Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Luftangriff in Hajjah / Hajjah air raid
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
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
Der verheerende Luftangriff auf einen Markt in der Provinz Hajjah mit zuletzt gezählten 119 Toten hat ein politisches und propagandistisches Nachspiel. UN-Vertreter waren vor Ort und bestätigten sämtliche Angaben von vor Ort. Die saudische Seite erfindet ständig neue Stories (Siehe cp2a). Von mir dazu ein Artikel, ein zweiter soll folgen.
The horrible air raid at a market in Hajjah province, with a carnage of 119 killed, has a political and propaganda afterplay. Representatives of the UN were at place and confirmed all objections made by local sources. The Saudi side is permanently inventing new stories (See cp2a). From my side, one article (German), another should follow.
3.2016 – Change.org (** A K P)
Petition: Saudi Arabia must be tried as a war criminal
International Criminal Court (ICC) has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The reason of establishing such a court is to prosecute the perpetrators of the above crimes in an independent inter-governmental court and to make them answer in front of the international society.
The officials of the Saudi Regime have to be prosecuted as a criminal in ICC over the unlimited murders against Yemeni civilians.
The accusations on Saudi Arabia:
Based on the published statistics by Legal Center for Human Development. (Until January 19, 2016)
1. Massacre of 8143 people in air and land attacks including 4628 men, 1519 women and 1996 children.
2. Leaving 15184 people wounded including 11826 men, 1576 women and 1782 children.
3. Displacing more than 1200000 Yemenis inside the country or leaving refugees outside borders due to Saudi attacks.
4. Attacking hospitals and medical centers, even bombing the hospital of the UN's doctors without borders.
5. Using banned weapons including cluster bombs.
6. Endangering the lives of Yemenis by total besieging and not allowing the humanitarian aid enter inside the country.
7. Bombing and destroying Yemen's economical frameworks and units including 14 airports, 10 harbors, 512 bridges and roads, 125 electricity generators and power plants, 164 water reservoirs, 970 governmental buildings, 546 food warehouses, 353 bazaars and trade centers, 409 food carrying convoys, 238 gas stations, 190 factories, 42 sports centers, seven grain store-pits and 125 units of animal and poultry.
8. Destroying houses and social service centers including, 325137 houses, 238 service centers, 569 schools and training institutions, 39 university complexes, 16 media complex, 615 mosques, 59 historical monuments and 119 tourist centers.
Please sign this petition if you support the prosecution of Saudi Arabia for war crimes in international courts.
https://www.change.org/p/international-criminal-court-saudi-arabia-must-be-tried-as-a-war-criminal
? – Arabian Rights Watch Organisation (*** B K)
[Destruction of heritage sites in the Yemen war]
Yemen exhibits its ancient heritage in various locations across its land, some of which have been designated as World Heritage Sites such as Old Sanaa City, the Historic Town of Zabid, the Old Walled City of Shibam, and the Socotra Archipelago. Yemen's heritage extends to Old Saada City as well, Belqis' Throne, the Maarib Dam, Awaal Sirwah, Baraqish, Kawkaban and other magnificent sites. Below is a slide show exhibiting pictures of Yemen's heritage. Further down below is a complaint to the UNHRC Working Group in the field of cultural rights detailing the destruction caused to Yemen's heritage by Saudi-led Coalition airstrikes and shelling.
Historical Background
1. On 26 March 2015, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia consisting of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Turkey (together “the Saudi-led coalition”) launched a war on the people of Yemen without a UN mandate. From the outset, this Saudi-led coalition was supported politically, diplomatically, and militarily by the United States of America, the United Kingdom and France. After months of stalemate the number of countries participating in the Saudi-led coalition increased to include Sudan and Senegal, both sending large numbers of troops to Yemen. In addition to hiring Sudanese and Senegalese troops, the Saudi-led coalition relied and continues to rely heavily on the use of mercenaries.
2. The coalition employed and continues to employ airstrikes and the imposition of a comprehensive land, air, and sea blockade that fails to have legally justifiable grounds, and in its conduct fails to abide by the principles of distinction, proportionality and military necessity in violation of the laws of war. To date, coalition airstrikes killed over 9,000 civilians and maimed over 20,000 others, over 1/3 of whom were women and children. The coalition has destroyed hundreds of thousands of residential homes along with more than 200 hospitals and clinics, over 500 schools, 39 universities and vocational institutes.
3. Complaint [1] to the Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights regarding the intentional and systematic destruction of Yemen’s heritage including places designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites by the Saudi-led coalition
The coalition has additionally destroyed several sites designated as World heritage by UNESCO. A number of heritage sites in Yemen have been intentionally targeted by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes without justification. These heritage sites are not military objectives, as they are of no military value given their exposed location on flat empty lands. The targeting of the heritage sites is not justified by military necessity. According to ARWA sources on the ground, these sites were never afforded military protection nor were they used for military operations. In addition, the Saudi-led coalition has never made a claim justifying the destruction of the sites because of military necessity. The airstrikes have totally destroyed or partially damaged over 27 heritage sites in Yemen, including those designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
Statement of Facts and Allegations
4. Old Sanaa City is an ancient fortified city that has been continuously inhabited for more than 2,500 years and contains many intact architectural gems. In 1986, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and many efforts have been made to preserve some of the oldest buildings and markets. Some of the city’s structures are more than 1400 years old, such as the Aljami3 Alkabeer (Grand Mosque of Sana'a) and Souk Elmilh (central market). Surrounded by ancient clay walls which stand 9–14 meters high, the old city contains more than 100 masjids, 14 hammams (bathhouses), water wells both inside and outside homes, and about 6,500 residential homes. Many of the homes are considered ancient skyscrapers, being 5 to 7 stories high, and make for narrow alleys and pathways. They are decorated with elaborate horizontal hand-plastered friezes and intricately carved stained-glass windows. Prior to the invasion, one could experience Old Sanaa as not only a World Heritage Site, but as a vibrant living community of Yemenis. Since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, several houses within the World Heritage city of Old Sana’a suffered damage and collapse as a consequence of repeated Saudi-led coalition airstrikes.
On 11 May 2015, a coalition airstrike on a weapons depot on Mt. Niqm caused a massive explosion destroying the nearby area. It also caused the ignition of tens of Katyusha rockets that flew in every direction, some causing damage to the buildings in Old Sanaa City approximately 5 kilometers away from the Niqm depot.[2]
On 9 June 2015, the Ottoman era Al-Owrdhi historical compound, located just outside the walls of the Old Sanaa City, was also severely damaged by a coalition airstrike.[3]
On 12 June 2015, coalition airstrikes targeted four homes in the city, reducing them to rubble and killing at least 5 members of the Abdelqader family, who were inside sleeping at the time. The deceased include Hassan Yahya Abdelqader, his wife Amat Almalik, his brother Rashad, and son Abdullah and his cousin Shawqi. Other buildings destroyed include the magnificent complex of traditional houses in the Al-Qasimi neighborhood, bordering an urban garden called Miqshama, near the Sailah water channel.[4]
On 17 September 2015, at 11:30 P.M., the coalition targeted with a missile airstrike a known urban garden named Almiqshama in the historic Old Sanaa City belonging to Hifdhullah Alaini. The airstrike caused Hifdhullah Alaini’s death and the death of his 11 family members. The coalition airstrike injured an additional five civilians. In addition to the loss of life, the airstrike also caused the complete destruction of Alaini’s home, as well as the destruction of several neighboring houses. No apparent legitimate military target was in the vicinity.[5]
5. The historic town of Zabid's domestic and military architecture and its urban plan make it an outstanding archaeological and historical site. The town is known for its architecture, including its walls, watchtowers and citadel, schools, a central masjid and 80 surrounding masjids, and a network of narrow alleys walled by homes built from burnt bricks. Besides being the capital of Yemen from the 13th to the 15th century, the city played an important role in the Arab and Muslim world for many centuries because of its Islamic university, Jamiat Alasha’er. It was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.
On 12 May 2015, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted a market area of the historic town of Zabid, killing at least 60 people and wounding more than 20 others. The airstrike caused extensive damage to the surrounding area.[6]
6. Old Saada City is one of the oldest medieval cities in Yemen, important for its historical, architectural, urban and spiritual achievements. Although not a World Heritage Site it is being reviewed currently and may be designated a World Heritage Site sometime in the future. Founded in the 9th century AD by Imam AlHadi bin Imam Yahya bin Imam Alhussein bin Imam Ali, Saada is the birthplace of the Zaydi Islamic school of thought. Saada has thrived throughout the centuries, continuously inhabited in a medieval manner with earthen architecture, very characteristic and representative of the entire region.
From 6 April 2015 to 11 May 2015, repeated coalition airstrikes on Old Saada City destroyed a large part of its ancient civilian infrastructure. On 8 May 2015, the official spokesman of the coalition, Brigadier General Ahmed Alassiri, announced that the entire city of Saada was a military target, in violation of civilian protection principles enshrined in the Geneva Conventions. The airstrikes targeted and struck at least six residential houses not being used for military purposes. One attack killed 27 members of a single family, including 17 children. The airstrikes also hit at least five markets for which there was no evidence of military activity. Aerial attacks on an empty school and a crowded petrol station also appear to have violated the laws of war. [7]
On 9 May 2015, Masjid Imam Alhadi was targeted by coalition airstrikes that severely damaged a third of the Masjid’s property. This masjid was established in Saada in 897 AD, more than 1100 years ago.[8]
7. Sheba was the South Arabian Kingdom of Saba, centered around the oasis of Maarib in present-day Yemen. The people of the Kingdom were called Sabaeans and existed around the first millennium B.C. Early South Arabian trade with Mesopotamia involving wood and spices transported by camels is attested to in the early 9th century B.C. and may have begun as early as the 10th Century BC.
On 19 January 2016, the historical monuments in Sirwah were severely damaged by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and shelling. Some of the large stones that were damaged have writings dating back to the 1st Millennium B.C. – providing information that helps us understand events and methods of living from over 3000 years ago. Eyewitnesses have said that some of the damage was caused by constant shelling in the Sirwah area by Saudi forces in addition to coalition airstrikes. The area has no military presence given the flat lands and their exposure.[9]
On 31 May 2015, coalition airstrikes targeted and destroyed parts of the Maarib Dam.[10] With an expanse of 98 hectares, the Sabaean capital Maarib was the largest ancient city in South Arabia and is considered one of the most significant historic sites on the Arabian Peninsula. Despite climatically unfavorable conditions, at the end of the 1st Millennium B.C., a complex society emerged in Maarib, whose economy relied on a highly developed irrigation system made possible by the Maarib Dam, itself considered a wonder of technical engineering. Due to its economic prosperity and geographic location, Maarib became the most important trading station along the Incense Route. From the capital Maarib, the Sabaeans controlled extensive parts of the country as well as the trade on the incense route as far as the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian areas.
8. Baraqish has been inhabited from time immemorial. Dating back to the 1st Millennium B.C., the ancient city was known to the Greeks and Romans as Athlula from the ancient Sabaean Yṯl (or Yathill as it is commonly called today). Baraqish is surrounded by a wall 14 meters high, much of which is still visible today. Inscriptions mention that the wall was rebuilt by the Sabaeans in 450 B.C. Its origins date back to 1000 B.C., but it reached its peak of importance around 400 B.C. when it became the capital of the Minean Kingdom and later became known as a religious center housing the Temple of Nikrah. In the main area of the site, there still remain, the ruins of a dome, a well and tower.
On July 1st, 2015, coalition airstrikes targeted the historical city of Baraqish which is located in what today is called Majzar district of the Maarib province. The airstrikes caused damage and destruction to the walls of the ancient city.[11]
9. Kawkaban is a town in the northwestern part of Yemen, containing a fortified citadel about 2800m above sea level. The town is perched on a hilltop, walled from the north and fortified naturally from the other directions. It was a capital of Bani Sharafaldeen in the 15th century. It was also home to a Jewish community. The city features several old masjids, the most prominent of which are Almadrasa, Almansoor, Alsharefa, and Harabat. The old market is located in the middle of the city. Old rainwater reservoirs can also be seen in the fortified town, named Meseda, Alasdad, and Sedalhamam.
On 15 February 2016, a series of coalition airstrikes targeted and destroyed large parts of the historic town of Kawkaban, resulting in at least seven civilian deaths, including an elderly man, a woman, and a child; 29 civilian injuries including 8 women and 16 children; complete destruction of Alqishla fort and six residential homes; partial destruction of 12 residential homes; and damage to 70 others.[12]
10. The Alqahira Citadel stands 1500 meters above sea level at the peak of a mountain that overlooks Taiz city. According to historical sources, it was built before the arrival of the Prophet Mohammad. The Alqahira Citadel played important military and political roles throughout the long history of the Taiz region. It is also a rare architectural masterpiece, with different facilities that were restored, developed and maintained. Visitors in large numbers would visit its parks, restaurants, waterfalls, library, theater, museum, wings and extensions.[13] Saudi-led warplanes destroyed the citadel on 21 May 2015.
11. The Dhamar Regional Museum was the main museum of the Dhamar governorate. It was built at Hirran, north of Dhamar city, in 2002. It had several exhibition halls, a lecture hall, a computer laboratory, and storage rooms. Its pre-622 AD collection comprised over 100 inscriptions of various provenance and periods. The section dedicated to the Islamic archaeology contained some decorated artifacts bearing Arabic inscriptions, in addition to jewels and other handmade products of traditional handicrafts in Dhamar. The most important object was the wooden minbar (pulpit) from the Great Masjid of Dhamar city, dating back to the 10th Century A.D. The Dhamar Regional Museum was not a military objective nor was it being used for military operations. Coalition warplanes struck it with a missile on 21 May 2015, completely obliterating the structure and its contents.[14]
12. The National Museum was established in Sanaa in 1971 and houses 30,000 historical and cultural artifacts, including artifacts formerly in the possession of Yemeni Imam Yahya Hamidaddin; artifacts from Maarib, an ancient kingdom of Yemen; and artifacts from the post-622 A.D. era. On 11 May 2015, a Saudi-led airstrike struck and partially damaged the building.
13. Almawrooth Museum was established in Sanaa in 2004 and houses artifacts from different eras. On 11 May 2015, a Saudi-led airstrike struck and partially damaged the building.
14. Ataq Museum in Shabwa houses important relics from the ancient city of Shabwa, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Hadhramaut, as well as items unearthed from the archaeological sites of the ancient Qataban and Osan kingdom. On 22 June 2015, a coalition airstrike struck and partially damaged the building.
15. Alabdali Palace is a historical palace encompassing several buildings, the most prominent of which is the Aden Museum. On 22 June 2015, a coalition airstrike struck and partially damaged the building.
Legal Analysis
16. Under Article 3 of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954 Hague Convention), State Parties must act to safeguard their own cultural property against armed attack. For example, states have the responsibility to move such property away from potential or actual military action, or in the case of historical sites, states must avoid placing military objectives near to them. Except for the artifacts located in the museums which are buildings that are afforded protections under the Convention, the cultural property of the Yemeni people is mostly immovable heritage sites as evident by the list above. There has not been any substantiated evidence of placing military objectives in or around the heritage sites to the best of our knowledge, research, and analysis.
17. Article 4(1) of the 1954 Hague Convention, states that parties to the Convention must refrain “from any act of hostility, directed against such property.” As demonstrated above, the Saudi-led coalition targeted many heritage sites in a systematic repeated manner in violation of the 1954 Hague Convention. The wide net cast on all heritage sites indicates an intent to damage the culture of the people of Yemen by destroying and damaging multiple heritage sites, some of which constituyte World Heritage Sites that belong to all peoples.
18. Because cultural property is normally civilian in nature, the general provisions of humanitarian law protecting civilian property apply during times of war. Rule 38 of customary international humanitarian law enshrines the general principle that warring parties must respect cultural property. According to the rule, a) special care must be taken in military operations to avoid damage to buildings dedicated to religion, art, science, education or charitable purposes and historic monuments unless they are military objectives and b) property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people must not be the object of attack unless imperatively required by military necessity. None of the aforementioned cultural heritage sites were used by the Yemeni military or Popular Committees in order to justify the designation of the sites as military objectives. Many of the aforementioned heritage sites are located on flat lands that are exposed and hence have no military value.
19. The only time an advance warning was given was when Old Saada City became a military target. Designating an entire city of 50,000 people as a military target not only violates the humanitarian law prohibition against placing civilians at risk, but also the prohibition against making threats of violence whose purpose is to instill terror in a civilian population. Given the systematic, widespread targeting of heritage sites all across Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition has violated international humanitarian law in a manner that flies in the face of the protections the law affords to people and their cultural property.
20. We request the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights examine these issues, and raise them in a communication under the urgent action procedure with the Governments of the Saudi-led coalition, clarifying for the coalition the requirements of international humanitarian law and asking for the coalition’s response to these allegations.
Information Pertaining to the Complainant
21. This complaint was written and submitted by Mohammad Alwazir, the Legal Affairs Director of the Arab Rights Watch Association, and R. James Suzano, the Acting Director of Advocacy and Legal Affairs for Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain. They can be reached at alwazir@arwarights.org and jsuzano@adhrb.org, respectively.
[follows a list of damaged and destroyed heritage sites, in the form of three JPG images]
Citations
[1] The entire complaint has been corroborated with Mohannad Alsayani, Head of The General Authority for Antiquities and Museums in Yemen, in addition to ARWA contacts on the ground.
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlGc_UkPXVw ; ARWA contact with an eye witness stating that while he was at his uncle’s house in Tabari he saw and heard two katyusha rockets whizzing by in different directions and later found out that some had reached Bayt Alkutf - Bab Alsabah and different parts of Old Sanaa approximately 5km away from the weapons depot.
[3] The Director General of UNESCO condemns the destruction of historic buildings in the Old City of Sana’a, Yemen, UNESCO, 12 June 2015.http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1295/
[4] Euronews, 12 June 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxQlhHLJEFA
[5] Yemen Center for Human Rights.
[6] 2015-11-yemen-mena-zabid, Human Rights Watch, 19 November 2015. https://www.hrw.org/uk/node/283631
[7] Targeting Saada: Unlawful coalition Airstrikes on Saada City in Yemen, Human Rights Watch, 30 June 2015.https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/06/30/targeting-saada/unlawful-coalition-airstrikes-saada-city-yemen
[8] Almasira, 9 May 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qajNo0srLXo
[9] Kristin Romey, ‘Engineering Marvel’ of Queen of Sheba’s City Damaged in Airstrike, The National Geographic, 3 June 2015.http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/06/150603-Yemen-ancient-Sheba-dam-heritage-destruction-Middle-East-archaeology
[10] See Endnote 9
[11] Iona Craig, The Agony of Saada: US and Saudi Bombs Target Yemen’s Ancient Heritage, 16 November 2015. The Intercept,https://theintercept.com/2015/11/16/u-s-and-saudi-bombs-target-yemens-ancient-heritage/
[12] Legal Center for Rights and Development
[13] Lizzie Porter, Yemen: the Unesco heritage slowly being destroyed, The Telegraph, 16 June 2015.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/middle-east/yemen/articles/Yemen-the-Unesco-heritage-slowly-being-destroyed/
[14] See Endnote 9
Following a list of the heritage sites which were destroyed and affected, listing up: Site Name, Site Background, Location, Establishment area, Destruction date, destruction assessment, who destructed by which means
http://arwarights.org/heritage
[Republished in full with courtesy of ARWA]
Comment: That list still is not complete. The Taiz National Museum was further damaged by Houthi shelling, which destroyed medieval Islamic manuscripts and other heritage values. In Hadramaut, a wonderful historical palace of a local leader was destroyed because of he sided with the wrong side (I do not remember who is responsible). Al Qaida destroyed quite a lot of historical mosques and Islamic graves. I often linked the records and images, but did not list it up. Just one: Sufi saint Sufyan Bin Abdullah Tomb at Al-Houta in Lahj province, destroyed in 2015. The person buried there was a revered member of Saladin’s army, 12. century AD. And we also should mention the great lot of wonderful historical Yemeni brick houses in all the villages destroyed by Saudi shelling. As everywhere, the heritage value of old rural houses in public conscience is mostly neglected – just by tearing them off in Europe as they are no more modern or by not mentioning them on a list of heritage losses in a war.
18.3.2016 – Der Freitag (** A K P)
Luftangriff im Jemen und Propaganda
Geisterautos im Jemen: Ein verheerender saudischer Luftangriff mit 119 Toten. Die Propaganda spricht von "Kämpfern". Belege: Keine. Und sie schickt einen "Stammesführer" und drei Autos los.
Wie dumm und phantasielos kann solche Märchenpropaganda manchmal sein, wenn sie eine alte Geschichte (die auch für die erstmalige Verwendung damit klar als Lügengeschichte kenntlich wird) an einem anderen Ort zu einer anderen Zeit, aber in einem ganz identischen Zusammenhang, wieder aufwärmt?
Und ist es in beiden Fällen auch noch keinem der saudischen Propagandamärchenonkel und ihren Nachbetern in den westlichen Medien aufgefallen, was für ein seltsames Licht diese Geschichten – und noch besonders in der Wiederholung – auf die Saudis werfen müssen?
Da freilich diese Story sich für den Markt in der Provinz Hajjah wegen der steigenden Totenzahlen selbst ad absurdum geführt hatte – zuletzt war das Verhältnis nur noch knapp 28 % angebliche „Kämpfer“ zu 72 % „Kollateralschäden“ – musste also jetzt eine neue Story her. Und das, obwohl die neue nunmehr auch noch der alten widersprach.
Aber als würde es mit den zwei sich widersprechenden Geschichten noch nicht genügen, serviert uns die saudische Koalition auch noch eine dritte.
Jetzt gibt es schon drei Stories, und die eine ist dämlicher als die andere. Die saudische Argumentation, speziell wenn es um ihre Luftangriffe geht (und das ist ja nicht das erte mal, das lief ständig so) bewegt sich auf dem Niveau eines Fünfjährigen, der die teure Vase im Wohnzimmer zerschmissen hat. Eine Story für Mama, eine andere für Papa, und etwas später für beide zusammen eine dritte.
So stolpert Propaganda über ihre eigenen Lügen. Offenbar übernehmen viele westliche Medien kritiklos fast alles, was bestimmte Leute oder „Kreise“, denen man sich halt doch verbunden fühlt, einem vorsetzen. Das ließ sich hier in dem einen Fall schön zeigen. In anderen Fällen kommt man leider nicht drauf.
Große Teile der westlichen Politik übernehmen alle diese Stories ohnehin dankbar, wie hanebüchen auch immer sie sein mögen. Sie geben dann den Vorwand (von Begründung mag ich gar nicht sprechen) dafür, weiterhin gute Waffengeschäfte mit den Saudis und ihren Verbündeten zu machen, wie auch dafür, die Saudis mit ihrem schmutzigen Krieg im Jemen weiter die "Drecksarbeit" machen zu lassen, die auch die vermeintlichen eigenen westlichen geostrategischen Interessen in diesem Raum mitbedient.
Dass AFP und die eifrigen Kopierer derartiger Agenturmeldungen mit solchen Spielchen auch noch das Andenken von ermordeten Menschen schänden, ist in diesem Fall ein weiterer Effekt eines solchen Versuchs, uns für dumm zu verkaufen. – von Dietrich Klose
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/luftangriff-im-jemen-und-propaganda
Kommentar: Man sehe mir nach, den eigenen Artikel mit ** bewertet zu haben… Es geht in der im Folgenden angezeigten Berichterstattung zu diesem Angriff, hier mehr unter cp2a, immer wieder um die Propaganda, die die saudische Seite hierzu bringt. Das ist mittlerweile noch mehr als in dem Artikel beschrieben. Es ist also ein zweiter Artikel fällig. Und dieser Fall steht keineswegs allein, er ist beispielhaft für die Propaganda und Irreführung, die die Saudis und ihre Verbündeten einschließlich der Regierung Hadi seit nun fast einem Jahr in diesem Krieg der Weltöffentlichkeit ständig präsentieren.
cp2 Allgemein / General
19.3.2016 – Radio Shacab from Al Ahram (* A K P)
Back channels in Yemen
Developments on the ground in Yemen, and reports from back channels between the Houthi stronghold of Saada and the Saudi town of Abha across the border, indicate that Saudi Arabia is preparing for Yemeni-Saudi talks. The first step would identify confidence-building measures, preparatory to moving on to bilateral negotiations.
This could mark the beginning of an alternative to the Geneva route, after two rounds of talks in the Swiss city failed to produce a roadmap to end the civil war in Yemen, now in its second year.
The forces of the rebel Houthi-Saleh alliance have been so weakened that they are now no longer able to sustain the conflict on the various fronts, according to information obtained by Al-Ahram Weekly from sources close to developments in Yemen.
They have lost strategic positions to the Saudi-led multinational coalition, which has gained control over the strategic Midi Port on the Red Sea, which served as a crucial conduit for Iranian arms to the rebel forces.
The coalition has also regained control over the Naham front, at the strategic eastern gateway to the capital Sanaa, 50 km away. Resistance forces in Taiz have ended the months’ long blockade of their city. These developments have led military strategists to turn their sights towards the decisive battle for Sanaa.
The road to the talks began with mediation efforts by Oman last month.
The aim of the talks is to explore the possibility of launching negotiations in the framework of the Gulf initiative on the crisis, UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and the Yemeni national dialogue in order to produce a roadmap for a settlement.
A source close to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh told the Weekly that Saleh is in good health and welcomes an opportunity for a settlement with Riyadh. The source, a member of the preparatory negotiating committee, said that he believes the talks will be "fruitful and will develop into negotiations at which Saleh and the Houthis will be at the negotiating table as a single delegation. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ould Cheikh Ahmed could also visit the parties to help them formulate their demands.”
The source said that should the talks pave the way for negotiations, the preparations for these would probably take place in Oman as an alternative to Geneva, although other Arab capitals, such as Cairo and Abu Dhabi, might see activities in the wings.
However, according to consultations in progress with the Houthis, a new political front will need to be forged to make it possible for the GPC to play a major political role in the near future. The Houthis also intend to create a new political party that will have a say in the future of the country because they do not intend to remain restricted to Saada.
Ali Al-Dhubaibi, close to the Yemeni presidential affairs office in Riyadh, told the Weekly that Saudi Arabia is insisting on what he termed a "disengagement” with Tehran, by which is meant an end to the provocation against Saudi Arabia by Iran.
As the situation stands, the anticipated battle of Sanaa may not take place. All the parties have wearied themselves on the many fronts outside Sanaa, and they are also aware that the battle of Sanaa could ultimately destroy them.
The most likely scenario is that the capital will be handed over and that the Houthi forces will withdraw from it without resistance, just as they met with no resistance when they originally took it over in September 2014.
However, this scenario will not mark the closing chapter on Sanaa, as the drama will likely continue to unfold for many years to come.
http://radioshacab.com/articles/7419/Back-channels-in-Yemen-Al-Ahram
Comment: Interesting article showing another approach and more details. Officially, the Saudis at least deny that they will separately negotiate with the Houthis. We will see. Anyway, I doubt at the authors opinion that the Houthis are more or less defeated.
19.3.2016 – Fars News (A K P)
Ansarullah to Present Documents of Mansour Hadi's Crimes to Security Council
Yemen's judiciary system is in possession of documents and evidence showing fugitive President Mansour Hadi's involvement in massacring the Yemeni people, an Ansarullah leader said on Saturday.
"The Yemeni judiciary has some documents which prove Mansour Hadi's involvement in leading the war and forming terrorist groups that have killed innocent civilians," Ali Abdulmajid, an Ansarullah politburo member, told FNA.
"Considering the evidence, Hadi can no more deny his role in destroying the country with his intelligence and logistic support," he added.
Abdulmajid underlined that Ansarullah will present the documents to the UN Security Council for Hadi's prosecution.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941229000298
Comment: Therefore you even would not need any documents. Hadi having called for the Saudi coalition air raids will be proof enough.
Arabian Rights Watch Organisation (* B K P)
UNHRC 31st SESSION - WRITTEN STATEMENTS
Ongoing Serious Systematic Rights Violations Against the People in Yemen.
IDO, together with Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain, and Arabian Rights Watch Association, express our utmost concern over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its Coalition’s (the “Saudi-led Coalition’s”) a) ongoing serious and systematic violations of rights in Yemen, including political, economic, human, and humanitarian rights. These ongoing and systematic violations come in the form of: i) airstrikes on civilian targets that include the use of internationally banned cluster munitions and ii) a comprehensive indiscriminate land, air, and sea blockade. We also express our deep concern with the Saudi-led Coalition’s b) continued lack of cooperation with the United Nations (UN). The Saudi-led Coalition, along with Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s Yemeni government in exile, does not cooperate with the UN. This has been observed in their: i) designation of the OHCHR representative as persona non grata; ii) non-observance and non-implementation of recommendations made in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR); and iii) the inability of Hadi’s exiled government’s national commission to investigate the violations of the laws of war by any party to the war on Yemen.
We bring to your attention that political negotiations were ongoing in Yemen and would have led to a power-sharing government inclusive of all Yemeni parties and factions but for the Saudi-led war, which interfered with that political dialogue and, in effect, the rights of the Yemeni people to self determination. We continue to warn that as a consequence of the Saudi-led Coalition’s war, al-Qaeda was able to reclaim territory it had previously lost to the Yemeni army and popular committees. Prior to the war’s outbreak, al-Qaeda controlled only one small desert city, Mukalla. However, due to the war, al-Qaeda now operates freely in many southern areas, where it commits systematic human rights violations, such as in the port city of Aden and recently in Lahj.
a) Ongoing Violations of the Laws of War, Human Rights Law, Humanitarian Law
i) Airstrikes on civilian targets that include the use of internationally banned cluster munitions
In the first 300 days of the war, a total of 8,143 civilians were documented to have been killed by Saudi-led Coalition airstrikes. 4,628 were men (56%), 1,519 were women (19%), and 1,996 were children (25%). The total number of civilians wounded due to the indiscriminate airstrikes exceeds 15,000. 512 bridges were destroyed along with 125 power plants, 164 water stations, 167 telecom stations, 14 airports, 10 sea ports, 325,000 residential homes, 238 hospitals and clinics, 39 colleges and universities, 569 schools and causing 3,750 others to close down.
In addition to the indiscriminate use of air power to attack civilian populations, the Saudi-led coalition has also been documented to have used internationally banned cluster munitions in violation of the principles of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity.
Cluster Munitions
The Saudi-led Coalition’s repeated use of internationally banned cluster munitions in civilian areas may indicate a degree of intent to harm civilians, a threshold that, when passed, amounts to war crimes. Throughout the last year, 5 different types of cluster munitions have been documented to have been used by the Saudi-led Coalition in civilian areas. Between April and July 2015 the Saudi-led coalition forces used cluster munitions in at least seven attacks in Yemen’s northwestern Hajja governorate, killing and wounding dozens of civilians. More recently, in the early morning of January 6, 2016, the Saudi-led coalition dropped cluster bombs in heavily populated residential neighborhoods of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, including Madbah, Sawad Hanash, Al-Sunaina, Hayel Street, Al-Rabat Street, Al-Ziraa zone, Kuwait Street, Tunis Street, the university zone, and Bir Al-Shaif.
The cluster bombs killed at least one child, injured ten others, and damaged residential property and cars in the vicinity. A school for girls was also partially damaged. The areas the Saudi-led Coalition bombed are densely populated with civilians living in close proximity to schools, hospitals, and markets. They have no military protection.
ii) Imposition of a comprehensive indiscriminate land, air and sea blockade by the Saudi-led Coalition
The Saudi-led Coalition has abused the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) Resolution 2216 to justify its blockade of Yemen. UNSC Resolution 2216 is an arms embargo on named individuals. It does not sanction the withholding of food, medical, and fuel supplies from Yemen by a warring party who has committed, and continues to commit, serious and gross violations of the laws of war, human rights, and humanitarian law. Given the UNSC’s mandate to maintain peace, stability, and security among nation-states, the UN should extend the embargo to the member states of the Saudi-led Coalition.
The Saudi-led Coalition’s abuse of Resolution 2216 has played an integral role in the food insecurity of an estimated 14.4 million Yemenis, 7.4 million of whom are severely food insecure. Moreover, hundreds of hospitals and clinics have shut down due to the Saudi-led Coalition’s airstrikes and blockade. The blocking of critical fuel and medical supplies is causing an estimated 15 million Yemeni people to be without adequate access to basic healthcare needs.
b) Lack of Cooperation With UN
i) Lack of cooperation with OHCHR Representative
ii) Non-observance or implementation of the UPR recommendations
iii) Inability of Hadi’s national commission to investigate the crimes being committed in Yemen
Recommendation
http://arwarights.org/unhrc/ = http://www.globalresearch.ca/serious-systematic-human-rights-violations-against-the-people-of-yemen/5515072
18.3.2016 – Faranno il Deserto e lo chiameranno Pace (A P)
YEMEN: THE WAR WHICH SHOULD MAKE THE WEST FEEL ASHAMED
In Italy it is difficult to find, in main stream media, lengthy coverage of the war in Syria. Finding information about the war in Yemen is almost impossible. Apparently it is a war which has nothing to do with the West, including Italy.
Wrongly so: the conflict in Yemen should be of interest to Italians, and even make them ashamed.
What does all this have to do with the the West ?
A lot, because in November, the United States Department of State has approved the sale of 1.29 billion smart bombs to Saudi Arabia, which obviously needs weapons to win the war in Yemen.
You got it right? The United States, the leading Western country and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has sold weapons to another country carrying out a terrible war against Yemen.
Obviously talking about human rights and things like that is a hobby that European leaders carry on only when it suits them. No one, in fact, had nothing to say on the conduct of the US.
Who knows the last thoughts of the Yemeni civilians killed during their last moments of life.
Perhaps they spared a thought to the President of the United States, a man who has won the Nobel Peace Prize. But perhaps it would have been better if they had thought about the silence of Europe, one of the most shameful elements of this war.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=988976617822035&id=961126490607048 and the Italian original https://www.facebook.com/208269389297591/photos/a.208310275960169.17480.208269389297591/425404157584112/?type=3&fref=nf
18.3.2016 – Middle East Eye (* A K P)
A panel of UN experts has said the coalition carried out 119 sorties that violated humanitarian law.
The United Nations on Friday decried the "carnage" caused by recent air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, saying the alliance was responsible for the vast majority of civilian deaths in the conflict.
"Looking at the figures, it would seem that the coalition is responsible for twice as many civilian casualties as all other forces put together, virtually all as a result of air strikes," UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement.
It condemned "the repeated failure of the coalition forces to take effective actions to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, and to publish transparent, independent investigations into those that have already occurred."
Comment by Judith Brown: I don't really believe these death tolls. For example, in the Hajja bomb, I read in one report that none of the dead had been taken to hospital for verification - that means that 102 deaths have not been recorded and will not appear in death statistics. And of course, most of these uncounted are the result of air strike.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1112812388871251
19.3.2016 – Xinhua (A K P)
News Analysis: Saudi-led coalition under pressure to pull out of Yemen
Military operation by Saudi-led coalition is expected to be lowered in Yemen amid growing pressure on the coalition amid worsening humanitarian crisis and laws of war violations, observers here said.
Observers argued that a key reason for the decision to lower the Saudi-led military operations in Yemen was that it followed a recent deal with the Houthis to cease fire on the Saudi border with Yemen.
With the truce with the Houthis on the border, Saudi Arabia succeeded in tackling a dangerous repercussion of the intervention and that in turn might pave the way for a broader deal, said Yaseen Al-Tamimi, a political analyst and writer.
Observers divided into those who said the move comes after the coalition has achieved the main goals of the military intervention and those who said it has failed to accomplish the mission well.
Rashad Al-Sharabi, a political analyst, said the main goal of the Saudi-led decisive storm which was to restore legitimacy of the Yemeni government has been achieved.
"Moreover, the Arab military operations have weakened the Houthi militia which carried out a coup against the government and enabled the pro-government forces to advance on all warfronts," he said.
Abubakar Abdullah, a political analyst and writer, said Saudi Arabia is facing growing pressure by the international community after counter-productive results from the military campaign including possible war crimes and worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
"In addition, Saudi Arabia is concerned if it continues the intervention without achieving the objectives successfully. If Yemen faces scenarios of Iraq or Syria, Saudi Arabia will face more threats to its national security. Therefore, it is seeking a good way to pull itself out of Yemen," Abdullah said.
For his part, Al-Tamimi said the main strategic goal of the military intervention which is to put an end to the Houthi influence in Yemen has not been achieved yet.
"Thus, the decision to lower the combats in Yemen raises many questions about the future of these combats especially as such a strategic goal does not only concern the stability of Yemen but also regional security and stability," said Al-Tamimi.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-03/19/c_135203933.htm
Comment:
17.3.2016 – Middle East Eye (*A K P)
Arabic press roundup: Talking war and peace in Yemen
Gulf media trumpets announcement that coalition will soon end 'major military operations'. Others are not so easily convinced
Ahmed al-Asiri, announced earlier this week that major military operations were about to end, and insisted it would not become "another Libya".
His announcement was trumpeted in the Saudi and Gulf media.
The Saudi website, al-Sharq al-Aawsat.com, followed up the announcement by saying that there was hope of peace talks between the coalition and their enemies, the Houthi movement, restarting later this month.
It reported Sheikh Abualziz Al Miflihi, an adviser to Yemen's president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, as saying that Spain had offered to host talks under the sponsorship of the United Nations.
However, and tellingly, he added a rider: "Any peace talks must take in consideration the new facts on the ground. We have called on the coup militias to come to the negotiation table many times but they never agreed."
Kuwaiti journalist Salim al-Harbi said in the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper that improving conditions had paved the way for Asiri's announcement.
"The scene in Yemen is leaning to be positive side whether militarily or politically," he said. "Ending the siege on Taiz city and the looming fight for Sanaa put pressure on the alliance of coup militias and forces loyal to former president Ali Saleh."
But such optimism was not shared by those on the opposing side.
The anti-Saudi, pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar.com suggested the Saudi announcement could be a "manoeuver", and noted that the coalition had announced a similar "end of combat" last April.
In an article titled, "End to aggression or a manoeuver?", the outlet argued that the announcement by Asiri had also left the door open for the Saudi Arabian government to keep a physical presence in the country – by Sameh Habeeb
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/arab-press-roundup-war-and-peace-yemen-371579495
18.3.2016 – RT (A K P)
Jemen: Saudi-Arabien will nach Massaker an Zivilisten Strategie ändern
Saudi-Arabien stellt seine „Hauptkampfphase“ im Jemen ein und plant, sich hauptsächlich auf Luftschläge und die Ausbildung von Einheiten im Kampf gegen die Huthi-Rebellen zu fokussieren. Seit fast einem Jahr geht die von Riad angeführte Koalition gegen die pro-iranischen Huthis im Jemen militärisch vor, um den gestürzten Präsidenten el-Hadi wieder zu inthronisieren. Kürzlich tötete ein saudischer Luftschlag rund 120 Zivilisten.
Eine kleine Zahl saudischer Soldaten werde nun künftig im Jemen verweilen, um jemenitische Soldaten zu trainieren, während sich die Koalition darauf reduzieren werde, jemenitischen Kräften Luftunterstützung zu geben. Dies erklärte der saudische Militärsprecher, Brigadegeneral Ahmed el-Asiri.
„Wir sind am Ende der Hauptkampfphase“, sagte der Pressesprecher gegenüber AFP. Er behauptete ferner, Riad beabsichtige die Schaffung einer stabilen Sicherheitslage im Land, bevor man dazu übergehen werde, das Land wiederaufzubauen.
„Das Ziel der Koalition ist die Schaffung einer starken kohäsiven Regierung mit einer starken nationalen Armee und Sicherheitskräften, die den Terrorismus bekämpfen sowie für Recht und Ordnung im ganzen Land sorgen“, fügte el-Asiri hinzu.
Er betonte zudem, dass die primäre Aufgabe der Koalition der Aufbau einer jemenitischen Armee sei. „Das braucht Zeit und Geduld“, ergänzte der saudische Militärsprecher.
El-Assiri gab nicht bekannt, zu welchem Zeitpunkt die saudischen Truppen aus dem Nachbarstaat abziehen wollen. Die Zahl der am Roten Meer und Arabischen See stationierten Koalitionsschiffe werde jedenfalls unverändert bleiben.
Washington, der wichtigste Alliierte der Saudis, indes hat die Schritt Riads hin zu mehr „Stabilität“ im Jemen willkommen geheißen.
https://deutsch.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/37368-jemen-saudi-arabien-will-nach/
Kommentar: Das wurde alles schon kommentiert. Glaubhaft ist hier gar nichts. Schon im April 2015 hatten die Saudis das Ende ihrer Operationen erklärt, und was ist daraus geworden? Aber mit dieser Erklärung besetzt Asiri die Medien und lenkt von dem schlimmen letzten Luftangriff ab. Und die Amerikaner schaffen auf der Grundlage dieser Ablenkungs-Nachricht eine weitere, in dem sie als Cheerleader der Saudis auftreten.
17.3.2016 – Middle East Eye (A K)
Saudi Arabia to scale back operations in Yemen after deadly strike
After a military withdrawal, Saudi Arabia says 'small teams' of coalition troops will remain on the ground to help build Yemen's army
Saudi Arabia declared on Thursday that it plans to scale back military operations in Yemen after the death toll of a recent air strike in Sanaa increased to 119 people, including 22 children.
However, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asiri told the Associated Press that the Saudi-led coalition would continue to provide air support to forces supporting Yemen’s government and its allies.
“The aim of the coalition is to create a strong, cohesive government with a strong national army and security forces that can combat terrorism and impose law and order across the country,” said Asiri.
The spokesman did not divulge any details on when the withdrawal is to take place or what it specifically entails.
But he said “small” teams of coalition troops are to remain on the ground to “equip, train and advise” Yemeni forces battling the Houthi rebels. He also emphasised that the coalition’s primary duty is to build a Yemeni army.
“This takes time and it needs patience,” he said.
Scaling down military operations, Asiri added, does not include the coalition’s naval and air assets along Yemen’s coastline, particularly on the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
Comment by Judith Brown: Why on earth did they do this of they were planning to end their activities? I wonder if any of their 'friends' from Western governments rand them up to have cross words after this inexcusable massacre ? But whatever they do Yemen life as it was is destroyed, extremist militias now have a presence all over Yemen, the economy is in tatters, and the population is polarised. The war in Yemen is far from over - and there are still two armies until talks can unite them under one command.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154187977953641
17.3.2016 – Hisham Al-Omeisy auf BBC (* A K P)
Film: Hisham Al-Omeisy on BBC reacting to Saudi announcement of operations scale down in Yemen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXhipSG5wYc
Comment: He clearly said that the houthi talks with the Saudis are focused on deescalation of the conflict on the BORDER AREAS ONLY. The last strikes on Hajjah's Khamis market shows that the Saudis cannot be trusted to uphold any deals they make.... HAJJAH IS ON THE BORDER and so those strikes CLEARLY VIOLATE any peace talks or talks for deescalation of the conflict.
https://www.facebook.com/yemen.crisis/posts/580132588819648
15.3.2016 – Atlantic Council (* B K P)
Is Saudi Arabia Backed into a Corner?
The Houthis and Saudis have been talking in Riyadh for months, not only recently as suggested by reports last week. But formal peace talks failed as the kingdom insisted on the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 2216, which calls for a full surrender of the Houthis. What led to the breakthrough of the Saudi-Houthi prisoner swap and pause the fighting on the Saudi border?
One issue may be economic. Following on the heels of the news of progress in Saudi-Houthi talks came the announcement that Saudi Arabia was seeking its first loan in over a decade, to the tune of $6-8 billion. The kingdom’s budget deficit exceeded $100 billion last year, and while the kingdom is not in financial trouble the loan request illustrates that its resources are not limitless.
A second issue may be the flood of pressure and criticism of the kingdom, from its bombing of civilian sites in Yemen to its abysmal human rights record and executions of peaceful political dissenters at home.
Over the past month, however, criticism of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, possible war crimes by Saudi Arabia and the kingdom’s domestic repression have come from more formal political channels, sometimes at the highest levels.
But with the nightmare scenario of civil wars, collapsing states, and rising extremism now a reality, Saudi Arabia is coming under fire for its role in some of those conflicts. Although King Salman and particularly Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman are intent on Saudi Arabia playing an active military role in the region, attention to the long-term costs of the war in Yemen and repression inside the kingdom may create the logic for Saudi Arabia to bring the war to a close in the next months, even if that means giving the Houthis a seat at the table in determining Yemen’s future – by Jilian Schwedler
http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/is-saudi-arabia-backed-into-a-corner
Comment: Overview on “official” critics against Saudi Arabia.
cp2a Luftangriff in Hajjah / Hajjah air raid
19.3.2016 – Neue Züricher Zeitung (* A K P)
Schelte der Uno für Saudiarabien
Saudiarabien hat ein baldiges Ende für seine militärische Hauptaktivität in Jemen angekündigt. Manche vermuten einen PR-Trick dahinter. Angriffe auf einen Markt haben über 100 Todesopfer gefordert.
Die von Saudiarabien angeführte Koalition sei im Jemen-Konflikt für doppelt so viele zivile Opfer verantwortlich wie alle anderen Kriegsparteien zusammen, sagt die Uno. Der Menschenrechtskommissar der Vereinten Nationen, Zeid al-Hussein, hat am Freitag die Angriffe der Koalition auf einen Markt Anfang Woche scharf verurteilt, bei denen nach letzter Zählung 119 Personen – unter ihnen 22 Kinder – getötet und 47 verletzt worden waren. Uno-Mitarbeiter hätten keine Hinweise dafür gefunden, dass sich dort relevante militärische Ziele befunden hätten, konstatierte Hussein. Entsetzliche Vorfälle dieser Art ereigneten sich mit inakzeptabler Regelmässigkeit.
Saudiarabien hat derweil am Donnerstag erklärt, eine Hauptphase seiner militärischen Intervention in Jemen sei bald abgeschlossen. Die nächste Phase sollen demnach die Wiederherstellung der Stabilität und der Wiederaufbau des Landes bilden. Riad nannte jedoch keinen Zeitrahmen für sein Vorhaben. Es gibt dabei Anlass zur Skepsis.
Allerdings erweckt Riad den Eindruck, dass es nach einem Weg sucht, sich ohne Gesichtsverlust aus Jemen zurückzuziehen. Wie viele vorausgesagt hatten, ist der Krieg für Riad nicht zu gewinnen.
Die Verhandlungen zwischen Riad und den Huthi beschränkten sich zwar auf das saudisch-jemenitische Grenzgebiet, wo eine Waffenruhe vereinbart wurde. Dort schmerzt der Krieg Riad wegen Angriffen der Huthi über die Grenze auf saudisches Gebiet am meisten – von Monika Bolliger
18.3.2016 – Süddeutsche Zeitung (* A K P)
Zivilisten im Fadenkreuz
Mindestens 119 Menschen wurden bei dem Luftangriff getötet, für den nach allen bislang bekannten Informationen die von Saudi-Arabien geführte Militärkoalition verantwortlich ist.
Laut dem Sprecher des saudischen Militärs, Brigadegeneral Ahmed al-Asiri, wurde eine Versammlung von Huthi-Milizionären zehn Kilometer von dem Markt entfernt bombardiert. 80 Prozent der Getöteten seien Kämpfer. Dagegen berichten UN-Mitarbeiter, die das Dorf besuchten, die Opfer seien ganz überwiegend Zivilisten, unter ihnen 22Kinder. Der UN-Hochkommissar für Menschenrechte, Said Raad al-Hussein, erklärte, es gebe dort keine militärischen Ziele, lediglich einen etwa 250 Meter entfernten Checkpoint, an dem sich nur eine Handvoll Rebellen aufhielten – von Paul-Anton Krüger
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/jemen-zivilisten-im-fadenkreuz-1.2913822
18.3.2016 – United Nations Human Rights Offive (* A K)
Zeid condemns repeated killing of civilians in Yemen airstrikes
In the wake of another deadly airstrike that killed some 106 civilians in a crowded village market in north-western Yemen, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Friday condemned the repeated failure of the Coalition forces to take effective actions to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, and to publish transparent, independent investigations into those that have already occurred.
“The carnage caused by two airstrikes on the Al Khamees market, in north-western Yemen on Tuesday was one of the deadliest incidents since the start of the conflict a year ago,” said Zeid, noting that it was the second such incident in the past three weeks. On 27 February, at least 39 civilians, including nine children, were killed, and another 33 injured, by an airstrike on the Khaleq market in a north-eastern district of Sana`a.
UN Human Rights Office staff in Yemen, who visited the site of the attack in northern Hajja Gvernorate on Wednesday and interviewed a number of eyewitnesses, said the airstrikes had completely destroyed 16 shops in the Al Khamees market, which is the primary shopping area for some 15 surrounding villages. The attack had apparently taken place during the afternoon rush hour when the market was particularly crowded.
There were 24 children among the 106 people reported dead so far. UN staff recorded the names of 96 of the victims, although a further 10 bodies were burned beyond recognition. More than 40 other people were reported to have been injured during the attack.
The UN human rights staff could find no evidence of any armed confrontation or significant military objects in the area at the time of the attack, beyond the presence of a check-point some 250 meters away from the market usually manned by a small group of policemen and Houthis.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17251&LangID=E
19.3.2016 – The Independent (* A K P)
Saudi-led coalition could be committing 'international crimes' bombing civilians in Yemen, UN warns
Saudi Arabia and its allies could be “commissioning international war crimes” by killing thousands of civilians in hospitals, markets, schools and even at weddings in Yemen, the United Nations has warned.
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that 24 children were among 106 civilians who died in air strikes on a crowded village market on Tuesday.
“The carnage caused by two airstrikes on the Al Khamees market was one of the deadliest incidents since the start of the conflict a year ago,” he added.
“The people of Yemen have suffered enough. A very poor country is having its limited infrastructure decimated, and people are struggling desperately to survive.”
UN workers who visited the scene in Hajja Governorate the following day reported more than a dozen shops destroyed, with eyewitnesses saying the bombs had hit during the afternoon rush hour when the market was particularly crowded.
They could find no evidence of military installations or combat, which is controlled by rebels, apart from a small checkpoint 250 metres away manned by police and Houthi rebels.
One witness, Showei Hamoud, described the "terrifying" scene to the Associated Press. “Blood and body parts are everywhere,” he said. “People collected the torn limbs in bags and blankets.”
The Yemeni government said it had formed a committee to look into the bombing and whether it was the result of an air strike or of shelling by the Houthis, but no progress has been seen with similar investigations promised in the past.
A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri, claimed the Yemeni army had given Al Khamees as a target because it was a gathering point for Houthi forces, claiming rebels were “deceiving people by saying it was a market”.
Comment: That are more and more crazy stories Saudi & Co. are telling on behalf of this incident. According to Aseri: claiming rebels were “deceiving people by saying it was a market”. The UN personal had been there and described the damages in the market – and just look at the films to see the shops and stalls destroyed.
19.3.2016 – Aljazeera (* A K P)
UN probing possible 'international crimes' in Yemen
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen may be responsible for "international crimes", a category that includes war crimes and crimes against humanity, the top UN human rights official has said.
Asseri urged the UN not to collect its information from those, like the provincial health director, employed by the Houthi-controlled administration in Sanaa.
"We use the information coming from the [pro-Hadi] Yemeni army because they are on the ground. The attack was under the control of the Yemeni army. It gave the target," Asseri told the Reuters news agency.
He forwarded a graphic prepared by Hadi's government that said the target of the air strike was a military area where Houthi forces had gathered and that "they deceived people by saying it was a market".
A statement issued on Friday by Hadi's government said that it had formed a committee to look into the bombing and whether it was the result of an air strike or of shelling by the Houthis, whom it accused of often blaming the coalition for attacks they carried out themselves.
Zeid's staff who visited the site of Tuesday's strike and interviewed witnesses at al-Khamees market "found no evidence of any armed confrontation or significant military objects in the area at the time of the attack", he said.
Coalition strikes "have hit markets, hospitals, clinics, schools, factories, wedding parties - and hundreds of private residences," he added.
There were 24 children among the 106 reported dead at Mustaba.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/un-probing-possible-international-crimes-yemen-020041923.html
Comment: An obvious attempt by Saudi Arabia to avoid war crime charges for their airstrikes that killed 107 Yemenis in Hajjah this week and to pin those charges on ousted president Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi.
18.3.2016 – Reuters (* A K)
U.N. says Saudi-led bombing of Yemen market may be international crime
Asseri urged the U.N. not to collect its information from those, like the provincial health director, employed by the Houthi-controlled administration in Sanaa.
“We use the information coming from the (pro-Hadi) Yemeni army because they are on the ground. The attack was under the control of the Yemeni army. It gave the target,” Asseri said in a phone interview.
He forwarded a graphic prepared by Hadi’s government that said the target of the air strike was a military area where Houthi forces had gathered and that “they deceived people by saying it was a market“.
A statement issued on Friday by Hadi’s government said it had formed a committee to look into the bombing and whether it was the result of an air strike or of shelling by the Houthis, whom it accused of often blaming the coalition for attacks they carried out themselves – by Stephanie Nebehay and Angus McDowall
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-un-idUSKCN0WK152 = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saudi-bombing-yemen-international-crimes_us_56ec12fae4b09bf44a9d0ad2 (changed headline)
Comment: Still more stories are brought up by Hadi & friends. Obvious bullshit the idea the carnage could be a result of Houthis shelling – thus the Houthis shelling a town which is ruled by themselves without any rivals and fighting in the whole region. This is a repeating of the stupid game in Ukraine, when the Ukrainian government and army had blamed the “separatists” for shelling their own cities.
18.3.2016 – Sputnik News (* A K)
Nach jüngstem Blutbad im Jemen: Riad reduziert Luftschläge gegen Rebellen
Saudi-Arabien reduziert nach dem jüngsten Angriff auf einen Markt in der Provinz Hadscha die Zahl seiner Luftangriffe im Jemen, der mehr als hundert Opfer forderte, wie ein Sprecher der saudischen Luftwaffe gegenüber dem TV-Sender BBC mitteilte.
Die von den USA unterstützte Koalition arabischer Staaten will die jemenitische Regierung im Kampf gegen die Huthi-Rebellen aus der Luft jedoch weiter unterstützen.
Nach Angaben der Uno fanden am 15. März bei dem Luftangriff auf das von schiitischen Rebellen kontrollierte Stadtgebiet 119 Personen den Tod. Mindestens zwei Geschosse sollen laut Augenzeugen einen Markt in der Region Mastaba im Westjemen getroffen haben. In den folgenden Tagen hat sich die Zahl der Opfer bereits fast verdoppelt. Unter den Toten befinden sich nach Angaben internationaler Organisationen auch 22 Kinder. Videoaufnahmen vom Unglücksort zeigen mehrere Kinderopfer.
Wie ein saudischer Militärsprecher mitteilte, wolle die Koalition den Angriff auf den Markt in Hadscha genau untersuchen. Es hieß, die Angriffe am 15. März hätten einem Sammelpunkt der Huthi-Rebellen etwa zehn Kilometer entfernt von dem Markt gegolten. „Unabhängige Quellen vor Ort behaupten, 80 Prozent der Opfer des Angriffes seien Huthi-Kräfte gewesen“, erklärte ein Sprecher Riads.
17.3.2016 – The Independent (* A K)
Yemen war: Saudi Arabia's savage air strikes end, but the crisis remains
As the Kingdom says it is withdrawing from the war, Alistair Dawber reports on the tragic legacy for the Middle East’s poorest nation
The coalition strikes on a market in the northern town of Mustaba this week killed at least 119 people, most of them civilians. More than 100 were injured when two missiles hit the centre of the market, made up of a number of traders selling a variety of goods. A third bomb hit the gates at the entrance, killing more people as they attempted to escape.
“It was the peak of the day when missiles hit, most people get their stuff from there and it was a khat time,” Mustaba resident Mohammed Hamel, 42, who lost his brother in the strikes, told The Independent. “I was approaching the market on foot. My elder brother was buying khat there.”
Mr Hamel last saw his brother buying the mild stimulant plant that many Yemenis chew. “Two missiles hit the market, dozens of bodies were scattered and charred everywhere on the ground,” he said. “We could hardly identify the body of my brother; eventually we found it in the evening, 20 metres away.”
The missile strikes in Mustaba were the second time in the space of a fortnight that the Saudis and their partners have been accused of bombing a civilian market.
A spokesman for the coalition responded to the Al-Masirah footage by pointing out that there was nothing to prove that the pictures were from the aftermath of a coalition attack. What is proven is the catastrophe that has befallen Yemen.
Yet, despite Sanaa still being in the hands of the Houthis, the Saudis suggested that an end to the war is in sight. A spokesman for the coalition, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asiri, said that combat operations were coming to an end and that the focus was now “long-term” plans to bring stability to Yemen. “The aim of the coalition is to create a strong cohesive government with a strong national army and security forces that can combat terrorism and impose law and order across the country,” he said.
“It is a public relations stunt that is more or less in reaction to the mounting public criticism of the war,” said Hisham al-Omeisy, a Yemen-based political analyst. “And a weak one at that too. The suggestion that major military operations are near to an end was vague, while the fact that the coalition will continue to back the Yemeni government until peace and security is restored was stressed.”
Where the weapons come from is of little concern to those caught up in the war, which has brought acute suffering and poverty. Ali Mohammed and his wife, Safa, were displaced by the bombing of Taiz, besieged by the Saudis for almost a year. They fled to the Wadi al-Quba camp for displaced people on the outskirts of the city.
“During the first month of displacement, we managed to buy firewood from a trader in the market but later he raised the price as more people came to the camp,” said Mr Mohammed. “We stopped buying firewood since we have little money and lost our jobs because of the conflict. It’s difficult for us to get bread and water.”
Their story is an example of the difficulties facing millions – by Alistair Dawber
Comment: Apart from the chapters cited here, a good overview article. See this: “A spokesman for the coalition responded to the Al-Masirah footage by pointing out that there was nothing to prove that the pictures were from the aftermath of a coalition attack.” Whow, wherefrom should they be otherwise?? Look at the craters https://www.facebook.com/881240811966559/photos/pcb.972759902814649/972758149481491/?type=3&theater and https://www.facebook.com/881240811966559/photos/pcb.972759902814649/972759859481320/?type=3&theater , is there any volcanism in Yemen???
Comment by Judith Brown: Well we wait to see. They can start their air strikes whenever they want to do so, just like the Israeli do in Gaza.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154188017583641
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
20.3.2016 – Gulf Today (A P)
ERC completes restoration of 140 schools in Yemen
The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has completed restoration and maintenance works on 140 schools and educational institutions in a number of Yemeni provinces as part of the organisation's ongoing efforts to strengthen the education sector in Yemen, one of the areas most affected by the ongoing crisis.
The ERC provided 14 vehicles to the Ministry of Education, and supplied educational institutions with 8,500 classroom chairs, 759 computers, and 200 air-conditioners.
The organisation has been paying special attention to developing the educational sector in Yemen and plans to renovate and equip 154 schools.
It is also currently working on a further 23 schools in other districts.
Today, in the presence of a number of Yemeni officials and ERC representatives, a new phase of school restoration projects was inaugurated.
The project will see the reconstruction of 14 schools that have been closed since 2009.
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/1c76ae80-7382-42af-a269-36fce48e795e.aspx
Comment: Not bombing schools would have been better.
19.3.2016 – Living in Yemen on the Edge (* B H)
´´Yemeni life has no longer any meaning´´
How do the Yemeni citizens continue their life under this hysterical bombings and destruction of their simple, beautiful life?
Mansour Mohammed Hadi (48) told us his story of an extremely difficult year coping with both the war and hepatitis
"We live in Yemen in very bad human and environmental conditions. I suffer from hepatitis and my condition gets worse with each passing day. I have moved, peregrinated from hospital to hospital looking for a medicine which cures my disease, but because of the siege imposed on Yemen, rarely I could find any of the medicines prescribed by doctors. Sometimes I am stable. Often times my condition worsens and pain becomes unbearable. Last month, when I could no longer stand the pain, I moved to the hospital. Miraculously, I have survived. Question is: how long will I continue, considering the seriousness of my case?"
Bashir Mansour Mussad (23), a college student adds his voice: "I have not been able to go to the university and complete my studies. Our jobs and activities stopped due to the aggression and siege and I couldn't pay for my studies. Worse of all: there are no jobs available and I had to ask for money as my Dad is ill. How can I repay people back?"
Hemerr Hamoud (34), taxi driver, had his story to share about his suffering under the siege, with no gasoline to run his taxi and little food available: "I have a taxi and used to transport passengers in the streets of the capital. That was before the siege imposed by Saudi Arabia. It was already difficult at the time but after the siege I have barely been able to find enough money to feed my family. I tried to find an alternative occupation but all my efforts have been fruitless. Lack of electricity does not help and I am sure we are going, all of us, to starve to death."
In the same context Khalid Ahmed Musleh (30) a farmer, said: "Actually, Yemeni farmers live the most difficult times of all because of the siege. Agriculture in Yemen depends basically on oil and our farms and crops have been damaged due to the lack of it and the high prices at the black market''
Tamim Hazza (37) employee, concluded: " Yemeni life has no longer any meaning and value under this unjust aggression and blockade. We have been suffering for almost a year from the absence of the basic components for a decent life, starting from electricity
We live every night in complete darkness with the noise of jet fighters upon our heads, not to mention the blasts of the extensive explosions surrounding our homes. Life in Yemen has completely changed: we lost our jobs and I sit at home, now, doing nothing."
18.3.2016 – Red Cross, Red Crescent (A H K)
Red Crescent volunteers’ lives at risk each day in Yemen
On 14 March 2016, four Yemen Red Crescent Society volunteers were wounded by shelling in Ma’rib Governorate. The team was on duty at the time, retrieving the bodies of people killed in the fighting in the area.
This incident occurred despite agreements from all sides of the conflict that humanitarian workers should be able to provide assistance in safety. Four volunteers were injured by shrapnel; one of whom is in critical condition and is currently fighting for his life. The three other volunteers in the team are in stable condition.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement deplores this latest incident and is appalled by the failure to protect aid workers risking their lives on a daily basis for the sake of humanity in Yemen, and around the world. Eight Yemen Red Crescent Society volunteers and two staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have already been killed in the current conflict.
The Movement calls once again on all parties in Yemen to respect the red cross and red crescent emblems and international humanitarian law.
18.3.2016 – International Organization for Migration, UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Infographic: Yemen Situation: Arrivals from Yemen into the Horn of Africa (15 March 2016)
Since conflict erupted in Yemen in March 2015, Yemenis, Somalis, national returnees and people of other nationalities have fled Yemen into the Horn of Africa, namely Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan
http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/YEM_Sitn_Regional_Dashboard_15Mar2016.pdf
16.3.2016 – Middle East Eye (* B H)
Film: 'Waiting for work': Yemenis left jobless as war rages on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTVNSTxEp28
15.3.2016 – The Talking Of The Soul (* B H)
Manal, a light for thousands of Yemeni disabled
Manal is in her mid-twenties, an active, passionate and smart young woman. Yemeni, she holds a University degree from the Faculty of Arts in Sanaá in English literature and, indeed, she masters perfect English. The feeling you have when you talk to her, see her moving around, watch her dealing with people and friends, is that Manal is full of energy, determined though extremely humble.
Sometimes I wonder if she gets any sleep at all. Manal has opened a group in Facebook: Yemeni Peace & Coexistence where peace and coexistence are words she personally chose (and she likes to stress it) and is busy online till late, discussing important issues, never forgetting anyone´s birthday or need, uniting Yemenis.
One year ago Manal started working, as Project Manager, at the Rehabilitation and Care Fund for People with Disabilities in Sanaá. The job would be difficult in any moment in a country like Yemen where there is virtually no national health service, 50% of the population lives below the poverty line, where lack of food, water, electricity, basic infrastructure is the reality on the ground. The incomprehensible war waged on her country has basically devastated everything. According to the United Nations, Yemen is witnessing the worst humanitarian crises of our times.
Her enthusiasm, when talking about her job, what she sees every day, is cracked by a deep sorrow: ´´The tragedy of this aggression on people with disabilities in Yemen is apocalyptic. They are suffering and have been forced to face many obstacles during these past, harsh, twelve months. It´s like a horrible, nightmarish year with the killing of thousands of innocent people.´´
´´I am particularly concerned about the impact of this war on people who have to deal with physical disabilities for the rest of their life and this includes visual and hearing disabilities. We had an unprecedented increase in auditory disabilities, for instance, and it is a result of the pressure generated by massive explosions. Visual disabilities are usually a result of sharpers and cluster bombs which cause strong pressure leading to the explosion of windows with a direct attack on one or both eyes.
Physical disabilities regard, mainly, amputation of legs or hands as a result of direct injuries, that is: being hit by flying fragments or collapsing buildings. Many of the people seeking help – and now considered handicapped – were injured by the internationally banned cluster bombs.
Appalling, for the first time in our history, we have started witnessing new-born babies with birth defects, babies mentally impaired or even having cancer due to the gases and toxic emissions of bombs dropped on the entire country´´.
Manal gains strength when she talks about the Fund´s role: ´´We offer all the requirements needed, starting from basic prosthetic devices such as bathroom chairs, crutches, medical mattresses to avoid skin ulcer, walkers, optical sticks for blind people. We provide medicines for most of the disabled who are registered with the Fund and arrange for surgeries in public and private hospitals, all sponsored by us. When possible, we finance medical trips abroad if the disability or the case cannot be handled in Yemen.´´
´´There are so many things I want to accomplish in the future. I want to continue working in the humanitarian field, especially relating to people with the special needs, especially working close to the poor with disabilities. I want to travel abroad, have a master degree in management, gain many information from different important people, return to Yemen and help my country.´´
When I ask her if I could use her real name, Manal, in the article, she smiles: ´´You can use my real name and my last name too. My name is Manal Al Marwani. ´´
Rehabilitation and care Fund for people with disabilities Republic of Yemen-Sana’a Bayt Meyad – behind the office of Education – Al-Sabyen Directorate Tel: 00967-1-619774 Fax: 00967-1-619231/5
Comment by Judith Brown: A good news story from Yemen - all of the disability groups in Yemen seem to be headed by women. I interviewed two women who managed disability organisations In Yemen and I found them so inspiring - like Manal is. Disability especially congenital disability is seen as an embarrassment in Yemen, and disabled family members are often hidden. So work to highlight disability and to find ways of helping the disabled to live productive lives is so worthwhile.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154193291598641
Comment: A story of resilience, determination, pride and dreams. Manal Al Marwani is a young Yemeni who, like the entire population, every single day defies airstrikes and hardship to go and help - virtually anyone - at the Yemeni Relief Fund for the Disabled in Sanaá
Manal works hard, dreams big and remains humble. She is one of our pride.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=989093767810320&id=961126490607048
cp4 Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
Siehe cp1 “Am wichtigsten” / See cp1 “Most important”
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
19.3.2016 – Vanessa Beeley (* A P)
A quick rant after reading the UN High Commissioner's lame speech on recent Saudi massacre in Hajjah #Yemen
The US supplied cluster munitions, both air and ground launched, have been used liberally against civilian targets, particularly in the northern provinces of Saada and Hajjah. The US is not a signatory of the Cluster Munitions Convention, neither is Saudi Arabia, but the US export regulations clearly state, they should not be used against civilian targets. This regulation is being flagrantly flouted with little more than a shrug from the US as the weapons of mass destruction contracts with Saudi Arabia fulfil all military industrial complex expectations.
The Saudi coalition has deliberately targeted civilian areas, homes and infrastructure, wholesale slaughtering the innocent and defenceless of Yemen already enduring a crippling blockade and without even the most basic medical supplies.
What, you might ask, is the UN response to this barbarism? Talk, talk and more talk. They decry, they condemn, they go so far as “lamenting” but walking the talk seems physically impossible for these rhetoric lovers.
In fact Zeid Ra’ad al Hussain the Human Rights Commissioner goes so far as to blame pride on both sides for these tragic deaths in Hajjah!
“I urge both sides to swallow their pride and bring this conflict to a halt,” Zeid said. “The people of Yemen have suffered enough. A very poor country is having its limited infrastructure decimated, and people are struggling desperately to survive.”
Why then are the UN not lifting sanctions, demanding an end to the blockade or insisting upon arms embargoes against the Saudi coalition. They mumble “war crimes”under their breath when they are being committed on a daily basis by the Saudi coalition, documented and evidenced to the hilt yet are strident in their accusations against the Syrian government with minimal evidence or proof to substantiate their multiple claims, the majority of which have been discredited.
What pride is al Hussain talking about? The pride the Yemeni people have in their country, their freedom, their aspirations to democracy and universal representation? The pride the Yemeni people have in removing the Saudi yoke of corruption and exploitation? The pride the Yemeni people have in resisting all attempts to subjugate, partition and enslave them to neocolonialist occupation? The pride the Yemeni people have in their sovereignty? The sovereignty that the UN should be defending?
Yes Mr High Commissioner, the Yemeni people are struggling to survive because the NATO and US supplied and endorsed Saudi coalition is strangling them and ethnically cleansing their nation day by day. They are struggling because the UN is failing in its duty to protect them. They are struggling because the UN is not demanding an end to the Saudi blockade. They are struggling because the UN has failed to provide an independent investigation into the multiple war crimes being committed by the Saudi coalition.
One year on and what exactly has the UN done to prevent this massacre of over 8,000 Yemenis, 2000 children, over 1500 women. Tens of thousands injured, maimed and suffering the after shocks of a multitude of WMD used against them. What has the UN done, other than decry, lament and condemn? – by Vanessa Beeley
https://www.facebook.com/vanessa.beeley/posts/10154951443528868 = https://thewallwillfall.wordpress.com/2016/03/19/yemen-un-decrys-condemns-laments-but-does-nothing/
Comment: Describing just as it is.
18.3.2016 – New York Times (* B P)
I Love the U.N., but It Is Failing
I HAVE worked for the United Nations for most of the last three decades. I was a human rights officer in Haiti in the 1990s and served in the former Yugoslavia during the Srebrenica genocide. I helped lead the response to the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Haitian earthquake, planned the mission to eliminate Syrian chemical weapons, and most recently led the Ebola mission in West Africa. I care deeply for the principles the United Nations is designed to uphold.
And that’s why I have decided to leave.
I am hardly the first to warn that the United Nations bureaucracy is getting in the way of its peacekeeping efforts. But too often, these criticisms come from people who think the United Nations is doomed to fail. I come at it from a different angle: I believe that for the world’s sake we must make the United Nations succeed.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is a man of great integrity, and the United Nations is filled with smart, brave and selfless people. Unfortunately, far too many others lack the moral aptitude and professional abilities to serve. We need a United Nations led by people for whom “doing the right thing” is normal and expected.
19.3.2016 – Ahram Online (* A K P)
Political settlement to Yemen war kicks off in talks
Yemen's warring parties appear ready to bow to Gulf State wishes for a resolution to the conflict in the country, with negotiations about to start in earnest between the opposed sides
UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived Saturday in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa after holding a round of talks in Riyadh with Saudi and Yemeni officials.
The Mauritanian diplomat also met with Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Hadi, who met with Ould Cheikh Friday evening in Riyadh, said that "all doors are open to help reach a comprehensive and lasting peace based on the outcomes of the Gulf Initiative, the National Dialogue Conference and the resolutions of the UN Security Council, especially Resolution 2216."
The current calm on the ground, despite minor violations, reflects the parties' willingness to reach a settlement, a source close to the Yemeni president told Ahram Online from Riyadh.
The source said that de-escalation on the part of Houthi rebels and the disarming of mines on the Saudi-Yemeni border are evidence that all sides are mulling a compromise. "The Houthis began to describe Saudi Arabia as the big sister and Ali Abdullah Saleh, on the other hand, beckons that the war is coming to an end."
Another Yemeni source from Sanaa told Ahram Online that the UN special envoy is expected to receive a written paper including Saleh's vision of the political settlement to be discussed in Muscat in negotiations that are expected to begin in a few days.
Ould Cheikh's visit is considered the first of its kind following Saudi-Houthi talks that took place in the Saudi city of Abha last week – by Anthony Banbury
20.3.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Yemeni Presidency: Houthis Seek Halt of Air Raids
Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi convened with his advisors today to discuss files presented by the U.N. special envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, regarding Yemen’s future.
Two days ago, before departing to Sana’a, U.N. special envoy Ahmed had conferred on the case files with President Hadi.
President Hadi confirmed that permanent peace is what will help Yemen avoid future conflicts, based on that, everyone must work on anchoring peace and stability.
Hadi advisor, Yassin Makawi, told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that most Houthi demands revolve around the halt of air raids. Their demands are in line with preparations for launching political negotiations. On the other hand, ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh requests nothing but a secure escape route from Yemen for himself.
Former President Saleh had worked hand in hand with Houthis for insurgency to takeover and tear Yemen apart.
U.N. special envoy Ahmed had returned to Sana’a yesterday. He is missioned to look into developments for a political settlement for Yemen.
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper was informed by sources that setting a date and for future negotiations are atop the U.N. envoy’s agenda, in addition to tracking down progress on the Saudi-Yemeni border truce.
Advisor Makawi told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the Yemeni government, despite the insurgents’ continuous incursions, is bent on reaching peace. However, at the same time the government does require trust building measures to be accomplished before heading for negotiations.
Trust building measures include freeing political captives held by Houthis.
Makawi also confirmed that Houthis have no other option than to abide to the implementation of the U.N. resolution 2216. Putting the resolution into effect is the main gateway to a true solution in Yemen.
Yemeni political sources assert that the U.N. envoy Ahmed has taken several proposals over to Houthis and Pro-Saleh supporters (armed militants supporting ousted President Saleh).
Among the proposals brought by Ahmed are insurgents attending a new round of negotiations by the end of March, and the talks being moved from Geneva to an Arab nation.
http://english.aawsat.com/2016/03/article55348711/yemeni-presidency-houthis-seek-halt-of-air-raids
Comment: Insisiting on the implementation of UN resolution 226 – which demands the Houthis to capitulate and demands nothing from the Saudi/Hadi side – means prolonging the war until eternity. That might be what Hadi really wants, as he will stay “president” only as long as the war proceeds. As there is no political force in the country wanting him as president, his political carrier will come to an end with any political solution of the conflict.
Comment: We guess this is why the air raids were horrible last night.
Seeking stable peace through bombings.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=989674664418897&id=961126490607048
19.3.2016 – Saudi Press Agency (A K P)
Yemen's President confirms his legitimate government's position on achieving lasting peace
Yemeni President, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, reiterated the position of legitimate authorities sticking and seeking to implement lasting and comprehensive peace in his country, according to international agreements in this regard.
Upon receiving the envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh, here last night, Hadi stressed that lasting peace is the only way that would protect Yemen from ordeal due to any future conflicts and emanating from this point, everyone should work to achieve security and stability.
He pointed out that the legitimate government is responsible for all the Yemeni people and all the doors are open to reach a comprehensive and lasting peace in accordance with the Gulf initiative and the outputs of the comprehensive national dialogue conference and the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1479301
19.3.2016 – Gulf News (A K P)
Yemen president says ‘comprehensive’ peace with rebels achievable
Yemeni president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi has said that reaching a peace deal with Al Houthis is possible even as his forces are mounting fresh assaults to wrest new areas from the rebels in Taiz and Shawba.
In a meeting on Friday with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad, Hadi said that peace is achievable provided the Iran-backed Al Houthis put into place a UN Security Council resolution that obliges them to withdraw from main cities, return arms and allow the internationally supported government to re-operate from the capital.
“All doors are open to reach a comprehensive peace in accordance with the Gulf initiative, the outcomes of the National Dialogue and UN Security Council resolution. [Only] permanent peace would save Yemen from the ravages of conflicts in future.” Hadi said in a statement carried on the government-run sabanew.net. Hadi’s remark has fuelled strong rumours that his government and the rebels are close to reaching a peace deal that could end months of conflict especially as the Saudis have recently admitted hosting a delegation from the rebel movement. But despite extending an olive branch to the rebels, Hadi’s forces on Saturday launched a big offensive on Al Houthi opposition in the oil and gas rich province of Shabwa, in southern Yemen
Comment: There is no “legitimate” government for Yemen since February 25, 2015. Look what Hadi is saying: He again is expressing his conditions and confinements for peace.
19.3.2016 – AFP (A K P)
UN envoy visits Yemen for talks with rebels
UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived Saturday in Yemen's rebel-held capital to try to restart peace talks between Iran-backed insurgents and the internationally recognised government.
The Mauritanian diplomat met Ali Hajar, a foreign affairs representative of the Huthi rebels, Sanaa airport director Khaled al-Shayef told AFP.
It came a day after the UN envoy held talks in Riyadh with Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
Yemen's Saba news agency said Ould Cheikh Ahmed met Hadi to relaunch "efforts to reestablish peace in Yemen".
"All doors are open to reach peace based on (UN) Security Council resolutions," Hadi was quoted as saying.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/un-envoy-visits-yemen-talks-rebels-111005889.html
18.3.2016 – Reuters (A K P)
Major fighting in Yemen coming to an end: Saudi coalition spokesman
Asseri and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir have in recent days said that any peace talks can only take place between Hadi and the Houthis, and through the U.N. special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0WK0TR
Comment: It does not make great sense if the Saudis as those who really decide are not taking part in the peace talks. – And, it did not last 24 hours until Asiri proofed not to have spoken the truth: Heavy air raids at Sanaa in the night from march 19 to 20.
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
18.3.2016 – Amnesty International (A P)
JOURNALIST RISKS DEATH PENALTY FOR TWEETS
Saudi Arabian journalist Alaa Brinji is on trial at the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh. He has been charged with apostasy and risks being sentenced to death. He has been denied access to a lawyer. He is a prisoner of conscience.
Journalist Alaa Brinji is on trial at the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh. He has been charged with, among other things, “apostasy”, “calling for secularist thought”, “inciting the public against the rulers of the country and attempting to tarnish the country’s reputation”, “ridiculing Islamic religious figures” and “violating Article 6 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law”. The charges relate to his posts on Twitter, some of which call for freedom of religion and supporting the “women to drive” movement, human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience.
Alaa Brinji, aged 39, was arrested on 12 May 2014 by members of the security forces, some of them in civilian clothes, at a checkpoint on his way to Bahrain with his wife. He was taken to the General Directorate of Investigations (GDI, also known as al-Mabahith) prison in Dammam, where he is still detained. He was detained incommunicado in solitary confinement for the first 50 days, after which he was allowed to phone his wife. His trial is thought to have begun in December 2015. He has been allowed no access to a lawyer. Alaa Brinji is a respected journalist who has worked for the Saudi Arabian newspapers al-Bilad and al-Sharq.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde23/3673/2016/en/
cp9 USA
19.3.2016 – Inner City Press (** A P)
On Yemen, Inner City Press Again Asks US Of Saudi Killing 106, Saudi (Self) Probe Cited
When Inner City Press asked US State Department spokesperson John Kirby about Yemen on March 15, Kirby said "we welcome the fact that there is a cessation of hostilities."
On March 16, Inner City Press returned to the State Department and asked Kirby's deputy Mark Toner about the Saudi airstrikes in Hajjah which killed, it asked, 41 or 107 people; Toner replied in part that the US could not verify the specifics, see below.
On March 18, Inner City Press asked Kirby again:
Inner City Press: On Yemen, I see that you answered yesterday and you said you didn’t have the details yet about this airstrike in Hajjah province, but now the UN’s human rights commissioner has said that his team got there on Wednesday. They put the death count at 106. UNICEF Yemen puts it at 118. So I’m just wondering, do you accept that as kind of – as – is that enough information to – for the U.S. to say this did happen and that’s the death count?
MR KIRBY: We’re aware and deeply concerned by reports that a significant number of civilians may have been killed or injured during a strike near a market in northern Yemen. I’m unable today to verify any of the specifics of what happened. I would note, though, that the coalition has stated that it will conduct an investigation of the incident, and we encourage them to conduct a prompt, transparent investigation and publicly release the results. It’s vital that the investigation provide a thorough and objective accounting of the facts and circumstances of the incident and, if appropriate, to address any factors that led to it so that we can prevent reoccurrence, of course.
As we’ve said previously, we’re deeply concerned by the effects of the crisis in Yemen, both in terms of civilian casualties and the dire humanitarian situation which still exists. Okay?
On March 18, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights put the civilian death toll at 106; UNICEF in Yemen puts the figure at 118 dead including 22 children.
On March 16, Inner City Press returned and asked Kirby's deputy Mark Toner about the Saudi airstrike in Hajjah, full video here from Minute 56:28; Vine here, US transcript here:
[Going back in the timeline, more interviews on Yemen] – by Matthew Russell Lee
http://innercitypress.blogspot.de/2016/03/on-yemen-inner-city-press-again-asks-us.html
Comment: These US representatives are really giving unmasking comments. If reality does not fit, then it just is denied by telling that unfortunately they still are waiting for evidence: “I can’t at this time – cannot verify the specifics”, at a time when all the evidence already is on the table. They know, in at least two days there are newer news and nobody will ask again. The US with all it’s intelligence services knowing less than anybody else – a ridiculous idea, which is officially is spread for serious. And always they must add something which pretends concern: “We’re aware and deeply concerned” – they certainly are aware, off course, but “deeply concerned”, that is just a lie.
18.3.2016 – International Business Times (A P)
Saudi Arabia Opens AIPAC Style PR Firm In DC To Strengthen Ties With US
The group appears to be loosely following the model of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), a powerful Washington nonprofit that has promoted Israeli interests in the United States through a combination of lobbying and public communications.
Saudi Arabia is getting its own nonprofit press shop in Washington, D.C., with the creation of the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (Saprac), which opened its doors Thursday. The group “aims to further strengthen the historic relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States, both politically and economically,” according to its website’s About page.
The group appears to be loosely following the model of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), a powerful Washington nonprofit that has promoted Israeli interests in the United States through a combination of lobbying and public communications. The group was founded by Salman Al-Ansari.
http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/saudi-arabia-gets-its-own-dc-public-affairs-firm-2338703 = http://www.mintpressnews.com/saudi-arabia-gets-dc-public-affairs-firm/214885/
17.3.2016 – Salon (* A P)
“Look like war crimes to me”: Congressman raises concerns over U.S. support for Saudi war in Yemen
Rep. Ted Lieu wants the government to stop backing the Saudi-led coalition's brutal bombing of Yemeni civilians
Rep. Ted Lieu is raising concerns about the ongoing atrocities.
Lieu, a Democrat representing California and a member of the Subcommittee on National Security, sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on March 2. The letter, which was obtained by Salon, draws attention to the little-discussed war.
“I have serious questions about the coalition’s operational conduct, the U.S.’s involvement with the coalition, and the U.S. national security interests driving our actions in Yemen,” Lieu wrote to the secretaries.
Lieu also cites United Nations reports, which indicate that more than 6,000 people have died in the war, close to half of whom are civilians, including hundreds of children.
Rep. Lieu, who served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and attended Air War College, wrote in the letter that the “apparent indiscriminate airstrikes on civilian targets in Yemen seem to suggest that either the coalition is grossly negligent in its targeting or is intentionally targeting innocent civilians.”
The congressman called on the Departments of State and Defense to “provide an assessment as to whether the indiscriminate nature of the coalition’s operations and the targeting of civilians have significantly changed since October 2015.”
This is not the first letter Rep. Lieu has written about the war. It cites an additionalletter he sent to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, in September 2015, expressing concerns about the heavy civilian toll of coalition airstrikes.
The September letter posed a series of questions about the American support for the bombing, and requested that the U.S. “cease aiding coalition airstrikes in Yemen until the coalition demonstrates that they will institute proper safeguards to prevent civilian deaths.” – by Ben Norton
14.3.2016 – Rolling Stone (** B K)
9 Things We Learned from Repentant Drone Operators
With 'Eye in the Sky' in select theaters — here's what remote control combat is really like
In "The Untold Casualties of the Drone War,” Rolling Stone profiled four former members of the drone program who publicly criticized America's use of unmanned aircraft strikes in an open letter to President Barack Obama. "This administration and its predecessors have built a drone program that is one of the most devastating driving forces for terrorism and destabilizations around the world," they wrote. With the release of Eye in the Sky — starring Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul and Alan Rickman — where a moral debate on drone warfare roils between military elites, we decided to revisit what these four vets told us about the bizarre and sometimes horrifying nature of remote control warfare.
The Air Force Pumps Up New Recruits with Metallica
Drone Operators conduct surveillance on more than combat
Numbers on drone strikes are largely unknown
Terrorists say drone strikes support recruitment
Bernie Sanders is the only candidate critical of the drone program
Life on the drone base in Nevada sucks
Drugs and alcohol "fuel” the drone program
Drone operators sometimes track a kill for weeks at a time
The Air Force is having a hard time keeping drone operators
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/9-things-we-learned-from-repentant-drone-operators-20160314
18.2.2016 – Rolling Stone (** B K)
The Untold Casualties of the Drone War
Former members of the U.S. drone program expose the hidden price of remote control combat
Early one evening in November, Brandon Bryant, a former Air Force officer and perhaps the world's most famous drone program whistleblower, sits on the sofa in a Manhattan hotel suite, writing a letter to President Obama. A grey hoodie is pulled over his baseball cap, the sleeves half-covering a red dragon and Nordic tribal tattoos on his arms and hands. For three years, he's spoken critically about his time flying drone missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia — where he helped kill 1,626 people, according to his own performance review — but now he can't seem to find the right words. Between sips of water and occasional requests for feedback, Bryant furiously crosses out lines in the notebook he typically uses to write poetry. "I don't want it to sound too formal," he says. "It needs to read like it's coming from us and not from our lawyers."
His former colleague, Michael Haas sits on the floor, fiddling with a replica skull that another former drone operator in their midst, Stephen Lewis, plans to turn into a bong. At the room's breakfast bar is Cian Westmoreland, a tall, slightly morose-looking veteran, and their lawyer, Jesselyn Radack, who specializes in representing whistleblowers, including Edward Snowden. All of them are in town for the U.S. premiere of a Norwegian documentary about U.S. drone warfare that features the testimonies of Bryant and Haas. Their letter to Obama, which they plan to deliver to the U.S. offices of the Guardian newspaper the next day, explains how the four of them came to regard the drone program as a wasteful abuse of power, promoted on lies, and, in practice, a cause for more enemy combatants than it could ever kill – by Vegas Tenold
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-untold-casualties-of-the-drone-war-20160218
1.3.2016 – US Department of State (* A K P)
U.S. Security Cooperation With Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia plays a crucial role in maintaining security in the Middle East, due to its economic, political, and cultural importance and its strategic location. Given the complex and dynamic security challenges facing the region, including countering violent extremism from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as well as other extremist groups, the United States will continue to work with Saudi Arabia to support counterterrorism efforts and a shared interest in regional stability. In addition, building on the May 14, 2015 Camp David Summit, we are working with the Gulf Cooperation Council to increase cooperation on maritime security, military preparedness, arms transfers, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism. Toward that end, the United States will continue to collaborate with Saudi Arabia to improve training for special operations and counterterrorism forces, integrate air and missile defense systems, strengthen cyber defenses, and bolster maritime security.
Through foreign military sales, the United States has supported three key security assistance organizations in the Kingdom. The U.S. Military Training Mission provides training and advisory services and administers the U.S. military cooperation program with the Saudi Ministry of Defense. The Office of the Program Management-Saudi Arabian National Guard assists in the modernization of the Ministry of the National Guard. The Office of Program Management-Ministry of Interior supports critical infrastructure protection and public security. Since the 1950s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has also played a vital role in military and civilian construction in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is the United States’ largest FMS customer, with nearly $100 billion in active FMS cases. In November 2015, the United States approved a possible FMS case to Saudi Arabia for air-to-ground munitions and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1.29 billion. In October 2015, the United States approved a possible FMS to Saudi Arabia for Multi-Mission Surface Combatant ships and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $11.25 billion. In December 2011, the United States finalized our largest international defense sale in history — worth approximately $29.4 billion — to Saudi Arabia. This sale included 84 advanced F-15SA fighter aircraft and updates to the Kingdom’s existing 70 F-15S aircraft. Other large programs include 36 AH-64D Block III Apache helicopters, as well as ammunition for the Royal Saudi Land Forces; 24 AH-64D Block III Apache helicopters and 72 UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters for the Ministry of the National Guard; and numerous PATRIOT air defense systems and upgrades. These sales promote our commitment to stability in the region and to Saudi Arabia’s defense development.
Most recently, the U.S. Government has made plans to sell Saudi Arabia 10 MH-60R multi-mission helicopters, 600 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles, and more than $500 million in air-dropped munitions and ammunition.
As a result of U.S. security assistance, the Kingdom has foiled numerous terrorist attempts against Saudi and foreign targets, and contributed to coalition operations against ISIL in Syria. The United States remains committed to providing the Saudi armed forces with the equipment, training, and follow-on support necessary to protect Saudi Arabia, and the region, from the destabilizing effects of terrorism and other threats.
http://www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/fs/2016/253853.htm = https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=989111137808583&id=961126490607048
Comment: An unmasking document. Read and draw your own conclusions. FMS = Foreign Military Sales.
8.3.2016 – Alternet (* B P)
Son of Prominent Saudi Dissident: Why Won't United States Condemn Brutal Execution of My Father?
Mohammed Al-Nimr wants to know why the U.S. government is refusing to condemn its Saudi Arabian allies’ recent execution of his father, the political dissident Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr, whose unfair trial and subsequent killing set off shock waves of outrage and protests around the world, from the United Kingdom to Yemen.
“There was no condemning, nothing from the United States, just an expression of concern. That’s shameful,” Al-Nimr told AlterNet from the first international summit examining the special relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, held in Washington, D.C. last weekend. “You should express more than your concern about the execution of a man who didn’t do anything wrong, who was demanding peaceful change.”
A prominent protest leader and advocate for equal Shia rights, Sheikh Al-Nimrtold BBC in 2011 that he preferred “the roar of the word against authorities rather than weapons … the weapon of the word is stronger than bullets, because authorities will profit from a battle of weapons.” He was arrested in 2012 and eventually put to death for the very words he levied to criticize the government.
Al-Nimr’s son brought his condemnation to Washington, joining with people from Bahrain, Yemen and around the world in calling attention to the dangerous collaboration between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. “My father was asking for freedom and dignity,” said Al-Nimr, whose cousin Ali Al-Nimr, just 17 when he was arrested in 2012, is currently on death row despite international outcry.
Many, like Al-Nimr, came to the gathering with first-hand experience of abuses committed within the kingdom’s borders.
“Saudi women want you to speak out,” declared Ebtihal Mubarak, a Saudi journalist born in Jeddah who currently lives in New York City. Mubarak condemned a state where male guardianship is codified into law, and a woman's male guardian can be her brother, her uncle or even her son. She added, “I’d like you to challenge the covenant between U.S. media and Saudi government.”
Saudi Arabia’s large numbers of migrant workers, meanwhile, face a labor system in which their legal permits to work are tied to their employers, opening the door to severe abuse. “Corporate America played a key role in creating a highly discriminatory system of employment in Saudi Arabia,” said Sharat Lin, a writer on global political economy and labor in the Middle East and South Asia.”
Many emphasized that Saudi Arabia is not a lone actor, but is fully partnering with the United States in its atrocities. This collaboration is egregiously on display in Yemen, where the United States is providing direct intelligence and assistance for the ruthless bombing campaign that is targeting homes, schools, refugee camps and weddings. “We should stop being accomplices and supporters of crimes committed in the region,” said Raed Jarrar, government relations manager for the American Friends Service Committee.
“The United States needs to have a sense of responsibility,” Al-Nimr urged. “I mean the people, not the government. You are in this world for a reason, and the reason is to support freedom. You should stigmatize anyone who deals this way with the Saudi government.” – by Sarah Lazare
3.9.2015 – The Intercept (* B K P)
NYT Claims U.S. Abides by Cluster Bomb Treaty: The Exact Opposite of Reality
The U.S. does not occasionally violate one of those provisions. It continually violates all of them, systematically and as a matter of policy doing exactly that which the treaty expressly bans. For the NYT to tell its readers that the U.S. — one of the leading cluster bomb states on the planet — is actually one of the countries that “have not yet joined the treaty but have abided by its provisions” is nationalistic propaganda of the most extreme kind – by Glen Greenwald
https://theintercept.com/2015/09/03/nyt-claims-u-s-abides-cluster-bomb-ban-exact-opposite-reality/
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
20.3.2016 – Daily Record (A K P)
Westminster committee: We'll find out if bombs made in Scotland have been used in Yemen's civil war
SNP MP Douglas Chapman says that, given the mounting evidence, it is only a matter of time before there is proof that war crimes have been committed.
A POWERFUL Westminster committee will investigate if bombs made in Scotland have been used in Yemen’s civil war.
The Committee on Arms Export Controls have been reconvened amid claims British-built arms have been used to commit war crimes.
The Saudi air force use Eurofighter Typhoon and Tornado jets made in Britain and the UK has supplied Saudi Arabia with Paveway guided bombs with parts made by US firm Raytheon’s plant in Glenrothes .
More than £1billion of bombs, missiles and rockets were sold to Saudi Arabia last summer and pressure has been mounting on the UK Government to stop the sales.
Committee member Douglas Chapman, the SNP MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, told the Sunday Mail: “It can only be a matter of time, given the mounting evidence, that there is conclusive proof that war crimes have been committed – by Billy Briggs
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/westminster-committee-well-find-out-7594172
19.3.2016 – Morning Star (* A K P)
Time To Stop Selling Arms To Saudi Arabia
THIS month we learned that British sales of arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen will be the subject of a full-scale inquiry in Parliament. The government is also facing a High Court challenge to examine whether its actions break British and EU arms export laws.
The British government has licensed £6.7 billion of arms to Saudi Arabia since David Cameron took office, including £2.8bn since the bombing of Yemen began in March 2015. There have been strong claims, including by a UN panel, that the Saudi bombing campaign has included repeated breaches of human rights laws.
The cross-party committee conducting the inquiry is also likely to look at the role of the Department for International Development (DfID) 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.
Additionally, DfID itself is due to report before Easter on the broader aid implications of the government running an aid programme in Yemen while its arms sales help fuel civil war in that same country.
On the Labour side of the House of Commons, we are in no doubt that Britain’s arms trade with Saudi Arabia is undermining the humanitarian efforts of DfID, which gave £106 million in aid to Yemen in the past year.
In the first three months of this conflict, we approved £1.7bn worth of arms licences to Saudi Arabia — £400m more than the total global aid given to Yemen over the same period.
The results of the Saudi war on Yemen have been, in the words of the UN’s Yemen envoy Johannes van der Klauwe, “a humanitarian catastrophe.” Currently 60 per cent its population of 14.4m are going hungry. In December, Save the Children assessed that the conflict had put 1.8 million children out of school and damaged 1,000 schools beyond use.
As Labour’s shadow international development secretary, I and my colleagues have been arguing for some time that inquiries into this issue were necessary. The government’s response has been far from satisfactory.
For example, at recent international development questions in Parliament, Development Minister Desmond Swayne rejected the position of Save the Children, Unicef, Oxfam and Saferworld that British arms sales to Saudi Arabia — £3bn in the first six months of the war alone — undermine Britain’s development efforts in Yemen.
“There is no evidence that I have that that is the case,” Swayne said. “I reject it.”
He is not the only minister scrambling to defend the indefensible. Last month, Philip Hammond responded to a question by my colleague Hilary Benn on whether British troops on the ground monitoring the bombing campaign had reported “potential breaches of international humanitarian law.” Hammond said that the troops had not reported any “deliberate” war crimes, implying reports of accidental war crimes had been passed to him.
Even worse, in an answer to my parliamentary question, Hammond’s deputy Tobias Ellwood demonstrated he believes that that Saudi Arabia is not at risk of breaking international humanitarian law. Perhaps he has not read the UN’s report, which said Saudi Arabia’s coalition had done just that 119 times.
It’s time the government remembered the cardinal rule of development — do no harm — and recognises that conflict exacerbates existing humanitarian crises. That’s basic common sense, backed up by hard evidence and harder experience.
And while the government regularly claims that Britain has “one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world,” this has been shown to be manifestly untrue by the Saudi war on Yemen. If the UN, rights groups and the international media are reporting Saudi Arabian war crimes in Yemen, why has Britain denied only eight out of well over 100 Saudi requests for our arms?
The Saudi intervention in Yemen’s civil war must prompt us to ask ourselves searching questions about our arms industry. When Saudi Arabia or Bahrain buy our arms, they also buy our silence on their human rights abuses. We must now have the moral courage to end this silence – by Diane Abbott, http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-f746-Time-to-stop-selling-arms-to-Saudi-Arabia Labour’s shadow international development secretary.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-f746-Time-to-stop-selling-arms-to-Saudi-Arabia
Comment by Judith Brown: A common sense article by wonderful Diane Abbott.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154192506043641
17.3.2016 – The Independent (* A P)
British government faces calls to stop arms exports to Saudi Arabia after Netherlands weapons ban
'It’s hardly a matter of pride that misery in Yemen is Made in Britain'
Campaigners are calling for the British government to follow the example of the Dutch parliament and halt the country's arms trade with Saudi Arabia.
Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) is currently pursuing legal action against the British government for its role selling arms to Saudi Arabia.
[Voices from CAAT, Oxfam, Amnesty]
Despite this, David Cameron recently said the Eurofighter jets which are exported to Saudi Arabia are “brilliant things,” telling a room of BAE Systems workers “we’ve got more work to do in Saudi Arabia.”
Fifty-eight Eurofighter jets and 2,400 500lb Pathway-IV guided missiles have been sold by Britain to Saudi Arabia in the past year.
In his tenure, David Cameron has overseen the sale of £6.7 billion worth of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, including £2.8 billion since airstrikes on Yemen began, according to CAAT – by Will Worley
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
18.3.2016 – Spiegel Online (A P)
Deutsche Vermittlungsbemühungen im Jemen
Deutschland hat sich in den Jemenkonflikt eingeschaltet und versucht, hinter den Kulissen zwischen den Kriegsparteien zu vermitteln. Diese Woche reiste der Nahostbeauftragte des Auswärtigen Amts, Miguel Berger, im Auftrag von Außenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in die saudische Hauptstadt Riad. Dort führte er Gespräche mit der saudischen Regierung. Parallel dazu nahmen die Deutschen Kontakte zu den Huthi- Rebellen im Jemen auf.
Es gehe darum, so heißt es im Auswärtigen Amt, Chancen für ein Ende des Konflikts auszuloten. Ziel sei eine Wiederaufnahme der Friedensgespräche unter Leitung des Uno-Sondergesandten Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/vorab/deutsche-vermittlungsbemuehungen-im-jemen-a-1083024.html
14.3.2016 – Spiegel Online (A K P)
Hubschrauber und Gewehre: Regierung genehmigt Waffendeals mit Saudi-Arabien
Mehr als 1200 Schusswaffen und 23 Airbus-Hubschrauber dürfen deutsche Rüstungskonzerne in den Nahen Osten liefern. Die größten Aufträge kamen aus Saudi-Arabien und dem Oman.
Die Bundesregierung hat weitere Waffenexporte in den Nahen Osten genehmigt. Airbus Helicopter erhielt grünes Licht für die Ausfuhr von 23 zivilen Hubschraubern mit militärischen Einbauten nach Saudi-Arabien. Der baden-württembergische Waffenhersteller Heckler & Koch darf unter anderem 1210 Maschinengewehre und -pistolen in den Oman liefern.
Das teilte Wirtschaftsminister Sigmar Gabriel dem Wirtschaftsausschuss des Bundestags in einem Schreiben mit. Zuvor hatte der Bundessicherheitsrat, dem mehrere Kabinettsmitglieder angehören, die Exportgenehmigungen erteilt.
Der Oman erhält zusätzlich 660 Rohre für Maschinengewehre, außerdem darf die Firma Oberland Defence 711 Rohre für vollautomatische Gewehre und 50 Verschlüsse für solche Waffen dorthin verkaufen. Insgesamt hat der Auftrag des Oman an die deutschen Waffenfirmen ein Volumen von 7,1 Millionen Euro.
130 weitere Gewehre und Maschinenpistolen gehen an die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate.
Kommentar: Oman ist am Jemenkrieg nicht beteiligt. Die Lieferung der Hubschrauber an Saudi-Arabien ist unentschuldbar. Was heißt „mit militärischen Einbauten“ genau? Amerikanische Apache-Hubschrauber kommen im Jemen zum Einsatz, auch zum Beschuss ziviler Ziele aus der Luft.
14.3.2016 – Sputnik News (A K P)
Germany Approves Sale of Military Helicopters to Saudi Arabia
As Saudi Arabia continues its brutal military campaign in Yemen, the German government has approved several arms export deals to Riyadh.
A letter sent from German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel to German lawmakers confirms that Berlin has authorized the delivery of 23 Airbus helicopters to Riyadh.
The deal also applies to Saudi Arabia’s allies in the Gulf. The United Arab Emirates will receive 130 machine pistols and automatic rifles from German company Heckler and Koch. The defense giant will also provide 660 machine guns, 660 gun barrels, and 550 sub-machine guns to Oman.
Defense contractor Rheinmetall will deliver 65,000 mortar cartridges to the UAE.
The approval comes one month after Gabriel indicated that Germany’s Federal Security Council would take a more reserved approach to licensing arms exports. That announcement led to a fierce outcry from the German defense industry.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160314/1036282104/germany-approves-saudi-arms-exports.html
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
20.3.2016 – Today Online (B K)
The conflict in Yemen and how three S’poreans got involved
It is unclear when the Singaporean trio picked up arms and got directly involved with the sectarian conflict in Yemen. According to the MHA, Razif, Amiruddin, and Mohideen performed armed sentry duties and were tasked with protecting the religious institution they were in from possible incursions by the Houthis.
Mohideen was given an AK-47 and told to return fire if there was an assault by the Houthis. But he did not encounter any firefights.
Razif and Amiruddin went further. According to the MHA, the duo were “prepared to kill and be killed as ‘martyrs’ in Yemen”.
Rafiz volunteered for sniper training, which he reportedly put to use fighting the Houthis. Amiruddin, who was armed with an AK-47 rifle, was also involved in a firefight with the Houthis.
As the fighting raged on, both Razif and Amiruddin separately left Yemen in April and June 2015 for unexplained reasons. They were both arrested in Singapore under the ISA in July and were each issued a two-year Order of Detention the following month.
“By taking up arms in Yemen, they have demonstrated a readiness to use violence to pursue their religious cause,” MHA said in its statement on Wednesday. “As such, they are assessed to pose a security threat to Singapore.”
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam warned that the government would take stern action against Singaporeans who participate in armed conflict abroad as they could end up bringing those conflicts and their roots back home.
16.3.2016 – The Globe and the Mail (* A P)
Dion vows to toughen rules on arms sales to rogue regimes
Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion vows to tighten rules on arms sales to countries with shaky human-rights records, promising a more rigorous export regime than the one that allowed a $15-billion sale of weaponized vehicles to Saudi Arabia under the previous government.
Mr. Dion made his comments in the wake of a growing backlash on military sales to Saudi Arabia, which is accused of widespread human-rights violations and indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Yemen.
“What Canada must do, and we will do it with more rigour than ever before – we will have things to announce on this matter – is ensuring that the equipment that we sell is not misused,” Mr. Dion told reporters during a visit to the United Nations.
Also in New York, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his decision not to cancel the sale to Saudi Arabia, saying he needs to preserve the sanctity of government-approved contracts.
“Canada is a country of the rule of law, a country of democratically elected government, and regardless of how we may feel about a previous government, the fact is they were democratically elected. They signed on to a contract and we are bound to respect that contract,” Mr. Trudeau said at a news conference.
He said his government will handle future arms sales with a different approach from the previous Conservative government – by Daniel lablanc and Laura Stone
Comment: Does Trudeau really think that such a treaty with a rogue state bringing murder and destruction to another country must be held. And if mr. Dion would be serious, he clearly would admit that “ensuring that the equipment that we sell is not misused” just means not to sell it, especially not to a state like Saudi Arabia.
15.3.2016 – Middle East Monitor (B P)
Vindictive business partners or employers can get you sent to prison in the UAE
Last week, Human Rights Watch issued a press release with a comment from Joe Stork, the organisation’s esteemed Deputy Middle East Director. “If UAE businessmen can have their partners locked up when they don’t like the tone of their tweets,” he wrote, “one has to question whether the UAE is a safe place to make any form of criticism.”
Human Rights Watch knows all about the repression of freedom of speech in the UAE. Stork's boss, Middle East and North Africa Director Sarah Leah Whitson, was barred from entering the country on 24 January 2014; a day earlier, the launch of HRW’s annual report was cancelled unilaterally by the local authorities. The organisation is now banned from operating in the UAE.
Stork's comment was made regarding a former managing director of Britain’s Leeds United Football Club, David Haigh
The British government certainly wants more UK businesses to set up shop in the Emirates, but how safe is it for business? Emirati law exists, but it's not much use if you want to enforce a contract. A text to the judge from your opponent the night before the case appears in court can scupper any chance of a fair hearing. As in Haigh's case, documents are frequently presented only in Arabic, which means that you'll need to pay for accurate translations and, ideally, Arabic-speaking lawyers. Banks are hesitant to lend to companies using UAE courts for exactly this reason; that’s why most international corporations don't use those courts, preferring British judges instead – by Alastair Sloan
Comment: Those who came and bombed Yemen in the name of ´fraternity´ and ´legitimacy´. A good read. Especially if yours eyes are still shut on the situation in the Gulf, UAE in this case.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=988521004534263&id=961126490607048
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe cp 10, Großbritannien, cp 11, Deutschland, cp12, Kanada / See cp 10 Great Britain, cp11 Germany, cp12, Canada
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
19.3.2016 – Liveleaks (A T)
Film (18 +, graphic): ISIS in Yemen Ambushing and Executing Men in Public Places
ISIS in Yemen released a GoPro video of a group of them ambushing two men in public places and shooting them dead. The first target had a rifle with him. The second is difficult to tell because his execution took place at night
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6e6_1458418588
19.3.2016 – Haykal Bafana (A T)
Al Qaeda executed 3 men in public in Ghayl Bawazir, Hadhramaut for "witchcraft" (i.e. they were Sufi Muslims).
https://www.facebook.com/haykal.bafana/posts/973308379415839?fref=nf
19.3.2016 – Khabar Agency (A T)
Security forces dismantle a car bomb near the #Yemen-i goverment headquarter in #Sanaa
http://khabaragency.net/lasten55159.html
17.3.2016 – NC Register (* A T)
Eyewitness Account of ISIS Attack on Mother Teresa's Sisters in Yemen (9955)
'I’m amazed by the faith reflected in those words,' said Auxiliary Bishop Edward Rice of St. Louis on March 14. 'Because of their faithfulness, they were in the right place at the right time and were ready when the Bridegroom came.'
On March 4, following the ISIS attack on a Missionaries of Charity home for the elderly and disabled in Aden, Yemen, the sole survivor member of the order, Sister Sally, conveyed her testimony of the massacre to Sister Rio. Sister Rio’s account was recorded by another Missionary of Charity, Sister Adriana.
During a March 14 Mass that honored the four Missionaries of Charity who died in Aden, Bishop Edward Rice, an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, quoted Sister Rio’s powerful statement regarding the death of her fellow sisters: “Because of their faithfulness they were in the right place at the right time and were ready when the Bridegroom came.”
“I’m amazed by the faith reflected in those words,” said Bishop Rice. “The Holy Father speculates that, at the moment of their death, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta was waiting for her sisters, to bring them to the Lord,” Bishop Rice said. “But not to disagree with Pope Francis, I think even more so, at the moment of their death, Christ himself was there to greet them and proclaimed, ‘Well done, good and faithful servants. Come, receive your Master’s joy.’”
Images of the three pages of photocopied handwritten testimony are available here: Page 1, Page 2 and Page 3. A PDF containing all three pages can be downloaded here. Following is the text of the testimony, with emphases added in bold:
8:30am: ISIS dressed in blue came in, killed guard and driver.
5 young Ethiopian men (Christian) began running to tell the sisters ISIS was here to kill them. They were killed one by one. They tied them to trees, shot them in the head and smashed their heads.
The sisters ran 2 by 2 in different directions, as they have mens and ladies home. 4 working women were screaming, “Don’t kill the sisters! Don’t kill the sisters!” One was the cook for 15 years. They killed them as well.
They caught Sr. Judith and Sr. Reginette first, tied them up, shot them in the head and smashed their heads. When the sisters ran in different directions, the Superior ran to the convent to try to warn Father Tom.
They caught Sr. Anselm and Sr. Marguerite, tied them, shot them in the head and smashed their heads in the sand.
Meanwhile, the Superior could not get to the convent. It is not clear how many ISIS men were there.
She saw all the sisters and helpers killed. The ISIS men were already getting to the convent so she went into the refridgerator room, since the door was open. These ISIS men were everywhere, searching for her, as they knew there were 5. At least three times they came into the fridgerator room. She did not hide, but remained standing behind the door – they never saw her. This is miraculous.
10:00 or 10:15am: The ISIS men finished and left.
Sr. Sally came to get the bodies of the sisters. She got them all. She went to the patients to each one individually to see if they were OK. All were OK. Not one was hurt.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/eyewitness-account-of-isis-attack-on-mother-teresas-sisters-in-yemen/ and also http://aleteia.org/2016/03/17/eyewitness-report-details-brutality-against-yemen-missionaries-of-charity/
cp15 Propaganda
18.3.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Iraqi Officials Participate Militarily with Houthis in Yemen
Yemeni informed sources confirmed that there are Iraqi officers in a number of Yemeni cities, particularly in Tihamah Province.
Sources added that these officers are developing war plans for Houthi militants and their allies, who are loyal to the ousted former President, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
An official source told Asharq Al-Awsat that these officers are affiliated with Iraqi Ba’ath Party, and that they are participating in Yemen following a request from Saleh before the outbreak of the revolution in 2011.
According to the source, these officers provide consultations, yet their roles have altered with the Yemeni situation changing and becoming even worse than before. Today, these officers put war strategies and provide military consultations in districts and provinces that fall under the control of Houthi militias and Saleh’s forces.
The source added that these Iraqi officers were moving easily in Yemeni provinces before launching the “Decisive Storm”. However, the National Army’s progress on all fronts in the north and center and the liberation of many Yemeni directorates have negatively affected their movements and restricted them to Sanaa and few other locations.
The source also explained that the Iraqi officers in Yemen replaced the 15 Iranian experts who were arrested by the Yemeni Government.
The Yemeni official confirmed that his government will decisively deal with all foreigners involved in military operations, and it will pursue them legally.
Comment: Unstoppable in seeking conspiracy theories. If you know Yemenis, you realise they actually do not need anyone.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=988440304542333&id=961126490607048
Comment: Now Saudi propaganda passes them all: Iran, Hizbollah, Iraq. Who is the next? Im now am waiting for Northern Korea. Very funny is the last sentence: “The Yemeni official confirmed that his government will decisively deal with all foreigners involved in military operations, and it will pursue them legally.” Well, in the first place of those “foreigners involved in military operations” certainly are the Saudis.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
Siehe auch cp2a Luftschlag in Hajjah / See also cp2a Hajjah air raid
03-2016 – Legal Center for Rights and Development (A K PH)
Die Luftschläge der saudischen Koalition Tag für Tag / Saudi coalition air raids day by day
16. März / March:
17. März / March:
18. März / March:
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
20.3.2016 – Gulf News (AK PS)
Yemen forces liberate key cities in Marib and Shabwa
Victories are signficant considering the oil and gas fields the Al Houthis have lost access to
Thousands of Yemen government forces on Sunday morning seized control of two cities in Marib and Shabwa a day after three army brigades launched a major offensive to liberate the Al Houthi-controlled territories in the two provinces, local army commanders said on Sunday.
In the central province of Marib, forces from Brigade 26 stormed the city of Hareb and the surrounding mountainous regions after brief clashes with the Iran-backed militants.
Other forces from the 19 and 21 Brigades took control of Ousylan in the southern province of Shabwa.
Brigadier General Mousfer Al Harethi, commander of Brigade 19, told Gulf News on Sunday that his forces were backed up by intense air strikes from Saudi-led coalition warplanes in the city of Ousylan.
“We have managed to liberate these areas quickly after a well-planned military attack. Al Houthis stationed snipers on the surrounding mountains to obstruct our advances,” he said.
Regarding the significance of Sunday’s gains, Al Harethi said that by seizing these areas in the district, his forces have secured major oil and gas fields in the province.
“All oil and gas fields are under our control and we are ready to protect any company that would begin production.”
Al Harethi said that there are 2,800 army soldiers under his command who have recently graduated from a 4-month intensive military training in the desert district of Al Aber in the Hadramout province.
Mohsen Al Qumishi, a spokesperson for the governor of Shabwa, told Gulf News that the two army brigades which took part in the offensive in Shabwa were equipped with modern weapons supplied by the Saudi-led coalition.
He said the army troops are marching towards Al Safara, Al Suleem and Al Nougum regions in the same district.
“They can take control of these regions within hours, but were slowed down by landmines. Al Houthis carpeted the desert of Shabwa with landmines.”
Officials say that if the government forces continue to advance at the current pace, they would be able to liberate all regions under Al Houthis’ control in Shabwa, like Bayhan, in the coming days.
“Brigade 19 is advancing from the northern side of Bayhan while Brigade 21 is advancing from southeastern side of the district. They are planning to meet in Bayhan in the coming days,” Al Qumishi said.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/yemen-forces-liberate-key-cities-in-marib-and-shabwa-1.1693876
19.3.2016 – Almasdar News (A K PH)
Houthi forces beat back the Saudi Coalition in Taiz
On Friday morning in the Dhubab Directorate of the Taiz Governorate, the Saudi-led Coalition launched another attack on the Houthi defenses in order to recapture this strategic city near Yemen’s western coastline. However, the Saudi-led Coalition was once again unable to penetrate the Houthi defenses, resulting in another massive retreat after sustaining over 20 casualties during their assault on Dhubab City on Friday. Following the Saudi-led Coalition’s retreat, the Saudi Royal Air Force launched several air raids to punish the civilians of Dhubab City for not overthrowing the Houthi forces and the Yemeni Army’s Republican Guard
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/houthi-forces-beat-back-saudi-coalition-taiz/
Comment: What is happening to the 'peace talks'? First the Houthis withdrew from Taiz after talks with the Sauds. Now it appears they are on the way back.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1113442598808230
19.3.2016 – Almasdar News (A K PH)
5 Yemeni civilians killed in Taiz by Saudi Coalition shells
On Saturday evening, the Saudi-led Coalition fired several indiscriminate mortar shells towards the September 26th Street in the provincial capital of the Taiz Governorate, killing 5 civilians and wounding a dozen others.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/5-yemeni-civilians-killed-taiz-saudi-coalition-shells/
19.3.2016 – Khabar News (A K PH)
An Israel, 2 European and an African DynCorp mercenaries were killed in #Yemen-i army missile attack in Dhobab #Taiz
http://www.khabaragency.net/lasten55202.html
19.3.2016 – Al Arabiya (A K PS)
Shelling from Yemen hits Saudi border village
Shells continued to fall from the Yemeni side into a southwestern neighboring Saudi areas on Friday, causing no injuries but material damages to a mosque and homes, violating an agreed respite.
Last week, Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi militia group agreed to a border “calm” and prisoner swap.
Shelling hit Al-Rouha and Al-Rokouba neighborhoods in Samtah, a town in the southwestern province of Jazan, including one of its mosques during Friday prayers but no casualties were reported.
However, houses close to the mosque incurred material losses.
19.3.2016 – Deutschlandfunk (A K)
Mindestens 35 Tote bei Kämpfen
Im Jemen sind bei Gefechten zwischen den Huthi-Rebellen und regierungsnahen Kräften mindestens 35 Menschen getötet worden.
Die Behörden des Landes teilten mit, die Aufständischen hätten versucht, den westlichen Teil der Stadt Tais zu erobern, während das von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Militärbündnis zahlreiche Luftangriffe geflogen habe
http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/jemen-mindestens-35-tote-bei-kaempfen.447.de.html?drn:news_id=593638
19.3.2016 – Daily Witness from EFE (A K)
90 Killed in Yemen amid clashes between Houthi rebels, pro-gov’t forces
At least 90 combatants were killed on Saturday in violent clashes between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemeni government in the southwestern Yemeni city of Taiz, according to military and Houthiofficials.
Officials from Shiite Houthi militias told EFE that some 60 members from the army, loyal to the Yemeni President Abdo Rabu Mansur Hadi, and its allied tribal fighters, were killed in the battles launched by Houthi militants against a military base in Al-Dabab area, west of Taiz.
The army casualties included Brigadier General Mohamed al-Aauni, a senior military commander.
Meanwhile, military officials said the Houthi rebels failed to regain control of the military base, which was seized last week by the army.
http://dailywitness.com/90-killed-in-yemen-amid-clashes-between-houthi-rebels-pro-govt-forces/
20.3.2016 – AP (A K)
Yemen clashes kill 35 as rebels try to retake weatern Taiz
Yemeni security and medical officials say 35 fighters have been killed in clashes between Shiite rebels and pro-government forces in Taiz, the country's third-largest city.
The officials say Shiite rebels known as Houthis were trying to retake the western part of the city Saturday, while a Saudi-led coalition launched more than a dozen airstrikes to prevent the Houthis from advancing – by Ahmed Al-Haj
https://www.yahoo.com/news/yemen-clashes-kill-35-rebels-try-retake-weatern-000745650.html
19.3.2016 – Gulf News (A K PS)
Hadi’s forces launch major offensive on Al Houthis in province of Shabwa
Hadi’s forces on Saturday launched a big offensive on Al Houthi opposition in the oil and gas rich province of Shabwa, in southern Yemen. A government official close to the governor of Shabwa told Gulf News on Saturday that two army brigades, 21 and 19, backed by heavy air strikes from the Saudi-led coalition attacked Al Houthi positions in Bayhan district. “The aim of the assault is to recapture the four regions of Bayhan districts. The national army and the resistance have retaken control of three small villages in the province during the early hours of the assault.” the government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief reporters.
Military officials said on Saturday that the government forces came from the neighbouring Marib province where they received intensive military training.
19.3.2016 – Dubai Easy (A K PS)
At least six civilians killed as Yemen rebels shell Taez city
At least six civilians were killed and another 16 injured in rebel shelling of a residential area of Taez city since Thursday, Yemeni health officials said.
“Hospitals received six bodies, including two children, and 16 injured, including women, by the Houthi shelling,” Hasan Izzi, director of the health office in Taez, said on Friday.
Mr Izzi said the Houthi rebels continued to shell the eastern Al Rawdha district, which is held by government forces, on Friday morning but hospitals had received no fresh casualties.
Pro-government forces have pushed into eastern and northern Taez after breaking a months-long rebel siege of the city from the south-west last week. Fighters of the Popular Resistance and the Yemeni military are still fighting the rebels in those areas.
Mr Izzi said hospitals in Taez had started receiving medical supplies this week after the rebel blockade of the city was broken.
“The hospitals received oxygen cylinders, medicines and other supplies, and they will receive more batches from Aden in the coming days.”
The breaking of the siege in Taez was a major breakthrough for pro-government forces after months of fierce fighting during which the rebels
http://www.dubai-easy.com/2016/03/19/at-least-six-civilians-killed-as-yemen-rebels-shell-taez-city/
19.3.2016 – News Videonews (A K PS)
Pro-Hadi commander killed in Yemen’s Taiz: Local sources
A military commander fighting with forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi has been killed in clashes with the Shia Houthi militant group west of the central city of Taiz, local sources said Saturday.
The city’s pro-Hadi military council tweeted on Saturday that Major-General Mohamed al-Awni had been “martyred” while leading operations against the Houthis in Taiz’s Al-Misrakh Directorate.
It did not provide further details.
Another pro-Hadi source, preferring anonymity, told Anadolu Agency the same day that al-Awni — along with an unspecified number of others — had been killed one week earlier in a Houthi attack on a military base near Taiz.
Houthi fighters, he said, had attacked the base from the Mount Han, Al-Zamin Heights and Gurab al-Qareeba regions with light and medium weapons, triggering fierce fighting between the Houthis and elements of the national army.
http://news.videonews.us/pro-hadi-commander-killed-in-yemens-taiz-local-sources-1950221.html
19.3.2016 – Fars News (A K PH)
Mansour Hadi-Affiliated Militia Commander Killed in Ma'rib
A field commander of the militia groups loyal to fugitive president Mansour Hadi was killed along with tens of other militants in Ma'rib province.
"Major General Omar al-Hazanti, the commander of the militants affiliated to Mansour Hadi, was killed in Ma'rib," Ali al-Houthi, a commander of Yemen's revolutionary committees, told FNA on Saturday.
According to Houthi, 36 other terrorists were also killed in the Western parts of Ma'rib province in operations which also took the lives of 5 Yemeni army soldiers.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941229000277 see also http://yemen-media.net/news_details.php?lang=english&sid=16524
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
3.3.2016 – Five thirty eight (C D)
What We Can Learn About Drone Strikes From 10 Million Yemeni Cell Phones
On this week’s episode of our podcast What’s The Point, MIT political scientist Fotini Christia discusses how she and her colleagues used cell phone metadata to gather information about the rhythm of daily Yemeni life — from prayer to the afternoon khat session — as well as the effect of drone strikes, protests and more – by Jody Avirgan
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/krieg-im-jemen-neue-artikel-zum-nachlesen-116
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-116: / Yemen Press Reader 1-116:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
Was ist Ihre Meinung?
Kommentare einblendenDiskutieren Sie mit.