acute malnutrition.
To address this crisis, I helped start Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation, a non-profit that provides aid in Yemen and advocates for peace, alongside my mother. Working on aid efforts in Yemen is both a blessing and a curse. I am able to support the community that has always supported me, but also must bear witness to mass suffering in a country that I hold dear. The raging war has kept eight million Yemeni children out of school. All of the warring factions are recruiting child soldiers, and the economic crisis has resulted in a rise in child brides.
Yemeni children deserve the return of their stolen childhoods. They deserve the same carefree life that I experienced. Days filled with laughter and restful nights with loved ones. Community connections that bring warmth and fulfillment, not anguish and shared trauma. They deserve to have a future in which starvation isn’t imminent and violence isn’t the norm. Children are the future, yet Yemeni children have been deprived of the opportunity to have one.
While donations and raising awareness about the humanitarian crisis help Yemen, neither is enough. No country can survive on aid. Through lifting the Saudi/UAE blockade and pursuing peace efforts, we can grant Yemeni children a brighter future—one in which no one dies of hunger.
This requires concrete political action from our politicians and the current administration. As Americans, we can utilize our leverage to lift the Saudi/UAE blockade on Yemen. Doing so will end an egregious war crime and allow Yemen to move forward once again.
I still treasure the halcyon days of my childhood in Yemen. What actions will the U.S. and international community take to end the war on childhood in Yemen?
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/war-childhood-yemen
(B H)
Yemen Emergency Dashboard, April 2021
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-emergency-dashboard-april-2021
(* B H P)
Yemen is about to plummet into famine: EU must pull it back
Like so many problems faced by ordinary Yemenis, the food security crisis is not an accident - it is entirely manmade.
People are not starving, they are being starved. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated problems already caused by Yemen's dysfunctioning economy, ongoing fuel crisis and record levels of displacement, meaning that many Yemenis simply can't afford to buy food. Meanwhile, access for humanitarian actors within the country is being constrained by all sides of the conflict. If Yemen collapses into famine, it will not have stumbled - it will have been pushed.
As international NGOs operating in Yemen, our teams witness the human impact of aid restrictions every single day.
The resulting $2bn funding gap hits vulnerable populations hard.
The international community - and particularly the EU and its member states - should be held accountable for delivering on their existing commitments to the most vulnerable in Yemen. Tomorrow's SOM is a chance to ensure that this happens and that diplomatic engagement, at the very highest level, is brought to bear to address the drivers behind this looming crisis. Here's how:
https://drc.ngo/about-us/for-the-media/press-releases/2021/5/yemen-is-about-to-plummet-into-famine-eu-must-pull-it-back/ = https://euobserver.com/opinion/151967
My comment: No word about EU support for continuing the Yemen War and EU arms exports!
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp17a
(B H)
Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 25 May - 2 June 2021
During the reporting period, UNHCR distributed core relief items to some 1,700 families (10,200 individuals). Most distributions took place in Hudaydah governorate, followed by Ibb, Marib and Sana’a. Families benefitting from the assistance were either newly displaced or displaced for a prolonged period, many of whom were forced to leave their homes without any personal items. The kits contained mattresses, blankets, kitchen sets and solar lamps, among other items to support the families’ most immediate and essential needs.
Lack of funding has forced UNHCR to temporarily halt its rental subsidy programme, affecting thousands of vulnerable families.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-25-may-2-june-2021
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Thousands of Yemenis Rally in Sa’ada to Slam US, Israeli Crimes against Muslim Nations
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kge6T3HrI-0
at Rima: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGnXq5_RFmU
(A P)
US demands Iran-backed rebels in Yemen release Jewish prisoner
The United States has reiterated its demand that Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen immediately release a Jewish prisoner incarcerated since 2018.
In an interview on Monday with the strongly pro-Saudi Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat, an unnamed spokesperson for the State Department confirmed that President Joe Biden’s administration is calling for the freedom of Levi Marhabi, a Yemeni Jew who was first imprisoned four years ago.
https://worldisraelnews.com/us-demands-iran-backed-rebels-in-yemen-release-jewish-prisoner/
(A P)
Iran-backed Houthis changed names of 12 state schools in al-Shahel district, #Yemen northern Hajjah governorate, with sectarian names and adored religious figures
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1400527643703906319
(A K P)
Houthis unveil names of 96 militants including 56 commanders killed in the militia’s wars during the last third of May./Almashehad Alkhaleeji.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47042
(A P)
Armed clashes erupt like a small war between a Houthi “minister and his deputy” in a Sana’a ministerial premise./Voice of Yemen website
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47042
(A P)
Lawyer Khaled Mohammed Al-Kamal says he has been suspended from doing his job due to defending Yemeni model and actress Intissar al-Hammadi, who has been arbitrarily detained by #Houthis for more than three months on spurious grounds.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1400544550448402434
(A P)
Sayyed Abdulmalik: Yemeni People Are Committed to Their Right to Freedom, Independence
The Leader of the Revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, affirmed that the Yemeni people are committed to their right to freedom, independence and dignity, against US and Israeli conspiracies.
During a televised speech on the occasion of the anniversary of Sarkha, Thursday, Sayyed Abdulmalik explained that when the Yemeni people shout the slogan “Death to America and death to Israel”, they are practically confronting US and Israeli conspiracies.
He added that the Sarkha that began in the remote areas of Khamis Maran has resonated today, after all the wars, to all parts of the world.
He added that today it has become the chant of the free people on Abrams tanks, when launching ballistic and winged missiles, and in mass rallies.
and
(A P)
Muslim Nations Must Mobilize Against Israel to Remove It from Palestine: Sayyed Houthi
The leader of Yemen’s popular Ansarullagh movement has called upon Muslim nations worldwide to join forces against Israel to remove it from the Palestinian territories of the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
Speaking in a televised address broadcast from the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a on Thursday, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi urged Muslims to mobilize against enemies, and called for the total boycott of the Tel Aviv regime.
He lambasted some Arab states over striking US-sponsored normalization deals with Israel
and
(A P)
Officially..Yemen Is at Heart of Equation for Defending Occupied Quds
The leader of the Ansarullah, Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi, stressed that the Yemeni people are an integral part of the equation announced by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah within the framework of the axis of resistance, and that the threat to Al-Quds means a regional war.
and
(A P)
Sayyed Abdulmalik Identifies 3 Main Points for Achieving Peace in Yemen
The leader of the Yemeni revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi identified three main points for achieving peace in Yemen and stopping the war.
In his speech on the occasion of the anniversary of the Sarkha against the arrogant, Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi said that there are three pivotal points for achieving peace, namely stopping the aggression, lifting the siege and ending the occupation.
(A P)
Iran-backed Houthis begun fundraising cmpns 4 Palstn resistance. Ystrdy, Huthi IOM announced it donated Yer 150 mln. Days ago, Houthi Zakat Auth. fundraised Y 1.1 biln. Raises mny questions, bt wat abt 2 pay salaries & help #Yemen-is who suffer the wrst hum disaster in the world? (photos)
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1400241144500523013
(B P)
Houthis are granting members of the supremacist [Hashemite] dynasty dwelling in different parts of Yemen (e.g.from Saada to Taiz) estates and funds in Sana’a enticing them to move and settle in the capital city as part of broader efforts to change the structure of the Yemeni population on sectarian basis./Anbaa Aden
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47005
(A P)
In starving Yemen, Houthis display huge riches: Reports
Yemeni traditional press and social media launched a blistering attack against the leaders of the Houthi militia controlling northwest Yemen for possessing huge “riches” collected as a religious tax while most of the Yemeni people are in famine-like conditions.
The Houthi militia displayed this week in Sana’a large sums of money (pictured) including US dollar banknotes in brand new bands declaring the amounts as Zakat (religious taxes collected from the general public).
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47006
(A)
New Sana’a oil black market explodes into flames, as UN claims fuel shortage on Houthi end
Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital city of Sana’a saw a new massive fire in a black market of oil products on Sunday evening and plumes of smoke hang over the sky, local media reported, in an apparent accident (pictured) that left no casualties.
News websites said the black market “in the 30-meter road an offshoot of the main 60-meter road” in downtown the city belongs to Abdullah Yahya al-Madani a senior figure in the Houthi militia
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47007
(A P)
Negotiating-delegation-of-transitional-council-heads-to-kingdom-of-saudi-to-resume-discussions-on-implementing-riyadh-agreement
(A P)
FM: Fragmenting Solutions in Yemen Will Not Succeed
Yemen: Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf renewed the position of the Salvation Government that the policy of dividing solutions in Yemen will not succeed, and the time has come to achieve what the Yemeni people want of security, peace and stability.
https://english.almasirah.net/post/19715/FM-%C2%A0Fragmenting-Solutions-in-Yemen-Will-Not-Succeed
(A P)
Al-Ra'i denounces IPU’s decision to recognize "Sayoun parliament"
The Speaker of the Parliament, Yahya Ali Al-Ra’i, on Tuesday strongly condemned the arbitrary decision issued by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)'s Board of Directors, which included the recognition of Sayoun parliament loyal to Saudi-led aggression coalition.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142205.htm
and
(A P)
Shura Council condemns IPU’s decision to recognize "Sayoun' parliament"
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142505.htm
(A P)
Tourism Ministry condemns UAE's transfer of 'Israeli' tourists' regiments to Socotra
The Yemeni Ministry of Tourism condemned the UAE transfer of 'Israeli' regiments of tourists to Socotra island with Emirati visas.
The Ministry confirmed in a statement received by Saba that this is contrary to international law considering island of Socotra as Yemeni and occupied by the countries of aggression.
It pointed out that the transfer of 'Israeli' regiments to Socotra reveals the plans of the UAE occupation in implementing the Zionist agenda to control the Yemeni islands.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142142.htm
(A P)
Al-Houthi orders release of Yemeni Youtuber Mustafa Al-Mawmari one day after being detained over insulting judiciary. Al-Houthi: Release Mustafa & let him speak freely. We aren't like Al Saud & UAE when citizen speaks they fine him 200 SAR and 5 years detention.
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1399497275597012996
Correction: *fined him 100k SAR not 200. He spoke Sa'adi colloquial Arabic and was hard to understand it.
https://twitter.com/Naseh_Shaker/status/1399506846231236610
Video of Mohammed Al-Houthi and then Yemeni Youtuber Mustafa Al-Mawmari speaks after his release.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlCdrLBMI94&t=2s
My comment: “We aren't like Al Saud & UAE when citizen speaks they fine him 200 SAR and 5 years detention.” ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
(* B K pS)
Yemen’s Houthis using waves of children in assaults on Marib front line
Young fighters recruited from school and sent to wear down pro-government forces
Thousands of children are among waves of raw recruits sent by Houthi rebels to the front line in Marib in Yemen, say pro-government forces fighting the rebels.
This is seen as a desperate bid by the Iran-backed group to overwhelm government defences and capture the oil-rich province that shelters millions who have fled the fighting.
Many young fighters have been recruited from school – often forcibly – and sent to fight as first-wave attackers, with the aim of wearing down pro-government forces before more experienced fighters attack, pro-government military leaders and officials said.
Sheikh Mohammed Al Qardaie, a tribal leader fighting the Houthis in southern Marib province, told The National that the rebels had pushed hundreds of young recruits to the front line since their assault on the region began in February.
"They use them in the first attacks as an attrition tactic to wear down our forces and try to penetrate our ranks before they send in the experienced fighters," Sheikh Al Qardaie said.
“But this tactic has failed and hundreds of these children were captured by our fighters in the past couple of months."
Sheikh Al Qardaie said the majority of those captured around Marib were about 16 and from the provinces of Thamar, Amran, and Ibb.
"The Houthi rebels depend on these provinces for military reinforcements,” he said.
“They collect children and subject them to ideological brainwashing sessions, usually held in secret camps, and give them a month of training.
"After that these children are moved to the front line.”
The Houthis began using young recruits in greater numbers to bolster their ranks in an effort to take the province, a source in the Yemeni Army in Marib said.
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B P)
While Saudi Regime Live Critical Situation, UAE Increases its Control of Southern Yemen
There is no separate between what is going on in the southern and eastern Yemeni governorates from the conflict of countries of Aggression, specifically Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. Each country has its own ambitions, by virtue of the geopolitics that these governorates enjoy, like their location, ports and beaches overlooking 3 sea fronts extending from the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea to the Indian Ocean, in addition to the oil and gas wealth of those provinces.
The competing countries realize that whoever is tightly controlling them will have the power and regional presence, which explains the competition of many countries, directly or through proxies, to control this important geographical area of Yemen.
Based on the theory of the role in international relations, we can begin to identify the most prominent countries that play roles in southern and eastern Yemen, some of them are public and apparent, such as the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, and some are hidden behind humanitarian organizations, such as Turkey, which recently entered from the humanitarian gate with Islah Party, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
It is known that the UAE has the most prominent role in the power struggle equation, by recruiting thousands of people from the southern governorates, arming them, training them, in Aden, Abyan, Lahj, Al Dhale'e, Socotra and a large part of Shabwa and Hadramout.
They implement what Abu Dhabi demands, in coordination with The American and the British, who also have military bases in Hadramout, Al-Mahrah and Socotra (for strategic goals serving their interests, and tactical ones related to military and intelligence work in the southern and eastern governorates.
Then comes Saudi Arabia, which built military bases in provinces that are already away from the course of war and conflict, in order to achieve its historical ambitions to create a presence on the Arabian Sea, and to extend an oil pipeline from Saudi Arabia to the Arabian Sea to enrich it From the Strait of Hormuz. It has been seeking to implement the project since the 1980s, as revealed by the former southern president, Ali Nasser Muhammad.
With this background, the southern governorates cannot witness sustainable and viable stability, in light of the large gap between the parties to the crisis, and Riyadh cannot succeed in ending the conflict, due to the historical disagreement and the association with a number of regional and international parties
In political timing, the UAE is aware of the critical situation facing Saudi Arabia, which is besieged by a number of crises and surrounded by many issues internally and externally, which prompted it to instruct its first man in the south to announce the new plan for building a "federal state." A year and a half later, the Riyadh Agreement was signed, and the Saudi regime failed to solve the crisis.
My remark: From the Houthi side.
and
(* B K P)
Israeli Enemy Uses Emirati, Saudi Presence in Mayon as Cover
The UAE’s acceptance of joining the coalition announced by the United States of America in March of 2015 for the war on Yemen was not in vain, but rather has dual strategic ambitions and authoritarian desires.
With the start of the war on Yemen, the UAE turned its eyes towards the Yemeni coast and the oil areas before it retreated after the presence of its forces in Marib, due to the famous strike by the Yemeni army, which targeted the UAE forces with a Tochka missile in early September 2015, killing and injuring dozens of soldiers and officers. Then it returned to focus on the Yemeni coasts and islands and the international shipping line in order to avoid direct human and material losses.
The UAE worked to have an active presence on the Yemeni coast, starting with its military presence and then supporting some components militarily and politically, such as the “Transitional” in the southern Yemeni governorates and the Popular Congress, the “Afash” wing led by “Tariq” on the western coast, taking advantage of Saudi Arabia’s preoccupation with its fractured political situation and its border battles with the Yemeni Army and the Popular Committees.
International organizations have dealt, in several reports, with Emirati violations against Yemenis in the southern governorates through secret prisons
The UAE’s appetite expanded after the success of its aims in “Socotra” to go to devour “Mayon” island, which is the most important Yemeni islands at all, as it is located in the most important waterways in the world and the artery linking the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. That is why the UAE pushed “Tariq Afash” to be in the city Mocha, on the western coast, to force people to accept it and as a defensive line that protects its movements and military installations from possible strikes by the Yemeni army, which has been facing the coalition for seven years.
All data confirm the benefit of the Israeli entity, realizing its dream from the seventies and eliminating its nightmare at the same time. The Emirati and Saudi presence in Mayon is an Israeli presence that was present since the first hour of launching the war on Yemen.
(A T)
Armed gang abducts civilian in Aden
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/06/04/armed-gang-abducts-civilian-in-aden/
(A P)
Yemeni official says UAE infringes national sovereignty
Advisor to the Yemeni information and tourism minister on Thursday accused the United Arab Emirates of fringing the sovereignty of his war-torn country by brining foreign tourists to Socotra island without official government consent.
"The Emiratis have issued visas for foreign tourists with variable nationalities to [visit] Socotra without consulting or asking the approval of the Yemeni government," Mukhtar al-Rahabi said.
It is not unlikely that the UAE brought also Israeli tourists to the Yemeni archipelago, he told the Anadolu Agency.
"An Emirati-backed militia has been dominating Socotra for one year, and skies, sea and State's institutions are now under its control," the Yemeni official added.
"The Yemeni government has clear position disallowing the entry of any foreigner to the country without permission and applicable measures."
Rahabi dismissed Emirati practices as blatant insult against the Yemeni sovereignty, vowing that the UAE would be internationally litigated over "these crimes".
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25411.html
(A P)
Yemeni-Saudi talks on Riyadh agreement, return of government to Aden
Talks were held on Friday between Yemen's internationally recognised government and Saudi Arabia on efforts to finalise the implementation of the Riyadh agreement, especially the military and security arrangements.
The talks were held in Riyadh in a positive atmosphere and mutual keenness to remove all challenges facing the agreement, the state news agency Saba said.
They were chaired by the Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Ahmed Awadh bin Mubarak and the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jaber, it said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25420.html
and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/33083
https://twitter.com/YemenEmbassy_DC/status/1400867327483252736
(A P)
Following the [UAE-backed] STC rebels’ dishonoring of the Riyadh Agreement in Aden, the Yemeni government is seeking to declare Sayoon [in eastern Hadhramout governorate] as a new temporary capital city./Multiple sources.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47042
(A P)
UAE-backed separatists denounce “escalation” by Saudi-backed Hadi government
The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has on Thursday denounced what it called escalation measured taken by the Hadi puppet government.
During a meeting attended by the Council’s President Aidarous al-Zubaidi in Aden, the STC confirmed in a statement that the Hadi government has reneged on many obligations towards the suffering of citizens, in stubborn escalatory practices.
The STC statement referred to the government’s insistence on “continuing its intransigence and deliberate violations to disrupt the course of the Riyadh Agreement.”
In another meeting of leaders of the council in Abyan province, the STC leaders called for the province to be “extricated from the schemes of chaos and revenge,” referring to Islah Party militants that back Hadi.
The STC leaders pointed out that it believes “terrorist elements have been systematically pushed to Abyan in order to take revenge on the province in particular and the southern provinces in general.”
and
(A P)
Separatists say Yemeni gov't hinders Riyadh deal application
The escalation practiced by the Yemeni presidency and government obstructs efforts aimed to get Yemeni out of the 7-year-old crisis, the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) said Thursday.
At meeting chaired by Eidroos al-Zobaidi in Aden, the Emirati-backed STC accused the official government of failing to provide people with services and deliberately undermining the Riyadh Agreement brokered by the Kingdom between the two parties.
This escalation negatively reflected on the main battle against the Houthi group on the ground, the STC said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25393.html
(A P)
STC releases Yemeni gov't officer detained in Socotra
The Southern Transitional Council's (STC's) forces released the training officer of Socotra military police affiliated to the Yemeni government troops on Wednesday after one day of detention in the southern island.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25391.html
(A P)
Taiz sees rally calling for corrupted officials ouster
Hundreds of Taiz people on Thursday staged a rally calling for ouster of the corrupted officials in the Yemeni southwestern governorate held by the UN-recognized government.
Organized by activists, the protest called for local corrupted officials to be fired and held accountable, and for technocrats be selected when officials are appointed, and deplored the persistent absence of services.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25392.html
(A P)
Marib Governor discusses with US envoy latest developments
http://en.26sepnews.net/2021/06/02/marib-governor-discusses-with-us-envoy-latest-developments/
(A P)
Minister of Foreign & Expatriates Affair @BinmubarakAhmed met today with #UN & #US envoys for #Yemen. They discussed efforts to bring peace to Yemen and agreed that an inclusive nationwide ceasefire is desperately needed to mitigate the suffering of the Yemeni people (photos)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1400140454428131329
and also http://en.26sepnews.net/2021/06/02/bin-mubarak-lenderking-discuss-peace-efforts/
(A P)
STC's human rights bodies discuss tragic situation in southern regions
Building the human being and defending human rights are the foundation for building a homeland characterized by equality, equity, tolerance and rule of law, said the President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Supreme Commander of the Southern Armed Forces, Maj.-Gen. Aidroos Qassem al-Zubaidi during chairing a joint meeting of the STC's Human Rights Department and Human Rights Committee of the Southern National Assembly in Aden on Wednesday.
The meeting focused on the current tragic humanitarian situation in the South caused by three long decades of corruption and systematic destruction of state institutions, in addition to policies of collective punishment and war on public services.
The meeting touched on the human rights violations and continuation of murders, assassinations and arbitrary arrests by the Muslim Brotherhood-linked authorities in Shabwa and Wadi Hadramout, along with legalizing the presence of terrorist organisations and groups, such as al-Qaeda and Daesh in the Brotherhood-held districts of Abyan province.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33069
(A P)
UAE-backed gunmen seize headquarters of Yemen News Agency in Aden
Armed men affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) seized the headquarters of the official Yemen News Agency (SABA) in the provisional capital, Aden, storming it and expelling its employees on Tuesday.
The news agency's management in Aden said in a statement on Wednesday evening that "an armed group affiliated with the STC stormed the SABA headquarters in Aden and threw out the security guards and employees present in the building."
The statement indicated that an armed group had come to the agency on Tuesday and said that they had orders from the STC President, Aidarus Al-Zubaidi, to seize the building and manage it under the name of Aden News Agency for the State of Arabic South.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1400116445284114436
and
(A P)
Government official: UAE has instructed STC to storm Yemen TV
Gunmen loyal to the UAE-backed southern transitional council, STC, on Wednesday seized the office of the state news agency Saba in Yemen's interim capital Aden.
The council plans to storm the compound of Yemen TV as well, a senior official in the ministry of information, culture and tourism said.
The United Arab Emirates is supporting these acts, the official said, accusing its arms in the south of attempting to obstruct the Riyadh agreement amid silence from Saudi Arabia, the sponsor of the agreement.
The gunmen were led by pro-STC journalist the council Mokhtar Al-Yafi'e and forced the staff of the agency to leave the office.
They told the staff that they had received orders from the council's president Aidarous Al-Zubaidi to take over the agency and run it under the name of the news agency of the South Arabia state.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25379.html
(* B P)
Have Yemenis given up on Hadi during six-year exile?
Yemeni President Hadi's six-year exile in Riyadh has eroded his legitimacy in the eyes of manyYemenis who do not expect his return home, and realize that even his return will not be a cure-all for Yemen's plight.
Abdulraqeeb al-Hidiani, an Aden-based political analyst, said Hadi has let the people down and forgot that people accepted to elect him in a one-candidate election out of their desire for peace, stability and the rule of law. Hidiani told Al-Monitor, "President Hadi is not firm, and he is now incapable of solving the crisis Yemen is going through. We do not expect any good from him."
Mohammed al-Samei, a Taiz-based journalist, focusing on political affairs, reckoned that the security situation in Yemen had blocked Hadi's return. He told Al-Monitor, "The instability and fragmentation in the government-controlled areas form a big impediment for Hadi's return. There appears no safe place for him in Yemen. Given this reality, he does not have a genuine desire to return to the country given the security risks he will face."
One argument is that the Saudi-led coalition is concerned about the safety of Hadi. He was the one who officially requested military intervention from Saudi Arabia in 2015. An end of his legitimacy will create a new political scenario in Yemen, which could trouble the Saudi-led coalition. "The coalition countries have been using Hadi as a cover for their military operations in Yemen. He gave them the go-ahead as a president, but now he does not seem to be able to stop them or direct them on what to do," Samei said.
After six years of living outside Yemen, the hope of Hadi's return has vanished. Should he return, he would not fix all the intricate issues in the country. Samei noted, "If President Hadi comes back from exile, it does not mean we will see a rapid improvement of the living situation of people nationwide. His return will not make a big difference in the lives of Yemenis, particularly at the economic and security levels."
Some civilians in Yemen say Hadi has lost legitimacy for being outside Yemen for several years. Ezdeen Mahdi, a university student in Sanaa, believes that Hadi is no more a legitimate president as he has been unable to exercise duty from Yemen. Mahdi told Al-Monitor, "I have not heard about the distance presidency in any country. He keeps staying in Riyadh and acts as the president of Yemen. This is illogical. Leaders are elected to serve people and live with them to solve their problems."
As the war in Yemen continues and political efforts have repeatedly misfired, Hadi's return does not seems increasingly unlikely.
Hadi's six-year exile in Riyadh is not only a demerit to his political legacy but also a reflection of the Saudi-led coalition's failure to date in Yemen. "Efforts to strike a political settlement have failed, and the pro-Hadi Saudi coalition has not achieved a military win over six years. Both Hadi and the coalition share the responsibility for the appalling ordeal in Yemen," Samei concluded.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/06/have-yemenis-given-hadi-during-six-year-exile
(A P)
Taiz and other Yemeni cities are seeing protests over the collapse of the Yemeni Riyal (on its way to 1000 versus one US dollar) and the consequent soar of food prices.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47005
(A K P)
The coming battle in Abyan governorate will be between the government (under President Hadi’s supervision) and the UAE. It will be a defining battle./Voice of Yemen
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47005
(A T)
Explosions rock Aden, kill three soldiers/Mareb Press.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47005
Army denies existence of non-state military camps in Taiz
The military command in Yemen's Taiz province on Monday denied the existence of non-state military or militia camps in the southwestern province.
The talk about non-state military camps or militia formations is untrue and aims to draw attention from what is happening on the Perim Island, Miyoun, and Socotra Island, the spokesperson for the command Abdulbasit Al-Bahr said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25354.html
My comment: LOL. There obviously is a lot of militia in the anti-Houthi camp at Taiz.
(A P)
STC's negotiating team holds its first meeting in Riyadh
The negotiating team of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), headed by Dr. Nasser Al-Khubji met in the Saudi capital, Riyadh on Monday, with the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al-Jaber in the presence of the Saudi Coordination and Liaison Team.
The meeting discussed means to speed up the implementation of the remaining terms of the Riyadh Agreement and the return of the power-sharing government to Aden
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33056
(A P)
Doctors protest at abduction of their colleagues in Shabwa
An angry protest was held in Ataq, the provincial capital of Shabwa on Monday, to bring attention to the violations committed by the Muslim Brotherhood-linked authorities in the province.
The protest was organized by the trade union for doctors in solidarity with Dr. Saleh Al-Humsi and the nursing team who were forcibly arrested by the Brotherhood militias in the province without any legal justification.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33058
(A T)
[Separatist] SBF soldiers injured in roadside bomb blast in Aden
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33061
(A P)
Saudi Arabia Hosts Yemen Talks With Sweden’s Foreign Minister, President Hadi
Yemen’s president has told the Swedish foreign minister that the Houthi militia failed to uphold any elements of an agreement reached in Stockholm in 2019.
Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi met Ann Linde and Sweden’s envoy to Yemen Peter Semneby in the Saudi capital, Riyadh on Monday.
Linde also held talks with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir.
The president briefed the Swedish delegation on the latest developments in Yemen and the human suffering brought by the Houthis including the recruitment of child fighters, the continued siege of cities, the offensive in Marib, and targeting camps for those displaced by the conflict.
and also https://www.arabnews.com/node/1867986/saudi-arabia
(A P)
STC seeks turmoil to scape internal problems: Yemeni official
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) tries to explode the military situation in order to escape its internal problems, public angry and regional resentment, advisor to the Yemeni information minister tweeted on Sunday.
To escape the Saudi pressures, the Emirati-backed STC sent simple delegate consisting of low-ranking unknown leaders, Mukhtar al-Rahabi added.
The Kingdom tries to save the Riyadh Agreement, of which the military part has yet to be applied due to STC's obduracy and rejection, he said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25324.html
(A P)
Online campaign against illegal Saudi prison camps in Mahrah starts
Yemeni have activists launched an online campaign to expose the violations committed in secret and illegal Saudi prisons in Mahrah province.
Hundreds of activists tweeted under the hashtag #SecretSaudiPrisonsInMahrah, in order to denounce Saudi Arabia’s practices in the province and the grave violations against Mahrah people in its secret prisons.
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp7 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-744b-yemen-war-mosaic-744b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-743-yemen-war-mosaic-743
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-743 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-743:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
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