Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-747b-yemen-war-mosaic-747b
Omans Rolle als Friedensvermittler im Jemen – Die Grenzen der US-Strategie für das Rote Meer – Journalismus im Jemen – Al-Qaida im Jemen – Die Bahais im Jemen – Jemens Insel Sokotra in Gefahr – US-Waffenverkäufe – und mehr
June 22, 2021: Saudi air raids in May 2021 – A new Yemen envoy and a new approach to peace – Houthis, Saudis, the US and peace in Yemen – Oman’s role as peace broker in Yemen – The limits of the US Red Sea strategy – Journalism in Yemen – Al Qaeda in Yemen – The Baha’is in Yemen – Yemen’s Socotra island under threat – US arms sales – and more
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
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp17a Kriegsereignisse: Schlacht um Marib / Theater of War: Marib battle
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Ältere einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Older introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K)
YEMEN DATA PROJECT AIR RAIDS SUMMARY JUNE 2021
Civilian Casualties At Ten-Month High
Medical centre bombed in Sa'ada, airstrikes in Sirwah reach record high
In May, Yemen Data Project recorded the highest number of civilian casualties in the air war in 10 months. There were more civilian casualties (25) in Saudi-led air raids in May than in the previous seven months combined. The comparatively high monthly casualty rate was despite a 25% month-on-month decline in air raid numbers from April. In Sirwah district of Marib, YDP recorded one of the highest monthly rates of individual airstrikes* in any district since the air war began.
Air raids killed 12 civilians in the month and injured a further 13, seven children were amongst the dead and injured, taking the civilian casualty toll in the air war to more than 18,600 since March 2015.
The deadliest air raids were on a civilian house in Majzar district of Marib on 7 May that killed seven and injured four; an air raid on a residential area in Al-Dhaher district in Saada on 21 May, which killed three and injured one, and the bombing of a medical centre in the Haydan district of Sa'ada on 18 May. An air raid in a residential area of Rada'a, Al-Bayda on 10 May, killed one civilian and injured two women.
Children accounted for six of the 11 casualties in the strike in As Sahari district of Majzar in Marib on the afternoon of 7 May. Two children were killed and a further four injured. The bombing of the medical centre in the Jabal Marran area of Haydan in the middle of the day on 18 May, killed one civilian and injured a further six. Up to two individual airstrikes* hit the medical centre.
Airstrikes in Sirwah at record high in May
Despite the month-on-month countywide decline in air raids from April, bombings in the Sirwah district of Marib increased slightly in May, to 35 from 32 in the previous month. Air raids in the district have averaged 35 per month from March through May in parallel with intensified violence on the ground, instigated by an ongoing Houthi military offensive launched earlier this year in the governorate.
In May, YDP recorded up to 390 individual air strikes* in Sirwah - an average of more than 12 individual strikes per day. This is one of the highest number of possible individual strikes recorded in any district in any month since the start of the Saudi-led bombing campaign in March 2015, second only to the month of June last year when up to 430 individual airstrikes were recorded in Majzar district of Marib.
Sirwah district in Marib is the most heavily bombed district in the country. At least 1,517 air raids have hit Sirwah with up to 5,832 individual airstrikes since 2015. Over 21% of those individual airstrikes* hit the district this year.
Marib has been the mostly heavily bombed governorate for more than a year - in keeping with the military confrontations. In May there were more than three times as many air raids in Marib than in the second most heavily bombed governorate of Al-Jawf.
In May 11% of bombings hit civilian targets** and 21% hit military targets. In 68% of air raids in May the target could not be identified. Of the 29 air raids where the target could be identified, 66% of bombings hit military targets. 34% of identifiable targets were civilian.
Of the 34 air raids where the target was identified in April 2021
7 hit residential areas, killing 11 civilians and injuring 7.
1 hit a medical facility, killing one and injuring 6.
1 hit a market place.
1 hit a farm.
Marib continues to be the most heavily bombed governorate. 58% of all Saudi-led coalition air raids in May targeted Marib. Sirwah was the most heavily bombed district in the country for the fifth consecutive month with 38% of air raids in the month in Marib hitting the district.
At least 105 air raids have hit Sirwah in the last three months with up 997 individual airstrikes in 92 days - an average of 10.8 airstrikes per day from March though May. The district is the most heavily bombed countrywide. In Sirwah in May, YDP recorded one of the highest rates of individual airstrikes in any district in any month since the start of the air war.
Al-Jawf was the second mostly heavily bombed governorate in May with 16 air raids. 75% of all air raids in the month hit the governorates of Marib and Al-Jawf.
https://mailchi.mp/0a8fb2228358/june2021-yemen-data-project-update-6513472
(** B P)
A New UN Envoy is an Opportunity for a New Approach in Yemen
The UN is recruiting a new envoy to broker peace in Yemen. More important than who gets the job is how UN member states and the mediator perceive its purpose, interpretations of which have limited the UN to the flawed two-party framework adopted since 2015.
The UN has not kept up with the pace of change, despite having ways to do so. The crux of the issue is the dominant interpretation of an April 2015 Security Council resolution. Resolution 2216 names the Huthis, who had seized Sanaa the previous September, along with the Saudi-backed government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi that they ousted, as the conflict’s two primary belligerents. In effect, it also demands that the Huthis and their allies surrender to Hadi, whom it affirms as Yemen’s legitimate president. Hadi, his backers in Riyadh and the Huthis argue that the resolution restricts the UN’s mandate to a two-party negotiation framework, which they all favour. The president and his allies further contend that the war can end only with their return to power in Sanaa, but few foreign officials seem to believe this goal is realistic.
The two sides’ interpretation of Resolution 2216 has spread among UN and diplomatic circles, and 2216 is increasingly viewed as a barrier to progress. Some politicians and commentators in the U.S. have called for it to be replaced outright, albeit without providing much detail as to what a new resolution would consist of. There may be no need for another text, however, as 2216 already provides the necessary flexibility: it calls for an “inclusive” and “consultative” process to resolve Yemen’s many political crises. The UN has yet to test more expansive interpretations of this language than the one prevailing at present.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed and Griffiths each calculated that trying to change the UN approach, in particular by engaging more parties than just the Hadi-Riyadh axis and the Huthis, was more trouble than it was worth. Both envoys decided to stick to the two-party model rather than spend their time dealing with pushback from those it favours.
But this approach has not worked. Since early 2020, Griffiths has sought to broker a nationwide ceasefire between the Huthis and Hadi
The Huthis, who have the military edge on the ground, calculate that they stand to gain by stalling; they have pushed for the deal to come into effect piecemeal, to their benefit. The government views compromise on Hodeida port and Sanaa airport – which the Huthis say must come before ceasefire negotiations can start – as the beginning of the end for its side. Because each party can shoot down UN proposals and because each sees the war increasingly in zero-sum terms, neither has a strong incentive to moderate its stance or even negotiate. Other powerful armed and political factions on the ground, meanwhile, have repeatedly declared that they will reject any settlement in which the UN has given them no say.
Some UN member states expect the next envoy to continue the current approach and make it work, but say they are open to a shakeup of a moribund process if and when an opportunity presents itself. But hanging on to a framework that has failed is wrong-headed, as is passively waiting for change to come. Instead, UN member states should see the changing of the guard as an opportunity to proactively push the new envoy to articulate a realistic vision for ending the conflict and create space for carrying it out.
Crisis Group has long advocated for the UN to expand the talks beyond the two-party framework. It should include militia leaders and politicians who can make a ceasefire stick, as well as organisations, particularly women-led groups, that have negotiated local truces and helped stabilise the areas where they live.
To make such a shift work, UN member states, the five permanent members of the Security Council in particular, would need to work in concert, as they did before the war broke out. Since 2015, international coordination has been spotty at best.
Beyond overhauling the framework, the UN will also need to change its modus operandi in mediation. Ould Cheikh Ahmed and Griffiths spent much of their time travelling around the Middle East, making only brief stops in Sanaa and Aden. They did that in part because the Hadi government and its regional backers were reluctant to allow the UN free rein to meet whomever they pleased; and because the Huthis often refused to meet the UN envoy in Sanaa. Yet progress in Yemen is not made in formal meetings but through steady relationship building in the sitting rooms (majalis) of influential leaders.
In sum, the next envoy will have to find new ways to mediate not just between Yemen’s rival parties, but within their ranks, before articulating a vision for peace that includes a much wider range of players than the current UN framework allows for. Just as important, key UN member states will need to give the envoy space and time to hone a new approach, and then get behind a more expansive vision for peace – and demonstrate the will to execute it working in harmony – by Peter Salisbury
My comment: No to one point: The text of the resolution claiming one side to surrender and giving legitimacy only to the other side must be changed, or the resolution will remain an obstacle to peace.
(** B P)
The Houthis, Saudi Arabia and the War in Yemen
It is in fact first and foremost a civil war, the most recent of several wars between Yemenis that began in 1962. Thus, it is internal dynamics that drive Yemenis to fight each other, and this war is unlikely to end quickly no matter what Saudi Arabia does or is made to do. After considerable resistance and perhaps willful naïveté, Washington finally appears to be accepting this reality.
Upon taking office, the Biden administration held the view that Riyadh was the principal culprit in the Yemeni war and therefore sought to exert pressure on the Kingdom to end its military intervention. This is a view that many Democrats in Congress also hold.
Biden believed that America’s pressure on Riyadh would initiate peace talks between the various Yemeni and regional actors in this conflict and that the Houthis would stop their military assault on Ma’rib.
Why did the Houthis react aggressively in this way and why do they continue to seem uninterested in ending the war? To understand the Houthis’ rationale, one has to delve into Yemen’s history and the particular ideology and program of this radical Islamist movement.
The Houthis’ ideology is centered around the teachings of their founder, the late Husayn al-Houthi (d. 2004), who advocated the domination of the country by the sayyids as well as the radical transformation of its society according to an idiosyncratic interpretation of Islamic texts and tradition. Houthi’s ideology consists of a combination of anti-imperialist and anti-American rhetoric (“Death to America, Death to Israel”) with a radical Islamist vision of a world ruled by a descendant of the Prophet.
Despite being a minority, perhaps some 5 to 10 percent of Yemen’s population, the Houthis are the best organized and ideologically motivated group in Yemen. These characteristics explain their military success and ascendancy, which they are not willing to give up until they have fully established themselves in power. But the Houthis did not emerge in a vacuum. Their rise should be seen in light of the systematic social and religious discrimination of the sayyids (i.e., Muhammad’s descendants) since 1970 by the government in Sanaa as well as the appalling governance and corruption of the regime of the late dictator Ali Abdullah Salih.
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis
The Saudis somewhat mistakenly see the Houthis as a purely Iranian proxy akin to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Houthis are indeed close allies of Iran and some of their ideological inspiration comes from Khomeini’s revolutionary ideas. Also, they no doubt coordinate their strategy and even specific attacks on Saudi Arabia with Tehran. Yet, the Houthis are a deeply rooted social and political phenomenon of the Yemeni scene and have an agenda that is ultimately about achieving local goals, such as rule by the sayyids over other Yemenis.
The US Role
It is not obvious that the US can play an effective role in helping end this conflict. Within Yemen, America’s influence is negligible since it has little leverage over any of the various factions.
One possible avenue to test the possibility of bringing a cessation of hostilities in Yemen, if not an actual end to the war, is for the US to suggest to the Saudis that they make an offer that the Houthis, and other Yemenis, cannot refuse. For example, this could entail an immediate and unilateral ceasefire, the lifting of the blockade, substantial and yearly development and reconstruction funds, over say a decade, to see that Yemen is rebuilt, and, finally, a promise to make Yemen a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Such a generous and comprehensive offer, if made, would make it clear to all Yemenis that their long-term interests lie in ending the war and joining with and benefitting from the rich petro-states of Arabia. If this offer is turned down, then the US and other states in the region will have to contend with and contain the effects of a war in Yemen that is unlikely to end anytime soon – by Bernard Haykel
https://www.hoover.org/research/houthis-saudi-arabia-and-war-yemen
(** B P)
Oman: Bridging to peace
In a new paper for the Berghof Foundation, Professor Abdullah Baabood, currently a Visiting Professor at Waseda University, Tokyo, examines Oman’s role in brokering peace in Yemen. He argues that these relationships are the result of the Sultanate’s political culture, geographical location, foreign policy philosophy, and formative historical experiences dating back to the country’s foundation. Understanding the roots of Oman’s mediating role – or as Baabood frames it, its “policy of non-involvement” – is vital to understanding its unique response to the conflict in Yemen and its efforts to bring those interested in reaching a sustainable peace agreement to the table.
The paper gives special attention to the nature of Oman’s close ties to the communities of Al Mahra, the Yemeni governorate on its border, where linguistic, cultural and familial links run deep. Oman is sensitive to any potential third-party military presence in the governorate and is wary of how any destabilisation could spill over the border. Ultimately, Baabood’s examination of Omani foreign policy demonstrates why Oman remains an important actor in the peace process in Yemen, without the resources of its economically more powerful neighbours, and how it may be able to contribute to breaking the current deadlock in peace negotiations.
As attempts at reaching a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen continue, it is likely that the negotiating parties will have to, at one stage or another, walk across what Baabood in his paper refers to as Oman’s “diplomatic bridge,” constructed over many years, to reach an agreement.
In recent months, Oman – Yemen’s eastern neighbour – has played host to several delegations of European representatives and international special envoys eager to discuss a potential peaceful resolution of the conflict in Yemen. Most recently, a high-level Omani delegation touched down in Yemen’s capital Sana’a to meet with the leadership of Ansar Allah, popularly known as the Houthis, with whom Oman has maintained a constructive relationship.
The country’s unique position as a mediator between regional actors is nothing new, in part due to its geo-political location. The Sultanate maintains long-standing relationships with major actors from across Yemen, with which its shares an almost 300-kilometre-long land border. The shared proximity, cultural connections and historic ties between the two nations has meant that Oman has long identified stability in Yemen with its national interest. From the outset of the conflict, it has pushed for a peaceful solution through both formal and informal channels. At the same time, Oman’s position geographically between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the Gulf and the Indian Ocean, has led it to cultivate close relations with its fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member Saudi Arabia, and with Iran. Balancing these complex, sometimes contradictory, connections, Oman has pursued a policy of neutrality, notably remaining outside of directly military intervention in Yemen, while continuing to provide humanitarian aid to all sides.
In terms of its pragmatic realism, Muscat is well aware that it cannot compete with the hard power of its regional neighbours, namely the vast financial resources of Saudi Arabia and the UAE or the military capabilities of Iran. Moreover, Oman’s leadership recognises that the tribal nature of Yemen’s political discord cannot be solved by military means. The scope for Omani involvement in Yemen, therefore, is limited by its diplomatic dilemma of balancing relations with Riyadh and Tehran. The Sultanate’s non-alignment has been explained as being the product of its desire to balance “historically good relations with Iran and a stressed relationship with Saudi Arabia.”26 Indeed, Oman is conscious that the Yemeni conflict is multifaceted and goes far beyond local divisions, especially considering its history with the Marxist-oriented PDRY and PDRY’s involvement in the Dhofar Rebellion. The involvement of foreign actors in Yemen’s internal struggle is nothing new, and Oman’s position on Yemen has remained relatively unchanged for decades.
Conclusion
The establishment of a sovereign and representative government is critical to achieving a lasting peace in Yemen. Whether this is a unified Yemen or a Yemen divided between north and south will not be decided until the ongoing conflict is resolved. While Oman is prepared for any eventuality, a number of considerations seem to speak for a preference for a single Yemeni state. An independent southern Yemen may exacerbate Muscat’s concerns over the stability of al-Mahra, as it could provide the opportunity for the UAE and Saudi Arabia to further entrench themselves in Yemen’s south. Furthermore, a north-south divide in Yemen would likely result in continued militarisation of the country, with foreign patrons supplying arms to strengthen their respective proxies. Moreover, a divided Yemen would only pose more problems for Oman in terms of negotiating its relationships with Iran and the GCC, as it would also have to carefully balance its relations with north and south Yemen. With this in mind, Oman may prefer the scenario of a unified Yemen, with a power-sharing arrangement between the Houthis and the Hadi government. This outcome would, however, also require the willingness of Iran and Saudi Arabia to cease the conflict and begin talks – by Abdullah Baabood
https://berghof-foundation.org/news/oman-bridging-to-peace
https://berghof-foundation.org/library/omani-perspectives-on-the-peace-process-in-yemen
(** B K P)
The limits of the US’ Red Sea strategy
Washington’s attempts to maintain clout against China and Al Qaeda through the UAE is self-defeating and threatens regional stability.
Despite US President Joe Biden’s apparently firm promises to end the war in Yemen, Washington’s geopolitical concerns could override its willingness to back up these pledges.
The White House confirmed last week that a "small number" of US troops remain in Yemen to fight Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Daesh. It added that Washington is still providing "military advice and limited information" to the Saudi-led coalition for "defensive and training" purposes, with 2,742 troops stationed in Saudi Arabia.
What’s behind the U-turn on Biden’s plans to withdraw all forces from the country?
Although Yemen’s war has attracted increasing global attention in recent years, many are still unaware of the significance of the Bab al Mandeb strait and its impact on the conflict.
This key chokepoint, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, serves as a vital lane for international trade.
Traditional US policy aims to secure the strait by maintaining an American presence in Yemen and its Gulf neighbours. Aside from profiting from arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen against the Houthis starting in March 2015, Washington has supported Riyadh so it can maintain influence in Yemen and around the Bab Al Mandeb. It has also approached Yemen through a pro-Saudi lens and ensured a Saudi and US-friendly government for this purpose.
However, the potential harmful effects of continued US operations in Yemen are clear.
The US had previously flexed its military power to secure the strategic route during the war. In 2016, it dispatched three warships following a Houthi rebel attack on an Emirati transport ship.
Indeed, the insurgence of Iranian-backed Houthis startled Washington, particularly as the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani claimed in 2018 that the Red Sea was “no longer safe with the presence of US forces.”
The war in Yemen and Washington’s tensions with Tehran have therefore threatened the stability of the Bab Al Mandeb.
The US’ latest campaign against Al Qaeda and Daesh in Yemen may give the impression that the extremist groups still pose a major threat. However, Al Qaeda has become marginalised following a UAE and US operation from 2017, despite its expansion during Yemen's war to become the transnational faction’s most lethal franchise.
The UAE’s “counter-terrorism” campaign does not mean it was completely against Al Qaeda’s presence. Though Abu Dhabi boasted of a military victory against the faction, it never really fought Al Qaeda significantly.
For the UAE, Yemen is a mere pawn in the power game to secure control over the Bab Al Mandeb and bolster global maritime trade. Abu Dhabi is using the pretext of “counter-terrorism” to realise this goal. By playing the “war on terror” card to schmooze Washington, it has also guaranteed substantial US military support.
This has been a deadly pretext, however.
However, as Washington is keen to uphold these strategic ties with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, such initiatives will continue to be futile. Without a genuine peace agreement, Yemen will likely remain unstable, even if the violence between Saudi-backed forces and the Houthis subsides.
Although maintaining the Bab Al Mandeb is vital for securing global trade routes, Washington could instead aid the region with more development and pro-peace measures.
The US’ current stance, however, reveals that despite Biden’s proclamation that “America is back,” his administration is manifesting this in harmful ways, largely through a continuation of Trump’s legacy – by Jonathan Fenton-Harvey
https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/the-limits-of-the-us-red-sea-strategy-47576
(** B P)
A ‘slow death’ for Yemen’s media: the country’s journalists report through displacement and exile
March 2018 was a low point for Akhbar al-Youm, an independent daily newspaper in Yemen. Three weeks after the newspaper’s Aden office was set ablaze by unidentified arsonists, seven of its employees were abducted for a month by forces under the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, which controls the southern port city. The attacks forced the publication to relocate from Aden to Yemeni government-controlled Ma’rib, in the west, where it continued to publish.
Three years later, Akhbar al-Youm’s main problems are financial.
Instead of closure by fire or capture, Akhbar al-Youm may shutter due to lack of funds.
Thus is the story of journalism in Yemen — squeezed from region to region by warring forces, journalists who do find a modicum of stability say they are at the end of their rope as they struggle to survive in a country beset by financial and humanitarian crisis. For many journalists, the only viable option is exile, a choice that comes with its own set of challenges.
“You could describe working as a journalist in Yemen as an adventure,” al-Haderi said. “The price one pays could be their life.”
Yemen’s journalists have documented their country’s dramatic arc over the last decade since the Arab Sprin
With various parts of the country controlled by the warring groups — all of which are vying to expand their reach — Yemeni journalists say they are targeted by all sides.
The Houthis have assaulted, detained, and threatened journalists in the areas under their control and killed several with mortar and missile fire. The group sentenced four journalists to death and have held them for nearly six years in deplorable conditions. The Yemeni government has also harassed and detained journalists. The Southern Transitional Council has held journalists for months at a time. And in Hadramout, in eastern Yemen, local authorities are cracking down on the press through arrests and outright demands for censorship.
CPJ emailed Mohammad Abdulsalam, spokesman for Ansar Allah, but did not receive a response. Abdulbaset al-Qaedy, a spokesperson for the Yemeni government, told CPJ via messaging app that press freedom violations occurred in areas under government control, but did not acknowledge that the government perpetrated them. Southern Transitional Council spokesperson Mansour Saleh told CPJ via messaging app that journalists and media outlets operate freely in Aden, calling reports that the council had arrested or threatened journalists part of a “wide political campaign” against the group.
“The conflicting sides still see the media as opponents or enemies, and so there’s no ideal example of a safe area,” Saeed Thabit Saeed, Yemen bureau chief of the Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera, told CPJ via messaging app.
Yemeni government authorities shuttered the channel’s bureau in Taiz,
Another outlet, independent satellite station Belqees TV, faced so much trouble with the Houthis that it relocated its main operations to Istanbul in 2015, a month after Houthi forces stormed its offices in Sanaa, according to news reports. That same year, Belqees journalist Abdullah Qabil was kidnapped by militiamen thought to be affiliated with the Houthis and the group’s allies, only to die days later in an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition, as CPJ documented.
In an email to CPJ, Belqees general manager Ahmed al-Zurqa said that the Houthi-controlled areas remain the most dangerous for Yemeni journalists, citing the group’s ongoing detention of journalists and effective silencing of all independent or opposition media outlets.
The Southern Transitional Council has also caused problems for Belqees. Ultimately, the outlet shuttered its Aden office too after threats and harassment from the group, al-Zurqa told CPJ. Three other Belqees journalists have also been killed: two by crossfire allegedly by the Houthis, and one in an unclaimed attack on an airport.
“Belqees TV pays a heavy price because of our lack of political affiliation and our attempt to work in a professional manner; as a result, the channel and its reporters are targeted by all sides in the conflict,” al-Zurqa said.
Beyond the headline-grabbing attacks, the deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation makes the everyday logistics of reporting and filing stories difficult, and the simple economics of making a living as a journalist or surviving as an outlet next to impossible, journalists in Yemen told CPJ. Belqees still has journalists on the ground, who must navigate road closures, shifting frontlines, and more to report the news, said al-Zurqa.
“There are still challenges, related to the difficulties of doing field work in Yemen, such as with moving crews in the field, sending materials and reports, and sometimes with the network outages in Yemen,” he said.
Exiled Yemeni journalists struggle to cover the country they left
Given the myriad challenges, some journalists and press freedom activists have made the difficult choice of leaving Yemen to attempt to report on the country from exile
“For those who are able to reach Europe, they face many difficulties, in terms of the language, adapting to a new society, finding decent work, and integrating, as well as the difficulty in finding journalistic and human rights work in [European] countries, because they deal with us as refugees,” Alosaidi said.
Being abroad makes it difficult to continue covering Yemen, he said, as he has been cut off from his contacts on the ground.
Istanbul has also become a landing pad for Yemeni journalists in exile.
Turkey’s emergence as a space of relative freedom and safety for Yemeni journalists is ironic. The country has consistently ranked among the top jailers of journalists in recent years.
Al-Zurqa did not describe any difficulties in working from Turkey, emphasizing that it was the best option for many Yemeni journalists. Asked whether there is a future for journalism in the country he left behind, he said “if a safe environment were available in Yemen, all journalists and media outlets would return.”
But Saeed, of Al-Jazeera, told CPJ that a safe environment depends on more than a cessation of conflict.
“I’m not optimistic about journalism [in Yemen] for the foreseeable future,” he said, noting that political groups view journalists as partisan actors. “They will have security issues in the future, even if a fragile peace is reached.” – by Justin Shilad
(** B T)
THREAD What is #alQaeda in #Yemen?
The #AQAP label is losing meaning. It's hastily deployed to describe a range of actors & acts. This clouds what’s really going on. Today, so-called “AQAP militants” fall into at least 5 categories: fake, former, pragmatic, committed, active
Fake #AQAP: These could be mercenaries who claim false AQAP links to inflate their price, or ordinary military forces whose acts are deliberately false-flagged to AQAP to provide cover for political motives
Former #AQAP: Militants who have genuinely lost interest in #jihad in favour of fighting for a political cause or a more lucrative pay-check
Pragmatic #AQAP: Militants who have adapted to prevailing conditions and genuinely fight under a new banner, but #jihadi ideology may still lie dormant inside them
Committed #AQAP: Militants who claim to fight under a new banner but are merely suppressing their jihadi identity to bide their time for a comeback
Active #AQAP: Militant jihadis who continue to operate as themselves, are recognized by AQAP’s official al-Malahem wire, and may at times forge alliances of convenience with other conflict parties
It might be worth adding a 6th category: Specious #AQAP. This refers to those wrongly assumed to be AQAP on the basis of family, tribal or friendship ties to AQAP; or falsely denounced as AQAP by opponents or rivals - by Elisabeth Kendall
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1405521039853953033
(** B P)
The Baha’is in Yemen: From Obscurity to Persecution and Exile
Executive Summary
The Baha’i religion is relatively new to Yemen, reaching the coastal regions and Yemeni islands in the mid-19th century. The estimated 2,000 Baha’i adherents in Yemen today[1] constitute a religious minority that has come under increasing threat since the armed Houthi movement overtook the capital in late 2014 and the Saudi-led regional military intervention began the following spring. The pattern of Baha’i persecution in Houthi-controlled areas is remarkably similar to that seen in Iran, where Baha’is have been systematically targeted, according to a UN expert on freedom of religion.[2]
Since 2016, dozens of Yemeni Baha’is have been arrested on spurious charges, imprisoned and denied due process during years-long court trials that have, in some cases, resulted in the death penalty. During raids on Baha’i homes and NGOs, Houthi forces have seized phones, property and passports and have subsequently pressured relatives and friends to pay for the prisoners’ release.[3]
The systematic persecution of Baha’is in Houthi-controlled areas is worrying, given that the religious minority is concentrated in these areas. But while the Houthis represent the most significant threat to Baha’is in Yemen, they are not the only one. That the religion’s roots are in Iran and that its headquarters, established in historical Palestine, continues to operate in modern-day Israel has generated suspicion among religious extremists and political groups, which have sought to justify the persecution of the Baha’i on the grounds of these connections.
After a brief look at the history, beliefs and philosophy of the Baha’i faith, this report examines the workings of Yemen’s Baha’i community and how this community fits into Yemen’s religious, social and political fabric. Prior to the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, the adherents of the religion had a relatively peaceful relationship with Yemeni authorities and other religious groups. The uprisings – of which the Yemeni revolution was a part – and their aftermath set in motion a reorganization of Yemen’s political landscape.
The imprisonment of prominent Baha’i figure Hamed bin Haydara in late 2013 exemplified the emerging pattern of persecution the group faced. This persecution became systematic following the Houthi movement’s rise to power less than a year later. The final sections of this report examine the impact of the war on Baha’i communities throughout Yemen.
from Conclusion
The Baha’i community in Yemen is an exceedingly small minority, with no more than a few thousand members. Before the Arab Spring, Baha’is lived relatively normal lives, facing the same daily challenges as other Yemenis. Believers did sometimes face questions from community or family members who were not familiar with the religion. Otherwise, however, societal attitudes were generally tolerant and restrained.
Over the past decade, as Baha’is came under attack by political and religious groups, the religious minority developed a sinister image in the public eye. That Baha’is have coexisted peacefully in Yemeni society for decades has been overlooked by factions seeking to blame each other for the presence of the Baha’i faith in Yemen. In the case of the Baha’is, the Islah party and the Houthi authorities have pursued similar strategies of persecution, although Islahi figures have largely stopped harassing Baha’is since the war started. The Baha’i openness to new adherents poses a threat to these groups, which accuse the young religion of apostasy.
The current situation of the Baha’is represents a critical test for these groups: do they have the ability to behave like political bodies governed by the rule of law and respectful of religious diversity?
Both the Islah party and the Houthi authorities have framed the Baha’is as a non-Yemeni group – regardless of their Yemeni citizenship, which affords them basic rights. Even Baha’is who are third-generation Yemenis, such as Bin Haydara’s daughter, are treated as if they are not real citizens.
This emphasis on the faith’s non-Yemeni origins and ties to Iran and Israel seeks to portray the Baha’i religion as an exotic system of beliefs brought into the country through a foreign conspiracy – by Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, Casey Coombs and Abdullah Olofi
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/main-publications/14462
(** B H)
Yemen’s unique “Dragon Blood” island is under threat
The Dragon’s Blood Tree, which grows on the hillside of Hom Hill, northeast of Socotra Island in Yemen, is a species that lives only in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
The rugged mountains of Socotra Island in Yemen are lined with centuries-old umbrella-shaped dragon blood trees. Socotra is a symbol of the extraordinary biodiversity of the Indian Ocean archipelago, as well as a dark warning of an environmental crisis.
Forests of these ancient trees are increasingly being destroyed. Violent storm, Alternative seedlings are swallowed by a herd of growing goats, and vulnerable biological hotspots are susceptible to desertification.
“Trees are very important because they bring water,” said adnan Ahmed, a math teacher and tour guide who is passionate about Sokotra’s famous flora and fauna.
“Without trees, we are in trouble.”
Lying in the turquoise waters between Arabia and Africa, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) south of the Yemeni coast, Socotra is home to more than 50,000 people and is the bloody victim of a raging civil war on the mainland. Remains relatively low.
UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site in 2008. Main island As one of the “richest and most unique biodiversity” in the world. It is also called “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean”.
According to Ahmed, the islanders have traditionally not cut down dragon blood trees for firewood. Because they sustain regular rainfall and the blood-red sap is medicinal.
But scientists and islanders warn that global warming will buckle under the pressure that causes cyclones, and trees will almost die within decades. Invasive species And overgrazing.
“Because goats eat seedlings, Young tree It can only be found on the surface of cliffs, which are the most inaccessible, “Ahmed said.
He explained that it takes nearly half a century for trees to regenerate. “If you don’t do anything, it won’t be long before everything is gone,” he said.
Kay Van Damme, a Belgian biologist at Ghent University, said the declining forest is a canary of mines for the environmental problems of Socotra.
“It continues to be a treasure trove of biodiversity,” said Van Damme, chair of the Sokotra Friends Association Support Group. “But time to protect Socotra’s most iconic flagship species may soon run out.”
Every time a tree is lost, the water cycle on which all life depends is reduced.
The islanders say that the trees were beaten by the storm more horribly than anyone remembers.
“Sokotra’s immune system is now at stake,” he said, but added, “there is still hope.”
Landslide scars due to vegetation loss are now commonplace – by Kate Winslet (with photos)
https://phys.org/news/2021-06-yemen-unique-dragon-blood-island.html = https://floridanewstimes.com/call-on-me-dj-eric-prydz-pays-nearly-1-million-in-divorce-mediation/279548/ = https://fuentitech.com/yemens-unique-dragon-blood-island-is-under-threat/59515/
and
(** B)
PHOTOS SHOW SOCOTRA, YEMEN IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE YOU’VE PROBABLY NEVER SEEN
Through this series of photos, Daniel takes us to Socotra and helps us to meet this magical island.
“Socotra is one of the most stunning places on the planet to photograph,” Daniel writes. And seeing his photos, I can tell why. Daniel has seen and photographed many beauties of the island, including the dragon blood trees, white sand desert and dunes, The Village of Qalansiya, and the “Garden of Eden” as he named it (and it truly looks like it). Indeed, I’ve never seen a place this unusual, other than perhaps Iceland.
and more: https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1405969863852675076
https://twitter.com/its_yemen/status/1404151192134078464
(** B K P)
Selling death: America dominant again (in arms sales)
When it comes to trade in the tools of death and destruction, no one tops the United States of America
In April of this year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published its annual analysis of trends in global arms sales and the winner — as always — was the U.S. of A. Between 2016 and 2020, this country accounted for 37% of total international weapons deliveries, nearly twice the level of its closest rival, Russia, and more than six times that of Washington's threat du jour, China.
Sadly, this was no surprise to arms-trade analysts. The U.S. has held that top spot for 28 of the past 30 years, posting massive sales numbers regardless of which party held power in the White House or Congress. This is, of course, the definition of good news for weapons contractors like Boeing, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin, even if it's bad news for so many of the rest of us, especially those who suffer from the use of those arms by militaries in places like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates.
Donald Trump, sometimes referred to by President Joe Biden as "the other guy," warmly embraced the role of arms-dealer-in-chief and not just by sustaining massive U.S. arms aid for Israel, but throughout the Middle East and beyond. In a May 2017 visit to Saudi Arabia — his first foreign trip — Trump would tout a mammoth (if, as it turned out, highly exaggerated) $110-billion arms deal with that kingdom.
That arms package, however, did far more than burnish Trump's reputation as a deal maker and jobs creator. It represented an endorsement of the Saudi-led coalition's brutal war in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE weren't the only beneficiaries of Trump's penchant for selling weapons. According to a report by the Security Assistance Monitor at the Center for International Policy, his administration made arms sales offers of more than $110 billion to customers all over the world in 2020, a 75% increase over the yearly averages reached during the Obama administration, as well as in the first three years of his tenure.
Will Biden Be Different?
Three months into Biden's term, however, the president's early pledge to rein in damaging arms deals are already eroding. The first blow was the news that the administration would indeed move forwardwith a $23-billion arms package to the UAE, including F-35 combat aircraft, armed drones, and a staggering $10 billion worth of bombs and missiles. The decision was ill-advised on several fronts, most notably because of that country's role in Yemen's brutal civil war.
To its credit, the Biden administration committed to suspending two Trump bomb deals with Saudi Arabia. Otherwise, it's not clear what (if any) other pending Saudi sales will be deemed "offensive" and blocked.
Guns, Anyone?
While Biden's early actions have undermined promises to take a different approach to arms sales, the story isn't over. Key members of Congress are planning to closely monitor the UAE sale and perhaps intervene to prevent the delivery of the weapons. Questions have been raised about what arms should go to Saudi Arabia and reformsthat would strengthen Congress's role in blocking objectionable arms transfers are being pressed by at least some members of the House and the Senate.
One area where President Biden could readily begin to fulfill his campaign pledge to reduce the harm to civilians from U.S. arms sales would be firearms exports.
Who Benefits?
Beyond the slightest doubt, a major — or perhaps even the major — obstacle to reforming arms sales policies and practices is the weapons industry itself. That includes major contractors like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, and General Dynamics that produce fighter planes, bombs, armored vehicles, and other major weapons systems, as well as firearms makers like Sig Sauer.
Raytheon stands out in this crowd because of its determined efforts to push through bomb sales to Saudi Arabia and the deep involvement of its former (or future) employees with the U.S. government. A former Raytheon lobbyist, Charles Faulkner, worked in the Trump State Department's Office of Legal Counsel and was involvedin deciding that Saudi Arabia was not — it was! — intentionally bombing civilians in Yemen. He then supported declaring a bogus "emergency" to ram through the sale of bombs and of aircraft support to Saudi Arabia.
At most, arms sales account for just more than one-tenth of one percent of U.S. employment. Many such sales, in fact, involve outsourcing production, in whole or in part, to recipient nations, reducing the jobs impact here significantly. Though it's seldom noted, virtually any other form of spending creates more jobs than weapons production.
Given what's at stake for them economically, Raytheon and its cohorts spend vast sums attempting to influence both parties in Congress and any administration. In the past two decades, defense companies, led by the major arms exporting firms, spent$285 million in campaign contributions alone and $2.5 billion on lobbying, according to statistics gathered by the Center for Responsive Politics. Any changes in arms export policy will mean forcefully taking on the arms lobby and generating enough citizen pressure to overcome its considerable influence in Washington.
Given the political will to do so, there are many steps the Biden administration and Congress could take to rein in runaway arms exports, especially since such deals are uniquely unpopular with the public. A September 2019 poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, for example, found that 70% of Americans think arms sales make the country less safe.
The question is: Can such public sentiment be mobilized in favor of actions to stop at least the most egregious cases of U.S. weapons trafficking, even as the global arms trade rolls on? Selling death should be no joy for any country, so halting it is a goal well worth fighting for. Still, it remains to be seen whether the Biden administration will ever limit weapons sales or if it will simply continue to promote this country as the world's top arms exporter of all time – by William D. Hartung
https://tomdispatch.com/america-dominant-again-in-arms-sales/ = https://www.salon.com/2021/06/16/america-dominant-again-in-arms-sales_partner/
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(A H)
4 new cases of COVID-19 reported, 6,889 in total
The committee also reported the recovery 5 coronavirus patients. No death has been recorded.
1,802 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33190
(A H)
Eight new cases of COVID-19 reported, 6,885 in total
The committee also reported the recovery 98 coronavirus patients in five governorates and the death of two patients in Hadramout.
1,523 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33184
(A H)
Two new cases of COVID-19 reported, 6,877 in total
The committee also reported of of 9 coronavirus patients and the death of one patient in Hadramout.
1,685 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33172
(A H)
Two new cases of COVID-19 reported in Aden
No death has been recorded.
2,837 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33170
(A H P)
Jemenitische Beamte: Die Unterstützung der VAE für den Jemen bei der Bekämpfung von COVID-19 unterstreicht ihre humanitäre Rolle
Jemenitische Beamte im Gouvernement Sokotra betonten, dass die Unterstützung der VAE für die Bemühungen zur Bekämpfung der Pandemie des Coronavirus (COVID-19) durch den Versand von 60.000 Impfstoffdosen ihre bedeutende humanitäre Rolle im Jemen hervorhebt.
https://wam.ae/de/details/1395302944905
(A H P)
UAE sends 60,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to Socotra
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33166
and also https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/06/uae-sends-vaccines-yemeni-islands
My comment: Socotra is treated as if it’s UAE territory.
(A H P)
World Bank Approves $20 Million in Grants to Support COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout in Yemen
The World Bank today approved a US$20 million grant package. This package is composed of US$9 million from International Development Association (IDA), US$$7.76 million from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and US$3.25 million from the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund (HEPR). This is the first additional financing to the Yemen’s COVID-19 Response Project (YCRP), bringing the World Bank’s total contributions to the country’s national COVID-19 response and vaccination campaign to US$47 million.
The additional resources will support some of the deployment costs of administering vaccines to at least 1.3 million people. It will also help cover the costs of monitoring and specialized analysis
(A H)
3 new cases of COVID-19 reported, 6,867 in total
The committee also reported of death of one coronavirus patient in Lahj and the recovery of six others in Hadramout.
1,900 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33162
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
Daily Yemen War Map Updates
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-21-2021-map-update/
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-19-2021-map-update/
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-17-2021-map-update/
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-16-2021-map-update/
(* B H K P)
Jemen: Vor dem Kollaps
Kaum noch Nothilfe, immer weniger Elektrizität und Trinkwasser: Nach UN-Einschätzung droht dem Jemen der völlige Kollaps. Auch, weil die Kämpfe unerbittlich anhalten - und vor dem kulturellen Erbe nicht haltmachen.
Das gleiche Trauerspiel in Taiz, 200 Kilometer südlich. Auch hier, in der von Huthi-Aufständischen belagerten Stadt, fiel das Museum dem Krieg zum Opfer, schildert Direktor Ramzi al-Damimi. Teile des Gebäudes seien beschädigt worden, und obwohl das Museum historisch bedeutsam sei, seien die Sammlungen geplündert und mancheAusstellungssäle niedergebrannt worden.
Rund 70 Prozent aller Exponate sollen gestohlen worden sein. Für die Diebe ein profitables Geschäft, sagt Museumsmitarbeiter Ahmed Jassar. Es sei bekannt, dass viele Ausstellungsstücke sogar ins Ausland geschmuggelt wurden. Das, so Jassar, sei nicht einfach - "nur einflussreiche Leute mit internationalen Beziehungen schaffen das".
Wenn im Jemen Kulturgüter beschädigt oder gestohlen werden, sterben meistens keine Menschen, aber es macht einmal mehr deutlich, dass der Zusammenbruch des Landes immer weiter voranschreitet.
Und hier stoßen Hilfsorganisationen bei dem Versuch, Menschenleben zu retten, an ihre Grenzen. Es gelingt nicht, genug Lebensmittel und Medikamente bereitzustellen. Gleichzeitig zerfällt die jemenitische Infrastruktur. Oft gibt es nur noch wenige Stunden pro Tag Elektrizität.
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/jemen-zusammenbruch-101.html = https://www.br.de/nachrichten/deutschland-welt/jemen-ein-land-vor-dem-kollaps,SarUQ82
(B K pS)
Yemen's Houthis are covering up human rights abuses against children, minister says
[Hadi ] Government calls for investigation into crimes committed against civilians
Only a fraction of the abuses the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have committed against children in Yemen have been documented since the war began in 2014, the country's Minister of Legal Affairs and Human Rights said.
"The Houthi militia have been covering up the real number of recruited children who were killed while fighting in their ranks," Ahmed Arman told The National on Saturday.
"[Houthi rebels] have deceived the international community through medical facilities in areas under their control where they register children who were killed while fighting with them as victims of coalition air strikes."
He demanded a transparent investigation into offences against civilians so those responsible could be held to account.
(* B H K)
Saudi Allies Intentionally Target Yemen Fishermen
Yemeni fishermen have been targeted by the Saudi-US coalition for arrest, detention and torture in Saudi prisons since 2015.
In many instances their fishing boats are attacked by Saudi coalition vessels and aircraft, and have been burnt, damaged, and even sunk, and a number of Yemeni fishermen have been injured, shot, burned, killed, and left to drown in the sea.
As a result, many Yemeni fishers, actually most Yemeni fishers, have stopped going fishing because they find it too dangerous to be out on the sea, with the Saudi coalition roaming and being very belligerent.
So they remain in port and as a consequence, they are unemployed, and unable to feed their families. They're also unable to feed the Yemeni people.
And so, this becomes, not only a crisis for the fisher people, but also for the Yemeni people in general.
In early May this year, Saudi Arabia released 11 Yemeni fishermen after having detained them for more than 40 days.
Saudi forces had kidnapped 24 fishermen in mid-July while they were fishing in Yemeni territorial waters.
By many accounts, these unfortunate people are but a few out of thousands of Yemenis arrested in Yemeni waters under various pretexts. But they are also among the luckiest.
In August 2019, Human Rights Watch had published a disturbing report on the circumstances the Yemeni fishermen were faced with but it fell on deaf ears.
In their all-out war, the Saudis and their allies have brutally tried to deprive the Yemeni nation of everything including basic foodstuffs.
Before the war, the fishing sector in Yemen was the country’s second-largest economic sector after oil, producing about 450,000 tons of seafood annually.
It provided a livelihood for over 2.5 million Yemenis living along the Red Sea coast and the Gulf of Aden according to Yemeni Studies.
So, by targeting the fishermen, and the fishing industry, the Saudi coalition is targeting, as well, the entire Yemeni people in that it's trying to destroy the resistance of the Yemeni people to the illegal Saudi, US, UK, Israeli war on them, and the occupation of their country.
It's like a siege, a medieval siege of a city.
Today, being a fisherman in Yemen is among the most dangerous jobs and many times an impossible one, as many of the country’s coastal waters and islands have been restricted areas for Yemeni fishermen since 2015.
Fishing boats, ports and processing sites have been systematically destroyed or damaged, and many fishermen have lost their lives.
At least 334 fishermen have been reported killed or injured since 2015, according to Yemen’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority.
The Yemeni fishermen report that they have been harassed and attacked while they have gotten too close for the comfort of the Saudi coalition to two islands in particular… One sits at the mouth of the Gulf of Aden and the other one sits at the mouth of the Red Sea, and most of the shipping of the world passes daily, pass these two islands, and what the hidden agenda is here, is that the Saudi coalition is acting on the, on the, in, in support of the US government, US Empire, which is seeking to undermine and prevent the People's Republic of China from accomplishing its Belt and Road Initiative, its New Silk Road, which is a trade route that it's trying to establish to expand its trade across South Asia into Africa and into Europe.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/06/18/660342/Saudi-allies-intentionally-target-Yemen-fishermen = https://english.almasirah.net/post/20041/Saudi-Allies-Intentionally-Target-Yemen-Fishermen
(* B K P)
Yemen war the worst nightmare of Saudi modern history: researcher
A research assistant professor in Gulf politics at Qatar University says that the Saudi uninformed approach in Yemen has transformed the Yemen war into a nightmare of the Saudi modern history.
“The lack of a uniformed approach from the GCC, that prevented the Saudi objective to convert the Yemen war into a kind of ‘holy war’ led by Riyadh, transformed the war into the worst nightmare of the Saudi modern history,” Luciano Zaccara tells the Tehran Times.
“The Yemen war was the first and only military conflict directly started and led by Saudi Arabia, and it was not resolved after six years, inflicting serious economic hardships and internal and external criticism,” Zaccara laments.
Following is the text of the interview:
Q: How do you read the recent changes in Saudi foreign policy from normalization of ties with Syria to negotiations with Iran?
A: The end of Trump’s unconditional support to the Saudi Kingdom and the realization that Saudi Arabia alone could not end in a satisfactory way its involvement in the Yemen war, nor to confront Iran neither to maintain indefinitely the blockade against Qatar, brought Riyadh to have a more pragmatic approach into its foreign policy since the mid of 2020. Therefore, ending the blockade, starting a negotiation with Iran, and resuming ties with Syria seem to be the necessary steps to reduce the stretched foreign policy efforts and engagement to start focusing on the needed internal reforms. The Covid pandemic and the impact that the worldwide restrictions had on the oil market and price was an added element that contributed to convince Saudi Arabia of the need for such a change.
Q: Do you think that Saudi Arabia is able to get rid of the war it has started in Yemen? What is the position of Persian Gulf Arab states about the Saudi-led war on Yemen?
A: The GCC members had different approaches to the Yemen war since the beginning in 2015, but were dragged into the conflict by Saudi Arabia’s pressure, with the exception of Oman. Qatar left the coalition in 2017 and showed then their discrepancies with the Saudi intervention. The only GCC state that got immersed into the conflict, but with a different agenda than the Saudis, were the Emiratis. Their different agendas were visible along with the whole conflict, mainly regarding the internal groups they supported in Yemen to fight against the Houthis and their direct military presence on the ground.
(* B H K)
Film: Gespräch mit Francois-Xavier Tréganm Regisseur der Doku „Jemen – Die Welt schaut weg“
https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/080714-001-A/gespraech-mit-francois-xavier-tregan/
(* B P)
Decaying oil tanker poses potential catastrophe to Yemen
Fears grow of possible leakage of 1.1 million barrels of crude oil from Safer tanker
A decaying oil tanker threatening to spill 1.1 million barrels of crude oil off Yemen’s coast is leaving the war-torn country at the risk of an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe.
The Safer oil tanker has been moored in the Red Sea since Houthi rebels captured the coastal province of Hudaydah in 2015, amid fears of the possible leakage of an estimated 1.1 million barrels of light crude oil, about four times the 260,000 barrels that spilled from the Exxon Valdez in Alaska in 1989.
The vessel is a floating storage and offloading (FSO) terminal that was used as an offshore platform for ships loading crude oil from the Marib-Ras Isa pipeline.
Ateq Jarallah, a Yemeni researcher, believes that Houthi rebels are using the floating ship as an “in-hand bomb to threaten Saudi Arabia and the international community to agree to their terms”.
“The Houthis say they are ready to allow the ship to be maintained, but this issue is related to the economic factor of the war in Yemen,” Jarallah told Anadolu Agency. “There is a dispute over the ship's cargo of oil and which party will take possession of it.”
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) managed to reach two agreements with Houthi rebels in July and November 2020 to grant the UN team access to the tanker, but decisions were never implemented.
“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,” Reena Ghelani, director for Operations and Advocacy at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said in her briefing to the UN Security Council on June 3.
In the same briefing to the Security Council, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen warned that “millions of people could be exposed to harmful pollution if an explosion were to occur onboard, with severe health impacts for vulnerable populations.”
There is also a potential for spilled oil to drift and impact neighboring countries, including Djibouti, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia.
Fisheries along the Red Sea coast of Yemen would likely be severely impacted, leading to hardship for fishing communities and substantial economic losses.
“Inaction could result in $20 billion in damage, which could reach well beyond the Red Sea,” al-Saadi noted.
and
(* B P)
UN envoy: Study other options to prevent Yemen tanker spill
Martin Griffiths told reporters after his final briefing to the U.N. Security Council that the Houthis’ delay in allowing a technical assessment of the tanker, the FSO Safer, is “frustrating,” especially for people whose livelihoods would be affected by an oil spill in the Red Sea.
The Houthis signaled their acceptance of U.N. technical experts deploying to the tanker on July 5, 2020, but Griffiths said they want the technical mission “to actually repair the tanker and not just assess and do the small repairs that are maybe needed to stabilize it.”
He said the U.N. position is that an assessment must be done first to determine what repairs need to be done.
“It’s a miscommunication going both ways,” Griffiths said, adding that the U.N. is trying hard to stick to the agreements with the Houthis and continues to be frustrated.
In addition to trying to make the technical mission work, he said, “I think we should also look at what are the options.”
Griffiths said he didn’t want to go into any detail about possible options, but added “there are lots of offers.”
“I was in Tehran the other day. The told me about an offer from Iran to perhaps help by providing a replacement tanker,” he said. “There are commercial private sector efforts to look at a different way of doing this.”
https://news.yahoo.com/un-envoy-study-other-options-033354820.html
and
(B P)
Official at SEPOC says the decaying oil tanker FSO Safer needs to be unloaded. Maintenance is no longer useful. Btw, if Houthis succeeded in capturing Marib, they would have granted UN team access, so that they could resume exporting crude oil from #Marib.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1405364421019508736
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(A K P)
YPC: US-Saudi Aggression Seize New Fuel Tanker
The official spokesman for the Yemen Petroleum Company, Issam Al-Mutawakel, announced that the US-Saudi aggression coalition seized a new fuel tanker, with two others previously detained fuel tankers.
Al-Mutawakel wrote on Twitter, Monday: The US-Saudi aggression coalition is seizing a new tanker, HAFID, which carries 23,066 tons of diesel fuel and prevents it from reaching the port of Hodeidah despite its inspection and obtaining entry permits from the UN. This brings the number of seized tankers to 3 fuel tankers.
https://english.almasirah.net/post/20083/YPC-US-Saudi-Aggression-Seize-New-Fuel-Tanker
(* B HP)
US-Saudi Siege Leading to Complete Paralysis of Government Water Services
[Sanaa gov.] Deputy Minister of Water and Environment, Haneen Al-Dreeb, said on Sunday, that the continuation of US-Saudi blockade imposed on fuel imports will lead to a complete paralysis of government water services. He pointed out that mandated siege on Yemen and the disruption of the electricity from Marib governorate caused the complete suspension of water services in previously.
Al-Dreeb indicated a sharp decline in level of water services. "Water supply is currently classified in the category of severe need due to the decrease in proportion of beneficiaries to 30%," he explained. He noted that the decline in the pumping of water supplies means more burdens on citizens due to the high cost of commercial water supplies. "The costs of providing water has doubled, resulting in heavy losses for institutions, in light of the increasing difficulties in paying the costs to their minimum limits."
(A P)
Protests in Hodeida condemn continuing detention of fuel ships
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3144406.htm
(A H K P)
Health: death awaits lives of thousands of patients due to lack of oil derivatives
Thousands of Yemenis are still dying as a result of the blockade and the continuation of maritime piracy on oil derivatives ships by the US-Saudi aggression coalition.
The reckless behavior by aggression threatens a humanitarian catastrophe due to the inability of hospitals and health facilities to provide the necessary derivatives to provide their services.
Warning statements issued by the Ministry of Public Health and Population continue to pose the dangers of stopping health facilities due to the lack of oil derivatives.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3144235.htm
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(* B H)
Saudi-led War, Locusts and Famine Exacerbate Yemen's Situation
The Italian newspaper, East West, said that the situation in Yemen is dangerous and the deterioration has continued since the start of the war on Yemen in 2015, by the coalition to restore (Hadi) to power after he fled to Riyadh.
The newspaper said in a report by writer Matteo Giusti published yesterday, Saturday, that the suffering of Yemenis was not only due to the war; But natural adversities such as drought and locusts have exacerbated this suffering. The FAO announced that Yemen is going through its worst crisis ever, according to the latest report published at the end of last March of this year, and included the list of food insecurity next to Yemen, South Sudan and Nigeria.
The report indicated that about 70% of the population of Yemen lives in the countryside, a situation that is generally a boon for food supplies in times of war, where the rural population enjoys more easy access to food than the urban population; Because they are able to produce it, with minimal resources.
However, the report made it clear that the war on Yemen has reduced the resources of the countryside due to the conditions it caused, such as the lack of fertilizers, pesticides and, above all, fuel, following the continued blockade imposed on oil ships by the "coalition."
The report pointed out the importance of fuel in the agricultural aspect, and that it is not only important for operating tractors; but to run irrigation pumps, which is necessary to ensure water supplies for crops and animals, in a country suffering from drought and global warming.
The report emphasized that more than 85% of Yemeni farmers do not have access to fuel for irrigation pumps and therefore do not have access to water, a situation that has already reduced agricultural production by more than 50%. In addition, the lack of water also significantly increases the risks of a cholera epidemic, which is added to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report continued that drought and locusts are among the problems that have affected agriculture and have become a devastating phenomenon
(B H)
[Sanaa gov.] Health Minister: UN did not provide even suction device for Yemen children
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3144811.htm
(* B H)
Emergency Maternal Obstetric and Newborn Care project - Final Report, 2020
Project Summary
Reproductive Health(RH)is an essential component of the humanitarian response. People should have the right to access the appropriate health care services that will enable women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth. Due to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, most of childbearing age women do not have an access to safe RH services; these women face an increased risk of life-threatening obstetric complications and maternal mortality, especially in the remote and conflict areas, where they suffer a shortage of facilities, which provide emergency obstetric and neonatal services.
Ensuring ac- cess to safe motherhood, BFD funded by UNFPA has initiated the implementation of this project in 2018 within 29 HFs (8 CEmONC and 21 BEmONC) in six governorates as an emergency humanitarian response. In 2019, the partnership was extended to cover 41 reproductive HFs (30 BEmONC &11 CEmONC) in seven governorates. During 2020, the intervention covered 54 health facilities in eight governorates. Besides supporting the HFs in the targeted governorates, BFD funded by UNFPA has also supported two Mobile Medical Teams in Marib city that provide health care to 60 IDPs Campsites.
Emergency maternal obstetric newborn care project aiming to meet people’s need in order to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with pregnancy and childbirth through providing basic and comprehensive EmONC services in the targeted HFs that are available 24 /7. BFD recruited specialized female doctors to provide medical consultations, medications, family planning services, obstetric services including both normal delivery and Caesarean sections in CEmONC HFs in all targeted governorates, in addition to supporting the referral system for the urgent obstetric cases.
and
(B H)
BFD/UNFPA: Reproductive Health (RH): The IDPs Triple Twins, Home childbirth could be a Ticket to the Afterlife, Death or Life Race, Fatima of Bani Asd
The IDPs Triple Twins
Subout Mokebar, her husband, and three little children had chosen to live a life away and safer from the unforgiving and destructive war. Subout Mukaber has fled from the frontline of At Tuhyta district to the countryside of Zabid district, Al Hodeidah governorate, Yemen.
Mrs. Mukaber was pregnant with triple twins. It was hard for the IDP mother to look after her babies and her triple pregnancy. She had hard and painful times in the displacement. “ I am an IDP besides that I became pregnant with triple twins. I did not know what to feel? Happy to become an extraordinary mother or Sad to worry about their unknown future.” Subout said.
when the time to deliver her rays of sunshine; her husband was worried about not finding a qualified health center that could handle her case.” My wife`s case was an incomparable case; it needed really good health care, and since there is no qualified HF nearby my residency, I was afraid to lose her and the babies.” The husband said. Therefore, her husband managed a ride to Zabid Hospital which is 27Km away from their residency.
Once they have stepped into Zabid Hospital (a BFD-supported HF based on UNFPA fund), agony, tiredness had collapsed the over-painful pregnant woman. She was in a critical and dangerous condition
(* B H P)
WFP Yemen Country Brief, May 2021
Under the May cycle, WFP targeted 8.4 million people with general food assistance (GFA). Of these, 5.5 million people were targeted with in-kind food assistance, around 1.7 million people with food vouchers and over 1.2 million people with cash assistance.
In the southern areas, 4.2 million beneficiaries are to be biometrically registered. By the end of May, around 1.72 million beneficiaries have been biometrically registered in the areas under the Internationally Recognized Government of Yemen (IRG). In November 2020, WFP launched biometric registration and the provision of cash through GFA in the areas under the Sana’a-based authorities. By the end of May, nearly 50,000 people have been biometrically registered, and activities are completed in three districts in Sana’a city, with over 141,000 people retargeted within the first phase.
The military escalation in Ma’rib governorate, which started in February 2021 has led to a wave of displacement.
Torrential rains and flooding which started in mid-April continued into May. The flash floods resulted in a number of fatalities and caused large-scale damage in many Yemeni governorates.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/wfp-yemen-country-brief-may-2021
and also https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/wfp-yemen-situation-report-5-may-2021
My comment: Be serious: Biometrical registretion of recipients is a further step to Bill Gates / WEF attempt of worldwide digital registration and surveillance of the whole world’s population; in Western countries, the digital vaccination document is the first step to this goal, in Third-World-Countrie it’s biometrical registration.
(* B H)
Yemen Humanitarian Fund Annual Report 2020
This Annual Report presents information on the achievements of the Yemen Humanitarian Fund during the 2020 calendar year. However, because grant allocation, project implementation and reporting processes often take place over multiple years (CBPFs are designed to support ongoing and evolving humanitarian responses), the achievement of CBPFs are reported in two distinct ways:
Overall humanitarian situation
In 2020, Yemen remained the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with close to half of all families in acute need. The humanitarian situation was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating armed conflict, economic decline, currency collapse, heavy rains and flooding, and a desert locust infestation. Significant funding shortfalls, compounded by a fuel crisis caused by a dispute over the use of fuel import revenue, affected the humanitarian response. Furthermore, extensive access challenges continued to hinder principled delivery of assistance. Yemen faces a growing risk of famine, severe acute malnutrition, disease outbreaks, conflict casualties, forced displacement and reversal of past development gains.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-fund-annual-report-2020
(A H)
[Hadi] Yemeni gov't says Houthis prevent unloading UN ship
The Houthi group has prevented a WFP ship from unloading its wheat cargo in Hodeida port and forced the vessel to leave, the Yemeni information minister tweeted on Saturday, but the group claimed that it prevented the entry of rotten assistances.
According to the Houthi account, Hodeida port authorities seized 1,768 tons of insect-stricken yellow peas provided by the World Food Program.
The WFP tried to deliver this huge shipment as assistances to the Yemeni people, manager of plant protection in Houthi agriculture ministry said in remarks carried by the Sana'a-based Saba.
The cargo was immediately rejected, Hilal al-Jeshari added, noting that he gave orders to damage the shipment or send it back to Ukraine, the country of origin.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25713.html
(B E H)
Yemen Socio-Economic Update, Issue 58 - March 2021
The Editorial
The transport sector with its various branches; road, sea and air is considered the main artery connecting the different cities, urban and rural areas, as well as population settlements. At the local level, it connects markets, productions sites, and export ports to the locomotive of economy and development in terms of production, consumption and trading. At the regional and international level, it links the country to the rest of the world, including foreign financial markets, shopping, trade movement, investment flows, supply chains movement and ideas, all while roaming the world's stations and its various parts using conventional and modern means of transportation and communication. The technological and informational revolution has helped bring distances closer, reduce costs, shorten time and eliminate barriers and geography, turning the world into one market in which all the obstacles to virtual transmission and access difficulties have been dissolved.
Logistics in transport are among the key issues adversely affecting the economy's development and overshadowing the people’s education, health, livelihood and – more significantly – mobility. Logistical services in transport are also among the most important factors supporting and affecting economic activities, production movement, accessibility and obtaining the various materials, goods and services.
This issue of the YSEU Bulletin uncovers the transport profile in Yemen and highlights this topic through analysis, evaluation, forward-looking and review of the most prominent recent developments and ramifications that Yemen has witnessed, especially the repercussions sustained by the transport sector and the logistical services it provides as a consequence of the war and conflict vis-a-vis across the economic, social and humanitarian spheres.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-socio-economic-update-issue-58-march-2021-enar
(* B H)
Bride Price by Houthi-held regions: -Hajja&Ibb; Y800,000 for virgin, 450,000 for nonvrgn n Hajj &400,000 n Ibb -Mahwait;1mln for vrg ≠half mln 4 non, -Hudeidah; 700,000 ≠400,000 -Sana:1.2 mln ≠600,000 -Raimah; 1mln ≠half mln, -Dhamar;600,000 ≠350,000 -Taiz; 700,000 ≠350,000
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1406064421714210818
(A H)
SFD Yemen: Traveling for treatment is beset with health & economic suffering for persons with mobility disabilities #PwDs! Hajjah, a dense rural area, lacks services for this vulnerable group. Now we (build, equip, furnish) a physiotherapy unit & support a compr. training for 16 specialists
https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1405956865985552387
(B H)
Yemen Emergency Dashboard, May 2021
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-emergency-dashboard-may-2021
(A H)
@monarelief distributed today 300 food aid parcels in Bani Mater district of Sana'a. The distribution was funded by @SzkolydlaPokoju for 100 families & 200 others funded by @monareliefye's fundraising campaign in patreon with the support of @PartnersRelief (photos)
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1405564725824524292
(A H)
Pictures taken today during food aid delivery in Buqlan area of Bani Mater district of Sana'a governorate based on a fund from our partners in #Poland Schools for Peace @SzkolydlaPokoju for 100 families along with 200 others funded by @monareliefye's campaign in Patreon. (photos)
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1405564986483740678
https://twitter.com/monarelief/status/1406034760829390856
(B H)
Yemen Restoring Education and Learning Project: Preliminary Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP)
The project aims to provide emergency financial support to support the delivery of basic education services, protect and invest in human capital and have a lasting impact on learning across Yemen.
The Restoring Education and Learning Project in Yemen finances a package of interventions delivered to 1000 schools across the country. The proposed interventions, which will be implemented by Save the Children, UNICEF and WFP over three academic years, will support teacher payment and teacher training, school feeding, school infrastructure improvements, the distribution of learning materials and school supplies, and national capacity building. WFP will be responsible for the provision of the school feeding component in targeted schools.
The Stakeholders Engagement Plan and the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan are instruments to manage interactions between the WFP and the project's stakeholders.
https://www.wfp.org/publications/yemen-restoring-education-and-learning-project
(B H)
The Contribution of Solar Energy to the Operation and Sustainability of Basic Services for Local Communities
All Girls Foundation for Development implemented a considerable number of projects in WASH sector that are run on solar energy, according to the highest quality standards, where the total number of beneficiaries for both the host communities and the displaced people reached 15,329 (6,525 males, and 8,804 females).
The picture shows the water tank of the project that is implemented in Kohlan area
(B H)
Yemen Reproductive Health Dashboard 2020-2021
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-reproductive-health-dashboard-2020-2021
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(A H K)
More than 1800 displaced families in Marib do not find food: Official
Under the constant Houthi shelling and forced re-displacements of people in Marib, 1800 displaced families do not find food, an official concerned with IDPs affairs has said.
Arafat Alsabari, the director of Alsoweida, one of the largest IDPs Camp told al-Arabiya TV channel in an interview on Monday that IDPs in Marib's outskirts "came under Houthi shelling" and had to move inward toward the city, but "the international aid organizations have not met 70% of their needs yet."
"Some international aid organizations maintain uninterrupted payments to the Houthi militia [ in Sana'a], while even the WFP does not keep a regular supply of food aid to the IDPs in Marib," he said.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47410
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-25734.html
(* B H)
CCCM Yemen IDP Hosting Site Typologies
This document describes the CCCM Cluster’s classification of the various types of sites in Yemen.
Site typologies shall be defined by:
Settlement types
- Spontaneous settlement – most common type in Yemen. The site is established or formed by IDPs self-settling in open-air land that they have no legal claim to, in some occasions with the involvement of non-experienced actors without proper planning. The site infrastructure is not established prior to the arrival.
- Collective center – a pre-existing building (school, religious building, warehouse, any public building, and others) that was not built to accommodate IDPs but modified for that purpose.
- Planned camp – established by the government and/or accountable humanitarian actors and to the extent possible, meet the minimum SPHERE standards. The site infrastructure is established before the arrival of IDPs
- Mixed-type gathering – a location that combines characteristics of more than one of the three above types. This type includes unfinished buildings.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-yemen-idp-hosting-site-typologies
(B H)
CCCM Cluster Yemen: Advocacy Strategy 2021
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-advocacy-strategy-2021
(B H)
CCCM Cluster Yemen: Communications Strategy 2021
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-communications-strategy-2021
(A H)
Libya: “UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and UNICEF are deeply concerned about the disappearance of a Yemeni child, reported to have been abducted last week in Tripoli. This child and her mother have been registered with UNHCR since 2018 and provided with humanitarian assistance.
https://twitter.com/UnicefLibya/status/1406544496834326528
(B H)
Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 8 June – 15 June 2021
During the reporting period, UNHCR provided a range of protection services to some 2,000 internally displaced Yemenis including psychosocial support, legal assistance, emergency cash assistance, child protection and prevention of gender-based violence (GBV). Most beneficiaries reached were in Al Hudaydah, Ibb, Sana’a, Sa’ada, Amran, Marib and Aden governorates. In addition, UNHCR provided referral services for persons with specific needs.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-8-june-15-june-2021-0
(* B H)
Yemeni asylum seekers put their hopes on Europe for better life
Anas al-Shaarani, 15, was forced to flee Yemen amid a raging armed conflict between Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces.
Al-Shaarani decided to leave the war-ravaged country for Europe when his older brother joined Houthi rebels.
“As my older brother went fighting with the Houthi rebels, I decided to migrate abroad to help my father,” he said.
The Yemeni teenager left Yemen for Egypt and from there he travelled to Niger, Mali and Algeria before settling in Morocco where he stayed with other Yemeni asylum seekers for nine months under the protection of UN refugee agency UNHCR, which pays for their housing and a cash payment of $50-100 per month.
In May, al-Shaarani tried to swim from the city of Ceuta and cross barbed-wire fences to get into Spain, but with no luck.
“When we heard of the opening of borders in the city of Ceuta, I tried to cross into Spain, but we were repressed and tear-gassed by Spanish forces. I was injured in the leg,” al-Shaarani said. “After two days of trying, I managed to go back to Nador city where I live now,” he said.
Al-Shaarani recalled that when he was in Egypt, he applied for resettlement at the UNHCR office, but his application was rejected.
“While other nationalities like Eritreans and Sudanese get accepted, Yemenis are rejected and I don’t know why,” he said.
Risky journey
Salman al-Masqari, 25, is another Yemeni asylum seeker who wishes to travel to Sweden for a better life.
“There, I will get a decent job and live under law that respects different beliefs and allows free expression of opinion,” he told Anadolu Agency.
In 2020 alone, approximately 172,000 people became uprooted, giving Yemen the fourth largest number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the world, according to the UN.
(* B H)
Film: Yemen: At Least 800 Displaced Families Live in Gloomy Conditions in Hajjah Governorate
Amid appalling humanitarian conditions, unbearable temperatures, and warring parties' escalations, Banī Fāyid camp residents' suffering is more than ever as it was exacerbated by the absence of humanitarian organizations' aid. Banī Fāyid camp houses at least 800 families, most of which are women and children. Various diseases swept the camp due to the contaminated water, not to mention that a lot suffer from malnutrition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyFDATRFpX4
(* A H)
79 migrant bodies found off Yemeni coasts
The Yemeni official authorities have recovered bodies of Africans, who died while trying to reach Yemeni coasts, off the southern governorate of Lahj.
The 79 bodies included Yemeni 4-sailor crew whose boat capsized off Yemeni coasts, Xinhua quoted spokesman for Lahj local authority as saying.
The bodies were found in al-Jahaf shore, near Ras al-Ara port, Sa'adan al-Yafei added, noting that tens of bodies are still in the sea.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25665.html
and
(* B H)
Over 360 dead bodies still floating in sea near Yemeni coastline
More than 360 bodies of I drowned immigrants are still floating in the sea off the Yemeni coast, for the sixth day in a row.
Members of the Ethiopian community in Yemen said on Wednesday that about 371 illegal immigrants drowned when their boat sank near the coast of Ras al-Ara area in Lahj province last Friday.
Sources reported that the bodies were seen floating at a distance of 10 to 20 nautical miles from the shore of the Ras Al-Ara area, where dozens of immigrants arrive daily.
The Ethiopian Yemeni community members appealed to the authorities and international organisations to retrieve the bodies of the drowned, confirming that the Yemeni Coast Guard buried two of the five bodies that were recovered, while hundreds of bodies are still at sea.
Meanwhile, navigational sources in the Ras al-Ara area warned of an epidemic catastrophe due to the decomposition of hundreds of corpses without proper recovery and burial.
The recent years have witnessed an increase in the smuggling of African migrants,
(B H)
Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 8 June – 15 June 2021
During the reporting period, UNHCR provided a range of protection services to some 2,000 internally displaced Yemenis including psychosocial support, legal assistance, emergency cash assistance, child protection and prevention of gender-based violence (GBV).
Heavy rains were observed in Hudaydah, affecting IDPs living in 23 hosting sites. Initial field observations revealed significant damage to shelters and loss of property, leaving affected families in dire need of shelter assistance and core relief items (CRIs). UNHCR distributed shelter kits and NFIs to support the families, while UNHCR partners conducted community awareness-raising campaigns targeting some 2,700 individuals living in the sites where flood hazards are higher in order to improve awareness on disaster risk reduction.
During the reporting period, UNHCR provided some additional 2,000 families (12,000 individuals) with CRIs and emergency shelter kits
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-8-june-15-june-2021
(B H)
CCCM Cluster Yemen Strategy - June 2021
As of May 2021, an estimated 1 million displaced Yemenis have settled in 1,696 spontaneous, unplanned sites and require support to ensure their protection and meet their basic needs. The locations, population size and characteristics of these sites change over time as the conflict progresses.
Findings from field data show that 76% of IDP sites lack formal land tenancy agreements, which sometimes leads to eviction threats, compromising humanitarian access, and increases the risks of secondary displacements. Furthermore, sites in Yemen remain vulnerable to other risk factors of re-displacement, as 32% of sites are at risk of flooding, and about 48% of people in IDP hosting sites are within 5 km of areas of active hostilities.
Sites also lack services. Data show that more than half of the sites are not reached by the humanitarian actors, and 93% of camp-like settings across the country lack basic services, such as - food distributions, protection assistance, WASH facilities, durable shelters, education, access to livelihood opportunities, etc., and 83% face critical services gaps.
To respond to the growing displacements, the CCCM Cluster was activated in July 2019, under the leadership of UNHCR, to improve the coordination of multi--sectoral responses at site level, raise the quality of interventions and monitor humanitarian services in communal settings.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-strategy-june-2021
and
(B H P)
CCCM Guidance note on eviction response
This note provides general guidance on harmonizing the response regarding situations related to evictions of people from IDP hosting sites.
In some situations, evictions may take place before appropriate actions are made by the eviction task force/key actors. Therefore, CCCM and protection partners should always engage the community leaders in nominating focal points that can be contacted for tracking the communities’ movement and providing timely assistance to the most vulnerable in the location(s) where they settle
Eviction cases, verbal threats and formal notices, shall be reported by CCCM cluster partners to the CCCM subnational coordinators on a bi-monthly basis through the eviction tracking matrix template. This will be compiled at the national level
The CCCM subnational coordinators shall update the eviction matrix every two weeks.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-guidance-note-eviction-response-0
and
(B H P)
IDP Site Evictions Response: Process Map
As per CCCM Evictions Guidance and Annex 1 Implementation Steps, systematic steps must be taken to engage in negotiations to delay and stop eviction threat, with local authorities and landowners
First, site level negotiations led by CCCM partners must be exhausted, followed by escalation to the Area Based Coordination level if not successful at a site level, while simultaneously triggering the Evictions Task Force
Special care must be taken to ensure negotiation does not place site residents at additional risk
Community consultation through (informal) intentions surveys and ongoing risk assessment should inform response options
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/idp-site-evictions-response-process-map
and
(B H)
Fire Safety and Prevention Guidelines for IDP Hosting Sites
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/fire-safety-and-prevention-guidelines-idp-hosting-sites
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B P)
Investigative report on Houthis imposing changes in school curricula
A recent report published by Sidq Yemen, an independent fact-checking Yemeni platform, has shed light on changes in school curriculum made by the Iran-backed Houthis in areas under their control.
The report said the Houthis made curricula changes in four school subjects in all grades (1st, 2nd …. 6th) in primary school.
“Five school subjects (Holly Quran, Islamic Culture, Arabic, National Education, and History) were subject to changes by the Houthis,” the report said.
The 44-page report said the changes ranged from removing/adding lessons to different interpretations of Quranic verses.
According to the report, the changes were mainly made to serve the rebels’ sectarian objectives and to help spread their ideology among young students.
“Generally, the changes fall into three categories: sectarian, political, and non-sectarian or political changes,” the report said.
In March, Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) said in a report the education materials taught by Houthis “run contrary to UNESCO standards of peace and tolerance.”
The report, entitled ‘Review of Houthi Educational Materials in Yemen 2015–19’, warned that such materials are unacceptable in any society, as they are full of violent and graphic content and anti-American hatred.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/28236
and report in full (in Arabic): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MRS9py_RY9uWbG47HoO5cLnixpWid82s/view
(A P)
A number of men have told Al-Asima Online news website that they were caught by surprise that the Houthi militia had taken their children from summer camps to Al-Saleh mosque to be radicalized and learn the Houthi rallying cry "Death to America" in preparation to deploy them to the warfronts against the government. Some of the fathers have withdrawn their children out of the Houthi radicalization courses./Al-Asima Online
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47408
(A P)
Family of former minister of sports in the Iran-backed Houthi govt, Hassan Zaid, accused Houthis of murdering him. Her daughter wrote on FB that she& her brothers received death threats from killer of their father. Could be part of infighting among Houthi ranks/ Hashemite families.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1406803117941874698
(* B K P)
YNRF: Over 20,000 Houthi violations against children
The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms (YNRF) declared 20 thousand and 977 incidents of violations against the Yemeni children and over 43 thousand of children were displaced by Houthi militiamen during the time January 2017 to March 2021.
The YNRF published a report on Sunday, stated that the violations against children included killing , injuring, kidnapping, recruiting and preventing from education.
According to the report 1343 children killed among of the 31 infants and 1620 injured by the militiamen.
The YNRF reported that 103 children killed by snipers, 287 by indiscriminate projectiles shelling on residential areas, 136 killed by landmines, 146 by mass-killing operations and 298 children were shot dead. 342 children died due besiege imposed by the militiamen, lacking oxen, medicines and health care.
The report cited 1716 of children were killed and 3114 wounded as a result of their engagement in combat operations alongside the militiamen.
The report mentioned 321 of children were permanently disabled as a result of the critical injuries they sustained because of the Houthis attacks on the civilians. 522 children were kidnapped and arrested by the militiamen.
The YNRF reported 12 thousand and 341 children aged under 15 were recruited by the militia.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33185
(A P)
A Houthi militant killed 12 year old Maram Al-Ahyal smashing her head with stones after she resisted his attempt to rape her in al-Sho’or area of central Yemen’s Ibb on Thursday/Multiple news websites
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47388
(A P)
The Saada faction in the Houthi militia is responsible for the death of loyalist general and Saleh-era military officer Hisham Alghorbani as part of growing rift and rivalry within the militia. The militia forced him to make incursions into government-held territories without supplying him with ammunition/Multiple websites
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47388
(* A K P)
Combating begging or paying salaries: a Houthi decision sparks controversy
Yemenis have reacted differently to a new decision by the Houthi group to establish anti-begging centers in the Yemeni capital Sanaa amid dramatic increase of beggars in most major cities.
In recent months, the numbers of beggars have increased sharply amid the failure of the warring parties to give salaries of public servants unpaid for years and skyrocketing rates of unemployment.
Member of the Houthi-controlled Parliament in Sanaa Abdu Bishr criticised the decision, saying in a post on Facebook that it is better to establish centres to fight corruption and corrupt officials stealing public funds.
He held the Houthi group responsible for the spread of the begging phenomenon in recent months.
Depriving public servants of their salaries for years, imposing levies, skyrocketing prices of basic products, failure to spend Zakat and financial aid properly and other reasons have deepened this phenomenon, he said.
The decision was made on Monday by the Houthi ministerial committee tasked with reviewing the regulations of the anti-begging centers.
The committee approved to establish two anti-begging centers in Sanaa as a model and then more centers in other cities under the control of the group.
We don't need more prisons for needy people asking help from good and bad people, Bishr said.
"Our situation today is like we gather the wounded from battlefields, treat them and then execute them".
He urged the group to find alternatives to help people and get them out of the bottleneck.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25704.html
and what Islah Party news site tells:
(A P)
Houthis plan to recruit tens of thousands of beggars to the warfronts: Reports
The Houthis are planning on recruiting tens of thousands of beggars in the streets of the capital Sana'a and elsewhere to the terrorist militia-run military camps and then to the warfront against the government-held cities, different media outlets reported quoting sources.
The Houthi plan was launched under the name of "Regulations on Begging" as inspired from the militia leader Abdulmalik Alhouthi's address in Ramadan in which he called for "making use of" the children wandering in the roads and cities "to integrate them into the society."
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47362
(* A P)
Houthis hang young man to death over religious tax
Yemen's armed Houthis have reportedly hanged a young man for failing to pay the Khums, or 20% religious tax, to the theocratic militia in the country's central city of Ibb.
Several Yemeni news websites reported on Saturday that he Shiit terrorist militia hanged Hamdi al-Hubeishi, in his 20s, on his dump truck which he uses to transport stones for living, after he had refused to pay the Khums (fifth) on every truckload in his hometown of Al-Sayyani in Ibb (photos)
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47363
(A P)
Houthi leaders have established new money remittance networks in Sana'a to go around recent US move to blacklist remittance companies funding the Houthis./Yemen Voice
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47360
(A K P)
Houthis begin sorting the children recently radicalized in Summer Camps in preparation for deploying them to the different warfronts , local sources in Sana'a have said/Almashehad Alyemeni website
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47360
(A P)
Film: The Houthis visit 150,000 testimonies of their loyalists
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BflYN13sMuc
(A P)
Interior Ministry clarifies details of burning 3 houses in Bayda
The official spokesman for the Ministry of Interior on Saturday denied what was reported by the media of the aggression about the burning of 3 houses belonging to al-Ja'awani family, east of Radaa city, in Bayda province.
In a statement, Brig. Gen. Abdul Khaleq al-Ajri said the incident of burning houses that took place on Jun. 14 is an extension of a conflict between al-Ja'awani family and al-Zadhwahera family, all of whom are from the district of Wald Rabe' against the background of a revenge issue between the two families.
Al-Ajri pointed out that a new wave of conflict and mutual criminal crimes between the two families began on Jun. 12
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3144573.htm
(A P)
Yemen’s Houthis Vow to Help ‘Defend Jerusalem’ in Regional Conflict With Israel
The Yemeni Shia militia is known for its extreme hostility to the Jewish State, with its oft-touted four-part slogan including the lines "Death to Israel" and "A Curse on the Jews."
Yemen’s Houthi militia will take part in the defence of Jerusalem in event of a broader conflict with Israel, a senior official from the political and militant group has indicated.
“Ansar Allah will be part of the equation in the defence of the Holy City of Jerusalem,” Abdul-Wahhab al-Mahbashi, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, said, speaking to Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese TV channel al-Mayadeen on Thursday night.
The official argued that the Israeli “enemy” may not stop its attacks unless resistance forces are able to target the Israeli hinterland, and suggested that Tel Aviv listens to the warnings of the leaders of the Axis of Resistance (the loose Iran-led Middle Eastern coalition opposed to Israel and the United States), because they do what they say, “unlike” the Arab League.
(A P)
Ansarullah-Beamter: Saudis müssen mit vernichtenden Reaktionen rechnen, wenn sie im Jemen bleiben
Ein hochrangiges Mitglied der jemenitischen Ansarullah-Bewegung hat Saudi-Arabien gewarnt, dass es mit einer vernichtenden Reaktion der jemenitischen Streitkräfte konfrontiert sein wird, wenn es sich entschließt, weiterhin Besatzungstruppen auf dem jemenitischen Boden zu stationieren.
In einem Interview am Donnerstag forderte Hizam al-Assad, ein Mitglied des Obersten Politischen Rates des Jemen, die Invasionskoalition und ihre Unterstützer auf, ihre blutige Aggression gegen das jemenitische Volk zu beenden und eine jahrelange Blockade gegen sie aufzuheben.
"Unsere Reaktion gegen das saudische Regime wird schockierend und erschütternd sein, wenn der Besatzer nicht den gesamten jemenitischen Boden verlässt und sich verpflichtet, sich nicht in unsere inneren Angelegenheiten einzumischen"
(A P)
Ansarullah Official: Saudis Must Expect Crushing Reaction If They Stay in Yemen
A senior member of Ansarullah movement warned Saudi Arabia that it will face a crushing response from Yemeni forces if its chooses to keep occupying forces on the Yemeni soil.
In an interview with Al-Maalomah on Thursday, Hizam Al-Assad, a member of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, called on the invading coalition and its supporters to end their bloody aggression against the Yemeni people and lift a years-long blockade against them.
"Our reaction will be shocking and seismic against the Saudi regime if the occupier does not leave the entire Yemeni soil and commit not to meddle in our internal affairs,"
(A P)
Houthi militants kill Adel Abduraqeeb, one of the most famous doctors in Kuwait Hospital in Sana'a./Anaween Post
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47328
(B P)
The Houthis have in the past three years awarded more than 10 thousand university certificates to loyalists who have not joined the university nor even finished high school. The fraudulent certificates are to enable their employment in public offices in Sana'a and buy their loyalty./24 Post
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47328
(A E P)
Houthis make billions of Riyals from recent fuel price rise
The Houthis have made billions of Yemeni Riyals from the recent rise of car fuel prices and the big black markets in the militia's areas of control, sources with relevant knowledge said.
The militia made around YR 6 billion - One USD equals YR 600- extra profit as inferred from difference between the price prior to the recent increase and the price of sales now. The Houthis had recently increased fuel prices by 90%.
The sources said, "A fuel shipment of 27,800 tons of fuel arrived in Hudaydah seaport last week, and what was distributed to oil stations is only YR 200 thousand liters after the Houthi-run oil company announced the new price of YR 8500 for 20 liter containers. "
The source said, "Hence the profit that the militias will gain as a price difference made in the black market will amount to YR 6 billion."
The sources added that "the Houthi leaders through the militia's so-called Economic Committee have failed to hide the incoming fuel cargo on the tanker Sea Heart because the government had given it a docking permit in Hudaydah Seaport and announced the size of the shipment it carries
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47330
My comment: From Islah Party news site. At least: Propaganda alert.
(A P)
Houthi terrorists to buy MTN telecom company in Yemen, activist claims
A Yemeni activist has claimed that the "final touches in the negotiations to sell MTN's Yemen branch to the Houthi guerilla-affiliated Holding Company."
Mohammed al-Mohaymeed said in an article many Yemeni news websites published that the telecommunications operator in Yemen MTN is "part of the South African multinational mobile telecommunications company" and the (Yemeni) foreign and telecommunication ministers should address the government of South Africa and the main administration to halt this transaction given that the Houthis are an outlawed, terrorist group."
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47329
(B P)
A Jewish man, Levi Marhabi, is being held hostage by Yemen’s Houthi rebels
Marhabi was part of a small group of “people that love Yemen, and had no desire to leave whatsoever,” said Jason Guberman, executive director of the American Sephardi Federation, which has spearheaded a campaign on Marhabi’s behalf, in conjunction with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
Marhabi was arrested for the crime of smuggling a national artifact out of the country, after he helped a group of departing Yemeni Jews bring an ancient Torah, said to be 800 years old, with them to Israel. Human rights organizations claim he now remains in prison solely because of his religion, and that his health is rapidly deteriorating.
According to a March 2021 report from the INSAF Center for Defending Freedoms and Minorities, a Yemeni NGO, Marhabi was arrested along with three Muslim men who were also accused of playing a role in removing the Torah from Yemen. But the other men have since been released, and a 2019 decision from an appeals court ordered that Marhabi also be released. Yet he remains imprisoned. INSAF reported that he “suffers from bad conditions, deterioration in his general health, health problems in the kidneys and lungs, in addition to losing all his teeth.”
https://jewishinsider.com/2021/06/yemen-levi-marhabi-jewish-community/
(A P)
A Houthi-controlled court sentences head of Yemeni Women Empowerment Foundation Zafaran Zaid and her husband to death in absentia on charges of cooperation with the Saudi-led coalition.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1405198525630197761
and
(A P)
Houthis denounced for sentencing two activists to death
[Hadi] Yemeni government officials, human rights activists and journalists have condemned a Houthi-run court’s decision to sentence two Yemeni activists to death, accusing the rebels of using the judiciary in areas under their control to punish dissidents.
On Tuesday, a Houthi-run court ordered that Zafaran Zaid, a Yemeni human rights activist and lawyer, and her husband and fellow activist Fuad Al-Mansouri be executed by firing squad. The two were tried in absentia.
Zaid, head of the Yemeni Women’s Empowerment Foundation (Tamkeen), has exposed a number of human rights abuses by the Houthis. Al-Mansouri is the head of the Development Media Association and an outspoken critic of the Houthis. His brother, the journalist Tawfiq Al-Mansouri, was abducted by the Houthis in 2015 and sentenced to death in 2020.
The court found the couple guilty of smuggling Buthaina Mohammed Al-Raimia — the Yemeni child injured in an errant airstrike by the Arab coalition in 2017 — to Riyadh.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1878506/middle-east
and also https://republicanyemen.net/archives/28177
My comment: The Buthaina abducation had been a strange story in 2017, affecting also the girl’s uncle and his family. A Saudi news site speaking of an “errant” airstrike which had killed her family – is spreading Saudi propaganda.
(A P)
Yemen rebels publicly execute 3 men for rape, murder
Hundreds of people gathered in Yemen's rebel-held capital Wednesday to watch the execution of three men -- two convicted of child rape and murder, and one of killing his daughters.
It was Sanaa's first public execution since August 2018, when the rebels shot three men and hung their bodies from a crane for raping and killing a child.
On Wednesday, the three convicts in blue prison uniforms were escorted to the central Tahrir (Liberation) Square where an executioner in green army fatigues and black gloves laid each face down on a red sheet before shooting them in the back.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210616-yemen-rebels-publicly-execute-3-men-for-rape-murder = https://www.rfi.fr/en/middle-east/20210616-yemen-rebels-publicly-execute-3-men-for-rape-murder
and also https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/yemen-rebels-publicly-execute-3-men-rape-and-murder
and also, with photos: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9692025/Child-killers-led-public-square-shot-dead-executioner-Yemen.html
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69ajIUtiB0A
(B P)
Acht Tage ohne Schlaf an einen Stuhl gefesselt
Die Herrschaft der Huthi ist eine Blackbox. Ein Scheich erzählt jetzt von seiner Tortur, deren Folgen sein Leben für immer verändert haben.
Nachdem die Huthi-Rebellen Scheich Jamal al-Maamari mitten in der Nacht gefangen genommen haben, schlagen sie mit den Kolben ihrer Sturmgewehre immer wieder auf seinen Kopf und den Nacken. Als der 47-Jährige wieder erwacht, spürt er Blut überall an seinem Körper. Und dass er seine Beine nicht mehr bewegen kann. Bevor man ihn zum Auto bringt, das ihn ins Gefängnis schaffen soll, steckt man ihn lebendig in einen Leichensack (Bezahlschranke)
(* B E P)
Houthis Accused of Setting up Network of 900 Companies to Evade Financial Monitoring
A Yemeni organization tracking money plundered by Houthi coup militias accused the Iran-backed militant group of operating over 910 companies and money exchange facilities in the areas under its control.
According to the financial monitor, Houthis rely on the network to perform complex financial transfers away from regulation.
However, the organization welcomed sanctions recently imposed by the US Treasury Department on members of the Houthi network, dubbing them an important step that will better tighten the noose on financial resources accessible to militants.
“Houthis were using Swaid & Sons Exchange Company” to smuggle and launder cash to fund terror attacks and protract the war in Yemen, it said in a statement, providing details about Saeed Al-Jamal, whom the US State Department considered one of the most prominent figures that transfer funds to the Iran-aligned militia.
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A P)
Parties to Riyadh deal agree to government's return to Aden
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) expresses appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for sponsoring the negotiations that have led to a consensus between the two parties to the Riyadh Agreement on the return of the power-sharing government to the southern capital, Aden.
The STC spokesman, Abdullah Al Kathiri said in a statement issued on Monday that an agreement has been reached on developing a mechanism to protect the power-sharing government.
The statement denied any party's rejection of the government return to Aden, affirming that efforts are being exerted to reach agreement on mechanisms for implementing the remaining terms of the Saudi-brokered deal.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33193
and
(A P)
The spokesman of the STC @aaalkathery says they agreed on the return of the government to #Aden, providing necessary security to its members
https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1407041771872436224
and statement in full: https://en.smanews.org/south-arabia/statement-by-official-spokesman-of-the-council-on-consensus-on-return-of-the-government-to-aden-the-capital/
(A P)
Dozens of healthcare workers are protesting against corruption inTaiz/Aden Aghad
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47408
(A P)
The Yemeni Government starts its first move to operate the country's liquefied natural gas project occupied by the United Arab Emirates in Balhaf area/Mareb Press
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47408
(A P)
Yemen parliament says Houthis are confident in limited international sanctions
The presidency of the Yemeni parliament said the Houthi militia's unwillingness to compromise "stems from the militia's confidence that the international sanctions" will always be "limited to individual members" not the broad militia.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47411
(A P)
Houthi Militia's Escalation of Terrorist Attacks Undermines Calming Efforts and Rejects Peaceful Solutions, Says Yemen's Information Minister
Yemen's Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani affirmed that the Iranian-backed terrorist militia's recent escalation of military operations in Marib Governorate, its continuous targeting of residential neighborhoods in the liberated areas and deliberate terrorist attacks on civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are considered an explicit rejection of peaceful solutions and deliberate attempts to undermine efforts aimed to achieve tranquility.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2244092
(A P)
Anti-Muslim Brotherhood protest held in Abyan's al-Mahfed
Hundreds poured into the streets of al-Mahfed district of Abyan governorate on Monday to protest against the levies illegally imposed on them by the Yemeni arm of Muslim Brotherhood organization within Yemen's legitimacy in the province.
The protesters accused the pro-legitimacy Brotherhood's militias of stealing the district's revenues and unlawfully imposing levies and royalties on the people.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33189
(* B P)
Who is Bin Laden of Yemen?
In late May 2021 and until now, demonstrations have escalated in Taiz governorate, which is under the control of the Brotherhood militia, due to the high rates of corruption, hunger and poverty caused by the looting by the leaders of the Brotherhood’s Islah Party in Yemen, led by its guide known as Salem, which prompted the demonstrators to demand the dismissal of the corrupt Brotherhood leaders, including Salem, for causing the deterioration of conditions in the Yemeni governorate, just as the Houthis do with civilians in the governorates under its control.
Who is he?
His real name is Abdo Farhan Salem al-Mekhlafi, born in the Al-Mekhlaf area, Sharaab al-Salam District, Taiz, and he is known as Salem. This nickname was given to him by late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden due to the strength of his relationship with Bin Laden and his participation in the war in Afghanistan. He was initially an advisor to the leader of the Taiz axis, and is currently one of the most important Brotherhood figures in Yemen, represented in the Islah Party in Taiz.
Because Salem is the secret military ruler of Taiz, he tightens his grip on the military and security institutions there, in addition to seizing all means of military and material support. In past years, he stole some of the weapons provided to the Yemeni National Army and stored them in the Brotherhood’s warehouses. He has also received support from Iran, which in turn provides support to the Houthi militia, seeking to control Yemen and confront the Yemeni National Army and the Arab coalition forces.
Salem contributed to the establishment of a branch of ISIS in Taiz
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33182
My comment: By a separatist news site. Well, nevertheless Salem is a horrible figure and there already had been reports by non-partisan media about him.
(A P)
Shatara: STC keeps moving forward with confidence
Day after day, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) is advancing the Restoration of the Southern State Project with extreme vigour and confidence, said the member of the STC Presidency, Vice-President of the National Assembly for Control and Inspection, Mr. Lufti Shatara.
Shatara explained that "As a responsible party on the ground and a reliable partner in forging new and wider relationships, the STC's regional and international contacts (at various levels and directions) are being increased."
"The STC endured so much for the sake of getting safely to the goal. However, Some people should not believe that the patience shown by the STC is stemmed from weakness, conversely it stemmed from strength and responsibility." Shatara added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33180
(A P)
One African migrant killed, five injured in south Yemen
An African migrant was killed and five other migrants were wounded when forces of the southern transitional council opened fire on a SUV car allegedly carrying illegal migrants in Yemen's interim capital Aden on Sunday, local sources said.
The STC forces opened fire at the car after the driver refused to stop at the Al-Al-Alam checkpoint
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25710.html
(A P)
The UAE-backed STC militia arrests Yemen's Deputy Information Minister Osamaa Al-Sharmi after threatening to kill him in the temporary capital Aden./Multiple websites.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47360
(B K P)
US-Saudi-Emirati Aggression to Hand Over Abyan to al-Qaeda, Daesh
The [Sanaa gov. Lackland] governor of Abyan, Saleh Al-Junaidi, revealed that there is a plan by the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression to hand over the province to al-Qaeda and Daesh, after the resettlement of those takfiri groups in the province.
Governor Al-Junaidi confirmed in a statement that a large conspiracy is being hatched by the countries of aggression to repeat the scenario of handing over Abyan Governorate to the Takfiri groups, as happened during the year 2011.
He warned of the movements of these groups members in a number of Abyan districts, which appear more serious than ever, pointing to the presence of those groups under the cover of Hadi forces.
He noted that these groups are merely intelligence mercenaries sponsored by the countries of aggression for decades with the aim of destabilizing security and stability in Yemen.
He said, "There is a new plot to hand over the province to al-Qaeda and ISIS, especially after liberating some districts in Al-Baydha from those terrorist organizations by the Army and the Popular Committees last year."
(A)
Children’s fight ends in seven people being shot dead in Lahj
A fight that broke out among kids in Yemen’s Lahij governorate ended up with seven people being killed in addition to many others sustaining serious injuries, local media reported.
According to informed sources, a 50-year-old man, one of the children’s fathers, used his automatic rifle following his child’s involvement in the fight.
He had reportedly shot whoever was near him killing, seven people on spot, including a relative, and injuring many others including children.
Eyewitnesses said that the perpetrator fled to one of the nearby mountains, adding that security forces have not been able to arrest him yet.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33174
(A P)
STC leaders released in Shabwa after tribal mediation
Leaders of the southern transitional council who were arrested on Thursday in Yemen's Shabwa province were released on Friday after mediation by local tribal figures, local media sources said.
The local mediators talked to and convinced the local authorities to release Mohammed Ja'afar bin Al-Sheikh, the head of the council's leadership in Hadhramout province, his deputy Hasan Al-Ghulam, Col. Eskandar Lutfi, member of the council's assembly and Salem Baras, the sources said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25676.html
and STC statements: https://en.smanews.org/south-arabia/president-al-zubaidi-we-appreciate-the-great-position-of-sons-of-shabwa-in-confronting-practices-of-brotherhood-militia/
and
(A P)
Yemeni separatists suspend talks with government
Southern Transitional Council cites arrest of its members as reason for suspension of talks
Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Friday announced that it suspended talks with the country’s government in a protest against the arrest of its "officials."
In a statement, STC spokesman Ali Al-Kathiri said Jaafar Abu Bakr, the head of the local leadership of the council in the southeastern Hadhramaut governorate, and his deputy Hassan Saleh Al-Amoudi were arrested as they were crossing a checkpoint in the government-controlled Shabwa governorate, south of the country.
Al-Kathiri described the arrest as a "terrorist act" and announced that the STC delegation will withdraw from negotiations with Yemen's government on the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement.
He blamed the government forces, which he referred to as "militias," for the STC's extreme action.
The Yemeni government has not yet responded to the allegations.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemeni-separatists-suspend-talks-with-government/2278461
and also https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210619-yemen-stc-suspends-consultations-with-government/
(A P)
Major-general-bin-brik-we-bode-well-for-upcoming-developments-that-will-push-the-south-towards-independence
(A P)
[Separatist] “president”-al-zubaidi-hadramout-is-an-integral-part-of-the-south-and-its-solid-cornerstone
(A P)
Letter-to-un-human-rights-council-on-violations-of-yemeni-government-forces-against-[separatist] southern-political-leaders-and-activists
(A K P)
UAE-backed forces withdraw from military camp they seized in Aden
Forces loyal to the southern transitional council has withdrawn from a military camp in Yemen's interim capital Aden which they stormed and seized on Thursday.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25656.html
(A P)
Speaker's statement on Yemen sparks widespread outrage
A statement by the speaker of Parliament Sultan Al-Barakani that Yemeni is a backyard of the Gulf States has sparked outrage in the war-torn country.
Politicians, journalists and activists have condemned the statement, considering it as an insult to Yemen and its sovereignty from a senior official in the internationally recognised government.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25655.html
My comment: Look at the Hadi puppet government in Riyadh, at Saudi, UAE and US activities on Yemeni soil: He is right.
(A P)
Separatist SB forces storm into Yemen-Bahrain ambassador house
Emirati-backed Security Belt (SB) forces on Wednesday stormed into the house of the Yemeni ambassador for Bahrain in the southern port city of Aden, local sources said.
Backed by armored vehicles, gunmen affiliated to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi's farm and house after limited clashes with guards in the Yemeni interim capital, the sources added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25648.html
(* A P)
STC sends disappointing message to negotiators in Riyadh
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Wednesday started its national committee's fourth conference in Aden, while its delegation is holding negotiations with the official government delegation on finalizing the Riyadh Agreement application.
The Emirati-backed STC adopted 'Riyadh Agreement full application is our demand, and restoration of the state is our aim' as its motto for the conference, hinting at its adherence to the southern state option.
The 3-day conference is expected to study draft constitution for the sought southern state, and reconstruction of the STC forces, political sources supporting the separatist STC said.
This one-sided step would send negative indication to negotiators in Riyadh in terms of the completion of Riyadh deal application, say observers.
The conference is also expected to discuss potential return to self-governance, formation of a southern political unified front, and other issues pertaining to regional security and counterterrorism efforts.
The 303-member national committee serves as the STC unelected parliament.
"We're now in the course of transiting from revolution to the phase of state," STC chairman said at the opening session.
This is one of the "hardest stages for liberating peoples. We should not divert from our liberation goal to restore the southern state," Eidaroos al-Zobaidi added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25647.html
and
(A P)
The-national-assembly-of-transitional-council-launches-works-of-its-fourth-session-and-discusses-a-number-of-important-files
(A P)
Anti-corruption demonstrations renew in Taiz
Demonstrations renewed on Thursday in parts controlled by the internationally recognised government of Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz.
Demonstrators chanted slogans such as, it is not over; we have just started; and we will not give up and we will not be scared until goals are met.
They carried placards condemning widespread corruption at public institutions, absence of basic services and skyrocketing prices of basic products.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25661.html
(A P)
PM receives US Envoy to Yemen
The meeting intended to discuss the latest developments about the ongoing regional and international good offices to push peace in Yemen.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2021/06/16/pm-receives-us-envoy-to-yemen/
(A P)
[Separatist] STC National Assembly Opens its 4th Session in Aden (Photos)
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33158
(A P)
Shatara: Exclusion of STC won't lead to durable peace
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33157
(A P)
Popular Calls in Aden to Expel Pro-aggression Government, Rejecting So-called ‘Riyadh Agreement’
The people of the occupied governorate of Aden and southern activists demanded on Tuesday not to allow the presence of the pro-aggression government in the city, stressing that their return is only another operation to numb the angry street, as happened the previous time.
They stressed that the reasons for the successive failures of the so-called "Riyadh Agreement" is the Saudi-Emirati control on their mercenaries, insisting on engaging in power struggles.
The people of Aden demand solutions to stop the continuous deterioration of living standards, high prices and the escalation of crimes of systematic lawlessness.
Meanwhile, bakeries in the city of Aden closed their doors, in a comprehensive strike after the price of bread was raised by the mercenaries of the UAE occupation.
(A P)
UAE-backed militia holds military parade in Hadhramaut
The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) factions in Hadhramaut province, eastern Yemen, on Wednesday carried out a military parade as the assembly’s parliament began holding its meeting in Aden, Yemen News Portal reported.
The move indicates that the STC has begun reactivating pre-unification of Yemen camps in the oil province, is moving deep into its opponents’ strongholds.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/06/16/uae-backed-militia-holds-military-parade-in-hadhramaut/
(A P T)
Al-Qaeda in Yemen kidnaps six security officers: official
The Yemeni branch of Al-Qaeda has kidnapped six government security officers amid a security vacuum created by the internationally recognized government’s war with Houthi rebels.
The Yemeni branch of Al-Qaeda has kidnapped six government security personnel, an official said on Thursday.
A security official with the internationally recognised government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP that five officers had been seized in the southern province of Shabwa during a mission on Tuesday.
"They were lured by people claiming to belong to local tribes and in need of help," he told AFP.
"They fell into the trap, and it turned out these people belonged to the terrorist organisation."
The official said a sixth officer was snatched by the militants on Wednesday and "taken to an unknown location".
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/al-qaeda-yemen-kidnaps-six-security-officers-official
and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/33168
My remark: The separatists put blame on Islah Party and claim they had handed the functioneers to Al Qaeda: https://en.smanews.org/south-arabia/brotherhood-militias-hand-over-5-criminal-investigation-officers-to-al-qaeda-in-shabwa/
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp7 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-747b-yemen-war-mosaic-747b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-746-yemen-war-mosaic-746
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-746 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-746:
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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