Saudis using US cluster munitions - Bloody consequences of US hypocrisy - Film: Yemen under siege - Peace talks continued, difficult - Fighting and air raids continue
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
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
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Klassifizierung / Classification
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**
*
(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
6.5.2016 – Human Rights Watch (**B K)
Yemen: Saudis Using US Cluster Munitions
Saudi Arabia has used US-made cluster munitions near civilian areas in Yemen, leaving behind unexploded submunitions, Human Rights Watch said today. The United States should cease its production and transfer of cluster munitions to conform with the widely accepted international ban on the weapons.
US export rules that rely on weapon reliability standards have not prevented the sale of cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia, putting civilians at long-term risk, Human Rights Watch said. Cluster munitions are prohibited by a 2008 treaty signed by 119 countries, though not Saudi Arabia, Yemen, or the US.
“The US has sold Saudi Arabia cluster munitions, a weapon most countries have rejected due to the harm they cause civilians,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch and chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition, the international coalition of groups working to eradicate cluster munitions. “Saudi Arabia should stop using cluster munitions in Yemen or anywhere else, and the US should stop producing and exporting them.”
Cluster munitions are dropped from aircraft or delivered from the ground by artillery and rockets, and contain multiple smaller submunitions or bomblets. Cluster munitions pose an immediate threat to civilians as they disperse over a wide area and leave explosive remnants, including submunitions that fail to explode upon impact and become de facto landmines.
US export law provisions from December 2007 prohibit recipients of US cluster munitions from using them in populated areas and permit the transfer only of cluster munitions with a failure rate of less than 1 percent. Cluster munitions transferred before then are not covered by these requirements.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have both received CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons from the US in recent years. There is no evidence to indicate that other countries in the Saudi-led coalition – Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, and Sudan – have received CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons. The US also provided Saudi Arabia with significant exports of other cluster bombs between 1970 and 1999.
According to a data sheet issued by its manufacturer, Textron Systems Corporation, each CBU-105 disperses 10 BLU-108 canisters that each subsequently release four submunitions the company calls “skeet” that are designed to sense, classify, and engage a target such as an armored vehicle. They are designed to explode above the ground and project an explosively formed jet of metal and fragmentation downward. The submunitions of the Sensor Fuzed Weapon are equipped with electronic self-destruct and self-deactivation features.
However, Human Rights Watch field research and visual evidence indicate at least three attacks that resulted in multiple BLU-108 with their “skeet” or submunitions still attached: in the governorates of Amran on February 15, 2016; Sanaa on May 21, 2015; and Saada on April 27, 2015. This shows a failure to function as intended, as the submunitions failed to disperse from the canister, or were dispersed but did not explode. In May 2011, guidance issued by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency stated that skeet from CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon are “the only cluster munition with a compliant submunition” with US export rules.
The Sensor Fuzed Weapons have been used in or near civilian areas, also in apparent violation of US export law.
“Following multiple attacks in Yemen, it is now obvious that Sensor Fuzed Weapons are not the ‘reliable’ or ‘intelligent’ cluster munitions they have been promoted as,” Goose said. “The US should cease production and transfer of these weapons following the evidence of their failures and their use in and near civilian areas and should join the international ban on cluster munitions.”
Amran Attack, February 15, 2016
US Transfer of CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/05/06/yemen-saudis-using-us-cluster-munitions
5.5.2016 – QZ (** B K P)
The bloody consequences of US hypocrisy are on full display in Yemen
The US seems to be rationalizing its role in the conflict by arguing the weapons deals will be good for the American economy and will help maintain our longtime relationship with Saudi Arabia. In Dec. 2011, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro said in a statement that the sale of F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia would “positively impact the US economy and further advance the president’s commitment to create jobs by increasing exports.”
But this equation, in which Washington can simultaneously further its economic and foreign-policy goals, should not obscure the staggering human cost of America’s complicity in a brutal war. The US-backed coalition has imposed a naval blockade that has worsened the humanitarian disaster by effectively restricting the delivery of aid to the many millions of Yemeni citizens in need of assistance. According to the United Nations, fighting has displaced 2.7 million people from their homes,injured 30,000, and killed 9,000, at least 3,000 of whom are civilians.
Yet US culpability in Yemen remains practically invisible, thanks to an approach that for decades has allowed the US to keep our hands technically clean while still controlling the outcome. Beginning in the 1950s, Washington propped up the unpopular absolute monarch—the Shah—in Iran in order to counter Soviet encroachment; a practice that amounted to $15 billion worth of conventional weapons sales in the 1970s alone. In 1969, president Richard Nixon reassured US allies that in the face of a threat, Washington would lend a hand through military aid, a theory that would become known as the Nixon Doctrine. Now, as commentators have argued, Obama is pursuing his own contemporary Nixon Doctrine with his allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Saudi Arabia now assumes the role that Iran played in the 1970s.
In the first five years of the Obama administration, the US governmententered into formal agreements with the GCC to transfer over $64 billion in arms and defense services, with Saudi Arabia receiving at least three-quarters of the share. Arms sales to the GCC have surpassed that of the Nixon era, and the Obama administration has approved more arms sales than any administration since World War II. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is the largest buyer of US arms, with nearly $100 billion in active foreign military sales.
So where exactly are these billions of dollars worth of US weapons going?
In Feb. 2011, they helped carry out authoritarian state repression when Saudi Arabia lent US-supplied weapons to the Bahraini government in order to forcibly suppress peaceful, pro-democracy protests in Manama’s Pearl Roundabout. Now, they’re being used in the Saudi-waged war in Yemen to bomb homes, like that of Udai Faisal’s, in an attempt to target Houthi rebels.
Furthermore, the United States is whitewashing its role in Yemen under the guise of humanitarian assistance. On Apr. 6, the United States announced it would give $139 million in food and emergency health care supplies to “address the ongoing humanitarian crisis” in Yemen, bringing the total amount of US aid in the country to more than $317 million. But just as the coalition’s blockade hampered the delivery of aid in the past, this assistance may not reach those in need. Washington can argue it “remains committed to helping the people of Yemen,” but the truth is that the US government is now trying to salvage the lives it helped ruin in the first place.
In modern warfare, you don’t need physical boots on the ground to create havoc. By empowering its allies with weapons while hiding behind a carefully crafted veneer of humanitarianism, Washington has escaped culpability in this silent war. Innocent civilians are dying at the hands of US manufactured arms, and Washington must be held to account.
The bipartisan resolution proposed in the Senate that would subject US weapons sales with Saudi Arabia to a certification process is a step forward. But Washington must realize that solving economic issues at home and crafting a foreign policy to their liking should not be predicated on the suffering of people like Udai Faisal – by Kristina Bogos
http://qz.com/677087/the-bloody-consequences-of-us-hypocrisy-are-on-full-display-in-yemen/
5.5.2016 – PBS (** B K)
Film: Yemen Under Siege
Journalist Safa Al Ahmad makes a dangerous trip to report on the fighting in Yemen and the stunning human cost of the war.
Beginning of transcript:
NARRATOR:Journalist Safa al Ahmed has been reporting on Yemen for the past six years, from the rise of Al Qaeda to the outbreak of civil war, to the military intervention by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Once a key American ally in the war on terror, Yemen has been torn apart.
With Yemen’s future uncertain, Safa is heading into the country to see the human toll of the war. The journey takes a day-and-a-half on a merchant ship from Djibouti.
She arrives at the southern port of Aden, where she had been a year earlier, before the war had reached the city.
SAFA AL AHMAD:The human cost of this war on Yemen is frightening. It was heartbreaking to see such a beautiful city, that was already suffering and hardly keeping itself together, be completely decimated by the war, especially the old streets that we used to walk in and the ports and all that. To see it so destroyed, the reality of the war starts to sink in.
NARRATOR:Yemen began unraveling two years ago, when rebel group called the Houthis pushed south from their northern stronghold, trying to gain control of the country.
The Houthis soon seized the capital, Sana’a, and deposed the president. They posted their motto in the streets, “God is great. Death to America. Death to Israel. God curse the Jews. Victory to Islam.”
The Houthis and many defecting army units then continued south, taking over most of Yemen. By 2015, the group reached Aden, igniting months of intense fighting.
ABU MISHAAL, Fighter:[subtitles] Eighty-six days in the line of fire.
NARRATOR:Abu Mishaal and his fellow fighters tried to defend the city against the Houthis.
ABU MISHAAL:[subtitles] This was the death zone. We lost a lot of people here because that building was full of snipers. Elite snipers were in there. Six of us came here. I was one of them. We laid down here. We quickly crossed the road to this spot.
We had fierce clashes with the snipers. If you filmed it, it would have been the most impressive battle scene in all of Yemen.
You can see in this video my cousin, who died as a martyr. That’s him.
NARRATOR:With the city under attack, Saudi Arabia joined in, concerned about the Houthis’ ties to their archrival Iran. They led a coalition of neighboring countries, with support from the U.S.
By last summer, the Houthis were driven out of Aden, and the ruined city became Yemen’s temporary capital.
SAFA AL AHMAD:When I came back, people in Aden were just starting to recover. A lot of people reopened their shops. Business was as usual. People went back to fishing and to opening their restaurants. But also, what you could feel was very palpable in the city is the fear of the unknown, of what could go wrong now.
NARRATOR:Since forcing the Houthis out of Aden, the Saudi coalition has tried to push the rebels back north and reinstate the government in Sana’a. But the advance has been slow, and the two sides remain deadlocked at the strategic city of Taiz.
SAFA AL AHMAD:Taiz is strategically important because whoever controls the city will have an easier time moving in and controlling and maintaining Sana’a.
NARRATOR:The fighting has effectively cut off Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, from the rest of the world.
SAFA AL AHMAD:I really wanted to go and see for myself because so little information that is reliable comes out from Yemen. And this is one of the major challenges. The different factions involved in the war don’t necessarily want journalists there.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/yemen-under-siege/
Comment by Judith Brown: This is a great piece of journalism, filmed mainly in Taiz and Aden and the fighters are largely from a anti-Houthi perspective in the south. But whatever 'side' they are on, or whether they are Yemeni people only support peace, this vividly portrays the suffering in much of Yemen. The leader of the resistance in Taiz shown In this film, Mikhlafi, is from Islah militias, and you will note he says he won't accept a political settlement - Taiz is one of the stumbling blocks in the quest for peace because they don't want to compromise and as far as I know they aren't represented in the current talks in Kuwait - correct me if I am wrong - which means they might not accept any settlement reached. And so the suffering goes on.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628
cp2 Allgemein / General
5.5.2016 – Open Canada (** A B K P)
Five reasons why Yemen matters now more than ever
From the international nature of the conflict to its emerging refugee crisis, this is why the world needs to pay more attention to what is happening in the country.
A deadly civil war has ravaged Yemen for more than a year. Rampant violence and horrific conditions have driven millions from their homes—unchecked, the conflict in Yemen could become the source of the world’s next major refugee crisis. Unfortunately, the situation has failed to capture the public’s attention in the way that the war in Syria has. In a study published in March, on the first anniversary of the conflict, I explored how the crisis is growing exponentially worse by the month, as well as the consequences we will face if we fail to act.
Time is running out, but it is not yet too late. Despite the assumptions of many in the West, Yemen is not too small or too remote to matter. Here are five reasons why:
1. This is now arguably the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.
Yemen has more people in need of humanitarian aid than any other country in the world, including Syria. Over 21 million people in Yemen—82 percent of the population—are in dire need of immediate life-saving assistance and face conditions that are simply horrifying. (Compare this to 13.5 million in Syria or 11 million in Iraq, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.) Millions in Yemen are on the brink of starvation. The health care system has collapsed. Over 10,000 Yemeni children died last year from outbreaks of preventable diseases such as cholera and dysentery, diseases not seen in Canada since the 1800s. Thousands of innocent people have been caught in the crossfire and killed or injured.
The physical destruction is apocalyptic. Bombs have leveled neighborhoods, markets, schools, hospitals, roads and bridges. Entire sections of the Old City of Sanaa—a UNESCO World Heritage site over a thousand years old—have been flattened. Even if the war stopped tomorrow, Yemen’s people would still desperately need aid just to survive and rebuild. If Canadians expect their government to be a world leader in human rights, we need to do more to address what is arguably the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe.
2. It is already an international conflict.
3. Both sides may be guilty of war crimes.
4. This could be the start of the next global refugee crisis.
5. It is not too late…yet.
We have the opportunity to save lives and prevent the next refugee crisis before it begins—but only if we act now. The United Nations and other international aid organizations working in Yemen desperately need cash to ensure basic survival for millions of people. Last year, the UN and its partners only received half of the USD$1.8 billion needed to provide critical humanitarian relief in Yemen and stave off a new refugee crisis. This may sound like a lot of money—but not when compared with the tens of billions the world has already spent reacting to the Syrian civil war and ensuing flood of refugees – by Jacqueline Lopour
https://www.opencanada.org/features/five-reasons-why-yemen-matters-now-more-ever/
5.5.2016 – Southfront (B K P)
SouthFront: Yemen situation summarized in two mins
Film: International Military Review - Yemen, May 5, 2016 (Arab, Ger Subs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMQQtIc4HCs
5.5.2016 – Hisham Al-Omeisy (* B K P)
Yemen’s 99 Problems
The 99 Problems according to each of the main Yemen conflict parties.
Ex President Saleh:
I got 99 problems & Saudi behind all of them.
Houthis:
I got 99 problems dealing with a Zionist conspiracy where US & Israel using Saudi and local goons such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Daesh to ruin Yemen and enslave the region.
Yemen Government:
I got 99 problem & though not sure what they are, I’m most certain that Saleh/Houthis are definitely behind them all.
Anti Saleh/Houthis Resistance (North):
I got 99 problems but all shall be swell when I take back the capital Sana’a from Houthis next week. Perhaps maybe week after. Well, will inevitably do, damn it. Just wait and see.
President Hadi:
Wut! Problems? What Problems? Rubbish propaganda. Saudi took care of everything. Thank you Salman. Oh right, almost forgot, Saleh, duh! That no good tyrant and his Houthi minions behind 9,99 Yemen problems and then some. But luckily for Yemen, I’m the legitimate El Presidente. Confetti everywhere. Rejoice. Yaay.
Continue reading:
https://omeisy.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/yemens-99-problems/
Comment: It’s great not to lose humor in this situation.
3.5.2016 – PBS (* B H K)
The Human Costs of the War In Yemen
One year ago, Secretary of State John Kerry was asked if Yemen was about to become a failed state.
“We don’t have an assurance yet,” Kerry told reporters in Sri Lanka. “I would not yet say that the verdict is in on what Yemen is going to be.” If peace negotiations could begin, he said, “then it obviously has the opportunity to hold itself together.”
In late April, peace talks began, but on Sunday the United Nations’ Special Envoy for Yemen announced that the government of Yemen had suspended its participation.
The apparent breakdown in negotiations has left Yemen teetering on the brink of collapse.
Since war broke out last year between the government of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi and fighters with the Houthi rebel movement, an estimated 2.8 million Yemenis — a population roughly the size of Nevada — have been displaced from their homes. More than 6,400 people have been killed, and over 30,500 wounded. According to Amnesty International, more civilians have died from airstrikes by an international coalition being led by Saudi Arabia — which entered the conflict in March 2015 — than from any other cause.
The fighting has touched nearly every aspect of daily life in Yemen — limiting access to food and water in one of the world’s most food insecure and least developed nations; deepening poverty; devastating access to medicine and health care; and forcing millions of children from school.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-human-costs-of-the-war-in-yemen/
Comment: Overview article. Another overview from the same source:
6.4.2016 – PBS (* B K P)
Who’s Who in the Fight for Yemen
A civil war has torn Yemen apart for the last year, triggered by a toxic political crisis between a weak national government and a rebel movement known as the Houthis, who in 2015 took over the capital of Sanaa and ousted the president.
Amid the escalating turmoil, a coalition of nations led by Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign against the Houthis in March 2015, expanding the war into a regional conflict and deepening Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. More than 6,400 people — at least half of them civilians — have already been killed, with the United Nations alleging that the Saudi-led coalition is “responsible for twice as many civilian casualties as all other forces put together.”
There have been attempts at peace talks, including the latest round that began in Kuwait in April. But in the absence of any diplomatic breakthrough, extremists groups like Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS have expanded their influence.
So who is fighting whom in Yemen, and what does each side in the increasingly complex battle stand for? Click on any square below to learn more – by provanca Boghani, Chris Amico, Ly Chheng
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/whos-who-in-the-fight-for-yemen/
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
5.5.2016 – UN Children’s Fund (** B H)
UNICEF Yemen Crisis Humanitarian Situation Report (April 2016)
• In April, a nationwide cessation of hostilities began and a new round of peace talks started with high hopes for further steps towards the long-waited peace in Yemen. UNICEF and partners welcome the agreement and expanded the humanitarian response in previously active conflict areas namely; Taiz, Sa’ada, Al Jawf, Marib and Al Bayda including education assessment in Taiz and Sa’ada.
• Between 10 and 12 April, UNICEF supported a Nation-wide polio vaccination campaign. At least 4.6 million children under 5 years were vaccinated against polio and over 3.9 million children were given Vitamin A.
• UNICEF provided the 6 th monthly cycle of humanitarian cash transfers for over 4,700 vulnerable families in Amanat Al Asimah. Preparation are underway to increase the number oftarget householdsin Taiz governorate in the coming months.
• UNICEF mobile teams were deployed and provided emergency health and nutrition services to 107 IDPs families in Amran as an immediate response to the flash floods affecting nearly 30,000 people in seven governorates.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
In April 2016, the international humanitarian community welcomed the long-waited cessation of hostilities agreed by the parties of the conflict in Yemen and the continuation of the peace talks.
Although various official and unofficialsources confirmed a significant reduction in violence since the beginning of the truce, hostilities were reported in several parts of the country causing the delay ofthe peace talks until 21 April, which were set to open in Kuwait on 18 April. Nevertheless, UNICEF and partners were able to reach areas difficult to accessin Taiz, Sa’ada, Al Jawf, Marib and Al Bayda.
Regarding the cessation of hostilities, in a jointstatement Ms. Leila Zerrougui - Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict - and Dr. Peter Salama - UNICEF Regional Directorforthe Middle East and North Africa- called on all parties to the conflict “to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, to commit to releasing children who have been recruited and used in the fighting, and to end all grave violations against boys and girls. Parties should take every possible measure to protect schools and hospitals, and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to children and all those in need.”
The sustained conflict has left over 21.1 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen, as estimated by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) by the end of 2015. But the caseload continues to increase with 2.7 million internal displaced persons (IDP) -according to the latest report of TFPM1 - a six-fold the number of IDPs at the same time last year.
In addition, since 13 April nearly 30,000 people have been affected by flash floods consequence of heavy rains across seven governorates. Floods caused damage to infrastructure and crops, and loss of livestock. Sana'a, Amran and Marib governorates –also affected by the ongoing violence – reported the highest number of people with urgent needs of shelter, food, health and WASH assistance. UNICEF deployed immediate assistance to Amran after the emergency where mobile teams provided health and nutrition assistance.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unicef-yemen-crisis-humanitarian-situation-report-april-2016 and in full: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/UNICEF%20Yemen%20Humanitarian%20SitRep%20April%202016.pdf
5.4.2016 – UNOCHA (* B H)
Before the conflict in Yemen escalated in March 2015, students at Zubeir Ben Al Awam School in Al Taizziyah District in Taizz Governorate studied in two shifts: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. But this is no longer possible, as the classrooms are now occupied by internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Many IDPs sought safe shelter in the schools after fleeing violence in their areas of origin. Up to five families share a classroom, moving out in the mornings to allow students to study. Zubeir Ben Al Awam school hosts 26 displaced families (156 people) and 805 students, but it is just one of the many schools housing IDPs in Taizz. The school still operates in two shifts, but now each shift lasts only two hours.
“You can imagine the negative impact on the quality of education,” said Towfiq Al Soufi, the District Education Officer. “Completing the curriculum is not possible.”
Mohamed Mutawakil, a student at the school, said IDPs sometimes refuse to leave the classrooms, forcing students to study in the open. “We have to sit outside, under the sun or on the ground to try to study. It doesn’t help and we cannot concentrate on what the teachers tell us,” he said.
At Al Furqan primary school, which hosts 43 families (258 people) and 1,510 students, the IDPs reported increased trauma, forced marriages and exploitation of boys and girls. “[Because of trauma] there is a 15-year-old girl here who cannot talk since she lost all her family members in an air strike and is now being taken care of by the neighbours,” said Karima Abdallah, an IDP living in the school.
How the Taizz crisis worsened
Before the conflict Taizz Governorate had an estimated population of 3 million people. However, in August 2015, the governorate became a key battlefield. Air strikes, armed confrontation and looting across the governorate exacerbated an already precarious situation and dramatically escalated human suffering. The most intense fighting focused on Taizz City, mostly in Al Mudhaffar, Al Qahirah and Salh districts.
Today almost 870,000 people are displaced in the governorate, while another 621,000 IDPs are in Ibb Governorate nearby. Of those displaced within Taizz, an estimated 150,000 live in Al Taiziya district. A large number of these IDPs live in 11 schools where they face serious shortages of medicine, food, fuel, water, sanitation and hygiene supplies.
As fighting continues, health services have ground to a halt, with the few functioning hospitals only providing emergency treatment. The water corporation stopped working due to a lack of fuel and damage to its infrastructure. In the three districts of Taizz City, 300,000 people out of a population of half a million fled and sought refuge in neighbouring districts and governorates, notably Ibb and Al Dhale’e.
It took months of negotiations for some assistance to finally reach Taizz City in December. By then, the suffering of the people in Taizz had become highly politicized, with all parties to the conflict publicly accusing the others of blocking access to people in need, diverting or commandeering assistance and accusing humanitarian partners of distributing only to zones controlled by a certain faction.
Humanitarian organizations are trucking water to the IDPs, providing food and other relief items, supporting outpatient therapeutic-feeding programmes and providing mobile health clinics. In 2015, over 1 million people received some form of humanitarian assistance in Taizz Governorate. They include 730,000 people who were assisted by partners that are funded through the OCHA-managed Yemen Humanitarian Fund. In 2015, the fund provided US$4.5 million to 10 partners operating in Taizz.
Following the mission, plans and negotiations with local authorities are now under way to scale up humanitarian assistance in Taizz, taking advantage of the Cessation of Hostilities agreement that has largely held across Yemen since 10 April. The agreement was a pre-cursor to peace talks that started in Kuwait on 21 April.
The humanitarian partners in Taizz hope that the Cessation of Hostilities agreement holds so that they can deploy more teams to the field, providing supplementary supplies, distributing food and non-food items as well as hygiene and sanitation kits.
An estimated 175,000 to 200,000 people remained in Taizz City through the months of fighting, unable or unwilling to leave. “This is my home, I have lived here my whole life, I have nowhere to go,” said Misk, a woman in her late fifties. “I will continue to stay in our house with one of my sons, his wife and six children.”
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
6.5.2016 – Reuters (A T)
Suicide bomb kills seven in Yemeni city of Marib: police sources
Seven people were killed and more than 15 wounded in a suicide bomb attack on Friday that struck a market in the Yemeni city of Marib, east of the capital Sanaa, police sources told Reuters.
The sources said it was not clear who was behind the attack which went off in a crowded market where the drug qat is sold.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0XX0YH
6.5.2016 - AFP (A T)
Yémen: le directeur de la prison d'Aden abattu
Le directeur de la prison centrale d'Aden a été tué vendredi par des hommes armés dans la ville portuaire du sud du Yémen, où des jihadistes restent actifs, a-t-on appris de source de sécurité.
Wahab Néjib Ahmed Aoun et l'un de ses proches ont été abattus dans l'après-midi par deux hommes armés circulant à moto à Al-Mansoura, un quartier du centre d'Aden, siège de la prison centrale de la ville, a ajouté la même source.
Selon cette source, les assaillants ont pris la fuite après l'attaque, survenue une semaine après une opération similaire qui avait coûté la vie à un colonel de police à Aden.
Ce style d'attaque à moto fait penser au mode opératoire d'el-Qaëda.
http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/984659/yemen-le-directeur-de-la-prison-daden-abattu.html
6.5.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A T)
Yemen Qaeda/ISIS Killed now Colonel Wahad Awn, director of Aden prison after storming the prison to release Qaeda leaders.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/728541857224003585
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
6.5.2016 – Gmünder Tagespost, Lokalzeitungen (* A K P)
Zähe Gespräche über einen Frieden im Jemen
Ist ein Ende der jemenitischen Katastrophe in Sicht? Gespräche in Kuwait zwischen den Kriegsparteien kommen langsam voran.
Den Fünf-Punkte-Plan, den der UN-Sicherheitsrat in seiner Resolution 2216 beschloss, haben beide Seiten inzwischen akzeptiert. Er fordert den Rückzug aller bewaffneten Gruppen, die Übergabe der schweren Waffen, ein Sicherheitskonzept für den Wiederaufbau der staatlichen Institutionen, die Wiederaufnahme eines politischen Dialogs sowie ein Komitee zum Austausch der Gefangenen.
Keine Einigung gibt es bislang, in welcher Reihenfolge die Punkte umgesetzt werden sollen. Die Huthis legen Wert auf den politischen Prozess sowie die Bildung einer neuen Regierung, in der sie mehr Macht und Mitsprache in Sanaa fordern. Erst dann wollen sie ihre Waffen an die künftige Führung abgeben. Das Regierungslager und die Saudis wollen dagegen zuerst die Entwaffnung der Rebellen, bevor der politische Prozess beginnen kann - eine Bedingung, die die Huthis als Aufforderung zur Kapitulation verstehen – von Martin Gehlen
http://www.gmuender-tagespost.de/1477452
6.5.2016 - Shiite News (A K P)
Saudi-backed side blocking Yemen talks: Ansarullah
Yemen's Ansarullah movement says delegates loyal to Saudi-backed resigned president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi are blocking UN-brokered Yemen peace talks in Kuwait.
"The forces of aggression are blocking political discussions in Kuwait... by invoking false pretexts alongside a serious escalation," Ansarullah spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam tweeted on Thursday.
5.5.2016 – Human Rights Watch (* B K P)
Film: Yemen Peace Talks: A Need For Accountability
The armed conflict in Yemen has been characterized by numerous violations of the laws of war by all sides, which have not been investigated nor have resulted in any redress for victims of unlawful attacks. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition of nine Arab countries has carried out indiscriminate airstrikes against residential neighborhoods, markets, and other civilian structures causing several hundred civilian casualties. Ansar Allah, the northern group, also known as the Houthis, and other armed groups on both sides have committed various abuses in ground operations. Although a ceasefire was announced on April 10, fighting has continued across Yemen. The United Nations-backed talks began in Kuwait on April 21, 2016. Participants to the Yemen peace talks should support international investigations, transitional justice, and victim compensation as key elements of any agreement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJCdK2Hl1-o
5.5.2016 – UN News Centre (A K P)
Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continuing amid ‘worrying’ breaches of the cessation of hostilities
In his latest update on the Yemeni peace talks currently under way in Kuwait, the UN envoy for the conflict-torn country confirmed they are continuing despite a number of breaches of the cessation of hostilities yesterday, which he described as “worrying.”
“The peace talks are continuing, we are determined to reach an agreement and this commitment will not wane over time,” the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, told reporters at a press conference in Kuwait, the host country for the talks.
“We agreed with the two delegations that the De-escalation and Coordination Committee (DCC) would investigate clashes on the ground and would provide us with detailed reports with the aim of protecting the ongoing peace talks from daily developments on the ground,” he added.
Highlighting the strong link between the security situation in Yemen and the political process, Mr. Cheikh Ahmed underscored that the occasional tension on the ground should not obstruct the peace talks.
“We hope that the positive atmosphere in the talks will also be reflected in the security situation. As I have always said, the only way to resolve the conflict in Yemen is through the conclusion of a political settlement,” he noted.
“There were a number of breaches of the cessation of hostilities yesterday and this is worrying. We are carefully following-up on the issue with the parties with the support of the international community,” he said.
In order to move the talks forward, the delegates met today in three working groups. These groups began consultations on political and security issues, in addition to issues related to prisoners and detainees.
“The parties reiterated their support to the DCC and the Local De-escalation Committees which are playing an important role in halting hostilities in their respective governorates. The UN stressed the importance of strengthening the operational role of the Local De-escalation Committees in the country and especially in Taiz. The success of those Committees in Taiz would serve as model for the country and will help ensure constant and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid,” the envoy explained.
UN reports indicate that the cessation of hostilities has increased the ability of humanitarian agencies to conduct their activities and to deliver aid effectively. In the governorate of Taiz for example, drinking water was distributed and a number of health working groups were established to follow-up on medical cases and to provide medical services.
In the governorates of Hajjah and Al-Jawf, a number of emergency child protection campaigns were launched. In addition, work has started on training volunteers and specialists to provide psychological support, and around nine million internally displaced persons have been provided with food aid.
“There is no doubt the level of humanitarian need far exceeds what has been provided, but it is important to recognize that more help is getting through. We hope that the humanitarian agencies will be able to make further progress in the coming days. We call on all parties to facilitate the operations of these agencies in all governorates,” said Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
Underlining that the participation of Yemeni women is a vital part of advancing the peace talks, the UN official announced that seven women leaders arrived in Kuwait last night. They are expected to meet with a range of interlocutors to urge them to reach a comprehensive political settlement.
“The women aim to deliver measured and comprehensive messages to the two delegations and the international community,” he noted. “There is no doubt that their role will remain vital and their arguments central to all of our efforts and in the upcoming reconstruction phase.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=53866#.VywScvmLSUl
5.5.2016 – AFP (A K P)
Yemen foes discuss key issues in direct talks: UN
Yemen foes discussed major political and security issues Thursday in face-to-face negotiations aimed at bringing an end to 13 months of devastating war, the UN envoy said.
Three joint working groups formed by the United Nations exchanged views on resolving the political and security issues, and the release of prisoners and detainees, said UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
The teams were formed from members of the warring delegations on Wednesday when direct talks resumed following a three-day interruption after the government delegation walked out in protest against the seizure of an army camp by the rebels.
The talks were entering their third week on Thursday, but there has yet to be a breakthrough with delegations trading accusations of violating the ceasefire that took effect on April 11.
"We have learned that ceasefire violations were committed in the past two days and this is a disturbing development," Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a news conference.
The UN special envoy urged those involved in the negotiators not to allow the ceasefire violations to impact the ongoing peace talks.
He said a joint UN-sponsored ceasefire monitoring committee had been asked to investigate clashes on the ground and submit detailed reports.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/yemen-govt-urges-un-action-over-rebel-fire-155008470.html and by Aljazeera: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/yemen-peace-talks-overshadowed-truce-violations-160505184908962.html
5.5.2016 – The National UAE (A K P)
Yemen government demands UN action over rebel shelling of Taez
The Yemeni government delegation at peace talks in Kuwait on Thursday demanded action from the United Nations over rebel shelling of the besieged city of Taez.
Foreign minister Abdulmalek Al Mekhlafi said the artillery fire by the rebels was in contravention of undertakings they had given when face-to-face negotiations resumed on Wednesday following a three-day walkout by his team.
Mr Al Mekhlafi said his negotiators had submitted proposals to UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed for implementing an April 11 ceasefire in Taez, where loyalist troops have been under rebel siege for months, trapping tens of thousands of civilians.
“We received a racist response" from the rebels, the minister said on Twitter.
Mr Al Mekhlafi accused the rebels and their allies in renegade army units still loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh of targeting civilians in Taez.
He warned that the rebel shelling would “have serious consequences on the peace process" unless the international community honoured its undertakings to shore up the fragile ceasefire.
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
5.5.2016 – BBC (* A E P)
Saudi government lifts ban on troubled Binladin Group
Saudi Arabia is to once again allow construction giant Saudi Binladin Group bid for state contracts, days after it laid off tens of thousands of workers.
The firm was penalised after one of its cranes collapsed at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in September, killing 107 people.
A travel ban that was imposed on its top managers has also been lifted.
SBG, which was founded by the father of late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has also been affected by an economic slowdown resulting from low oil prices.
On Saturday, staff set fire to several company buses in Mecca during the latest protest at the layoffs and not being paid their salaries for up to six months.
A senior SBG executive told the Reuters news agency on Thursday that the company had been granted permission to submit tenders for government construction projects in a royal decree.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36211647
cp9 USA
5.5.2016 – Deutschlandfunk (A K P)
USA unterstützen arabische Truppen im Kampf gegen al-Kaida
Im Kampf gegen al-Kaida-Terroristen im Jemen wollen die USA das Bündnis mehrerer Golf-Staaten militärisch unterstützen.
Ein Sprecher des Pentagon in Washington teilte mit, es gehe um einen begrenzten Einsatz nahe der Extremistenhochburg Mukalla im Süden des Landes. Die USA stünden unter anderem mit Luftüberwachung, medizinischer Versorgung und Logistik bereit. Unbestätigten Angaben zufolge sollen auch US-Militärberater vor Ort sein, die sich jedoch nicht an Kampfeinsätzen beteiligen.
Kommentar: Die deutsche Meldung (wo es sie überhaupt gibt) folgt natürlich der offiziellen amerikanischen Lesart vom Kampf gegen Al Qaida und möglichst vagen Aussagen über eigene Leute vor Ort. Da werden andere Quellen deutlicher.
5.5.2016 – Mohammed Shami (A K P)
At least 100 of the #American #Rangers arrive today to #Al-Anad#Airforce Base in #Lahj Governorate, #Yemen. Additionally, 4 #USAmillitary cargo shipments landed, carrying armory to the same location. This is taking place while reports indicate #KSA is gathering massive ground forces on #Yemeni boarders from #Najran Gov. Needless to mention also the latest tactical role-exchanged Saudi-lead colaition did with #AQAP in #Mukalla Gov. last month.
All this violates the principle of good will that is supposed to prevail on the negotiation dialogue being held in #Kuwait. In fact, it may suggest that these talks may have been only used as a cover and to buy time for the aggression forces, where the battle fround is being prepared for a very brutal round of killings and bloodshed, lead by Saudi while backed by The#US and #UK mainly!
https://www.facebook.com/mohamad.shami.33/posts/10153588776012217 = https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1020510018002028&id=961126490607048
5.5.2016 – AP (* A K P)
US Military Supporting Yemen in Fight Against Al-Qaida
The Pentagon is providing military support, intelligence, ships and special operations forces to help in the ongoing operations against al-Qaida militants in Yemen, U.S. officials said Thursday.
The U.S. military is helping Yemeni, Emirati and Arab Coalition forces that are battling al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, and were recently able to retake the port city of Mukalla from AQAP control.
A senior U.S. official said that American special operations forces are advising the Yemeni and Emirati forces in the region, and that they are working at the headquarters level and are not near the conflict. The official was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.
Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the U.S. is providing "limited support" to the Arab Coalition and Yemeni operations in and around Mukalla. He said that includes planning, airborne surveillance, intelligence gathering, medical support, refueling and maritime interdiction.
Davis declined to discuss whether or not special operations forces were in the country. But he said the U.S. has sent a number of ships to the region including the USS Boxer amphibious ready group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is embarked with the group. The USS Gravely and USS Gonzalez, both Navy destroyers, are also in the area – by Lolita C. Baldor
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/us-military-supporting-yemen-fight-al-qaida-38913311 = http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-05-06/us-military-supporting-yemen-in-fight-against-al-qaida
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
5.5.2016 – They work for you (* A P)
The Gulf — [Mr David Nuttall in the Chair]
– in Westminster Hall at 9:30 am on 4th May 2016.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2016-05-04a.73.0
Comment: parliament debate, too long for any excerpts here. That partly are “subterranean” statements. Some remarks by Jamila Hanan:
MP @AlanDuncanMP accuses @hammersmithandy of 'extraordinary lack of knowledge' after calls for #Yemen investigation
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/728192817558884352
UK Gov’s envoy to #Yemen @AlanDuncanMP says UK should show respect + understanding to + work with countries of GCC
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/728194347741679616
Chairman of Conservative Middle East council @AlanDuncanMP is also UK envoy to #Yemen so don't expect UK to back any independent inquiry.
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/728194925817413633
UK #Conservatives painting picture that supporting Gulf regime is about promoting tolerance in #Islam and understanding of other cultures
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/728202718976851969
5.5.2016 – Buzzfeed (* A P)
MP Asks To See Unpublished Reports On Saudi Strikes In Yemen
Liberal Democrat Tom Brake has tabled a question in parliament following a select committee report into Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign in Yemen.
A Liberal Democrat MP, Tom Brake, has tabled a question in parliament asking for the foreign secretary to make public reports his department has received from the Saudi Arabian military regarding the Saudi-led coalition’s bombing campaign in Yemen.
The existence of the reports was revealed last week by Philip Dunne, the minister for defence procurement, at the committee on arms exports controls. He said that officials based in Riyadh were receiving reports from the Saudi air force into its raids in Yemen.
Brake’s question was tabled the day after the international development select committee published a report concluding that government’s claim that Saudi Arabia’s campaign has not breached international humanitarian law was “deeply disappointing”.
David Cameron’s governments have overseen the sale of over £5.6 billion of military licences to Saudi Arabia since 2010, according to research published by Campaign Against Arms Trade.
Brake told BuzzFeed News: “After months of evasion, the government is finally opening up about their role in Saudi Arabia’s brutal bombing campaign in Yemen, which has been accused of severe breeches of humanitarian law.
“It is clear now they have access to Saudi reports on each strike, and I believe these reports should be fully published – by Alan White
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
5.5.2016 – Living in Yemen on the Edge (* B P)
You might have seen the news in Arabic and wonder why Yemenis are ever so upset with an airport.
In the meantime, we ask you, in solidarity, to boycott Royal Jordanian airlines and Amman Airport.
Since March 26 2015 all Yemenis travelling abroad must receive the ok from Saudi Arabia. There are few flights (a handful, not even) a week, and Yemenis must produce papers and receive the ok by the aggressor.
In addition, when airplane leaves Yemen, it must stop in Bisha (Saudi Arabia) for additional check.
Usually Yemenis are allowed to travel to Jordan and then move on to next destination. Bear in mind Yemenis travel abroad mainly for medical reasons. And they need to pay 300 USD, per person, of ´war insurance´ (for a war waged on them), have a return ticket and thousands of dollars to prove they can take care of themselves abroad. Humiliating to say the least.
What happened at Queen Alia Airport in Amman is appalling.
When Yemeni passengers arrived, 10 days ago, they were not allowed to enter the airport. No matter the final destination, they were not even allowed to enter the transit zone.
People had nowhere to sit. Nowhere to buy food, drinks. No mosque to pray, no restroom.
For the elderly, the sick, the women, the children, everyone: no entrance allowed as long as you are Yemeni.
Some passengers had to wait 48 hours. People had to sleep on the cold floor with no water, no food. Nothing.
Can you imagine it? Why the humiliation?
We ask the international community for support. Yemenis have not done anything wrong. They are not animals, they are not prisoners, they are not convicts.
Please speak for Yemen. Please help us.
Boycott Jordan.
4.5.2016 – The Globe and the Mail (* A P)
Saudi Arabia wages public campaign to boost reputation in Canada
Saudi Arabia is mounting a charm offensive in Ottawa this month that appears aimed at boosting its reputation among Canadians – or at least federal politicians – with a celebration of Saudi culture that will include folk dancers on Parliament Hill.
The Mideast country’s abysmal human-rights record has featured prominently in a growing controversy about a $15-billion deal to buy Canadian-made combat vehicles.
Polling suggests the vast majority of Canadians hold a dim view of the Saudi Arabian government
The Saudi embassy, however, would like Canadians to consider other aspects of Saudi life as it seeks closer ties with Canada.
The embassy is issuing invitations to “Saudi Cultural Days in Canada” from May 18 to May 21 that will include demonstrations of Arab cuisine, calligraphy, fine arts, music, henna design and handicrafts, and seminars on Saudi-Canada relations.
One critic of the Saudi arms deal noted many aspects of life in Saudi Arabia will be absent from the display Riyadh is mounting in Ottawa.
“We’re not going to see the executions, the crucifixions, the people flogged for what they wrote on blogs, we’re not going to see women denied the right to drive,” said Steven Staples, vice-president of the Rideau Institute, an advocacy and research group.
“I don’t care how many dancers they bring to Parliament Hill – it’s not going to change Canadians’ views.” – by Steven Chase
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / See cp6
5.5.2016 – Reuters (A T)
Al Qaeda militants begin to leave two Yemeni towns: residents
Al Qaeda militants began to pull out of two southern Yemeni town on Thursday, residents said, following weeks of mediation by tribesmen for them to exit peacefully rather than resist a Gulf-backed offensive.
Dozens of fighters in Zinjibar and Jaar, the two largest towns in southwestern Abyan province, were seen leaving with their weapons to the surrounding countryside.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-qaeda-idUSKCN0XW185 and by AP: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/al-qaida-withdrawing-from-2-cities-east-of-yemens-aden-port/2016/05/05/83f97296-12b1-11e6-a9b5-bf703a5a7191_story.html
5.5.2016 – Fuad Rajeh (B T)
Qaeda withdrew from Mukalla & today from Abyan. To where? Uranus? Definitely to another Yemen town! Does this make sense? Is it solution?
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/728346556492070912
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
6.5.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A K PH)
Dozens killed&injured In two bombings in two popular markets In Baidha&Mareb,Qaeda strongholds, in Yemen Today Friday.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/728542930672209921
5.5.2016 – Fars News (A K PH)
Saudi Air Force Violates Ceasefire to Bomb Yemeni Capital
The Saudi Air Force has launched several air raids over the capital city of Sana'a in the last two days, causing damage in a number of residential areas, several sources said on Thursday.
"In addition to bombing Sana'a, the Saudi Air Force also targeted the Ansarullah-controlled Anad Camp and a number of districts in Ma'rib province, killing a number of civilians and fighters," the sources added.
The Saudi army and its mercenaries have frequently been violating the ceasefire in Yemen in the course of this week, conducting a number of attacks on Ansarullah fighters and civilians in different provinces.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950216000493
5.5.2016 – Hussian Albukhaiti (A K PH)
Another #Saudi #UAE backed forces attack on Nehim #Sanaa Almetoon Aljawof Almisraakh #Taiz 3 fresh #KSA jets strikes on Sirwah Marib #Yemen
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/728248751417139200
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
5.5.2016 – Yemen Post News (A K)
WAR & PEACE in #Yemen: 27 killed today during Houthi clashes with opposing fighters while UN peace talks continue.
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/728270066727391233
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/krieg-im-jemen-neue-artikel-zum-nachlesen-139
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-139: / Yemen Press Reader 1-139:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
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