Dies ist die Fortsetzung von Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 744, Teil 1 / This is the sequel of Yemen War Mosaic 44, part 1:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-744-yemen-war-mosaic-744
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 1 / In Italics: Look in part 1
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
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
A delegation representing #Oman Sultan arrives in Sana’s for talks with #Houthi leaders and push for peace, according to Houthi media. The visit comes as [Hadi gov.] #Yemen FM @BinmubarakAhmed continues visit to Muscat.
https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1401130090927378432
(A H P)
The World Food Organization continues: @WFPYemen Importing damaged foodstuffs: The Glorious steamer, which carries 250,000 bags of Turkish flour, was rejected by quality and standards because it contained dead insects (mites) and was unfit for human use. (document9
https://twitter.com/baseem_aljenani/status/1401083680366415875
(A P)
Al-Houthi holds Security Council fully responsible for humanitarian disaster in Yemen
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142610.htm
(* A P)
UN fordern Zugang zu verlassenem Tanker
Seit sechs Jahren verrottet ein verlassener Tanker vor der jemenitischen Küste. Noch immer hat er über eine Million Barrel Rohöl geladen, eine enorme Bedrohung der Ökosysteme des Roten Meeres. UN-Experten wollen sich ein Bild der Lage machen, scheitern bislang aber am Widerstand der Huthi-Rebellen.
Der UN-Sicherheitsrat hat die Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen aufgefordert, die Inspektion eines seit Jahren verlassenen Öl-Tankers vor der Küste des Landes zu erlauben. Um eine Umweltkatastrophe zu vermeiden, müsse die 45 Jahre alte "FSO Safer" "ohne weitere Verzögerung" von Experten überprüft werden, erklärte der Rat nach einer Sondersitzung. Nach Angaben der Rebellen war eine vorherige Vereinbarung "in eine Sackgasse geraten".
https://www.n-tv.de/panorama/UN-fordern-Zugang-zu-verlassenem-Tanker-article22595726.html
und
(* A P)
UN-Sicherheitsrat fordert schnellen Zugang zu verlassenem Öl-Tanker vor dem Jemen
Der UN-Sicherheitsrat hat die Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen aufgefordert, die Inspektion eines seit Jahren verlassenen Öl-Tankers vor der Küste des Landes zu erlauben. Um eine Umweltkatastrophe zu vermeiden, müsse die 45 Jahre alte "FSO Safer" "ohne weitere Verzögerung" von Experten überprüft werden, erklärte der Rat am Donnerstag nach einer Sondersitzung. Nach Angaben der Rebellen war eine vorherige Vereinbarung "in eine Sackgasse geraten".
Der Tanker wurde im Jahr 2015 nahe der Hafenstadt Hodeida im Roten Meer verlassen. Seitdem liegt das Schiff mit 1,1 Millionen Barrel Rohöl an Bord vor Anker. Rost und Abnutzung setzen dem Tanker zu. Experten warnen vor einer Umweltkatastrophe durch ein Auseinanderbrechen oder eine Explosion.
Laut UNO würde eine Öl-Pest in der Region die Ökosysteme im Roten Meer schwer schädigen und die Fischerei zum Erliegen bringen.
Die Mitglieder des Sicherheitsrats forderten die Rebellen daher auf, "bedingungslosen und sicheren Zugang" für ein Expertenteam zu ermöglichen. Die Huthi-Rebellen bestehen darauf, dass das UN-Team Wartungsarbeiten an dem Tanker erledigt. Die UNO sagt jedoch, man müsse den Experten erlauben, die Lage zunächst zu beurteilen.
https://de.nachrichten.yahoo.com/un-sicherheitsrat-fordert-schnellen-zugang-000713170.html = https://www.nau.ch/news/amerika/un-sicherheitsrat-fordert-zugang-zu-verlassenem-ol-tanker-vor-jemen-65940281
und
(* A P)
Explosionsgefahr: UN fordern von Huthis sofortige Wartung des Öltankers FSO Safer im Jemen
Die UN forderten die Huthis im Jemen auf, UNO-Experten die Wartung eines Öltankers zu gestatten, der mit mehr als 1 Million Barrel Rohöl beladen vor der Küste dieses von einer Blockade heimgesuchten Landes als Ölübergabeterminal dient. Andernfalls droht, dass der Tanker explodieren kann.
Der UN-Sicherheitsrat stellte in seiner Presseerklärung fest, dass die Huthis ihre Zustimmung zum Einsatz von technischen Experten der Vereinten Nationen auf dem Tanker bereits am 5. Juli 2020 signalisiert hätten, und erklärte, man erwarte nun, dass diese geplante Entsendung "so schnell wie möglich" erfolgen kann.
Die Huthis teilten am Dienstag in einer Erklärung mit, dass die jüngsten Gespräche über den Tanker FSO Safer festgefahren seien. Die Huthis machten die Vereinten Nationen für die gescheiterten Verhandlungen verantwortlich und erklärten, sie hätten in letzter Zeit drei Treffen mit dem Büro der Vereinten Nationen für Projektdienste abgehalten, aber die UNO hätte den Großteil der vereinbarten Wartungsarbeiten wegen mangelnder Finanzierungsmöglichkeiten ausgeschlossen.
Inger Andersen, die Chefin des Umweltprogramms der Vereinten Nationen, berichtete dem UN-Sicherheitsrat, dass eine Explosion auf dem Tanker FSO Safer Millionen von Menschen betreffen und eine drohende Ölpest Jahrzehnte zur Bewältigung in Anspruch nehmen würde.
"Im Falle eines Brandes oder einer Explosion könnten innerhalb von 24 bis 36 Stunden etwa 4,8 Millionen Menschen im Jemen und 350.000 Menschen im Königreich Saudi-Arabien schädlichen Verschmutzungswerten ausgesetzt sein."
https://de.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/118559-explosionsgefahr-un-fordert-huthis-sofortige/
und auch https://www.logistic-ready.de/verlassener-oeltanker-im-jemen-koennte-jederzeit-explodieren/
Mein Kommentar: Mehr Information auf Englisch; die Huthis wollen selbst eine Lösung des Problems, aber die UN geht auf ihre Vorstellungen dafür nicht ein.
(* A P)
United Nations Officials Call for Access to Decaying FSO ‘Safer’ off Yemen’s Coast, Warn Security Council of Potential Environmental, Humanitarian Crisis
Political and logistical gridlock in assessing the risk of an oil spill or explosion in the Red Sea are increasing the likelihood of a new humanitarian and environmental crisis in Yemen, and beyond, the Security Council heard today from high-level officials reporting on the FSO Safer.
The 15-member Council was warned of the devastating consequences for the region if an incident were to occur onboard the aging vessel which holds 1.1 million barrels of oil and is anchored 4.8 nautical miles off Ras Issa in an environmentally sensitive area of the Red Sea.
In her briefing to the Council, Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), expressed regret about the lack of progress over the past year in assessing the risk of a massive oil leak or explosion from the Safer. Noting the relevance of the Red Sea’s biodiversity, she said millions of people could be exposed to harmful pollution if an explosion were to occur onboard, with severe health impacts for vulnerable populations. Additionally, an oil spill would have negative effects on the lives of people already going through the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, she stressed.
Ms. Andersen assured the Council that the United Nations system is working to support readiness, contingency and response planning in case of an oil spill, and highlighted the creation of several coordination mechanisms to that end. Through those mechanisms, relevant stakeholders — including the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Yemeni authorities and International Maritime Organization (IMO) — have developed regional and national contingency plans, as well as contracted a private company to provide updates in the event of a spill. These efforts have been paired with a series of capacity‑building workshops on responses at the regional and national levels, which involve training on the use of spill‑response equipment and on the use of dispersants.
She warned the Council that an oil spill or explosion could severely restrict the movement of vessels through the Red Sea, disrupting one of the busiest commercial routes in the world and would pose devastating consequences for the wealth of species found in the region. “Making an assessment is critical to identify and reduce risks linked with the Safer,” she concluded, adding that lack of progress will only negatively impact neighbouring Red Sea countries.
Also briefing the Council was Reena Ghelani, Director for Operations and Advocacy at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, who said that, over the past two years, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator briefed the Council 23 times on the Safer, including in a meeting dedicated to the issue in July 2020. Progress, however, has been much slower than anyone would have wanted and there is not much to say regarding United Nations efforts to gain access to the vessel. So far, no mission has been able to deploy, mainly because Ansar Allah (Houthi) authorities, while agreeing in principle to such an operation, are reluctant to provide assurances it can proceed.
Over the last 10 days, extensive discussions have taken place to bridge gaps, without success, she said. The main sticking point is around what the United Nations would exactly do on the Safer and why the Organization is unable to specify what repairs will be carried out. However, because no technical mission has been able to access the tanker, it is not possible to determine what condition it is in or what work must be done. The expert team needs to verify what it is dealing with and what can be done, in addition to carrying out some light maintenance to minimize the risk of an oil spill and hopefully buy more time.
Recalling that Ansar Allah accepted the scope of work in November 2020, but now seem unhappy with it, she said that “everyone wants to see the problem solved”. However, for the United Nations, work must start with a comprehensive and impartial assessment of the Safer. The Organization has no interest in how the problem is ultimately solved, so long as it is done safely. She emphasized that the expert team will remain on standby so long as donor funds are available, adding that, once a green light is given, it will still require several weeks to charter vessels, gather equipment and set off from Djibouti to the Safer.
https://www.un.org/press/en/2021/sc14541.doc.htm
and Ghelani’s briefing in full: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/behalf-under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-0
and Andersen's briefing in full: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/statements/briefing-security-council-yemen
and media reports: https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-houthis-middle-east-yemen-business-6a804c7e47a4a06bab6891fb314e7b5c
https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/un-risk-massive-oil-spill-red-sea-grows-daily
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/06/un-urges-houthis-permit-inspection-aging-oil-tanker
and
(* A P)
UN Security Council to discuss Yemen oil tanker impasse
The UN Security Council will meet this week to discuss a long-abandoned fuel tanker off Yemen amid growing fears of a catastrophic oil spill, diplomats said Wednesday.
Thursday's meeting, requested by Britain, comes after Huthi rebels said an agreement to allow a UN mission to inspect the tanker had "reached a dead end."
The 45-year-old fuel vessel FSO Safer has 1.1 million barrels of crude on board and has been abandoned near Yemen's western port of Hodeida since 2015.
UN inspectors were initially meant to assess the tanker last year but the mission has been repeatedly delayed over disagreements with the rebels.
The Huthi rebels said Tuesday that negotiations with the UN had reached an impasse after several days of talks, according to their Al-Masira channel.
They said they "deeply regret the UN's backing out of conducting maintenance work (in a deal) that was signed last November."
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, reiterated that maintenance work can't be undertaken without an impartial assessment first.
He said the rebels' comments "seem to confirm that the Huthis aren't ready to provide the assurances we need to deploy the UN mission to the Safer."
"The Safer is a dangerous site, and we need to understand exactly what we're dealing with before undertaking any major works," Dujarric said.
and
Greenpeace: UN must act to prevent major oil spill catastrophe in Yemen
Greenpeace called for swift action from the United Nations (UN) to resolve the long outstanding environmental and humanitarian threat posed by the FSO Safer, ahead of today’s UN Security Council meeting during which Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and Reena Ghelani, the Director of Operations and Advocacy for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), will be providing updates on the FSO Safer situation.
and also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBxyrqVR5Iw
and
(* A B P)
UN reneges Safer FSO repair deal: Houthis
The United Nations has reneged the deal on repairing the floating storage and offloading (FSO) facility of Safer, the Houthi group said Tuesday, noting that efforts to solve the crisis reached an impasse.
In November 2020, the UN and the Houthis reached a deal to urgently repair and fully assess Safer supertanker in which 1.1 million barrels of oil.
Houthi-appointed panel to observe the application of the repair deal said they held "since Thursday 3 meetings with the UN office for project services to discuss the UN action plan that should be an interpretation of the deal."
However, the panel found that the UN plan excluded most of the urgent repairs agreed on, and only kept assessment works on the pretext of insufficient time and funds, the panel added in a statement.
The UN office also changed many of the assessment works into mere impractical tests governed by no recognized criteria, it claimed.
Since the deal signature in November, "the UN spent funds, allocated for repairs and assessment, in its team's operational expenditures. They deliberately prolonged discussions to deplete the budget assigned to apply the deal."
Discussions with the UN are still underway, the panel said, hoping that talks would lead the UN to "abide by the deal so as to achieve the mission perfectly."
No immediate comment has been released by the UN on the Houthi statement.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25374.html
and
(A P)
Mohammed al-Houthi blasts UN Security Council for its total failure in regards to Safer oil tanker
Top member in the Supreme Political Council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi has criticised the UN Security Council (UNSC) positions, and blamed it for the humanitarian disaster in Yemen.
“The Security Council “bears full responsibility for what has become of Yemen, after its decision to put Yemen under the Chapter VII of the UN Charter,” Mohammed Ali al-Houthi tweeted.
He stressed that the decision was based on misleading intelligence reports from coalition countries involved in the military aggression against Yemen, and accused the UNSC of decriminalising the coalition of invaders.
Al-Houthi called on the Security Council to oblige the United Nations to implement the agreement signed between it and the Republic of Yemen in regards to the Safer floating oil storage vessel, which is in the verge of causing a horrible environmental disaster.
“Any meeting of the Council that does not oblige the United Nations to implement the agreement, would be a failure. It is a testament to the responsibility of the Security Council, the United Nations, the US and its allies in the Saudi-led coalition in creating this catastrophe,” al-Houthi explained.
“The coalition’s countries do not allow the implementation of the Safer maintenance agreement, and deliberately cause every achievement reached by the Republic of Yemen to fail.”
“The countries of aggression in this way confirm the failure of the UN Envoy to Yemen in everything,” Mohammed al-Houthi said, denouncing their claims of concern for peace.
(* A P)
Safer Maintenance Agreement Implementation Committee regrets UN withdrawal from its commitments
The supervisory committee for the implementation of the urgent maintenance agreement and comprehensive evaluation of the “Safer” floating tank have stood up to date with the agreement with the United Nations to speed up the agreement implementation, and reached an impasse due to the coup of the UN side on most of the agreement signed terms by them and the Government of National Rescue.
In this context, the supervisory committee expressed its deep regret at the retreat of the UN side from the maintenance work signed last November in the urgent maintenance agreement and the comprehensive evaluation of the floating tank Safer.
The Committee explained that it had held two meetings, last Thursday and Friday, and a third meeting on Tuesday with the United Nations office for project services, to discuss the United Nations action plan, which was supposed to translate the signed agreement, but was surprised that the plan submitted by the United Nations side excluded most of the agreed urgent maintenance work and only maintained the evaluation work, on the pretext that time and funding were not sufficient to carry out the agreed maintenance work.
The United Nations side had not only retracted the maintenance work provided for in the agreement, but had retracted many of the evaluation work and turned it into mere visual examinations that were not subject to any customary criteria.
"During the three meetings, experts contracted by the United Nations from Aos participated and were more clear in saying that the work provided for by the urgent maintenance agreement and the comprehensive evaluation of the floating tank safer could not be completed during the month period identified by the United Nations, and that it did not contract them on that basis," the committee said.
"During today's third meeting, UN representatives confirmed that they wanted to focus solely on the evaluation work, while refusing to provide us with an official memorandum, acknowledging that they were violating the agreement, on the pretext that they were authorized to amend and act on the agreement," he said.
Interventions by AOS experts showed that the United Nations had not contracted them for all the work stipulated in the agreement
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142251.htm
and
(* A B P)
Talks break down over crumbling Yemeni tanker threatening massive oil spill
The FSO Safer, an oil supertanker anchored for decades off Yemen, risks a catastrophic humanitarian and environmental disaster in the Red Sea.
The civil war in Yemen has suspended essential maintenance on the increasingly fragile vessel with more than 1 million barrels of oil in its hold and hindered disaster preparedness.
On June 1, talks appeared to break down between the U.N. and the Houthi administration, which controls the vessel. The two sides had spent months negotiating access for a U.N. team to investigate and stabilize the vessel.
A spill would jeopardize corals with the best-known chance of surviving predicted global climate change.
and
(A P)
Environmentalists warn Houthi-held tanker could ‘explode any moment’
“It’s not if, it’s when,” said Greenpeace.
Greenpeace warned Thursday that a long-abandoned fuel tanker off war-torn Yemen’s coast could “explode at any moment”, urging UN action to prevent a catastrophic Red Sea oil spill.
Greenpeace said that as well as corrosion to the rusting ship, essential work to manage explosive gases in its storage tanks has been neglected.
Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International, said the UN “must act now to avoid what could be the region’s biggest oil disaster” for decades.
“The solutions are available, the expertise and technologies to help are known,” Morgan added.
https://thearabweekly.com/environmentalists-warn-houthi-held-tanker-could-explode-any-moment
and
(A P)
Failure of UN talks with Yemen’s Houthi militia on Safer tanker ‘not surprising’ — [Hadi gov.] information minister
Yemen’s information minister said the failure of negotiations between the UN and the Iran-backed Houthis over the floating Safer oil tanker was “not surprising,” in light of the militia’s continued procrastination and elusiveness over the issue.
Moammer Al-Eryani said the Houthi militia have been using the file as a bargaining chip, tool for blackmail, and an attempt to achieve political gains without heeding warnings of an impending environmental, economic and humanitarian disaster.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1869831/middle-east
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-25415.html
(A P)
Griffiths Discusses Outcomes of Meeting with Houthi Leadership
The internationally recognized government of Yemen has reiterated its commitment to achieving a comprehensive ceasefire as a key pillar for resolving all tabled issues at peacemaking negotiations under the scheme established by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths.
“Government support for the efforts spent by the UN envoy in Yemen continues,” Saba News Agency quoted Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak as telling Griffiths and US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking in Riyadh.
Griffiths said that al-Houthi had put forward a framework of ideas to negotiate with Yemen’s official government.
According to the envoy, al-Houthi’s proposals were the fruit of international efforts to narrow the dispute over priorities in implementing the UN-sponsored peace plan.
While al-Houthi insists on lifting restrictions off Sanaa’s International Airport and the port of Red Sea coastal city of Hodeidah before arriving at a comprehensive ceasefire, the government sees that halting hostilities is the actual priority for achieving peace.
(B P)
The continued divide approach to #Yemen conflict is proving meaningless and leading nowhere. The humanitarian issues all over the country should be dealt with as a package, either in #Sanaa , #Hodiedah , #Taiz , #Marib or Dhale and elsewhere.
https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1400159277365538824
(A P)
Current Peace Initiatives Are the Most Realistic, Says [Hadi gov.] Yemen’s Ex-FM
Current peace initiatives offered to Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthi insurgents are as realistic as they can get, according to former Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Alyemany.
“There is no magic recipe for a solution in Yemen,” said Alyemany, who is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
While criticizing Washington’s current policy on Iran, the veteran diplomat pointed out the presence of some contingencies to finding a settlement for the ongoing Yemeni war.
“It depends on the convergence of the will of all Yemenis, political parties, civil society, and the new forces that resulted from the conditions of the protracted Yemeni war,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“If all these forces do not come together to stop the vicious cycle of violence and end the fighting, no one in the world will be able to stop this crazy war,” said Alyemany, emphasizing that unilateralism in conflict resolution is inefficient in Yemen’s case.
(* A P)
Transcript of Special Envoy's press conference at Sana'a Airport
The United Nations has been mediating between the parties to achieve a nationwide ceasefire, lift restrictions on the freedom of movement of people and commodities to and from Yemen, and relaunch the political process. These elements have been under negotiation for over a year now. Throughout this process, we have suggested several ways to bridge the gap between the parties and their positions. I have discussed this plan with Yemeni and Saudi officials in Riyadh several times. I have discussed it also in Muscat, most recently just a few days ago. And I have also discussed it yesterday with Mr. Abdul Malik Al Houthi here, in Sana’a.
I need to tell you that there is considerable regional and international support for the United Nations plan and our efforts. But more important than that is the fact that this is the desire of the Yemeni people who wish this war to end and wish to recover their freedoms. We hope that that support from the Yemeni people and from the regional and international organisations, and all the work we have done on the parties for the past year might finally yield results and bring this negotiation, this long negotiation to a successful conclusion.
Our positions, the positions of the United Nations have been clear and unequivocal, and I want to repeat them here for you. This is our view:
First: All impediments to the access of Yemeni people to food and essential commodities, including fuel, must be removed. The flow of imports of goods, including fuel, into and throughout Yemen for civilian use must be ensured as a matter of principle regardless of political and military considerations. All our proposals that we have been negotiating for the past year have included lifting access restrictions on the Hudaydah ports, particularly as it pertains to the entry of fuel ships.
Second: a nationwide ceasefire is urgently required to provide immediate humanitarian relief to the people of Yemen, to open roads for the free movement of people and goods and to return a sense of normal life for the people of Yemen. The continuation of military activities in several parts of the country, including Marib, is undermining in my view the prospects of peace in Yemen. It puts lives of millions at risk. And this war needs to end.
Third: All our proposals have also guaranteed the re-opening of this airport where we are speaking today, Sana’a airport. The opening of this airport to commercial traffic is essential for the freedom of movement. All these proposals are in line with the stated desire and public statements by the parties, by all the parties, about prioritising the humanitarian needs of Yemen. However, we have yet to see an agreement.
Fourth and equally important: an end to the cycle of political upheaval and violence can only be achieved through a negotiated settlement that ushers in a future of sustained Yemeni-Yemeni political dialogue, accountable governance, economic justice and equal citizenship for all. This is the guiding principle for the United Nations’ mediation efforts in Yemen.
It is my view that it is unfair to deny to the people of Yemen the hope that there is an end in sight to their suffering. It is entirely unfair to deny them the prospects of a brighter future. Yemen will be sustainably governed without military dominance. It will also be sustainably governed without external interference.
Question: There have been many rounds of negotiations between Yemenis and also Yemenis and the Coalition, but so far, we have not seen any initiative that would resume peace to Yemen, when do you think there will be serious negotiations?
Griffiths: Well, look. Nobody can be more frustrated than I am. We have spent a year and a half on things which are relatively simple to describe, the ceasefire, the opening of Sana’a Airport, the opening of Hudaydah ports, the much delayed start of the political negotiations. We have been negotiating this in detail word by word by word with both parties for a year and a half. Let me be honest with you. Sometimes we make good progress, and we think that it’s going to work, that we will get an agreement. And then the war intervenes and one or other party thinks they will gain more in the battlefield, until they do not want to end the war yet. Our call is very simple: stop the war, stop the prospect of military gain, end the conflict, build peace in Yemen, make Yemen a place for the people of Yemen.
You asked me when might happen? I am always accused of being much too optimistic. I am not sure it is going to happen today. We are taking from our meeting yesterday with Abdel Malik al Houthi some ideas which we will share with the other side. What I can say is that there is a real diplomatic energy now, which hasn’t always been the case. I think it is powerful but many of the issues - not all - are humanitarian. I think this is very powerful, very powerful reason for why leaders need to come to an urgent agreement.
https://osesgy.unmissions.org/transcript-special-envoys-press-conference-sanaa-airport
and shorter reports: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210531-un-envoy-urges-yemeni-rivals-to-bridge-the-gap = https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-9637339/UN-envoy-urges-Yemeni-rivals-bridge-gap.html
https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-middle-east-yemen-8ac9a54e38a0ee1f8b536a6f2b07873e
(A P)
[Sanaa gov.] FM meets UN special envoy for Yemen
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hisham Sharaf Abdullah met on Monday Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Yemen Martin Griffiths.
In the meeting, the UN envoy gave a comprehensive presentation of the efforts and endeavors made by the United Nations and the international community to end the war in Yemen and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.
For his part, the Foreign Minister praised the efforts of the UN envoy, explaining that the ball is now in the court of the aggression coalition countries, and if they want to end their futile and aggressive war on Yemen, they must stop funding their tools on the ground.
He stressed that the position of the political leadership, represented by the Supreme Political Council and the National Salvation Government, is clear and frank, and biased in favor of the Yemeni people in ending the aggression and lifting the comprehensive blockade, leading to a political settlement and sustainable peace.
Minister Sharaf pointed out that the steps to end the blockade and reopen Sana'a International Airport and the rest of the sea and land ports and allow the entry of oil derivatives, food supplies and aid easily as legitimate rights of the Yemeni people, and they should not be compromised and must be implemented quickly so that people see the seriousness of the trend towards peace.
He called on the United Nations, its envoy and the international community to translate the statements and meetings that took place during the last period into tangible reality and actions through the countries of the aggression stop the policy of collective punishment of preventing the entry of ships of oil derivatives, domestic gas and commercial goods to the port of Hodeida and the reopening of Sana'a International Airport.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142106.htm
and
(A P)
UN envoy leaves Sana'a
The United Nations envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, left Sana'a on Monday after a two-day visit, during which he met with Sayyed Abdulmalik Badr al-Din Al-Houthi and officials in the Salvation Government.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142051.htm
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(* B P)
Euro-Med Webinar: Experts say Saudi's arrest of Abdulaziz Al-Dakhil is part of a systemic campaign to silence critics
Several experts joined a Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor webinar on the arrest of prominent Saudi economist Abdulaziz Al-Dakhil. al-Dakhil was arrested for the simple reason of criticizing the government’s economic policies and his calls for fighting corruption in the Kingdom, which has grown intolerant of its critics in recent years.
Ines Osman, a Human Rights Lawyer of MENA Rights, noted that “arbitrary detention has been practised systematically to silence academics, human rights defenders, lawyers, and anyone criticizing the government” in Saudi Arabia.
The arrest of Abdulaziz al-Dakhil is part of an ongoing pattern in the Kingdom that targets critical voices. Dozens of human rights activists, including women activists, have been thrown into jails for expressing their opinions, which have drawn international criticism.
“Many scholars and human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia are illegally detained under the pretext of threatening Saudi's national security,” added Osman.
From his part, Josh Cooper, Deputy Director at ALQST Organization for Supporting Human Rights, explained that “al-Dakhil's arrest was arbitrary and a violation of international law as he was simply expressing his sorrow in a tweet.”
“His arrest in that manner was particularly shocking if not surprising, and his case is also emblematic,” asserted Cooper, adding that “the arrest campaigns launched by the Saudi authorities target academics, scholars, bloggers and writers.”
Annelle Sheline, a nonresident fellow with the Baker Institute Center for the Middle East and research fellow for the Middle East at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, noted that “Support from the former US administration encouraged Saudi authorities to arrest more human rights defenders. Now, and with the Biden administration, arrest campaigns have noticeably decreased.”
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The Saudi regime has a track record of spying and suppressing dissent
The global network pointed to the crimes of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who escalated his security and repressive campaign against intellectuals, academics, jurists and activists in the Kingdom, and confirmed that the Kingdom is still witnessing mass arrests since his arrival to power until now.
The global network concluded that the security campaign supervised by Ibn Salman is primarily aimed at crushing the peaceful opposition.
The Saudi regime uses the Information Crimes Law to suppress activists and crush freedom of opinion and expression to strengthen its authoritarian rule. The Information Crimes Law is one of the tools of repression pursued by the authority of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, against those who express their opinions on social media.
With the emergence of active personalities on social networking sites, especially Twitter and Snapchat, the Al Saud authorities have become more wary of expressing opinion, and the suppression of freedoms has increased.
Among the most prominent provisions of this law, which suppresses freedom of expression, is Article 6, which stipulates that a fine of 3 million riyals and 3 years’ imprisonment for anyone who harms public order and produces on the Internet.
Social media activists are victims of government repression, through some interpretations of the provisions of the Information Crimes Law, as in Article 7 of the law, which stipulates that a fine of 5 million riyals and 10 years in prison for anyone who creates a website for a terrorist organization on the Internet.
and
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Saudi Regime Spying, Suppressing Dissent: IFEX
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns Google's recent decision to extend its network of data centres into Saudi Arabia, and urges the tech giant to ensure data is protected from Saudi government surveillance, according to IFEX.
“Business interests must not take precedence over safeguarding human rights,” said Iris de Villars, the head of RSF’s Tech Desk. “The Saudi government has repeatedly shown that it has no qualms about flouting human rights in order to track and target critical journalists, so the danger of surveillance is considerable. We call on Google to establish sufficient safeguards for the protection of user data in order to prevent the government from exploiting this situation to reinforce its ability to spy on and silence dissidents.”
Saudi Arabia is also suspected of repeatedly using spyware to monitor dissidents
https://english.almasirah.net/post/19772/Saudi-Regime-Spying%2C-Suppressing-Dissent-IFEX
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Via @m3takl, young mom & physician Loujain Dhaghstani is still in #Saudi Monarchy prison. Her charge? She tweeted years ago about a better country.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1400530361046687750
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It's not allowed for Saudi women to study political sciences in college; only men can. While on the other hand some political positions filled with privileged Saudi females with an audacity saying women in Saudi Arabia living their "golden era
https://twitter.com/AngelQShe_/status/1400525695189762049
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Saudi Aramco lines up banks for bond sale -sources
Saudi Arabian oil group Aramco has lined up banks to help it arrange a sale of U.S. dollar-denominated bonds, three sources said, seeking to raise money ahead of large commitments for its major shareholder, the Saudi government.
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Saudis slam crown prince, call for his ouster, after major Yemeni military operation
Saudi Arabia’s embattled Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the architect of the war on Yemen, has come under fire at home after more than 70 Saudi forces were killed in a successful [Sanaa gov.] Yemeni army operation in the southwestern port city of Jizan.
Social media has been abuzz with many Saudi nationals slamming the crown prince and his protracted war on Yemen, while reiterating their demand for his ouster, as reported by the Saudi Wikileaks website.
The hashtag #Yakfi_Abath_Bajnudna (humiliation of our soldiers is enough) has been trending on Twitter since Saturday, showing complete exasperation of the country’s citizens with the regime.
The latest incident has again brought to light the growing alienation between the rulers and subjects in the Arab kingdom, as well as a lack of support to the country’s armed forces.
Saif al-Mashhour, a Saudi Twitter user, said the Saudi military has the lowest wages and benefits from other armies and is not supported by the regime despite possessing enormous resources.
“Those who are far from the battlefield are drowning in lust and are a corrupt group that spends billions of dollars without any precincts, living in palaces and buying [sports] clubs and getting their soldiers killed,” he wrote, referring to the Saudi leadership. “They send them to the slaughterhouse.”
Another Saudi user, Mohammed al-Otaibi, wrote that the crown prince thinks the Saudi people are not paying attention to this defeat (in Jizan), which resulted in the death of their children and fathers.
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They are only teenagers from the age 17-23 tweeting under fake Twitter accounts to criticize the Saudi government and got arrested without mercy they are only kids and now they face the brutality of a government with #khashoggi blood on their hand.
https://twitter.com/AboHanafi18/status/1399821737693528068
When we heard the news that our friends got arrested we were terrified in Saudi Arabia we get arrested only for tweeting to criticize the government this was our first reaction and hashtag defending them and we will continue to do so until they are FREE #May2021SaudiDetainees
https://twitter.com/AboHanafi18/status/1399842280618348545
The combined numbers of followers these activists have barely reaching 4000 followers criticizing the Saudi government in simple tweets got the arrested this shows how weak the government is and how much freedom of speech we have #May2021SaudiDetainees
https://twitter.com/AboHanafi18/status/1399819403965960192
#Suhail Yousef AlYahya, born October 1995, from Hail was arrested in October 2019 following posts on his Twitter account wearing a short and with his cat.
https://twitter.com/WajeehLionn/status/1399807647847796748
A graduate from American college with a Twitter account barley reaching 400 followers hiding behind a fake name criticizing the government for not approving his certificate and was left unemployed got arrested for simply tweeting
https://twitter.com/AboHanafi18/status/1399817672418856962
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp9a
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US, Oman discuss means to end Yemen war
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks on Friday with Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi over the telephone
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33086
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Analyst: US and KSA dug themselves into a hole in Yemen
The United States and Saudi Arabia have dug themselves into a hole in Yemen. Common sense dictates they should stop making it deeper, according to former American diplomat and political analyst J. Michael Springmann.
The United States and Saudi Arabia have discussed Riyadh’s protracted war on neighboring Yemen, as the Yemeni army steps up gains on the battlefield and retaliatory raids against the kingdom’s soil.
Springmann made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Friday after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on Wednesday and discussed regional security and the war in Yemen.
Springmann said, “Since March 2015, now more than six years ago, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, backed by the US, the UK, and other European states such as France and Germany, has waged war on Yemen. That benighted country, the poorest Arab state in the world, has suffered hundreds of thousands of civilians, including women and children, killed and its infrastructure destroyed. The UN has called this the worst humanitarian crisis on the globe.”
“But wait, didn’t new President Joe Biden pledge to stop this war?” he asked and then added: “Yeah.”
The analyst said, “In February, he said in a speech at the State Department: ‘This war has to end. And to underscore our commitment, we’re ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arm sales.’”
“However, he also stated,‘At the same time, Saudi Arabia faces missile attacks, UAV (drone) strikes and other threats from Iranian-supplied forces in multiple countries. We’re going to continue to support and help Saudi Arabia defend its sovereignty and its territorial integrity and its people,’” noted Springmann.
“An oxymoron? An inconsistency?” he asked.
“The United States, like Saudi Arabia, seems out of touch with reality. They’re in a hole they made themselves, and really should stop making it deeper,” he concluded.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/06/04/658253/US-Saudi-Arabia-Michael-Springmann-Yemen
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U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Lenderking Returns from Travel to Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, and Jordan
During his trip, Special Envoy Lenderking met with senior government officials, international partners, and Yemenis to discuss the humanitarian and economic crisis in Yemen and the urgent need for a comprehensive ceasefire to bring relief to Yemenis. The Special Envoy coordinated closely with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths during his trip and welcomed Griffiths’ latest trip to Sana’a.
While there are numerous problematic actors inside of Yemen, the Houthis bear major responsibility for refusing to engage meaningfully on a ceasefire and to take steps to resolve a nearly seven-year conflict that has brought unimaginable suffering to the Yemeni people. Instead, the Houthis continue a devastating offensive on Marib that is condemned by the international community and leaves the Houthis increasingly isolated.
My comment: The US blaming the Houthis for they would “bear major responsibility” is rather odd.
(A K P)
US-Armee räumt Tötung von 23 Zivilisten im Ausland ein – es dürften deutlich mehr sein
Afghanistan, Jemen, Irak – US-Soldaten habe bei ihren Einsätzen auch Zivilisten getötet. Das hat die US-Armee in einem Bericht eingestanden. Bürgerrechtsorganisationen gehen aber von deutlich mehr Opfern aus.
Die US-Armee hat im Jahr 2020 nach eigenen Angaben 23 Zivilisten in ausländischen Kriegsgebieten unbeabsichtigt getötet – Nichtregierungsorganisationen sprechen allerdings von viel höheren Zahlen. Einem am Mittwoch veröffentlichten Bericht des US-Verteidigungsministeriums zufolge übernimmt das Militär die Verantwortung für unabsichtlich getötete Zivilisten im Irak , in Afghanistan , Somalia, Jemen und Nigeria. Etwa zehn Zivilisten seien bei Einsätzen des US-Militärs verletzt worden.
(A K P)
US military admits killing 23 civilians around the world in 2020
Pentagon says most civilian fatalities were in Afghanistan, as it admits additional civilian deaths from previous years
The US military has admitted responsibility for unintentionally killing 23 civilians in foreign war zones in 2020, far below figures compiled by non-governmental agencies. But it also acknowledged more civilian deaths from previous years.
The tally included civilian fatalities in operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria, according to the Pentagon report.
Most of the civilian casualties were in Afghanistan, where the Pentagon said it was responsible for 20 deaths, according to the public section of the report.
NGOs regularly publish much higher civilian death tolls in areas where the US military is active around the world.
The NGO Airwars, which lists civilian victims of air attacks, said that their most conservative estimates show that 102 civilians were killed in US operations around the world – five times higher than the official Pentagon figures.
The United Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) counted 89 dead and 31 wounded in operations by US-led coalition forces, Airwars said.
and
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PENTAGON UNDERCOUNTS CIVILIAN CASUALTIES IN NEW REPORT, EXPERTS SAY
The annual report vastly understates civilians killed by the U.S. military, and condolence payments are not offered even in confirmed cases.
“The failure to accurately account and make amends for civilian harm does a disservice to civilians already suffering unimaginable loss, as well as to the Americans who deserve fuller transparency into the ways that U.S. operations have harmed civilians,” Annie Shiel, the senior adviser for U.S. policy and advocacy at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, told The Intercept. She also noted an “enormous discrepancy between DoD’s civilian casualty numbers and those published by civilian harm tracking organizations, human rights groups, the United Nations, and the media.”
The Pentagon’s dramatic undercount does not include any of the secret attacks carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, which the U.S. government does not acknowledge. Nor does it take into account the civilian toll resulting from assistance to allies, such as Saudi Arabia, whose bombing campaign has killed thousands of civilians in Yemen.
https://theintercept.com/2021/06/03/pentagon-civilian-casualties-report/
My remark: Also look at cp1.
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Film: America’s Role in Yemen
President Biden came into office promising to end U.S. support for the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen. Since then, he has announced the end of American support for “offensive” Saudi operations in Yemen and designated Timothy Lenderking as U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen, although attempts to mediate talks between the warring parties have so far failed to make progress. Meanwhile, the ongoing conflict in Yemen remains an acute humanitarian crisis and the administration’s support of Riyadh does not appear to have dramatically changed. Join us as a panel of experts clarify and discuss constructive paths forward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C4Kgpc4X-4 = https://www.cato.org/events/americas-role-yemen
(A K P)
Royal Saudi Naval Forces, U.S. Marines Mixed Exercise Maneuvers Concluded
The mixed military exercise (Shooting Experts Exchange) between the Royal Saudi Naval Forces and the U.S. Marines has concluded at King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah.
This exercise comes within the framework of strengthening joint military cooperation, exchanging experiences between the two navies, and developing their capabilities in the field of maritime security operations in the region.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2233718
(A P)
Lloyd Austin bekräftigt US-Verpflichtung zur „Verteidigung“ Saudi-Arabiens
Die USA versorgen weiterhin saudische Kampfflugzeuge und weigern sich, Riad zur Aufhebung der Blockade des Jemen zu drängen
Am Dienstag telefonierte Verteidigungsminister Lloyd Austin mit dem saudischen Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Salman und bekräftigte die Verpflichtung Washingtons, Saudi-Arabien zu „verteidigen“.
Die beiden sprachen über den Krieg im Jemen, wo die USA trotz des Versprechens von Präsident Biden, die Unterstützung für „offensive“ Operationen zu beenden, immer noch Riads brutale Belagerung unterstützen. Biden gab das Versprechen im Februar ab, und Ende April wurde aufgedeckt, dass die USA immer noch saudische Kriegsflugzeuge warten, die den Jemen bombardieren.
In einem Protokoll des Anrufs sagte das Pentagon, dass Austin mit MbS sprach, um „das US-Engagement zu betonen, Saudi-Arabien zu helfen, sein Territorium und seine Menschen zu verteidigen.“
„Sie diskutierten die regionale Sicherheit, insbesondere die Bemühungen, den Krieg im Jemen zu beenden. Verteidigungsminister Austin dankte dem Kronprinzen für die enge und konstruktive Zusammenarbeit mit dem US-Sondergesandten Tim Lenderking, um den Krieg im Jemen zu beenden,“ sagte das Pentagon.
Die USA machen die Houthis für den mangelnden Fortschritt im Friedensprozess im Jemen verantwortlich. Aber die Biden-Administration weigert sich, Druck auf Saudi-Arabien auszuüben, damit es die Blockade gegen den Jemen aufhebt, was eine wichtige Bedingung der Houthis für einen Waffenstillstand ist.
Das Embargo wird immer noch aufrechterhalten
(A P)
Pentagon chief, Saudi crown prince discuss regional security, Yemen war
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday and emphasized U.S. commitment to helping Saudi Arabia defend its territory and people, the Pentagon said.
Austin and Prince Mohammed discussed regional security, particularly efforts to end the war in Yemen, and “ongoing bilateral efforts to improve Saudi Arabia’s defenses,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi/pentagon-chief-saudi-crown-prince-discuss-regional-security-yemen-war-idUSKCN2DE2Y5 = https://www.metro.us/pentagon-chief-saudi-crown/
and
(A K P)
Lloyd Austin Reaffirms US Commitment to ‘Defend’ Saudi Arabia in MbS Call
The US is still servicing Saudi warplanes and refuses to pressure Riyadh into lifting the blockade on Yemen
In a readout of the call, the Pentagon said that Austin spoke with MbS to “emphasize the US commitment to helping Saudi Arabia defend its territory and people.”
“They discussed regional security, particularly efforts to end the war in Yemen. Secretary Austin thanked the Crown Prince for working closely and constructively with US Special Envoy Tim Lenderking to end the war in Yemen,” the Pentagon said.
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Some Yemenis Struggle For U.S. Visas Even After The End Of The Travel Ban
Both the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti and the State Department tell NPR they cannot discuss individual cases because visa records are confidential under U.S. law.
Biden's repeal of the ban means many people with other kinds of visas can reapply or have their cases reassessed. But these don't include thousands of diversity visa recipients whose visas expired during the ban. Their only option, the administration says, is to return to the lottery — where they may spend years applying and never be selected.
"Instead of restoring the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is the diversity visa, President Biden dusted off Trump's 'closed' sign and locked the door behind him," says Manar Waheed, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who has worked to highlight the situation.
In a written statement, a State Department official tells NPR that the law provides that diversity visas can only be issued in the same fiscal year in which applicants are selected in the lottery program. Under current law, expired visas cannot be reinstated.
"We are constrained in several ways by U.S. law or current regulations," the official says.
But Waheed argues that the administration could seek to change the law or work around it.
(* B K P)
Lift the Criminal Blockade on Yemen
The Biden administration hasn’t followed through on its commitment to end U.S. support for the Saudi coalition war on Yemen. Almost four months since Biden announced the end to US support for Saudi coalition "offensive operations," the administration refuses to tell Congress what kind of support it has halted and what it has continued.
Biden appears to have used his February announcement to check off a box to placate antiwar progressives and since then he seems to have forgotten about the issue entirely. Congress needs to reassert itself once again and pass a resolution requiring an end to all US assistance to the Saudi coalition war effort, and opponents of the war need to press the Biden administration to insist on an end to the killing blockade.
When Biden made the initial announcement about cutting off support for "offensive operations," opponents of the war were cautiously hopeful that this was just the first step in curtailing US assistance to the governments that had been starving and wrecking Yemen for the last six years.
The State Department’s letter told members of Congress nothing that they could not have learned in a newspaper. It rehearsed the Biden administration’s previous announcements and mostly focused on what the Yemen special envoy, Tim Lenderking, has been doing for the last two months. Like Lenderking himself, who famously said that he was "not totally in that information loop" on current US military assistance to the Saudi coalition, the State Department had nothing to say about the nature or extent of US support except to say that "the United States will continue to support Saudi Arabia with its defense against inbound threats."
Fifteen senators recently wrote to the president and called on him to press for an end to the killing blockade, which is unquestionably part of the Saudi coalition’s attack on Yemen.
Just as the Biden administration reversed Trump’s unwarranted designation of the Houthis because of the dire consequences it would have had on the civilian population, they must now insist on the full and unconditional lifting of the air and sea blockade for humanitarian reasons. The US has considerable leverage with Saudi Arabia if it would only be willing to use it. Failure to do this will ensure that the US remains complicit in worsening the suffering of the people of Yemen, and our government will share in the blame for the deaths of countless innocents – by Daniel Larison
https://original.antiwar.com/daniel_larison/2021/06/01/lift-the-criminal-blockade-on-yemen/
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#USEnvoyYemen Lenderking & @USEmbassyYemen Chargé Westley spoke w/Marib Governor Al-Arada to reaffirm the U.S.' concern about the devastating humanitarian consequences of the Houthi Marib offensive & the need to increase humanitarian aid & other support for the people of Marib.
https://twitter.com/StateDept_NEA/status/1399798838626488326
(A P)
US State Department: Houthis Must Cease Rights Violations Immediately
The US Department of State has demanded that the Iran-backed Houthi militias cease their violations against the Yemeni people and release detainees held in their jails immediately.
A Department spokesman told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Yemen has a real opportunity for peace, and we hope to see further progress soon. Unfortunately, the Houthis continue to pursue their offensive in Marib—with devastating humanitarian consequences—rather than choosing peace.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he added: “We continue to advocate for the release of unjustly detained individuals, regardless of where they are from or who is holding them.”
“Exercising human rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of religion should never be criminalized,” he stressed.
(B K P)
Two local and military sources in #Shabwah told me that no US drone strikes carried out in #Yemen’s southern governorate since Biden took office.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1401006150250815489
The same STC-affiliated website reported the death of sheikh Ali Hassan bin Gharib, a prominent tribal leader in #Marib, by a US drone strike in Ataq, the provincial capital of Shabwah, on May 5, 2021. That was absolutely untrue.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1401006150250815489
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
Siehe / Look at cp9
(A P)
New York Times: Iran's Proxies in Iraq Threaten U.S.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/world/middleeast/iran-drones-iraq.html
and
(* B P)
metonymy of US empire: whenever a country threatens an overseas American military base or some other American military presence abroad, Americans say that the United States itself is threatened.
This slipperiness in language functions as a motor for inflating foreign threats, increasing feelings of insecurity in the homeland, and justifying expansion of military intervention abroad. And it also helps elide the question what the US is even doing abroad in the first place.
https://twitter.com/DexterFergie/status/1400888968200089601
(* B P)
Take us to HIGH ALERT: Iranian oil tanker might be headed to the Atlantic!
Politico is hyping a ‘threat’ that may or may not be happening, but even if it was, there’s no need to hit the panic button.
If you ever wondered why Americans have an extremely irrational fear of Iran, two recent articles from Politico can provide a good answer.
On Saturday evening over the Memorial Day weekend, Politico published what it purported to be an “exclusive” — “U.S. monitoring Iranian warships that may be headed to Venezuela,” the headline read.
So two Iranian boats are in the Indian Ocean and they might be going to Venezuela? Oh, and even if they were headed to the South American country, no one knows why.
Politico continued: “The mere presence of Iranian warships in America’s backyard would represent a challenge to U.S. authority in the region.” Really? How?
Indeed, the Atlantic Council’s Emma Ashford pointed out at least one substantive issue with that particular line.
“So now we approve of spheres of influence?” she wondered on Twitter, adding, “The biggest problem with America’s stance against spheres of influence for China and Russia is that we tacitly accept them elsewhere, notably in our own backyard. The hypocrisy matters [because] it leaves other states unsure of our red lines.”
But later, about half way down the piece, we get to the heart of the matter, or why Politico is hyping this non-event. The Iranian ships’ presence in the United States’ backyard (if that’s what’s indeed happening, because remember we still don’t even know where these ships are going), the article says, “would likely inflame the debate in Washington over President Joe Biden’s decision to re-open negotiations with Tehran.”
And that’s exactly what this article is meant to do. Politico knows that the slightest whiff of nefarious Iranian activity, hyped or otherwise, will turn Washington hawks up to 11 (They were right, of course, as a predictably hysterical July 1 Wall Street Journal editorial warned that Russia and China would “join the party in the future” if the Iranian ship “sails into these waters without resistance.”).
Nevertheless, “Iranian warships sailing into the Atlantic Ocean would present a major test for the Biden administration.” Why? Who knows.
referring to https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/29/iranian-warships-venezuela-491414
(* B K P)
Film: US military bases around Iran...
https://twitter.com/NegarMortazavi/status/1400846424913461255
(A P)
China raps US' maximum pressure, wants revocation of all unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran
China has lambasted the so-called maximum pressure campaign by the United States against Iran as the root cause of disputes over Tehran's peaceful nuclear program, calling on Washington to remove the entire unilateral sanctions on the Islamic Republic as talks on the revival of a 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are vigorously pursued in the Austrian capital of Vienna.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a regular press briefing in the capital Beijing on Thursday
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/06/03/658193/China-Wang-Wenbin-US-unilateral-sanctions-Iran
(A P)
Zarif: US economic terrorism prevents Iran from paying for food, let alone UN dues
Iran’s foreign minister has criticized the United Nations’ decision to deprive Tehran of its voting rights in the 193-member General Assembly due to arrears, saying the UN ignores the fact that US sanctions prevent Iran from paying even for food.
“In ‘black is white’ world, UN deprived Iran of its voting rights in the #UNGA as we’re in arrears,” Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in a tweet on Thursday evening
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/06/03/658186/www.presstv.ir
(A P)
Vienna talks: Iran says all participants agree issues of dispute are resolvable
Iran’s top negotiator says there are still sticking points in Vienna talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers, but all parties agree that the issues of dispute are not irresolvable and could be worked out.
Speaking ahead of the latest round of talks between the remaining parties to the deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Wednesday, Abbas Araqchi said “disagreements have reached a point, where all [participants] believe that it is not that they cannot be solved.”
“However, the details are also important and so are our established positions that need to be observed,” he added.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/06/02/658078/Iran-Vienna-talks-nuclear-deal-JCPOA-Araqchi-US-
(A P)
Russia on Vienna talks: Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed
Russia’s representative to the international organizations in Vienna says talks underway in the Austrian capital on a potential revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal may need “additional time” to reach a breakthrough, emphasizing that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.
According to reports, Mikhail Ulyanov made the remarks in a tweet on Wednesday in response to reports that Moscow was optimistic about progress in the Vienna talks between the parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Not necessarily. We simply observe steady progress at the Vienna talks on #JCPOA. We recognize this obvious fact. But we are always cautious in our assessments: nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. We are very close to this stage but it may take additional time,” he wrote.
(A P)
Europe sees progress in latest rounds of Iran nuclear talks
European diplomats say the latest round of talks over Iran’s nuclear program has made progress, expressing hope that agreement could soon be reached for Tehran to comply with a 2015 deal aimed at curbing its atomic ambitions and also see the United States rejoin the accord.
Enrique Mora, the European Union official who chaired Wednesday’s talks in Vienna, said
“I’m sure that the next round will be the one in which we will finally get the deal,” Mora told reporters after the meeting.
“There are a few political issues (and) there are a number of technical issues, again rather complex,” he added. “But I can say that they are fewer than they were one week ago. So we are (on) a good track.”
“I think every capital has to give a green light to their respective delegations to get the agreement, and I think that will be the case next week,” said Mora.
Other European diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity as they weren’t authorized to be quoted by name, described the talks in Vienna as “intense and productive,” but cautioned that they would become more difficult as delegates tackle harder issues.
(A)
Iran’s largest warship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman
The largest warship in the Iranian navy caught fire and later sank Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman under unclear circumstances, the latest calamity to strike one of the country’s vessels in recent years amid tensions with the West.
(A P)
Iran’s top negotiator: I’m personally not sure Vienna talks will conclude in this round
Iran’s top negotiator to Vienna talks on the revival of the landmark nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers says despite intense efforts made by all involved parties to reach a conclusion in the ongoing fifth round of talks, he is not sure that this will be the final round of negotiations.
(A P)
Teheran erinnert Washington: Präsenz in internationalen Gewässern entspricht internationalem Recht
Im Kampf gegen Piraterie patrouilliert Iran in internationalen Gewässern. In Washington sieht man darin eine Aggression der Islamischen Republik. Teheran verweist auf geltendes internationales Recht und auf eine Resolution des UN-Sicherheitsrats. Biden will der US-Küstenwache eine größere Rolle zuweisen.
Das Magazin Politico berichtet, dass "die internationale Sicherheitsgemeinschaft der USA zwei Iranische Marineschiffe überwacht, deren endgültiges Ziel Venezuela sein könnte".
Die Marine der Islamischen Republik Iran führt seit November 2008 Anti-Piraterie-Patrouillen in freien Gewässern durch, insbesondere im Golf von Aden. Dieser Abschnitt ist für Iran und den internationalen Handel von strategischer Wichtigkeit. Er verbindet den Indischen Ozean mit dem Suezkanal und dem Mittelmeer. Auslöser für die Patrouillen war die Entführung eines gecharterten iranischen Frachtschiffes vor der Küste Jemens.
Der Sprecher des iranischen Außenministeriums Saeed Khatibzadeh, sagte am Montag auf einer Pressekonferenz in Teheran:
"Iran ist immer in internationalen Gewässern präsent und hat dieses Recht nach internationalem Recht und darf in internationalen Gewässern präsent sein."
https://de.rt.com/international/118334-teheran-erinnert-washington-prasenz-in/
(* B P)
Film: FROM VIENNA TO BAGHDAD: JCPOA AND REGIONAL DIALOGUE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
After years of geopolitical turbulence in the Middle East, fueled by the previous U.S. President Donald Trump’s unilateralist policies, new shifts are occurring in the Middle East. The Joe Biden administration has made a return to the nuclear agreement with Iran (known as JCPOA) a priority. Intense negotiations are taking place in Vienna, under the auspices of the EU, to make this happen. At the same time, Biden distanced Washington from its previously tight partnership with Saudi Arabia. This played a role in bringing Saudi Arabia and Iran to direct negotiations in Baghdad, with Iraqi facilitation. Both Tehran and Riyadh moved away from confrontational rhetoric and are talking about co-existence in the region. The Vienna track on the nuclear issue and the Baghdad track on regional diplomacy mutually reinforce each other in shifting the Middle East towards de-escalation. What are the prospects of this emerging detente in the region? How can external actors contribute to it? What role could the EU play to support, consolidate and develop these trends towards more inclusive regional security arrangements? In order to discuss the implications of the new dynamics in the Middle East, MEP Ernest Urtasun, the EP standing rapporteur on Iran, invites you to the conference “From Vienna to Baghdad: JCPOA and regional dialogue in the Middle East”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6vMLb-zBFs
(* A P)
US sells off Iranian crude oil seized off coast of UAE
The U.S. has sold some 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil after seizing an oil tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, court documents and government statistics show.
The Iranian crude oil showed up in new figures released over the weekend by the U.S. Energy Information Agency, raising the eyebrows of commodities traders as Tehran remains targeted by a series of American sanctions. The EIA figures included just over 1 million barrels of Iranian “crude oil imports” in March.
The oil came from the MT Achilleas, a ship seized in February by the U.S. off the coast of the Emirati port city of Fujairah. U.S court documents allege the Achilleas was subject to forfeiture under American anti-terrorism statues as Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard tried to use it to sell crude oil to China. The U.S. has identified the Guard as a terrorist organization since the administration of former President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors say shippers tried to disguise the shipment by labeling it as “Basra light crude” from neighboring Iraq.
The U.S. government brought the Achilleas to Houston, Texas, where it sold the just over 2 million barrels of crude oil within it for $110 million, or at around $55 a barrel, court documents show. The money will be held in escrow amid a court case over it.
(A P)
UN watchdog: Access to key Iranian data lacking since Feb 23
The United Nations’ atomic watchdog hasn’t been able to access data important to monitoring Iran’s nuclear program since late February when the Islamic Republic started restricting international inspections of its facilities, the agency said Monday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported in a confidential document distributed to member countries and seen by The Associated Press that it has “not had access to the data from its online enrichment monitors and electronic seals, or had access to the measurement recordings registered by its installed measurement devices” since Feb. 23.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(A H)
The Sutton Coldfield group fighting to help starving children in Yemen
A Sutton friendship group is on a mission to fight for the lives of the children of war-torn Yemen.
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(* B P)
How the UAE Is Suppressing Criticism of Its Normalization With Israel
This muted reaction at home to the UAE's normalization with Israel was an indication of the Emirati government's success in creating a culture of fear among its people and silencing any opposition. This policy of instilling fear and silencing people is not new for the UAE. It started a decade ago, when Emirati authorities launched a broad campaign of arrests against human rights activists and academics who had signed a petition calling for political reforms.
That crackdown led to the closure of charities and associations advocating for reform. But it also extended to the Emirates National Committee Against Normalization, which had been established in 2001. The committee opposed any form of normalization with Israel, whether it was related to commerce, culture or sports, as informal ties were just beginning to emerge. For example, in 2005, Mohammed al-Abbar, the founder and chairman of the giant Dubai-based real estate developer Emaar Properties, briefly visited Jerusalem during a trip to Ramallah and met with then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other officials. Al-Abbar reportedly discussed his apparent offer to buy thousands of soon-to-be evacuated Jewish settlements in Gaza, as Israel prepared to pull its settlers out of the territory later that year.
In March 2012, Emirati authorities contacted the chairman of the committee against normalization, Ali al-Debani, asking him to stop its activities and close its headquarters, even though the UAE's Israel Boycott Law was still being enforced at the time. The committee, based in Sharjah, had about 350 members.
Ninety-four prominent Emirati dissidents and activists were later put on trial in 2013 following the political crackdown, accused of so-called crimes against national security. The group became known as the UAE 94. Four of them—human rights lawyers Mohammed al-Rukn and Mohammed al-Mansouri, and civil society activists Hamad Raqit and Mansour al-Ahmadi—were also members of the Emirates National Committee Against Normalization. With their arrest, the committee's activities were effectively suspended.
Emirati authorities later launched an undeclared campaign against dozens of Jordanian and Palestinian activists in the UAE who expressed their support for Palestinians, deporting many of them after several months of detention.
https://dawnmena.org/how-the-uae-is-suppressing-criticism-of-its-normalization-with-israel/
(A P)
Yemeni journalist subjected to violence during his detention in Turkey
(A P)
Human Rights Organizations File Complaint due to Emirati Regime’s Violations
Three human rights organizations submitted a complaint to the United Nations against the Emirati regime's withdrawal of the nationality of a detainee and his family members.
(A P)
[Hadi gov.] Yemeni FM, Swedish Counterpart Concede to ‘Ceasefire’ Significance for Humanitarian Relief
Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Mubarak and his Swedish counterpart Ann Lindea agreed on prioritizing the implementation of a ceasefire as a critical measure to advance humanitarian assistance efforts in the embattled country.
Lindea, after a quick visit to the eastern governorate of Hadhramaut, landed in the Omani capital, Muscat, where she labeled an armistice in Yemen as the “most valuable humanitarian measure.”
“In Muscat, I met Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam, talked about the humanitarian situation, ceasefire, political process. A ceasefire is the most important humanitarian measure,” tweeted Lindea.
“Parties should engage with UN without preconditions.”
“The war must end,” she reaffirmed.
and
(A P)
Mohammed Abdulsalam meets with Swedish Foreign Minister
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/06/03/mohammed-abdulsalam-meets-with-swedish-foreign-minister/
(A P)
Leader's Top Aide: Resistance Reversing Balance in Favor of Yemenis against Saudi-Led Coalition
Iranian Supreme Leader's top adviser for international affairs Ali Akbar Velayati said that the resistance of the Yemeni people has changed the power balance to their favor in the war with Saudi-led coalition.
“What the freedom-seeking people of the world expect is that the carnage of Yemeni women and children be stopped and the perpetrators of the crimes against the Yemeni nation be tried at international institutions,” Velayati said
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000313000231/Leader
(A P)
Swedish negotiators arrive in occupied Hadhramaut in surprise visit
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde and Sweden’s Envoy to Yemen Peter Semneby have arrived in Mukalla on Tuesday for a visit to the occupied Hadhramaut province, southeastern Yemen.
(A P)
Israelis, Emiratis meet in Dubai to discuss investments
At the luxurious Armani hotel inside the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai, Israelis in kippas and Emiratis in long white robes and kanduras gathered Wednesday to discuss investment opportunities. They aimed to make the most of deepening ties nine months after the two countries agreed to formalize relations.
There was extremely little mention of the Palestinians or the fact that barely two weeks ago, Israel was a country still at war.
Rather, the conversations were laser-focused on business. Several Israeli and Emirati speakers opened their remarks with both the Hebrew greeting of “Shalom” and the Arabic greeting of “Salam.” They spoke about boosting tourism, creating jobs, technology sharing, diversifying economies and tackling issues of water scarcity.
(A P)
Kuwait reiterates commitment to help Yemen overcome crisis
Kuwait reaffirmed its commitment to help Yemen on all humanitarian, developmental, and political levels to bring peace and security in the country.
https://news.kuwaittimes.net/website/kuwait-reiterates-commitment-to-help-yemen-overcome-crisis/
cp12b Sudan
(A P)
UN calls on Sudan to move more swiftly on peace agreement
The U.N. Security Council on Thursday urged Sudan’s government to swiftly form a Transitional Legislative Council and implement security measures and other provisions in October’s peace agreement.
It said that is needed so the Sudanese people can have “a peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous future.”
A resolution adopted unanimously by the council also urged signatories to the peace deal to address the root causes of conflict in the vast western Darfur region and two other areas, Blue Nile and South Kordofan. It called on rebel groups in Darfur that have forces in neighboring countries to continue to withdraw them.
https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-middle-east-africa-sudan-e62a02bc54dc2f6961c2a02d426fe085
(A P)
Sudanese demand justice for those slain in 2019 crackdown
Protesters took to the streets in Sudan’s capital and elsewhere across the country amid tight security on Thursday, demanding justice for the victims of a 2019 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.
The marches commemorate the second anniversary of the deadly June 3 breakup by security forces of a major protest camp outside the military’s headquarters in Khartoum and others in Sudan.
https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-africa-sudan-036071f3a4129b0db1735be1d881ed66
(* B P)
Sudan general: Military to review navy base deal with Russia
A top Sudanese military official said the government will review an agreement with Russia to establish a navy base in the African country.
The remarks about the deal, which dates back to the government of now-deposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and has not been ratified by the Sudanese parliament, indicate that Khartoum is seeking some changes to the agreement.
Sudan’s Chief of General Staff, Gen. Mohammed Othman al-Hussein told Blue Nile television station late on Tuesday that negotiations are underway with Russian officials “to achieve Sudan’s interests.”
News about the deal surfaced last December on the official portal of the Russian government. The deal allows Russia to set up a naval base with up to 300 Russian troops, and also to simultaneously keep up to four navy ships, including nuclear-powered ones, in Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
In exchange, Russia is to provide Sudan with weapons and military equipment. The agreement is to last for 25 years, with automatic extensions for 10-year periods if neither side objects to it.
“We are negotiating a possible review to this deal, to ensure that our interests and our profits are taken into account,” al-Hussein said.
https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-middle-east-africa-sudan-ea6d67264535d5caa01b21ef01a04b47
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(B K P)
Waffenexporte: Das Thema in der Presse
Keine Waffen an Kriegstreiber! Das gilt auch für Ersatzteillieferungen und Wartungsarbeiten. Verschiedene Medien haben das Thema in letzter Zeit aufgegriffen.
In einem Gastbeitrag für euobserver klärt Stefano Trevisan von Lighthouse Reports darüber auf, wie EU-Firmen der Türkei dabei helfen, das Waffenembargo gegen Libyen zu brechen
Verträge für Wartungsarbeiten laufen oft noch sehr lange, nachdem der eigentliche Export bereits abgeschlossen ist. Oftmals entfallen bis zu 50 Prozent des Auftragswerts eines mehrere Jahre laufenden Rüstungsauftrags auf den sogenannten „After Sales Service“. Dieser Bereich wird damit für die Rüstungsindustrie immer wichtiger – und entzieht sich, wie auch das französische Online-Portal Mediapart berichtet, häufig den Kontrollen. Bei der Forderung nach Waffenembargos beziehen wir daher immer öfter auch Wartungs- und Ersatzteilverträge mit ein, wie ich Mediapart mitteilte.
https://hannahneumann.eu/waffenexporte-in-der-presseberichterstattung/
(* B K P)
French Arms Exports Decline, Saudi Arabia is at Forefront of Importers
The French Army revealed that country's arms exports declined by 41% last year, under influence of global health crisis and absence of major contracts, while Saudi Arabia came at forefront of importers.
The ministry said in a report that "the value of orders in 2020 amounted to 4.9 billion euros, compared to 8.3 billion euros in the previous year."
However, the ministry stressed that this decrease does not reflect fundamental trend, noting its satisfaction with signing important sales contracts this year for Rafale fighters with Egypt, 30 planes, worth about 4 billion euros, and with Greece, 18 planes, including 12 used and Croatia 12 Rafale planes.
The value of orders received fell by more than half in 2020 to 4.3 billion euros, compared to 9.9 billion in 2019. For second year in row, Europe represents the main destination for French exports with 25% - 15% for European Union and 10% for other European countries - Britain and Greece are top 6 customers for France.
After that, comes Near and Middle East region (24% of orders) compared to 22% for Asia-Oceania region, slightly larger share than that recorded during the past three years, while Africa represents 16% of all orders. Exports of military equipment are essential for France to finance its army and maintain its strategic independence.
(B K P)
New Zealand: MFAT ignored advice weapons systems could be used in war-torn Yemen
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade approved the export of weapons systems sent to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) despite officials warning they could be used in Yemen.
Since 2016, at least seven export permits have been approved for military equipment sent by New Zealand companies to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, both of whom are accused of war crimes over their military intervention in Yemen.
When RNZ reported in March on the export of artillery control systems sent to the UAE's military forces in 2018 and 2019, MFAT was adamant: it said in both cases, the weapons would not be used in Yemen.
However, documents obtained by RNZ under the Official Information Act show officials were well aware of their potential deployment to the war-torn country.
"It's another difficult case, given the Yemen angle," said Mark Pearson, who was a unit manager at MFAT's Disarmament and Arms Control at the time, in an April 2018 email.
"We should let the sale proceed, but we've tried to be upfront that we can't rule out future use in Yemen."
The documents showed that the mortar targeting computers exported to a UAE training college were to be paired with a "South African produced G6 155mm artillery piece," which was also being used by its forces in Yemen. MFAT officials signed off on the permit on the basis of assurances made by the exporter.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/443969/mfat-ignored-advice-weapons-systems-could-be-used-in-war-torn-yemen = https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300324262/mfat-ignored-advice-weapons-systems-could-be-used-in-wartorn-yemen
(* B K P)
South Africa One of the Biggest Arms Suppliers to Saudis in Yemen War
Relations between South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are on the up – a source of shame for the South African state. Despite being profitable and important for the African economy, these relations are deeply linked to the arms and military trade for the Arab nations involved in the war on Yemen, where several cases of human rights violations have been reported.
South African law on military trade prohibits the supply of weapons to countries that are using the equipment to violate human rights. However, precisely in the face of the greatest humanitarian crisis of the contemporary world, the war in Yemen, the South African government’s posture seems to be lenient and the African nation is becoming one of the greatest arms suppliers to the Saudis.
South Africa has progressively taken the leading role in the arms and military equipment trade for Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Despite the billionaire partnership, the government maintains its participation in several international campaigns to help the Yemeni population, defending respect for human rights in the country, which has drawn the attention of many analysts.
Some commentators call South African government “hypocrites” for this ambiguous position; others see the case as pure “real politics”, with immaterial values being violated by strategic necessity.
In fact the conflict in Yemen is currently one of the most profitable businesses for the South African economy, accounting for notable growth in the country’s arms sales. Trade in military equipment between South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2013 represented only 3% of total South African arms exports. The number jumped to 42% in 2015 and 49% in 2016, a gigantic increase.
More recent data has yet to be shared with the public, but it is estimated that in all South Africa has already profited to the value of 550 million dollars through arms sales during the Yemen war.
The weapons sold to Saudi Arabia and the UAE are of various models and mainly include modern aerial equipment, such as drones, used by Saudis in operations that have generated controversy in international society for involving visible violations of human rights, such as attacks against civilians.
In addition to drones, mortars, armored vehicles and several types of bombs have been sold frequently. Between 2019 and 2020 sales remained largely at a standstill due to problems with the inspection rules, which were later resolved.
Most of these weapons are manufactured by the South African company Rheinmetall Denel Munitions (RDM), which in 2016 opened a factory in Saudi Arabia, increasing the flow of goods without the high import costs – by Lucas Leiroz
cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy
(A E P)
Lebanon to release Yemeni funds
The governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon Riad Salemeh on Friday said he is putting pressure on Lebanese banks to release funds of Yemeni banks held in Beirut.
At a meeting with a Yemeni delegation which included representatives from the Central Bank of Yemen and other Yemeni banks, Salemeh discussed proposals put forward during his discussions with Lebanese banks over the issue, the Yemeni state Saba news agency reported.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25419.html
and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/33085
(A E P)
New economic collapse predicted in Saudi-occupied southern Yemen as illegally printed currency keeps flooding market
Six containers laden with newly printed currency arrived on Friday in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden.
According to sources at the Central Bank of Aden, six containers loaded with new currency printed in Russia have arrived at the Aden container port, in the process of being transported to the bank.
The sources confirmed that the Hadi puppet government continues to flood the southern provinces with illegal currency, which is causing the collapse of the Yemeni riyal in the exchange market with foreign currencies.
Following the arrival of printed currency containers at the Bank of Aden, the sources predicted a new collapse in the local currency, after US dollar value already reached nearly 925 riyals per dollar, compared to 235 riyals per dollar for the Saudi riyal in the southern provinces.
This development comes after a number of containers loaded with the new currency arrived in mid-May at the port of Mukalla in Hadhramaut, amid banking and economic warnings of a serious currency collapse as the Hadi government continued to print the new currency without monetary cover.
(A B E P)
IMF Staff Concludes Visit on Yemen
The six-year long conflict has crippled Yemen’s economy, divided the country, and resulted in an acute economic and humanitarian crisis, which has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Absent a quick resolution to the conflict, Yemen’s near-term economic prospects are dim. Without additional external resources, food price inflation is likely to continue, exacerbating the crisis.
To stabilize the macroeconomy and underpin a recovery, Yemen needs to mobilize additional resources and accelerate the process of rebuilding institutions.
https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2021/06/02/pr21156-yemen-imf-staff-concludes-visit-on-yemen
(A P)
Yemeni rial records new decline in Aden
The Yemeni national currency on Tuesday recorded an unprecedented decline in Aden and other areas under government control.
"One dollar is sold with 935-940 Yemeni rials," bankers in Aden said.
"This is the lowest level ever reached by the rial," they added anticipating further depreciation in the absence of urgent solutions
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25359.html
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(A T)
#Yemen's #alQaeda releases new video lecture by #AQAP Security Chief Ibrahim al-Banna. Banna is 1 of only 4 AQAP still on US State Dept @Rewards4Justice list (bounty $5m). Title tag implies he's still alive, though footage may be old as he looks younger than in Oct 2019 spy video. It's old footage.
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1400848078270255104
(A T)
US airstrike kills four thought to be Qaeda militants
Four people thought to be Qaeda militants were killed on Sunday in a raid by a launched with drone in the Yemeni southern governorate of Shabwa, security official said Sunday.
"A drone, thought to be US, targeted a car carrying militants from al-Qaeda near al-Shabikia Village," 15 kilometers to the east of Ataq city, Shabwa provincial capital, the official added in remarks carried by the Sputnik International.
The air raid left all the four people inside the targeted car, he said, noting that a Qaeda leader was likely among the dead.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25341.html
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Yemeni, Palestinian People Defending their Rights Will Overpower Aggressive Powerful Militaries
Intense qualitative retaliatory attacks were carried out by the Yemeni Army and the Popular Committees in the Saudi depth. Dozens of military sites in the Jizan axis are under their control.
The scenes from that front show victory for one party and defeat of the other, the vehicles of Saudi Arabia burning and the military of its alliance killed, wounded and captive.
Will Sanaa launch a new phase of its military operations, and what message does it send about its capabilities after years of aggression? In the Yemeni qualitative penetration, Abu Dhabi sees a dangerous escalation... So does Abu Dhabi fear the lava of fire to reach it?
With the establishment of its equations in response to the crimes, Sanaa adheres to the cause of the central nation, Palestine, and enters as an active party in the equation.
Simultaneously, mass rallies are taking place in its streets in support of the resistance and the battle of the sword of Jerusalem, to confirm that the issue is present in the memory of a people whose suffering is similar to that of the people of Gaza and fight like them in defense despite the bombing and siege.
(A P)
Threat from Houthi sleeper cells looms over state-controlled areas of Yemen
The confessions of a recently arrested Houthi cell leader show that the militia has been receiving its orders to carry out terror attacks in Aden, Taez, Shabwa and Hadramaut from Iran.
Yemen's Ministry of Interior has been warning that sleeper cells comprising members of the Iran-backed Houthis (Ansarallah) are operating in government-controlled areas of the country.
These terror cells compromise security and stability in Aden and other provinces under government control, Interior Minister Ibrahim Haydan told Hadramaut TV on May 17.
According to Haydan, the Houthis have sleeper cells in Aden, Taez, Shabwa and Hadramaut provinces.
Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces recently arrested a number of Houthi elements who were working for Iran and attempting to stymie the implementation of the Riyadh agreement, he said.
https://almashareq.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_am/features/2021/06/03/feature-03
(A P)
Houthi Summer Indoctrination Camps Spur Fear among Yemenis
Through summer camps, Houthis are skewing curricula administered to Yemeni kids, who are ultimately being brainwashed.
While a prominent Houthi leader confirmed that set up camps can accommodate between 500,000 and 600,000 young cadets in insurgency-run areas, the Yemeni information minister warned of the “disastrous risks” of running such indoctrination centers.
“Houthi militias have pursued this dangerous scheme to brainwash the minds of hundreds of thousands of children in its areas of control,” said Muammar Al-Eryani, adding that the group is seeking to birth a generation that listens to hostile slogans and promotes a culture of death and hatred.
My comment: It seems a new propaganda campaign “Houthis and the youth” has started.
and
(A P)
Houthi radicalization centers are Iran’s ‘most important nuclear bomb’: Yemeni official
A Yemeni official has said the Houthi summer radicalization centers are Iran’s “most important nuclear bomb” in Yemen.
The country’s Deputy Information Minister Abdulbasit Alkaedi said, “The Houthi Summer Centers are the most important nuclear bomb with which Iran [as a sponsor of Houthis] needs no other nuclear weapon.”
Summer Centers in Yemen historically offered enrichment programs for students in the summer vacation, but the Shiit Houthi terrorist organization have turned them to radicalization programs
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47041
and
(A P)
Houthis prepare 100,000 child militants for a tsunami-like attack on Marib
The Houthi militia controlling Yemen’s northwest is preparing for a tsunami-like attack on the government-held city of Marib, military analysts said.
The internationally pampered Shiit terrorist network began last week to muster 100,000 schoolchildren to Sana’a radicalization Summer Education Centers. “The Houthis are planning on brainwashing them and deploying them along the Marib frontline in one tsunami-like attack” said Ali Al-Khayati a military analyst. “Nothing is new here, they always follow the overwhelming method with the fighters they have long gathered,” he said. “The result is massacres and streams of blood on the mountains” outside Marib.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47043
and
(A P)
The Gulf monarchies face the threat of fall in two years, Yemen activists warn
Yemeni social media activists have warned of the Houthi tireless recruitment of hundreds of thousands of children to radicalization centers in Sana’a saying in two years’ time, the Arabian Gulf monarchies face the threat of fall.
“Five hundred thousand children at least will be drawn to the Houthi summer radicalization centers … Half a million children will in two years’ time be a powerful army to topple the Gulf monarchies,” says facebook activist Ahmed Najm in a post.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47044
and
(A K P)
[Hadi gov.] Yemeni Information Minister Warns of Genocide against Children in Houthi-Controlled Areas
Muammar Al-Eryani, Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, confirmed the high death toll of children recruited within the ranks of the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia in recent battles on various fronts in Marib Governorate, Yemen.
In a statement to the state-run Yemeni News Agency (Saba), the Yemeni minister said that field reports and Houthi militia’s confessions through media outlets affirm the high number of children killed in suicide attacks ordered by the militia on various fighting fronts in Marib.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2233640
(A P)
Vice president says Houthis are misleading world over humanitarian file
Vice president Lt. Gen. Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar on Wednesday accused the Iran-allied Houthi group of misleading the world over the humanitarian file in Yemen.
The group is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis mostly in regions under its control, he said at a meeting with the US envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25380.html
(A P)
Deal or No Deal: Iran’s Foreign Proxies Must be Dismantled
The Biden administration needs to act quickly to prevent Lebanon from plummeting into failed state status where Iran and Hezbollah can operate with complete impunity.
Iran is deadly ambitious to control the Shia Crescent, the predominantly Shia-controlled or populated areas including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, and Yemen. Iran falsely claims to serve the interests of these Shia communities, when in reality it seeks to exploit them in pursuit of its dangerous geopolitical vision, rooted in religious extremism, ancient concepts of civilizational warfare, and oppression of all dissidents.
Biden can confront this by supporting traditional defense partners in the region, such as the Lebanese Armed Forces. However, this is only half of the picture.
A defense strategy that strategically severs the tentacles of Iranian support for terrorism is the best way for President Biden to preserve American national security interests in the Middle East, while protecting vulnerable communities from human rights violations by a dictatorial regime. The disarmament of Hezbollah and other Shia terrorist militias and Iranian proxies across the region should be a necessary condition upon which any potential engagement with Iran is based.
(A P)
[Hadi gov.] Yemen Minister: Houthi summer centers are camps for making terrorists
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47003
and also https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1399571666683023365
(A P)
The Democrats and Iran: Worse Than Appeasement
The liberal media approached the latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East as a renewal of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, if not a return to the Arab-Israeli Wars of half a century ago. Former president George W. Bush, however, saw the situation for what it was. In an exclusive interview with Fox News on May 19, he correctly stated that what "you're seeing playing out is Iranian influence targeted toward Israel."
"I think the best approach with regard to Iran is to understand that their influence is dangerous for world peace, that they are very much involved with extremist movements in Lebanon and Syria and Yemen, and they are aiming to spread their influence," said President Bush. This view is shared on the Democratic side of the aisle, but to advance a very different policy agenda.
Just as Iranian tactics in both Yemen and Israel are similar, so has been the response. In retaliation, the Saudi-led nine-Arab-nation coalition renewed its air campaign in Yemen with strikes at key Houthi targets. The coalition had pulled back on their airstrikes due to pressure from the U.S., but restraint by Riyadh and Washington has only encouraged the rebels.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/05/the_democrats_and_iran_worse_than_appeasement.html
(A P)
Iran presses Houthis to step up drone attacks on Saudi Arabia
The Iran-backed drone war is now threatening, or has involved Syria, Iraq, Israel, Yemen and other states in the region.
Iran’s major drone contribution has been to Yemen, where it supplied expertise and equipment, such as gyroscopes and other specialist parts, to aid an indigenous industry for UAV manufacturing. These became the Qasef-style drones that the Houthi rebels have used for years against Saudi Arabia and the Riyadh-led coalition.
It is clear from the Iranian reports that Iran is encouraging and is behind these attacks. They are used to pressure Saudi Arabia. Iran relies on Houthi information to tell the public of the role of the UAV units that the Houthis have.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-presses-houthis-to-up-drone-attacks-on-saudi-669679
(A P)
Houthis exploit Yemeni ports to fulfill Iran's agenda: Info minister
The Houthi group exploits the Yemeni ports to fulfill Iran's agendas, [Hadi gov.] information minister tweeted on Saturday, dubbing the Houthi use of Hodeida ports to sail booby-trapped boats as "a coup against the Stockholm Agreement.
The increase in Houthi "terrorist attacks in the Red Sea, using bomb-laden boats intercepted by the Arab coalition, proves anew the dire threat posed by the group to navigation traffic," Moammar al-Eryani added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25332.html
and also https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2232930
(A P)
More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors“ propaganda
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2233914
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2233908
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2233901
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2233867
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2233865
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2233696
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2233694
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2233326
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2232777
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* B K P)
Committing War Crimes with 'Precision'
War crimes are still war crimes even when they are committed using precision weapons.
Defenders of the latest Israeli bombing of Gaza like to emphasize the precision of the bombing, as if this were the only thing that mattered.
Carrying out a bombing campaign in an urban environment, especially one as densely packed as Gaza, imperils civilians even when the strikes are precise. Charli Carpenter discussed this in a column last week.
Dropping bombs and firing missiles in the middle of a heavily populated urban area are indiscriminate attacks even if the bombs and missiles are aimed precisely. Carpenter explains: “That is because explosive weapons in densely populated urban areas simply cannot be used in a precision manner or be limited in the ways envisioned by the Geneva Conventions.”
The debate over the bombing of Gaza reminds me of the Saudi coalition airstrike that slaughtered 40 young boys on a school bus in Saada province in northern Yemen. The coalition strike hit the bus very precisely, but the target was a bus full of innocent children and it was parked in the middle of a busy marketplace. Even after the international outcry at this obvious atrocity, the coalition maintained that the bus was a legitimate target and they apologized only for attacking it while it was in the marketplace. As far as the coalition was concerned, killing 40 kids on their bus would have been fine by them if it had been done in a different place. That coalition airstrike was more flagrantly criminal than most, but the defenders of that war trotted out the same lame justifications that we hear to defend the indefensible all the time.
War crimes are still war crimes even when they are committed using precision weapons.
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/committing-war-crimes-with-precision
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142563.htm marib p.
https://english.almasirah.net/post/19768/US-Saudi-Aggression-s-Daily-Update-for-Thursday%2C-June-3%2C-2021 Hajjah p. and others
https://english.almasirah.net/post/19760/US-Saudi-Aggression-s-Daily-Update-for-Wednesday%2C-Jun-2%2C-2021 Marib p., Jawf p.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142503.htm Marib p.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142228.htm / https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/06/01/saudis-conduct-31-airstrikes-on-marib/ Marib p.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142225.htm Jawf p.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142113.htm Saada p.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142089.htm Marib p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp17a, cp18
Im Jemen herrscht ein militärisches Patt. Eine größere Offensive mit größeren Erfolgen und Geländegewinnen für eine Seite bleiben seit der Offensive der saudischen Koalition gegen Hodeidah im Jahr 2018 aus. Kleinere Offensiven, ständige gegenseitige Angriffe und Gefechte mit Toten auf beiden Seiten und Opfern unter der Zivilbevölkerung gibt es aber ständig. Besonders betroffen sind die Provinzen Hodeidah, Taiz, Al Bayda, Al Dhalea, der Bezirk Nehm in der Provinz Sanaa, die Provinzen Al Jawf, Marib, Hajjah und Saada.
There is a military stalemate in Yemen. A larger offensive with greater successes and territorial gains for one side has been absent since the Saudi coalition's offensive against Hodeidah in 2018. Smaller offensives, constant mutual attacks and skirmishes killing fighters of both sides and causing victims among the civilian population are constant. The provinces of Hodeidah, Taiz, Al Bayda, Al Dhalea, the district of Nehm in the province of Sanaa, the provinces of Al Jawf, Marib, Hajjah and Saada are particularly affected.
(B K pH)
At least 17 civilians killed in Saudi shelling of Saudi-Yemeni border region in month of May
(A K pH)
Six citizens injured by Saudi border guards' fire in Saada
At least six citizens were injured on Thursday when the Saudi border guards opened fire on residential areas in Saada province, a security official told Saba.
The official explaiend that the Saudi border guards targeted Al-Raqo area of Monabeh district, which led to the injuring of six citizens.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142502.htm
and also, with photos: https://english.almasirah.net/post/19766/Six-Citizens-Injured-by-Saudi-Border-Guards-Fire-in-Sa-adah%C2%A0
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25381.html
(A K)
Blast leaves Yemeni engineer injured as demining in Taiz
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25401.html
and also https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1400146200842670083
(A K pH)
Four Citizens Injured in Saudi Bombing of Munabbih of Sa’adah
Four civilians were Injured by Saudi missiles and artillery shelling on the border province in Munabbih district.
(A K pH)
Citizen Injured in Saudi Bombing of Al-Raqo Area of Sa’adah
A citizen was injured Wednesday morning by Saudi shelling on the border area of Al-Raqo in Sa’adah province
https://english.almasirah.net/post/19745/Citizen-Injured-in-Saudi-Bombing-of-Al-Raqo-Area-of-Sa-adah
(A K pH)
2 citizens killed by Saudi bombing in Sa'ada
2 citizens were killed on Tuesday by a Saudi artillery shelling targeting Munabah border district in Sa'ada province.
A security official said the Saudi enemy fired artillery shells at al-Raqo area in Munabah, which led to the death of 2 citizens.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142243.htm
and also https://english.almasirah.net/post/19730/Two-Citizens-Wounded-by-Saudi-Shells-on-Sa-adah (killed!) and https://english.almasirah.net/post/19743/Two-Citizen-Killed-by-US-Saudi-Airstrikes-in-Sa-adah (not by air strike)
(A K pH)
Aggression kills man, injures another in Sa'ada
One man was killed and another was injured in a Saudi artillery shelling on al-Raqo area in Munabeh border district in Sa'ada, a military official said.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3142113.htm
(A K)
Warring sides mobilize troops in southern Yemen as UN seeks cease-fire: sources
Forces loyal to Yemen's government on Monday moved military reinforcements to southern border areas in an attempt to discourage the Houthi rebels from intruding into southern regions, a military official told Xinhua.
"Units of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is part of Yemen's government, dispatched armored vehicles and infantrymen to the border areas of the country's southern province of Lahj," the local military source said on condition of anonymity.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-05/31/c_139981196.htm
(A K pH)
Two Citizens Killed, Wounded by Saudi Shells on Sa’adah
A citizen was killed and another was wounded, Sunday, by Saudi shells on Munabbih border district of Sa’adah.
https://english.almasirah.net/post/19709/Two-Citizens-Killed%2C-Wounded-by-Saudi-Shells-on-Sa-adah
(A K P)
Houthis say ready to swap bodies killed in Jizan operation
The Houthi group is ready to swap bodies of troops killed in a military operation its fighters carried out in Jizan, member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council tweeted on Monday in response to coalition's accusations against the group of "fabricating illusive victories".
"If footages of Jizan operation so frightened you that you couldn't absorb the reality, how would you describe the upcoming operations and shots that indeed exceed what you saw," Mohamed Ali al-Houthi added.
"For those who are doubtful, [we say] we're ready to exchange bodies with the aggressive countries through the Red Cross."
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25338.html
cp17a Kriegsereignisse: Schlacht um Marib / Theater of War: Marib battle
(A K)
Marib, Jawf battles leave Houthi deaths, injuries
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25413.html
(A K pS)
Houthis targeted house of prominent tribal leader Ali bin Gharib for the second time in a week. No human casualties reported yet.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1400577733378334728
Film: https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1400905646933950473
and
(A K P)
Film: Sheikh Ali bin Gharib thanks UAE for its vital participation in defending #Marib during an interview days ago.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1401011075722719234
(* B K P)
Meet the people of Marib, the unlikely tent-filled haven in war torn Yemen
A former outlaw province, Marib has become a sanctuary for Yemenis fleeing Houthi-held areas, even as the rebel group continues an onslaught on the area
The coalition poured money into the northern city of Marib, which remains under government control. Huge camps were built for the displaced and the city became a centre of military operations.
Fawwaz said when he lost his job at the start of the conflict he returned to Ebb, but struggled to find work. Most jobs he could find only began paying salaries after six months of labour.
Instead he brought his family back to Marib.
Despite sandstorms and a renewed Houthi offensive threatening to overrun the area, camp residents say they are in Marib to stay.
The rapid change in demographics of the city has led to a shift in the culture, Wafi, a former teacher from Hajja says.
“Here everyone is equal no matter your region of origin, or where are you from in Yemen, because in contrast to many cities in Yemen, in Marib there is law,” he said.
Wafi was also imprisoned by the Houthis for almost three years because he was outspoken about the Houthi control over freedom of expression. He now lives across two tents with his 15-person family at Al Jufaina camp, the biggest displacement camp in Marib, which houses 75,000 IDPs.
Residents say basic services are provided in Marib better than other cities, whether it is the efforts of local authorities or in cooperation with private donors or organisations. But above all, they say Marib gives some security to people to work and invest.
Marib has a key oil refinery that produces 90 per cent of the country’s liquefied petroleum. “It’s still a good place and a stable place to invest,” Fawwaz said, even as fighting on the outskirts of the city rages.
“The local tribesmen work to make the place safe and they were very hospitable towards those displaced by the war,” he said.
The tribes in Marib and North Yemen play a decisive role in the war. When it began, they sided with the government.
After a long stalemate in the past five years between the Houthis and the pro-government forces in the area, the Houthis resumed their military assault on Marib on in February.
Houthi forces have bombed the city and its outskirts with shells and missiles but the people in Marib think the recent attacks are not new, it’s only a bit harder than before.
“The Houthis will still have trouble taking Marib. Not only the coalition wouldn’t let them, we will all fight for the city if necessary,” Rashad said.
My comment: From UAE, with high propaganda bias.
(* B H K)
Jemen: Die Not der Flüchtlinge von Marib
Die Stadt Marib im Zentrum des Jemen ist zu einem nationalen Anlaufpunkt für Millionen Flüchtlinge geworden. Dennoch nehmen die aufständischen Huthis die Stadt weiter unter Beschuss. Aus Sanaa berichtet Safia Mahdi.
Lange Zeit waren die im Zentrum des Landes gelegene Stadt Marib und die gleichnamige Provinz eher unbedeutende Orte. Eine gewisse Bekanntheit hatten sie lediglich dank ihrer Erdölraffinerie. Doch nachdem die Huthis bereits kurz nach Beginn ihres Aufstands im Jahr 2014 die damalige Hauptstadt Sanaa unter ihre Kontrolle brachten, wurde die Stadt Marib für die ohnehin stark bedrängte Regierung zu einer ihrer wichtigsten Bastionen, faktisch sogar fast zu einer Art zweiten Hauptstadt. So hat dort etwa das Verteidigungsministerium seinen Sitz. Fiele Marib an die Huthis, wäre das für die Aufständischen nicht nur ein militärischer sondern auch ein bedeutsamer symbolischer Triumph.
Das Leid der Flüchtlinge
Einen solchen Triumph scheinen die Rebellen mit allen Mitteln erzwingen zu wollen. Ihre vor einem Jahr begonnene Offensive auf Marib haben die "Ansar Allah" (Helfer bzw. Anhänger Gottes), wie die Huthis sich nennen, im Frühjahr noch einmal intensiviert. Abschrecken konnte sie offenbar nicht einmal der Umstand, dass sie bei den Angriffen auf die Stadt ihrerseits selbst tausende Kämpfer verloren. Diese ersetzen sie Medienberichten zufolge auch auch durch Kindersoldaten. Mohammed Ali al-Huthis, Präsident des sogenannten Revolutionskomitees der Rebellen, erklärte kürzlich, man werde den Kampf fortführen, bis Marib gefallen sei.
Unter der Offensive leiden ganz besonders die Flüchtlinge. Marib ist im Jemen zur wichtigsten Anlaufstelle für Binnenvertriebene geworden. Angaben der jemenitischen Behörden zufolge suchen dort bereits über zwei Millionen Flüchtlinge Schutz, verteilt auf rund 140 verschiedene Lager. Geflohen sind sie aus unterschiedlichen Gründen: Einige sind von den Huthis vertrieben worden, andere haben durch deren Machtübernahme ihre Lebensgrundlage verloren, wieder andere sind Familienangehörige von Soldaten der jemenitischen Armee.
Die Flüchtlinge befänden sich in einer schwierigen Lage, sagt Abdul Razzaq Mohammed, auch er ein Flüchtling im eigenen Land. Die Kämpfe zwischen den Regierungstruppen und den Huthis hätten sich so sehr ausgeweitet, dass die Flüchtlinge kaum wüssten, wohin sie sich wenden sollten. Nachdem im März eine Rakete der Huthis in der Nähe seiner Wohnung einschlug, sah sich auch Mohammed gezwungen, seine Heimatstadt Marib zu verlassen.
Millionen von Hunger bedroht
Während die Intensität der Kämpfe in Teilen der Region unverändert fortbestehe, habe sie in anderen Teilen kontinuierlich zugenommen, sagt Olivia Headon, Sprecherin der Internationalen Organisation für Migration (IOM), im DW-Gespräch. Diese Eskalation habe die Zahl der Flüchtlinge noch einmal nach oben getrieben. So habe die IOM im Regierungsbezirk Marib seit Februar 2021 knapp 3000 vertriebene Familien - insgesamt über 20.000 Menschen - registriert. Von noch höheren Zahlen gehen die jemenitischen Behörden aus. Ihren Berechnungen zufolge wurden allein zwischen Februar und April dieses Jahres knapp 3450 Familien vertrieben – von Safia Mahdi
(A K pS)
Film: Yemen – [Hadi gov.] Yemeni forces liberate areas from Houthis in Marib
According to the government forces’ spokesman, Brigadier General Abdo Majali, the government forces announced the liberation of military sites, referred to as "the ruler", during violent battles between the Yemeni forces and the Houthi militia on the fronts of the Ma'rib and Al-Jawf governorates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAQ0F5u_oS4
and
(A K pS)
Film: Yemen: Casualties Among Houthi Militias in Marib Front
Fierce battles flared up on Monday between the Yemeni army and the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Marib claiming the lives of tens of Houthi members.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZS63L3ACac
(A K pS)
Dozens Houthi militiamen killed, injured western Marib
http://en.26sepnews.net/2021/05/31/dozens-houthi-militiamen-killed-injured-western-marib/
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
Seit dem Abkommen von Stockholm vom 13. Dezember 2018 gibt es einen Waffenstillstand für Hodeidah. Zwar bleiben größere Offensiven aus, kleinere Gefechte gibt es aber laufend, und beide Seiten werfen sich ständig Verstöße gegen den Waffenstillstand vor.
Since the Stockholm Agreement of December 13, 2018, a ceasefire has been in place for Hodeidah. There are no major offensives, but smaller battles are going on and both sides constantly are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.
(A K pS)
Film: A civilian was injured by a Houthi landmine explosion in Al-Khoukha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc6kF1-YhZc
(A K P)
Yemeni president says Stockholm agreement not implemented
Yemen's internationally recognised president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi on Monday hinted at the failure of the UN-sponsored Stockholm agreement which was signed by his government and the Iran-allied Houthi group years ago.
The agreement included a ceasefire in Hudaydah province, a framework for rehabilitation and management of Hudaydah seaport and use of its revenues to pay salaries of public servants in the country, an agreement for prisoner exchange and a statement of understanding on Taiz city.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25355.html
(A K pH)
Daily violations, according to the Houthi side
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
(-)
Photos: Details from the old city of Sanaa
https://twitter.com/HanaShowafi/status/1399273400036638723
(-)
Photos: Lake Shuran, Yemen.
National Geographic Channel's programming tops the list for its turquoise sulfur water on the crater of an extinct volcano.
https://twitter.com/YEMEN_BT/status/1399810046729588740
(B H)
Film: Yemen fishermen find $1.5m of ambergris in the belly of a whale
Yemen fishermen find $1.5m of ambergris in the belly of a whaleClose
A group of fishermen in Yemen came across a sperm whale carcass floating in the Gulf of Aden.
The rare treasure they discovered in its belly has lifted them out of poverty.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-57288265 = https://twitter.com/BBCArabic/status/1399756991648632832
(A)
Film: The burning of a black market station for the sale of oil derivatives at dawn today on Sanaa Street in the city of #Hodeidah. The station is located in front of the Taj Osan Hotel and next to the former Shifa Hospital. Black market pumps have become in every street and roundabout, and all of them pose a danger to citizens.
https://twitter.com/baseem_aljenani/status/1399676867326746624
(B K)
Audio: Folge 49 - Antonia Rados über Krisenberichterstattung
Journalistische Arbeit in Kriegsgebieten
https://machtwas-podcast.podigee.io/50-antonia-rados
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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