Krieg im Jemen-Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 144

Yemen Press Reader 144: Jemen: Einmischung der USA - Lüders: Vortrag - Friedensgespräche stagnieren - Mukalla: IS-Anschlag, 38 Tote - Berichte aus Saudi-Arabien - 9/11 - Jordanien: Waffenmesse

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Yemen: US involved in another regional conflict - Michael Lüders: Lecture (German) - Peace talks in deadlock - IS: Attack in Mukalla, 38 killed - Reports from Saudi Arabia - 9/11 again - Jordan Arms Expo - 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

cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp9 USA

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(Kein Stern / No star)

A = Aktuell / Current news

B = Hintergrund / Background

C = Chronik / Chronicle

D = Details

E = Wirtschaft / Economy

H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions

K = Krieg / War

P = Politik / Politics

PH = Pro-Houthi

PS = Pro-Saudi

T = Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

14.5.2016 – Strategic Culture (*** B K P)

War in Yemen: US Directly Involved in Another Regional Conflict

The US deployment in Yemen is just the latest in a growing number of small US deployments across the world, getting America mired in yet another conflict. The US DoD says it’s a small deployment. But the deployments in Iraq were also small after the withdrawal in December 2011. Now the US has 5,000 ground troops amassed there to carry out different missions, including the preparations to liberate Mosul from IS.

US Special Operations forces have been quietly deployed around the world since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to shore up US allies embroiled in different conflicts. Formally, the mission is to «train, advise and assist». SOF activities have been an extension of US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

US SOF have been already deployed to 135 nations, according to Ken McGraw, a spokesman for Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

That’s roughly 70% of the countries on the planet. Every day, in fact, America’s most elite troops are carrying out missions in 80 to 90 nations. Each day, according to Special Operations Command (SOCOM) commander General Joseph Votel, approximately 11,000 special operators are deployed or stationed outside the United States with many more on standby, ready to respond in the event of an overseas crisis.

The geographic expansion of US SOF operations and, correspondingly, political influence is breathtaking. For instance, in 2010, special operations forces were deployed in 75 countries, compared with about 60 at the beginning of 2009. In 2011, the number reached 120.

Instead of large deployments of troops, US Special Operations forces embed with local militaries to help bolster their capabilities and often accompany them on missions that serve the interests of the United States.

SOF prefer to operate in the shadows while its personnel and missions expand globally to little notice or attention. The activities are closely intertwined with foreign policy and the boundary line is blur. In one particular blurring of boundaries, Special Operations liaison officers (SOLOs) are embedded in at least 14 key US embassies to assist in advising the special forces of various allied nations. According to Nick Turse, an American investigative journalist, SOF are already operating in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, El Salvador, France, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Poland, Peru, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The SOLO program is poised to expand to 40 countries by 2019.

SOCOM has also forged close ties with the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Security Agency, among other outfits.

Talking about the most recent deployment, Yemen is not the only one. On April 25, President Obama outlined plans to bolster US SOF in Syria, raising their number to as many as 300 troops in a move he said was needed to keep pressure on the Islamic State.

It’s not only preparing for or being engaged in combat operations. Over the last decade the forces have been more frequently assigned long-term missions meant to train and build local security forces around the world, acting as an important foreign policy tool.

Many countries view sending SOF on far away missions as throwing US military weight around. It is also viewed as an example of the United States acting outside the law to pursue its own interest. For instance, the US SOF raid to eliminate Osama bin Laden in 2011 seriously spoiled the bilateral relations with Pakistan. To be effective, such operations need the cooperation and participation of governments. That’s where the problem of sovereignty and public opinion comes to the fore.

SOF may wrongly identify targets and inflict civil losses as well. Moreover, the deaths of civilian bystanders and the very fact of US armed forces conducting operations on the territory of other states, in most cases without their governments consent, fuels anti-US sentiments in the countries in which targeted killing operations have taken place.

SOF operations do not fix problems, but that’s what President Obama gives priority to. The administration is counting on SOF’s stepped-up operations over the next year to turn around largely negative public opinion of its track record against Islamic State.

Neither the Yemeni government, not the United Nations has asked America to take action. The President’s decision to intervene militarily in one more conflicts is a brazen violation of international and domestic law. Mr Obama is playing with fire. The desire to improve his public image by military ventures abroad is fraught with grave implications. As history shows, «limited interventions» have a big chance to turn into large-scale wars. Remember Vietnam? – by Peter Korzun

http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/05/14/war-yemen-us-directly-involved-another-regional-conflict.html and see also http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/11/politics/special-ops-small-wars-isis-al-qaeda/index.html

12.5.2016 – Akademie Kanal (*** B K P)

Film: Michael Lüders - Wer den Wind sät: Was westliche Politik im Orient anrichtet - kompletter Vortrag

Vortrag vom 11.04.2016 im Tagungszentrum Stuttgart Hohenheim
Michael Lüders ist Politik und Islamwissenschaftler und langjährigen Nahostkorrespondent.
Er beschreibt in seinem 2015 erschienen Buch, das bereits heute in der 14. Auflage steht, die westlichen Interventionen im Nahen und Mittleren Osten und zeigt ihre verheerenden Folgen, darunter Terror, Staatszerfall und der Siegeszug des IS.
„Nachgefragt“ möchte auch hier einen Schritt zurück treten und nach den Ursachen der Konflikte fragen, die uns derzeit in Europa so einholen, dass sie auch hier und in den europäischen Nachbarländern noch nicht absehbare Folgen haben werden. Lüders beginnt seine Analyse mit dem inszenierten Putsch gegen Mossadegh und seine Regierung 1953.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0WfPvb7XN8

15.5.2016 – Anadolu (** A P)

Yemen talks fail to bridge gap between warring sides

Peace talks in Kuwait have remained in deadlock since they began on April 11

A Saturday "mini-session" held in Kuwait between a Yemeni government delegation and representatives of the Shia Houthi group and their allies failed to bridge the gap between the two warring sides, according to sources close to the talks.

The session was chaired by UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed and attended by four members of each side, one source close to the talks, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media, said.

"The government delegation insisted that Yemeni state institutions must be surrendered [from Houthi control] and Houthi militiamen must withdraw from cities occupied earlier," the source said.

"The Houthi delegation, for its part, insisted on the establishment of a unity government in which they would play a role," the source added.

Immediately after Saturday’s session, Abdul-Malik al-Mikhlafi, head of the government delegation, described the ongoing gap between the two sides’ positions as "wide".

In a series of tweets, he declared that the Houthis "only want power; they are demanding [a role in] the government and power-sharing".

He added: "I’m surprised how this militia -- which turned against the state and destroyed its institutions, laws and army -- can now demand a role in power-sharing".

The government delegation insists that it represents Yemen’s sole legitimate governing authority, citing last year’s UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

The Houthis, for their part, say they represent the country’s de facto rulers, having run sovereign state institutions -- including its central bank -- for more than one year.

Sources close to the talks told Anadolu Agency that UN envoy Ould Ahmed had called for the formation of "national security groups" at the provincial level, to be followed by the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting, which has continued in Yemen despite a ceasefire.

The same sources had told Anadolu Agency earlier that the main sticking point in the talks hinged on "the legitimacy of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and his government".

The Houthi delegation, sources say, want to see Hadi replaced with a "presidential transitional council" to temporarily run the country’s affairs.

This would be followed by the replacement of the current government -- led by Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid bin Daghr -- with a "unity government" to include Houthi representatives.

The government, meanwhile, the same sources said, insist that the Houthis first surrender their weapons and withdraw from cities occupied earlier.

Only then would the current government be expanded to include representatives of the Houthis and their allies.

Hadi would then preside over a "transitional phase" that would end with the amendment of Yemen’s constitution and new presidential elections – by Zakaria al-Kamali

http://aa.com.tr/en/politics/yemen-talks-fail-to-bridge-gap-between-warring-sides/572632

Comment: That is the deadlock which the talks will not get over. The government delegation clearly expresses that they are not willing to share power with the Houthis. Reason: Their “legitimacy”, as it was bestowed to the Hadi government by UN resolution 2216, because of Western and Saudi influence. Without this international partisanship for one party, both would be forced to come to a compromise. So, the one side thinks it must not. Whatever, according to the political process in Yemen, the legitimacy of Hadi had ended Feb. 25, 2015. And meanwhile, not only the Houthi-held north, but also most powers of the south, his own governor and security forces in his own “capital city” no more care for Hadi.

cp2 Allgemein / General

13.5.2016 – Hisham Al-Omeisy (A K P)

With no loyalists & popular support on ground, Hadi's existence hinges on war or deal ensuring continuation. Else "legitimacy" gone.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/730889264205070336

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

13.5.2016 – The American Conservative (B H K)

The Worsening Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen may be about to get even worse. The World Food Programme is about to run short of funds and won’t be able to provide aid to the country.

Losing this aid would be another serious blow to the civilian population of Yemen. It bears repeating that the country wouldn’t be in these straits were it not for the Saudi-led intervention and blockade. The blockade is what has cut the country off from its normal supply of food, and lifting the blockade would be the most effective way to combat the near-famine conditions that the coalition has created over the last thirteen months. While negotiations continue in Kuwait in an attempt to halt the fighting, the blockade that is starving tens of millions of people remains in place. As long as the blockade is in force, humanitarian aid alone won’t be able to meet the needs of the people of Yemen.

The outside world has largely ignored the war on Yemen and the humanitarian catastrophe it has caused, and so it isn’t surprising that donations to fund assistance for Yemen have been paltry compared to the enormous needs of the population.

Yemen’s worsening humanitarian crisis has received scant attention despite the fact that it is one of the gravest crises in the world today. If they do nothing else, the very least that outside governments could do is to provide funds to alleviate some of the civilian population’s suffering. We also shouldn’t forget that the U.S. and U.K. governments continue to back the senseless Saudi-led war on Yemen, including this obscene and unnecessary blockade that is causing the people of Yemen to waste away – by Daniel Larison

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-worsening-humanitarian-crisis-in-yemen/

13.5.2016 – Scirp (** B H)

Severe Acute Malnutrition among Hospitalized Children, Aden, Yemen

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children under 5 years of age worldwide. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of SAM among hospitalized children at Al-Wahda teaching hospital in Aden, Yemen. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional hospital based study was conducted on 622 hospitalized children (336 males and 286 females) below 6 years of age during 2012-2013. SAM was defined as a very low weight for height (below-3 Z scores of the median WHO growth standards). Results: SAM was diagnosed in 622 children with prevalence rate of 5.2% from total 11,941 admissions during 24 months period. A higher proportion of patients were marasmus 586 (94.2%) and only 36 (5.8%) were kwashiorkor. Marasmus was common in <1 year of age in 347 (59.2%) while kwashiorkor between 1 - 5 years in 22 (61.1%) patients. Males (54%) predominated females (46%) with a male to female ratio of 1.18:1 in SAM but with no significant difference in sex. The highest comorbidities with SAM were gastroenteritis 442 (71.1%) and 103 pneumonia (16.6%) with a total cure of 492 (79.1%) patients. Conclusion: This high prevalence of SAM among males who were <5 years of age with high risk of gastroenteritis and pneumonia added weight to the urgent need to improve the nutritional status of children – by Mohammed Ali Badi, Iman Ali Ba-Saddik

http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=66452 and in full: http://file.scirp.org/pdf/OJEpi_2016051315363788.pdf

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

14.5.2016 – Fars News (A P)

Ansarullah Commander: US Looking for Pretext to Justify Presence in Southern Yemen

Yemeni Popular Forces' Commanders announced that Washington has stirred security threats in Southern Yemen to find an excuse for the presence of the US troops there.

"The security turmoil in Southern Yemen is a US plot to occupy the country," Ansarullah commander Abdullah al-Nassiri told FNA on Saturday.

Al-Nassiri reiterated that the US, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are cooperating hard to continue their occupation of Yemen.

Last Sunday, Ansarullah Movement's Spokesman Mohammad Abdulsalam strongly condemned the US for dispatching its military servicemen to a military base in Lahij province in Southern Yemen.

"The presence of the US soldiers in Yemen is blatant violation of Yemen's national sovereignty," Ansarullah Movement's Spokesman Mohammad Abdulsalam wrote on his Twitter account and in reaction to the deployment of the US troops in Southern Yemen.

He underlined that the Ansarullah movement condemns the US deployment in Southern Yemen.

Abdulsalam underlined that the occupying forces should leave Yemen and take their military hardware with them.

"When we declared that Al-Qaeda and the ISIL are present in the Southern parts of Yemen and the Yemeni army should take the responsibility to confront them, (fugitive President) Mansour Hadi and Riyadh denied the same; now who is going to be accountable," Ansarullah spokesman said.

Also on Saturday, Ansarullah in a statement condemned the US deployment in the Southern parts of Yemen.

"This action is in line with Washington's colonial goals and is blatant aggression against Yemen," part of the statement read.

The statement reiterated that the Yemeni people irrespective of their political inclinations are against the US troops' deployment in their country.

"The UN and world countries should not remain silent about the US military intervention in Yemen," it added.

The statement described the US redeployment of special forces in Southern Yemen a dangerous move at a time when political efforts and peace talks are underway in Kuwait for putting an end to war and suffering of the Yemeni people

Ansarullah's statement came after the US Army deployed 100 special forces in Southern Yemen.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950225001292 = http://kayhan.ir/en/news/26660/us-looking-for-pretext-to-justify-presence-in-southern-yemen

14.5.2016 – ABNA (A K P)

Große Demonstration in Jemen zur Verurteilung der Vereinigten Staaten + Fotos

Wie die Ahlulbayt Nachrichtenagentur ABNA berichtet, haben Zehntausende der jemenitischen Bevölkerung eine große Demonstration in jemenitischer Hauptstadt Sanaa gemacht und die Angriffe des saudischen Regimes auf dem Land verurteilt.

Eine Erklärung wurde am Ende der Demonstration abgegeben und die Einmischungen der Vereinigten Staaten in den Krieg und den Einsatz der amerikanischen Truppen in dem Land wurden verurteilt.

http://de.abna24.com/service/middle-east/archive/2016/05/14/754071/story.html

13.5.2016 – Yemen News (A P)

STOP WAR: Massive protests in #Yemen calling for end of 13 month deadly war that killed 1000s innocent civilians.

https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/731146057413971968 and also https://www.facebook.com/Classy.Yemeni/posts/828960857234097 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/731073539944648704 and

13.5.2016 – Living in Yemen on the Edge (A P)

This is, again, Sanaà today demonstrating against ' boots' on the ground.
The US presence in the Middle East or Afghanistan has never proven to be worth remembering. Ask Iraq.
After years of drone strikes against civilians, after over a year of US intelligence supporting KSA's + Coalition's airstrikes on homes, civilians, weddings, fish-boats and similar, you cannot expect Yemenis to be welcoming what to most people's eyes look like an imperialistic invasion.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1025036137549416&id=961126490607048

12.5.2016 – Mwatana (* A P)

Mwatana: Houthi Group Should Release All Detainees and Forcibly Disappeared People Held in Its Prisons

Mwatana Organization for Human Rights said that the Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis) carried out wide campaign of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances. The campaign targeted hundreds of civilians all over the territorial regions under its control ever since the group took over the capital Sana'a and power in the country end of September 2014, in a grave violation against human right and International Humanitarian Law.

Mwatana calls on Ansar Allah Group (Houthis) to halt violating the International Humanitarian Law, release all arbitrary detainees soon, and disclose the fate of those forcibly disappeared in its prisons; without any delay that may redouble perils risking their lives or extending the restriction of their freedom and denying them their rights and dignity.

This is stated in a report Mwatana issued today, documenting dozens cases of arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances carried out by Houthi authorities against civilians in seven Yemeni governorates (Sana’a, Taiz, Hodeidah, Hajjah, Ibb, Dhamar and Amran).

The incidents of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance were conducted against civilians of different opinions and political opponents of Houthi Group; mainly members of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Al-Islah Party). Such detention incidents have targeted ordinary people, local journalists, political activists and human rights defenders, physicians, academics, imams, politicians and members of the Jewish minority in Yemen. Three women of the Al-Islah Party leadership were also subjected to arrest and temporary detention.

The report entitled “They Are Not Here” includes 53 cases of arbitrary detentions and 26 cases of enforced disappearances carried out by Houthi Group. Mwatana verified these cases through field investigation conducting around 200 interviews with families of victims, eyewitnesses, and released victims.

These cases include 10 journalists had been forcibly disappeared for several months before unveiling locations of their detentions. Some of these journalists were subjected to torture and held in solitary confinement according to testimonies of their relatives that Mwatana has documented.

The release of this report coincided with hunger strike begun by the detained journalists due to being subjected to maltreatment in their detentions, according to a press release by their families of which Mwatana received a copy.

Radhya al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, said: “Houthi Group pursues repressive dangerous behavior when deliberately forcibly hiding civilians in the darkness of its detentions and leaving hundreds of families in dark labyrinth of tragedy”.

The Report emphatically calls for the formulation of an international commission to investigate all violations and breaching of International Humanitarian Law by all the parties to the conflict in Yemen, particularly issues of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance.

Al-Mutawakel, stressed that these grave violations against the International Humanitarian Law, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances and relevant practices that degrade the humanitarian dignity--besides they are a stain in the Houthi group record which they will bear to the future, they are also crimes that do not subject to statutory limitations and the Houthi group must recognize this.

Al-Mutawakel urged the Houthi group to respect the International Humanitarian Law, and called on the international community, particularly the UN and its special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to put the addressing of detainees issue among priorities of Kuwait talks without linking it to any other files.

http://mwatana.org/en/1252016460 and Executive Summary: http://www.mwatana.org/en/1252016459 and as PDF file: http://www.mwatana.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Executive%20Summary_English_PDF_0.pdf

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

15.5.2016 – NDTV (A E)

Abu Dhabi Prince Orders $20 Million Investments In Yemen

Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today directed an investment of $20 million in support of the small and medium enterprises sector in Yemen.
This comes within the framework of the United Arab Emirates' keenness to support governmental efforts aimed at empowerment of young people and the promotion of social, economic and political stability in Yemen.
The initiative, which will be implemented and supervised by the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, will first cover the cities of Aden and Al Mukalla and then will be extended to other provinces and cities.
The initiative will contribute to strengthening of the Yemeni economy and push it towards recovery and growth, besides providing job opportunities for Yemenis and promoting investment and entrepreneurship in the country.

http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/abu-dhabi-prince-orders-20-million-investments-in-yemen-1406488

Comment: Not having bombed Yemen would have been much better. This sum equals the cost of 2 ½ hours aerial war against Yemen.

15.5.2016 – Der Standard (A T)

Doppelanschlag im Jemen – Fast 40 Tote

Im Jemen ist die Zahl der Toten durch Anschläge in der Hafenstadt Mukalla am Sonntag auf fast 40 gestiegen. Zunächst riss ein Selbstmordattentäter mindestens 31 Polizeirekruten in den Tod und verletzte mehr als 60 weitere Menschen, wie Ärzte mitteilten. Bei einem Attentat auf den Sicherheitschef der Stadt, Mubarak al-Ubthani, wurden wenig später sechs seiner Leibwächter getötet.

Al-Ubthani wurde leicht verletzt. Die Jihadistenmiliz Islamischer Staat (IS) bekannte sich im Internet zu dem Selbstmordanschlag auf die Rekrutierungsstelle

http://derstandard.at/2000037015548/Anschlag-auf-Armee-Anwaerter-im-Jemen-Mindestens-25-Tote siehe auch http://www.nzz.ch/international/nahost-und-afrika/konflikt-im-jemen-15-tote-bei-selbstmordanschlag-ld.82694 und Film (18 +!!): http://www.radiohamburg.de/Videos/(id)/2198435/Selbstmordattentäter-im-Jemen-reißt-mehrere-Dutzend-Menschen-in-den-Tod

15.5.2016 – Sputnik News (A T)

Terrorangriff in Jemen: Dutzende Polizisten getötet

Ein Selbstmordattentäter hat am Sonntagmorgen in der Hafenstadt Al-Mukalla im Südjemen mindestens 30 Polizei-Rekruten mit in den Tod gerissen, weitere 70 haben diverse Verletzungen erlitten, wie der TV-Sender Sky News Arabia auf seinem Twitter-Mikroblog mitteilt.

Laut dem TV-Sender überlebte der Polizeichef den Angriff. Zu dem Anschlag bekannte sich die Terrormiliz Daesh (auch Islamischer Staat, IS).

http://de.sputniknews.com/panorama/20160515/309855661/jemen-anschlag-polizei-tote.html

15.5.2016 - AFP (A T)

Yemen: IS bombs kill 47 Yemen police in former Qaeda bastion

A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group and a second blast killed 47 police Sunday in the Yemeni port of Mukalla where a year of Al-Qaeda rule ended last month, medics said.

It was the second attack in days claimed by IS in the city of 200,000 people that was recaptured by government forces from the rival jihadists of Al-Qaeda with US backing.

The suicide bomber killed at least 41 police recruits on the southwestern outskirts of the city, the capital of Hadramawt province, medics said after earlier giving a toll of 31 dead.

The bomber detonated an explosives belt after joining a line of men at a police recruiting centre, a provincial official said.

More than 50 people were also wounded in the attack in Fuwah district, a medical source said - by Fawaz al-Haidari

http://www.unocha.org/aggregator/sources/80

15.5.2016 – Yemen Post (A T)

Families CRY their DEAD: Death toll rises to 38 from todays #IS suicide attacks in #Yemen southern city Mukalla.

https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/731847195360669696

15.5.2016 – Yemen Post (A T)

Double TERROR Attacks: 32 soldiers killed in 2 separate suicide attacks in #Yemen southern city of Mukalla.

https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/731810521255686145

15.5.2016 – AFP (* A T)

Bombs kill 37 Yemen police in former Al-Qaeda bastion

A suicide bombing claimed by the Daesh group and a second attack killed 37 police on Sunday in the Yemeni port of Mukalla where a year of Al-Qaeda rule was ended just last month, medics said.
It was the second attack in days claimed by Daesh in the city of 200,000 people which was recaptured by government forces from the rival extremist group Al-Qaeda with US backing.
The suicide bomber killed at least 31 police recruits on the southwestern outskirts of the city, which is the capital of Hadramawt province, medics said.
The bomber detonated an explosives belt as he joined a line of men at a police recruitment center, a provincial official said.
More than sixty people were also wounded in the attack in Fuwah district, a medical source said.
Hadramawt’s security chief, General Mubarak Al-Oubthani, who was at the recruitment center at the time of the attack but was not hurt, was the target of a second bombing when he headed to the center of Mukalla afterwards, a security official said.
The bomb went off as Oubthani walked out of his office killing six of his guards but leaving him with only minor injuries, the official said.
A Daesh statement posted online claimed the suicide attack, the second but rare intervention by the jihadist group in an area known as a stronghold of rival Al-Qaeda.
“Brother Abu Al-Bara Al-Ansari... detonated his explosives belt at a gathering of the apostates of the security forces,” it said – by Fawaz Al-Haidari

http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/bombs-kill-37-yemen-police-former-qaeda-bastion = http://www.arabnews.com/news/bombs-kill-37-yemen-police-former-al-qaeda-bastion

15.5.2016 – RT (A T)

At least 37 killed, ISIS targets recruits at Yemeni security compound

Catherine Shakdam of the Shafaqna Institute of Middle Eastern Studies told RT that the city of 200,000 people is likely being targeted due to its strategic importance.

“Mukalla in the Hadhramaut province is a strategically important area where most of the oil and resources are present. It also represents a strategic point as well because it offers an opening to the sea and on to the horn of Africa and to Asia,” she said.

“Al-Qaeda and other groups have tried for many years to get a footing in southern Yemen, even through Aden or Mukalla, but this is not really a return as they never really left,” she added.

https://www.rt.com/news/343079-yemen-isis-suicide-blast/

15.5.2016 –Reuters (* A T)

Islamic State Yemen suicide bomber kills 25 police recruits: medics

A suicide bomber killed at least 25 new recruits inside a police compound in the southern Yemeni city of Mukalla on Sunday in an attack claimed by Islamic State, medical and security sources said.

The victims were queuing up to register when the bomb, which wounded 25 others, went off, the sources said.

It was the second deadly blast in four days to hit the city, a hub for al Qaeda before the militant group was pushed out last month in an offensive by Yemeni troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

In a message on its online news agency Amaq, Islamic State said Sunday's attacker was a "martrydom-seeker" who had detonated his explosive belt. It said around 40 died in the attack.

The city's security director, Mubarak al-Awthaban, who was at a nearby office when the suicide bomber struck the Fowa camp in the southern part of Mukalla, survived, security sources said – by Mohammed Mukhashaf

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-blast-idUSKCN0Y607F

15.5.2016 – Aljazeera (A T)

Deadly bombing targets police in Yemen's Mukalla

Some of the victims were policemen returning to work following last month's recapture of Mukalla by forces of the internationally recognised government.

Other victims included young men applying for jobs with the city's local police.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/deadly-bombing-targets-police-yemen-mukalla-160515090611781.html

Images (graphic), high figure of 100 killed unconfirmed: https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/731789776383311872 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/731780401761529856 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/731789648821911552 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/731789460334120960 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/731785670432305154 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/731783589344477184 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/731779157022130176 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/731746908742488064 and film (graphic): https://www.youtube.com/embed/NCjRm6vEF-E and https://twitter.com/alhadramyalyoum/status/731743954169937920

14.5.2016 – Yemen Post (A)

Photo: MASSIVE fire burns numerous homes in #Yemen city Aden as 10s civilians stuck & lives in threat.

https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/731531136564891648

11.5.2016 – Dr.Karim (A P)

one example, Hadi & his gov

https://twitter.com/StopDestroyYem/status/730511322341888000

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

Siehe cp1 Am wichtigsten / See cp1 Most important

15.5.2016 – AFP (A P)

UN envoy to Yemen says optimistic about peace deal

The UN special envoy to Yemen said Sunday he is optimistic about achieving a peaceful settlement in the war-torn country, but admitted "difficult matters" remain unresolved.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said some progress had been achieved in the talks which began on April 21.

"Now, we have an opportunity to reach a peaceful settlement... the progress we have made on some points makes us optimistic," he told a news conference.

"But there remains some difficult matters... the problem is reaching a clear political agreement."

But the envoy declined to provide details on the progress made other than an agreement in principle to free 50 percent of prisoners and detainees before the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in the first week of June.

http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/un-envoy-yemen-says-optimistic-about-peace-deal

14.5.2016 – UN News Centre (A P)

Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continue, with consensus on some issues

In his latest update on the Yemeni peace talks currently under way in Kuwait, the United Nations envoy for the conflict-torn country reported that the two delegations discussed proposals to bridge the gap between their respective visions, reaching consensus on some issues.

“Progress is being achieved, albeit at a relatively slow pace,” said the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

The special envoy noted that the heads of the two delegations and other senior delegates discussed issues such as security arrangements and the political process needed to reach an agreement.

Calling on all parties to work towards finding a comprehensive solution as soon as possible, the special envoy said the issues being discussed are complicated, and it is imperative to “address them responsibly.”

“The two delegations have important decisions to consider in this critical period of Yemen's history,” he stressed.

The special envoy also met with several political representatives and diplomats, who he said reiterated the international community's constant support to the peace process.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=53941

14.5.2016 – KUNA (A P)

Yemen talks advance at relatively slow pace -- UN envoy

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that progress is being achieved in the peace talks albeit at a relatively slow pace. “We call on all parties to work towards finding a comprehensive solution as soon as possible”

http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2502500&language=en

13.5.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)

Yemen Consultations Overcome Houthi Use of Foul Language

Ambassador Al-Yamani: Rebels are exploiting the United Nations’ “conciliatory” language to their advantage

Several members of the Yemeni government delegation walked out of a session of UN sponsored peace consultations in Kuwait after a member of the Houthi delegation used vulgar language. Salim Mughlis was not invited to the session by the UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh, and informed sources said that he insulted members of the government delegation and the people of his province, Taiz. He also denied the existence of a blockade in Taiz which led to an altercation with the Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Aziz Ahmad Al-Jabari who is a member of the government delegation.

Despite the incident that took place on Wednesday, the government delegation continued to discuss and engage with key issues yesterday, particularly the subjects of regaining the state, the withdrawal of Houthi and Saleh militias from cities and establishments, and the surrender of heavy weapons.

In addition to security plans, the government delegation yesterday presented a new interpretive vision to the political committee at a meeting. Meanwhile, well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that an agreement to postpone a discussion about forming a national unity government to a later date was made with the rebel delegation. The issue of forming a national unity government is hindering the work of committees that emerged from the consultations formed by the UN envoy Ould Cheikh.

In a related development, Yemen’s ambassador to the United Nations Khalid Al-Yamani said that the rebel delegation is displaying a lack of seriousness at the Yemen consultations and that it came to Kuwait to legitimise the rebels’ coup. He added that they continue to carry out criminal acts against the Yemeni people and national institutions – by Arafat Madabish

http://english.aawsat.com/2016/05/article55350771/yemen-consultations-overcome-houthi-use-foul-language

Comment: The Yemeni government (Hadi) does not want to deal on a national unity government which would include the Houthis. In their eyes, as spoken out, this inclusion of the Houthis would be “to legitimise the rebels’ coup”. They just want no compromise and the other side too capitulate. Really odd is the claim that not just the Houthis, but “Saleh militia” should withdraw from the cities and surrender their heavy weapons. “Saleh militia” is just the regular Yemen army, or the greater part of it, still loyal to ex-president Saleh and alleged to the Houthis. They are no “militia” at all, and even UN resolution 2216 does not refer to them at all. On the contrary, president Hadi himself is mainly beared by “militia”, having labeled parts of them as “Yemeni army” in 2015. The Houthis should assume such a new label as well. And, at last: Further Saudi air strikes seem to be no “criminal acts against the Yemeni people”, according to this glorious ambassador.

13.5.2016 – London School of Economics and Political Science (* A P)

For lasting peace in Yemen, bring women to the table

Yemeni women may have lost the battle to fulfil their political aspirations, but this discrimination did not prevent them from leading a political change. In 2011, Yemen joined the Arab Spring and its citizens called for a change in regime through peaceful means. Women did not just participate in the nationwide mass demonstrations during that period; but they assumed a key role in the protests.

Currently, Yemen is going through a third round of peace talks. Women’s voices have been absent from the peace talks so far. This unfairness threatens the sustainability of any deal that may be reached, and women are worried that any peace deal will be centred on a power-sharing formula instead of a socially responsible resolution leading to reparation for victims and affected communities. Now, once again, we are pushing for the inclusion of women. We will not stop our peaceful campaigns until our voices are heard and until our rights are implemented – by Rasha Jarhum

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/mec/2016/05/13/for-lasting-peace-in-yemen-bring-women-to-the-table/

cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran

12.5.2016 – Foreign Policy (A P)

Hajj Closed to Iranians After Year of Discord

Last year, almost 75,000 Iranians went on the hajj — the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, a requirement of Islam, that many scrimp and save for years to afford.

This year, the Islamic Republic is set to send zero.

negotiations to keep hajj open had come to an impasse. “We did whatever we could, but it was the Saudis who sabotaged” it, said Ali Jannati, Iran’s minister of culture and Islamic guidance.

Saudi officials contested that narrative. “The decision not to participate in this year’s hajj is a decision made solely by the Iranian government in what is clearly an effort to politicize the hajj,” a spokesperson for the Saudi embassy in Washington said in an email to Foreign Policy. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always welcomed all pilgrims. Any government that hinders or prevents its citizens from exercising their right to perform the pilgrimage, shall be held accountable before Allah and the entire world.”

Even if Tehran decided not to closed off the 2016 hajj, however, few Iranians would be able to go. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran after January’s embassy incident in Tehran. Without the help of consulates or an embassy, Iranians looking to obtain hajj visas would have had to travel to other countries to apply. Even those willing and able to travel abroad for visas would likely have been wary, given last year’s tragedy and the mounting discord between the kingdom and the Islamic Republic.

Saudi Arabia could lose a half-billion dollars in revenue from the Iranians’ absence, Forbes calculated – by Benjamin Soloway

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/12/hajj-closed-to-iranians-after-year-of-discord/

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

15.5.2016 – Saudi Gazette / Al Arabiya (A P)

M-E’s biggest security center coming up in Makkah soon

The Ministry of Interior is set to launch in Saudi Arabia's Makkah province the biggest and most modern security command center in the Middle East.

Road security control room has already started working in the center. It receives reports via 911, which was launched by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior last year.

The Saudi Ministry of Interior has trained over 1,600 officers and privates to manage and operate the National Center for Joint Security Operations.

This is considered to be among the most sophisticated centers in monitoring security via 18,000 cameras which will be linked to smart applications in future. The center has two giant screens, considered to be the biggest in the Mideast.

The center has made sure to provide special services to people with special needs like the deaf and dumb. The reports they send can be received easily.

The center has passed through several stages since its establishment – by Ibrahim Alawi

http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/m-es-biggest-security-center-coming-makkah-soon/ = http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/05/15/Saudi-Arabia-plans-Middle-East-s-biggest-security-center-in-Makkah.html

15.5.2016 – Voice of America (A E P)

Dropping Oil Prices Lead to Drop in Saudi Credit Rating

Saudi Arabia saw its credit rating downgraded Saturday by Moody’s Investors Service because of the slump in world oil prices.

In a statement, Moody’s said the downgrade reflects its view that “lower oil prices have led to a material deterioration in Saudi Arabia's credit profile. A combination of lower growth, higher debt levels, and smaller domestic and external buffers leave the Kingdom less well positioned to weather future shocks.”

http://www.voanews.com/content/moodys-drops-saudi-credit-rating-based-on-oil-prices/3330942.html and also by WSJ: http://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-arabia-gulf-neighbors-suffer-ratings-downgrades-on-oil-slump-1463303671

13.5.2016 – Middle East Eye (A H)

Saudi police face storm over video of Taser attack on vegetable seller

Municipal authorities say they are investigating after claims of excessive force by a member of the local security forces in provincial Riyadh

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/storm-saudi-arabia-over-viral-video-showing-electrocution-vegetable-seller-23747528

13.5.2016 – I’m Muslim (A P)

Lebanese MP describes #Saudi Grand Mufti, June 9, 2013

https://www.facebook.com/NotoWahabism/videos/891058961022687/

13.5.2016 – The Globe and the Mail (**A P)

Saudi Arabia’s al-Qatif a growing hotbed of opposition

The Shia enclave of al-Qatif in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province is a thorn in the side of the Sunni elite who rule the desert kingdom.

The best-known resident from the area may be Sheik Nimr al-Nimr, the populist dissident Shia cleric whom the Saudi government killed in January during a wave of mass executions.

The Shia Muslims chafe at what they consider their second-class status within oil-rich Saudi Arabia, and al-Qatif has been a hotbed of opposition – some of it troubling for the reigning House of Saud.

The Globe and Mail published footage from Shia activists in al-Qatif showing Riyadh’s forces using armoured vehicles against civilians. The vehicles that were deployed are not Canadian-made, but they demonstrate the Saudis’ proclivity to use such machines against their people.

The Saudis frequently cite terror threats when they go after the area’s dissidents, some of whom are more militant than others.

Toby Matthiesen, a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford who has studied the Saudi Shiites, describes al-Qatif as an “area under lockdown” and in a perpetual state of emergency – not unlike some other parts of the Middle East.

Human Rights Watch says Shiites face discrimination in employment, the education system and the courts, and cannot build houses of worship outside designated enclaves. “Government-affiliated religious authorities continued to disparage Shia Islam in public statements and documents,” the group said in a recent report.

Not surprisingly, the Shiites in al-Qatif and other enclaves in the country have a history of chafing at Saudi rule.

“The Shia, and their areas, are economically marginalized,” Prof. Matthiesen said. “They are excluded from many sectors of the state so they have been unhappy with their position in Saudi Arabia. So they have rebelled for decades.”

The arrest, and ultimate execution, of Sheik al-Nimr has further inflamed tensions between al-Qatif and Riyadh.

Human Rights Watch, citing figures from local activists, estimated recently that more than 200 people from Shia-majority towns and villages in the Eastern Province have gone to trial for alleged protest-related crimes since 2011.

Mr. Coogle said the trials he has studied are appalling. “I’ve analyzed eight full Saudi trials of people who were involved in Eastern Province uprising and protest-related activities,” he said. “Every case I read, and the way the trial process occurred, was absolutely ludicrous. I mean it was a mockery of justice.

The Sunni rulers could move to put Shia Saudis on an equal footing. But they don’t, Prof. Matthiesen said.

And the Wahhabi clergy who hold such sway in Saudi Arabia regard the Shiites as heretics and the enemy.

Ultimately, the restive Shia population offers a benefit to Riyadh, Prof. Matthiesen said. “The Shia threat helps rally other Sunnis around the flag and it’s in fact rather useful.” – by Steven Chase (with film)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/saudi-arabias-al-qatif-a-growing-hotbed-of-opposition/article30024010/

9.5.2016 – The Independent (A H)

Woman allegedly tortured to death by her employer in Saudi Arabia

Her family claimed she had previously complained of being mentally and physically harassed

A 25-year-old Indian woman has allegedly been tortured to death by her employers in Saudi Arabia.

Asima Khatoon, who went to the Gulf state to work as a house maid, reportedly succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment for chest-related disease at the King Saud hospital.

She passed away after medical treatment failed to save her.

"She was kept in a room, they did not feed her. She told me she has been tortured and she asked me to bring her back at any cost," the family member alleged – by Samuel Osborne

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/woman-allegedly-tortured-to-death-by-her-employer-in-saudi-arabia-a7020551.html

6.5.2016 – Raw Story (* A P)

Saudi Arabia is suddenly facing a serious catastrophe — here’s why

When King Salman took over last year, he inherited a kingdom in dire straits. Saudi Arabia’s Treasury relies upon oil sales for over ninety percent of its revenue. The population does not pay tax, so the only way to raise funds is from oil sales. As oil prices fell from $100/ barrel to $30/barrel, oil revenues for the Kingdom collapsed. Saudi Arabia lost $390 billion in anticipated oil profits last year. Its budget deficit came to $100 billion—much higher than it has been in memory. For the first time since 1991, Saudi Arabia turned to the world of private finance to raise $10 billion for a five-year loan. That this country, with a vast sovereign wealth fund, needs to borrow money to cover its bills is an indication of its fragile fundamentals.

What does a country do when it enters a period of crisis? It calls the consulting firm McKinsey. That is precisely what Saudi Arabia did. McKinsey sent its crack analysts to the Kingdom. They returned—in December 2015—with Saudi Arabia Without Oil: The Investment and Productivity Transformation. This report could have been written without a site visit. It carries all the clichés of neo-liberalism: transform the economy from a government-led to a market-led one, cut subsidies and transfer payments, and sell government assets to finance the transition. There is not one hint of the peculiar political economy and cultural context of Saudi Arabia. The report calls for a cut in Saudi Arabia’s public-sector employment and a cut in its three million low-wage foreign workers. But the entire political economy of Saudi Arabia and the culture of its Saudi subjects are reliant upon state employment for the subjects and low-wage subservience from the guest workers. To change these two pillars calls into question the survival of the monarchy. A Saudi Arabia without oil, McKinsey should have honestly said, is a Saudi Arabia without a monarchy.

What would the McKinsey transformation produce? “A productivity-led transformation,” wrote the eager analysts, “could enable Saudi Arabia to again double its [Gross Domestic Product] and create as many as six million new Saudi jobs by 2030.”

The King’s son, Mohammed Bin Salman (MbS), took McKinsey at its word. He then copied and pasted the report in his own Saudi Vision 2030. Little of Prince MbS’s statement differs from the McKinsey proposal. The eagerness of the Prince shows his lack of experience – by Vijah Prashad

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/saudi-arabia-is-suddenly-facing-a-serious-catastrophe-heres-why/

1.5.2016 – Emirates 24 (* A H P)

'Women more resistant to beheading'

Most of those going to execution appear to be in trance

Convicted women sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia have been more resistant to beheading than men, prompting authorities to change the execution method to shooting, a well-known Saudi executioner has said.

Abu Bandar Al Bishi, a massive man who has beheaded scores of convicted criminals in public places in the Gulf Kingdom, said most of those brought to the execution area appear to be in “trance” ahead of their death.

Quoted by the Saudi daily Sabq, he denied social media reports that those sentenced to death are drugged just before their execution.

“Those brought for execution are not drugged..there is no medical intervention in their execution…they just appear to be in trance or half dead,” Bishi said.

“As for women, they are more resistant to execution than men…we used to behead them but the verdict has been changed to executing them by shooting.

He said many convicts make requests just before their execution, adding that one asked for a cigarette. “Of course we did not give him a cigarette…if he had asked to pray before his death, then it would have been much better.”

Bishi said he uses a gun to execute women by shooting them in the head, adding that he does not stick to doctor’s instructions to shoot them in the heart.

“The doctor draws a mark towards the heart on the convict’s back…but I shoot them in the head because the bullet may miss the heart target if the convict moves.

http://www.emirates247.com/news/women-more-resistant-to-beheading-2016-05-01-1.628803

2.6.2014 – Muftah (** A P)

An Interview with the Imprisoned Daughter of Saudi Aabia’s King Abdullah

Sahar and her three sisters Jawaher, Maha, and Hala have been held under effective house arrest by their father, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, for nearly 13 years. For years, their mother, Alanoud Al Fayez, has been advocating for their release from her home in London. In an unedited interview conducted via email, I asked Sahar, the eldest of the four sisters, about the reasons for her confinement and her thoughts on women’s rights in the Kingdom.

We, along with our mother, have always been vocal all our lives about poverty, women’s rights and other causes that are dear to our hearts. We often discussed them with our father. It did not sit well with him and his sons Mitab and AbdelAziz and their entourage. We have been the targets ever since. We have been treated abysmally all our lives, but it got worse during the past 15 years. When Hala began to work as an intern at a hospital in Riyadh, she discovered political prisoners thrown in psychiatric wards, drugged and shamed to discredit them. She complained to her superiors and got reprimanded. She began to receive threatening messages if she didn’t back off. The situation deteriorated, and we discovered that she was also being drugged. She was kidnapped from the house, left in the desert, then thrown in Olaysha’s Women’s Jail, Riyadh. She soon became yet another victim of the system, as were the so-called patients (political prisoners) she was trying to help. Maha, Jawaher and I have all been drugged at some point. Jawaher and I have resisted and we were able to protect ourselves.

We have been told to lose all hope of ever having a normal life. A chance to study, work, and raise a family have been denied us. They wanted us to be hopeless and helpless, to give up like many have in this country. After years of hopelessness, forced sedation, physical and psychological abuse, we managed Jawaher and I to fight back, thanks to our mum who has raised us to be independent, to fight for what we believe and stand for our rights.

What is the current state of women’s rights in Saudi society?

Women suffer under a brutal ‘guardianship’ system, akin to slavery. Women cannot move an inch without the approval of male guardians, a clear violation of human rights. Women are treated as minors and second class citizens, with no hope of ever growing up or reaching a better position in society as long as such an un-Islamic law is imposed. Male guardianship should be abolished like slavery. It is an abomination, which no civilised country should accept. The international community should not tolerate Saudi’s flagrant dismissal of human rights, indeed women’s rights.

What do you mean by the term ‘gender apartheid’, which you have used in interviews?

Women are segregated. There are signs that clearly state ‘Women are not allowed in.’ This is also true of men; signs prohibiting ‘single’ men from entering stores and restaurants – by Daniel Wickham

http://muftah.org/interview-imprisoned-daughter-saudi-arabias-king-abdullah/

cp9 USA

15.5.2016 – AP (A P)

Kerry in Saudi for talks on Syria, Libya, Yemen

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Sunday with Saudi Arabia's King Salman for talks on the conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen ahead of larger meetings on those crises in Europe this week.

Kerry was also scheduled to meet Saudi Arabia's crown prince, deputy crown prince and foreign minister. His visit comes at a critical time in efforts to rein in fighting and encourage political dialogue in all three countries that have been wracked by violence for years.

Kerry is trying to shore up the shaky truce in Syria, which has been fraught with violations on both sides. While the U.S. and its partners accuse the government of the vast majority of breaches, they have also acknowledged violations by the opposition.

http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-kerry-in-saudi-for-talks-on-syria-libya-yemen-2016-5?IR=T

14.5.2016 – The Independent (* B T)

'Chilling' details about alleged Saudi involvement in 9/11 revealed in declassified documents

The newly-released material is said to largely resemble a top-secret report known as the '28 pages'

A series of declassified memos have revealed details of interviews - described by investigators as “chilling” - from the inquiry into alleged support of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by Saudi Arabian officials.

According to a former Commission staff member, the newly released material largely duplicates a top-secret report known as the '28 pages', which reportedly includes sensitive findings relating to allged Saudi involvement in 9/11.

Fahad al-Thumairy, a 32-year-old Imam and former Saudi diplomat deported from the US in 2003 because of suspected terrorist links, was questioned in Saudi Arabia by members of the 9/11 Commission in February 2004.

A member of Commission staff later said “it was so clear Thumairy was lying,” according toThe Guardian. “It was also so clear he was dangerous.” It is also reported that the investigators described the scene as "chilling".

The interviews were conducted between 2002 to 2004 by the 9/11 Commission, set up to investigate the circumstances of the attacks. They have now been published by the National Archives.

According to notes from an interview, members of the Islamic Council of the Saudi government said: “Funds were probably misused. Saudis have an obligation to give to charity. People don’t ask questions about where the money goes.”

“We used our money. But we did not want our money to be used to attack the USA, or to be turned against us.” – ba Katie Forster

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chilling-details-about-alleged-saudi-involvement-in-911-revealed-in-declassified-documents-a7029326.html

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

14.5.2016 – They work for you (A P)

MPs asking the government

Gareth Thomas, Labour/Co-operative, Harrow West

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the effect of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas in Yemen.

Tobias Ellwood, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

We consider a range of information from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations regarding reports of potential breaches of International Humanitarian Law(IHL). We regularly raise the importance of compliance with IHL with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military Coalition. We also praise the importance of compliance with IHL with the Houthis.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-05-09.36931.h and see also http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-05-09.36771.h

Comment: Saying nothing with words. There is lot of evidence, Ellwood always says there is none, we must wait.

Comment by Jamila Hanan: I guess @tobias_ellwood meant 'raise' not 'praise' but what have Houthis got to do with UK responsibilities?

https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/731595813214916609 see also https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/731596660078460928

14.5.2016 – Der Freitag (** A K P)

Britischer Ex-General auf Eliten-Egotrip / A Brit General's Ego Trip

Propaganda von Eliteinteressen: Der britische Ex-General Simon Mayall agitiert für die Kooperation mit den Saudis und die Waffenexporte, Kritik am Jemenkrieg sei "naiv".

Propaganda of elite interests: British ret. Gen. Simon Mayall propagates cooperation with Saudi Arabia and arms exports. Criticism of the Saudi Yemen war is "naiv" – von / by Dietrich Klose

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/britischer-ex-general-auf-eliten-egotrip

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

14.5.2016 – Press TV Iran (A P)

Bahrainis stage nationwide fresh anti-regime rallies

The protesters rallied in the towns of Abu Saiba, Ma'ameer, Shakhurah and Diraz chanting anti-government slogans. They insisted on people’s right to self-determination. The demonstrators also demanded the immediate release of political prisoners, including senior Shia cleric Sheikh Ali Salman who is the head of Bahrain’s main opposition bloc. In 2015, a Bahraini court sentenced Salman to four years in prison on charges such as insulting the government. The Shia cleric has strongly denied the allegations, saying that he has been seeking reform in the kingdom through peaceful means.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POSM4JchXEc

12.5.2016 – Electronic Resistance (* A P)

Bahraini Detainee Recounts Her Prison Woes: “I was stripped naked, humiliated, and interrogated by Emirati officers!”

The following article was published by Bahrain Mirror, who conducted an interview with recently liberated Bahraini detainee, Rayhana AlMusawi. Rayhana was arrested for protesting against the Formula 1 race in 2012, and she spent three years behind bars. She was finally released on April 20 upon serving her sentence. During her incarceration, Rayhana was subjected to horrendous forms of torture and inhuman treatment. The following is her account of her prison woes…

Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): She is calm enough for one to think that she is shy and easy to break, and strong enough for one to be shocked by the first impression. When she was taken to the Isa Town Police Station, one of the policewomen told her: “We used to hear your name and hear about your charges and thought that they were going to bring a big (body) woman with a loud voice, yet when they brought you in, we didn’t believe that it was you.”

The charge raised against her was “involvement” in what was known as the “February 14 Group”. Rayhana AlMusawi served 3 full years in prison, which makes her the Bahraini woman who spent the longest prison term, consecutively, since the 2011 events.

This is the first time Rayhana Al-Mosawi opens up about the memory of her breakdown, sufferings, tears and pain; her memory that she says has become easily distracted and forgetful as a result of her experience in prison and torture. She is; however, still capable of recalling all the agonizing details; these memories that she still cannot believe happened despite the physical and psychological pain she had to endure.

Rayhana AlMusawi untangled all the knots that tied her throughout those three years and tells Bahraini Mirror the story of her breakdown since the day of her arrest until her release from prison, and how she managed to prevent herself from falling into depression, but at the end of the day, she says: I had prepared myself to be locked up for 10 years and now I am stronger and we shall never break.

http://electronicresistance.net/2016/05/bahraini-detainee-recounts-her-prison-woes/

Comment by Judith Brown: This is the ongoing revolution that Saudi interfered with in 2011/12 - still ongoing - so much for Saudi power - they so far have achieved nothing except destroying Middle East lives and economies including their own.

13.5.2016 – Middle East Eye (*A P)

UAE holds reporter for five months without charge over Facebook post

Authorities did not inform the family of the father-of-five for months following his arrest

A Jordanian journalist and poet has been held without charge for five months in the UAE for a 2014 Facebook post critical of Emirati authorities, Amnesty International said on Friday.

Tayseer al-Najjar was arrested in December, but his family was not made aware of his whereabouts until authorities allowed him to call his wife five children in February.

His arrest is the latest in a line of activist and journalist arrests that have spiked in the UAE since 2011. Amnesty says more than 100 people have been arrested, detained and prosecuted on “sweeping” national security charges.

Before his arrest, Najjar was working in Abu Dhabi as a journalist and was to start writing for the culture section of the new al-Dar newspaper, due to for launch in January. However, he was prevented from leaving the UAE when he tried to travel home to Jordan on 3 December, Amnesty said. Ten days later, Najjar was summoned to the Security Department in Abu Dhabi and arrested.

According to the family, which is now able to speak to Najjar on a weekly basis, the 43-year-old has been held in solitary confinement and put under “heavy pressure”.

Previous prisoners in Abu Dhabi subjected to “enforced disappearance” have complained of being tortured into giving confessions, Amnesty said.

Najjar’s arrest appears to relate to a Facebook post, written during Israel’s 2014 summer war on Gaza that was critical of the UAE authorities.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/reporter-held-without-charge-5-months-uae-over-facebook-post-1019096106

Comment: That are those who have declared they would restore democracy in Yemen – by bombing, killing and destroying.

Comment: For the past 20+ years the UAE (Sharjah excluded considering the heavy investments by Saudi Arabia) have been doing a great PR exercise. But do not believe touristic brochures and winking on TV. The reallty, on the ground, is different.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1025423090844054&id=961126490607048

13.5.2016 – Almanar (A K)

La France participe activement à la guerre au Yémen aux côtés des Saoudiens

Un haut gradé français a confié au quotidien français Le Figaro que la France était «très discrètement cobelligérante» dans la guerre contre le Yémen, un conflit dans lequel est intervenu l’Arabie Saoudite à la tête d’une coalition de pays arabes.

Interviewé par le journaliste français Georges Malbrunot, un haut gradé en mission dans le Golfe, qui a désiré garder l’anonymat, a reconnu que la France jouait un rôle de l’ombre dans le conflit.

«On fait des missions de reconnaissance ou des dossiers d’objectifs, non seulement par satellite, mais aussi avec des avions», a déclaré le militaire dans un entretien publié dans l’édition du 11 mai du Figaro. Il a ensuite reconnu le rôle «très discret» joué par Paris dans la guerre, affirme le reporter sur son compte Twitter.

http://french.almanar.com.lb/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=76&frid=76&eid=302707

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154355232103641

9.5.2016 – Middle East Eye (* A P)

Saudi cultural delegation heading to Canada raises eyebrows

Saudi Arabia sending a cultural delegation in what critics say is an attempt to rehabilitate the country’s image after controversial arms deal

Saudi Arabia is sending a large cultural delegation to Ottawa later this month in what critics say is an attempt to rehabilitate the Kingdom’s image in light of a controversial weapons deal with Canada.

About 100 dancers, singers and other performers will descend on the Canadian capital from 18-21 May for a four-day series of events meant to highlight the cultural traditions of Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Cultural Days event is held annually in different countries around the world.

“While there is nothing inherently wrong with efforts aimed at fostering intercultural understanding, the timing of this particular initiative is highly suspect,” Cesar Jaramillo, head of anti-war group Project Ploughshares, told Middle East Eye.

Shaza Fahim, an official at the embassy, told The Hill Times that the cultural event is meant to “highlight the friendship between Saudi Arabia and Canada”.

Saudi Cultural Days are planned three years in advance, a statement emailed to the newspaper stated, and the events in Ottawa have “nothing to do with the sale of armoured vehicles,” it said.

Still, Jaramillo said the cultural event is intended to boost Saudi Arabia’s image among Canadians.

In March, the Saudi embassy decried Canadian media coverage of the weapons deal – describing it as “sensationalised and politicised” – and said it did not accept outside interference into its internal affairs.

“It takes little cynicism to see this as a blatant attempt to soften Canadian ‎views on Saudi Arabia in the context of the arms deal,” Jaramillo said.

“However, the Saudi human rights record is so abysmal that it cannot be whitewashed with dancers and cuisine," he said – by Jillian D’Amours

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-cultural-delegation-heading-canada-raises-eyebrows-1436831131

18.4.2016 – Janes (B K)

UAE likely to be building a naval facility in Eritrea

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) appears to be constructing a new port next to Assab International Airport in Eritrea, which could become its first permanent military base in a foreign country.

Satellite imagery shows rapid progress has been made since work began sometime after September 2015. A square of coastline measuring about 250x250 m has already been excavated and dredged, while a pier and/or breakwater is being constructed and already extends over 700 m from the original coastline.

Eritrea has little need of a new port in the Assab area, given that the existing one 12 km to the southeast of the construction site was rarely visited until the UAE's navy began to use it last year to support the country's military operation in Yemen – by Jeremy Binnie

http://www.janes.com/article/59561/uae-likely-to-be-building-a-naval-facility-in-eritrea

cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade

13.5.2016 – Eurasia News (* A K P)

Saudi-Arabien verdoppelt Rüstungsimporte aus Bosnien

Eine Delegation aus Saudi-Arabien hat vom 9. bis zum 11. Mai Bosnien-Herzegowina besucht. Riad möchte seine Wirtschaftsbeziehungen zum Balkanstaat intensivieren. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf dem Immobilien-, Banken- und Rüstungssektor. Vor allem Verteidigungsprodukte aus Bosnien erfreuen sich einer großen saudischen Nachfrage.

Das Ziel der Delegation ist es, Investitionsmöglichkeiten im Land zu identifizieren und ein Kooperationsabkommen mit bosnischen Behörden abzuschließen.

Am Dienstag einigten sich el-Bassam und der bosnische Finanzminister Wjekoslaw Bewanda auf die Unterzeichnung einer Absichtserklärung. Demnach verpflichtet sich Riad, den Bosniern 22 Millionen US-Dollar für den Bau einer neuen Bibliothek an die Universität von Sarajewo zu spenden.

Des Weiteren werden der ostbosnischen Stadt Gorazde sechs Millionen US-Dollar zur Wiederherstellung des Wasserversorgungsnetzes und Modernisierung der Infrastruktur zur Verfügung gestellt.

„Die Beziehungen zwischen Saudi-Arabien und Bosnien sind bemerkenswert und haben sich historisch entwickelt. Wir sind stolz, sagen zu können, dass unser Fonds zur Realisierung von vielen Projekten in Bosnien beigetragen hat“, sagte el-Bassam gegenüber der Nachrichtenagentur FENA nach Unterzeichnung der Absichtserklärung.

Riad ist in Bosnien ein bislang marginaler Investor. Die Investitionen des Königshauses lagen 2009 noch bei 100 Millionen Euro. 2014 haben sich die Investitionen allerdings mehr als verdoppelt. Sie kursierten damals bereits bei 204 Millionen Euro, teilte die nationale Investitionsagentur Bosniens auf Anfrage mit.

Eine ähnliche Dynamik kann in den Import-Export-Beziehungen beider Staaten ausgemacht werden, gab die Außenhandelskammer Bosniens zur Kenntnis. Insbesondere im Rüstungssektor habe sich die Zusammenarbeit intensiviert. Die Ausfuhr von bosnischen Waffensystemen habe sich zwischen 2014 und 2015 von 8,72 Millionen auf 18,96 Millionen Euro erhöht. Laut der Bosnien-Expertin Marija Ristic wird sich der Sektor auch in diesem Jahr einer wachsenden Beliebtheit in Riad erfreuen.

http://eurasianews.de/blog/saudi-arabien-verdoppelt-ruestungsimporte-aus-bosnien/

Kommentar: Die Saudis schleimen sich mit ihrem Geld ein. Und noch ein weiteres land auf der Liste der Lieferanten von Rüstungsgütern an die Saudis.

12.5.2016 – Middle East Eye (** A E K P)

Jordan's arms expo: Where war is business, and business is good

Jordan's SOFEX is where weapons find buyers, and where rivals ignore geopolitics to compete for contracts for their latest war machines

For anyone not part of the defence industry, spending the day at an arms fair would rank among the more surreal of life experiences.

The everyday collides with the extraordinary: a friendly sales pitch that ends with “and you’ll find all our bombs on our website”, or wandering over to a grandmotherly type who offers sweets and a quick tutorial on thermobaric warheads (“very effective against both fortifications and manpower”).

A gala tour of Russia’s latest for-sale arsenal, then on a few dozen steps to the Ukrainian pavilion. Turkey, too, is flogging its war-making wares – again, a discreet distance from the shiny model of a Russian Sukhoi SU-32 bomber.

Politics be damned, there is money to be made.

And there is plenty of money to be made at the 11th Special Operations Forces Exhibition (SOFEX), held in Amman this week. Held under the theme “Networking for Global Security”, the expo included official delegations, guests and exhibitors from around the world. More than 380 companies from 37 countries set up stalls, and more than 750 delegates took part in a conference for special operations commanders.

The only regional players not invited: Iran, Israel and, for the first time, Syria.

“TOW is a big player in the international market. Ground to ground, it’ll take out anything on the battlefield,” said one of the affable Americans manning the weapon on display (he, like most people operating SOFEX displays, did not have permission to speak on the record).

TOW stands for tube-launched, optically tracked, wireless-guided missiles, and up close, the system is a beast: 190kg fully loaded, its heaviest component is 22.5kg alone.

The latest version – which isn’t yet on Syrian battlefields – features night-vision, all-weather capabilities and improved guidance electronics. With its scope angled out the door and up a nearby hill, the TOW on display at SOFEX attracted no shortage of admirers.

At SOFEX, as host country Jordan and the rest of the region face wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, profit challenges politics for primacy.

The sellers and buyers here are arming for the next conflicts: war sustains them, even if it sometimes prevents them from selling directly to particular parties, and keeps people employed back home.

As OshKosh’s Laura Cresswell said: “We’re employing Americans.” In OshKosh, Wisconsin, where jobs are hard to find, this is a crucial point of pride.

Production of the JLTV has brought 600 factory workers back to work, with more to come. On the Rosboronexport stand, the same is true: A boom in the defence industry is good for Russian workers and the Russian state.

This, it seems, is the realpolitik of war, that wars are going to be fought anyway, and there is money to be made in the process. The people killed and maimed, the fields scorched and cities destroyed? That, at SOFEX, seemed an entirely separate issue – by Sara Elizabeth Williams

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/inside-jordans-arms-fair-471360379

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

Siehe cp 6 Südjemen / See cp 6 Southern Yemen

13.5.2016 – Al Monitor (* B T)

Despite Arab, US attacks, AQAP still holding out in Yemen

The Yemen-based group al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), considered by many to be the most dangerous splinter of al-Qaeda, has never been as powerful in its 20-year history as it has been in the past 12 months. Despite recent setbacks, it maintains control over much of Yemen.

The group had taken over swaths of land in southern Yemen and seized enormous financial resources before being hit April 22 by military operations carried out by the Arab coalition and led by UAE forces with the support of Yemeni soldiers loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Had it not been for the support of the Arab coalition, the Yemenis would have failed in fighting AQAP following its control over Hadramawt province, which covers some 193,000 square kilometers (almost 75,000 square miles), 36% of the total area of Yemen. AQAP also controls Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan governorate, where Hadi is from.

Since the beginning of April 2015, AQAP has taken advantage of the war.

In an operation that began April 22, the Arab coalition appeared to oust AQAP fighters in just 48 hours from their prosperous state, which fell under the control of Hadi’s forces. However, many reports said AQAP had withdrawn from the city before the attack even began.

Abdul Salam Mohammad, head of the Abaad Studies and Research Center in Sanaa, told Al-Monitor, “The US drones helped gather information on the status of AQAP in Mukalla, which was reflected in the efficiency of the battle's management.”

Mohammad warned that piecemeal operations will not bear fruit unless the Yemeni government implements an integrated program to recover the entire country. “After its defeat in Mukalla, AQAP will probably return to its old strategy by deploying scattered armed groups that conduct sudden operations against their targets,” he said.

Yet sources say the battle against AQAP will not end soon. The organization that emerged in Yemen 20 years ago remains powerful and rich in money, weapons and recruits – by Ahmed Alwly

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/yemen-al-qaeda-us-terrorism-hadi-mukalla-drones.html

Comment: “Had it not been for the support of the Arab coalition, the Yemenis would have failed in fighting AQAP “ ?? That’s only half the truth. The other is: “Had it not been for the support of the Arab coalition, AQAP never would haven got such a power”.

13.5.2016 – The National UAE (A T)

Yemeni forces holding 250 Al Qaeda militants after retaking Mukalla

Yemeni government forces have captured around 250 Al Qaeda members since they retook Mukalla last month, a top officer said on Friday.

“We have arrested around 250 members of Al Qaeda, including some leaders, since our operations began," Brig Gen Faraj Salmeen said.

Brig Gen Salmin commands the second military region which includes Mukalla, capital of the vast desert province of Hadramout and the largest city in the Yemen’s south-east.

The port city was retaken from the extremists on April 24.

“One of these chiefs, Mohammed Saleh Al Orabi who calls himself the emir of Shar, was detained on Thursday" in the area of the same name about 60 kilometres east of Mukalla, Brig Gen Salmeen said.

All of the arrests were made in Mukalla and its surroundings, he said.

http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/yemeni-forces-holding-250-al-qaeda-militants-after-retaking-mukalla and also in French: http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2016/05/13/97001-20160513FILWWW00265-yemen-250-arrestations-dans-les-rangs-d-al-qaida.php

16.7.2016 – Wall Street Journal (* A K T)

Al Qaeda Fights on Same Side as Saudi-Backed Militias in Yemen

Special forces from United Arab Emirates said to have joined battle

Local militias backed by Saudi Arabia, special forces from the United Arab Emirates and al Qaeda militants all fought on the same side this week to wrest back control over most of Yemen’s second city, Aden, from pro-Iranian Houthi rebels, according to local residents and Houthi forces.

As Yemen’s conflict degenerates into a precarious tangle of alliances, it poses a new quandary for the U.S. Yemen was a cornerstone of the American global counterterrorism strategy until earlier this year when the Houthis drove out a government that was working with Washington.

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed militias are spearheading efforts to roll back Houthi gains and reinstate the government that the rebels drove into exile in neighboring Saudi Arabia. But they have turned to Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, for help, according to local residents and a senior Western diplomat. This puts the U.S.-allied Gulf kingdom on the same side as one of the world’s most notorious extremist groups.

The local militias used trucks and weapons supplied by the Saudi-led military coalition to finally push the Houthis out of the Aden ports after a five-month battle, local residents said. AQAP militants celebrated the victory alongside the militias, parading cadavers of Houthis on a main commercial street in the city to a cheering crowd, according to residents and video posted online on Monday.

It wasn't immediately clear whether AQAP and the Emirati-backed militias fought side by side, or battled the Houthis separately in different parts of the city.

As the popular committees fanned out across Aden, residents were surprised to see AQAP militants swarm the city alongside them.

“I’m confused over who has captured Aden, seeing al Qaeda flags flying in some parts [of the city] and on dozens of armored vehicles,” said a resident.

Another resident living in Crater, a neighborhood in Aden just south of the city’s airport, described the scene similarly.

“We were surprised to see some fighters raising al Qaeda flags and dragging some rebels on the streets of Crater tonight,” said the second resident – by MARIA ABI-HABIB and MOHAMMED AL-KIBSI

http://www.wsj.com/articles/al-qaeda-fights-on-same-side-as-saudi-backed-militias-in-yemen-1437087067 and see also http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2015/09/23/saudi-arabia-and-al-qaeda-unite-in-yemen/

Comment: Just to remember!

cp15 Propaganda

15.5.2016 – Al Ekhbariya (A P)

Hadi Appreciates Efforts Exerted by KSA to Eliminate Iranian Stooges, in Yemen

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi praised the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Government of the Kingdom efforts, in the restoration of legitimacy, in Yemen, and the elimination of the gang dubbed client of coup for Iran.
In a statement announced today, Yemeni presidency praised coalition countries taking part in the dignity and heroism battles to restore legitimacy, in order to rebuild Yemen, noting that the blood of the sons of the Kingdom, the Gulf states and all other coalition countries that mingled with the blood of the Yemeni people, in honor and heroism battles will continue to be inspirational force of the relationship between Yemen and its neighbors.
An official source has denied, news alleging that the President of Yemen has requested the leadership of the coalition operating in Aden, to withdraw Emirates' forces from Yemen.
The source warned that the forces of darkness are trying hard to undermine Yemen's relations with its brothers, in order to implement the agenda of serving hostile countries showing hostility to Yemen and countries in the region, through a coup d'état carried out by the militias of al-Huthi, Saleh and behind them is Iran, on the constitutional legitimacy represented by President Abdu Rabbo Mansur Hadi.

http://www.alekhbariya.net/en/node/13840

14.5.2016 – WAM (A P)

Yemen envoy in UAE visits number of families of martyrs in Dubai

Fahd Saeed Al Menhali, Ambassador of Yemen to the UAE, has visited a number of families of the martyrs who fell while performing their national duties in both Operation Decisive Storm and Operation Restoring Hope, the Arab Coalition campaigns, led by Saudi Arabia in support of the legitimacy in Yemen.

He commended the heroic role of those martyrs and the stance of the UAE leadership, government and people to back the Yemen's legitimate government and people. The Ambassador Al Menhali said this position reflects the strength of fraternal and historic relations between the two peoples.

For their part, the families of the martyrs thanked the ambassador for his visit, noting that the sacrifices of their sons elevated the image of the UAE.

https://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates-international/1395295459963.html

14.5.2016 – Althawra News (A P)

After Destroying Yemen, Al-Jubeir Said “Houthis Are Our Neighbors”

The change in the Saudi position and their Diplomacy Prime Minister Adel al-Jubeir, withdrew to an explanatory and a justificatory attitude toward their war in Yemen.

Le Figaro, France newspaper reported on Wednesday that Saudi position of Houthis have changed. The report contained al-Jubeir statements about his Tweeter Arabic hashtag “ Houthis are our Yemeni neighbors that we negotiate with them”.

Abdel Bari Atwan, an Arab writer and journalist, was wondering “Why Houthis aren’t any more rejecting Mgosa and clients to Persian enemy in the eyes of Mr. Adel Al-Jubeir?” In reference to the justificatory submissions that was promoted and accompanied the air forces campaign and military intervention led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen since March / 2015.

Atwan displayed an analytical vision in his article in “ Rai Alyoum” website on Thursday under the title of “ Coup in Saudi priorities in Yemen.”

Al-Jubeir also added under his Arabic hashtag #al-Jubeir_Houthis_our_neighbors “Whether we agreed or not with the Houthis, they still part of Yemen social fabric.” He added in another tweet that “Daash, Qaeda and terrorist organizations must leave Yemen and prevent them from anywhere else in the world.”

Haider Lawati, Professor, Ex Dean at Sultan Qaboos university Oman, tweeted “ So, under what guilt did Saudi destroy the country of civilization, displace its citizens, murder its men, women and children, and enable terrorism inside it?”

The Yemeni journalists and activist, Hamdan al-Alay, also tweeted “ according to al- Jubeir statement, the coalition and all whom we support Hadi legitimacy should apologized to Houthis and Saleh.”

http://en.althawranews.net/2016/05/after-destroying-yemen-al-jubeir-said-houthis-are-our-neighbors/

14.5.2016 – Al Arabiya (A P)

Saudi FM: Fighting al-Qaeda now a priority in Yemen

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said on Friday that the priority in Yemen is no longer to wage a war against the Houthis but to fight al-Qaeda.

In an interview in the French newspaper Le Figaro, Jubeir said Al-Qaeda and ISIS are two terrorist organizations and they need to be contained. Le Figaro said Jubeir’s statement is evidence of a change in the situation on the ground in Yemen.

Jubeir added: “Al-Qaeda and ISIS are terrorist organizations. However, the Houthis are Yemenis and are our neighbors with whom one can hold talks.”

He expressed optimism about the ongoing talks in Kuwait between the Houthis and the government.

In tweets from his official account, Jubeir said whether we disagree or agree with the Houthis, they remain a part of the social fabric of Yemen.

He also said in another tweet: “ISIS and al-Qaeda are terrorist organizations that should not be given the chance to exist neither in Yemen, nor in any other part of the world.”

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/05/14/Saudi-FM-Fighting-al-Qaeda-a-priority-in-Yemen.html

Comment by Judith Brown: This is crazy. Al Qaeda have been fighting alongside the Saudi led coalition since the beginning, against the Houthis. This just doesn't ring true to me at all. Especially as the 'peace talks' seem to have come to nothing.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154355225823641

Comment: So, we ask: all the destruction was for nothing? Or are they asking for Ansarallah's help in clearing Yemen from AQAP/IS?
A delusional behaviour. Fact is you cannot bomb a country, put it under siege, destroy the already limited infustructure and then claim your priorities have changed. Just 2 days ago they claimed that if peace talks fail, they will make 'Sanaá fall'.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1025709617482068&id=961126490607048

Indirect comment by Dr. Karim: Jubair: "we don't interfere w/ other countries internal affairs" apart frm bombing,staving em, workin w/ terrorists"

https://twitter.com/StopDestroyYem/status/730489657859911683

13.5.2016 – US Embassy Yemen (A P)

The US Government is the first largest donor of humanitarian aid to #Yemen:$138M as of April 28, 2016

https://twitter.com/USEmbassyYemen/status/731094238704877568

Comment: Looking at what the US is doing in the Yemen war, this really is bad propaganda. This sum equals about 16 hours Saudi aerial war.

Comments by users:

US spends $130M in aid to #Yemen while selling #Saudi $Billions worth of weapons to bomb Yemen?

and how much did the US earn by selling bombs to the "coalition" which destroyed Yemen and killed thousands?

And off we'd stop selling arms to Saudi, our aid dollars would go farther.

and largest profiteer of #Saudi-led war on #Yemen supplying bombs dropped on #Yemen

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

14.5.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini (A K)

Again this night, intense Saudi airstrikes soaring in the sky of the capital Sanaa.

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/731528743190179840

14.5.2016 – Khabar Agency (A K PH)

#Saudi airstrike targeted Malaheet area in Dhaher district of #Saada

https://twitter.com/khabaragency/status/731560246397767680

13.5.2016 – Sabahi (A K)

#Saudi & #UAE jets are hovering over #Sanaa now ,,, they open sound barrier which terrified women & children

https://twitter.com/__sabahi__/status/731192662494187520

13.5.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini (A K PH)

Since this early morning till now, Intense Saudi warplanes soaring over the sky of Sanaa.

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/731190128039886854

13.5.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini (A K PH)

Al-Mhelhal camp in Khamer area of Amran was hit by Saudi airstrikes with almost 18 sorties since morning.

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/731202453731979264 and also https://twitter.com/HishamAlRadhi/status/731189597007425537 and film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrqaPYLX8Lg and film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLoDLVI3FJ8

13.5.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (A K PH)

12 #Saudi #UAE strikes on Khamir in Amran #Yemen 2 IEDs exploded n 60road&Assir district of #Sanaa 4 injured 6strike on Manbaah Sadaa ysrd

https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/731169865411768320

13.5.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (A K PH)

Facts about Khamir in Amran N #Sanaa &their agreement wth #Houthi before #Saudi #UAE led CO war&today 19 strikes

https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/731195743126597634

13.5.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (A K PH)

#Saudi #UAE jets flying over Medi,Harad&Abbs

https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/731267127903158272

13.5.2016 – Yemen Post (A K)

More AIRSTRIKES: Saudi warplanes bombard #Yemen region Amran & Houthis clash in 4 regions as UN ceasefire efforts.

https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/731097731528265728

13.5.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini (A K)

Amran province was hit today with 8 sorties by KSA jets.

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/731145687174402048

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

14.5.2016 – News Yemen TV (A K PH)

Aggression's Aircrafts& Mercenaries New Ceasefire Violations 14 5 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO9auiNwZto

14.5.2016 – World Bulletin (A K PS)

Houthi shelling in Yemen’s Jawf kills 2

The Houthi Shia militia and their allies on Saturday shelled positions held by the Yemeni army and forces loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in Yemen’s northern Al-Jawf province, according to pro-Hadi sources.

Abdullah al-Ashraf, a spokesman for the pro-Hadi "popular resistance" in-Al Jawf, said Houthi shelling had targeted several parts of the province, killing two military personnel.

According to al-Ashraf, the shelling was the fiercest since a UN-backed ceasefire went into effect on April 11.

In a related development, a Yemeni army commander was quoted by Yemen’s official SABA news agency as saying that within the past 24 hours the Houthis had also shelled a power plant and five villages in the country’s eastern Shabwah province.

http://www.worldbulletin.net/haberler/172707/houthi-shelling-in-yemens-jawf-kills-2

14.5.2016 – Fars News (A K PH)

Yemen's Ballistic Missile Hits Saudi Military Base in Jizan Province

The Yemeni army and popular forces pounded a Saudi military base in the kingdom's Jizan province with ballistic missile on Saturday, inflicting heavy losses and casualties on them.

Yemen's Qaher-I ballistic missile hit the Saudi military positions in Jizan province near the border with Yemen.

The Saudi forces sustained heavy losses in Yemen's missile strike.

Earlier this week, the Yemeni army and their allies fired a ballistic missile at a Saudi military base in a “simple response” to Saudi airstrikes that continue despite a ceasefire.

Yemen's army spokesman Brigadier General Sharaf Luqman said that the missile targeted a military base in the Southwestern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait.

Saudi Arabia claimed it intercepted the missile before it could cause any damage.

The attack came after Saudi warplanes targeted al-Amaleqa camp in the Harf Sufyan district of Amran Province on Monday, killing 13 people, including five paramedics, and injuring at least 15 others.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950225001049

13.5.2016 – USA Today (A K PS)

Film: Yemen loyalists advance near rebel-besieged Taez

Yemeni pro-government forces on Friday gained ground around the rebel-besieged city of Taez, an official said. The loyalists backed by a Saudi-led military coalition took back areas in the western and southern suburbs of Yemen's

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/video/yemen-loyalists-advance-near-rebelbesieged-taez/4797370047001

13.5.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini (A K PH)

Saudi regime deploys military enforcements in Jouf and Marib despite ongoing Yemeni peace talks in Kuwait.

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/731190710196707328

13.5.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (A K PH)

Heavy #KSA rocket&artillery bombardment on Harad border crossing North Hajah NW #Yemen

https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/731267127903158272

13.5.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (A K PH)

In retaliation 2 #Saudi #UAE CO 19 strikes C thread #Houthi & #Yemen-i army launchd ballistic missile in2 #KSA army base S #Jizan

https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/731212097095401472

12.5.2015 – ABNA (A K PH)

Saudi troops targeted different areas in the west-central Ma'rib province with rockets and artillery shells. No information on possible fatalities and the scope of damage has been reported yet.

http://en.abna24.com/service/middle-east-west-asia/archive/2016/05/12/753739/story.html

12.5.2016 – N.F.Kelledy (A K)

#UAE forces arrive to #Mukalla with the Major: Haitham Qassem Taher the former defense minister in the South #Yemen

https://twitter.com/Kelledy7/status/730865099313950720

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

15.5. – Atlas Media (B E)

Yemen is the 97th largest export economy in the world. In 2014, Yemen exported $8.12B and imported $13.7B, resulting in a negative trade balance of $5.57B.

The top exports of Yemen are Petroleum Gas ($3.92B), Crude Petroleum($2.7B), Refined Petroleum ($265M), Cars ($217M) and Non-fillet Fresh Fish($114M), using the 1992 revision of the HS (Harmonized System) classification. Its top imports are Wheat ($1.75B), Refined Petroleum($1.01B), Cars ($662M), Rice ($389M) and Raw Sugar ($376M).

http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/yem/

Comment: These are 2014 figures. It would be interesting what are the newest figures in times of war and Saudi blockade.

14.5.2016 – Stürtz Verlag

Reise durch den JEMEN - Ein Bildband mit über 170 Bildern - STÜRTZ Verlag download PDF Wolfgang Seitz

Asien mit Nahem Osten Deutsch Seiten: 128 Format: ePub, Kindle, Reader Dateigröße: 4.41 MB Download reise_durch_den_jemen_-_ein_bi.pdf

http://retcoportal.de/432/reise-durch-den-jemen-ein-bildband-mit-wolfgang-seitz-id95581.pdf

14.5.2016 – The Economist (** B C P)

The clash within a civilisation

A hundred years after the Sykes-Picot agreement carved up the Ottoman empire, a new Arab history is being written in blood. Anton La Guardia examines the failures of the region’s states

A century ago on May 16th, European powers secretly concluded the Sykes-Picot agreement that led to the modern Arab states (see article). The colonisers would leave behind a dystopian system, prone to wars and coups, held together by secret policemen, torturers and petrodollars, and supported by cold-war sponsors and foreign soldiers. Arabs suffered poverty in a region of plentiful oil, and oppression in the name of Arab greatness. A land of great monotheistic religions has brought forth many who kill in the name of God.

This appalling world is now being swept away, but what is replacing it is often worse.

In places non-state militias are stronger than states, whereas state forces have degenerated into ragtag militias. Sectarianism has become acute. The contest between Saudi Arabia, the self-appointed champion of the Sunnis, and Iran, the leading Shia power, makes everything worse. Outsiders have been sucked in.

This special report will examine the factors that led to the collapse of the Arab order. First, the region’s autocratic political model has failed, though monarchies have stood up better than republics. Second, the rentier economic system, based on natural resources, has become unsustainable, not just in oil-producing states but everywhere. Third, Islam, and the Sunni variety in particular, is in tumult over the place of religion in politics and the role ofjihad (holy war). And fourth, destabilising interventions by America have been followed, under President Barack Obama, by destabilising detachment from the region.

The Arab world is suffering a crisis of legitimacy. Arab states were seen as the illegitimate offspring of colonialism, and many of their leaders as playthings of the imperialists. The main ideologies of the Arab world—Arabism, Islamism and now salafi-jihadism—sought to overcome the hated Sykes-Picot borders. Nationalist leaders such as Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, who came to power in a coup in 1952, promised Arab unity and the liberation of Palestine but delivered neither.

Except for oil monarchies that built glittering cities in the desert, most Arab economies were unable to deliver lasting prosperity. Their state-led models failed to harness the power of globalisation, their weaknesses concealed by oil money sloshing through the region.

Instead of trying to achieve legitimacy through democracy and the rule of law, rulers mostly relied on the power of the mukhabarat, the ubiquitous secret police, often the best-organised organ of state. In countries steeped in Islam, leaders benefited for too long from a religious tradition of obedience to the ruler, even a bad one, to prevent discord among Muslims. But now there is discord aplenty. Repression, jail and torture fed a doctrine that Arab rulers are, in fact, unbelievers.

For those who think it is because Western civilisation has proved superior, the remedy is to adopt Western norms of secularism, rationalism and, above all, democracy. Yet for those who believe that Muslims have suffered because they failed to keep God’s ordinances, the only response is to return to the religious purity of the early caliphs – by ?

http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21698444-hundred-years-after-sykes-picot-agreement-carved-up-ottoman-empire-new-arab?fsrc=rss

Comment: Presumably one of the best reads of the week.
If you are not familiar with the Middle East, its borders, countries, identities, you may want to check this article which includes the link to another good read.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1025365497516480&id=961126490607048

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/krieg-im-jemen-neue-artikel-zum-nachlesen-143

Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-143: / Yemen Press Reader 1-143:

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

http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

Dieser Beitrag gibt die Meinung des Autors wieder, nicht notwendigerweise die der Redaktion des Freitag.
Geschrieben von

Dietrich Klose

Vielfältig interessiert am aktuellen Geschehen, zur Zeit besonders: Ukraine, Russland, Jemen, Rolle der USA, Neoliberalismus, Ausbeutung der 3. Welt

Dietrich Klose

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