Krieg im Jemen-Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 113

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

Klassifizierung / Classification

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

cp2 Allgemein / General

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

cp4 Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government

cp 7 UNO / UN

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp9 USA

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

cp 13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

cp 13b Mercenaries / Söldner

cp 13c Flüchtlinge / Refugees

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Schöner Jemen / Beautiful Yemen

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(Kein Stern / No star)

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

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

8.3.2016 – Action on Armed Violence (*** B K)

Wide-Area Impact – Investigating the wide-area effect of explosive weapons

Of all the findings in Action on Armed Violence’s global monitor of explosive weapon harm, one thing stands out. That when explosive weapons with wide area effects are used in populated areas, the vast majority of those killed or injured will be civilians.

This hard truth is seen across time and space – from Syria and Ukraine to Nigeria and Yemen. Between 2011 and 2014, AOAV recorded a total of 144,545 deaths and injuries from the use of explosive weapons like aircraft bombs, rockets and mortars. Of these, 78% were reported to be civilians.

To help policy-makers, journalists and others interested in the humanitarian harm of explosive weapons, understand this pattern of harm more fully, AOAV has published a report – Wide-Area Impact. It looks in detail at three distinctive weapon explosive weapon types; the impact of air-dropped bombs in Yemen, mortar attacks on the Syrian-Jordanian border and multiple-rocket attacks in Ukraine. We use such case studies to explore how the technical characteristics that give a weapon wide-area impacts translate into severe and long-lasting civilian harm on the ground.

Yemen – Paveway air-dropped bombs
In Yemen, AOAV looked at weapons that have a wide-impact area impact because of the large destructive radius of the individual munition used. In this case we look at the Paveway air-dropped bomb series. Our report covers:
– An overview of air-dropped bombs by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen;
– A case study of an ariel strike on a Yemeni family home;
– An examination of certain air-dropped bombs, with a focus on the Mark 80 series with Paveway attachments (with technical details);
– An infographic and video of the guided Mark 80 series in action, with additional eye-witness testimony from Iona Craig – AOAV’s researcher on the ground.

Also: Syria – Ukraine – Recommendations

https://aoav.org.uk/2016/wide-area-impact-a-report-investigating-the-wide-area-effects-of-certain-types-of-explosive-weapons/ and full report: https://aoav.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Wide-Area-Impact-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas.pdf

9.3.2016 – Insight on Conflict (** A P)

Relentless war in Yemen: time for a new strategy

With a Saudi-led campaign of airstrikes almost a year old, Yemen is falling into chaos. Its neighbours must stop pursuing their own goals and start working together for some kind of peace deal in the country - for the benefit of all parties, says Ahmed Hezem Al-Yemeni.

As the war in Yemen continues, Saudi Arabia remains the major shareholder in its domestic security and social spheres. This is regardless of the increasing political and military involvement of other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, particularly the UAE, Qatar and Oman.

Alongside such interference, there has also been direct developmental aid from the GCC, supporting in particular education and basic infrastructure needs such as electricity and water.

The reasons for this are complex. Saudi Arabic considers Yemen as its backyard. It has longstanding strategic concerns in the country which have led it to use an endless variety of approaches to take care of its interests. But these and the policies of others have created chaos. Part of the problem is the succession of short-term polices that were supposed to bring about containment of a regional neighbour.

Such short term policies will not answer Yemen’s fundamental issues of poverty, bad economic performance, lack of employment, internal and external security threats, corruption, and a lack of real leadership. And as these have grown, so Yemen’s weak fragile social fabric has almost disappeared. It will need generations to heal. However, what makes the Yemeni situation interesting is that many small rural communities in the north – who have been suffering as much as any from the hardship of the war – have seen positive social indicators.

Poor and middle class communities have come closer together and cooperated, and among other things this has seen, for example, a fall in crime in the north. I have been told that apart from the crimes of those involved in the armed violence on both sides, ‘common’ criminality like theft and hijacking have decreased.

On the other hand, in the south, the opposite appears to be happening, as it has done in previous episodes of violence.

This deterioration of the social fabric is undoubtedly due in part to the Saudi-led coalition of war that started in March 2015. In combination with political movements, radical religious schools and the role of armed militias – and in the context of an almost entirely absent state – the situation is bleak.

Friends and enemies: a failed strategy

The old-fashioned game of friends and enemies has fallen apart

Any real road map to peace must involve Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the GCC countries. The old-fashioned game played by so many in the region, of friends and enemies, has fallen apart. The assumed strength of the regional partnership with Yemen was revealed to be a fiction by the escalation of events at the end of 2014. Hence the 2015 intervention, when the GCC countries and their allies felt that something had to be done quickly. But after a year of bloody warfare, many are questioning that strategy.

Long term partnership and integration with a credible Yemeni leadership are vital to the region. The GCC countries have to reconsider, together and independently, their policy towards Yemen.

They must support a representative Yemeni leadership, working to address the key issues of poverty and development. They must support Yemen’s immediate integration, where possible, into GCC joint economic, labour and education zones. And they should aim to provide Yemen with full membership as soon as possible, in order to start developing some kind of coherent regional policy towards it.

The situation on the ground can be improved with regional and international mediation and initiatives. There is currently limited space for civil society and NGOs as they are all seeking shelter from tanks and missiles. But their work could flourish with even the start of negotiations aimed at a ceasefire.

The challenge for civil society

There are some local civil society organisations running small initiatives, including training activists in their area and documenting human rights violations. However, they have to work carefully so as not to inflame an already tense situation.

Other organisations find that their work is often interrupted. Many have had to change, shift or move their offices or the focus of their work in an attempt to avoid confrontations with the winning side in their area, regardless of whether they support that side or not. Sometimes it is worse: a colleague of mine had to shut down her organisation’s work in Yemen and flee with her country to Egypt.

Contacts have told me that a ceasefire and direct negotiations are needed to create confidence. There must be a focus on restoring basic public services with immediate aid. Following that, there needs to be stability, security and infrastructure rebuilding, with a special focus on providing health, education and food supplies. Finally, they say, there must be a concerted effort to support healing and reconciliation initiatives. In short, the challenges of peacebuilding work are many when the bombs are still dropping.

The need for a comprehensive settlement

For many reasons, the so called Arab Spring, and its multiple and liberation social youth movements, made the situation in the Middle East worse. With the various conflicts in the area, and the different strategic interests of the regional and international players, Yemen could not be saved from this earthquake. And it is the GCC’s backyard. But it has taken an age for any kind of joint policy towards the country. Containment tactics, and small financial injections from time to time to keep the country afloat, will not work. There must be a comprehensive settlement – by Ahmed Hezam Al-Yemeni

This article was originally published on Insight on Conflict. Published by Peace Direct, Insight on Conflict is the leading online resource for local peacebuilding and human rights in conflict areas.

This article is published under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA License.

http://www.insightonconflict.org/2016/03/relentless-war-in-yemen-time-for-a-new-strategy/

3.3.2016 – Alistair Reign (** A H)

Yemeni Children – Victimized By War, Exploitation And Disease

According to a recent report by the United Nations more than 700 children have been killed, with more than1,000 injured since last March (2015). Additionally, about 700 had been forced to become child soldiers. Children, who make up about half of the 2.3 million people in Yemen displaced from their homes, are also struggling to get water on a daily basis, and facing the risk of acute malnutrition and respiratory tract infections. [01]

Even before the war, Yemen had one of the highest child malnutrition rates in the world, according to the World Food Programme, with around half of all children under five stunted as a result of the existing food crisis. [02]

With the Saudi Arabian military enforcing an armed blockade preventing food and medicine from reaching the Yemeni people, children who were vulnerable to begin with are now denied medical treatment for their severe malnutrition and disease. Seven Taizz residents described to Human Rights Watch sixteen incidents between December 13, 2015 and January 9, 2016, in which Houthi guards at checkpoints prevented civilians from bringing items into the city, including fruit, vegetables, cooking gas, vaccination doses, dialysis treatment packets, and oxygen cylinders.

Food

In June of 2012, US Aid estimated that five million people in Yemen were in need of urgent aid, and five million more are facing food insecurity out of a population of 25 million people, Lindborg said, adding that the crisis had been “exacerbated” by conflict and a political transition. The depletion of water resources is a particularly acute problem. [03]

It is now March 2016 and conflict has worsened Yemen’s already poor food security situation, adding more than 3 millionpeople to the ranks of the hungry in less than a year.

According to the United Nations ‘2016 Humanitarian Needs Overview’ there are 7.6 million people in the country severely food insecure – a level of need that urgently requires external food assistance.

A Life in The Balance: The mother of 21-month-old Majed Ayyash prepares him to be weighed in a malnutrition intensive care unit in Sanaa, Yemen July 30, 2015. Damaged by a lack of skilled medical care at a critical moment, many infants struggle for life in a hospital in the bomb-damaged capital Sana’a.

Water

The water fetching often falls to the young boys and girls made to carry heavy burdens of Jerry cans, buckets and plastic containers. The dependency upon tanker trucks for water is a heavy economic burden on low-income households.

The reliance on tankers that may not be delivering water safe for drinking, has been a concern for several years before the Saudi siege turned the water shortage into a life or death crisis.

There are multiple factors underlying Yemen’s deteriorating household water supply. Ground water levels have been lowering (for example, by 6-7 meters annually in Sa’ada basin).

Today the Saudi blockade on supplies has made water even more difficult to find, and children are often forced to walk several miles on an arduous journey to bring home water.

The search for water, or even food places children in a vulnerable position because they are alone and far from home, increasing the risk of violence or exploitation by adults.

Health

“The ongoing violence in Yemen has left nearly 10 million children facing threats of malnutrition and disease, lack of education,” the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative to the country warned in January 2016, calling for unhindered humanitarian access to all those in need and an end to the conflict.

“Continuous bombardment and street fighting are exposing children and their families to a deadly combination of violence, disease and deprivation,” UNICEF Representative Julien Harneis said, sounding the alarm on behalf of the conflict’s most vulnerable.

“The children of Yemen need urgent help and they need it now,” Mr. Harneis stressed, calling for unhindered access to areas where civilians are dying without functioning hospitals, where medicines are in short supply and children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases. [04]

I have been informed by the Yemeni doctor’s group ‘Your Ability Organisation’ that267 children are currently registered in one area in Sana’a “at tan area”, and their diagnosis’ include diabetes, kidney failure, head injury, dislocation or loss of legs and/or arms, as well as distortion.

The following tragedy was told to me by Mohamed al-Rassas, Coordinator at Your Ability Organisation.

Once night in Yemen during the bombing, there was a little girl age 11 years old; she was sleeping innocently, dreaming of peace and security as children do. Her name is Shaima Naser

Once night in Yemen during the bombing, there was a little girl age 11 years old; she was sleeping innocently, dreaming of peace and security as children do. Her name is Shaima Naser al-Rassas. Unfortunately, something happened to change her dream to a nightmare that she didn’t wake up from. During her deep sleep the warplanes were bombing near her family house, rockets exploding made her jump out of bed so scared she couldn’t speak.

Not knowing what happened, Shaima was taken to the hospital, where she stayed ten days in an unconsciousness status. A medical check up showed she had diabetes. She had to be moved to another hospital due to that facility not able to provide medications for the disease. She was waiting in an emergency room four days due to the crowd of children awaiting treatment in the hospital.

When the doctor saw her and ordered tests for a diagnoses, the results were kidney failure. She was taken to another care center where she stayed ten days waiting for x-rays . The result was shaking, Shaima had three clots in her brain from the poisons in her body because her kidneys were not working. After one hour from the doctor’s report, they announced that she was dead as a result of her diseases. Shaima’s dreams were never given a chance to come true. Shaima was Mohamed al-Rassas’s little cousin.

Shaima’s story is one of many personal accounts of suffering and loss I have received from people trapped in Yemen who are reaching out to media, asking of the world to not forget them, because Yemenis are in dire need of outside intervention, protection and humanitarian aid.

Further chapters: Medicine – Hospitals – Schools – Humanitarian Aid – Yemen’s Ability

The lack of medicine in Yemen has created another severe crisis, resulting in thousands of preventable deaths; tragically it is the children and babies, disabled and elderly who are the first to endure a prolonged agony, only to die needlessly […] – by Alistair Reign

http://alistairreignblog.com/2016/03/03/yemeni-children-victimized-by-war-exploitation-and-disease-by-alistair-reign/

Comment: There are very much children involved. Be aware that in Yemen, 41.7 % of the population are 0 to 14 years old. In Great Britain, it is just 17.7 %. Thus, the Saudi aerial war against Houthi hold Yemen for a great part is a war against children.

8.3.2016 – RT (** B H K P)

UN: Jemen am Rande einer humanitären Katastrophe - Westliche Banken behindern Hilfslieferungen

Die Vereinten Nationen warnen vor einer Hungersnot im Jemen. Zusätzlich zu den Finanzproblemen behindern die Kriegshandlungen und Trockenheit die Versorgung der Bevölkerung. Nur 64 Prozent der Bedürftigen werden von Hilfslieferungen überhaupt erreicht. Derweil verweigern immer mehr westliche Banken die Kreditfinanzierung von Lebensmitteltransporten an die mangelernährte Bevölkerung.

Internationale Banken haben die Kreditlinien für Händler beschnitten, die Nahrungsmittel in den vom Krieg zerstörten Jemen schicken. Da die Häfen teilweise zerstört sind und das Finanzsystem kaum noch funktioniert, wird es immer schwieriger, lebenswichtige Güter in das verarmte Land zu schicken.

Diese Probleme könnten dazu führen, dass das ärmste Land auf der arabischen Halbinsel endgültig in eine Hungersnot abgleitet. Die Vereinten Nationen erklären, dass das Land „am Rande der Katastrophe“ steht. Bisher bezieht der Jemen fast alle Lebensmittel für 21 von 26 Millionen Menschen aus dem Seehandel. Einen großen Teil davon stellt humanitäre Hilfe für die Hälfte der Bevölkerung, die an Unterernährung leidet.

Die Importe auf dem Seeweg wurden bereits dadurch immer komplizierter, dass die Transporte häufig durch die Marine der Saudi-Koalition kontrolliert wurden. Nach Angaben von Reuters sind nun Banken immer seltener bereit, Kredite einzuräumen, die sicherstellen, dass die Zahlungen der Käufer an die Verkäufer rechtzeitig gewährleistet werden. Eine im internationalen Rohstoffhandel aktive Quelle im Jemen sagte:

„Internationale westliche Banken sehen sich immer seltener in der Lage, eine komfortable Abwicklung von Zahlungen zu gewährleisten, sie sind nicht bereit, das Risiko zu übernehmen.“

Einige europäische Banken haben sich völlig aus den Lebensmitteltransporten nach Jemen zurückgezogen. Die Folge sei, dass die Händler höhere Risiken tragen. Effektiv müssen sie ganze Ladungen alleine absichern, in der Regel Millionen von US-Dollar. „Es gibt mehr und mehr Hindernisse, Waren in den Jemen zu bringen“, so die anonyme Quelle zu Reuters.

Bei den Händlern, die Lebensmittel für den Jemen beschaffen, handelt es sich meist um kleinere, private Unternehmen, die lokal oder regional aktiv sind. Sie müssen die Waren jedoch von den internationalen Märkten kaufen. Die Situation habe sich im letzten Monat dramatisch verschlechtert, seitdem die jemenitische Zentralbank die Ausstellung von günstigen Wechselkursen für lokale Händler stoppte.

Die Schwierigkeiten bei der Finanzierung sind eindeutig die Ursache dafür, dass die Lebensmittelsendungen in den Jemen schnell zurückgehen. Im Januar 2016 liefen nur rund 77 Schiffe die Häfen im Jemen an, berichten die UN. Normalerweise handelt es sich um 100 Schiffe pro Monat. Seit dem Beginn der Angriffe durch Saudi-Arabien wurden mindesten 6.000 Menschen getötet. Die wichtigsten Häfen des Landes sind schwer umkämpft.

Am Wochenende machte der Menschenrechtskommissar der UNO, Rupert Colville, die saudischen Luftangriffe für einen Großteil der Toten und Verletzten verantwortlich. Demnach fiel der Blutzoll unter der Bevölkerung im Januar am höchsten aus seit dem Beginn der Angriffe im September 2015.

Dass die Importe nun weiter zurückgehen und die inländischen Preise steigen, könnte eine Hungersnot in vielen Regionen zur Folge haben. Zusätzlich zu den Kriegshandlungen fiel in diesem Jahr der für die Saison typische Regen aus. Die Bauern haben nur begrenzten Zugang zu landwirtschaftlichen Flächen. Bereits im Januar warnte die für Nahrungsmittel zuständige Abteilung der Vereinten Nationen, dass die Kosten enorm steigen. (mit Infografiken)

https://deutsch.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/37162-jemen-banken-behindern-hilfslieferungen/

29.2.2016 – Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (** B T)

Dissent in the Islamic State's Yemen Affiliates: Documents, Translation & Analysis

Of all the places where the Islamic State (IS) has declared official affiliates outside of Iraq and Syria in the form of 'wilayas' ('provinces'), Yemen arguably represented one of the most attractive prospects for expansion: a chaotic environment, Sunni-Shi'a sectarian polarisation inflamed by the Houthi expansion from the north of the country that had captured the capital San'a, and the chance to undermine al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Though Yemen was officially declared as an IS province in the first wave of international expansion in November 2014, it was not until some three months later that real evidence of an IS presence on the ground began to emerge, with statements issued in the name of multiple IS Yemeni wilayas. It is clear that IS intended to make its mark through mass-casualty attacks targeting the Houthis, contrasting with AQAP's rejection of this approach on account of Zawahiri's Guidelines.

The intent to inflame sectarian tensions did not mean that IS took no interest in the Saudi-led coalition intervening in Yemen in support of de jure Yemeni president Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi and local forces working under him or cooperating out of expediency against a common enemy (the Houthis). Indeed, a number of IS operations have targeted the coalition. Earlier this month, for example, IS launched a suicide attack targeting the Ras Abbas training camp overseen by the Saudi-led coalition west of Aden, aiming to kill 'apostates' from the 'soldiers of Taghut'. In December 2015, IS claimed the assassination of the governor of Aden in a car bomb attack. In Hadhramaut province, IS fights the Hadi-aligned Yemeni army, primarily claiming to target it with mortar and rocket fire.

While IS has clear military capabilities and may be dispatching personnel from its centre in Iraq and Syria (or from elsewhere) to Yemen- see, for instance, the case of a suicide bomber in the Aden-Abyan province with a kunya suggesting origin from the Netherlands - its administrative capabilities on the ground and real control of territory remain very limited in contrast with AQAP. For instance, some propaganda has advertised IS-affiliated medical centres in Hadhramaut and Aden, but their size, exact location and extent of services are not clear. No hard evidence suggests they serve the local populations. Rather, it is more likely they are simply providing treatment for IS fighters, and with regards to Aden, it is claimed that the IS health centre may be located in al-Buraiqeh district. It is certainly true that IS has been trying to impose its vision of Islamic society in parts of Aden, distributing da'wa literature and publishing a statement in 2015 calling for Shari'a implementation in Aden University. However, all the activities above seem to be the limit of IS administration in Yemen- far less sophisticated than IS governance in Iraq, Syria or Libya.

In addition, IS in Yemen has been rocked in the past few months by internal dissent in the ranks with disapproval of the overall governor of the Yemeni affiliates (the wali of Yemen) appointed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. These disagreements have been leaked in a series of documents. Though they have been referred to elsewhere, I present all the documents that have come to light in this controversy with full translations. To summarize, the sequence of events, beginning in mid-December 2015, is as follows:

- Letter disavowing work with the wali of Yemen signed by dozens of IS officials and soldiers in various Yemeni provinces, while affirming continued allegiance to Baghdadi.

- Dissenters joined by other officials and soldiers.

- Dissenters rebuked by member of IS' Shura Council, who affirms that they must be loyal to the wali of Yemen, otherwise the conduct amounts to breaking allegiance with IS.

- Dissenters reject rebuke, while affirming they are still loyal to Baghdadi.

- Perceived ringleaders of the conspiracy against IS are formally expelled from the ranks.

- Problems persist, so a new set of expulsions is decreed.

The list of signatories among the dissenters indicate that some high-rank personnel were involved. The initial statement of expulsion, which revealed the existence of an IS bureaucratic department to manage distant international affiliates, identified 7 individuals in particular to be thrown out. The names do not exactly match but this likely reflects kunya variation among individuals. It is also not clear how many in total ended up being expelled by remaining in the ranks of the dissenters or returned to the ranks of IS. The episode is nonetheless important in showing that while IS partly aims to expand by exploiting fractures within other jihadi organizations- and has done so with a degree of success in the North Caucasus and Libya- its affiliates on the whole, being less sophisticated in organization than IS central and not having the same rigid security apparatuses to crack down on dissent, are also vulnerable to internal splits. This observation should help to provide a more nuanced analysis of IS expansion on the international stage.

Below are the documents in full, with translation – by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi

http://www.aymennjawad.org/2016/02/dissent-in-the-islamic-state-yemen-affiliates = http://www.meforum.org/blog/2016/02/isis-yemen

Comment: This is an interesting document, although documents translated and published by USA think tanks often have an underlying purpose although the translations are usually impeccable. It reveals letters from members of ISIS in Yemen to the senior leadership concerning their dissatsfaction with Yemen leadership. It seems some of the ISIS in Yemen have been forced to leave the Yemeni group - I expect they have headed straight to AQAP. but it is further evidence of disagreement between 'victors' in Yemen's East and southwest.

https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1108830365936120

Comment at comment: The translations hardly are made by an American think tank but by a student at Oxford.

9.3.2016 – Nachdenkseiten (*** B P)

Warum den Medien nicht zu trauen ist

In den Medien muss sich fast alles ändern. Darauf insistieren die NachDenkSeiten seit über zehn Jahren. Denn ihre Durchsetzung mit „Meinungsmache“ beschädigt die Demokratie. Inzwischen sind die Verwerfungen zwischen Medien und Mediennutzern gewaltig. Und so verwundert es nicht, dass eine Medienkritik entstanden ist, die grundsätzlicher Natur ist: „Sie akzeptiert das Selbstbild, das die „großen Medien“ von sich nach außen kommunizieren, nicht mehr. Die Rolle der Medien als „Hauptwirklichkeitsdeuter“ der Gesellschaft ist zerbrochen, ihr Welterklärungsmonopol ist in weiten Teilen aufgebrochen“, wie es im Telepolis-eBook „Medienkritik“ heißt. Auf der einen Seite setzen sich Mediennutzer mit der Berichterstattung teilweise im Detail auseinander, markieren die Schwachstellen und scheuen sich nicht, auf blinde Flecken und Manipulationen in der Berichterstattung hinzuweisen. Auf der anderen Seite erforschen Wissenschaftler wie etwa Uwe Krüger die „Meinungsmacht“ von Eliten-Netzwerken hinter den Kulissen unserer Medien und gehen der Frage nach, warum die veröffentlichte Meinung aktuell immer homogener wird. Jens Wernicke sprach mit ihm zum „Mainstream-Effekt“.

Im Jahr 2014, mit der Annexion der Krim durch Russland, brach eine wohl schon länger schwelende Vertrauenskrise zwischen großen Medien und Mediennutzern offen aus. Sehr viele Nutzer stellten die Deutungsmuster der Berichterstattung in Frage, und die Aufregung wurde damals befeuert von Daten aus meiner Dissertation zu Journalisten in US-nahen Eliten-Netzwerken, welche durch Alternativmedien wie Telepolis und die NachDenkSeiten sowie durch die ZDF-Satiresendung „Die Anstalt“ weite Verbreitung fanden.

Auf jeden Fall ist die Wut der Mediennutzer größer geworden und das Empfinden gewachsen, dass der Meinungskorridor zu eng ist. Ich glaube, dass der Mainstream – also die dominanten Narrative in der Mehrzahl der großen Medien – in engem Zusammenhang mit dem Elitendiskurs steht, also dass die Meinungsspanne in den Medien ungefähr der Meinungsspanne in der politischen Elite entspricht.

In vielen politischen Fragen gibt es große Klüfte zwischen der Bevölkerungsmeinung und der Elitenmeinung – und die großen Medien werden eher als Transmissionsriemen des Elitendiskurses wahrgenommen denn als Anwalt der Bevölkerung. Viele Nutzer, sowohl im linken als auch im rechten Spektrum, haben außerdem das Gefühl, dass die Journalisten nicht ihre Augen und Ohren sind, die mit unverstelltem Blick versuchen Wirklichkeit abzubilden, sondern dass sie sich als ihre Lehrer gebärden, als Volkspädagogen, die Gut-Böse-Geschichten erzählen und sie von den angeblichen Notwendigkeiten und Alternativlosigkeiten der jeweiligen Regierungs- oder Bündnispolitik überzeugen wollen.

Journalisten sind nämlich von ihrer Milieuzugehörigkeit kein verkleinertes Abbild der Gesellschaft, sondern bilden eine relativ homogene Szene. Sie sind überwiegend Mittelschicht-Kinder aus gesicherten Verhältnissen und haben Hochschulabschluss. Soziokulturell gehören sie zum großen Teil einem liberal-intellektuellen Milieu mit postmaterialistischen Werten an. Das prägt natürlich den Habitus, die Perspektive auf die Welt und die Fragen, die man sich stellt. Vor allem die leitenden Journalisten großer Medienhäuser, so hat es der Medienwissenschaftler Lutz Hachmeister bereits 2002 festgestellt, würden heute mehr denn je einer verblüffend homogenen politisch-kulturellen Führungsschicht angehören. Und er fragte sich damals schon, ob dieses „spätbürgerliche Establishment“ von Entscheidern aus Politik, Wirtschaft und Kultur „die Entfremdung breiter Bevölkerungsschichten von den formaldemokratischen Ritualen überhaupt mitbekommt“.

Mir ist wichtig festzuhalten: Es gibt keinen Puppenspieler, Journalisten sind keine fremdgesteuerten Marionetten. Aber sie stecken in bestimmten Zwängen und Routinen der Nachrichtenproduktion, stehen unter permanentem Aktualitätsdruck, orientieren sich an Konkurrenzmedien und an Nachrichtenagenturen, und sie folgen in der Themenagenda und bei der Rahmung dieser Themen oft den Vorgaben der Politik-Elite. Wenn es einen Konsens innerhalb der Elite gibt, erfahren Mediennutzer häufig nichts über mögliche Alternativen, und dann wird auch selten die Gültigkeit der Argumente aus dem Eliten-Diskurs hinterfragt. Kritik wird dann allenfalls an taktischen Details geübt, nicht an der großen Strategie.

Darüber hinaus findet offensichtlich in Hintergrundkreisen, elitären Vereinen, Think Tanks, exklusiven Konferenzen und anderen Orten vertraulicher Begegnung ein Abgleich der Perspektiven statt. Dieser lässt Journalisten oft zu Politiker-Verstehern werden, die die Fragen des Publikums nicht mehr stellen, die Rücksichten nehmen und sich für das Gelingen einer bestimmten Politik mitverantwortlich fühlen. Eine solche „Verantwortungsverschwörung“, wie ich es zugespitzt nenne, sah man in jüngster Zeit bei Themen wie Ukraine und Russland, Griechenland und Schuldenkrise sowie bei der Flüchtlingskrise: Journalisten im Gleichklang mit der Regierung gemeinsam gegen Putin, Syriza, Pegida, ohne ernsthaft die Perspektiven dieser Herausforderer unseres Establishments zu spiegeln und die Gültigkeit ihrer Argumente zu erörtern.

Man kann diese selektive Wahrnehmung mit westlicher Sozialisation und kognitiven Prägungen aus dem Kalten Krieg erklären oder mit der Einbindung leitender Journalisten in transatlantische Netzwerke und die dort ablaufenden Diskurse. Oder damit, dass die Journalisten einfach der PR bzw. Propaganda der eigenen Eliten auf den Leim gehen. Oder dass sie aus Verkaufsgründen simple Geschichten mit steilen Thesen erzählen wollen. Aber für mich steht fest: Es gibt diese Einseitigkeiten, blinden Flecken und doppelten Standards, woher auch immer sie nun rühren. Es gibt diese „Bündnisrücksichten“, wie es der ehemalige ZDF-Nahost-Korrespondent Ulrich Tilgner ausdrückte, als es ihm beim ZDF zu regierungskonform wurde und er zum Schweizer Fernsehen wechselte. Und es gibt diesen Märchen-artigen Tenor, dass „Gut gegen Böse“ kämpfe, anstatt dass nüchtern und neutral das Ringen von Interessen gegen Interessen dargestellt wird. Und das untergräbt das Vertrauen der Nutzer in die Medien.

In der Vertrauenskrise äußert sich auf jeden Fall ein Konflikt zwischen „oben“ und „unten“ – und diejenigen, die unten sind oder sich dort wähnen, entziehen dem Journalismus ihr Vertrauen auch deshalb, weil dieser tendenziell die Perspektive des Establishments einnimmt und dessen Diskurs reflektiert, und eher selten eigenständig gesellschaftliche Probleme „von unten“ ins politische System hineinträgt.

Bei den Medien wird also viel Frust über die Politik abgeladen, weil Medien Politik transportieren, erklären, sie rational bis alternativlos erscheinen lassen. Man muss da genau unterscheiden, welche Kritik an wen gerichtet ist.

http://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=31990

Uwe Krügers neues Buch: http://www.chbeck.de/Krueger-Mainstream/productview.aspx?product=15997997

Kommentar: Hier nur Auszüge! Was Krüger zu sagen hat, erklärt auch, warum die Berichterstattung über die Kriege im Nahen Osten so ist, wie sie ist. Und hierher passt dann auch dieser Artikel über unsere Eliten:

7.3.2016 – Telepolis (** B P)

The West is the Best

Die Weltordnung, für die die deutschen Eliten sich entschieden haben

Betrachtet man die Gleichförmigkeit, mit der heute die Auslandsberichterstattung in den deutschen Medien betrieben wird, so gewinnt man den Eindruck, dass die deutschen Eliten fest entschlossen sind, eine bestimmte außenpolitische Grundsatzentscheidung durchzusetzen. Es geht um eine zweite Westorientierung nicht nur Deutschlands, sondern der EU als Ganzes.

TTIP soll dazu dienen, die USA und die EU nicht nur militärisch, sondern auch ökonomisch und kulturell eng zu verkoppeln. Russland wird hierzu als Feind im Osten aufgebaut und damit quasi die Rolle eines abstoßenden Magneten zugeschrieben. Die "neue alte Gefahr aus dem Osten" soll die deutschen Eliten vom Segen der geplanten transatlantischen Fusion überzeugen.

Doch haben die deutschen Eliten sich wirklich ein zweites Mal für die USA entschieden? Und wenn ja, um was für eine Wahl handelt es sich dabei eigentlich? Daran schließt sich die Frage an, warum die deutschen Eliten mehrheitlich diese Entscheidung getroffen haben? Da Westdeutschland seit dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs eng mit den Vereinigten Staaten verbunden ist, kann es bei dieser Entscheidung für die USA eigentlich kaum um einen Ausbau von Kooperation, Handel und kulturellem Austausch gegangen sein. All dies ist seit Langem gewährleistet – von Hauke Ritz

http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/47/47578/1.html

Wenn wir hier schon bei unseren Eliten und ihrem Weltbild sind, dann soll hier auch dieser ausgezeichnete Artikel nicht fehlen:

8.3.2016 – The Guardian (*** B P)

David Hare: Why the Tory project is bust

They claim to have rescued Britain from industrial chaos. But in fact Margaret Thatcher and her heirs have created a selfish and divided society in which politicians and the people regard each other with mutual contempt – by David Hare

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/mar/08/david-hare-why-the-tory-project-is-bust

Anmerkung des Nachdenkseiten-Lesers D. F.: Ein sehr guter und nachdenklicher Artikel über den Neoliberalismus – wo das Wort kein einziges Mal vorkommt. Warnung, dass der Artikel lang ist. Er scheint zunächst nur über UK was zu sagen, was auch insofern stimmt, als der Autor ja nur über britische Geschichte und Politik redet. Es wird aber alsbald klar, dass es am Ende um das Scheitern der neoliberalen Philosophie geht, der radikalen „free market“ Ideologie. Die Parallelen zu Deutschland werden auch jedem Leser sofort auffallen, der sich mit Deutschland eben auskennt. Die Parallele reichen nicht 100%; das hängt zum einen mit Spezifika in einem jeden Land zusammen, zum anderen mit der beobachtbaren Tatsache, dass bestimmte politische Trends und Zustände oft jahrelang in UK zu sehen sind, bevor sie auch in Deutschland sind.

Kommentar: Es geht hier um das völlige Scheitern des gesamten sog. „neoliberalen“ Gesellschaftsentwurfs mit seiner Ideologie des „freien Markts“ (der freilich immer nur dann „frei“ sein soll, wenn es den Profiteuren nützt) und der Ökonomisierung aller Lebensbereiche und aller zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen. Das war und ist keineswegs nur die Ideologie der britischen Konservativen (hoffähig gemacht und als „alternativlos“ erklärt von Margret Thatcher), sondern in Großbritannien ebenso von „New Labour“, und ebenso in Deutschland fast aller politischen Parteien (CDU/CSU, SPD, mit kleinen Einschränkungen auch Grüne), und auch sonst findet man weltweit kaum noch etwas Anderes, in den USA sowieso nicht.

Der letztmögliche Zeitpunkt rückt immer näher, an dem man noch frei entscheiden könnte, ob man lieber diese Ideologie aufgibt und sich deutlich neu orientiert, oder ob man alternativlos neoliberal weitermacht und damit dann ein mit unkontrollierbaren Gewaltausbrüchen verbundenes Zerbrechen unserer Gesellschaft herbeiführt. Ich fürchte, unsere Eliten entscheiden sich eher für die zweite Variante, und sei es auch nur, weil sie nach 40 Jahren des Konsenses, dieser Weg sei „alternativlos“, bereits intellektuell so beschränkt sind, dass sie gar nicht mehr anders können.

Die vielen jetzt nach Deutschland und Europa strömenden Flüchtlinge und die damit verbundenen Probleme und Differenzen haben uns wahrscheinlich innerhalb weniger Monate um viele Jahre näher an diesen Punkt herangeführt. Und damit sind wir wieder bei den Problemen im Nahen Osten. Entscheidend ausgelöst haben diese Flüchtlingsströme eben genau unsere „transatlantisch“ vernetzten Eliten in der Politik wie auch in den Medien. Sie haben die Kriege, die die Lebensgrundlagen dieser Menschen zerstört haben, begonnen, forciert, befeuert, durch "regime change"-Manöver ausgelöst, medial herbeigeschrieben, medial zustimmend begleitet, selektiv im Sinne einer „transatlantischen“ Zielsetzung darüber berichtet oder eben auch nicht oder kaum wie im Fall des Jemen.

cp2 Allgemein / General

10.3.2016 – Al Bab (* B K P)

Saudi Arabia back-tracks on Yemen

Kingdom faces consequences of its military blunder
After waging war in Yemen for almost a year, Saudi Arabia is gradually beginning to realise what many said at the outset: that military victory is impossible.

A few days ago the Saudis took the previously unthinkable step of engaging in direct talks with the Houthis, their principal foe in Yemen. Yesterday, reinforcing this shift, Saudi foreign minister Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir spoke of the kingdom's "commitment to finding a political solution".

Even so, an end to the conflict is probably still a long way off and the scope of the Saudi-Houthi talks so far seems to be limited to a few specific issues: cross-border conflict, prisoner exchanges and supplies of humanitarian aid to Yemen.

Writing earlier this week, Abdel Bari Atwan (the former editor of al-Quds newspaper) enumerated six reasons for changes in the Saudi position:

• First: the military intervention has been a failure. The Houthis have not surrendered and the Saudis have lost thousands of soldiers both on the border with Yemen and the battlefield inside the country.

• Second: the Saudis are facing mounting criticism of their campaign in Yemen from the west, including accusations of war crimes ...

• Third: the regime fears mounting unrest inside the kingdom if it persists with this unwinnable war...

• Fourth: the enormous financial expenditure on the war, estimated by some quarters in the billions per month.

• Fifth: the increasing presence of Islamic State and al-Qaeda entities in Yemen, especially in areas outside the control of coalition forces. Aden has descended into bloody chaos assassinations, suicide attacks and car bombs a daily occurrence...

• Sixth: The thinly veiled threat of escalation from Tehran. Iranian Deputy Chief of Staff, General Masoud Jazayeri, said on Tuesday ... that Iran would back the Houthis is the same way that it has backed President Assad in Syria.

The basic points here are sound, though Atwan seems unable to resist the temptation to over-egg them by claiming that the Saudis have lost "thousands" of soldiers. While it's likely that official figures minimise the Saudi casualties, it's not very persuasive to counter them by saying: "An Egyptian professor told me that his students have researched Saudi losses and concluded the number is at least 3,000."

Nevertheless, in terms of unintended consequences, the Saudi intervention in Yemen is probably on a par with America's misconceived invasion of Iraq in 2003.

For a start, the Saudis justified the war by characterising it as part of an existential struggle with Iran: one which avoided direct conflict with Iran but treated the Houthis as Iranian proxies. As a propaganda line, that idea was never very credible but talks with the Houthis have have made it even more implausible.

A secondary justification was that the Saudis were defending "legitimacy" in Yemen. The "legitimacy" in this case was that of the government led by Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Of course, the Houthis' takeover of much of Yemen was illegitimate but Hadi's legitimacy was also far from strong: he had been unconstitutionally "elected" president in 2012, in a single-candidate election, for a term that was originally expected to last for only two years. Hadi also has no significant power base within the country. What remains of Hadi's legitimacy has now been further weakened by the Saudi talks with the Houthis.

Furthermore, the Saudis and their allies have proved incapable of establishing order in the supposedly liberated parts of Yemen. The main effect of driving back the Houthis has been to empower al-Qaeda and other Sunni jihadists.

Even if the war ends eventually in some kind of negotiated settlement, that will not be the end of the Saudis' problems. Propaganda aside, the kingdom's long-term security hinges on developing a political and security situation in Yemen which can become self-sustaining. That is not going to happen without a massive and costly international effort, including the reconstruction of infrastructure which the Saudis have spent the last 12 months destroying – by Brian Whitaker

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

http://www.al-bab.com/blog/2016/march/yemen-saudi-houthi.htm#sthash.xiv1tNG6.0M1Vy1Cd.dpbs

8.3.2016 – Vice News (* B K)

Film: How a cluster bomb works and why the munition is making Yemen's humanitarian crisis worse

https://twitter.com/VICE/status/707664896113029120 = https://amp.twimg.com/v/5ff08252-ee1f-42b4-abb5-bcab5f64ac12

8.3.2016 – Critical Threats (* A K P)

2016 Yemen Crisis Situation Report: March 8

Yemen continues to be a theater for the Iranian-Saudi regional conflict. An Iranian official threatened to increase direct Iranian military support to the al Houthis in Yemen. The al Houthis, meanwhile, sent representatives to Abha, Saudi Arabia for the first direct negotiations between the al Houthis and Saudi officials.

The regional Iranian-Saudi conflict may escalate in Yemen. Iran’s deputy chief of staff of the armed forces, Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, suggested that Iran could replicate its support for the Assad regime in Syria in its support of the al Houthi movement in Yemen. The statement is a message to Saudi Arabia and could be in response to Saudi pledges to commit ground troops to Syria. The Iranian statement also occurred on the same day that al Houthi representatives met for negotiations in Abha, Saudi Arabia, at the behest of Saudi officials. Saudi Arabia has never hosted peace talks for the Yemen conflict and this meeting marks a significant change in both parties’ willingness to negotiate. It is not clear whether representatives from former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s faction were included or present or of the role played by representatives from President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government in the negotiations.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) denied any connection to the attack on a nursing home in Aden.

Both sides are attempting to woo the support of Yemen’s northern tribes, particularly in Sana’a. General Ali Mohsen al Ahmar, a defected Saleh general recently promoted by President Hadi, met with tribal leaders in the districts of Bani Matar, al Haymah, Bilad al Rus, Hamdan, and Sanhan in Sana’a governorate. Meanwhile, Saleh representatives met with tribal leaders in Hamdan district in Sana’a governorate, amidst rumors that the area’s tribes may shift their allegiance towards Hadi’s government. The alliance between the al Houthi movement and Saleh supporters hinges on the willingness of Saleh supporters to commit to al Houthi objectives. Both sides in the Yemen conflict will attempt to exploit this balance of power in order to hold possession of Sana’a.

AQAP remains engaged in anti-al Houthi operations in central Yemen and continues to operate among local populations even as the coalition targets AQAP positions. Saudi General Ahmed al Asiri confirmed coalition airstrikes were targeting AQAP munitions depots east of al Mukalla, Hadramawt on March 1.

Militant Islamists and southern secessionists are exploiting the security vacuum in Aden to fuel instability.

The Iranian offer to increase its military support for the al Houthi-Saleh alliance will likely affect the negotiating positions of the Saudis and the al Houthis in talks. It is unlikely that the two sides will be able to reach an agreement that resolves the conflict in Yemen, and neither side has full control over the militias fighting on its behalf. The continued mobilization of Yemeni populations against the al Houthi-Saleh alliance and/or Hadi’s government creates the conditions that AQAP has exploited to expand – by James Towey

http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/yemen-crisis-situation-reports-march-8-2016

8.3.2016 – Mohammed Basha (B K)

Short term: #Yemen will require $10/12 billion to restore critical infrastructure ● long term reconstruction price tag may top $100 billion

https://twitter.com/Yemen411/status/707331268174807045

Comment: it is difficult to make any estimation of the costs of reconstruction. I link this here because my idea was USD 100 billion as well – if the war stops today, anyway.

2.2.2016 – Call of Truth (B K P)

Film: "Good Terrorists" , "Bad Terrorists". The Yemen war in less than one minute.

As long as double-standards dominate western policies, as long as terrorism- in the view of its powerful supporters- is divided into “good” and “bad” types, and as long as governmental interests are given precedence over human values and ethics, the roots of violence should not be searched for in other places.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGMpGv-YHZ4

? – Frankie Boyle (B K)

Frankie Boyle's Anti-war View of Scottish Independence

"Not only will America go to your country and kill all your people, they'll come back 20 years later and make a movie about how killing your people made their soldiers feel sad." - Frankie Boyle

https://www.facebook.com/MintpressNewsMPN/videos/1073093706067497/?fref=nf

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

10.3.2016 – World Food Programme (A H)

Yemen: Emergency Dashboard, February 2016 (Infographic)

http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/wfp282062.pdf

9.3.2016 – United Nations Population Fund (* B H)

UNFPA Yemen - Press Release -Taizz

UNFPA provides life-saving care for pregnant women in Taizz

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, estimates that at least 90,000 pregnant women are in Taizz City, with 4,500 of them facing the risk of dying due to complications during childbirth within the next nine months. Urgent care and medical supplies are needed to safeguard the health of pregnant women and their babies.

With severely disrupted health services and critical shortages of medical supplies in Taizz City, UNFPA has stepped up its efforts by providing reproductive health kits that ensure safe deliveries, catering to nearly 1,500 pregnant women in the districts of Hifan, Al-Turba, Mawya, Al-Rahida, Dimnat Khadir and Sharab. Mobile reproductive health clinics providing antenatal and postnatal care, and facilities for safe deliveries, are also operating within the peripheries of these six districts to meet the reproductive health needs of those fleeing the enclaved areas.

“In collaboration with our local partners, we are trying our best to provide critical services and reach enclaved areas,” stated Lene K. Christiansen, UNFPA Representative to Yemen. “We estimate that least 6,000 pregnant women are enclaved in three districts of Taizz, with 1,200 of them at risk of dying due to complications during childbirth.”

Since January 2016, UNFPA has provided more than 5,000 dignity kits to the most vulnerable women and girls in six districts of Taizz including the enclaved district of Salh. With the personal hygiene items and culturally appropriate clothing included in these kits, women will not only be able to maintain their personal hygiene, particularly menstrual hygiene, but will enjoy improved mobility and reduced vulnerability to gender-based violence when seeking humanitarian aid. Services for survivors of gender-based violence are also being provided through local partners in these districts, with a growing need for psychosocial support services being reported.
“When I received my dignity kit, I just cried and I made the distribution team cry too. I am just so happy. I don’t have clothes or anything to keep myself clean, this is so helpful to me,” said a woman who had just fled an enclaved area in Taizz with her two children.

UNFPA also plans to distribute life-saving medicines to health facilities across the country to meet the needs of more than 500,000 pregnant women.

Through the recently launched 2016 Yemen Humanitarian Response, UNFPA has appealed for $15.6 million to ensure sexual and reproductive health services and to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in Yemen.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is the lead UN agency that expands the possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy sexual and reproductive lives. We are on the ground improving lives in more than140 countries, delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

http://arabstates.unfpa.org/public/pid/19145

Comment: before the war, Taizz city had about 600.000 people. There is estimated, that a lot had fled because of the war and only 200.000 had left. About 100.000 of them will be female, of all ages. 90.000 of them shall be pregnant in the moment???

9.3.2016 – Acted (A H)

Supporting female headed households in Yemen

In Yemen, over 2.5 million people are currently living away from their home as internally displaced people. Many families who have moved location are headed by women and contain large numbers of children; sometimes, breadwinner husbands and brothers have died, and in other cases, they have remained at home to continue with any livelihood opportunity.

At the same time, some 14.4 million people across the country are in need of food security assistance. Some of the most urgent cases are found among internally displaced people (IDP) communities. In response, ACTED targets as priority female headed households in its emergency food security interventions, recognising the critical role that female household members play in guaranteeing the food security of the entire household.

In Al Dhale’e, ACTED is distributing cash assistance of 166USD to such vulnerable households, money which is being used to meet immediate household needs such as purchasing basic staple food items.

Similarly in host communities, some of the most vulnerable households are headed by women whose husbands have died or left home. Food security needs may be acute as a result of the conflict but more commonly, are as a result of longstanding and deeply rooted vulnerabilities.

ACTED’s approach with these households is directed towards supporting livelihoods, helping people improve household level production for domestic consumption or sale, for now and the years to come.

In Al Hudaydah, Raymah, Ibb and Al Dhale’e, ACTED is supporting 800 female headed households in the creation and management of home “keyhole” gardens. These are simple, raised beds that allow a range of crops to be grown. ACTED provides comprehensive training, inputs, materials, tools and seeds to get the women on their way.

This way, women as heads of household are supported to become increasingly self-sufficient and empowered to provide for their families.

http://www.acted.org/en/supporting-female-headed-households-yemen

9.3.2016 – International Medical Corps (* A H)

FAST FIGURES

14.4 million people in Yemen are food insecure

At least 2.5 million people are internally displaced

Conflict has led to more than 6,200 deaths, including 2,900 civilians, since March 2015

More than 29,000 people have been injured since March 2015

SITUATION AT A GLANCE

International staff reach Aden after a long absence

International Medical Corps expands WASH activities

International Medical Corps teams tackle malaria and dengue in Aden and Lahj

SITUATION UPDATE

Yemen’s civilian population continues to face countless challenges as conditions in the country worsen after 10 months of renewed conflict, leading UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien to label the situation an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe. An estimated 21.2 million people in Yemen are in need of some kind of humanitarian relief, including health care, food, and access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Since airstrikes began in mid-March 2015, more than 6,200 people—including 2,900 civilians—have been killed and another 29,000 people injured. Airstrikes, bombings, and other violence have decimated Yemen’s health system, with approximately 600 health facilities closed across the country due to damage, lack of supplies, or absence of staff, according to the UN. Attempts to resolve the Yemen conflict through UN sponsored peace talks have stalled since mid-January.

Insecurity remains a key hurdle in the southern governorate of Aden, where militias and militant groups continue to challenge the authority of pro-government forces and the Saudi-led Coalition, which regained control of Aden from Al Houthi rebels in July 2015. Fighting, kidnappings, assassinations, car jackings, bombings, and other hazards have made Aden a difficult operational environment for relief actors, and most organizations have operated without international staff in Aden since mid-2015. After a 10-month hiatus, international personnel from International Medical Corps were able to travel to Aden in mid February.

International Medical Corps’ Yemen country director visited two hospitals, Al Sadaqa and Al Jumhouria. Al Sadaqa, located in an insecure area of Ash Shaikh Outhman District, recently reopened with assistance from International Medical Corps following several months of closure due to conflict damage, during which period the hospital served intermittently as a shelter for internally displaced persons (IDPs). International Medical Corps provides medical supplies and equipment, as well as salary incentives for 80 percent of Al Sadaqa staff, to help keep the hospital functioning. At Al Jumhouria—one of the main referral hospitals in the area—patients with conflict-related injuries packed the emergency ward. International Medical Corps’ Yemen country director also traveled to Lahj, where he met with local authorities. The five-day, overland trip to Aden and Lahj underscored the difficulty of transporting assistance from Sana’a to southern Yemen and within Aden itself, as routes featured numerous checkpoints that marked the frontlines of territory controlled by one party or another. International Medical Corps is exploring alternative ways to reach Aden, such as by boat or by air.

In Taizz City, humanitarian organizations continue to negotiate with conflict parties to access areas of Al Mudhaffar, Al Qahirah, and Salh districts, where approximately 200,000 people have limited access to assistance and are living under siege conditions. After several months of effort, UN agencies, international organizations, and others successfully gained permission to enter the city in mid-February, delivering critical items such as family food rations; medicine, oxygen, and emergency medical supplies for hard-to-reach hospitals; and basic household items like blankets and mattresses. The humanitarian community continues to advocate with conflict parties for sustained, unrestricted access to Taizz. However, airstrikes are a continuous threat for civilians and relief workers, as are shelling, sniper fire, and other hazards. International Medical Corps staff in Yemen note that wounded individuals are often unable to access clinics and hospitals for assistance due to clashes and the difficulties of crossing the frontlines of fighting, leading medical personnel to provide emergency care in homes and other alternative locations.

http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-external-situation-report-33-march-8-2016 and in full: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/IMC%20Yemen%20External%20SitRep%2033%20-%20030816.pdf

8.3.2016 – Reuters (* B H)

Yemen war generates widespread suffering, but few refugees

Amid Yemen's misery, two young women living in the war-damaged cities of Aden and Sanaa know they are among the relatively fortunate. They are not starving, their homes have not been destroyed and they have survived bombs and bullets unscathed.

But both long to escape the conflict plunging their country ever deeper into catastrophe. Neither can see a way out.

"I don't want to lose my life over a dream," says Nisma al-Ozebi, a 21-year-old civil engineering student in the southern port city of Aden. She hankers for a scholarship that would be her passport to a sanctuary in Europe, but adds: "I don't want to leave Yemen and live like a refugee."

"You feel like death is waiting in every place," says Kholood al-Absi, 27, who lost her job with an oil services company in Sanaa late last year. "From the air it's Saudi planes. From the ground it's Houthis, car bombs, explosions, clashes. You feel the lives of Yemenis are very cheap."

"I was ambitious, I liked to dream, I had many plans in my head," says Kholood of her pre-war life. "But the war has stolen everything from me. I'm just thinking maybe I will die today or tomorrow. I feel like I'm dying but still breathing."

The country she once knew has unraveled.

"Now there is a big gap between Yemenis. Before, all of us, Sunni and Shi'ite, went to the same mosques, gathered in the same places. This war makes us ask which religion, which party, someone belongs to," she said.

Evidence of worsening poverty is stark. "A lot of people are just begging for money and food. Some are well-educated people who lost their jobs and couldn't feed their children. This war has stolen their dignity," Kholood says. "I feel it's unbearable for me, but my situation is better than a lot of people."Kholood said she feels lonely because friends had left Yemen, sad because of relatives who had been killed and lacking purpose without the job she loved.

Now, apart from domestic chores, she spends time on Facebook and watching the news, especially a channel that quickly reports the location of air strikes. "When we hear bombs, we go to this channel to see where they are falling," she says.

Kholood has no love for the Houthis, but her initial support for the Saudi intervention has soured with the passage of time. "We feel it destroyed Yemen. Saudi Arabia and the other countries supporting it ... are just killing people without feeling any guilt. A lot of innocent people have been killed, civilians, children." – by Alistair Lyon

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-cornered-idUSKCN0WB0IL

Comment by Hannah Porter: If you’ve ever wondered why we don’t see refugees from Yemen flooding into Europe, this Reuters piece may offer some explanation.
Kholood, who has a valid passport and is ready to go, still can't imagine crowding into a refugee boat for Djibouti. “‘It's very dangerous, so I think it's better for me to die in my home than to die far away,’ she laughs.”

https://www.facebook.com/groups/yemenpeaceproject/permalink/10153621205543020/

8.3.2016 – Internationales Rotes Kreuz (* A H)

Film: International Women's Day: Three women’s tales - Marie-Claire Feghali

“There were air raids – at times, they lasted for months. You never knew when a bomb might fall”

"I've seen it all, but the experience that has left the deepest impression on me was Yemen."

https://twitter.com/ICRC/status/707243189791424512

8.3.2016 – Spark (B E H)

FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS AWARDED LOANS IN YEMEN

Amidst the turmoil of the Yemen conflict, four female entrepreneurs are offering a promising start to the future of peace in their country. In the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen’s fourth largest urban centre four female-run businesses have recently been awarded micro loans to expand their business after the training they received in business skills from SPARK’s Agri-Business Creation Programme (ABC). The businesses are in a mixture of arts, crafts and confectionary and have been breaking down economic barriers for women’s involvement in entrepreneurship.

Following on from SPARK’s Yemen success stories, the four female entrepreneurs are leading the way in business creation. Two businesses produce handicrafts made from palm fronds, a natural and abundant resource in Yemen from which baskets, bags, hats, fans, mats and brooms can be made, all beautifully decorated and hand made. These businesses are the most well-established and were started to create economic security and provide useful low cost products for lower income families.

With support from SPARK’s Agri-Business Creation programme (ABC) the four women have been able to secure funds from a micro-loan company in Hodeidah in order to build on their supply and marketing.

The businesses fulfil the women’s search for locally available and affordable beauty and home products while also breaking down gender barriers to women owned business. All the women express satisfaction with owning a business and the responsibility and independence that comes with making their own choices. They all have high ambitions.

http://www.spark-online.org/female-entrepreneurs-awarded-loans-in-yemen/

7.3.2016 – The Guardian (* B K)

Wars are being fought as in 'barbarian times', warns MSF chief

Charity head speaks out after hospital attacks and says focus on terrorism is threatening the rules which govern warfare

Attacks against civilians in war zones across the world have grown more indiscriminate due to a myopic focus by the major global powers on fighting terrorism, the head of the international charity Médecins Sans Frontières has said.

In an interview with the Guardian, Joanne Liu, the Canadian physician and president of MSF, issued a broad indictment of how modern warfare is conducted, declaring that world powers have failed in their duty to uphold the rules of conflict, threatening a return to “barbarian times”.

“We are in a completely different way of rules of engagement in conflicts,” she said during a visit to Beirut. “I still believe that what the Geneva convention and international humanitarian law brought to conflict was to mitigate war on civilians, and by not respecting that we are going backwards a hundred years. It’s barbarian times. I don’t think in the 21st century we should allow ourselves to drift there.

The past few months have seen an increased ferocity of attacks on health facilities, especially in the Middle East – by Kareem Shaheen

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/07/wars-are-being-fought-as-in-barbarian-times-warns-medecins-san-frontieres-chief

4.3.2016 – UNO (B H)

Civilians bear brunt of Yemen's unrest, UN human rights office warns

The number of civilians killed in Yemen continues to rise, almost doubling between January and February, the United Nations human rights office today announced.

“During February, a total of at least 168 civilians were killed and 193 injured, around two-thirds of them by Coalition airstrikes,” the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rupert Colville, told journalists in Geneva.

This casualty number is the “highest since September”, he added.

Airstrikes account for the greatest number of casualties, with 99 people affected in the capital, Sana'a, in February, out of 246 people killed or wounded throughout the country during the month.

In the worst single incident, at least 39 civilians were killed and another 33 injured on 27 February, during an airstrike on the Khaleq market in Sana'a's north-eastern district of Nahem. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is among the UN officials who have called for a prompt and impartial investigation.

South of Sana'a, fighting and indiscriminate shelling by members of the Popular Committees affiliated with the Houthis and allied army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh resulted in 49 civilian casualties in February, including children, according to figures provided by Mr. Colville. The incidents took place mostly in Taizz, Ibb and Al Jawf.

Civilian infrastructure also continues to be damaged or destroyed. Mr. Colville said that both parties have targeted protected civilian sites, along with places such as a cement factory, homes, shops and ambulance and police cars.

“There have also been worrying allegations – which we are still working to verify – that Coalition forces dropped cluster bombs on a mountainous area to the south of the Amran cement factory,” Mr. Colville said. The target appears to have been a military unit loyal to the Houthis.

The UN human rights official also highlighted the dangers posed to journalists, with at least two incidents occurring in February in areas controlled by the Houthis or the Popular Committees affiliated with the Houthis.

During today's press conference, Mr. Colville referred to a 31 January statement by the Spokesman of the Coalition Forces concerning the establishment of a multi-national team formed by the Command of the Coalition Forces to evaluate the military targeting mechanisms and incidents taking place in civilian areas.

He urged any investigation to be done in accordance with international standards, including independence and impartiality.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=53367#.Vt_1JFLcLX5 and an article by VOA: http://www.voanews.com/content/millions-forcibly-displaced-by-year-long-conflict-in-yemen-un-says/3225773.html

cp4 Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage

8.3.2016 – United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) (A P)

Honour the ‘Monuments Men & Women’ of today – UN expert on cultural rights

“We need to do more to recognize those brave men and women who risk their lives to protect the cultural heritage of humanity”, said the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Karima Bennoune: “Cultural heritage is a human rights issue and deliberate destruction of this common heritage is a human rights violation.

While the world mourned the Syrian archaeologist, Khaled al-Asaad, who died defending Palmyra in August 2015, many of his fellow culture heritage defenders continue to labour in obscurity and danger. Sometimes ordinary citizens take it upon themselves to safeguard cultural artifacts like those in Northern Mali who reportedly hid manuscripts beneath the floorboards of their homes to protect them during the 2012 occupation or those who protested the destruction of Sufi sites in Libya.

“The ‘monuments men and women' of today – archaeologists, museum curators, archivists or guards around the world – have been willing to risk their lives to defend the history of humanity. We owe it to them to continue their work, remember their names, support their families and colleagues and protect what they have saved,” Ms. Bennoune said in advance of presenting her first report* to the UN Human Rights Council Thursday, focusing on the intentional destruction of cultural heritage.

“A nation stays alive when its culture stays alive,” said the Special Rapporteur, invoking the motto of the National Museum of Afghanistan, where 2,750 pieces were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, even as Afghan curators tried to defend the collection. Intentional destruction of heritage, Ms. Bennoune said “is often part of a strategy to destroy the morale of people, terrorize them, or eradicate signs of the presence of certain cultures in a territory.”

As the Special Rapporteur outlines in her report, because destruction of cultural heritage often results from armed conflict, whether as so-called collateral damage or due to deliberate targeting, a special regime governs its protection in times of conflict, in particular through the 1954 Hague Convention and the two protocols thereto.

“I have heard worrying reports of violations of these provisions in recent and on-going conflicts which I will consider in my next report to the UN General Assembly,” the Special Rapporteur noted, expressing concern that many State members of the Human Rights Council have themselves not adhered to the standards.

“In addition to tackling the role of States, attention must also be paid to the robust use of international standards for holding non-State actors to account and preventing their engaging in destruction,” she added.

Ms. Bennoune stressed that recent destructions that have been reported in mass media, and which deeply affected the local populations, are just a few examples and that similar pattern of attacks by States and non-State actors are occurring in a number of regions of the world. She also recalled that accountability through individual criminal responsibility is crucial to protecting heritage. “I very much hope that we will see further cases like the one currently proceeding in the ICC with regard to the destruction in Timbuktu,” she said.

“Destruction is often accompanied by other grave assaults on human dignity and human rights,” the expert explained. “As such, it must be addressed in the context of holistic strategies for the promotion of human rights and peace-building.”

The Special Rapporteur also recommends that States prepare in peacetime for threats to cultural heritage, allocating sufficient resources, conducting educational programmes, providing international technical assistance and making use of new technologies and media.

“The international community has largely failed to address the destruction of cultural heritage as a question of human rights. If we are to successfully defend such heritage from recent onslaughts, this must change,” the expert stated. “We must react with urgency, but take the long view.”
http://www.ohchr.org/SP/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17170&LangID=E

1.3.2016 – Mehr News (A P)

Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, signed an agreement on Monday to protect cultural heritage in armed conflict cases.

Under the agreement, the two organizations will implement joint projects to improve the protection of heritage in those scenarios, according to a press release.

Bokova extoled the role of the ICRC as a key ally of UNESCO in emergency situations in which is crucial to protect the cultural heritage, the carrier of the people's identity, dignity and resilience.

This agreement is a testimony of the increasing awareness worldwide about the fact that the protection of heritage is not only a cultural emergency, but also a humanitarian imperative, she stressed.

Bokova expressed confidence that the agreement will offer chances to improve the capacity to get field information in difficult to access areas.

The signing of this agreement is part of the strategy to reinforce the actions of UNESCO in the protection of culture and the promotion of pluralism, adopted in November, 2015 by the General Conference, added the note.

http://en.mehrnews.com/news/114885/UNESCO-ICRC-sign-agreement-to-protect-cultural-heritage

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

9.3.2016 – Reuters (A P)

Houthi official tells Iran to stay out of Yemen crisis

A senior Houthi official told Iranian officials on Wednesday to stay out of Yemen's conflict, after an Iranian general said Tehran might send military advisers to help Houthi forces fighting a Gulf Arab coalition.

The Houthis usually see Iran as a friendly power in their year-old war against the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which is trying to restore President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power.

"Officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran must be silent and leave aside the exploitation of the Yemen file," the official, Yousef al-Feshi, a member of the Houthis' Revolutionary Committee, said in a posting on Facebook.

It was the first public remark from a senior official in the Houthi group, seen to be very close to Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, to be directed at Iranian officials.

On Tuesday, Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, suggested in an interview with the Tasnim news agency that Iran might support the Houthis in a similar way it has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces in Syria.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKCN0WB1Z4 = https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Mar-09/341381-houthi-official-tells-iran-to-stay-out-of-yemen-crisis.ashx

8.3.2016 – TRT (A P)

Houthi rebels in Yemen appoint ambassador to Syria

Houthi rebels have appointed Naif Al-Ahmad Ganis, vice president of the revolutionary committee, as Yemen's new ambassador to the Syrian regime, said SABA news agency, which is in the control of the rebels.

http://www.trtworld.com/mea/houthi-rebels-in-yemen-appoint-ambassador-to-syria-63411

8.3.2016 – Ayham Alghopary (A K)

Breaking. #Saudi Coalition jets prevent a civilian plane from landing at Sanaa Airport

https://twitter.com/AyhamGh1993/status/707344610109079552

cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government

9.3.2016 – Mohammed Basha on Twitter (A P)

Yemen's @almasdaronline: @HadiPresident will delgate authority to @KhaledBahah while he receives medical care in the US until May 2016.

https://twitter.com/Yemen411/status/707670981582655489

9.3.2016 – Yemen Update on Twitter (A P)

Prz Hadi's office denies news that he will leave to the USA for medication delegating authorities to his VP

https://twitter.com/yemen_updates/status/707704185962283009

9.3.2016 – Fides (A T)

Terroristen bedrohen Schülerinnen in Aden: „Unsere Gewehre haben Durst“

Bewaffnete Männer, die nach eigenen Angaben im Namen des Islamischen Staates (IS) handeln, drangen am gestrigen 8. März in eine Mädchenschule in Aden ein, wo jenen den Schülerinnen ein “Ultimatum” stellten, die ihre Kleidung noch nicht den Bestimmungen der dschihadistischen Propaganda angepasst haben. Die Schülerinnen wurden von den Terroristen über die eigentliche Unterrichtszeit hinaus in der Schule festgehalten.
Am Tag zuvor waren in der Hafenstadt Flugblätter verteilt worden, auf denen alle Frauen, auch Schülerinnen, aufgefordert wurden sich entsprechend der Islamischen Gebote zu kleiden. “Wer sich noch länger mit Kleidern von Juden, Christen und Ungläubigen kleide” werde ermordet”. “Unsere Gewehre haben Durst und wir werden ihren Durst mit dem Blut derer löschen, die gegen die Gebote Gottes verstoßen“, heißt es auf dem Flugblatt.

http://www.fides.org/de/news/59598#.VuEDy_nhCUk

9.3.2016 – Foreign Affairs Publisher (A T)

Jihadists spread terror in a girls' school in Aden

On Tuesday, 8 March Islamic Jihadists raided a school in Aden, where they wanted to give “a last warning” to the students who had not yet put in practice the order to adapt the clothing rules imposed by jihadist propaganda. The students were kept segregated by the terrorists in the school for a long time.
The day before, in the Yemeni port city, leaflets circulated ordering all women – including students – to adapt their clothing to the rules attributed by jihadists to the Islamic Law. In the leaflet, death threats were addressed to Jews, Christians and infidels “who dares to continue to wear indecent clothing”. “We will kill anyone who violates the law of God”, said among other things the ungrammatical text on the leaflet signed by Yemeni affiliates of Daesh.

http://foreignaffairs.co.nz/2016/03/10/asiayemen-jihadists-spread-terror-in-a-girls-school-in-aden/

6.3.2016 – National Yemen (A T)

AlQeada warns female students n da south #Yemen_Aden from wearing school uniform as it doesn't match with Islam

https://twitter.com/nationalyemen/status/706545438388781056

Comment: IS, not Al Qaida.

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

10.3.2016 – Shafaqna (A P)

Yemen is making its case before the UNHRC

Yemen this Thursday will present its case before the UNHCR, and demand that the many war crimes which were committed against its land, and against its people be addressed.

At war with Saudi Arabia and the coalition it gathered, Yemen has suffered a million deaths, abandoned by a world community which has cared little for its people welfare and safety.

http://en.shafaqna.com/news/30220

Comment: “Yemen” here just the Houthi / saleh site. The other site did this already – stating only Houthi and saleh crimes, not even mentioning Saudi air strikes.

10.3.2016 – Press TV Iran (* A P)

Saudi Arabia pretends seeking peace in Yemen: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Hussain al-Bukhaiti, an activist and political commentator in Sana’a, to discuss Saudi Arabia’s ongoing military campaign against Yemen, despite calls made by the Kingdom’s foreign minister for a political solution to the crisis.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Why this contradiction? Why is the Saudi foreign minister talking about political talks and resolution on the one hand and yet the continual pounding of Yemen by Saudi forces on the other hand?

Bukhaiti: The Saudis [are] doing that, just they are trying to sell out through the international media that they are willing for peace and they are looking for peace and they want to end this war but on the other hand they keep pounding and bombing Yemen for the last almost over eleven months now.

We know that there was a kind of calm at the border and maybe as well over Sana’a, the city, but everywhere else the Saudis continued their airstrikes, they continued their air campaign, their blockade still exists and they are not allowing any medicine or any food or fuel to come into country.

Days ago they have threatened all ships which had got permission from the United Nations to come to Yemen, they have warned them to leave Hudaydah port because I think in the coming days they will try or they will target Hudaydah port because the only thing they want, they want to destroy all Yemen infrastructure, they want to bring Yemenis into submission and all that rumors about there is a kind of an agreement as the Saudis claim is all lies.

There was kind of a tribal meeting between both sides because we know that tribes in the Yemeni border and the Saudi border, they are the most affected by this war and they have met to see ways that they can do maybe to help bring new channels for negotiations or to bring peace in Yemen.

Press TV: Speaking of that, what are the chances that these talks can bring about some form of ceasefire at least and then a concerted effort to end this aggression?

Bukhaiti: I think the only thing those kinds of talks can bring is the same calm we had three days ago in the border but anywhere else in Yemen we have seen that the Saudis [are] still bombing everywhere and al-Qaeda is still active in Yemen and al-Qaeda now is threatening Yemeni security more than the Saudi airplanes and this is the problem that the Yemenis are going to face in the future and the only thing I think that will have any pressure on the Saudis is through the international community.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/03/10/454982/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-war-airstrike-UN-Security-Council-alQaeda

Comment: From Iranian point of view.. but in Yemen, with nothing changing, question is the same.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=983439075042456&id=961126490607048

10.3.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)

Al-Asiri: No Truce, No Negotiations on the Yemeni Arena

Riyadh- Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen supporting the legitimate government confirmed that no route can solve the political crisis, after the insurgents’ revolt against their government, except the one taken by the U.N. approach, legitimate government and the U.N. 2216 resolution.

Coalition forces confirmed that there are no negotiations or truce achieved by Yemeni tribal leaders; clan members have tried to soothe the situation borders with Saudi Arabia as to allow humanitarian aid and relief to enter.

Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Asiri told Asharq Al-Awsat that any positive step helping a solution in Yemen is welcomed.

Arab coalition leaderships revealed that tribal figureheads are currently spending their efforts to devise somewhat a virtual truce on borders with Saudi Arabia. Their mission is aimed at having relief and medical aid reach near-border villages, given that those villages are in close proximity to military operations and confrontations. Saudi-led Arab coalition forces have responded positively to the temporary truce request at the border-exit Alb.

Saudi soldier Cpl. Jaber al-Kaabi was released in exchange for seven Yemenis who were detained while conducting operations on the southern Yemeni borders with Saudi Arabia.

News agency SPA said that the Saudi-led coalition welcomed the calm that may lead to a U.N. sponsored political solution according to resolution 2216.

Spokesman of Coalition Forces and adviser at Defense Minister’s Office Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Asiri clarified that the Yemeni tribal leaders coordinated the prisoner swap which led to the freeing of Cpl. Jaber al-Kaabi. He also said that Yemeni tribal figures helped facilitate the delivery of aid across the border into Yemeni villages. Al-Asiri pointed out that there are no negotiations going on; but efforts are being spent to ensure that relief reaches the unarmed villagers.

“We have responded to those initiatives, and encourage any likes of them. Should such passage lead to a final and political solution which restores Yemen’s security and stability, we definitely welcome such positive approaches,” al- Asiri said.

In a phone call, Brig. Gen. al-Asiri said that the villages’ tribal leaders are struggling to have relief reach them are mainly to the north of Yemen and near Saudi borders, a zone which includes hundreds of villages.

Al-Asiri further stressed that the current calm state should result in humanitarian relief reaching those in dire need of it, and that the coalition forces work on restoring hope to Yemen and maintain the legitimacy of its ruling administration.

http://english.aawsat.com/2016/03/article55348339/al-asiri-no-truce-no-negotiations-on-the-yemeni-arena

Comment: That would mean: Nothing new at all. Insisting on the implementation of the totally one-sided UN resolution 2216 – which in fact requires the Houthis to capitulate – means prolonging the war.

10.3.2016 – Telesur TV (A P)

Cracks Emerge in Saudi War on Yemen amid Talks with Rebels

The direct peace talks and first prisoner swap of the conflict could indicate a major policy shift in the Saudi leadership, which could be looking for a way out of a conflict it initiated in March last year, which has killed more than 7.000 people and has cost the kingdom billions of dollars so far.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Cracks-Emerge-in-Saudi-War-on-Yemen-amid-Talks-with-Rebels--20160310-0003.html

Comment: Looking at Asiri, it needs to be said: These Venezuelans from Telesur are just too “normal”: They think the Saudis to be more human and more intelligent as they really are.

9.3.2016 – Cato Institute (A P)

Small Steps in the Middle East

Progress in Yemen is less spectacular, but still encouraging. Following negotiations mediated by northern Yemeni tribal leaders, the combatants arranged to a swap of Jaber al-Kaabi, a Saudi soldier, for the release of seven Yemeni prisoners. At the same time, a truce along the Saudi-Yemeni border is allowing much-needed humanitarian aid to flow into the country.

Again, these are at best a tiny step towards resolving the conflict, which has lasted almost a year and produced extremely high levels of civilian casualties. The truce is temporary and confined to the border region; Saudi airstrikes continue near the contested town of Ta’iz. Yet the negotiations mark the first direct talks between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition, which had previously insisted that they would deal with the Houthis only through the exiled Hadi government.

In both Syria and Yemen, observers are quick to point out the tenuous nature of these developments, and it is certainly true that any political settlement in either conflict remains an uphill battle. But I prefer to view these developments in a more positive light. As numerous post-Soviet frozen conflicts have demonstrated, ceasefires do not necessarily resolve the major disputes which precipitated the conflict originally. Yet even if the end result is not a more comprehensive peace deal, the lower levels of violence and improved access to humanitarian aid can dramatically improve life for civilians. In Syria in particular, this represents a small - but notable - victory for diplomacy – by Emma Ashford

http://www.cato.org/blog/small-steps-middle-east

9.3.2016 – Al Araby (A K P)

Saudi committed to political solution in Yemen

Saudi Arabia is committed to a political solution to Yemen's war under UN-backed peace efforts and sees as positive a call by a Houthi official for Iran to stay out of Yemen, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Wednesday.

Arab coalition forces said earlier on Wednesday that tribal figures in Yemen have sought to create a “state of calm” on the border with Saudi Arabia to allow medical and aid materials to be sent to in Yemeni villages, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The aid for the villages near areas of military operations will reach the people through the Olab border crossing.

The statement on state news agency SPA, also carried by Al Arabiya News Channel said that the Saudi-led coalition welcomed the “calm” to heavy clashes on the border which it said could lead to a political solution.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/03/09/Arab-coalition-frees-officer-in-Yemen-prisoner-swap.html

9.3.2016 – Living in Yemen on the Edge (A K P)

President Saleh: Negotiating with Saudi Arabia to stop inner fighting and aggression on Yemen
In an official GPC statement Saleh's political wing backs comprehensive peace and all efforts to stop the war and aggression on Yemen
GPC stands with any effort to stop the aggression and the war on our country and all kinds of internal fighting and also halting military operations on the Saudi Yemeni border, an offical source in Saleh's office said
The source welcomed in his statement the efforts in this regard, recalling that the call for direct dialogue between our country and our brothers in Saudi Arabia already announced by President Ali Abdullah Saleh. And that - dialogue - must be with those who have the decision to stop the aggression and all kinds of internal fighting on throughout the Yemeni nation.

https://www.facebook.com/961126490607048/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/983061868413510/?type=3&theater

10.3.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A P)

Saleh’s party welcomes ‘any efforts’ aimed at ending Yemen war

The General People's Congress (GPC), led by former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, welcomed on Wednesday any efforts aimed at ending the ongoing war in Yemen, Anadolureported.

This news came following reports of a “truce” being reached along the border of Saudi Arabia and Yemen led by tribal and community leaders.

The official news website for Saleh reported an unnamed official as saying: “The GPC supports comprehensive peace and welcomes any efforts leading to the end of the war and all forms of internal hostilities in Yemen, including the halt of military acts on the Saudi-Yemeni borders.”

Saleh’s party, which has heavily criticised Saudi Arabia, described the Saudis as “brothers”. It also said that Saleh has “personally” called for direct dialogue between Yemen and Saudi based on his recognition that there must be a dialogue between the two.

The GPC said that it is “calling for peace” and is “against all wars”. It noted that “accepting peace does not mean submission and giving up the right to self-defence”.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/24425-salehs-party-welcomes-any-efforts-aimed-at-ending-yemen-war

9.3.2016 – Deutschlandfunk (A K P)

Saudis und Rebellen tauschen Gefangene aus

Im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen haben das von Saudi-Arabien geführte Militärbündnis und die Rebellen Gefangene ausgetauscht.

Wie die staatliche saudische Nachrichtenagentur SPA weiter berichtet, wurde außerdem eine Waffenruhe entlang der Grenze vereinbart. Dadurch sollen Hilfslieferungen in Dörfer auf jemenitischer Seite möglich werden. Bislang scheiterten alle Versuche für eine landesweit geltende Waffenruhe. - Das sunnitische Königreich Saudi-Arabien fliegt mit seinen Verbündeten seit einem Jahr Luftangriffe sich gegen schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen.

http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/jemen-konflikt-saudis-und-rebellen-tauschen-gefangene-aus.447.de.html?drn:news_id=589694

9.3.2016 – Al Araby (* A K P)

Houthi-Saudi talks: Time for peace in Yemen?

A Yemeni delegation has visited Saudi Arabia to negotiate a truce in the border region - could this be the start of a serious peace process to end the conflict?

t is not clear what reports of a Houthi rebel delegation in Saudi Arabia signify exactly.

The information leaked to The New Arab and other media outlets is conflicting.

Some sources said the delegation that crossed from the Houthi stronghold of Saada into Saudi Arabia this week consisted mainly of Yemeni tribal leaders.

The tribal delegation, the sources said, was in Saudi Arabia to negotiate a limited truce along the border meant to allow aid to be delivered to areas hit hard by the conflict.

They were also in Saudi Arabia for a prisoner swap, handing over Saudi soldiers captured by the Yemeni rebels in return for several Yemeni prisoners.

Other sources, however, said the Houthi delegation was "military" in nature, and was led by none other than Houthi group spokesman Mohammad Abdul-Salam.

The coalition has since issued an official statement saying Yemen's delegation sought to negotiate a truce "along the border with the kingdom to allow the entry of medical and humanitarian aid to Yemeni towns near the theatre of operations".

Coalition forces have responded by allowing aid to flow through the Alb border crossing, said a statement published by the official SPA news agency.

Although coalition spokesman Ahmad al-Assiri denied there was an undeclared truce, no airstrikes or shelling has taken place in the border region in the past several days. Furthermore, there has been a marked reduction in strikes throughout Yemen.

Whatever the purpose or level of the first direct talks of their kind between the two sides since Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen a year ago, many analysts agree it marks an unprecedented breakthrough.

The UN envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, is already in Saudi Arabia, in a push for the resumption of negotiations between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels and their allied supporters of deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Some analysts placed the breakthrough in the context of previous undeclared meetings in Muscat between Saudi and Houthi representatives, as brokered by Oman.

Worth mentioning is that the United Nations has been pushing for peace talks between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthis and their allies, but those efforts have been deadlocked over disagreements on a ceasefire.

All this comes in addition to the fact that the talks were revealed in and of itself sends out a message, regardless of the level of representation at the talks or their narrow scope.

Indeed, no declared talks between the Houthis and the Saudis have been held since 2004 – by Karim Traboulsy

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2016/3/9/houthi-saudi-talks-time-for-peace-in-yemen

9.3.2016 – Xinhua (A K P)

Saudi-led coalition reaches truce deal with Yemen's rebel Houthis

Yemen's foreign minister said on Wednesday that the Saudi-led coalition has reached a truce deal with Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels along borders between the two countries.
"The Saudi-led coalition has notified the Yemeni government of a truce deal with Houthi group to secure the shared borders between the two countries and to secure delivering aids to the damaged areas near the Yemeni-Saudi border," Foreign Minister Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi said in a statement.
"The coalition has also exchanged an officer detained by Houthis for seven Yemenis," he said.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/972803.shtml

9.3.2916 – Swiss Info (A K P)

A Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Wednesday it had exchanged prisoners with its Houthi opponents and also welcomed a pause in combat on the border, prompting hopes of a push to end the year-long war that has killed some 6,000 people.

Riyadh's confirmation of a rare confidence-building measure in the conflict came a day after senior Yemeni officials said a delegation from the Houthis, who are allies of the kingdom's arch foe Iran, was in Saudi Arabia for talks to end the war.

However, both the Saudi Arabian and Yemeni foreign ministers later said any formal negotiations to end the fighting could only take place under the auspices of the United Nations and must include Yemen's internationally recognised government.

After meeting his Gulf Arab and Yemeni counterparts, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said he backed U.N. special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed's efforts to resolve the crisis based on U.N. resolution 2216, which calls on the Houthis to return power to Hadi's government.

However, he added in a news conference that the lull was important to deliver aid and medical supplies to people in northern regions of Yemen.

Saleh's General People's Congress party said in a statement it supported any efforts to bring peace to Yemen.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/reuters/houthi-official-tells-iran-to-stay-out-of-yemen-crisis/42011084

9.3.2016 – AFP (A K P)

Yemen rebels and Saudis swap prisoners, agree border 'calm'

Yemen's Iran-backed rebels have freed a Saudi soldier in return for seven detained Yemenis as part of a tribal-mediated border truce agreed by both sides, the Riyadh-led coalition said Wednesday.

The agreement reached during a visit by a Yemeni tribal delegation to the kingdom is the first of its kind since the Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign against the rebels in March last year.

Yemen's delegation sought to negotiate a truce "along the border with the kingdom to allow the entry of medical and humanitarian aid to Yemeni towns near the theatre of operations", the coalition statement said.

Coalition forces have responded by allowing aid to flow through the Alb border crossing, said the statement published by the official SPA news agency.

Saudi soldier Jaber al-Kaabi was handed over to the coalition in exchange for seven Yemenis who were detained by Saudi authorities at the border, it added.

The coalition "welcomes the continuity of calm" which would help "reach a UN-brokered political solution", it said.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/yemen-rebels-saudis-swap-prisoners-agree-border-calm-102717742.html see also by KUNA http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2491605&Language=en

9.3.2016 – Reuters (A K P)

Saudi Arabia announces Yemen prisoner exchange, border calm

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it exchanged prisoners with its foes in Yemen's Houthi movement and that a calm was holding along their border, in signs of unprecedented progress to end their 11-month war.

The statement on state news agency SPA said Yemeni tribal mediators had facilitated the release of seven Yemenis held by the kingdom in exchange for a detained Saudi lieutenant.

Saudi state news said the prisoner initiative was launched by Yemeni tribal figures to reduce the violence in the border area and facilitate delivery of badly needed aid, and that the apparent truce could help end the conflict.

"The leadership of the coalition forces welcomed the continuation of a state of calm along the border ... which contributes to arriving at a political solution," SPA reported.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi-idUSKCN0WB0QX?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Comment: Apparently some progress in Saudi Arabia - maybe the next stage is a peace deal in Yemen? Note who seems to be left out of these negotiations - Hadi and Saleh.

https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1108830742602749

Comment at comment: It is still to early for any assumptions.

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

9.3.2016 – Reuters (A P)

Saudi Arabia Seeks $6-8B in First Loan For Over a Decade

Saudi Arabia is seeking a bank loan of between $6 billion and $8 billion, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, in what would be the first significant foreign borrowing by the kingdom's government for over a decade.

Riyadh has asked lenders to submit proposals to extend it a five-year U.S. dollar loan of that size, with an option to increase it, the sources said, to help plug a record budget deficit caused by low oil prices.

The sources declined to be named because the matter is not public. Calls to the Saudi finance ministry and central bank seeking comment on Wednesday were not answered.

Last week, Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia had asked banks to discuss the idea of an international loan, but details such as the size and lifespan were not specified.

The kingdom's budget deficit reached nearly $100 billion last year.

Analysts say sovereign borrowing by the six wealthy Gulf Arab oil exporters could total $20 billion or more in 2016 - a big shift from years past, when the region had a surfeit of funds and was lending to the rest of the world.

All of the six states have either launched borrowing programs in response to low oil prices or are laying plans to do so.

In mid-February, Standard & Poor's cut Saudi Arabia's long-term sovereign credit rating by two notches to A-minus. The world's other two major rating agencies still have much higher assessments of Riyadh, but last week Moody's Investors Service put Saudi Arabia on review for a possible downgrade.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-loan-idUSKCN0WB0K1 = http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/saudi-arabia-seeks-6-8b-first-loan-over-decade-n534716

8.3.2016 – American Herald Tribune (** B P)

Breaking the Camel’s back - Saudi Arabia is hurting financially

Truth be told Saudi Arabia might not be as financially viable as its royal highnesses’ lifestyle would like you to think. In fact, while Saudi Royals have continued unabashed to live the lives of excessive billionaires, the kingdom’s coffers have dried up at lightning speed … so much so that Riyadh is now looking to borrow in order to keep up with its many liabilities.

From the looks of things Saudi Arabia’s ambitions in the region, its many wars and grand financing of terror have caught up with it, forcing Riyadh to consider being on the receiving end of a US-brokered loan. The irony of the situation is not without poetry.

Just as Riyadh appeared to have pulled away from Washington’s political diktat, forging ahead with its own policies, and its own hegemonic ambitions, it is money – or rather the need for it, which would make the impetuous vassal kneel again to the might of US Capitalism.

According to reports, Saudi Arabia is looking for loans worth $10 billion from international lenders for the first time in a decade - a sign of the time most surely!

If the kingdom is looking for cash, it does not want to advertise it! Preoccupied with appearances at a political juncture where one’s “ability” could quite simply make the difference in between absolute support, and criminalization, Saudi Arabia cannot afford to lose its political Court.

A reigning monarch over the Western world, Riyadh’s projection of power: whether political or military, has solely relied on its ability to buy supporters, and mercenaries – without its bought-protection, the kingdom has little to show for.

If not for the military backing of the US, if not for the judicial immunity Western powers dispensed Riyadh against lucrative contracts, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia might not live through another sunset … let alone a sunrise. Riyadh’s regime is not exactly a popular one … not among Saudis, and certainly not among Arabs, never mind the Islamic world, and beyond.

A violent, brutal and genocidal regime, Riyadh’s popularity among world powers has always been proportional to its officials’ financial largesse. Should the kingdom enter a recession, its friends would most likely disappear into the ether, living the House of Saud to weather the elements on its own. Not exactly an inviable position indeed since several nations would very much like the opportunity to smite the kingdom.

If anything Saudi's shock loan request signals that the kingdom is looking at other ways to finance its economy after the oil price slump – notwithstanding its war on Yemen. Caught in its own web of political and economic manipulations, Riyadh is finding out that those who play with fire can in fact get burn.

But Saudi Arabia is not alone in its predicament – Persian Gulf monarchies, whose political fates have been tied up to that of the kingdom, have too slipped into recession, contemplating international loans to stay afloat. Qatar borrowed $5.5 billion in January, around the same time the government of Oman borrowed $1 billion through an international loan.

This economic realignment will likely accelerate, and heighten tensions in the Persian Gulf at a time when socio-political lay lines have been under great many strains. Here too the kingdom has only itself to blame – following decades of covert aggression against religious minorities Wahhabis have made many enemies, and very few friends. I would personally argue that whatever allies Riyadh in fact has is based on financial self-interest and not ideology, thus living the kingdom open for a very hostile takeover.

What happens when the have-nots realise that the House of Saud does not have anything to give anymore?

What looked yesterday as a mighty Arab empire would find itself facing the wrath of a mighty revolution … maybe one not too different from that which rocked another despot some three decades ago in Iran. The irony of it all.

But an oil slump is not Saudi Arabia’s only trouble. The kingdom has a water problem too … a big one too

As reported by the Independent: “Saudi Arabia has started taxing water for residents to try and address the soaring cost of debt as oil revenues decline. The water tariff comes amid warnings that Saudi Arabia’s groundwater will run out in the next 13 years.”

Saudi Arabia relies on two sources of water: groundwater and water from desalination plants that remove salt from seawater. Groundwater accounts for 98 per cent of water sources in Saudi Arabia, because the kingdom is devoid of rivers and lakes.

Suddenly this war on Yemen takes on another dimension altogether … – by Catherine Shakdam

http://ahtribune.com/economy/635-camel-saudi-arabia.html

10.3.2016 – Voltairenet (** B K P)

Der Nahe Osten nuklear bewaffnet !

Während der Westen Druck auf den Iran machte, damit er sein ziviles Atomprogramm aufgibt, kauften die Saudis die Atombombe in Israel oder Pakistan ein. Von nun an ist zum allgemeinen Erstaunen der Nahe Osten eine atomar aufgerüstete Region, in der Israel und Saudi-Arabien die Oberhand haben.

Im November 2013 veranstaltet Saudi-Arabien ein geheimes Gipfeltreffen, das die Mitglieder des Golf-Kooperationsrats und befreundete moslemische Staaten zusammenführt [1]. In Anwesenheit von Delegierten des Uno-Generalsekretärs schaltet sich der israelische Präsident Schimon Peres per Video-Konferenz dazu. Die Teilnehmer kommen zu dem Schluss, dass die Gefahr nicht in der israelischen Bombe liegt, sondern in der, die sich der Iran eines Tages verschaffen könnte. Die Saudis versprechen ihren Gesprächspartnern, dass sie die Initiative ergreifen werden.

Die israelisch-saudische Zusammenarbeit ist neu, aber die beiden Länder agieren gemeinsam seit 2008, als Riad Israels Strafexpedition „Gegossenes Blei“ gegen Gaza finanzierte [2].

Das 5+1-Abkommen wird erst Mitte 2015 öffentlich bekannt gemacht. Während der Verhandlungen gibt Saudi-Arabien immer wieder Erklärungen ab, dass es ein Wettrüsten beginnen werde, wenn es der internationalen Gemeinschaft nicht gelingt, den Iran zur Demontage seines Atomprogramms zu zwingen [3].

Am 6. Februar 2015 veröffentlicht Präsident Obama seine neue „Nationale Sicherheitsdoktrin“. Darin steht: „Eine langfristige Stabilität [im Nahen Osten und in Nordafrika] verlangt mehr als den Einsatz und die Anwesenheit der Streitkräfte der Vereinigten Staaten. Sie erfordert Partner, die in der Lage sind, sich selbst zu verteidigen. Deshalb investieren wir in die Fähigkeit Israels, Jordaniens und unserer Partner am Golf, einen Angriff abzuschrecken, indem wir unser beständiges Engagement für die Sicherheit Israels samt seinem qualitativen militärischen Vorsprung aufrechterhalten“ [4].

Am 25. März 2015 beginnt Saudi-Arabien die Operation „Sturm der Entschlossenheit“ im Jemen mit dem Ziel, den durch eine Volksrevolution gestürzten jemenitischen Präsidenten wieder einzusetzen. Tatsächlich geht es darum, das geheime israelisch-saudische Abkommen zur Ausbeutung des Ölfeldes von Rub’al-Khali umzusetzen [5].

Am 26. März 2015 weigert sich Adel al-Jubeir, damals Botschafter Saudi-Arabiens in den Vereinigten Staaten, CNN eine Frage zum Projekt der saudischen Atombombe zu beantworten.

Am 30. März 2015 wird von den Israelis in Somaliland, einem nicht anerkannten Staat, ein gemeinsamer militärischer Generalstab eingerichtet. Vom ersten Tag an nehmen Saudi-Arabien, Ägypten, die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, Jordanien, Marokko und der Sudan unter israelischem Kommando daran teil.

Am folgenden Tag, dem 1. April 2015, stimmt die Arabische Liga bei ihrem Gipfeltreffen von Sharm el-Sheikh dem Prinzip einer „Gemeinsamen Arabischen Streitmacht“ zu [6]. Offiziell handelt es sich darum, den Arabischen Verteidigungspakt von 1950 für den Kampf gegen den Terrorismus anzuwenden. De facto hat die Liga das neue arabische Militärbündnis unter israelischem Befehl anerkannt.

Im Mai 2015 setzt die Gemeinsame Arabische Streitmacht unter israelischem Befehl eine taktische Atombombe im Jemen ein. Es könnte sich um einen Abschuss zum Vorstoß in einen unterirdischen Bunker gehandelt haben.

Am 16. Juli 2015 bestätigt der Geheimdienst-Agent Duane Clarridge auf Fox Business, dass Saudi-Arabien von Pakistan eine Atombombe gekauft hat.

Am 18. Januar 2016 versicherte Staatssekretär John Kerry auf CNN, dass man die Atombombe nicht kaufen und transferieren kann. Er warnte Saudi-Arabien vor einem Verstoß gegen den Atomwaffensperrvertrag.

Am 15. Februar 2016 bekräftigt der saudische Analyst Dahham Al-’Anzi auf Russia Today in Arabisch, dass sein Land seit zwei Jahren über die Atombombe verfügt, um die Araber zu schützen, und dass die großen Mächte dies wüssten.

Die Erklärungen des saudischen Analysten Dahham Al-’Anzi am 15. Februar 2016 auf Russia Today – sofort durch den israelischen Dienstleister Memri übersetzt und verbreitet – haben in der arabischen Welt ein beträchtliches Echo ausgelöst. Trotzdem hat sie kein internationaler politischer Funktionsträger, auch kein saudischer, kommentiert. Und Russia Today hat sie von seiner Internetseite zurückgezogen.

Es ist offensichtlich wenig wahrscheinlich, dass Saudi-Arabien selbst eine solche Waffe hergestellt hat, wofür es im Übrigen keinerlei wissenschaftliche Fachkompetenzen hat. Es ist hingegen wahrscheinlich, dass es die Waffe von einem Staat gekauft hat, der den Atomwaffensperrvertrag nicht unterzeichnet hat, Israel oder Pakistan. Wenn man Duane Clarridge Glauben schenkt, so ist es Islamabad, das sein Know-how verkauft hat, aber in diesem Fall kann es sich nicht um eine Neutronen-Bombe handeln.

Letztendlich entsteht der Eindruck, dass die Saudis im Rahmen der US-amerikanischen Politik gehandelt haben, aber mit dem Verstoß gegen den NVV darüber hinausgeschossen sind. Damit haben sie das Fundament für einen nuklear bewaffneten Nahen Osten gelegt, in dem der Iran die Rolle, die Scheich Rohani wiedergewinnen wollte, nicht wird spielen können, die Rolle des „regionalen Polizisten“ im Auftrag seiner angelsächsischen Freunde – von Thiery Meyssan

1] „Shimon Peres sprach vor dem Golf-Sicherheitsrat Ende November“, Übersetzung Horst Frohlich, Voltaire Netzwerk, 4. Dezember 2013.

[2] « La guerre israélienne est financée par l’Arabie saoudite », par Thierry Meyssan, Réseau Voltaire, 6 janvier 2009.

[3] “Prospect of deal with Iran pushes Saudi Arabia and Israel into an unlikely alliance”, Kim Sengupta, The Independent, March 30, 2015.

[4] „Obama rüstet auf“, von Thierry Meyssan, Übersetzung Horst Frohlich, Voltaire Netzwerk, 10. Februar 2015.

[5] „Geheime Projekte von Israel und Saudi Arabien“, von Thierry Meyssan, Übersetzung Horst Frohlich, Voltaire Netzwerk, 22. Juni 2015.

http://krisenfrei.de/der-nahe-osten-nuklear-bewaffnet/

Original English version:

7.3.2016 – Voltairenet (** B K P)

The nuclear Near East!

While the West was applying pressure on Iran to abandon its civilian nuclear programme, the Saudis were buying the atomic bomb from Israel or Pakistan. From now on, to everyone’s surprise, the Near East has become a nuclear zone, dominated by Israel and Saudi Arabia.

In November 2013, Saudi Arabia organised a secret summit which brought together members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the friendly Muslim states [1]. In the presence of delegates from the UN General Secretariat, Israeli President Shimon Peres joined them by video-conference. The participants concluded that the danger was not the Israeli bomb, but the bomb that Iran might one day possess. The Saudis assured their interlocutors that they would take the necessary initiatives.

Military cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia is a new phenomenon, but the two countries have been working together since 2008, when Riyadh financed Israel’s punitive expedition in Gaza, known as «Operation Cast Lead» [2].

The 5+1 agreement was not made public until mid-2015. During the negotiations, Saudi Arabia multiplied its declarations that it would launch an arms race if the international community did not manage to force Iran to dismantle its nuclear programme [3].

On the 6th February 2015, President Obama published his new «National Security Strategy». He wrote - «Long-term stability [in the Middle East and North Africa] requires more than the use and presence of US military forces. It demands partners who are capable of defending themselves by themselves. This is why we invest in the capacity of Israel, Jordan and our Gulf partners to discourage aggression, while maintaining our unwavering support for the security of Israel, including the continued improvement of its military capacities» [4].

On the 25th March 2015, Saudi Arabia began its operation «Decisive Tempest» in Yemen, officially aimed at re-instating the Yemeni President, who had been overthrown by a popular revolution. In fact, the operation was the implementation of the secret agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia for the exploitation of the Rub’al-Khali oil fields [5].

On the 26th March 2015, Adel Al-Jubeir, then the Saudi ambassador to the United States, refused to answer a question from CNN concerning the project for a Saudi atomic bomb.

On the 30th March 2015, a joint military Staff was set up by Israel in Somaliland, a non-recognised state. From the first day, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan participated under Israel command.

Two days later, on the 1st April 2015, during the Charm el-Cheick summit, the Arab League adopted the principle of a «Joint Arab Force» [6]. Officially, this was to implement the Arab Defence Treaty of 1950 to fight against terrorism. De facto, the League had validated the new Arab military alliance under Israeli command.

On the 15th February 2016, Saudi analyst Dahham Al-’Anzi affirmed in Arabic on Russia Today that his country has been in possession of an atomic weapon for two years, in order to protect Arabs, and that the major powers know this.

The declarations of Saudi analyst Dahham Al-’Anzi, on the 15th February 2016 on Russia Today – which were immediately translated and broadcast by the Israeli service Memri – raised a considerable echo in the Arab world. However, no international political leader, not even Saudi, made any comment. And Russia Today has erased them from its Internet site.

It is obviously unlikely that Saudi Arabia had built this kind of weapon itself, since it is absolutely bereft of scientific knowledge in the matter. On the other hand, it is possible that it bought the weapon from a state which has not signed the NPT, Israel or Pakistan. If we are to believe Duane Clarridge, it would have been Islamabad which sold its technology, but in this case, the weapon could not be a neutron bomb.

Finally, everything leads us to believe that the Saudis acted within the framework of US policy, but that they overstepped themselves by violating the NPT. By doing so, they have laid the foundation for a nuclearised Near East in which Iran could no longer play the role that Sheikh Rohani had hoped to recover, that of «regional police force» for the benefit of his Anglo-Saxon friends – by Thierry Meyssan

1] “Shimon Peres addressed Gulf Security Council, end November”, Translation Alizée Ville, Voltaire Network, 5 December 2013.

[2] « La guerre israélienne est financée par l’Arabie saoudite », par Thierry Meyssan, Réseau Voltaire, 6 janvier 2009.

[3] “Prospect of deal with Iran pushes Saudi Arabia and Israel into an unlikely alliance”, Kim Sengupta, The Independent, March 30, 2015

[4] “Obama Rearms”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Roger Lagassé, Voltaire Network, 10 February 2015.

[5] “The secret projects of Israël and Saudi Arabia”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Pete Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 27 June 2015.

http://www.voltairenet.org/article190635.html

Comment by Marion Mourtada: A very important ‪#‎must_read.. The resource usurpers and Al Qaeda terrorist creators and supporters have been organizing, under the banner of fighting the very terrorism they actually created, all for the sake of going after the real resistance to this terrorism, to cover up for the robbing of resources from underneath the rightful owners..

https://www.facebook.com/marion.mourtada/posts/10153378757237927

Comment by Judith Brown: Well worth a read explaining some interesting links - Saudi, Pakistan, Israel, and nuclear weapons. Most of the video interviews included in this article I have posted at an earlier date but well worth a watch to recap what has been happening, plus some new details on Saudi-Israeli relations.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=983041311748899&id=961126490607048

7.3.2016 – Foreign Affairs (B P)

Saudi Arabia Needs a Crisis. How It Will Get One

ven in a year of hyperbole, it is hard to overstate how dire Saudi Arabia’s security situation has become. It is ugly and is getting worse, and Riyadh badly needs a crisis to make it better.

Three events have left Saudi Arabia in this mess. First, Russian military forces have begun operating freely in the Middle East, unchecked by any great power for the first time in history. In the past, Russia’s southern probes have always been balanced by a rival: the United States during Yom Kippur in 1973; the British through the Qajar Shahs in Iran and in support of the Ottomans in the nineteenth century; and the Turks during the wars of 1914–18 and 1877–78 and before. But now, Russia’s only potential rivals in the area—the United States and Europe—are holding back, leaving the much weaker Saudi Arabia to balance Russia on its own.

Second, Saudi Arabia’s rivals are unified to an unprecedented degree across the Middle East. Those unchecked Russian forces are working in the field alongside Iran, and Iran is uniquely strong in the modern era. For the first time in the modern era, it is aligned with Iraq, and Iraq is aligned with Syria – by Andrew L. Peek

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/saudi-arabia/2016-03-07/saudi-arabia-needs-crisis

28.1.2016 – Middle East Eye (B P)

Leading Saudi cleric says IS and Saudi Arabia 'follow the same thought'

Sheikh Adel al-Kalbani, a former imam at Mecca's Grand Mosque, said IS executions of western hostages were 'not outside Salafist framework'

A former imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca has said that the Islamic State (IS) group follows the same brand of Islam as officially espoused by Saudi Arabia.

Footage translated by British think tank Integrity UK on Wednesday showed leading cleric Sheikh Adel al-Kalbani speaking to the Dubai-based channel MBC about what he believes are the roots of IS.

“We follow the same thought [as IS] but apply it in a refined way,” he said. “They draw their ideas from what is written in our own books, from our own principles.”

The cleric said that “we do not criticise the thought on which it (IS) is based".

Kalbani repeated the oft spread conspiracy that unnamed intelligence agencies had played a role in the rise of IS.

He said intelligence agencies had “exploited” those who followed the ultra-conservative Salafist brand of Sunni Islam.

“Intelligence agencies and other countries might have [helped] Daesh to develop, providing them with weapons and ammunitions, and directing them,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

In his MBC interview, which was broadcast on 22 January, Kalbani said IS and Salafists in Saudi Arabia shared the same opinion on apostasy, which is that those who leave Islam should be executed.

Kalbani also spoke about the killing of journalists by IS, including Americans James Foley and Steven Sotloff, which drew global condemnation in September 2014.

He said “their blood was shed according to Salafist fatwas (religious edicts) not outside the Salafist framework.” (with film of his speech)

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/top-saudi-cleric-says-and-saudi-arabia-follow-same-thought-626782255

cp9 USA

10.3.2016 – The American Conservative (** A P)

Yemen and the “Obama Doctrine”

Obama’s Atlantic interviews on foreign policy contain some interesting remarks, but they are difficult to square with Obama’s own policies. The New York Times summarizes some of his views this way:

President Obama believes that Saudi Arabia, one of America’s most important allies in the Middle East, needs to learn how to “share” the region with its archenemy, Iran, and that both countries are guilty of fueling proxy wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

In a series of interviews with The Atlantic magazine published Thursday, Mr. Obama said a number of American allies in the Persian Gulf — as well as in Europe — were “free riders,” eager to drag the United States into grinding sectarian conflicts that sometimes had little to do with American interests.

That’s all very well, but it doesn’t explain why his administration has been backing the Saudis in their Yemen campaign for almost a year or why he has repeatedly allowed the “free riders” to get away with this behavior over the last seven years. One looks in vain for any mention in Jeffrey Goldberg’s Atlantic article that the U.S. has been supporting the Saudi-led campaign and otherwise indulging the Gulf states in their fear and loathing of Iran. Obama claims to be “frustrated” by the Saudis, but seems more than willing to cater to most of their demands.

Obama’s position is a perfect example of how the president feigns interest in restraint and claims to be steering clear of unnecessary conflicts at the same time that he is involving the U.S. in those very same conflicts. To listen to what he says, one would never guess that his administration has been providing arms, fuel, and intelligence to assist a bombing campaign that has killed thousands and wounded tens of thousands of civilians. Obama criticizes the “free riders” in the Gulf while encouraging them in their worst instincts and habits.

[...]

The war on Yemen has been all but ignored in the Atlantic article, which is an especially egregious oversight for a story on Obama’s foreign policy thinking. It’s also worth mentioning it because there is no more glaring current example of the gap between Obama’s rhetoric and his policies than U.S. support for the pummeling and starvation of Yemen. U.S. support for the war on Yemen is one of the blackest marks on Obama’s foreign policy record, so perhaps it’s no surprise that it receives no attention in this article – by Daniel Larison

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/yemen-and-the-obama-doctrine/

Comment: Hitting the spot, as always.

8.3.2016 – Flight Global (* A K P)

US general backs fighter sales to three Gulf states

The head of US Central Command Gen Lloyd Austin has declared his support for the sale of American fighter jets to Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Qatar is seeking Boeing F-15 Strike Eagles while Kuwait wants Boeing F/A-18 Strike Eagles. Bahrain, meanwhile, is keen to boost its inventory of Lockheed Martin F-16s.

However, the White House has been slow to respond, putting potential deals in jeopardy as Middle East nations warm to European fighter types like the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon.

A perceived threat to Israel and a nuclear agreement with Iran have further complicated matters.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on 8 March, Austin said he supports fighter sales to Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. He was responding to a question by committee chairman Sen John McCain, who has advocated for those pending deals to move forward.

Israel falls within the US European Command area of responsibility.

McCain expressed concerns about Russia's export of advanced military armaments to Iran, worth upward of $8 billion, he says.

"Certainly, that will enable them to have greater capabilities, our adversaries," Austin responded. "I will say, at the same time, the [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries have spent some $10 billion on military hardware during the same time period." – by James Drew

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/us-general-backs-fighter-sales-to-three-gulf-states-422888/

Comment: it’s really incredible that the aerial war against Yemen is not even mentioned in the whole discussions of these deals.

8.3.2016 – Human Rights First (A P)

Secretary Kerry Should Support Accountability for Violations by Saudi Forces in Yemen

U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen has been well-documented. As the conflict rages on, the civilian death toll continues to rise, and effective accountability measures for violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law are lacking.

On Friday, Human Rights First joined seventeen organizations in a letter to Secretary Kerryurging the United States to support the immediate establishment of an independent mechanism to investigate the human rights situation in Yemen during the current, 31^st session of the UN Human Rights Council. The Council had failed to agree on such a mechanism in its last session—in part due to U.S. opposition.

The State Department spokesperson, John Kirby, indicates that the United States has “long made clear our concerns about the reports of civilian casualties” in Yemen, but continues to offer its support to the Saudi regime. The Obama Administration persistently depicts Saudi Arabia as a close ally and an important partner in the fight against violent extremism. Secretary Kerry called Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir “an old friend of mine” when they met in February, and he thanked the government for its “solid efforts” to combat ISIS.

And this close relationship is backed up with serious military support: The United States sold $90 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia between 2010 and 2014, including fighter aircraft, helicopters, missile defense systems, missiles, bombs and armored vehicles, according to a recent Congressional Research Service report. The U.S. has also shared intelligence to support Riyadh’s targeting decisions in Yemen. In November 2015, the Obama Administration announced a $1.29 billion U.S. arms sale that will supply 18,440 bombs and 1,500 warheads to Saudi Arabia to replenish their stocks.

The U.S. government has avoided condemnation and opposed investigations into allegations of indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure by Saudi forces in Yemen, not only because of the U.S. military aid to Riyadh, but also because of its own lack of transparency and accountability on the extraterritorial use of lethal force in armed conflict.

When the United States first ramped up its use of drones for targeted killings, rights groups raised concerns that the U.S. approach would become the model for the world. If Washington failed to respect international law and clarify its legal rationales about when, where, and how lethal force could be used extraterritorially, what would keep other countries from following suit? The first international expert report on drones in 2010 highlighted concerns about an “accountability vacuum.” These deep-seated fears have come to fruition as international accountability mechanisms have been blocked from scrutinizing Saudi Arabia for its reported violations of international humanitarian law.

The Obama Administration indicated on March 4 that it is preparing to release a redacted version of its drones “playbook,” otherwise known as the Presidential Policy Guidance (PPG), and announced on March 7 that it would release data on civilian and combatant casualties from U.S. drone strikes since 2009. Human Rights First has been calling for years for greater transparency on the legal and policy framework for the U.S. drone program. Releasing the PPG with minimal redactions would be a long overdue step in the right direction. It would also put the U.S. on more solid footing to engage with its repressive allies on their practices.

President Obama only has eleven months to solidify his legacy on targeted killings and to put in place policies and procedures that will be inherited by his successor. To lead by example and send a message to the world, the administration should: halt arms sales that facilitate violations by Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen; increase transparency and accountability for U.S. targeted killings to ensure compliance with international law; and support international efforts to bring accountability to the conduct of the conflict in Yemen – by Rebecca Sheff

http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/secretary-kerry-should-support-accountability-violations-saudi-forces-yemen and the letter to Kerry here: http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/sites/default/files/YemenHRInvestigationLettertoSecState.pdf

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

10.3.2016 – The Guardian (* A P)

UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia face inquiry

Powerful parliamentary committee will examine arms sales after Yemen bombing leads to claims of human rights breaches

A full-scale inquiry into the UK’s sales of arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen is to be mounted by the powerful cross-party committee on arms exports controls.

The inquiry is going to look not just at arms sales to Saudi Arabia and their use by the Saudi air force in Yemen, but also UK arms sales to other Gulf countries.

The committee, which has taken months to be established since the general election, has a specific remit: to examine the government’s expenditure, administration and policy on strategic exports, specifically the licensing of arms exports and other controlled goods.

The arms control committee’s chairman, Chris White, the Conservative MP for Warwick, said: “The defence and security industry is one of the UK’s most important exporters. However, it is vital that its financial success does not come at a cost to the nation’s strategic interests.

“We have launched this inquiry to understand what role UK-made arms are playing in the ongoing conflict in Yemen. Have the criteria set by the government for granting arms export licences in the region been respected, and what should be the consequences if they have not?”

He said the committee was also likely to look at the role of the Department for International Development in sanctioning arms sales. It has emerged that DfID was not consulted on the arms sales to Saudi Arabia, even though it has a major aid programme in Yemen. DfID is only consulted on arsm licences if it has an aid programme in the affected country.

The inquiry is one of three that is likely to place a spotlight on UK-Saudi relations – by Patrick Wintour

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/10/uk-arms-sales-saudi-arabia-inquiry-yemen-bombing-human-rights and by The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-to-investigate-use-of-british-weapons-by-saudi-arabia-in-yemen-humanitarian-disaster-a6922836.html

Comment: Please read this again: “The arms control committee’s chairman, Chris White, the Conservative MP for Warwick, said: “The defence and security industry is one of the UK’s most important exporters. However, it is vital that its financial success does not come at a cost to the nation’s strategic interests.” That means, the matters which have to be considered are 1.) the “financial success”, 2.) “the nation’s strategic interests”. That means, human rights and the use of the weapons in a cruel war are of no importance?

Comment by stanblogger at the Guardian site: It is hardly necessary to have an enquiry. It is well known that the UK has been selling arms to some of the most unsavoury regimes on the planet for years.

It is true that to stop this might lead to a collapse of the arms manufacturing industry in the UK. In the long run this might not be a bad thing, because the arms industry employs a large proportion of the UK's most talented engineers but has to sell into a rather restricted market. They could make a much larger contribution to the UK's economy if they worked elsewhere.

(and there are more interesting comments)

9.3.2016 – Huffington Post (* B K P)

Britain's Role in Yemen's Civil War Is Largely Ignored - and it's Devastating the Nation

Rather than condemning this fundamentalist dictatorship which, chillingly, kicked off the year with mass beheadings, Britain stands firmly behind its ally. Since Prime Minister David Cameron has taken office, the UK government has supplied Saudi Arabia with upwards of £6 billion worth of arms and military equipment. Remarkably, more than 100 new arms licences have been approved since the Saudis began their bombing campaign. The connection between the UK and the conflict in Yemen through Saudi Arabia is direct. When shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn (who was a staunch supporter of the airstrikes in Syria) says he is concerned about the war in Yemen and the extent of British involvement, you know it is serious. Yemen needs a peaceful, diplomatic solution, not more bombs.

Britain's alliance with Saudi Arabia rarely gets the scrutiny it deserves. It is a country with a long history of human rights abuses in basic areas such as freedom of expression and assembly. It denies women the most basic life functions under the discriminatory male guardianship system, which essentially gives men complete control over women's lives. Internal repression and human rights abuses inside the kingdom are one thing. Perhaps even more troubling, is the monarchy's support for radical extremism, which poses a direct threat to UK national security.

The British-backed Saudi onslaught is not only devastating Yemen and inflicting mass suffering, it is also building strong resentment towards Britain. When innocent people die in "collateral" damage caused by UK-made arms, those who survive will naturally start thinking of revenge, providing a fertile environment that is susceptible to extremist ideology.

The horrors in Yemen should not just assault our emotions, they should provoke us to end the silence and indifference displayed by our government. In our silence we are implicated. The British government may not wish to recognize the incontestable fact that its own arms are escalating this brutal civil war, but nothing is more obvious to Yemeni people – by Ali Reza Naraghi

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ali-reza-naraghi/yemen-civil-war_b_9412994.html

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

Siehe cp 9 USA, cp10 Großbritannien / See cp9 USa, cp10 Great Britain

8.3.2016 – Ahmad Alghobary (A K)

Another photo of #Canadian sniper rifle fell into hands of the Houthis #Yemen

https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/706984540103974912

cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner

8.3.2016 – Lanti Diplomatico (A K)

I primi mercenari statunitensi della DynCorp raggiungono lo Yemen

Il primo gruppo di mercenari della compagnia militare privata statunitense, DynCorp, è arrivato nel sud dello Yemen per sostenere l'offensiva guidata dall'Arabia Saudita.

[Article in Italian: First mercenaries of DynCorp arrive to Yemen (After Black Water pulled out)]

Come riportato ieri dall'agenzia di stampa yemenita, Khabaragency, questi soldati sono stati dispiegati nello Yemen con un contratto di tre miliardi di dollari stipulato dagli Emirati Arabi Uniti (EAU) e DynCorp.
Un funzionario del Ministero della Difesa dello Yemen, citato da Khabaragency, ha indicato che la missione dei mercenari statunitensi è quella di sostenere i soldati degli Emirati Arabi Uniti, uno dei principali alleati del regime saudita nella sua guerra contro lo Yemen che si battono contro esercito yemenita e il movimento popolare Ansarolá.
a fonte ha precisato che il nuovo contingente, che comprende forze navali speciali, è entrato nel porto di Ras Omran, a sud ovest di Aden.

http://www.lantidiplomatico.it/dettnews.php?idx=82&pg=14694

cp13c Flüchtlinge / Refugees

9.3.2016 – Think Progress (* B H K)

The World Doesn’t Care About Yemen’s Refugees. Here’s Why.

Yemen’s war has displaced around 2.4 million Yemenis according to UNHCR, most of whom are internally displaced. A further 170,000 people have fled the country, though most are foreigners. Instead of heading to Europe though, Yemenis are going to Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia, Reuters reports. Many have also fled to neighboring Oman and some even to Saudi Arabia, the country that is bombing them.

The lack of refugees into Europe is also likely to be one of the reasons behind the international community’s relative apathy toward the conflict there. There’s also an irony to the indifference surrounding Yemen’s refugees considering its history of receiving asylum seekers.

Part of the reason why Yemenis aren’t fleeing the country in high numbers is down to geography. Yemen is “penned in by ocean and desert, with only Saudi Arabia and Oman as direct neighbors, Yemenis have no easy outlets – although Riyadh now allows those already in the kingdom to stay,” Reuters reported Wednesday. “Flights out are irregular at best. Former havens such as Jordan now demand visas and set tough conditions.”

“People do not really have the courage or means and resources to do it,” Mogib Abdullah, a Yemeni spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, told Reuters. “I think they will just have to live with the realities they have. They are trapped and they will continue to be trapped, until the warring parties acknowledge that Yemenis deserve a better life at peace in their own country.”

One of the most traversed paths out of the country is through perilous sea voyages — though instead of taking a rickety ship into Europe, boats departing Yemen often end up in Djibouti – by Justin Salhani

http://thinkprogress.org/world/2016/03/09/3758206/yemen-refugees/

9.3.2016 – RT (A H K)

Grafik des Tages: Vertriebene Bevölkerung im Jemen-Krieg

Seit März 2015 dauert der Krieg im Jemen schon an. Die meisten Flüchtlinge, 360.000, suchen bei Verwandten in anderen Landesteilen Unterschlupf. Inzwischen flüchten jedoch immer mehr Menschen aus dem Land. Ein Großteil von ihnen hielt sich zuvor selbst als Flüchtling im Jemen auf. Dies sind Flüchtlinge aus Somalia, Äthopien und Sudan. Sie kehren in ihre - ebenfalls umkämpften - Heimatländer zurück. Die Jemeniten fliehen vor allem nach Saudi-Arabien, Djibouti und Oman (Infografik)

https://deutsch.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/37213-grafik-tages-vertriebene-bevolkerung-jemen/

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

10.3.2016 – Soufan group (B T)

The Islamic State’s Savagery in Yemen

• The March 4 attack on a nursing home in Aden is believed to be the latest savage attack by the Islamic State in Yemen

• The attack, which killed 18 people, including 4 nuns, was shocking enough for al-Qaeda to deny any involvement

• Reports of talks between the Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia may be a sign of progress, but the damage to Yemeni society has already been done

• While it is not a major power in Yemen, the Islamic State will continue attacks designed to shock and divide the society.

As the war in Yemen approaches the one-year mark, the so-called Islamic State continues its push to divide and radicalize an already traumatized society. Amid reports of the first prisoner exchange between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia, and speculation that talks could begin to end the fighting that has killed more than 6,000 people, the Islamic State demonstrated once again its commitment to savagery as a tool of terror. Whatever does or does not happen in the larger war in Yemen, the fight against the Islamic State and al-Qaeda will remain a long-term challenge.

The murders are the most recent example of the difference in strategy between the Islamic State in Yemen and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The latter has deep roots in Yemen and largely avoids attacks on Yemeni civilians.

Any potential peace would be threatened not just by the persistent regional machinations, but by the expanding extremism enabled by the fighting. AQAP is more powerful now than it has ever been; drone strikes may impact specific leaders but they will not dent the group’s overall strength. The Islamic State is nowhere near as strong as AQAP, but what it lacks in numbers and support it makes up for in extreme violence and a determination to gain a lasting foothold in yet another collapsing state.

http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-the-islamic-states-savagery-in-yemen/

8.3.2016 – Church Pop (A T)

This Is the Last Prayer the Martyr-Nuns in Yemen Prayed Before Being Killed

https://churchpop.com/2016/03/08/last-prayer-martyr-nuns-yemen-prayed/

8.3.2016 – CAN (A T)

Here are the faces of the nuns who were martyred in Yemen

Sister Anslem, Sister Reginette, Sister Judith, and Sister Marguerite were serving as caretakers at the Missionaries of Charity's convent and nursing home in Aden, Yemen.

These sisters left their homes in India and Africa to serve the poor, elderly, and disabled in the war-torn country of Yemen. They worked together with volunteers at the convent's home care center, where they served around sixty to eighty patients of all religions.

“They were serving all poor people irrespective of their religion. Their duty was to help the poor,” a representative from the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia told CNA.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/here-are-the-faces-of-the-nuns-who-were-martyred-in-yemen-84893/

cp15 Propaganda

10.3.2016 – Gulf Magazine (A P)

Arab Parliament strongly rejects Tehran’s aggressive plan to interfere in Yemen

The Speaker of the Arab Parliament Ahmed Al Jarwan strongly rejected the statements by Iranian leader’s adviser Ali Velayati, in which he spoke about Tehran’s intentions to interfere in Yemen.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Al Jarwan described these Iranian aggressive statements as an extension of the Iranian blatant interference in the Arab affairs, noting that these Iranian statements are designed to destabilize the security and stability in the region.

He stressed the need to internationally counter such arrogant policies by the Iranian government and in accordance with international law.

http://www.gulfmagazine.com/english/8182/

Comment: Interesting: The consideration that it could be possible to interfere is a “arrogant policies by the Iranian government” and an “aggressive statement”, bombing a country for nearly one year now seems to be not aggressive in his opinion. Strange, really.

10.3.2016 – AFP (A P)

Al-Jubeir: Saudi could turn page if Iran changes policies

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies could turn a page and build strong relations with Iran if it respects them and stops "meddling" in their affairs, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Wednesday.

"If Iran changes its way and its policies, nothing would prevent turning a page and building the best relationship based on good neighbourliness, with no meddling in the affairs of others," he told reporters in Riyadh.

"There is no need for mediation" in such a case, said Jubeir, whose country severed all links with the Islamic republic in January after crowds attacked the kingdom's diplomatic missions in Iran.

Jubeir said relations with Tehran had deteriorated "due to the sectarian policies" followed by Shia-dominated Iran and "its support for terrorism and implanting of terrorist cells in the countries of the region".

Jubeir was speaking after a meeting for Gulf foreign ministers and their counterparts from Jordan and Morocco.
Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf nations also accuse Iran of supporting Shia rebels in Yemen, as well as attempting to destabilise their own regimes.

They also support rebels in Syria's five-year-old war while Tehran openly backs the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Gulf nations had recently classified Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement as a terrorist group.

Jubeir said Lebanon is now run by Hizballah.

"What is disturbing in the Lebanon question is that a militia that is classified as terrorist controls decision-making in Lebanon," he said.

Jubeir criticised a recent decision by a Lebanese court to release a Syria-linked former minister who is facing charges of having planned "terrorist" acts.

http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-could-turn-page-iran-changes-policies-fm-184840291.html = http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/3/10/al-jubeir-saudi-could-turn-page-if-iran-changes-policies = http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-could-turn-page-if-iran-changes-policies-1.1687962

Comment: What is this? As the Latins would say: A redde rationem?
Just one advice to everyone: Leave Yemen out of bigger quarrels. Do not use Yemen as your killing field. This goes both to the GCC and Iran. Enough damage has been done. Irreparable.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=983284158391281&id=961126490607048

Comment: A text from a western agency that fits extremely well into Saudi propaganda as it is. “Sectarian politics” of Iran? Spreading Wahabism worldwide and stating Shiits as “takfir”, that is real “sectarian politics”. But it is Saudi.

9.3.2016 – Gulf News (A P)

Yemen abuses highlighted in Geneva

The Arab Federation for Human Rights organised two events on Wednesday in Geneva to highlight and address the human rights situation in Yemen. It held a press conference and a discussion on human rights violations and war crimes at the Geneva Press Club.

At the conference, a number of speakers discussed the current human rights situation involving violations against women and children, displacement, arbitrary disappearances of individuals, violations against media, and the suffering caused by denial of aid by the Al Houthi group.

The speakers provided extensive documented data of the violations that are occurring in Yemen. In all cases, the documentation proved that conditions in the country are worsening as institutions of government and civil society break down as a result of the insurgency. A photography exhibition, showing the destruction in Yemen, was held alongside the conference.

Multiple international reports, including reports from the United Nations, provide evidence of the human rights violations occurring as a result of the actions of Al Houthi and Saleh forces. Examples of human rights abuses include murder of civilians, forced displacement of populations, arbitrary arrests and restrictions on the right to assembly, and freedom of expression.

There are currently more than 2.7 million people displaced in Yemen, with more than 7 million facing food shortages. More than 1,000 children have even been killed, injured or recruited to fight in the conflict. More recent actions by Al Houthi forces are adding to people’s plight, with UN aid agencies reporting they are being prevented from delivering aid to civilians by Al Houthi. This is a particular concern in the cities of Taiz and Aden, which have large civilian populations and have been subject to substantial fighting over the past few months; people there remain without basic necessities.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/yemen-abuses-highlighted-in-geneva-1.1687251

Comment: This must have been a somewhat strange event. The Houthis are blamed for various violations of human rights. The destructions in Yemen, the many killed children, 2.7 billion refugees are deplored. Where does this mainly come from? The Saudi aerial war is not even mentioned. Blaming the Houthis at it seems not only for their own real (and claimed) crimes but also for those – counting absolutely the most in the whole Yemeni mess) – committed by the Saudi coalition.

7.3.2016 – Middle East Institute (B P)

It’s Open Season on Saudi Arabia – by Fahad Nazer

http://www.mei.edu/content/article/it%E2%80%99s-open-season-saudi-arabia

Comment: Really a strange Saudi white washing.

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

03.2016 – Legal Center for Rights and Development (A K PH)

Saudische Luftschläge Tag für Tag / Saudi air raids day by day

8. März / March:

https://www.facebook.com/551288185021551/photos/a.551858951631141.1073741828.551288185021551/599949203488782/?type=3&theater

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

10.3.2016 – Gulf News (A K PS)

Government forces step up attacks to break Al Houthis siege to Taiz

Forces loyal to Yemen president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi have taken control of several key hilly sites in the southern city of Taiz after fierce clashes with Al Houthis and their allied forces, local military commanders said on Thursday.

Colonel Mansour Al Hassani, a spokesperson for Supreme Council, an alliance of local resistance fighters and the national army, told Gulf News that government forces have booted the militia out the mountainous positions of Al Aryal, Al Khawa and Al Araneb, and are close to pushing them out of Al Douhi checkpoint, where the militia are stifling the city by confiscating food and medical supplies bound for the city.

“These areas overlook Al Douhi crossing which makes us closer to breaking Al Houthis’ siege,” said Colonel Al Hassani.

Since early last year, Al Houthis and army units loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh have imposed a siege on Yemen’s third largest city aimed at weakening their military opponents who control the city’s centre. The militia’s heavy and indiscriminate shelling have claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and failed to force resistance fighters to capitulate.

Al Hassani said the focus of the heavy fighting is the western rural hinterland of the city where government forces are pushing to seize Taiz-Aden road. “Our main goal now is to break the siege and allow medical and food supplies to enter the city. Even if we controlled Al Douhi checkpoint, we have to secure Taiz-Aden road to get military supplies from Aden,”

Military officials in the city think months of relentless battles with government forces along with intense airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition have softened up Al Houthi militia. “Their military manpower has been eroded due to the fighting. We are stepping up attacks to exploit their shortage of fighters. Coalition warplanes have effectively helped weaken Al Houthis. Warplanes respond quickly to our calls any time.” Al Hassani said.

Residents say coalition warplanes on Wednesday and Thursday struck the city’s airport, checkpoints overrun by the militia and the HQ of brigade 22 in Al Janad district. Officials say the continuing battles have killed dozens of fighters on both sides.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/government-forces-step-up-attacks-to-break-al-houthis-siege-to-taiz-1.1688263

10.3.2016 – ABNA / Alalam (A K PH)

Yemen Army launches missile on camp in Mareb, caused ordnance losses among mercenaries

The missile force of the Yemeni army and popular committees fired on Wednesday a ballistic missile of Qahir-I type at gatherings of invaders and mercenaries in Mareb province.
A military official said the missile targeted Tadaween camp in Mareb and hit its target accurately.
The missile attack caused big ordnance losses among the Saudi invaders and mercenaries.

http://en.abna24.com/service/middle-east-west-asia/archive/2016/03/10/740105/story.html and also http://en.alalam.ir/video/1797467

9.3.2016 – Press TV Iran (A K PH)

Yemeni forces capture 150 Saudi mercenaries in Bayda: al-Masirah

Yemeni forces have reportedly captured at least 150 Saudi mercenaries in the war-hit country’s central province of al-Bayda.

According to a report by Yemen's Arabic-language al-Masirah news website, the Yemeni army, backed by Popular Committees loyal to the Houthi Ansarullah movement, caught Saudi mercenaries in Rada' town on Tuesday as they were heading toward a Saudi military base in west-central Ma'rib Province.

On Wednesday, Yemeni forces pounded a military base in Ma'rib with a ballistic missile, killing and injuring a number of Saudi mercenaries.

The report also said that at least three civilians were killed after Saudi warplanes targeted a vehicle in Humaydat district in Jawf on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, according to al-Masirah, several Saudi forces were killed after Yemeni Qaher ballistic missiles hit a Saudi military base in the northern province of Jawf on Tuesday.

http://presstv.com/Detail/2016/03/09/454674/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-Bayda-Rada-Marib/

8.3.2016 – El Dorar (A K PS)

The death a Hezbollah official responsible of the rockets unit in Yemen

Yemeni media sources reported that a senior militia officer of "Hezbollah" works in the training of militia al-Huthi was killed recently as the coalition jets bombed, while Hezbollah neither denied nor confirmed the news.
The sources pointed out, that the unity of the missiles is responsible for "Hezbollah" in Yemen, the trainer to the Houthis militia and, he was killed in an aerial bombardment of by the coalition targeted his moves on the road to Sanaa, Amran.

http://en.eldorar.com/node/1690

cp18 Schöner Jemen / Beautiful Yemen

3.2016 – Offermaxs

Download Yemen, A Photographic Journey Free Epub Ebook PDF

Yemen, A Photographic Journey

In his gorgeous new monograph Yemen: Photographic Works, renowned Austrian photographer Josef Hoflehner takes us on journey through the country of Yemen, ...,Yemen A Photographic Journey. av Mahmoud Al-Shaibani (inbunden, 2016)

http://offermaxs.com/download/u/book.php?asin=1908531495

2.8.2015 – Arch Daily

The 'Manhattan of the Desert': Shibam, Yemen's Ancient Skyscraper City (with images)

Walking through narrow chaotic alleys dwarfed by soaring towers, few would estimate the age of Yemen's city of Shibam at nearly 1,700 years. Located in Yemen's central Hadhramaut district, Shibam has roots in the pre-Islamic period, and evidence of construction dating from the 9th century.

Shibam is known as the first city on earth with a vertical masterplan. A protected UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, the city is home to densely packed buildings ranging from four to eight storeys, beginning in 300 AD but now mostly built after 1532. Thanks to a fortified ring wall, the city has survived nearly two thousand years despite its precarious position adjacent to the wadi floodplain – by Finn MacLeod

http://www.archdaily.com/771154/the-manhattan-of-the-desert-shibam-yemens-ancient-skyscraper-city

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/krieg-im-jemen-neue-artikel-zum-nachlesen-112

Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-112: / Yemen Press Reader 1-112:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or

http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm