1. anniversary of air raids: commemoration, overviews - Saudi: truce as propaganda - Saudi war by land, air and sea - US presidential candidates - and many other subjects
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO / UN
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp12 Sonstige Länder / Other countries
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
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
26.3.2016 – 21. Century Wire (** B K P)
One Year of Bloodshed in Yemen: US and UK are Accomplices in Saudi Coalition War Crimes
“Almost one year has passed since Operation Decisive Storm was launched. The appalling level of human suffering, combined with a mounting sense of hopelessness, is exacerbating internal divisions and sectarian animosity. Status quo is clearly not sustainable. The resilience of people in Yemen has been stretched beyond human limits.” ~ Ms Kate Gilmore, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
On the 26th March 2015, one year ago today, the Saudi led coalition launched its Operation Decisive Storm against the Yemeni people. One year on, the intensity of the attacks has not subsided and the wholesale slaughter of civilians and deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure continues unabated. Aided and abetted primarily by the US and the UK, the Saudi regime is destroying Yemen’s cultural heritage, bombing masjids, schools, hospitals, market places, wedding parties, fishing boats, telecommunication centres, electrical power plants, factories, agricultural lands and livestock.
The Saudi regime is doing everything in its power to ensure the Yemeni people have no means of survival or sustenance under a crippling blockade that has been in place since the inception of the war of aggression against Yemen. A blockade that is “lamented, decried and condemned” by an international community that hides behind familiar rhetoric while ensuring the flow of arms continues unhindered into Saudi weapons depots.
US Cluster Munitions
Use of Cluster Munitions has been recorded 56 times in Yemen by various on-the-ground sources. Cluster Munitions supplied, primarily, by the US. The US is a non signatory of the Cluster Munitions Convention that bans their use, stockpiling and transfer. However the US’ own export regulations state unequivocally that the munitions must meet a less than one percent failure rate [unexploded ordnance] and must not be used against civilian targets.
Both regulations are being flouted by the Saudi-led coalition who are liberally bombing civilian areas, and leaving behind, a greater than 1% trail of deadly unexploded bomblets, that can sever limbs and tear flesh into shreds when detonated in the hands or under the feet of curious children. These bomblets are recognised as presenting an even greater threat than land-mines for decades after a conflict ends.
Cluster munitions themselves are a hideous invention. According to US Defence Department contracts, Saudi Arabia purchased 1,300 CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Cluster Munitions from Textron Defence Systems, shipment to be completed by December 2015. According to HRW reports, the UAE had previously received an unknown number of CBU-105 from Textron in June 2010.
“The Sensor Fuzed Weapon is a marvel of military technology, says its maker, Textron Defense Systems. An advanced “cluster bomb,” it is designed to spray 40 individual projectiles of molten copper, destroying enemy tanks across a 30-acre swath of battlefield.”
Imagine the devastation when these munitions are used in densely populated civilian areas, the effects of this rain of molten metal and shrapnel on the human body, projectiles intended to pierce armour plating will decimate and mutilate human beings over a massive area.
The areas worst hit in Yemen are the Ansarullah strongholds of Saada and Hajjah in the north of the country, signalling intent by the Saudi-led coalition to wipe out all opposition to their corrupt and oppressive neocolonialism in Yemen
Dr R S Karim of Mona Relief, a Yemen grass roots NGO, told me:
“Saada is completely finished, they have bombed it into oblivion. The suffering there is indescribable, the worst we have seen in the whole of Yemen. Access for humanitarian aid is impossible, we are told if we cross the red line we are dead”
Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri of the Saudi Coalition has declared all of Saada a military target thus violating all international laws that dictate civilian targets must be differentiated from military ones.
The US, in supplying these Cluster Munitions is an accessory to war crimes and in violation of all human rights laws and conventions. The Saudi-led coalition is using them as a weapon of mass murder, a crime being investigated by none other than the Sauds themselves, since theirappointment to chair of a key human rights panel within the UNHRC. The beneficiaries, as always, are the weapons manufacturers who congratulate themselves on a “clean battlefield operation”.
“It really is an extremely sophisticated weapon. Knowing that we are in no way, shape or form contributing to [civilian suffering] is really a very satisfying place to be” ~ Mark D. Rafferty, vice president of business development for Textron Defense Systems 2009.
Perhaps Mr Rafferty and his White House clients would like to visit Yemen and survey the mangled remains of men, women, children and livestock strewn across the “clean battlefield”. Irrefutable evidence of their cynical involvement in an illegal war of aggression that has been allowed to continue for 365 days, maintained and endorsed by US & UK military industrial complex profiteering.
UK Weapons Supply
According to a report by Diane Abbott in The Guardian on 25th March 2016, the Committee on Arms Exports Controls met for the first time in two years on Wednesday 23rd March 2016. This was in response to increasing international condemnation of Britain’s role in the war crimes being committed against the Yemeni people by the Saudi-led coalition.
“Their message was clear, unanimous and withering: the UK is breaking its own laws and fuelling a humanitarian catastrophe by selling arms to Saudi Arabia. British law is also clear: it is illegal to sell arms to a state that is at a “clear risk” of committing international humanitarian crimes. But over the past year alone, Britain has sold around £6bn worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, whose campaign in Yemen is targeting civilians – 191 such attacks have collectively been reported by the UN, HRW and Amnesty.”
The same report accuses Philip Hammond, UK Foreign Minister, of lying in his statement to the Conservative Middle East Council:
“We have been clear with the coalition partners from the outset about the importance of compliance with international humanitarian law and I have said in Parliament, and I will say again here: we have looked at every allegation of breach of international humanitarian law, and we have found no evidence of breach of international humanitarian law, and we urge the coalition to go onto the front foot, to investigate when there are allegations and be open about what they find. Things happen in war, mistakes get made and one should be honest about mistakes when they are made.” ~ Philip Hammond
Diane Abbott points out that David Mepham, UK Director of Human Rights Watch, said he had personally handed Hammond, a comprehensive report complete with GPS co-ordinates, detailing all Saudi air-strikes on Yemeni schools, hospitals and market places.
“[The UK Government] has had that evidence for months, and therefore it is extraordinary the line can come back that they do not have the evidence, when that evidence has been shared with them for a considerable period of time”. ~ David Mepham
Of course the UK Government is lying. The UK represents 36% of Saudi Arabia’s overall imports. Prime Minister, David Cameron has been aggressively pushing for trade deals with the totalitarian regime. According to the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, UK arms sales to Saudi totalled £2.95 billion for the first nine months of 2015, and about £7bn since Cameron took office, including a contract for 72 Euro-fighter Typhoon jets.
In January 2016, during Prime Ministers Question Time, Cameron reinforced the double speak:
“We have the strictest rules for arms exports of almost any country anywhere in the world. And let me remind him [Jeremy Corbyn] that we are not a member of the Saudi-led coalition, we are not directly involved in the Saudi-led coalition’s operations, British personnel are not involved in carrying out strikes.”
However, a report just one week prior to this extraordinary denial from Cameron, stated clearly that British and American officials are present in the Riyadh command and control centre for Saudi air-strikes on Yemen. Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir, painstakingly clarified that while the US and UK operatives have full access to the Saudi targets, they allegedly have no role in choosing them.
So does this mean that UK & US officials are privy to pending war crimes, not of their choosing, and regardless, stand by while Yemeni civilians are massacred by the weapons they have supplied, not intended for civilian targets? Where does responsibility begin and end?
The UK, further obfuscates its supply of weapons to Saudi Arabia by detailing the majority of items sold as “components“. Components for military training aircraft, components for combat naval vessels, components for bombs, components for air-to-surface rockets.
Not once, as an example, do they detail the UK Manufactured PGM 500 Hakim Cruise Missiles that were used to obliterate a Yemeni factory near Sanaa, September 23 2015. Remains of the missiles were identified at the site of the blast. One civilian was murdered in this strike and another essential civilian structure destroyed, but the UK steadfastly denies responsibility on all counts of accessory to war crimes.
Further chapters:
Arms Embargoes and Economic Sanctions
“Saudi Arabia is Committing Genocide in Yemen” – by Vanessa Beeley
25.3.2016 – PRI (** A K P)
Is the latest Yemen 'ceasefire' for real? Or just another red herring? (with audio)
Saudi Arabia has signed on to a ceasefire and negotiations to end the war in Yemen. But some Yemeni civilians are not holding their breath.
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced Wednesday that Saudi Arabia and other warring parties in Yemen have agreed to observe a “cessation of hostilities" beginning at midnight on Sunday, April 10.
“Nobody believes in ceasefires anymore,” says a Yemeni woman who chose the pseudonym Fatima. “The announcement of ceasefires are not aimed at us,” she texted me from her home in the capital, Sanaa. “They are aimed at the international community and media.”
Fatima is suspicious of the timing of the latest announcements. “Ceasefires are to divert attention from what's going on,” she told me, “and also to save Saudi's allies, the US and UK — and the UN — the embarrassment.”
The Saudi’s upbeat response to the incident [air raid at market in Hajjah province, 119 killed] was no surprise to Fatima. “You can see a pattern,” she told me. She, like many Yemenis, keeps track of air strikes. “I remember the ones that have the most emotional toll on myself."
“On April 20, 2015 the Saudis dropped a massive bomb on Sanaa,” she says. “It caused enormous destruction to a huge area in the capital… and caused [a] major outcry on social media and rights groups.”
The next day Saudi Arabia announced that its military operation “Decisive Storm” had ended, and the coalition would begin its “Operation Restore Hope.” The Saudis were lauded for launching this new humanitarian phase.
“A few days later the strikes escalated,” Fatima says. “It was just a diversion of media attention.”
Fatima ticks off other examples. “A ceasefire on May 12,” which followed news of an airstrike in Sa’wan, east of the capital, that had killed 17 civilians, reported by Amnesty International.
”And a massacre on a market and a restaurant in Zabid … The Saudis said it's a five-day ceasefire to allow aid in... Lies. Didn’t happen.”
In July, coalition planes targeted two apartment complexes near the power plant at al-Mokha. Human RIghts Watch documented the incident, in which nine bombs were dropped, killing 120 residents.
The next day, outrage over civilian deaths was papered over with a Saudi ceasefire announcement.
Only the Saudis know whether they announce ceasefires to deflect criticism of possible war crimes. Fatima believes the timing is deliberate. “Obviously they know how to spin news,” she says. “But they can't keep using the same strategy, because people are noticing.”
Dhamar University student Ahmed Algohbary has kept his own list of air strikes and subsequent ceasefires. Ahmed hopes that the April 10 ceasefire will bring a full stop to the fighting. But like Fatima, he is not optimistic. “Because [in] all the previous ceasefires,” he writes, “Saudi used it as a cover up for new operation in Yemen... For me as a Yemeni,” Ahmed says,”I don’t think that this ceasefire will be any different.”
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa Director for Human Rights Watch, did not want to speculate on whether Saudi Arabia invokes ceasefire announcements, deliberately, to deter public criticism following attacks.
But she says, "There's certainly a correlation, such as immediately following the most recent strike on [the] market... which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights very strongly condemned. Immediately following that, there was a ceasefire announcement and the notion that there would be peace talks.
"Mind you," Whitson adds, "the airstrikes have continued each time a ceasefire has been promised or announced, so it's not clear at all that there's any commitment to an actual ceasefire." – by Stephen Snyder
http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-03-25/latest-yemen-ceasefire-real-or-just-another-red-herring
Comment: That sounds very real. “Fatima” is right. Ceasefire announcements just as a means of propaganda.
25.3.2016 – Foreign Policy (** B K P)
Saudi Arabia Is Committing War Crimes in Yemen
How can the United States, Britain, and France keep shipping Riyadh arms when its pilots are dropping bombs on innocent civilians?
The Houthis and their allies — armed groups loyal to Saleh — are the declared targets of the coalition’s 1-year-old air campaign. In reality, however, it is the civilians, such as Basrallah and Rubaid, and their children, who are predominantly the victims of this protracted war. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in airstrikes while asleep in their homes, when going about their daily activities, or in the very places where they had sought refuge from the conflict. The United States, Britain, and others, meanwhile, have continued to supply a steady stream of weaponry and logistical support to Saudi Arabia and its coalition.
One year on, it still remains unclear who is winning the war. Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners claim to have regained control of more than 80 percent of the country, but the Houthis remain in control of the key strongholds of Sanaa, Ibb, and Taiz. Moreover, armed groups such as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State are gaining ground and support in the south and southeast parts of the country, taking advantage of the security vacuum to consolidate their power. One thing is clear: Yemeni civilians are losing the most.
The facts speak for themselves, and evidence of violations of international humanitarian law cannot be dismissed as mere hearsay, as the British government has attempted to do with U.N. reports. Amnesty International and other organizations have presented compelling evidence over the past year that indicates all parties to the Yemen conflict have committed war crimes. But some countries do not want to see the evidence that is staring them in the face. Flooding the region with arms is akin to adding fuel to the fire.
The Saudi-led coalition’s response to reports of civilians unlawfully killed — and homes, schools, and infrastructure destroyed — has been to constantly repeat the mantra that “only military targets are hit by airstrikes.” The situation on the ground tells a very different story. With each unlawful coalition airstrike, it becomes more evident that Saudi Arabia and other coalition members either do not care about respecting international humanitarian law or are incapable of adhering to its fundamental rules.
And yet, Britain, the United States, and France continue to authorize lucrative arms deals with the Saudi-led coalition — apparently without batting an eyelash.
Since November 2013, the U.S. Defense Department has authorized more than $35.7 billion in major arms deals to Saudi Arabia. This includes the announcement of a $1.29 billion U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia in November 2015 that will supply Riyadh with 18,440 bombs and 1,500 warheads. Meanwhile, during his time in office, British Prime Minister David Cameron has overseen the sale of more than $9 billion worth of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, including nearly $4 billion since airstrikes on Yemen began, according to the Campaign Against Arms Trade, a London-based NGO.
Regardless of when the weapons used by coalition forces in Yemen were acquired — whether before or since the start of the air campaign — the countries that supplied them have a responsibility to ensure that they are not facilitating violations of international law.
While the relentless coalition airstrikes account for most of the civilian deaths in the conflict, civilians also find themselves increasingly trapped in the crossfire between Houthi and anti-Houthi armed groups, with each side supported by different units of the now-divided armed forces.
A case in point is the southern city of Taiz.
Last week, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition announced that operations are nearing their end in Yemen. What that means in practice is not yet clear, as airstrikes continue to pound the country. But accountability doesn’t take a back seat just because military operations may be winding down.
States should act immediately to ensure that none of Yemen’s warring parties is supplied — either directly or indirectly — with weapons, munitions, military equipment, or technology that would be used in any furtherance of the conflict. And they must do everything in their power to ensure there is an independent international investigation into violations by all sides aimed at ensuring justice and reparation – by Rasha Mohammed and Rawan Shaif
http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/25/civilian-casualties-war-crimes-saudi-arabia-yemen-war/
Comment: At the first “anniversary” of the Saudi aerial war, a long and very good overview article, starting with the individual stories of two survivors of Saudi air raids, and just hitting the spot.
25.3.2016 – Reader Supported News (** B K P)
US-Saudi Terror in Yemen Dwarfs ISIS Attacks in Europe
“Saudi Arabia has been militarily involved and trying to manipulate political outcomes in Yemen for decades. The last time they did this in 2009, they lost militarily to the Houthis.” – foreign policy scholar Hillary Mann Leverett on CNN, early 2015
hy are two of the richest countries in the World, the United States and Saudi Arabia, engaged in unrelenting, aggressive war against one of the poorest countries in the world, Yemen?
The US-Saudi-led war on Yemen started on March 26, 2015, with the Saudi coalition’s aerial blitz, using both high-explosive and outlawed cluster bombs, against a population with no air force or other effective air defense. US-supported year of carnage has killed more than 6,000 people (no one knows for sure), most of them civilians. The US-Saudi criminal intervention in the Yemeni civil war was supposed to be quick and efficient. From the start, the US has helped plan the attacks, provided intelligence, re-fueled attacking planes, and participated in the naval blockade (an act of war) that has pushed Yemen’s 26 million people to the brink of mass starvation. The American-Saudi genocidal war has continued without significant protest around the world – no “Yemeni Lives Matter” movement – and with almost no attention from any of those who will likely inherit this illegal war as the next commander in chief. None of the candidates, despite their tough talk about ISIS, seem to care that the Saudi military focus has shifted from fighting ISIS to killing Yemenis whose primary offense is to want to run their own country. Nobody in authority seems ready to address the possibility that one of the fundamental bad actors in the Middle East is our longstanding “ally” Saudi Arabia.
One reason the candidates can so easily ignore American war crimes in collusion with the Saudi coalition is that Yemen is not widely reported, much less analyzed. Yemen is not part of the official beltway agenda. The PBS program “Frontline” devoted an hour to Yemen in April 2015, mostly delivering the Saudi propaganda view that the Houthis are the bad guys, and omitting mention of the naval blockade. The New York Times apparently felt Yemen was not front page news till March 14, 2016, when it ran a disingenuous, seriously truncated piece that misrepresented the US role in Yemen, starting with the headline: “Quiet Support for Saudis Entangles U.S. in Yemen” (more about this below). Finding relevant, thoughtful commentary about Yemen from any presidential candidate is difficult to impossible. A sampling follows:
Donald Trump offers wolf-in-the-woods gibberish to fear
Donald Trump doesn’t appear to have any articulated position on the Yemen War, but he does seem to think that it’s all Iran’s fault. At least that’s what he seemed to say on January 19 at an Iowa rally where Sarah Palin endorsed his candidacy. In Trump’s rally remarks below, “they” – as in “they’re going into Yemen” – refers to Iran:
Now they’re going into Yemen, and if you look at Yemen, take a look … they’re going to get Syria, they’re going to get Yemen, unless … trust me, a lot of good things are going to happen if I get in, but let’s just sort of leave it the way it is. They get Syria, they get Yemen. Now they didn’t want Yemen, but you ever see the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia? They want Saudi Arabia. So what are they going to have? They’re gonna have Iraq, they’re gonna have Iran, they’re gonna have Iraq, they’re gonna have Yemen, they’re gonna have Syria, they’re gonna have everything!
Even at “The American Conservative,” no booster of Iran, they mock Trump surgically: “This is nonsense,… a crude, simplified version of official Saudi interventionist propaganda, which has grossly exaggerated the extent of Iran’s influence and involvement in Yemen for most of the last year.” Being American Conservatives, they stop short of denouncing a criminal American war that has received “far too little coverage,” since it is “one of the worst foreign policy blunders of [Obama’s] presidency.”
Ted Cruz and John Kasich have less to say about Yemen than Trump
In January 2015, before the US-Saudi war started, Ted Cruz was arguing that “Yemen demands our attention as the terrorism bred there has global reach.” In support of this demand, Cruz cited varyingly relevant events of 2000, 2009, and 2011, as well as the then-fact that: “Seventy-one of the 122 prisoners remaining at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility are from Yemen.” Beyond more “attention,” Cruz made no policy proposal. The Ted Cruz 2016 website offers no Yemen policy, nor does it acknowledge the criminal US-Saudi war that kills civilians there almost daily, even though it does not resort to “carpet bombing” (which Cruz recommended for ISIS in Syria).
John Kasich is as quiet as anyone on the American role in bringing Yemen to the brink of mass starvation, but in South Carolina on January 14 Kasich had some unusually harsh, semi-coherent words for Saudi Arabia’s educational initiatives, if not its war crimes:
In terms of Saudi Arabia, look, my biggest problem with them is funding radical clerics through their madrassas, that is a bad deal. Whether I'm president or not, make it clear to the Saudis, we're going to support you, we're in relation with you just like the first gulf war, but you got to knock off the funding and teaching of radical clerics who are the very people who try to destroy us and will turn around and destroy them.
Kasich’s speech to AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) on March 21 was titled “A Comprehensive Outline for American Security in a Chaotic World.” Kasich offered ritualistic, dishonest Iran demonizing (“Iran’s regional aggression“) and lied about the USA not being part of Gulf State cooperation, the same Saudi-led alliance waging war on Yemen. But neither his speech nor the Kasich presidential website was comprehensive enough to mention the illegal US-Saudi war in Yemen, in which Israel has participated.
The same day Kasich spoke to AIPAC, Israel managed to evacuate 19 Yemeni Jews from one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, in Yemen. During 1947-1949, after the partition of Palestine, Yemeni attacks on Jews in Yemen led most of them (about 50,000) to flee to Israel. Now, most of the remaining Yemeni Jews (about 50) live in a compound in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa under the protection of “authorities.”
Hillary Clinton silent on war she helped make possible
Hillary Clinton’s present silence on the US-Saudi terror-bombing campaign that has killed some 3,000 Yemeni civilians since March 2015 distinguishes her from none of the other 2016 candidates. But Clinton does have the distinction of being the only candidate who contributed materially to the ability of Saudi Arabia to bomb indiscriminately, using American weapons and munitions, against which Yemen is virtually defenseless. As a hawkish Secretary of State, Clinton made arming Saudi Arabia a “top priority,”supporting more than $100 billion of dollars of arms sales (2010-2015), including F-15s and the bombs the Saudis have used to pummel Yemen for a year. Unlike the US or Canada, European countries have begun to question or block arms sales to Saudi Arabia in response to the horrendous and unrelenting Saudi record of human rights abuses. Code Pink and other human rights organizations say the Saudi-led attacks on Yemen “may amount to war crimes,” stopping short of naming possible war criminals. The Clinton Foundation has accepted more than $10 million from two of Yemen’s aggressors, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
Bernie Sanders has no public opinion on Yemeni ethnic cleansing
In early 2015, Bernie Sanders expressed a vague Middle East policy that called for Saudi Arabia and other Arab states to take the lead in fighting terrorism, with the US in more of a support role. What the Saudi-coalition is doing to Yemen fits this framework, except for the terrorism part. The US-Saudi war on Yemen has actually made Yemen safer and more secure for both ISIS and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). In November 2015, almost eight months after Yemen was attacked, Sanders offered this oblique but accurate assessment:
Saudi Arabia, turns out, has the third-largest defense budget in the world,… Yet instead of fighting ISIS they have focused more on a campaign to oust Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
By omission, this amounts to a kind of blessing of that genocidal war. It also reveals an uncritical acceptance of the false Saudi version of reality (“Iran-backed Houthis”). With no relevant comment on the official Sanders website, the Yemen war remains an issue-cluster he has yet to address directly, never mind thoroughly and accurately, any more than anyone else.
After a year of US-guided terror bombing in Yemen, in a Saudi-led campaign primarily against the Houthis’ tribal homeland – an assault that is effectively a multinational campaign of ethnic cleansing – it is a sad measure of the seriousness of the candidates for president that they have nothing critical to say of an effort that has more than 24 million victims, most of them innocent, all held hostage in a food-deprived country sealed off by a naval, air, and land blockade imposed primarily by the US, UK, and Saudi Arabia. That’s why you don’t see a flood of Yemeni refugees comparable to those escaping from a smaller (23 million) Syria: because the US is helping to keep them there till they kill each other, get bombed to bits, or starve.
What you don’t know about is less likely to disturb the status quo
Mainstream media coverage of Yemen continues to be spotty, limited, incomplete, and mostly incoherent. The New York Times article mentioned above is perhaps a sign of increased official attention, but it is no harbinger of completeness or coherence. The premise of the story is fundamentally dishonest, as expressed in the inside headline: “Quiet Support for Saudi Allies Entangles U.S. in a Bloody Conflict in Yemen.” What the story makes clear is that, in March 2015, the Saudi ambassador pitched the White House on starting a new war in Yemen. The ambassador promised a quick campaign to re-install the Yemeni government that had fled to Saudi Arabia. The ambassador hyped his pitch with the standard exaggeration of Iranian involvement (which has actually been all but nil). Despite concern by “many” advisors that “the Saudi-led offensive would be long, bloody, and indecisive,” President Obama bought the pitch and authorized the Pentagon to support the Saudi-coalition’s attacks on Yemen. Somewhat contradictorily, the Times story also reports:
American intelligence officials had long thought that the Saudis overstated the extent of Iranian support for the Houthis, and that Iran had never seen its ties to the rebel group as more than a useful annoyance to the Saudis. But Mr. Obama’s aides believed that the Saudis saw a military campaign in Yemen as a tough message to Iran.
How do you vote for accountability when no candidate’s for it?
Taken altogether, that leaves the reader wondering why the president listened to one set of advisors more than another, and especially why he listened to the ones not supported by either intelligence officials or evidence on the ground. According to the Times, two of those most in favor of war on Yemen were Secretary of State John Kerry (as way to ameliorate Saudi annoyance with US-Iran talks, sacrifice some Yemenis) and UN Ambassador Samantha Power (arguing preposterously that US involvement might mean fewer civilian casualties). Even now, the White House official in charge of Middle East policy (Robert Malley) claims, “This is not our war.” He doesn’t explain how this war could have happened without the US.
In other words, there was no conscientious analysis leading to a measured decision by the White House as to what would be the best course in Yemen. Doing nothing was apparently not an option, since doing nothing would likely have meant no war there at all (except civil war). The White was already morally compromised by the US drone program that had significantly added to instability (and anger at the US) in Yemen, so how much worse could unleashing an illegal war of aggression be? A year later, we’re finding out.
So the White House needs a cover story, the White House needs plausible deniability of its willingness to commit war crimes. Enter the Times with something of a cover story: the official version of events is that US participation in and “quiet support” for an aggressive war, in violation of international law, isn’t a big deal as long as the US doesn’t get “entangled.”
That’s not a particularly persuasive argument. But President Obama’s de facto pardon of Bush White House operatives for all their Iraq-related war crimes and crimes against humanity pretty much set the stage for the current absence of any serious call for accountability for any abuse of authority. Little wonder that none of the president’s would-be replacements are challenging the ability to exercise power without personal risk – by William Boardman
Comment: Very good and interesting read on the US presidential candidates' view (or non) on the war on Yemen.
cp2 Allgemein / General
26.3.2016 – Nachrichten.at (B K P)
"Die Anarchie im Jemen bedroht die globale Sicherheit "
Nach einem Jahr Bürgerkrieg im ärmsten Land der arabischen Welt ist die Lage katastrophal – Hoffnung auf Frieden gibt es nicht.
Der Jemen gilt als eine Brutstätte für Terroristen. Ein Jahr nach Beginn des Bürgerkriegs im ärmsten Land der arabischen Welt analysiert die jemenitische Politikwissenschaftlerin Elham Manea.
Ich bin total frustriert, sehr traurig, weil im Westen das Leben eines Jemeniten offenbar nichts wert ist. Meinen Landsleuten ging es bereits vor Kriegsbeginn sehr schlecht, inzwischen ist die Lage katastrophal. 26 Millionen Jemeniten hungern, sind auf internationale Überlebenshilfe angewiesen.
Nicht nur aus einem humanitären Blickwinkel ist es falsch und gefährlich, dass der Krieg in unserem Land ignoriert wird. Die Anarchie im Jemen, das Fehlen einer staatlichen Ordnung wird sich auch auf die globale Sicherheit auswirken. Große Regionen des Jemen werden bereits von Al Kaida und dem sogenannten "Islamischen Staat" (IS) kontrolliert. Dort ist eine Brutstätte zur Vorbereitung weiterer Terroranschläge am Entstehen, schon entstanden.
Das dürfen wir nicht auf die leichte Schulter nehmen. Bereits vor Kriegsbeginn haben wir eine Generation verloren. Und jetzt verlieren wir eine weitere Generation, wenn nicht bald etwas geschieht…
Alle ausländischen Invasionsmächte, die Ägypter oder früher die Osmanen, sind im Jemen gescheitert. Den Saudis, die den Krieg rasch gewinnen wollten, geht es nicht anders – Michael Wrase interviewt Elham Manea
25.3.2016 – Südwestpresse u. a. (B K P)
Den Jemen ins Elend gebombt
Seit eine saudische Militärkoalition den Jemen bombardiert, sind tausende Menschen gestorben. Das nützt islamistischen Terrororganisationen. Jetzt erhöhen die USA den Druck auf das Königshaus in Riad.
http://www.swp.de/ulm/nachrichten/politik/Den-Jemen-ins-Elend-gebombt;art4306,3753674 = http://www.tagblatt.de/Nachrichten/Den-Jemen-ins-Elend-gebombt-282310.html
26.3.2016 – Die Zeit (B K P)
Saudi-Arabiens militärisches Debakel
Eigentlich soll die von Saudi-Arabien geführte Allianz die Huthi-Rebellen bekämpfen. Tatsächlich treffen die Bomben vor allem Zivilisten. Die UN fordern die Waffenruhe.
http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2016-03/jemen-krieg-saudi-arabien-vereinigte-arabische-emirate
Kommentar: Kurze Überblicksartikel zum 1. Jahrestag des Krieges, beide von Martin Gehlen. Ebenso wie beim vorausgegangenen Artikel aus Österreich, ist das alles schon für denjenigen, der gelegentlich einmal einen besseren Artikel zum Jemen gelesen hat, nichts Neues. Solche Artikel wie diese lassen nur ahnen, wie ahnungslos über das Thema Jemen die Mehrheit im deutschsprachigen Raum sein muss – weil die von ihnen konsumierten Mainstreammedien dieses für den Westen unangenehme Thema schlichtweg unter den Teppich gekehrt haben. Und auch die sog. „Alternativmedien“ haben es weitgehend ignoriert. In den „Nachdenkseiten“ wurde innerhalb eines Jahres etwa 3 mal ein Artikel zum Jemen verlinkt.
25.3.2016 – Deutschlandradio (B K P)
Audio: "Es fliehen Menschen vom Jemen nach Somalia"
Vor einem Jahr begann eine von Saudi-Arabien geführte Koalition Angriffe auf den Jemen zu fliegen, wo seit Jahren Bürgerkrieg herrscht. Die Hilfsorganisation Care warnt davor, die dramatische Lage der Bevölkerung zu vergessen - und appelliert an die internationale Gemeinschaft.
Die Hilfsorganisation Care fordert eine sofortige politische Lösung für den Jemen und ein Ende der Kämpfe in dem Land.
"Wir sehen im Jemen das Ergebnis von fehlenden politischen Lösungen. Wenn wir das mit Syrien vergleichen, müssen wir uns fragen, ob sich dass die Weltgemeinschaft überhaupt leisten kann",sagte Care-Generalsekretär Karl-Otto Zentel im Deutschlandradio Kultur.
Millionen Menschen ohne Trinkwasserzugang
Mit ihrem Wegschauen verlängere die Weltgemeinschaft die unhaltbare Situation im Jemen, die vor allem die Bevölkerung treffe.
"Was wir auch sehen und am Anfang nicht glauben wollten: Es fliehen sogar Menschen vom Jemen nach Somalia."
Dass Somalia als sicherer Fluchtort angesehen werde, sei eigentlich unvorstellbar. Gründe für die Flucht seien die Unsicherheit im Jemen, der Hunger, der Verlust der Lebensgrundlage und die fehlende Perspektive – Karl-Otto-Zentel im Gespräch mit Elke Durak
25.3.2016 – Antikrieg TV (* B K P)
Audio mit Bildern: Saudi Arabiens Krieg gegen Jemen Hintergrund
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHIMzh04lPs
26.3.2016 – Deutsche Welle (B K P)
Saudische Politik zwischen Anspruch und Wirklichkeit
Vor einem Jahr startete Saudi-Arabien seine Militärinvasion im Jemen. Sonderlich erfolgreich ist sie nicht. Nun hofft man in Riad auf neue Bündnisse und diplomatische Offensiven – von Kersten Knipp
http://www.dw.com/de/saudische-politik-zwischen-anspruch-und-wirklichkeit/a-19130317
Kommentar: Recht oberflächlicher Überblickartikel, der zwei Propagandamärchen widerholt: Dass der Iran im Jemen eine zentrale Rolle spielt und dass die USA „immer weniger Engagement in der Region zeigen“. Das ist Quatsch. Sie machen selbst vielleicht weniger direkt, dafür indirekt, und sie lassen lieber andere machen (vor allem, wenn es ums Sterben geht). Da sind eingesargte sudanesische Soldaten für 200 Dollar Monatssold in saudischen Diensten doch besser als eingesargte GIs, wie man das noch 2003 im Irak für nötig hielt. Es lebe der Fortschritt. Und einen solchen die Saudis weißwaschenden Quatsch wie: „"Saudi-Arabien weiß, dass es sich aufgrund seiner Stellung in der islamischen und arabischen Welt nicht mehr mit der Rolle des Zuschauers begnügen und die Konsequenzen der immer turbulenteren politischen und Sicherheitsfragen nur beobachten kann", schrieb der Kommentator Hussein Shobokshi vor wenigen Tagen in der Zeitung Al-Sharq al-Awsat“ sollte man auch nicht einfach so übernehmen, schon gar nicht unter der Überschrift „Zur Führungsrolle gezwungen“. Gezwungen von wem??
26.3.2016 – Pakistan Today (B K)
A year after it launched air strikes in Yemen, a Saudi-led military coalition has failed to deal a decisive blow to Iran-backed rebels and is facing mounting criticism over civilian casualties.
Analysts say that since air strikes were launched on March 26 last year, rebel resistance has been far more effective than expected and the weakness of Yemen’s internationally recognised government has been exposed.
Charles Schmitz, a Yemen expert at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, said the Huthis and allied forces loyal to former strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh are far from defeated.
“The Huthi and Saleh forces have done relatively well given the circumstances,” he said. “They have no air cover and no secure means of resupplying their arsenal yet they retain significant military power.”
“The Huthis have proven adept at holding onto territory and colonising key state organs,” said Jordan Perry, a Middle East and North Africa analyst at the Verisk Maplecroft consultancy.
“The coalition has been handicapped by a lack of technical expertise and battlefield experience,” said Perry.
Coalition forces have made “a big achievement towards peace and stability in Yemen. Today we have a government, recognised by the international community, running the country from Aden,” Assiri said
But loyalist and coalition troops have been struggling to secure these areas, where radical Sunni groups have widened their influence.
The militant Islamic State group and Al Qaeda have exploited the chaos and carried out deadly attacks in the south, mostly against pro-Hadi forces.
Hadi’s government and the coalition have “prioritised their struggle against the Huthis, turning a blind eye to the gains made by radical Sunni groups that have continued to metastasise within the security vacuum”, Perry said.
“The Saudis miscalculated the ability of the Hadi camp to govern liberated territory and Al Qaeda took advantage,” said Schmitz.
Perry said the rebels are unlikely to withdraw from all the cities they have seized.
“The jewel in the Huthis’ crown — the capital Sanaa — is not at imminent risk of takeover,” he said.
Perry said a comprehensive and lasting peace settlement in Yemen was a “distant prospect”, with “very limited” potential for power-sharing as “deep divisions will persist”.
26.3.2016 – Aljazeera (* B K P)
Film: Hisham Al-Omeisy, Khaled M Batarfi & Adam Barron: War in Yemen, peace talks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptOsB1RHnQQ&feature=youtu.be
26.3.2016 – Telesur (* B K)
One Year Later: West-Backed Saudi Coalition Has Destroyed Yemen
As Yemenis mark Saturday as one year since the Saudi Arabia-led operation in Yemen was launched, observers see no end in the near future to the bloody conflict that has inflicted human and structural damage on the country, has given rise to extremism, and, according to the United Nations, has resulted in war crimes
In addition to the human cost of the war in Yemen, the Saudi operation has created a security gap in one of the poorest countries on earth, further allowing al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the group’s strongest franchise in the world, to gain more ground and influence.
Also, since the beginning of the conflict, the Islamic State group has gained a foothold in Yemen
It is important to highlight that the U.S. and the U.K have kept their steady military support for the Saudi kingdom despite mounting accusations of crimes and abuses by its military campaign in Yemen.
While its public objective is targeting the Houthis, the Saudi war in Yemen is part of a bigger goal for solidifying dominance in the region against the so-called Iranian threat, while having no regard for civilian lives and the people of Yemen.
“The Houthis and their allies … are the declared targets of the coalition’s 1-year-old air campaign. In reality, however, it is the civilians,” Rawan Shaif, a British-Yemeni freelance journalist wrote in an article for Foreign Policy magazine on March 24.
Saudis said last month that their operation in Yemen is nearing its end. However, an end to the war is unlikely to bring peace and stability to the country as its infrastructure has been left significantly damaged and extremism is rising.
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/One-Year-Later-West-Backed-Saudi-Coalition-Has-Destroyed-Yemen--20160326-0004.html and photos: http://www.telesurtv.net/english/multimedia/On-Year-Later-How-the-Saudi-Coalition-Destroyed-Yemen-20160326-0005.html
Comment: A good overview article.
26.3.2016 – BBC (* B K)
A year of war that has set Yemen back decades
Saudi Arabia says it makes every effort to avoid hitting civilian targets, but that's little consolation to the burn victim we met in hospital in Sanaa.
Abdel Bari Omar survived an airstrike outside the city last month, but only just. The van driver lay in bed, bandaged from the chest down. He was transporting gas cylinders when the fighter jets struck.
"The pain is so intense only God can understand," he said, through trembling lips. "Whatever way I turn I am in agony. I'm afraid this pain will stop my heart." His other fear is about the future of his children now their breadwinner has burns on more than 40% of his body.
Yemeni businessman Ghalib al-Sawary wants to know why Britain has played a role in ruining his life's work.
He walked me through the wreckage of Radfan Ceramics, a factory outside Sanaa that employed 350 people before the war. Airstrikes last year - which reportedly killed one man - reduced the factory to a shell.
"We built it over 20 years," he said, "but to destroy it took only 20 minutes."
Mr Sawary showed me hunks of mangled metal bearing the label of a British manufacturer - GEC Marconi Dynamics - which he says were recovered after the airstrike.
Much of the death and destruction here in the past 12 months has gone unseen - one more war in a troubled region.
"Yemen was already forgotten, prior to the escalation of the conflict," said Johannes van der Klaauw, of the UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR. He believes the crisis has not had the attention it deserves in part because Yemenis aren't reaching Europe's shores.
"I am afraid there is a link," he said. "I see that the international community and particularly Europe has now galvanised more support and also political action because the Syrians and the Iraqis are coming in large numbers to Europe. If the Yemenis would do the same I am sure there would be more attention for Yemen."
For most Yemenis there is no hope of escape, but more peace talks are planned for next month, to be accompanied by a ceasefire.
Whatever the outcome, UN officials fear that one year of war has set the Arab world's poorest country back decades – by Orla Guerin
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35901321?SThisFB
25.3.2016 – Foreign Policy (* B K P)
This Is What Yemen Looks Like After a Year of Airstrikes
Hospitals and schools, decimated by airstrikes, lie in piles of rubble on the ground. Children who once played in Sanaa’s bustling streets now tread carefully through the Yemeni capital’s gutted neighborhoods, living in constant fear of being bombed again.
For the past year, Saudi Arabia, with support from Britain, France, and the United States, has bombed what it claims is exclusively Houthi rebel targets. But in reality, the Saudi government has contributed to a humanitarian disaster while sheltering Yemen’s embattled leaders far away in Riyadh.
According to the United Nations, more than 3,000 civilians have been killed and an additional 5,000 injured since the airstrike campaign started last March 26. Many of those deaths and injuries can be directly connected to the Saudi mission – by Siobhán O’Grady (with photos)
25.3.2016 – The Guardian (* B K P)
Saudi Arabia campaign leaves 80% of Yemen population needing aid
Peace talks give Saudis way out as conflict fails to combat terrorism and puts an already impoverished country on the brink
It is difficult to view Saudi Arabia’s relentless war of attrition in Yemen as anything other than a destructive failure. The military intervention that began one year ago has killed an estimated 6,400 people, half of them civilians, injured 30,000 more and displaced 2.5 million, according to the UN. Eighty per cent of the population, about 20 million people, are now in need of some form of aid.
The Saudis’ principal aim – to restore Yemen’s deposed president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi – has not been achieved. If they hoped to contain spreading Iranian regional influence, that has not worked, either. If the US-backed coalition’s campaign was intended to combat terrorism, that too has flopped. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in particular, and Islamic State (Isis) have profited from the continuing anarchy.
The UN’s human rights chief, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, pointed the finger directly at Riyadh. “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 airstrikes,” he said. Markets, hospitals, clinics, schools, factories, wedding parties, and hundreds of private residences had been hit, Zeid said.
The Saudis’ agreement to re-enter UN-mediated peace talks in Kuwait following a proposed 10 April ceasefire looks like an admission that continued military attrition is no solution and is making matters worse. The Houthis are far from defeated, while Iran recently signalled willingness to step up direct involvement, as in Syria.
Saudi Arabia has paid a high political and diplomatic price for its Yemeni misadventure, with scant return so far. Its actions have turned the spotlight on its lamentable human rights record, notably its recent execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a leading Shia cleric. The Yemen bloodshed has alienated western public opinion and European politicians fearful of another Middle East refugee emergency and associated Islamist radicalization – by Simon Tisdali
24.3.2016 –Sky News (* B K)
Film: UN Has Recorded At Least 119 Illegal Strikes By Saudi Coalition In Yemen
Serious questions are being asked about the UK's involvement in the civil war in Yemen that has so far killed more than 3,200 civilians - 60% by airstrikes. Sky's Sherine Tadros reports.
http://news.sky.com/video/1666566/concerns-over-uk-role-in-yemen-war
25.3.2016 – Ahram Online (B K P)
What is at stake for all sides in Yemen’s bloody conflict?
Reaching a peace deal in conflict-stricken Yemen is crucial in order to avert a "catastrophic humanitarian crisis," said Joost Hiltermann, MENA programme director of the International Crisis Group.
In a Wednesday lecture at the American University in Cairo, Hiltermann said he believes that the 8 March talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia were a breakthrough in the peace process and a positive step towards de-escalation between the two sides.
Hiltermann said that negotiations should lead to an interim settlement that must include security arrangements which pave the way for a militia withdrawal from cities.
Speaking on the challenges confronting the warring parties in successfully forging a deal in the talks, Hiltermann said that Saudi Arabia views the Houthis as part of an expanding Iranian threat in the region.
In a report published by the International Crisis Group on Yemen, the Houthi/Saleh bloc is also considerably complicating peace prospects by increasing cross-border attacks into the Saudi kingdom, “a move that makes it more difficult for the kingdom to halt the conflict when it cannot boast a clear military victory.”
“Following the Iranian nuclear deal [with the US and its allies], there was a Saudi panic over Iran’s role in the international community.”
“For Saudi Arabia, the Houthis crossed the line when [they took over the Yemeni capital] Sanaa in September 2014, especially after [Yemen's] President Abd Rabbu Mansor Hadi was placed under house arrest.”
With each side fighting over control of Yemen, both have shown strength in different areas, making it difficult to speculate on who would likely come out on top.
Whatever the results are, however, Yemen’s immediate future looks bleak.
The support from the United States in refuelling planes in mid-air and offering weaponry and military advice was of great assistance to the Saudis.
However, Saudi Arabia has no ground forces in Yemen, and it "cannot win with weak ground forces," according to Hiltermann.
“The Saudi kingdom needs to declare a victory soon, and they will need to announce their success in Yemen,” he said.
“The only losers here are the Yemeni population, with many Yemeni areas on the verge of starvation.”
Comment. “Hiltermann said that negotiations should lead to an interim settlement that must include security arrangements which pave the way for a militia withdrawal from cities.” What should this be for? “Militia” for H. certainly just means the Houthis, although there are lots of other militia on the ground, all those fighting for “president” hadi for instance. Why one side should withdraw from anywhere, while nothing similar is required from the other? Don’t forget that the Houthis themselves have formed a Yemeni government – why this government should withdraw from anywhere? You cannot make any peace talks if before they even begin fix any preconditions in the way you declare one side to be “legitimate” and the other to be not – this side never will agree to that, and any peace talks will fail because of that.
26.3.2016 – Strategy Page (A K)
Yemen: The Torah Is Gone And All Hope Is Lost
There are other aspects of this conflict that the UN and the world would rather stay away from. For example the war in Yemen can be described as a four sided religious civil war. On one side you have the Yemeni Shia rebels who are fighting Both AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) and ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) who are each fighting to establish their own version of a religious dictatorship in Yemen. Opposed to these three groups are the various separatist Sunni Yemeni tribes. At the moment most of the Sunni tribes are allied alongside the government (some Shia but mainly Sunni Yemenis) aided by a Sunni Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia. This coalition is composed of largely conservative Sunni Moslems who consider Shia, AQAP and ISIL heretics. The Shia rebels are aided by Iran and Shia from the Iran-backed Lebanese Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah. Yemen has long been a mess politically and now religion has been added to create a toxic mess that has no easy solution. All this comes as the Yemeni economy collapses because of overpopulation, rampant corruption and generally ineffective governments.
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/yemen/articles/20160326.aspx
Comment: Overview at the events of the last three weeks with a quite simplified explanation of the war (as presented above)
25.3.2016 – Blasting News (* B K)
YEMEN, "IN FLAMES AND AWASH WITH WEAPONS"
365 days of conflicts, 3.000 civilians killed, 2,4 millions of people internally displaced and 83% of population in need of humanitarian assistance
Five-year-old Rahma and her family took shelter along with others in a school in Tahrur, a village near to Aden, in the south of Yemen. They fled of the clashes between the Houthi rebels and the militar coalition lead by Saudi Arabia, which was supporting to Yemeni Government of Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
The president had left Yemen on March 25for seeking help in the neighbour country. That day, Riyadh started the leadership of the airstrikes against the Houthi insurgency, who had taken the capital, Sana, in September, in the middle of the demonstrations over the drop of the subsidy of combustible. Since then, the conflict escalated.
The families who were in the school trusted in the safety of the place, but the bombs began to fall from the sky and killed 10 Rahma's relatives, including her mother and her cousins. 'Why did they bomb us?', asked the girl to her aunt Salama. However, the woman, who would regret not to have died with her daughters, had no answer for her.
The Rahma's story, gathered by Amnesty International, is just one more of the shocking episodes happened since the House of Saud initiated the bombings, with the approval of the United States. It points out how the belligerent parts in the Yemeni conflict have failed in the war laws.
http://uk.blastingnews.com/world/2016/03/yemen-in-flames-and-awash-with-weapons-00850557.html
25.3.2016 – Telesur (* A P)
West Ignores Iraq & Yemen Massacres, Still Weeps for Brussels
Suicide attacks killing scores of people in Iraq and Yemen in the last few days have revealed once again the fickle nature of Western sympathies, after the bloodbath failed to produce the massive outpouring of grief prompted by the Brussel attacks.
In total, at least 57 people were killed in the two attacks, and while the stories were reported by mainstream media, there was no round-the-clock coverage or calls for international mourning.
Yet after the attack in Brussels, Belgium, on March 22, in which 34 people were killed by Islamic State group militants, a mass outpouring of public grief was encouraged by the mainstream media. On Facebook, users changed their profile pictures to the Belgium flag, while Twitter users expressed their solidarity as the hashtag #BrusselsAttacks trended worldwide.
Global Research released a report detailing a number of mass-killings in the Middle East, which garnered no public attention. The report shows that on March 20, 2016, 137 people were killed in terror attacks, with no public outcry. Likewise, two weeks ago in Baghdad, 47 died in blasts, and the attack barely made headlines.
When compared to the media reaction after attacks in Europe, the grim nature of Western sympathies becomes clear.
26.3.2016 – Corriere della Serra (** B K)
Yemen, una guerra dimenticata
[Langer und guter Überblicksartikel auf Italienisch. Kapitelüberschriften:]
L'elenco degli orrori
Gli appetiti di Riad [diese Überschrift passt!!]
Siamo tutti yemeniti [sollten wir, sind wir leider aber nicht!]
La roccaforte jihadista
http://www.corriere.it/reportages/esteri/2016/yemen-una-guerra-dimenticata/?refresh_ce-cp
25.3.2016 – Washington Institute (** B K)
Gulf Coalition Operations in Yemen (Part 1): The Ground War
The Saudi-led coalition has waged a dynamic campaign, but all actions so far constitute a prelude to the tougher fighting ahead should the coalition launch an assault on Sana and the Houthi heartland.
Shortly after United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi special forces were first observed in combat in Aden, the Gulf coalition campaign secured the port city as a base for President Hadi's government throughout May and June 2015. It then transitioned from July onward into a broader offensive that saw UAE-led armored columns strike northward to al-Anad Air Base -- the former U.S.-Yemen counterterrorism facility located twenty-five kilometers north of Aden -- and Taizz, Yemen's third largest city, and also east to Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan province.
AUTUMN OFFENSIVES
Last fall, the Gulf coalition opened up multiple fronts in the war against the Houthis and their allies in the Afaash clan of the Sanhan tribe, which backs the ousted former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. These fronts include:
The eastern front in Marib
The Bab al-Mandab offensive
SHARING COMBAT OPERATIONS
As the advances north from Bab al-Mandab and west from Marib petered out in mid-October, the war became more static. Hadi loyalist forces and tribal militias sought to break the Houthi siege of Taizz but became locked in seesaw fighting in Taizz, Dhale, and al-Bayda provinces. The Gulf coalition used this period to transition from a high-visibility ground combat role to training and supporting Yemeni forces on the battlefield, as follows:
Development of a close air-support base in Yemen.
Large-scale train-and-equip mission.
Eritrean base and forces
Sudanese hold force for Aden
THE TROUBLED NORTHERN FRONT
The least successful aspect of the Gulf coalition has consistently been the fighting along the Saudi-Yemen border. Throughout the war, Houthi forces and former Yemeni army units loyal to Saleh have intensified their cross-border attacks into the southern Saudi areas of Asir, Jizan, and Najran. The scale of the problem for Saudi Arabia is alarming: what began in late summer 2015 as convoy ambushes and attacks on small border forts has developed into large-scale incursions. Whereas individual border outposts were briefly overrun in August, now parts of depopulated Saudi border towns are being occupied and large Saudi border guard headquarters held for long enough to be demolished.
RENEWED PUSH ON SANA?
After a reset period, the Gulf coalition looks to be reinvigorating its offensive plans in northern Yemen through the following actions:
Pincer movement on the Red Sea coast
Relief of Taizz.
Arrival of new offensive forces
ASSESSING THE CAMPAIGN
As the military analyst Tom Cooper has noted, the Gulf coalition underestimated many factors working against it: the resilience of Yemeni army loyalty to Saleh and the Houthis, the effects of terrain, the Houthis' fighting capabilities, and the complications posed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Islamic State operations in southern Yemen's liberated zones. Faced with these challenges, the Gulf coalition froze its major offensive plans and expanded its available forces through a major train-and-equip effort aided by expansion-of-force contributions by coalition members. Despite holding considerable numerical superiority, Houthi and Yemeni army units have been forced to slowly retreat into Sana and northern Yemen. The ground campaign so far has been a qualified success: it restored the Hadi government to Aden, denied Taizz to the Houthis, and placed pressure on both Sana and the ports on which the Houthis rely for resupply.
The question is now whether the Gulf coalition's successes at the peripheries of Houthi control can be replicated in its heartland in Sana city and Saada province. [...] This points to the importance of internationally mediated conflict termination before the Gulf coalition begins an assault on Sana or the Houthi home areas in Saada, which would be very difficult militarily and could result in protracted conflict with heavy civilian casualties – by Alexandre Mello and Michael Knights
Comment: Here is just given a “skeleton” of the article, which in detail deals with the Yemen war on the ground from the Saudi side.
25.3.2016 – Washington Institute (** B K)
Gulf Coalition Operations in Yemen (Part 2): The Air War
The air campaign has demonstrated surprising endurance and proficiency, but the coalition's strategic communications and efforts to mitigate collateral damage have been sorely lacking.
The air operations undertaken by the Gulf coalition over the past year have been complex and controversial. What began as a single-front operation to liberate Aden has evolved into a sprawling war where coalition forces are in contact with enemy forces on as many as seven major battlefronts each day. Operations have become more refined over time, starting out with around 90 combat sorties per day, peaking at up to 300 last fall, and now settling at 20-70 sorties per day, many of which return to base without releasing their weapons. The campaign's key failing has been its inability to address the widespread perception that airstrikes are killing far too many noncombatants, a factor that may ultimately overshadow the coalition's achievements.
PHASES OF THE CAMPAIGN
As the air campaign passes its one-year mark, operations can be broken down into a series of overlapping phases.
The preplanned phase.
Northern front operations.The Houthis and Saleh loyalists achieved their most effective retaliation through attacks on the Saudi border, either launching SSMs or infiltrating commando groups:
The Scud hunt.
The border war.
Coercive targeting. One of the air campaign's most problematic elements has been the stream of "strategic targets" struck with the intention of coercing the Houthi leadership and population to weaken or prompting Saleh loyalists to defect. Since May, the Houthi home province of Saada has been singled out for special coercive treatment, resulting in numerous strikes on what are typically viewed as civilian targets -- mosques, houses, and water wells (see PolicyWatch 2465, "The Saudi-UAE War Effort in Yemen: The Air Campaign"). Practically every major state institution has been struck multiple times, as have most properties belonging to Saleh loyalist leaders, leaving the country's government in shambles.
Focus on emerging targets. Last fall, as the fixed target list was exhausted and multiple ground axes of attack began to open, the focus of the air campaign shifted toward dynamic short-notice targeting of suddenly emerging Houthi and Saleh forces. Since then, many strikes have been aimed at military units, SSM teams, or commanders who betray their location through movement patterns or intercepted communications. At any given time, the coalition is now operating stacks of close-support strike aircraft over four or five active frontlines. These circling aircraft are guided to emerging targets by airborne controllers with specialized sensors and links to special forces and unmanned aerial vehicles. This has resulted in a huge variety of target locations being hit on short notice: bridges, gas stations, camps, occupied commercial and residential buildings, and even schools, hospitals, and mosques.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
The global perception of the coalition air effort is highly negative.
[The rest of this chapter is pure propaganda.]
ASSESSING THE CAMPAIGN
Air supremacy has been a great asset to the coalition's war effort, enabling air drops to friendly forces, aerial refueling over Yemen, and powerful air cover for ground forces on a broadening number of fronts. Although the campaign is not a large one, averaging 150 combat sorties per day in 2015, the coalition's ability to sustain the effort has been impressive, and its accident rate -- four fixed-wing strike aircraft reported lost in a year -- has been low. The constant rotation of units for three-week tours of duty has created a broad base of combat experience in participating air forces from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Morocco, Jordan, and Sudan. Meanwhile, the United States and others have provided important intelligence, aerial refueling, and logistical support to help sustain operations.
[The rest of this chapter is pure propaganda] – by Michael Knights
Comment: This is only a „skeleton“ of a part of this article. Other parts prove to be mere propaganda trying to simply whitewash the Saudis of their war crimes. See at cp15 Propaganda – that’s the only right place for this part of this article.
25.3.2016 – Washington Institute (** B K)
Gulf Coalition Operations in Yemen (Part 3): Maritime and Aerial Blockade
The coalition has restricted Iranian resupply of the Houthis by air and sea, and selective reopening of Yemeni ports may be possible as they fall to pro-Hadi forces.
When Operation Decisive Storm was launched last year, one of the Saudi-led Gulf coalition's first actions was to close Yemen's airspace and place its ports under naval blockade, in part to prevent the military resupply of the Houthis and elements supporting former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. On April 14, 2015, UN Security Council Resolution 2216 lent international support to the blockade, calling for member states to "take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply" of arms to these actors.
AERIAL BLOCKADE
Once coalition forces took control of Yemeni airspace, they quickly disabled air-traffic control at Sana International Airport and other regional airports. Yemen was thereafter closed as an international civil aviation route.
The first test of the aerial blockade occurred in late April, when Iranian civil aircraft negotiated permission from Oman and the Houthis to deliver Red Crescent aid packages to Sana. Upon detecting the inbound flights and denying them permission to land, the coalition bombed the runways at Sana airport, forcing the planes to turn back.
NAVAL BLOCKADE
Maritime blockade efforts initially focused on Aden until its liberation, then shifted to the Red Sea ports of Mokha and Hodeida, major receiving points for Iranian arms transfers via the Horn of Africa. Coalition forces prevented commercial and civilian vessels from accessing these ports, while other assets patrolled the area to stop and search suspicious ships. Only vessels with valid clearance from the coalition have been authorized to enter embargoed ports.
The United States and other Western countries have also increased their naval presence in the area, not only to guard shipping lanes but also to help intercept arms smugglers.
BLUNT INSTRUMENT
Given the heavy commercial shipping traffic between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, smaller ships can pass through to parts of Yemen undetected, and weapons can be smuggled in innocuous commodities
This is why the coalition has continued its maximalist approach, blocking most vessels from entering Yemeni ports at all, sometimes including those carrying humanitarian aid.
OTHER USES OF SEA CONTROL
Coalition naval forces have also exploited Yemen's long coastline to provide ground forces with logistical and gunfire support.
HOUTHI ANTI-SHIPPING OPERATIONS
ASSESSING THE CAMPAIGN
The Gulf coalition correctly diagnosed from the outset that Iranian resupply to the Houthis could be a game-changing factor if left unchecked, particularly the provision of advanced antitank guided missiles, antiship missiles, and surface-to-surface missiles. The interdiction of Yemen's airspace has also prevented the Houthis from maintaining important international connections or claiming the mantle of the legitimate government seated in Sana.
The naval blockade and, more recently, ground and amphibious operations to seize Red Sea ports and islands have probably choked off Iranian resupply to a certain degree and tangibly affected certain battlefields. Most notably, they helped break the siege of Taizz, Yemen's third-largest city. The trick now lies in selectively lifting the blockade as ports fall under the direct control of pro-Hadi forces. The coalition cannot afford to indefinitely ignore international calls to reopen humanitarian access.
Above all, the naval blockade of Houthi-controlled Yemen has relied on effective coalition building. Saudi Arabia's Red Sea fleet remains a modest navy, but in combination with UAE, Egyptian, Bahraini, and Pakistani forces it has proven capable of sustaining a year-long maritime intercept operation – by Nadav Pollak and Michael Knights
Comment: This is only a „skeleton“ of a part of this article. In wide parts, also this article is transporting propaganda. That refers to the assumption that Iran in a greater scale has tried to supply arms to the Houthis, wherefore proof just is missing. And not a single word is lost on the humanitarian catastrophe which this naval blockade has caused in Yemen. Well, for strategic writers in the US human lives (at least if non-white, non-Christian, non American-European) don’t matter when killing or starving them to death matches with the own (US) geostrategic interests.
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
26.3.2016 – Al Araby (B K)
A year of war: Yemen’s deepening humanitarian crisis
[Shorter overview article]
26.3.2016 – Handicap International (B H)
Yemen: Injured Need Urgent Care
People with injuries from throughout the north and west of this Arab country in Western Asia are receiving treatment in two hospitals and one health center in the capital city of Sanaa. It’s here, since October, that Handicap International teams have worked alongside more than 1,200 people to help them regain their strength and mobility. Along the way, staff have put 1,800 mobility aids, including crutches and wheelchairs, into the hands of people with injuries, giving them a simple tool, of the many they’ll need, to help recover their independence.
The invisible suffering—mental anguish and trauma—is tremendous. Teams have provided psychological support to more than 1,000 people, both victims of the conflict and their close family and friends.
To ensure the skills needed for conflict trauma care are available in Yemen, 100 health care staff working in Sanaa and other governorates are learning from Handicap International teams how to manage and care for injuries. At the same time, Handicap International is sharing information and advice with other humanitarian actors working in Yemen to ensure their emergency response efforts—be that related to food distribution or access to bathrooms—make proper provisions for people with disabilities, women, children, older people, and other often vulnerable groups.
Separately, Handicap International weapons specialists have worked over the last few weeks to identify weapons in the areas worst affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war. This information will be critical as local populations are taught about the risk of accidents caused by explosive remnants of war, and how to stay safe amid so much deadly pollution.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-injured-need-urgent-care
26.3.2016 – UNICEF (* B H)
Rafik’s dream of becoming a football coach in Yemen
Rafik dreams of becoming a football coach. The 15 year old lost his leg in an air strike eight years ago while playing football in Sa’ada, Yemen. A bomb fell close to him, injuring him and killing his closest friend on the spot.
Following the bombing, Rafik and his family sought safety and are now living at the Al Zubairi school in Sana’a. The school hosts around 40 families who have fled the conflict, including over 100 children.
Losing a leg doesn’t bother Rafik. The determined teenager runs marathons, plays football and is ready to be the youngest football coach in Yemen.
When a child’s world is turned upside down by the chaos of war, school must always be a safe place for them to learn and play. The threat of violence and the need for temporary shelter means that millions of children are not receiving the education they need to help rebuild their lives and communities once the conflict is over.
In Yemen alone, at least 92 schools were used by armed forces and groups in 2014, putting thousands of children in danger (with photos)
This must stop. We are calling for the UK Government to do more to protect children in emergencies. Please sign our petition to protect children from extreme violence, to protect their schools and to protect those who have been forced from their home.
https://blogs.unicef.org.uk/2016/03/26/yemen-crisis-one-year-football/
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
26.3.2016 – Der Standard (A P)
Tausende protestieren gegen Saudis im Jemen
In der von Aufständischen kontrollierten Hauptstadt des Jemen haben tausende Menschen gegen den vor einem Jahr unter saudi-arabischer Führung gestarteten Militäreinsatz gegen die schiitischen Houthi-Rebellen protestiert.
Flugzeuge der von Saudi-Arabien geführten Militärkoalition flogen offenbar als Demonstration der Stärke über die Demonstranten hinweg, wie ein Fotograf der Nachrichtenagentur AFP berichtete. Zu der Kundgebung hatte der ehemalige jemenitische Staatschef Ali Abdullah Saleh aufgerufen, der mit den Houthi-Rebellen verbündet ist.
"Bei einem kurzen Auftritt vor den Demonstranten erneuerte er einen Aufruf an Saudi-Arabien zu direkten Gesprächen über eine Beendigung des Konflikts. "Von hier aus strecken wir die Hand für den Frieden aus, den Frieden der Mutigen, für direkte Gespräche mit dem saudischen Regime", sagte Saleh. Den UN-Sicherheitsrat rief er laut der von den Rebellen kontrollierten Nachrichtenagentur Saba auf, eine Resolution mit einem Waffenembargo gegen Saudi-Arabien zu beschließen.
Im Norden von Sanaa organisierten unterdessen nach Angaben von Saba die Houthi-Rebellen selbst eine Kundgebung gegen Saudi-Arabien. Tausende Teilnehmer riefen demnach Slogans gegen Riad und die USA.
http://derstandard.at/2000033702342/Tausende-protestieren-gegen-Saudis-im-Jemen und fast identisch Spiegel Online: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/jemen-tausende-demonstrieren-gegen-saudi-arabien-a-1084274.html
26.3.2016 – Middle East Eye (A P)
Mass Sanaa protest marks year of Saudi role in Yemen war
Warplanes from the coalition flew low over the demonstration, where deposed former president Saleh made a rare appearance
Huge crowds massed in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Saturday as thousands of Yemenis marked a year to the day since Saudi Arabia began a bombing campaign in support of the the impoverished country's government.
The intervention in support of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi began on 26 March last year, but has yet to deal a decisive blow to the Houthi rebels and their allies, who still control Sanaa and key parts of the country.
"Together against the tyrannical Saudi aggression," said a large banner in Sanaa's Sabaeen Square where protesters gathered.
Warplanes from the coalition flew at low altitudes over the massed protest, breaking the sound barrier in an apparent show of force.
Deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was brought down by popular Arab Spring-style protests beginning in 2011, appeared at the rally surrounded by crowds of supporters.
During a brief speech, the first he has given publicly since the bombing aimed at him and his Houthi allies began, Saleh reportedly called for direct negotiations with Saudi Arabia.
Posters bearing Saleh's image were said to be plastered over the city's walls on Saturday, with pro-Saleh banners held aloft during the demonstration.
The Houthis have called for another protest later in north Sanaa.
Rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Houthi addressed his supporters in a defiant televised speech on Friday.
"One year on, we look at the outcome of this aggression ... It was said to be aimed at helping and serving the Yemeni people. [But] this help came in the form of criminal killings and genocide," he said.
"The aggression and those criminal aggressors have only caused huge damage at all levels in our country and in the rest of the region," he said, in an apparent reference to increased tension between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mass-protest-yemen-marks-year-saudi-led-war-104004152
Comment: Most of the world's media is reporting this huge demonstration against the Saudi aggression - but not in Saudi Arabia!
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1117398601745963
26.3.2016 – Washington Post (A P)
Massive protests in Sanaa mark the anniversary of Yemen’s civil war
Tens of thousands protested in the Yemeni capital Saturday on the anniversary of a U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition’s entrance into a civil war that has killed thousands and strengthened the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in this strategic Middle East nation.
As coalition jets roared overhead, the demonstrators carried the Yemeni flag and chanted “end the siege,” while others vowed “to fight the Saudi aggression and its agents until their last man.”
On Saturday morning, many protesters carried pictures of Saleh, who gave a speech to his supporters condemning the Saudi intervention. But the former president also said that he would be open to discussions with the Saudis to bring the conflict to an end.
“I have come today to support my country,” said Ali al-Hamdani, 30, a farmer who came from Hamdan, a nearby district. “It has been exactly a year since this barbaric war started, and we have been suffering from all kinds of oppression by the Saudis whether economically or politically.”
A second demonstration, organized by the Houthis, was scheduled for the afternoon.
Many Yemenis on Saturday expressed skepticism about the peace talks. Previous attempts to implement a cease-fire quickly failed, as each side accused the other of violating the pact. – by Ali al Mujahed and Sudarsan Raghavan
26.3.2016 – Press TV Iran (A P)
Thousands hold nationwide rallies, slamming Saudi aggression
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, and other cities to denounce Saudi Arabia’s year-long aggression against the impoverished nation.
Protesters gathered at Saba’een Square of the capital city on Saturday to slam the Saudi military campaign that has left about 9,400 people dead since March 26, 2015.
“Together against the tyrannical Saudi aggression,” read a large banner in the hand of the demonstrators as Saudi warplanes were flying overhead, reportedly breaking the sound barrier to frighten the protesters.
People also held Yemeni flags and pictures of Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement, as a show of unity with the group, which has been the main target of Saudi attacks.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/03/26/457665/Yemen-Sanaa-Saudi-aggression and see images: http://newsofyemen.net/2016/03/26-pictures-of-sanaa-rallies-denouncing-one-year-of-saudi-uae-led-coalition-war-on-yemen/ and https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1528064494156206 and https://www.facebook.com/yemen.crisis/posts/584517951714445 and https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/713830471952678912
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
25.3.2016 – NTV (A T)
Mindestens 22 Tote: IS überzieht Jemen mit Anschlägen
Bei drei Terroranschlägen auf Einrichtungen der saudisch geführten Militärkoalition und Regierungstruppen im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen sind mindestens 22 Menschen getötet worden. Dutzende weitere wurden bei den Attacken am Freitagabend nach Behördenangaben verletzt. Unter den Opfern sollen auch viele Zivilisten sein. Die Terrormiliz Islamischer Staat (IS) bekannte sich in einer nicht überprüfbaren Stellungnahme in sozialen Medien zu den Anschlägen.
Drei Autobomben detonierten an verschiedenen Checkpoints in der Nähe des Hauptquartiers der Militärallianz in Aden im Süden des Landes. Eine vierte Attacke konnte verhindert werden, sagte ein Behördensprecher. Die Zahl der Toten könne steigen, hieß es, da viele Menschen schwer verletzt worden seien.
http://www.n-tv.de/politik/IS-ueberzieht-Jemen-mit-Anschlaegen-article17318886.html
25.3.2016 – DPA (A T)
Mindestens 22 Tote bei IS-Terrorattacken im Jemen
Bei drei Terroranschlägen im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen sind mindestens 22 Menschen getötet worden. Dutzende weitere wurden bei den Attacken am Abend nach Behördenangaben verletzt. Unter den Opfern sollen auch viele Zivilisten sein. Die Terrormiliz Islamischer Staat bekannte sich in einem nicht überprüfbaren Statement in sozialen Medien zu den Anschlägen. Drei Autobomben detonierten an verschiedenen Checkpoints in der Nähe des Hauptquartiers der Militärallianz in Aden im Süden des Landes. Eine vierte Attacke konnte verhindert werden, sagte ein Behördensprecher.
http://www.ln-online.de/Nachrichten/Brennpunkte/Mindestens-22-Tote-bei-IS-Terrorattacken-im-Jemen
25.3.2016 – Reuters (A T)
Yemen bombings claimed by Islamic State kill at least 26
Three suicide bombers struck security checkpoints in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Friday, killing at least 26 people, residents and security sources said.
Dozens of people were also wounded in the attacks, for which Islamic State claimed responsibility and which coincided with the first anniversary of the start of civil war in Yemen.
In one of the blasts, an ambulance laden with explosives was detonated as it arrived at a military checkpoint in the Buraiqa area in northwestern Aden, killing about 14 soldiers and civilians, eyewitnesses and security sources said.
The other two bombs hit checkpoints on the road to a base used by the Saudi-led military coalition that is fighting in Yemen. Security sources said at least 12 people died, though with no immediate reports of coalition soldiers among the casualties.
Nizar Anwar, a spokesman for the local government in Aden, said the bombers were targeting the coalition command base but local fighters guarding the checkpoints prevented them from reaching their targets.
"More than 20 people were killed, most of them civilians," he said in a statement.
Amaq, a news agency affiliated with Islamic State, said the group's Yemeni wing claimed all three attacks and that at least 27 people had died.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0WR1EZ
Comment: Extremist militias still killing in Aden. I will remind you of the news in Yemen in July - when ISIS was openly fighting alongside the Saudi led coalition in Aden. And Al Qaeda was allegedly used by Saudi Arabia to hold Mukalla and Hadramaut to prevent the Houthis making inroads there. Now it seems their little games have backfired, but it isn't Saudi or even Hadi that's suffering - its ordinary Yemeni people.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1117410778411412
25.3.2016 – AFP (A T)
22 dead in Yemen triple suicide bombings claimed by IS
Three suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group on Friday struck checkpoints of Yemeni loyalist forces in Aden, killing 22 people, including 10 civilians, a security official said.
The bombings were followed by an attempt to attack a nearby large base of the Saudi-led Arab pro-government coalition which recently turned its guns on jihadists in southern Yemen.
Two bombs went off simultaneously at separate checkpoints in Shaab district, on Aden's western outskirts, before gunmen launched an attack on the nearby base of the military coalition, an official said.
Apache helicopters belonging to the coalition carried out strikes on positions of gunmen in the surrounding area as the assailants tried to advance toward the base.
A third explosive device planted in an ambulance was detonated at checkpoint near Mansura, in central Aden, the official said.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/triple-suicide-car-bombing-hits-yemens-aden-security-181904217.html
cp7 UNO / UN
24.3.2016 – UNOCHA (A P)
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR, STEPHEN O’BRIEN STATEMENT ON YEMEN It is deeply saddening to be marking a whole year of violence in Yemen. A country whose people were already facing great deprivation and hunger, and who have had to deal since last March with the added horror of war, bombing, shelling; losing their homes and loved ones.
I welcome the efforts to find a solution to the crisis, and the announcement yesterday of an agreement to cease hostilities on 10 April is positive. An end to the fighting can't come soon enough for the civilians caught between the warring parties. There are horrifying reports of human rights violations. Over 2.4 million Yemenis - a tenth of the population - have been forced from their homes. Children cannot go to school, mothers cannot get medical care, businesses have closed.
We have seen thousands of civilians killed and injured when schools, hospitals, markets were bombed or shelled. The stark numbers and awful stories do not stay in the headlines, however. Other major world crises attract greater attention – among donors, governments, the media.
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
25.3.2016 – BBC (A P)
Saudi journalist jailed over critical tweets
A Saudi journalist has been sentenced to five years in prison for "insulting the rulers and inciting public opinion" in a series of tweets.
Alaa Brinji was also given a 50,000 riyal ($13,300) fine and an eight-year travel ban by the counter-terror court.
The court also ordered his Twitter account to be shut down.
Amnesty International said Brinji was "the latest victim of Saudi Arabia's ruthless crackdown on peaceful dissent".
James Lynch, deputy director of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa program, described the sentence as "utterly shameful".
"Its [Saudi Arabia's] international allies, who seek to collaborate on security and intelligence, have to confront the fact that, using the pretext of 'counter-terrorism', the government's draconian crackdown has eradicated virtually all forms of peaceful dissent in the country," he added.
Alaa Brinji wrote for several high-profile Saudi newspapers including al-Bilad, Okaz and al-Sharq.
He was arrested in May 2014 and initially held incommunicado, Amnesty said.
He was also accused of apostasy, a charge that carries a potential death sentence, but was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Some of his tweets accused security forces of killing protesters in the kingdom's predominantly Shia east, while others criticised the ban on Saudi women driving.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35898986
Comment: From the Land of those who head the Human Rights Panel.
3.10.2016 – Telesur (* B K P)
Film: The Empire Files: The Real House of Saud
Meet the new head of the United Nations panel on Human Rights: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Abby Martin takes us inside the brutal reality of this police-state monarchy, and tells the untold people's history of resistance to it. With a major, catastrophic war in Yemen and looming high-profile executions of activists, The Empire Files exposes true nature of the U.S.-Saudi love affair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmSRWXCosxc = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qstjRKXDSaE = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7Hm44SZbSU
cp9 USA
Siehe “Am wichtigsten / See “Most important”
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
25.3.2016 – The Ferret (** A K P)
MPs investigate use of British bombs in Yemen’s war
MPs on a powerful Westminster committee are investigating if bombs made in Scotland have been used in Yemen’s civil war amid mounting allegations of war crimes by forces supporting President Hadi.
The Committees on Arms Export Controls (CAEC) has been reconvened following claims that Britain has been complicit in war crimes, allegedly carried out by the Royal Saudi Air Force which has been bombing Houthi rebels for a year now.
CAEC’s investigation into the use of UK weaponry follows the announcement that legal action has begun against the UK Government over its supply of arms to Saudi Arabia.
The Royal Saudi Air Force uses Eurofighter Typhoons and Tornados jets made in Britain.
The UK has supplied Saudi Arabia with Paveway missiles produced by US firm Raytheon at its factory in Glenrothes, Fife.
Pressure has been mounting on the UK Government to stop selling weaponry to Saudi Arabia.
More than £1bn worth of bombs, missiles and rockets were sold to Saudi Arabiaover just three months last summer.
MPs were advised recently that 207 civilian structures had been targeted by air-strikes including hospitals and mosques.
CAEC is investigating the use of UK-manufactured arms in the conflict in Yemen and whether criterion over arms export licences have been breached.
It will also examine whether the Department for International Development should play a role in the granting of arms export licences, potentially allowing it to block exports.
DfID admitted to Westminster’s International Development Committee that it had not been consulted over arms deals to Saudi Arabia despite providing £18m in urgent humanitarian aid to the country.
The SNP’s Douglas Chapman, MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, is a member of CAEC and involved in the cross-party inquiry which began this week.
He said: “Our committee took evidence from human rights groups this week, and they were keen to stress that they believe violations of international humanitarian laws had occurred and that there had also been serious breaches of the Arms Trade Treaty. This is the very treaty to which the UK played such a major role in encouraging other nations to support.”
Meanwhile, law firm Leigh Day has begun proceedings against the UK Government on behalf of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).
The formal legal action in the High Court will challenge the government’s decision to export arms in light of claims that Saudi forces are violating international humanitarian law (IHL).
CAAT said that a range of international organisations including a UN Panel of experts, the European Parliament and many humanitarian NGOs, have condemned the ongoing Saudi air strikes against Yemen as unlawful.
The violations of IHL law found by these bodies listed include a failure to take “all precautions in attack” as required by international humanitarian law.
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said: “We welcome the investigation, but the arms sales should never have been agreed in the first place. The Saudi regime has an appalling human right record.”
“What’s needed isn’t the revoking of a few licences, it’s a total change in UK foreign policy and an end to the uncritical support that successive UK governments have given to the Saudi regime.” – by Billy Briggs
https://theferret.scot/mps-to-investigate-use-of-british-bombs-in-yemens-war/
Comment: A long overview article containing many statements of critics and profiteers of British arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
26.3.2016 – Sky News (* A K P)
Questions raised over the UK's role in Yemen
Serious questions are being asked about the UK's involvement in the civil war in Yemen that has so far killed more than 3,200 civilians - 60% by airstrikes.
The UK is reported to have approved 2.8bn in military sales to Saudi Arabia since the start of the conflict last year.
The Government has also admitted to sending personnel to Saudi to provide 'advice and help on the rules of war'.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) says it appears to have made little difference as the Saudi-led coalition has carried out 'dozens of strikes that have been disproportionate and indiscriminate'.
Belkis Wille, Yemen and Kuwait researcher for HRW, told Sky News that airstrikes have continued to target civilians.
'So, really I have to ask the question - what are these trainers doing?' she said. 'We demand that the UK Government answer as to what their role is in these trainings and why we haven't seen an improvement on the ground.'
She added: 'There's a bigger question of whether there's actually complicity on the side of the UK Government if they've been sitting there in that war room as these strikes have been called in.'
Comment: Mostly an update of an article listed already in YPR 119.
25.3.2016 – BBC (* B K)
UK-made bomb 'destroyed Yemen factory'
The BBC has seen evidence that suggests a Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen used a British-made bomb when it destroyed a ceramics factory in the town of Matnah on 23 September 2015, killing a civilian and injuring others.
The owner of the business showed Orla Guerin what he said was shrapnel from the bomb, which is believed to have been produced in the UK by GEC-Marconi Dynamics.
The British government said the UK took its arms export responsibilities very seriously.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35898999
cp12 Sonstige Länder / Other countries
26.3.2016 - ABNA (A P)
Bahraini regime forces attack peaceful protesters denouncing Saudi aggression on Yemen / Pics
Bahraini security forces, using shotgun pellets and tear gas, cracked down on protestors, who took to the streets of Sitra, south east of the Bahraini capital Manama, to condemn the war led by Saudi Arabia on Yemen.
Demonstrators held posters that read slogans denouncing the Saudi war, which marks its second year, demanding to put an end to the aggression that has left thousands of Yemenis killed.
Protestors also voiced their disappointment at the international silence towards "the crimes committed by the Saudi regime against innocent children and civilians."
http://en.abna24.com/index.php/service/bahrain/archive/2016/03/27/743415/story.html
Comment: That is the democracy Saudi&Gulf style they want to introduce in other countries, whether Yemen, Syria or Libya as well.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe auch cp6 Südjemen / See also cp6 Southern Yemen
26.3.2016 – Indy 100 (* B T)
Baghdad and Yemen are reminders that terrorism usually isn't in Europe
At least 31 people were killed and up to 270 others wounded in the terror attacks in Brussels on Tuesday morning, responsibility for which was claimed by Isis.
Since then, 29 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in a village south of Baghdad, Iraq, following a local football match on Friday.
More than 50 people were injured in the blast, which Isis also claimed responsibility for.
On Friday, three suicide bombings were also claimed by Isis in which 22 people were killed in Yemen.
The bombings occurred at checkpoints of Yemeni loyalist forces in Aden, killing 10 civilians, and were followed by an attempt to attack a nearby Saudi-led Arab pro-government coalition base.
The attacks serve as a reminder that while the attacks in Brussels and Paris were a shocking and tragic loss of life, attacks of these kind are, sadly, all too regular in the Middle East.
The below chart from Statista shows the frequency and scale of terrorist attacks in Western Europe over the last four and a half decades.
It shows that, despite the notable attacks in Europe in the past 12 months, fewer people are killed by terror now than they were in the 1970s and 1980s:
Over 250 people have been killed by Isis outside of Western Europe in 2016 alone, with over 500 injured.
Meanwhile, 86 people were killed in late January in a village in north-eastern Nigeria by Boko Haram shootings and firebombs – by Louis Doré (with infograph and images)
25.3.2016 – Die Presse (A T)
Jemen: Islamisten wollen Priester am Karfreitag kreuzigen
Der Salesianer war bei einem Blutbad an christlichen Nonnen und Pflegern in einem Altenheim in Aden entführt worden.
Ein im Jemen von Islamisten entführter Salesianer-Pater soll nach Plänen seiner Peiniger am Karfreitag gekreuzigt werden. Entsprechende Informationen lagen der christlichen Organisation Christian Solidarity International (CSI) vor. CSI Österreich appellierte an den jemenitischen Botschafter in Wien, sich einzusetzen, um den grausigen Mord zu verhindern.
Kommentar: nach Auskunft seines Ordens eine Falschmeldung (s. folgender Artikel).
25.3.2016 – Indian Express (A T)
Yemen: Catholic order trashes ‘rumours’ of IS plan to crucify Indian priest
A spokesman for the order’s Bangalore province said such reports were unsubstantiated and they could not ascertain their source.
An order of Catholic priests called the Salesians’ of Don Bosco Friday dismissed as rumours reports that claimed that one of their priests, who was kidnapped in Yemen earlier this month, would be tortured on Good Friday. A spokesman for the order’s Bangalore province said such reports were unsubstantiated and they could not ascertain their source.
Over the past week, reports that the Islamic State (IS) had kidnapped Fr Uzhunnalil (56) were doing rounds on the Internet. The reports claimed that the terror outfit would torture and crucify him on Good Friday.
cp15 Propaganda
26.3.2016 – WAM (A P)
Yemen more secure following 'Operation Decisive Storm': President Hadi
The legitimate government is taking control of majority of areas and will continue its efforts until all of Yemen is liberated and rightly returned to its people, Yemen's President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has said.
The Yemeni President affirmed that his country today is more secure following Operation Decisive Storm which reduced the coup forces into gangs that are being decimated.
''The state is about to make a recovery at a time when the rebel militias were seeking a lifejacket after they subjected Yemeni people to scourges of killings, destruction and siege and imposed on us difficult options to face barbarism, arrogance, treachery and betrayal, President Hadi said in an article published on his Facebook page on the first anniversary of the Operation, which was launched on 26th March, 2015.
''We have not been and will not be advocates of war ... we are still for peace and we engaged positively with efforts being made by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen to realise peace and restore legitimacy of the state in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 2216. Our hand will always remain extended for a just peace that lays the foundation of a stable, secure future for our people and nation,'' he added.
The Arab Coalition, he noted, had put the Arab Nation on the right path and will remain witness to the common destiny and future.
According to him, the 34-member Islamic Military Alliance has opened up a new chapter for the Muslim Nation to pursue its leading role worldwide.
http://www.wam.ae/en/news/[Arab]/1395293389144.html
Comment: “Yemen more secure following 'Operation Decisive Storm'”: Ridiculous and the 100 % contrary to reality. – “The Arab Coalition had put the Arab Nation on the right path” – just walk the streets of Saada, Hajjah or many other cities in Yemen what a “right path” thanks to the “Arab coalitions” bombings that is. I already had written a lot about this “president’s” ridiculous statements, enough now.
Comment: Now this is a big joke. Even Hadi can't stay in Yemen because it is too unsafe for him to live there. But ordinary Yemenis are forced to do so, and so many of them losing their lives, their livelihood, their loved ones, their security, and going hungry to boot. He obviously hasn't been there recently. In Yemen he can't even have Yemeni bodyguards for fear they will kill him - he has to rely on foreign security guards.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1117411578411332
Comment: Well, Yemen is so secure now that he himself even does not dare to stay in his country, even surrounded by his foreign body guards, and stays in Riyadh.
26.3.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Yemenis Thank King Salman on the Anniversary of Operation “Decisive Storm”
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Spokesman of Coalition Forces, Advisor at Defense Minister’s Office, Brigadier Ahmed bin Hassan Al-Asiri said that Yemen’s file has been prepared to be discussed by all Saudi Ministries since September 14, 2014, directly after Sanaa was seized.
He added that there was a careful military follow-up, including several scenarios that were put to save the situation there. One of these scenarios was the Saudi intervention to save the legitimacy, following a request from Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Al-Asiri explained after a year of the coalition forces’ intervention that “Yemen was kind of abducted last year and Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi was put under house arrest in Sanaa, then Aden, where he was attacked by military aviation.” “However, this year is different as Hadi is still present with a completely legitimate government, which is internationally recognized by the virtue of International Security Council’s resolution 2216,” he added.
Al-Asiri also pointed out that Houthi coup is internationally criminalized under UN resolution, and the legitimate government controls 90 percent of the Yemeni lands and is in Yemen managing its interior military operations.
Asiri explained for Asharq Al-Awsat that humanitarian aid are arriving to all Yemeni cities and provinces, including areas besieged by Houthis.
He added: “Saudi-Yemeni borders are safe and stable, and Iran’s effect in the country in negligible regardless of its ongoing attempts.
In addition, Spokesman of Coalition Forces mentioned that before launching the Decisive Storm’s military operations, “we had evidences proving the presence of members from Hezbollah and Iran in Yemen, and today we have doubts that the aid containers arriving at the port of Hodeida are carrying smuggled weapons for the Houthis.”
Comment: Asiri said that before launching the Decisive Storm’s military operations, “we had evidences proving the presence of members from Hezbollah and Iran in Yemen, and today we have doubts that the aid containers arriving at the port of Hodeida are carrying smuggled weapons for the Houthis.” – which never were shown to the public, thus certainly never existed.
26.3.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Yemenis Thank King Salman on the Anniversary of Operation “Decisive Storm”
After a year of launching the “Decisive Storm” by the Arab Coalition to restore legitimacy to Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia, March 25 marks the 1st anniversary of this storm.
A massive march was launched on Friday in a number of Yemeni liberated cities located in the east and central of the country. Participants in the march carried huge pictures of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and several leaders of the Arab coalition states.
Meanwhile, Yemeni activists also launched a campaign entitled “#Thanks_Salman”.
The activities that were held in different cities of Yemen in gratitude and appreciation for the sincere stances and the great role being played by the Kingdom under the leadership of King Salman by supporting legitimacy in Yemen and confronting the operations of the Houthis and Saleh militias.
Comment: And here we have a report from the Saudi papers! I wonder how much they were paid...
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1117399901745833
Comment: The images only show quite a few people from these “marches”. See also at:
26.3.2016 – DT News (A P)
Massive march in Yemen thanking King Salman
Thousands of Yemeni nationals participated in a massive march here on Friday marking the first anniversary of the Kingdom-led operation Decisive Storm to restore legitimacy in Yemen against the Houthi rebels and the militias affiliated to deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Participants in the march carried huge pictures of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and several leaders of the Arab coalition states.
Meanwhile, Yemeni activists also launched a campaign entitled “#Thanks_Salman” from the Yemeni province of Taiz. The activities are continuing in different cities of Yemen in gratitude and appreciation for the sincere stances and the great role being played by the Kingdom under the leadership of King Salman by standing beside legitimacy in Yemen and confronting the operations of the Houthis and Saleh militias.
http://www.newsofbahrain.com/viewNews.php?ppId=17396&TYPE=Posts&pid=22&MNU=&SUB= and see also http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/search/Fears-and-tears-grip-Yemenis-amid-air-strikes-and-conflicts_55846
Comment: This seems to be a replica at the mass marches in Sanaa in favour of the Houthi / Saleh coalition. The first, by Saleh’s party, the second, by the Houthis. The photos are quite impressive: http://newsofyemen.net/2016/03/26-pictures-of-sanaa-rallies-denouncing-one-year-of-saudi-uae-led-coalition-war-on-yemen/ and https://www.facebook.com/yemen.crisis/posts/584517951714445 and https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1528064494156206 . See photos together here: http://www.moonofalabama.org/2016/03/the-wahhabis-war-on-yemen-one-year-on.html
26.3.2016 – The National UAE (A P)
After a year in Yemen, our resolve is firm
The start one year ago of Operation Decisive Storm comes as a reminder of the importance of the war in Yemen. The UAE joined the Saudi-led coalition campaign driven by its commitment and dedication to maintaining security and establishing peace in the region.
The coalition responded to the call by Yemen’s president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi to restore his internationally recognised government to power. Houthi rebels had captured the capital of Sanaa, with the support of Iran and loyalists to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and were advancing towards the southern city of Aden. On the way, they had killed civilians and destroyed neighbourhoods, leading to a vast humanitarian crisis. The Houthis’ disregard for Yemen’s security created fertile ground for extremism to thrive, leading to the latest attacks by ISIL that killed 20 people in Aden on Friday.
The precarious situation last year required swift intervention to guard against a wider conflict in the region. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Cooperation Council allies, including the UAE, realised that the security of Yemen was critical for the Arabian Peninsula at large and that a military operation would be required. Iran, which has a history of meddling in regional affairs, has been backing the Shiite Houthi group to fulfil its own nefarious agenda of expanding its footprint in the Middle East. Quite simply, unless we had taken firm action, our security would have been at risk. This has come at a great cost, including the lives of more than 80 UAE martyrs.
The UAE has also contributed greatly to humanitarian efforts in Yemen, especially as Operation Retoring Hope got under way. More than Dh1.6 billion has been spent on infrastructure and aid programmes to provide our brothers and sisters there with electricity, food, health services, water, sanitation, fuel and transport. We will continue to help the civilian population. Of course, the ultimate goal is a political solution that restores the legitimate government.
Joining a military campaign is never an easy decision to make, but in this case it was a necessary one. As the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, said on Friday, the UAE is more powerful today with the sacrifice of its martyrs, and history will remember the important role Operation Decisive Storm has played in drawing “a line between acceptance and submission, and determination and will".
http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/editorial/after-a-year-in-yemen-our-resolve-is-firm
25.3.2016 – Washington Institute (A P)
Gulf Coalition Operations in Yemen (Part 2): The Air War
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
The global perception of the coalition air effort is highly negative.
Yet looking at the UN's numbers from January -- 2,682 civilians reportedly killed by coalition airstrikes after around 275 days of operations -- the average daily death toll (9.75) was not greatly higher than that of the 78-day NATO air operation in Kosovo in 1999 (6.7 civilian deaths per day), and significantly lower than for Operation Desert Storm in 1991 (85 civilian deaths per day). In other words, air operations over Yemen resemble a 1990s NATO air campaign. In preprogrammed strikes, care has been taken to vet targets, select weapons, and time attacks in a manner that limits civilian casualties. Yet not all casualties can be averted, partly because the Houthis sometimes place military units in civilian locations, but also because mistakes happen in war, particularly during a campaign involving coercive targeting. The Gulf coalition seems to be relearning the lessons that NATO forces learned in their numerous air operations, in terms of both avoiding collateral damage and transparently explaining such instances to the international public.
The increasing proportion of dynamic targeting was also a factor in the wave of civilian casualties caused by strikes on hospitals, bridges, and markets. Again, Houthi and Saleh loyalist forces have used civilian locations as gathering places and ammunition storage facilities, so it is certainly possible that they have exploited or even engineered collateral damage incidents to cast negative attention on the coalition. The air forces involved in the campaign lack practical experience at limiting such incidents during dynamic strikes -- a skill that is new even to the most advanced Western air forces. For instance, air controllers often lack the high-acuity sensors needed to vet targets in real time, while pilots in a close air support stack are not necessarily carrying the optimal weapons for hitting the kind of target they are ordered to attack on the fly, resulting in delivery of oversized munitions. Strike aircraft may also lack specialized pods that can superimpose collateral damage rings around targets to show whether civilians are in the impact zone.
Although these factors do not excuse many of the egregious collateral damage incidents caused by the coalition air campaign, they do explain many others. Reports of reduced combat-sortie and weapon-release rates plus diminishing numbers of collateral damage incidents indicate that the coalition is gradually adapting its air operations to meet global expectations.
ASSESSING THE CAMPAIGN
The air campaign's key failing so far has been in the field of collateral damage mitigation and strategic communications. The international public has become accustomed to receiving detailed briefings on air operations, and the media space surrounding any given air campaign is now recognized as vital strategic terrain. The Gulf coalition ceded this space to the Houthis and Saleh loyalists from the beginning. If the Houthis are in fact fabricating collateral damage stories, the coalition should task its surveillance assets with providing proof. Likewise, if the coalition has imagery of massive secondary explosions that suggest Houthi ammunition storage at schools and hospitals, it should publicize such material. At present, the coalition will be presumed guilty until evidence is produced to the contrary, and until greater transparency is incorporated in future air operations – by Michael Knights
Comment: This article series gives a lot of interesting insight into the Saudi coalition operations by land, air and sea. Anyway, the goal seems to be evident: helping to white-wash the Saudi collation of the objections of war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law, in the geostrategic interest of the US Neocon elites themselves. – Is there anyone who wants to write a comment on the above propaganda? This can be published here, I lack the time. As he repeats the same propaganda stuff as the Saudi ambassador in his statement in Wallstreet Journal (below), Daniel Larisons comment (below) what be a good read after this article here.
Just this point: Knight writes: “Yet looking at the UN's numbers from January -- 2,682 civilians reportedly killed by coalition airstrikes after around 275 days of operations -- the average daily death toll (9.75) was not greatly higher than that of the 78-day NATO air operation in Kosovo in 1999 (6.7 civilian deaths per day), and significantly lower than for Operation Desert Storm in 1991 (85 civilian deaths per day). In other words, air operations over Yemen resemble a 1990s NATO air campaign.” Well, this UN figure certainly is much to low, as I argued several times here. Many victims are never counted. Mostly only those bodies brought to a hospital and counted there get part of the official figures. Many people are killed in remote villages and never brought to any “body count” to a hospital. What even makes this more relevant is the fact that in Islamic culture the dead have to be buried at once or at least as quick as possible: not the best circumstances for a body count especially in rural places. The dead are already under the earth when any official body count starts.
Further on, medical help for those who are injured is bad. Those who die somewhat later after the attack, whether in hospital or at home, never will be counted. And then just it is quite stupid to compare the Kosovo campaign of 1999 and the Yemen campaign of today. Look how deliberately the whole infrastructure has been destroyed in Yemen and how Kosovo looked looked after the NATO campaign.
25.3.2016 – The Wallstreet Journal (A P)
One Year Later: Why We Saudis Went to War in Yemen
My nation cherishes peace and stability. The anarchy backed by Iran on our doorstep was intolerable.
Saudi Arabia is not a country that has a tendency to leap into military ventures. It cherishes peace and stability above all, and our nation has no expansionist ambitions. The Saudi government has been the largest supporter of successive Yemeni governments, providing crucial economic and security assistance in their counterterrorism effort. So what drove Saudi Arabia to war?
[…]
Saudi Arabia shares a border with Yemen that stretches for almost 1,000 miles. The events in Yemen had become a direct threat to Saudi Arabia’s national security. Our neighbor was almost completely controlled by a militia influenced and supported by Iran, an internationally recognized state sponsor of terrorism. This armed militia on the border was in control of ballistic missiles and an air force.
Houthi propaganda also raised sectarian tensions in the country and the region. This made it easier for al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen to recruit and expand, finding its strength in the security vacuum created by the Houthi takeover of state institutions. This is the same branch of al Qaeda that bombed the USS Cole in the Gulf of Aden in October 2000, and carried out the murders of several Saudi and Western nationals.
No country would accept a similar situation on its border. It is not only destabilizing for Saudi Arabia, but for the global community, and many countries, including the U.S., graciously and bravely joined or supported the kingdom in answering the Yemeni government’s calls for intervention. […]
In this brew of anarchy and turmoil, Saudi Arabia’s goal is to restore order and implement Resolution 2216, to make it possible for Yemen’s legitimate government to return to San’a. We must begin a robust reconstruction program and preserve the integrity of both borders and national security. Saudi Arabia has been working with its allies to take all precautions to protect civilians, medical staff, humanitarian organizations and journalists in Yemen. As part of these efforts, the kingdom established a high-level independent committee to assess the coalition’s operations and rules of engagement.
[…]
From the beginning, our country’s goal in this conflict has been to restore the legitimate order that will bring economic and social growth. I am optimistic that the continuing negotiations will result in a breakthrough, and I hope that any positive outcomes are honored by the Houthis and their allies.
The international community must also do its part in confronting the Houthis and those who support them, to make it clear that the world will not stand idly by while a militia attempts to take over a country by force. Yemen is a tragedy in which an outside force is at work to expand its influence by exploiting localized factions. Unless this aggression is ended, the prospect of graver consequences will continue to threaten regional stability – by Prince Abdullah, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/one-year-later-why-we-saudis-went-to-war-in-yemen-1458943065
Comment: Nice propaganda, just telling the opposite of reality: “My nation cherishes peace and stability.” – “Saudi Arabia is not a country that has a tendency to leap into military ventures.” Well, in Yemen and now might-be in Syria, they do exactly that. – “Houthi propaganda also raised sectarian tensions in the country and the region” Wahabi propaganda did exactly that many decades before any Houthi movement even existed. “No country would accept a similar situation on its border”: I never heard of Russia bombing Ukraine or Georgia the way Saudi Arabia did in Yemen, or the US against Cuba. – “many countries, including the U.S., graciously and bravely joined or supported the kingdom”, that certainly is not to be doubted at. – “Saudi Arabia’s goal is to restore order and implement Resolution 2216” by their interference, the Saudis enlarged any disorder in Yemen. Resolution 2216 just is a Saudi-enforcement-resolution, off course they want to implement it. – “Yemen’s legitimate government”: That is your only argument for intervention. This government’s legitimacy has run out Feb. 25, 2015, that is exactly one month BEFORE the Saudi intervention. – “Saudi Arabia has been working with its allies to take all precautions to protect civilians, medical staff, humanitarian organizations and journalists in Yemen”. That really only can be laughed at. – “As part of these efforts, the kingdom established a high-level independent committee to assess the coalition’s operations and rules of engagement”: For that, just the same. – “our country’s goal in this conflict has been to restore the legitimate order that will bring economic and social growth”. Legitimate order, see above. Economic and social growth: the Saudi aerial war has been the best way to smash all that. – “Yemen is a tragedy in which an outside force is at work to expand its influence by exploiting localized factions”. That points at Iran but is really ridiculous as this sentence 100 % just matches exactly with Saudi Arabia as with no other country, Iran, US and Gulf emirates included.
A reply to this interview also is:
26.3.2016 – The American Conservative (** A K P)
One Year On, the Appalling War on Yemen Continues
To mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the Saudi-led war on Yemen, The Wall Street Journal obligingly gave the Saudi ambassador a platform to repeat his government’s propaganda.
The ambassador repeats all the usual falsehoods and half-truths that the Saudis and their allies have been telling for the last year. The intervention in Yemen was never likely to “restore stability,” and of course has done just the opposite by escalating and internationalizing an internal Yemeni conflict. Iran’s role in the conflict has always been negligible, and it advised the Houthis against taking the capital. Since the Houthis don’t answer to Tehran, they ignored this advice. Framing the Saudi-led war as a fight against expanding Iranian influence has been a deliberate distortion on the part of the Saudis and their allies, and the distortion has been successful in getting many Western governments to perceive the Saudi-led bombing and invasion of the country as a justifiable response rather than the aggressive and unnecessary action that it was.
The Saudi ambassador also mentions the growing power of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), but he misrepresents the cause of their ability to recruit and expand. While the Saudis and their allies have focused on fighting the Houthis, they have ignored AQAP and allowed it to take over more territory in the south of the country. The campaign to “restore stability” directly led to the empowerment of jihadist groups, and there have been reports that AQAP has sometimes coordinated with the forces supported by the Saudis’ coalition on the ground. As for raising sectarian tensions, the Saudis and their allies have also been stoking anti-Shia sentiment at least since the war began.
Naturally, the ambassador has nothing to say about the civilian casualties caused by the coalition bombing campaign. The U.N. has said on several occasions the campaign is responsible for most of the civilian casualties in the war.
The pattern of coalition attacks on civilian targets has caused some human rights organizations to argue that the Saudi-led coalition may even be guilty of crimes against humanity. So it is a flat-out lie when the ambassador says this:
Saudi Arabia has been working with its allies to take all precautions to protect civilians, medical staff, humanitarian organizations and journalists in Yemen.
None of this is true. Among other things, the Saudis and their allies have repeatedly bombed civilian targets in places where no legitimate military targets existed. Theyillegally declared all of Saada province a military target, and since then have indiscriminately bombed there with devastating effects on the civilian population.
It would be far more accurate to say that the Saudis and their allies take almost no precautions to protect any of the groups listed above, and the horrible results of that recklessness are impossible to miss.
The ambassador also neglects to mention the grave humanitarian crisis caused in large part by the blockade enforced by the Saudi-led coalition. The consequences of that blockade are severe and getting worse the longer that the war drags on.
The coalition’s role in starving the civilian population of basic necessities with their blockade is one of the least-covered, least-noticed aspects of the war, but it is the one that is doing the greatest damage to the people of Yemen.
Given the strong evidence of war crimes committed by the Saudis and their allies in Yemen, I’m not surprised the Saudi ambassador doesn’t want to own up to what the coalition has done. But it is disgusting that he has been given a prominent platform in the U.S. media to promote his government’s propaganda. U.S. media outlets usually just ignore the war, and that’s bad enough. It is even worse to pay attention to the war only to give the Saudi government an opportunity to repeat its lies.
Even more inexcusable than giving the Saudi government a platform for its propaganda is the Obama administration’s disgraceful decision a year ago to provide fuel, arms, and intelligence to aid the Saudis and their allies in their unnecessary and indefensible war. Despite ample evidence of coalition war crimes, the U.S., Britain, and a few other Western governments have continued to arm and supply the coalition’s effort. There have been many opportunities since then to halt U.S. support for the war, but it hasn’t happened. Instead, U.S. officials have praised the governments involved and boasted that the U.S. stands with them. U.S. support for the Saudi-led war on Yemen continues to be a disgrace for our country and especially for the president that approved it – by Daniel Larison
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/one-year-on-the-appalling-war-on-yemen-continues/
25.3.2016 – Alekhbariya (A H P)
King Salman Relief Center distributes 4000 food baskets in Yemen
The King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid distributed 4000 food basket in the Taiz Governorate of Yemen through the humanitarian relief coalition and its partners.
This initiative is part of a larger project that aims to distribute a hundred thousand food baskets to the affected people in Taiz.
The project is one of the most important projects offered by King Salman Center for Relief and humanitarian aid to the people of Yemen.
http://alekhbariya.net/en/node/10037
Comment: Looking at the Saudi air raids killing and destroying the country, and the Saudi naval blockade this must be labeled as propaganda only.
25.3.2016 – Aljazeera (A P)
Film: What does Saudi Arabia want for Yemen and Syria?
We ask Abdallah al-Mouallimi, Saudi ambassador to the UN, and debate the effectiveness of drone strikes on al-Shabaab.
In this week's wide-ranging Headliner interview, Mehdi Hasan speaks to Abdallah al-Mouallimi, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the UN, about the country's involvement in Yemen and Syria, ISIL and the Kingdom's human rights record.
Mouallimi says beheadings in the country are "not barbaric" because "there are no beheadings without a full process of law behind them".
The ambassador also argues that just because the Kingdom supports an elected government in Syria, "doesn't mean there have to be elections somewhere else", including in Saudi Arabia.
"Elections are not a panacea for everything", Mouallimi adds. "I would like to claim that if you went to Saudi Arabia, and if you conducted a survey in Saudi Arabia, in any way, official, formal, otherwise, you will find a high degree of support for the system of government in Saudi Arabia".
Editor's note: This interview was conducted before the latest announcement of the ceasefire agreement in Yemen.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/upfront/2016/03/saudi-arabia-yemen-syria-160325095734939.html and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z8ME2O5XdY
see the following:
25.3.2016 – Huffington Post (* A P)
Watch A Saudi Ambassador Squirm Through A Brutal Interview
When Al Jazeera presenter Mehdi Hasan asked the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United Nations why he supports democratic elections in Syria but not in the country he represents, the response that followed was cringeworthy.
“Well, just because there are elections in Syria doesn’t mean there have to be elections somewhere else,” Abdallah al-Mouallimi told Hasan during a Friday segment of Al Jazeera’s “UpFront.”
The ambassador insisted that if you asked Saudi people about the current structure of their government, they’d voice their support.
“Isn’t that partly because if they do say they don’t want this government, they want another government, they’ll go to jail?” Hasan asked, noting that it’s a crime in Saudi Arabia to call for a change in the system of government.
“No,” al-Mouallimi replied. “I’m saying that if there was a way by which you can ask the common people in the street anonymously, privately, any way —”
“There is,” Hasan interjected. “It’s called voting.” – by Jesselyn Cook (with images of comments in tweets)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saudi-un-ambassador-interview_us_56f558a8e4b0143a9b4802af?
Comment: Thank you, Hasan. Just great.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
25.3.2016 – Pars Today (A K PH)
Zwölf Tote bei Angriffen von Agressoren im Jemen
Saudische Kampfflugzeuge bombardierten Wohngebiete in der Nähe des Habaschi-Berges in Taez im Süden Jemens, dabei kamen mindestens elf Menschen ums Leben.
In Bani Sarim, im Norden Jemens, wurde ein weiteres Wohnhaus bombardiert, da starb eine Frau, zwei Kinder wurden verletzt.
http://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i3946-zwölf_tote_bei_angriffen_von_agressoren_im_jemen
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
26.3.2016 – Press TV Iran (A K PH)
Rocket kills two mercenaries fighting for Saudi Arabia in Ta’izz
Two Israeli and French mercenaries with a US security firm have been killed in a rocket attack in Yemen’s southwestern province of Ta’izz, a report on the al-Masirah TV's news website says.
Yemeni troops targeted a site where mercenaries employed by US military firm DynCorp International and fighting on behalf of Saudi Arabia had gathered in the al-Waze’aya district, killing the two, it said.
The rocket attack came a week after four other mercenaries with the same company were killed along with their Israeli commander in a Yemeni rocket attack in Thobab area in Ta’izz Province.
http://presstv.ir/Detail/2016/03/26/457625/Yemen-DynCorp-mercenaries-Saudi-Arabia
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/krieg-im-jemen-neue-artikel-zum-nachlesen-119
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-119: / Yemen Press Reader 1-119:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
Was ist Ihre Meinung?
Kommentare einblendenDiskutieren Sie mit.