Saudi Arabia and terrorism - Whay the West is caught in Saudi embrace - Canada's great Saudi arms deal - Peace talks falter, truce is breached - and more
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 und Friedensgespräche/ UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp13 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp14a Offensive gegen / against Al Qaida
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
PH = Pro-Houthi
PS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
22.4.2016 – Reason (** B P T)
Want to Fight the Terrorist Enemy? Start With Allies Like Saudi Arabia
Squashing terrorism without confronting its Sunni state incubators is like fighting a fire without plugging the gas leak.
The Saudi state was born from a synthesis between the ruling House of Saud and fearsome Wahhabi warriors. The resulting government was predicated on Wahhabism, a puritanical form of Islam with a Spartan interpretation of Sharia that became codified in Saudi law. After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Saudis brandished Wahhabism as a weapon to counter Iran's newly mobilized Shiite fundamentalism. Better to export their extremism to other countries than lose control of it at home.
The Saudis claim they're fighting terrorism, and to an extent they are, executing al Qaeda militants within their borders and sharing intelligence with the United States. But at best, that's like Dr. Frankenstein in bleak pursuit of his monster after it's already gone on a rampage. For decades, Saudi donors fomented Sunni extremism.
For America, the problem finally exploded on September 11, 2001.
It seemed like the perfect time to confront Saudi Arabia and work to stem one of the world's worst terrorism generators.
Instead, we overthrew Saddam Hussein, who had only the most tenuous connection to al Qaeda, and ripped open a vacuum that would ultimately give birth to the Islamic State. Many of the Sunni extremists who poured across Iraq's borders were, of course, from Saudi Arabia, as well as other Arab powers like Jordan. Of the top five countriescurrently providing ISIS with recruits, three—Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Turkey—are American allies.
Even in Yemen, where the Saudis claim to be fighting terrorism by leading an alliance of mostly Sunni countries against the Houthi rebels, there's something bigger afoot. Why did the Houthis rebel in the first place? In part, because Wahhabis from Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen during its 1994 civil war to aid the government, and since then have been blamed for discriminating against the Houthis' native north. The Saudis, once again, are confronting a problem that's partially of their own making.
Saudi Arabia was once a redoubtable opponent of the Soviet Union, and many foreign gurus are still reluctant to break out of that Cold War framework.
The world's lone superpower shouldn't placate countries that helped nurture our present enemies simply because they opposed our past enemies. Today, jihadists get more money from Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors than anywhere else. That's a problem that can't go unanswered.
Squashing terrorism without confronting its Sunni state incubators is like fighting a fire without plugging the gas leak. That doesn't mean making the Saudis our enemies or launching another ill-considered military intervention, but it does mean pressuring them until they crack down on the jihad donors, rein in the Wahhabis, and reform school curricula that promote hateful nonsense about Jews and Christians.
Want to defeat our terrorist enemies? Let's start with our allies – by Matt Purple
http://reason.com/archives/2016/04/22/want-to-fight-the-terrorist-enemy-start
23.1.2016 – The Globe and the Mail (** B P)
Why the West is caught in the Saudi embrace
It is an old, very dirty trade-off: We give the House of Saud weapons and political legitimacy; in exchange, they give us petroleum, military support and some measure of pro-Western authoritarian stability in parts of the region.
That bargain no longer seems to make much sense. Saudi oil is no longer needed in North America.
The answer, when officials finally open up, goes something like this: There are two ways of looking at Saudi Arabia, one from outside the dark world of diplomacy and one from inside.
From outside, there seems to be nothing but trouble and shame in our Saudi relationship. Oil is no longer crucial, and Iran is now a viable player – one that is getting attacked by the Saudis, who just executed a Shia cleric essentially as revenge against Tehran’s new co-operativeness. The Americans no longer need Riyadh’s support in wars against Iraq, for which Saudi Arabia has been a military base since 1990 (a fact that was al-Qaeda’s initial and main grievance against the West).
The Saudis work against positive change.
From inside the circle, this is how it looks. First, Riyadh continues to provide useful intelligence and counter-extremism support in Afghanistan and, to some extent, in Syria. The Saudis avoided spoiling or denouncing the arms deal with Iran, begrudgingly, in exchange for U.S. intelligence and targeting support in their ugly war in Yemen – a deal that continues.
Riyadh’s preference for stable tyrants over unstable democracies now has a certain following in Western circles. And the largest single consumer of Saudi petroleum is now China, leading some to fear that a breakup with the kingdom could lead to an alarming Saudi-Chinese power bloc in the Mideast.
These factors, for the moment, are enough to keep Washington and its allies, including Ottawa, in their awkward embrace of the Saudi kingdom. But you may notice that the view from outside looks a lot more persuasive, and increasingly plausible, than the inside perspective.
At some point, the bubble of hypocrisy has to pop, and our deals and handshakes will become a past embarrassment to avoid mentioning – by Doug Saunders
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/why-the-west-is-caught-in-the-saudi-embrace/article28350774/
29.4.2016 – The Globe and the Mail (** A K P)
The Saudi arms deal: What we’ve learned so far, and what could happen next
In 2014, the Harper government struck a $15-billion deal to sell military vehicles to Saudi Arabia. Critics are worried the Saudis would use them to crush dissent at home – which could put Canada in violation of its arms-trading rules. The Trudeau government has begun approving export permits for the vehicles anyway. Here’s what we know about the deal so far.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What the deal says
What does Canada get from this deal?
What do the Saudis get from this deal?
What could the Saudis use the vehicles for?
Do the Saudis have the vehicles yet?
Who we’re dealing with
What is Saudi Arabia’s military role in the Middle East?
What is Saudi Arabia’s human-rights record like?
What are Canada’s other allies doing with the Saudis?
What Ottawa’s doing
How close is Canada to Saudi Arabia?
Whose idea was the arms deal anyway?
Where do the Liberals stand on the arms deal?
What does the opposition think?
Do Canadians care one way or the other?
cp2 Allgemein / General
29.4.2016 – Shakesville (* B K P)
Yemen: The Forgotten War
There's no easy solution to Yemen. Even if one side, North or South, wins a decisive military victory, that side's component factions will probably fall to fighting each other. While peace talks and a tenuous ceasefire are ongoing, neither side is coming to the negotiating table in good faith, because neither side perceives themselves as losing. And the proxy war between the Saudis and the Iranians is not likely to drop off anytime soon.
But the West needs to be held accountable for its quiet collaboration in this war. And even more importantly, the West needs to be held accountable for its silence and apathy.
If we close our eyes and let ourselves forget this war, the human cost will be even more staggering – by Shaker Transcendental Moose
http://www.shakesville.com/2016/04/yemen-forgotten-war.html
Comment: Overview article. One critics is necessary: As so often, the author stresses the Yemen war as a “proxy war” between Iran and Saudi Arabia. This does not fit to the facts. Iran is a – above all verbal – supporter of one side in this war. It’s a war of a part of Yemen against the other – thus a classical civil war – but by Saudi interference a war between Saudi Arabia and it’s allies against a part of Yemen, thus an external war.
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
29.4.2016 – Yemen Today TV (A H)
Film: An epidemic of dengue fever in Hodeidah and doubling the civilian suffering caused by the siege of aggression
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZcB0Kf7h_4
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
1.5.2016– Jerusalem Post (A P)
Former Houthi leader to arrive in Israel to help Yemen-born Israelis visit their homeland
ite Houthi militia, affiliated with Iran, announced he would soon visit Israel, in order to discuss with Yemen-born Israelis the ways to solve the problem of their inability to visit their homeland.
The former Houthi leader, Ali Bakhiti, announced his plan to visit Israel in a post he wrote on his Facebook page.
"I will visit our Yemenite Jewish brothers in Palestine with a group of Yemenite jurists in order to discuss the problem manifested in their inability to visit Yemen, the homeland of their parents and grandparents," Bakhiti said.
Forced to leave Yemen after he called on the Houthi militia to hold negotiations with the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islah Party to end the conflict in Yemen, Bakhiti currently resides in Lebanon.
1.5.2016 – RT (* A P)
Yemen: Saleh decries Saudi aggression in exclusive RT interview (Fikm and transcription)
Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh slammed Saudi Arabia's aggression against Yemen, amid their bombing campaign in the country, during an exclusive interview with RT's Salam Musafir in Sanaa, Thursday.
SOT, Ali Abdullah Saleh, former Yemeni President (Arabic): "At the moment the dialogue is based upon the necessity of a universal and complete ceasefire on the ground, at sea and in the airspace. But we are talking about our conflict with the Saudi regime, and not about the conflict with other countries. We do not have any contradictions or conflict with other countries, we have disagreements and conflict with Saudi Arabia. It attacked us, rather than we. They [Saudi] kill our women, old people and children. Why? We never had any religious disputes. Why have they emerged now? We have our own religious beliefs – you have your own. Why do you kill the Yemeni people, who are your neighbours and brothers?"
SOT, Ali Abdullah Saleh, former Yemeni President (Arabic): "Ansar Allah [Houthis] have the legitimate power, which they took by force from Hadi, after Hadi ran away. Now they represent the legitimate power in Sanaa. Hadi ran away. He has no legitimate power. His legitimacy is announced in accordance with the resolution 2216. The draft resolution was prepared by Saudi Arabia, which passed it to the United Kingdom. And the UK, in its turn, brought the draft resolution in the UN Security Council, where it was adopted despite the fact that the Russian Federation abstained the vote."
SOT, Ali Abdullah Saleh, former Yemeni President (Arabic): "Al-Qaeda sells and gets income, money. This happens in full view of the Saudi regime. They tell the world, which does not want to understand anything: we are against Al-Qaeda. What Al-Qaeda, what Daesh? [IS] They are Daesh [IS]. They are Al-Qaeda. This regime is known to everyone. It buys the conscience of people, making deals buying and selling weapons, political deals, paying money to the people of influence in different countries of the world."
SOT, Ali Abdullah Saleh, former Yemeni President (Arabic): "We insistently push towards such concessions, which do not involve the sovereignty of Yemen and the dignity of the Yemeni people. A political dialogue, a new transition period, the formation of a new government with the involvement of all political parties. Or the return of the government which was headed by Khaled Bahah, which was recognised and had the confidence of the house of delegates. This government would return for a 30-60 days term, would prepare the presidential elections and parliamentary elections. We have no objections. [This is possible] under the command of the Bahah government because it has legitimacy. And Hadi lost legitimacy."
SOT, Ali Abdullah Saleh, former Yemeni President (Arabic): "It is said that Ali Abdullah Saleh has $60 billion in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. If it is so, then let them pass it to the current Yemeni government, the government of Hadi. Let them take all of it."
SOT, Ali Abdullah Saleh, former Yemeni President (Arabic): "The damage amounts to billions [of dollars]. I have the statistics on the killed, injured and about the damage incidence. More than eight thousand people were killed. There are many children, women and old people among them. We speak about the casualties among civilians. Besides, 27,000 people were injured. All these people are victims of Saudi regime. Sure thing, we refer to the troops of the [Arab] coalition, but we don’t put responsibility on them. We put the full responsibility [for the victims among civilians] on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is killing us and destroys Yemen, not leaving one stone upon another."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj4pzQYD8-g
30.4.2016 – RT (A P)
Yemeni ex-leader Saleh to RT: No difference between Saudi regime and ISIS, Al-Qaeda
In the aftermath of thousands of Yemeni civilians’ deaths at the hands of the Saudi-led coalition, Yemen’s ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh told RT that there is no difference between the "Saudi regime" and terror groups like Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.
"A plot has been made against the Yemeni people. An unreasonable aggression against us has been prepared. Strikes at military, economic, cultural and social targets have been conducted, the whole infrastructure [has been targeted]. A total destruction of everything is taking place... I'm talking about Saudi aggression," Ali Abdullah Saleh told RT Arabic in an exclusive interview this week.
The former Yemeni president, who headed the Middle Eastern country for decades until February 2012, said that his nation has no conflict with any country in the world, but Saudi Arabia.
"They attacked us, we didn't attack them. They are killing our women, our elderly and children. Why? We've never had any religious disputes. Why have they appeared now? We have our religious views, you have yours. Why are you [Saudis] killing the Yemeni people, who are your neighbors and brothers?" Saleh said.
Saleh believes that the major terror groups are all derived from the Muslim Brotherhood organization, which itself, according to him, "is an invention of the Saudis."
"Al-Qaeda, ISIL [Islamic State, IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] and Al-Nusra are all derivatives of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was invented and raised in Saudi Arabia. These organizations also operate in Russia and in Europe. All of them are Saudi Arabia's invention. Later Qatar and Turkey have also started using them, and finance them to achieve their own goals. There were none of them in Yemen for a long while, and everything that then appeared came from Saudi Arabia under different names, [such as] Salafis, Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda."
The politician added that both Russia and Europe have the wrong idea about the essence of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. Being the "creation" of Saudi Arabia, "they have no concrete political program, their program is money," Saleh said.
https://www.rt.com/news/341499-yemen-saudi-saleh-interview/
28.4.2016 – Crimes of Decisive Storm (A P)
Photos of the first popular hearings criminals aggression on Yemen, and set up by the absent Justice Court Thursday morning 28-4-2016m in the House of Culture in the capital
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1539483109681011
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
1.5.2016 – AFP (A T)
Four Yemen troops dead as Aden police chief survives bombing
Four Yemeni guards were killed in a bombing that targeted the convoy of Aden's police chief, officials said, the second such attack on him in the southern city this week.
A bomb-laden car in Aden's Mansura district exploded as General Shallal Shayae's convoy passed, damaging military vehicles and prompting clashes between his guards and Al-Qaeda suspects in the area, the officials added.
Shayae himself escaped unharmed, according to his aides, but medical sources said that four of his guards were killed and eight others were wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but Shayae has survived attacks by jihadists more than once, the last of which was just days ago.
http://www.france24.com/en/20160501-four-yemen-troops-dead-aden-police-chief-survives-bombing and by Reuters http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-blast-idUKKCN0XS14S and film by RT: http://newsvideo.su/video/4098893
Comment: From liberated Aden. Another success for Saudi Arabia and UAE.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1017657168287313&id=961126490607048 and images https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/726759140614410241 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/726727427058204673: Death toll raised To 14 by Yemen Qaeda/ISIS suicide bombing against top officials of Aden south where daily killing (this figure not confirmed by other sources)
30.4.2016 – Yemen Post News (A P)
DIVIDED Nation: Anti Houthi protests in #Yemen call for implementation UN Resolution 2216 & oust Houthis from power.
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/726433742684827648
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
1.5.2016 – Reuters (A K P)
Angriff von Huthi-Rebellen gefährdet Friedensprozess im Jemen
Mitten in den Friedensverhandlungen für den Jemen haben Huthi-Rebellen am Sonntag einen Überraschungsangriff auf einen Militärstützpunkt nördlich der Hauptstadt Sanaa gestartet.
Mehrere Soldaten seien bei der Verteidigung der Basis Umalika getötet worden, teilten örtliche Behörden mit. Die Huthi hätten den Stützpunkt eingenommen und ein Waffenarsenal erbeutet. Der jemenitische Außenminister Abdel-Malek al-Mechlafi erklärte, der Angriff torpediere die Friedensgespräche in Kuwait.
Das jemenitische Militär ist gespalten: Ein Teil ist loyal zur Regierung von Präsident Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi, ein Teil hat sich mit den Aufständischen verbündet. Im Gegensatz dazu war der nun angegriffene Militärstützpunkt neutral geblieben, was die Huthi nach Angaben der jemenitischen Behörden bisher toleriert hatten. Den Rebellen zufolge hat das von Saudi-Arabien geführte Militärbündnis die Waffenruhe bereits Hunderte Male gebrochen, womit die Spannungen zuletzt wieder zugenommen hätten.
http://de.reuters.com/article/jemen-huthis-angriff-idDEKCN0XS11M
1.5.2016 – Reuters (A P)
Yemen officials say peace talks suspended after Houthis seize base
The Yemeni government suspended direct peace talks to end the country's civil war on Sunday after the Houthi movement and its armed allies seized a military base north of the capital Sanaa, two members of the official delegation to the talks said.
The Houthi assault killed several of the soldiers defending the Umaliqa base. Unlike most of Yemen's soldiers, those at Umaliqa had refused to take sides in the war between the Iran-allied Houthis and the Saudi-backed government.
The Houthis had tolerated this neutrality until they launched a surprise push into the facility in Amran province and seized its large cache of weapons at dawn, local officials said.
"We have suspended the sessions indefinitely to protest these military actions and continued violations of the truce," one member of the government delegation to the Yemen peace talks in Kuwait told Reuters.
Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi, Yemen's foreign minister and the government's top delegate to the negotiations in Kuwait, said in the immediate aftermath of the Houthi assault that it had "torpedoed" the talks.
"We will take the appropriate position in response to the Houthi crime at the Umaliqa base in Amran for the sake of our people and country," he wrote on his official Twitter account, without elaborating – by Mohammed Ghobari
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0XS0WT = https://www.yahoo.com/news/yemens-houthis-seize-military-endangering-peace-talks-082451846.html and by Middle East Eye: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-govt-suspends-direct-talks-houthi-rebels-561638551
30.4.2016 – UN News centre (A K P)
Yemen talks 'moving forward towards peace', UN envoy reports
The United Nations envoy for Yemen reported today that the latest session of peace negotiations among Yemeni parties in Kuwait “went on in a positive and constructive atmosphere and reflected a mutual desire to move forward in the talks”.
Last night, both the Government of Yemen's delegation and the delegation of Ansarullah and the General People's Congress submitted a comprehensive paper that included a proposal on the political and security tracks including withdrawals, handover of heavy weapons to the State, and the issue of prisoners and detainees.
“Both papers included full commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015), other relevant Security Council resolutions, the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] initiative and the outcomes of the Comprehensive National Dialogue. This is an encouraging start that will set the ground for a negotiated solution,” said the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
He indicated that the UN is currently working with the parties to develop a general strategic framework that includes “many elements of the proposals from the two delegations and builds upon the common denominators and provides a comprehensive and holistic mechanism for addressing the key issues.”
The UN envoy noted that the Government of Yemen submitted a letter to the UN delegation regarding the violations to the cessation of hostilities—which began on 10 April—and the increase in civilian casualties. The beginning of discussions reportedly highlighted the need to support the mechanisms of enforcing the cessation of hostilities.
“Peace in Yemen will only happen through a political solution. The talks in Kuwait should provide the general framework for this solution,” Mr. Cheikh Ahmed reiterated.
“We have positive signs of a political understanding but we haven't overcome all obstacles yet. A war that lasted for over a year can't be resolved in one day. Any rushed solution will be fragile and short-lived,” he stressed, adding a comprehensive solution must be found, one that covers all security, political, humanitarian and economic aspects.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=53828#.VyXShTCLSUk
30.4.2016 – AFP (A K P)
Yemen foes hold 'productive' direct talks on key issues: UN
Yemen's warring parties held "productive" face-to-face peace talks on Saturday on "key issues" in a bid to end the conflict in the impoverished Arab country, the UN envoy said.
"Today, we heard the parties pledge total commitment to (UN Security Council) Resolution 2216 and related decisions, the Gulf initiative and results of Yemeni national dialogue as the basis for a peaceful solution," he said.
Saturday's talks came after the government and rebel delegations each submitted a framework for a political and security solution to end the 13-month war.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that despite the progress made "we still have obstacles and ideas are still far a part."
Key issues include the withdrawal of armed groups, a handover of heavy weapons, the resumption of a political transition and the release of prisoners.
The government delegation said their proposal is based on implementing Resolution 2216, which states that the rebels must withdraw from seized territories and disarm before talks can progress.
The rebel delegation representing the Iran-backed Shiite Huthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh said that their proposals include "forming a consensus authority that would oversee (political) transition."
The rebel proposals also call for the lifting of the blockade imposed by the Saudi-led military coalition on Yemen.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/yemen-foes-begin-direct-talks-resolve-key-issues-094952314.html = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-foes-hold-productive-direct-talks-key-issues-un
30.4.2016 – Al Arabiya (* A K P)
UN: Yemen foes share ‘common will’ for peace
Yemen’s warring parties have “come a long way” and share a “common will” to reach a solution, Yemen’s UN envoy Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a Saturday press conference in Kuwait, where peace talks are being held.
Yemen’s warring parties began face-to-face peace talks on Saturday on “key issues” in a bid to end the conflict in the impoverished Arab country, the United Nations said.
Most of the meetings in talks which began April 21 have so far been confined to encounters between rival delegations and Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
Key issues to navigate include the withdrawal of armed groups, a handover of heavy weapons, the resumption of a political transition and the release of prisoners.
The government delegation said their proposal is based on implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which states that the rebels must withdraw from seized territories and disarm before talks can progress.
Meanwhile, the insurgent-controlled sabanews.net website quoted an unnamed source from the rebel delegation as saying that their proposals include “forming a consensus authority that would oversee (political) transition.”
The rebel proposals also include lifting of the blockade imposed by the Saudi-led military coalition on Yemen.
The main sticking point remains that the rebels want to discuss a political settlement before surrendering arms while the government delegation insists that implementing the UN resolution is a priority.
30.4.2016 – Sputnik News (A K P)
Houthi Rebels Advocate Disarmament, Formation of Unity Gov’t in Yemen
Houthi rebels and their allies are in favor of establishment a unity government in crisis-torn Yemen in order to force weapon delivery control, a source told Sputnik.
KUWAIT CITY (Sputnik) — Houthi rebels and their allies are speaking in favor of creating a unity government in crisis-torn Yemen, which will monitor the delivery of weapons to authorities during the transitional period, a source close to the ongoing peace talks in Kuwait told Sputnik on Saturday.
"The power of national unity will have to set up military committees that will monitor the withdrawal of armed groups from the cities and the surrender of heavy weapons," the source explained the proposal of Houthi rebels, Yemen’s main opposition force.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160430/1038884363/yemen-houthis-conflict.html
30.4.2016 – Anadolu (A K P)
In Kuwait, Yemen gov’t demands end to Houthi 'breaches'
Recent Houthi actions in Yemen constitute 'organized attempt to alter military equation on ground', gov't delegation asserts
A delegation representing the Yemeni government at ongoing peace talks in Kuwait demanded on Saturday that the Shia Houthi militant group and its allies refrain from "breaching" a fragile 20-day-old ceasefire, according to Yemen’s official SABA news agency.
The government delegation articulated its demand to UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed after peace talks resumed on Saturday, one day after UN mediators managed to bring representatives of the warring sides to the table.
In a statement, the delegation -- which represents the Saudi-backed government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi -- said recent Houthis actions in Yemen "are not mere [ceasefire] violations but constitute an organized attempt to alter the military equation on the ground".
The delegation went on to cite recent alleged military escalations by the Houthis and their allies in Yemen’s Maarib and Shabwah provinces.
On Wednesday, the government delegation submitted its own recommendations, including appeals for the immediate implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which calls for the Houthis to withdraw from cities occupied earlier and for the militant group to lay down its arms – by Zakaria al-Kamali
http://aa.com.tr/en/politics/in-kuwait-yemen-gov-t-demands-end-to-houthi-breaches/564174
30.4.2016 – Tasnim News Agency (A K P)
Yemen’s Ansarullah Says Will Respond to Ceasefire Breaches
A member of Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement who is involved in UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait to resolve the Yemeni crisis said the movement reserves the right to show appropriate reaction to any violation of ceasefire by Saudi-led military coalition.
In an interview with Yemen's al-Masirah TV, Hamza al-Houthi said serious efforts have been made in negotiations over the past days to ensure that the current ceasefire will hold.
The Yemeni delegation has made it clear to the UN that Ansarullah will reserve the right to adopt the proper stance if clashes intensify and the ceasefire is breached, he underlined.
Ansarullah says while the negotiations are underway in Kuwait, the Saudi-led coalition is continuing its acts of aggression and bombarding Yemen’s various regions, like the southwestern province of Taiz.
Comment: Yemeni delegation here: Houthis and Saleh’s party.
30.4.2016 – Al Manar News (A K P)
Yemen Talks: National Delegation Offers Its Vision of Political Settlement
Yemeni National delegation offered its vision of political and security settlement in the war-torn country, revolutionary movement, Ansarullah said.
Ansarullah spokesman, Mohamamd Abdelsalam, said that the national delegation, which includes Ansarullah and the General People's Congress (GPC), said that the delegation handed over the draft which includes the vision to the United Nations.
Abdelsalam stressed meanwhile that the national delegation is committed to peaceful talks in a bid to halt the Saudi-led aggression and to lift the siege.
For his part, delegation member, Hamza al-Houthi warned against the continuous violations of ceasefire, committed by the Saudi-led coalition.
"The national delegation has the right to take the appropriate decision in case the violations go on," al-Houthi said, according to al-Massirah Yemeni TV.
http://english.almanar.com.lb/adetails.php?eid=267936&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=31&s1=1
30.4.2016 – Pars Today (A K P)
Saudi Arabien lässt 40 jemenitische Gefangene frei
Saudi-Arabien hat im Rahmen der Vereinbarung zur Einstellung der Kampfhandlungen an Grenzregionen 40 jemenitische Gefangene der Ansarollah-Bewegung übergeben.
Der Sprecher der Bewegung, Mohammad Abdelsalam, teilte dazu am Samstag mit, 20 dieser Personen seien in Jemen gefangen genommen worden.
30.4.2016 – Reuters (A P)
Saudi hands over Houthi prisoners as Yemen peace efforts inch ahead
Yemen's Houthi movement said on Saturday its foe Saudi Arabia had handed over 40 prisoners as part of an agreement to quell border fighting as U.N.-backed peace negotiations to end Yemen's civil war crept forward.
The Iran-allied Houthis and Yemen's Saudi-backed exiled government are trying to broker a peace and ease a humanitarian crisis in the Arab world's poorest country where conflict has drawn in regional powers and killed at least 6,000 people.
"We received 40 prisoners, 20 of those were captured inside Yemen," Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam said in a statement. He did not say where the remaining prisoners had been captured.
On Saturday, a Houthi delegation in Kuwait, where the talks are being held, presented a plan to the United Nations for a transitional government to oversee a handing over of arms and freeing of political prisoners before elections.
The Houthis have demanded the exclusion of Yemen's exiled president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, from a vote, a negotiating source told Reuters.
Yemen's government want the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh to hand over weapons and withdraw from cities captured last year before starting any dialogue, the source said.
"The atmosphere was positive... everyone renewed their commitment to cease hostilities," said United Nations envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-prisoners-idUSKCN0XR0M4
30.4.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (A P)
40 #Yemen-is prisoners released 20of them were captured inside Yemen by #Saudi #UAE backed forces than sold to #KSA
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/726436532245159937
29.4.2016 – Al Araby (A K P)
Yemen peace talks risk collapse as government threatens withdrawal
Yemen’s government delegation has threatened to suspend their participation in the peace talks due to continuous violations by Houthi rebels in Taiz, a senior official said.
Head of the government delegation and Foreign Minister, Adulmalik al-Mikhlafi suggested the rebel’s violations of a nationwide truce could seriously detriment the peace negotiations.
Government officials who gathered in the Kuwaiti capital on Friday to discuss the alleged violations warned the UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh of their plans to suspend negotiations after breaches were reported in the country’s third largest Taiz city this week.
“Peace begins with upholding the ceasefire. Violating it is a crime, bombing houses is a war crime. The violations committed yesterday and today threaten the peace negotiations,” al-Mikhlafi tweeted.
The threats follow accusations suggesting 950 violations were recorded by resistance groups in Taiz where thousands of residents had been deprived of humanitarian aid in a Houthi-siege that lasted several months.
At least 49 people were killed and 227 wounded in Taiz since the truce began on April 10.
Comment by Judith brown: It's quite amazing how different the perspectives are on the progress of the peace talks, it almost sounds as if they are talking about a different event sometimes. Here we are told they are not succeeding.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154321666698641
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
1.5.2016 – ABNA (A E P)
50.000 Arbeiter protestieren in Saudi-Arabien
Etwa 50.000 Arbeiter der Vertragsfirma "Bin Laden" versammeln sich täglich vor den Büros dieser Firma in verschiedenen Städten und fordern die schon seit vier Monaten fälligen Gehaltsauszahlungen.
Obwohl die Firma den Arbeitern eine Ausreiseerlaubnis aus Saudi-Arabien erteilt hat, fordern sie dennoch vor ihrer Ausreise, die Auszahlung ihrer ausstehenden Gehälter.
http://de.abna24.com/service/middle-east/archive/2016/05/01/751175/story.html
1.5.2016 – Middle East Eye (* A E P)
Sacked workers in Saudi Arabia set fire to buses in protest over unpaid salaries
50,000 foreign labourers have been sacked by Binladin Group and some have not been paid salaries in at least four months
Workers at one of Saudi Arabia’s largest employers set fire to buses on Saturday amid protests at being laid off and told to leave the kingdom without being paid for several months work.
Footage uploaded to YouTube showed employees of the Binladin Group protesting outside the construction company’s offices in Mecca province, and setting fire to several buses.
Saudi daily Okaz reported that fires on seven buses in Mecca had been extinguished without any fatalities, adding that local authorities had launched an investigation into the incident.
However, the newspaper did not mention the cause of the fire, which was by angry former Binladin employees.
The protesting workers are among 50,000 foreign labourers who have been sacked by the private company as the kingdom’s revenues have declined due to low oil prices, which have forced government spending cuts.
Saudi daily al-Watan reported on Friday that Binladin had given the sacked foreign workers a permanent exit visa to leave the country but many of them do not want to leave because they claim not to have been paid properly.
Watan said some of the workers had not been paid in at least four months, and that they are now holding daily protests in front of the company’s offices.
The mass sacking by Binladin constitutes a 25 percent reduction of its total 200,000 workforce, according to its LinkedIn page – by Rori Donaghy
29.4.2016 – Channel News Asia (A E P)
Saudi builder Binladin terminates 50,000 jobs
Construction company Saudi Binladin Group has laid off 50,000 staff, a newspaper reported on Friday, as pressure on the industry rises amid government spending cuts to survive an era of cheap oil.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/saudi-builder-binladin-te/2744172.html
30.4.2016 – Telepolis (* A E P)
Träume aus tausend und einer Marktwirtschaft
Saudi-Arabien ist das Öl zwar noch nicht ausgegangen, aber der Preisverfall zwingt das Königshaus zu einer Modernierungsoffensive
Die niedrigeren Öleinnahmen zwingen das Herrscherhaus zum Handeln. Noch ist die Krise zwar nicht akut. Das Öl fließt noch, der "peak oil", das globale Fördermaximum, ist noch nicht erreicht. Außerdem hat der Staat Reserven gebildet. Aus dem Ölverkauf sind einst 732 Milliarden Dollar angespart worden. Aber davon waren Ende 2015 nur noch 632 Milliarden Dollar übrig. Saudi-Arabien lebt also gerade von der Substanz, die immer kleiner wird.
Deswegen will Saudi-Arabien die Abhängigkeit vom Öl verringern. Wie, das hat die Regierung in der "Saudi Vision 2030" festgelegt.
Saudi-Arabien soll künftig auf drei Säulen stehen. Die erste ist der Status als Herz der islamischen Welt mit den Heiligtümern in Mekka und Medina. Rund anderthalb Millionen Gläubige pilgern jedes Jahr nach Mekka und bringen Geld ins Land. Die zweite ist seine Macht als Finanzinvestor, die dritte seine strategisch wichtige Lage als Hafen, der die Kontinente Europa, Afrika und Asien miteinander verbinden kann. Das Saudi-Königreich - keine Tankstelle der Welt mehr, sondern ein globaler Finanzinvestor mit Hafenanlagen? Das wäre in der Tat neu.
Saudi-Arabien geht also zunehmend eigene Wege. Insofern passt die "Vision 2030" gut zum neuen Kurs, zur neuen Unabhängigkeit - weg von den USA, weg vom Öl. So soll der Anteil der Ölförderung an der Wirtschaft von 47 auf 11 Prozent sinken. Mit den angehäuften Ölgeldern soll das Land ein ökonomischer Global Player werden mit Beteiligungen in aller Welt, aber auch einem starken Binnenmarkt, dessen Wirtschaftsleistung bis 2030 auf 1600 Milliarden Dollar steigen soll. Durch das Wachstum sollen neue Arbeitsplätze entstehen und von heute 4,5 Millionen auf 10,8 Millionen steigen. Das ist auch nötig, denn 37 Prozent der Bevölkerung sind jünger als 14 Jahre. Sie werden bald auf den Arbeitsmarkt drängen.
Wie das neue Saudi-Arabien aussieht, auch das erläutert die "Vision 2030" ganz plastisch: Das Königreich soll eine "dynamische Gesellschaft" mit "hoher Lebensqualität" werden; Umweltschutz und erneuerbare Energien stehen hoch im Kurs; das Land ist familien- und kinderfreundlich, hat ein hervorragendes Gesundheitssystem und ist offen für Besucher aus aller Welt; es gelten gleiche Chancen für alle, unabhängig vom Geschlecht.
Aber Saudi-Arabien soll auch militärisch unabhängiger werden. Daher will das Königreich seine eigene Rüstungsindustrie aufbauen.
Ökonomisch zieht jetzt ein Geist von "Thatcherismus" durch Saudi-Arabien, wie der britische "Telegraph" bemerkte. Denn die "Vision 2030" folgt einem Report, den die Unternehmensberatung McKinsey schon im Dezember 2015 unter dem Titel "Beyond Oil" veröffentlicht hatte.
Außerdem ist völlig unklar, wie das Land reagieren wird, wenn nicht mehr alles hoch subventioniert ist. Und wie die Geistlichkeit es verkraftet, wenn zum Beispiel der Anteil der Frauen an den Beschäftigten wie geplant von 7 auf 24 Prozent steigt – von Dirk Eckert
http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/48/48115/1.html
Kommentar: das ist entweder reiner Propagandaschaum – es ist auch nicht das erste mal, dass derartiges in Saudi-Arabien angekündigt würde. Sollte man es diesmal ernst meinen, dann gäbe es nur eine Chance auf Erfolg, wenn sich Saudi-Arabien klipp und klar vom Wahabismus verabschiedet. Und das wird nicht passieren, denn der Wahabismus ist die geistige, religiöse und politische Grundlage dieses Staates. Bestenfalls wird man versuchen, sich um diese Frage herumzumogeln, und das ganze Programm scheitern lassen. Quadratur des Kreises Saudi style.
30.4.2016 – Deutsche Wirtschaftsnachrichten (A E P)
Öl zu Dollars: Saudische Herrscher bereiten sich auf Exil vor
Die Mitglieder des saudischen Königshauses bereiten sich offenbar auf das Exil vor. Es wird so viel Öl wie möglich verkauft, um die Petro-Dollars außer Landes zu schaffen. Der Ölpreis-Verfall spielt dabei keine Rolle. Aus den USA kommen deutliche Signale, dass die Tage des amtierenden Clans gezählt sind.
Kommentar: Das hieße m. E. doch die Fakten stark überzuinterpretieren.
30.4.2016 – Noto Wahabism (B P)
Conference on Women’s Affairs in Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
30.4.2016 – Huffington Post (* A P)
This 28-Year-Old Is Running For Congress To Try To Destroy U.S.-Saudi Relations
Barack Obama, Paul Ryan and others are protecting the kingdom for their own financial gain, Republican hopeful Alex Beinstein alleges.
Beinstein, a 28-year-old libertarian, wants to use the district’s House seat to place Saudi Arabia on the list of state sponsors of terror. He believes the longtime U.S. partner is responsible for the 9/11 attacks and the growth of violent extremist groups, including the self-described Islamic State, in Syria.
The only reason Saudi leaders haven’t been held accountable yet, Beinstein says, is because Saudi money has corrupted everyone from President Barack Obama and CNN’s Anderson Cooper to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Fox News leadership. He told The Huffington Post that Bill Gates, Apple Inc., The Plaza Hotel in New York and the Four Seasons hotel chain are among other alleged lackeys of the kingdom. (Let’s not even get started on Hillary Clinton.)
The benefits of U.S.-Saudi ties — including intelligence-sharing that has prevented terror attacks on American planes, synagogues and other targets, as well as the value of having a Muslim partner in the war on Islamist terror — are all “a mirage,” according to Beinstein.
Even the Saudis’ tacit tolerance of Israel, a product of the two countries’ shared anxiety about Iran, can be sacrificed, he argues. “I don’t think anyone in Israel really trusts Saudi Arabia … [and while] America is Israel’s godfather, it doesn’t mean Israel does everything right.”
There would be a cost to cutting economic ties with the kingdom, Beinstein acknowledges. But he says history proves that business relationships shouldn’t supersede the imperative to do what’s right.
“We are defenders of freedom,” Beinstein said. And in his view, partnering with Saudi Arabia is a betrayal of that American value. “I think we have to stand up for free countries around the world.” – by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alex-beinstein-saudi-arabia-congress_us_572257f3e4b01a5ebde4f58e
29.4.2016 – Tom Bowman (A K P)
A #Special Forces team arrived in #Yemen Monday, helping Govt and UAE with intell fusion to go after #AQAP. SF trainers left last year. #NPR
https://twitter.com/TBowmanNPR/status/726107259038736384
Comment: US Special Forces. That means an even closer US interference in Yemen. Now they are on the ground as well.
29.4.2016 – NPR (A P)
Pentagon Report Says Airstrike On Afghan Hospital Wasn't A War Crime
The Pentagon's final report on the deadly U.S. airstrike on a Médecins Sans Frontières trauma center in Kunduz, Afghanistan, last October concludes the incident was caused by "human errors, compounded by process and equipment failures."
The report states that the assault, which killed dozens of medical staff and patients, does not constitute a war crime — contrary to what MSF (also known as Doctors Without Borders) has argued.
Comment: Not referring to Yemen, just showing the typical US warfare hypocrisy. This would be the fifth version of US lies and evasion in this case.
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
1.5.2016 – Die Welt (A P)
Steinmeier würdigt Reformen in Saudi-Arabien
Der Außenminister lobt Saudi-Arabiens "wirtschaftspolitischen Realismus" und spricht sich für die Lieferung von Patrouillenbooten aus.
Außenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) hat die Reformpläne des stellvertretenden saudi-arabischen Kronprinzen, Mohamed bin Salman, gewürdigt und sich für den umstrittenen Export von Patrouillenbooten ausgesprochen. "Der Reformplan von Mohamed bin Salman ist ein wirklich anspruchsvolles Programm. Ich finde das mutig, es ist Ausdruck eines wirtschaftspolitischen Realismus, der nach einer Alternative zum Öl sucht", sagte Steinmeier in einem Interview der "Welt am Sonntag" im Verbund mit der europäischen Zeitungsallianz Lena.
Mit der Teilprivatisierung des staatlichen Ölkonzerns Aramco schränke das saudische Königshaus "letztlich auch seinen eigenen Einfluss auf die Wirtschaft ein", sagte Steinmeier: "Die Einschränkungen für die Religionspolizei zeigen, dass auch gesellschaftspolitische Veränderungen nicht mehr tabu sind."
Steinmeier sagte, natürlich habe man nach wie vor "stark unterschiedliche Vorstellungen über das Verhältnis von Staat und Gesellschaft und die Menschenrechte".
Kommentar: Dieser Mann ist servil und peinlich für Deutschland. Und die Patrouillenboote können sich direkt an der Blockade des Jemen beteiligen und Hunger, Mangel und Unterversorgung weiter auf die Spitze treiben.
29.4.2016 – Jürgen Trittin (A P)
Nachhaltigen Frieden im Jemen schaffen – Gespräch mit Tawakkol Karman
Ich habe heute in Berlin Tawakkol Karman getroffen, um über die Lage im Jemen zu sprechen. Die jemenitische Menschenrechtsaktivistin hat 2011 den Friedensnobelpreis für ihren gewaltfreien Kampf für die Sicherheit und die Rechte von Frauen erhalten.
Ich verurteile das saudische Bombardement im Jemen, unter dem vor allem die Zivilbevölkerung leidet. Die gegenwärtige Feuerpause ermöglicht Verhandlungen. Um aber zu einem nachhaltigen Frieden zu kommen, müssen Demokratie und Menschenrechtsschutz ernst genommen werden.
Kommentar: Gut gemeint, schlecht gemacht: Frau Karman lebt von der Reputation, die sie sich während des „arabischen Frühlings“ im Jemen 2011/12 erarbeitet hat. Mittlerweile ist sie 100 % auf Linie von Präsident Hadi. Das ist natürlich ihr gutes Recht, sie treibt es aber soweit, dass sie das Eingreifen der Saudis ausdrücklich gutheißt, den Bombenkrieg eingeschlossen, oder gleich ganz negiert und in ihrer ganzen Argumentation so tut, als gäbe es das überhaupt nicht. Zwischen die Aussagen von Frau Karman und Präsident Hadi passt mittlerweile kein Blatt mehr. Wenn Trittin selbst das saudische Bombardement verurteilt, dann teilt er gerade das nicht mit Frau Karman. Da fragt man sich doch, was wollte er überhaupt mit diesem Besuch?
cp13 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
30.4.2016 – Amerikawoche (A)
» Bundeswehr-Schiff rettet 92 Menschen zwischen Somalia und Jemen
Berlin (dpa) - Die Bundeswehr hat nun auch im Golf von Aden zwischen Somalia und Jemen erstmals Menschen aus Seenot gerettet. Die Fregatte «Bayern» nahm 92 Passagiere aus einem Fischerboot an Bord, das sich wegen eines Motorschadens nicht mehr fortbewegen konnte. Es handele sich vermutlich nicht um Flüchtlinge, sagte ein Sprecher des Einsatzführungskommandos der Bundeswehr der Deutschen Presse-Agentur. «Man geht von normalem Fährverkehr aus.»
Das etwa 20 Meter lange offene Holzboot war am Donnerstag von einem Aufklärungsflugzeug entdeckt worden. Die rund 200 Kilometer entfernte «Bayern», die am EU-Einsatz gegen Piraterie vor der Küste Somalias teilnimmt, wurde alarmiert und nahm die Passagiere am Freitag auf. Niemand war verletzt. In Absprache mit dem Flüchtlingshilfswerk UNHCR brachte das deutsche Schiff die 92 Menschen nach Somalia und übergab sie den Behörden des ostafrikanischen Landes.
http://amerikawoche.com/amw_news/bundeswehr-schiff-rettet-92-menschen-zwischen-somalia-und-jemen/ Kommentar: 92 Menschen in einem Fischerboot = Regulärer Fährverkehr?? Den gibt es hier nicht.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / See cp6
cp14a Offensive gegen / against Al Qaida
30.4.2016 – AFP (A K T)
Yemen govt forces seize Qaeda-held military camp, arms
Yemeni government forces backed by an Arab coalition seized an Al-Qaeda training camp in the southeastern province of Hadramawt Saturday along with "large amounts" of weapons, its governor told AFP.
It comes during an offensive launched last month to recapture areas in the south overrun by Al-Qaeda and which on Sunday saw loyalist forces recapture Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, which the militants had occupied for a year.
"The offensive is continuing in Qoton to hunt down Al-Qaeda militants," said Hadramawt governor Major General Ahmed bin Braik, referring to a town north of Mukalla.
Braik said government forces overran an Al-Qaeda training camp in the town where they "confiscated large amounts of weapons" and "arrested eight Al-Qaeda militants".
"Mukalla is now a safe city," Braik added.
An AFP reporter there said the situation had returned to normal as pro-government forces deployed across Mukalla with troops from the Arab coalition securing the ports.
While the coalition has said that more than 800 militants were killed, Al-Qaeda issued a statement on Monday denying the claim as "lies" and saying its dead "do not exceed the number of fingers on both hands".
The statement addressing Hadramawt residents and signed by Ansar al-Sharia, another name for Al-Qaeda in Yemen, said that the militants withdrew only to spare Mukalla the destruction of fighting
30.4.2016 – Almasdar News (A K T)
Al-Qaeda confirms retreat from its capital in Yemen
Earlier today, Ansar al-Sharia confirmed it has withdrawn from the city of Mukalla which was formerly considered the capital of al-Qaeda in Yemen.
However, the Islamist group said it had only lost a handful of fighters during the battle as their forces retreated to avoid destruction of the city.
“We only withdrew to prevent the enemy from moving the battle to your homes, markets, roads and mosques,” Ansar al-Sharia said in a rare statement. Around 2,000 Yemeni and Emirati troops captured Mukalla in just a few hours last Sunday as their troops meet little to no resistance. The Hadi government’s blitz offensive in southern Yemen is a shift in strategy for the Saudi-led coalition forces, which for over a year has focused its firepower on the Houthis who have seized the capital Sanaa and driven the government into exile – by Chris Tomson
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/al-qaeda-confirms-retreat-capital-yemen/ and by Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-alqaeda-idUSKCN0XR0FY and here the Al Qaida statement in original: https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/anscca3acc84r-al-sharicc84_ah-in-the-arabian-peninsula-22to-our-people-in-the-hcca3adcca3ramawt-coast-about-the-recent-oppressive-military-operation22.pdf
cp15 Propaganda
1.5.2016 – Arab News (A P)
King Salman center top donor to Yemen
An apex Saudi aid organization named King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Center (KSRELIEF) was founded last year on the instructions of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman with the aim to respond adequately to the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and across the world at large.
The KSRELIEF, within a short span of time, has saved and improved the lives of more than 36 million people in the world’s poorest countries including Yemen and Djibouti.
The center, which is headed by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, has been at the forefront of developing partnerships with international agencies to assist needy civilians in Yemen, Djibouti and Ethiopia. It is also working on plans to extend aid to the most deprived communities around the globe.
Al-Rabeeah, who was named as the world’s 45th most influential Arab in 2010 by "Arabian Business", is a renowned medical surgeon, who is credited with separating more than 30 conjoined twins so far. The KSRELIEF chief, who also served as health minister for over five years, spoke about the King Salman Center and its aid & relief programs in a wide-ranging interview with Arab News.
Excerpts from the interview:
In Yemen, we have conducted more than 66 big programs with 62 partners. Most of those programs carried out in that country are in food and health sectors. We have accomplished 28 food aid programs in Yemen, and the total number of beneficiaries of the program exceeds 17 million. In health sector, we have conducted 25 programs in cooperation with 37 partners in Yemen, with total number of beneficiaries reaching 16 million.
We have also conducted 13 humanitarian programs like mother and child vaccination and recovery programs benefiting about 3.5 million in Yemen. This milestone was achieved by the center in cooperation with nine other NGOs. More specifically, I can say that the center has reached all regions of Yemen, irrespective of the fact who controls the region. As much as we are available in south Yemen, we are equally available in the north of that country. We have reached Saana and Saada. We have reached Saada, which is controlled by the militant Houthis and more successfully in Saana, where we are carrying out both food and health programs.
We work in close coordination with regional and international NGOs in Yemeni cities and in remote areas, which have been witnessing more problems because of the militant outfits. We deliver the aid on the borders, and the international NGOs receive the relief supplies and in turn distribute them there in those cities and locations. We believe that we can’t succeed without our partners and our partners are local NGOs in Yemen or international partners like UN and their affiliated agencies. I want to mention here that the first pledge of aid made by the Kingdom to the UN amounting to $274 million was handled by the center. We are working as a partner with nine UN organizations and also selecting our local partners and reaching all those who are in need in Yemen.
An aid agency like ours can’t work without obstacles and challenges, and it is more so in Yemen. With the lack of security and conflicts going on, there has been many challenges we face as a Saudi aid organization. Our convoys has been threatened and attacked at times. Our workers also have been threatened, even our trucks were confiscated in the past.
We sent two large ships that delivered food and medical supplies in that country. This is in addition to more than 250 trucks, which are delivering aid to Yemen. More than 20 planes were also deployed by the center to deliver relief supplies to different nooks and corners of that war-torn country.
We sent two large ships that delivered food and medical supplies in that country. This is in addition to more than 250 trucks, which are delivering aid to Yemen. More than 20 planes were also deployed by the center to deliver relief supplies to different nooks and corners of that war-torn country.
http://www.arabnews.com/news/king-salman-center-top-donor-yemen
Comment by Edres Alshami: True, $audi is the biggest donor of war, hate, injustice, destruction & death 2 Yemen.Beating Satan by a few points
https://twitter.com/Edrees_Alshami/status/726519749144907776
Comment by Dr. Karim: Never seen more generous given the # of civilian deaths, wounded, malnourished children, displaced awa destruction
https://twitter.com/StopDestroyYem/status/726543061828943872
Comment by Shireen Al-Adeimi: lol makes more sense if Saudis mean the opposite of what they say:"Saved"=killed, "improved"=ruined, "liberated"=occupied, etc.
https://twitter.com/shireen818/status/726520050782494720
Comment: I will not deny that those in charge of this King Salman center really do a good job and want to bring help to Yemen. But, as anybody knows, Saudi Arabia itself is guilty for the greatest part of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Thus, this whole King Salman Center serves for little more than being a fig leaf to hide the own war crimes and responsibility. And further on, the sums spent show the real importance of humanitarian aid. The aerial war against Yemen, now having passes it’s 400th day, costs about 200 million US-$ a day. This would be 80 billion $ up to now, the war on the ground and by sea not counted. The total auf Saudi aid in 2015 was $ 413 million, that equals 2 days 1 hour aerial war. For 2016, the sum up to now was $ 36 million, that is 5 hours aerial war.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
4.2016 – Legal Center for Rights and Development (A K PH)
Saudische Luftangriffe Tag für Tag / Saudi air aids day bay day
29. April
29.4.2016 – Yemen Today TV (A K PH)
Film: Breaches of aggression in the skies of the province of Saada simultaneous negotiations with Kuwait
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWdjkYrkNpY
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
1.5.2016 – Alwaght (A K PH)
Saudi Arabia Continues Truce Violations in Yemen
The Saudi aggression’s warplanes and warships continued to breach the Yemen ceasefire on Saturday in the provinces of Hodeidah, Taiz and Mareb, a military official said.
The official explained that the battleships of the Saudi aggression opened fire on the coastal city of Mocha in Taiz, while the surveillance planes continued flying in the sky of Thubab district and the western coast of Taiz.
The aggression war jets continued violations of the ceasefire, flying in the skies of Hodeidah, Mareb and Taiz, he added.
http://alwaght.com/en/News/52287/Saudi%20Regime%20Continues%20Truce%20Violations%20in%20Yemen
29.4.2016 – Press TV Iran (A K PH)
Three killed as Saudi-backed militants fire rockets at residential area in Yemen’s Shabwah province
https://twitter.com/BREAKING_PTV/status/726183973441921024
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
30.4.2016 – Yemen Post News (A P)
Intelligence WAR: Ex #Yemen Pres Saleh says Saudi behind killing of Yemeni Pres Hamdi in 70s & has documented proof. https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/726455426628354048
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/krieg-im-jemen-neue-artikel-zum-nachlesen-136
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-136: / Yemen Press Reader 1-136:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
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