Allgemein / General
29.10.2015 – Euronews
Saudische Regierung kündigt neue Strategie im Jemen an
Saudi-Arabien will seine Luftschläge im Jemen nicht fortsetzen. Dort bombardiert eine sunnitische Militärallianz unter saudischer Führung seit einem halben Jahr Stellungen schiitischer Huthi-Rebellen. Diese kämpfen mit Verbündeten gegen Anhänger von Präsident Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi. Beide Seiten seien mittlerweile zu Gesprächen bereit, so der saudische Außenminister in Riad: “Außerdem sehen wir den Fortschritt im Jemen. Der größte Teil des von Rebellen kontrollierten Gebiets konnte durch Regierungstruppen zurückerobert werden.”
http://de.euronews.com/2015/10/28/saudische-regierung-kuendigt-neue-strategie-im-jemen-an/
29.10.2015 – Euronews
Yemen: Saudi-led air strikes to end as attention turns to talks
Saudi-led military operations in Yemen are nearing their end with the focus now turning to political talks.
That was the message from the foreign ministers of both Saudi Arabia and Britain which has given technical support to the Saudi-led op.
The Arab coalition has been bombing Houthi rebels and their allies since last March.
Riyadh says the Houthi rebels have clearly committed to carrying out a UN resolution to withdraw from key cities.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair said in a joint press conference with Britian’s Philip Hammond:
“We also see the gains that have been made on the ground. Most of the Yemen’s territory that was captured by the rebels has now been recaptured by the government forces.”
http://www.euronews.com/2015/10/28/yemen-saudi-led-air-strikes-to-end-as-attention-turns-to-talks/
29./28.10.2015 – Global Research / Southfront
The Yemen war planned as a blitzkrieg by the Arab coalition has turned into a dragged-out war drawing resources from the coalition and directly Saudi Arabia. Mostly, the intervention has been induced by Saudi Arabias concerns over the strengthening of Iran in the region and will to control a major regional logistical point, the port of Aden.
The coalition Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan and Sudan has created 150,000-strong ground military grouping used for intervention in Yemen. The coalitions air grouping includes over 100 war planes and helicopters.
The interesting fact is Egypt has been actively participates in the Yemeni military campaign on the Saudi Arabias side. On the other hand, Egypt has a neutral position over the Syrian conflict. It clearly shows how tenuous and inconstant Middle East alliances.
The Saudi-led coalition uses modern military equipment and has an advantage in the man power. But the practice shows that it isnt enough. Numerous air raids which target civilians and socially significant facilities dont conduct a support of the Yemeni citizens. Arab media state over 25 000 people mostly civilians have been killed in this conflict.
So, the coalition is involving more and more resources in this intervention. On October 16, a battalion of Sudanese troops arrived in Yemen's southern port city of Aden. Sudan forces are armed by Chinese armaments and equipment; small arms: rifles Type-51, Type-95, CQ, precision rifles M99, machine guns QJZ-89, automatic grenade launchers QLZ-87 and other military systems as antitank guided missiles Hongjian-8, battle tanks Type-96, MLRS WS-2. Also, Sudan military could use aviation Chengdu J-7, Nanchang Q-5 and Hongdu JL-8. According to reports, Sudan military could send one more battalion to Yemen in the nearest future.
Despite this, its hard to estimate the real military balance of pro-Houthi and anti-Houthi forces. There are lots of ground reports about the coalitions losses on the ground. The coalition forces dont have battle experience.
Houthi forces use skilfully the ground relief, local facilities and a concealment practice to inflict damage to ground and air forces of the Arab coalition. Experts believe that the coalition forces won’t be able to act successfully in mountainous area and fight local guerilla. Furthermore, Saudi Arabias expectations that Iran won’t support Houthis in Yemen have been a mistake.
At the moment, Saudi Arabia and its allies arent ready to participate in the negotiations aimed on a real way to solve the conflict. So, there are 2 main possibilities: First is ground and air forces of the Arab coalition will cut Houthis from the external support, gain enough battle experience and inflict defeat to the Houthi forces. But it’s unlikely. It’s much more possible that the coalition forces won’t be able to defeat decisively Hothis. It will conduct jitters among coalition members. Separately, almost all of them have own disagreed interests in Yemen
Nonetheless, many major world powers are interested in a normal work of the Adens port because of its logistical importance and a stable situation on the main oil trade maritime routes. So, we could expect that the global players will be more and more involved in the conflict. The local conflicts in the Middle East has been turning to a big regional conflict.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/yemen-from-blitzkrieg-to-dragged-out-war/5485119 und https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcblpV3_dgY&feature=youtu.be
28.10.2015 – Sputnik News
Sprecher: Mehr als 1.200 Kinder seit Beginn von Konflikt im Jemen getötet
Seit Beginn der Operation der durch Saudi-Arabien geführten arabischen Koalition im Jemen sind 1.241 Kinder in dem Land getötet worden, wie ein Sprecher des jemenitischen Gesundheitsministeriums am Mittwoch mitteilte. Die Gesamtzahl der getöteten Zivilisten schätzte er auf 6.318, davon 1.028 Frauen.
http://de.sputniknews.com/panorama/20151028/305260132/krankenhauser-zerbombt-arzte-getoetet.html
28.10.2015 – Sputnik News
Saudi-Led Operation Has Killed Over 1,000 Children in Yemen
Civilian casualties of the Saudi-led bombing in Yemen have reached 6,318, according to the local health ministry.
Over 1,000 children have been killed since the start of the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, spokesman for the country's Health Ministry Tamim Shami said Wednesday.
"Civilian casualties since the beginning of the bombing have reached 6,318, among them are 1,241 children, 1,028 women," Shami told RIA Novosti.
"Devastating airstrikes were carried out against 109 hospitals, 229 healthcare centers, as well as 56 ambulances," he added.
According to the spokesman, over 15,000 civilians have been wounded since the beginning of the conflict. The northern Saada governorate and Yemen's capital, Sanaa, have the highest number of victims.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151028/1029232784/saudi-bombing-yemen-children.html
Kommentar: Diese Zahlen sind höher als die, die man üblicherweise hört. Sie dürften sicher realistischer sein, aber täuschen auch nur eine Genauigkeit vor, die es einfach nicht gibt. Gerade aus abgelegenen Gebieten werden keine genauen Zahlen gemeldet. Die Toten werden direkt vor Ort beerdigt, nach muslimischer Tradition möglichst gleich am nächsten Tag. Die tatsächlichen Zahlen dürften eher noch ein ganzes Stück höher liegen.
28.10.2015 – Christian Post
http://www.christianpost.com/news/yemen-houthi-rebels-saudi-arabia-war-muslims-148322/
27.10.2015 – Middle East Eye (Fernsehdiskussion)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=hwg6nU3BuLs
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian Situation
29.10.2015 – Ärzte ohne Grenzen
MSF Demands Better Security In Yemen After Hospital Attack
Doctors Without Borders is seeking security guarantees to continuing working in Yemen after a hospital it supports was bombed.
Mego Terzian, president of MSF France, said Thursday that he and the group's board "won't be ready to send at any price our personnel in countries where there is huge danger."
Speaking to reporters in Paris after Monday's bombing in the northern province of Saada, he said, "We need to have minimum guarantees that our humanitarian space is secure."
One nurse was injured by the airstrikes apparently targeting rebels in Yemen. MSF says it shares the hospital's GPS coordinates regularly with the Saudi-led coalition and its roof was clearly identified with its logo.
MSF operates in eight Yemeni governorates, while many foreign aid groups and even U.N. personnel have been evacuated.
29.10.2015 – Ärzte ohne Grenzen
Not only did people living with the HIV virus in Yemen face the fear of war, they also faced the panic of having to interrupt their treatment with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. In the days after the first bombings, many people came to the HIV/AIDS treatment clinic at Al-Gumhuri hospital – the only place where you can receive ARV drugs in Sana’a and where MSF has intermittently worked since 2010 – to collect their medicines. Many were planning to travel to their home towns in search of a safe place to be.
We immediately activated the contingency plan we had prepared for crisis situations in Sana'a, based on our previous experience in 2011, when protests against the president led to clashes that divided the city in two, and we had to get ARV drugs to all the people who could not get to the clinic.
Given the recent instability in the country, we had already taken many steps in 2014 to ensure that the people receiving treatment would not have to interrupt it: we regularly informed them about what to do in an emergency, updated all of the patients’ details, gave bags containing a two-month supply of treatment to people living in the most troubled areas, and we bolstered our supply of ARV drugs.
When the conflict escalated on 26 March we started calling the associations of people living with HIV/AIDS and the patients to find out how they were and if they could come to the clinic to pick up their medication. First, we called the patients who we knew were in the most unstable governorates, such as Sa’ada, Al-Dhale, Hajjah and Aden; then those living in the most difficult areas of the capital; and thirdly, people who had appointments at the clinic to pick up their medication in the coming months. By the beginning of April, we had managed to contact 745 of the 773 who were in treatment at that time in Sana’a. With the help of the HIV/AIDS associations and the International Organization for Migration, we were able to find many of those who did not respond.
In Yemen, there is a huge stigma around HIV. HIV-positive people suffer constant discrimination, even from medical staff who are not well informed about the disease. When I was studying medicine, a friend's brother died at home alone, without receiving medical attention, because he had the virus. I decided then that I wanted to work to change this situation.
Now with the current war, I’m seeing many examples of how difficult the situation is for people living with the virus. For example, one man had to spend two weeks in jail because he was accused of smuggling at a checkpoint on his way back home when they found the HIV drugs (after he had risked his life getting to the clinic in Sana’a from one of the governorates where the war is most intense). I also remember a woman who, because she couldn’t get to the clinic, began to take half a tablet instead of a whole one and take them on alternate days so she didn’t have to completely stop the treatment.
To support people living with HIV at this particular time, we have created a programme called ‘Be-Insured’, whereby leaders of the HIV associations call patients to check their health, drug stock and psychological and financial status. Then, our team provides psychological support for those in need.
In the end, this is our job and responsibility: to find a way so no one has to interrupt their treatment because of the war. These are difficult times for my country, but we are trying to prevent them from being even more so for people living with the virus." – by Dr Abdulfattah Al-Alimi
http://www.msf.org/article/yemen-antiretroviral-treatment-beneath-bombs
29.10.2015 – Gulf News
Yemeni riyal collapse may spark ‘hunger revolution’
‘Never has the Yemeni riyal experienced such depreciation... not even during the uprising of 2011’
A ‘hunger revolution’ is expected to erupt in Sana’a as a result of the country’s economic decline, analysts say.
The Yemeni riyal, which is reportedly nearing 300 Riyals to the dollar, is lower than it has ever been. Consequently, a reported 80 per cent of Sana’a’s population is in dire need of humanitarian aid.
An official of the Commercial Bank of Yemen said the unprecedented collapse of the local currency, which was equivalent to 215 riyals to the dollar when Al Houthis seized power early last February, was unprecedented.
“Never has the Yemeni riyal experienced such depreciation,” he said, “not during the uprising of 2011, not even during the civil war that erupted in 1994.”
The official, who Al Ittihad newspaper said insisted on anonymity, warned of the consequences of the collapse of the riyal.
He said the unprecedented depreciation will likely spark a massive uprising against the Al Houthi group.
“The collapse of the riyal will double the prices of already high basic foodstuff,” he said, “this will push the population to go out to the street to topple Al Houthis.” The official added that Yemenis are also suffering because of power outages and lack of oil derivatives. “The patience will run out as they are deprived of bread.”
A military source told Al Ittihad that the Al Houthis are threatening to withhold their soldiers’ salaries if they refuse to go to the battlefront. He said the Al Houthis are also accused of forcing civilians, especially young people, to engage in combat against the Saudi-led coalition in Taiz, Bayda’a and Marib.
Meanwhile, Al Houthis arrested dozens of bankers in Sana’a to force them to sell the dollar at the official rate of 215 riyals amid attempts to smuggle funds of Al Houthi leaders in fear of the an imminent battle in Sana’a. Bankers closed their shops in protest against the actions taken by Al Houthis as a result of the collapse of the riyal.
Al Bayan newspaper reported that the rebels are selling oil-derivatives at a price of 10,000 riyals for 20 litres, while the official price for the quantity is 3,500 riyals. The rebels are reportedly selling domestic-gas tanks for 8,000 riyals while the official price is no more than 1,500 riyals.
Dozens of women stood in protest in front of the prosecutor’s office in Sana’a on Tuesday. Al Ittihad reported that they rallied to denounce unwarranted arrests and the disappearances of dozens of hostages, including 14 journalists. Banners were raised demanding the immediate release of the detainees. The protesters called on local and international human rights organizations to work to free the detainees. They also insisted that the Yemeni government include this issue in future negotiations with the rebels, which were announced by United Nations envoy to Yemen Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/yemeni-riyal-collapse-may-spark-hunger-revolution-1.1609773
Kommentar: Auch das lässt sich hier zur Propaganda gegen die Huthis nutzen. Der Absturz der Währung ist aber nicht auf eine einzelne Kriegspartei, sondern auf den Krieg allgemein und die Zerstörung des Landes durch den Krieg zurückzuführen. Und wer ist hier für den größten Teil der Zerstörung von Wirtschaft und Infrastruktur verantwortlich? Die Huthis sind es nicht. Und wenn sich schon die Hadi-Leute zur legalen Regierung erklären – ja dann sind eben auch sie für die Währung des Landes verantwortlich – und nicht die Huthis.
29.10.2015 – Berliner Morgenpost
Ärzte ohne Grenzen bleiben trotz Angriff auf Klinik im Jemen
Die Hilfsorganisation Ärzte ohne Grenzen will auch nach der Bombardierung eines Krankenhauses im Jemen weiter in dem arabischen Bürgerkriegsland arbeiten. Wegen verschärfter Sicherheitsvorkehrungen müssten die Hilfsmöglichkeiten jedoch enorm eingeschränkt werden, sagte der Geschäftsführer von Ärzte ohne Grenzen in Deutschland, Florian Westphal. Er forderte eine Aufklärung der Hintergründe des Angriffs.
Kommentar: Das bedeutet, dass die Zahl der Toten wegen der indirekten Folgen eines Luftangriffs viel höher sein wird als die Zahl der direkt getöteten.
29.10.2015 – Yemen News Today
Hitting the MSF hospital is hard to deny. Not having the correct coordinates is also hard to deny. But what can't be denied now is that 200,000 people now have NO healthcare facilities despite living in the middle of an area which has been declared 'military zone' by Saudi Arabia. Which makes a mockery of the death statistics. Deaths are only counted if they are reported by a hospital. Exactly which hospital in this area is going to count the bodies? This really only goes to emphasise my point - there are many killed in this war who are buried without seeing a doctor to verify the death. So their deaths are not reported.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1041290082690149
27.10.2015 – The Guardian
93% of deaths and injuries in Yemen are civilian - this must change
Increasingly warfare is waged in cities with blithe disregard of international obligations to protect life - and no repercussions. World leaders must act
After the war debates ensued: were such massive, targeted civilian deaths justified? Collectively, the world took a step back. Surely, protection of civilians from harm must be a priority, even during armed conflict? From this reflection emerged the Geneva Conventions of 1949 , shortly after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations the year before. Additional protocols to the Geneva Conventions followed in 1977 and 2005, while the world has adopted and ratified a range of international human rights conventions that have sought to assure the protection of civilians and their rights - and that sovereign states not just demand respect for their sovereign rights, but also meet their obligations to protect and safeguard the human rights of their citizens.
So today we must be living in a more humane world, right? Well, no. While we now have a wide array of international human rights and humanitarian standards, they are frequently flouted with impunity. Let’s look at a few examples of the use of what the AOAV-OCHA report calls “explosive weapons with wide-area affects” in the last quarter-century.
Now this pattern of harm from explosive weapons is emerging as a key concern in the protection of civilians. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has repeatedly called on member states to recognize and address this critical humanitarian issue and has urged parties to conflict to refrain from using explosive weapons in populated areas in particular. He has called for the UN Security Council to do the same. AOAV and OCHA are urging parties to conflict to share national policies and practices relating to the use of explosive weapons, collect information on the civilian harm that they cause, recognize the rights of victims and survivors and ensure that assistance is gender- and age-sensitive.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the government of Switzerland have for the last few years undertaken a major international consultation process on how to improve compliance with international humanitarian law. The ICRC will present the results of the consultations, as well as its recommendations, to the 32nd international conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in December. Let us hope that ICRC’s recommendations to improve compliance will be heeded, adopted and applied by states and non-state parties alike.
In May 2016, the world humanitarian summit will review the humanitarian system. It should also squarely confront failures in the political domain to protect civilians in situations of armed conflict – failures by parties to conflict, but also failures by the international community (the UN security council in particular) to agree on the rigorous application of international norms, to demand compliance and to bring perpetrators of violence against civilians to account. At the moment this is not happening. Impunity reigns. World leaders cannot continue to develop international norms for the protection of civilians and then blithely disregard them.
State of Crisis: Explosive Weapons in Yemen report is a stark reminder of the willful brutality of our world, of the casual use of explosive weapons whose victims are predominantly civilian. Is it only occasionally that photos of young children like Alan Kurdi will rouse us to action? I hope not. Our fellow citizens caught up in the horror of armed conflict deserve better – by Nigel Fisher former assistant secretary-general of the United Nations and former leader of international humanitarian operations in the Middle East for the Syria crisis, in Afghanistan and Haiti.
Kommentar: Worum geht es? Darf man ruhig weiter Krieg führen, wenn es nur etwas weniger Zivilisten trifft? Die Überschrift weckt seltsame Assoziationen. Der Prozentsatz der getöteten Zivilisten lässt sich auch verringern, wenn man es schafft, dreimal mehr Soldaten zu töten… das kann es doch wohl nicht sein. Da darf man schon einen etwas größeren Anspruch haben als Herr Fisher…
Kriegsereignisse / Theatre of War
29.10.2015 – Iran English Radio
Yemeni forces kill tens of Saudi-led aggressors in Ma'rib
The Yemeni army and popular forces killed a large number of Saudi-led coalition forces in heavy clashes in the province of Ma'rib.
Local sources said "Tens of foreign forces taking part in the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen were killed in fierce clashes in Ma'rib".
The sources also said that tens of Saudi soldiers were also wounded and captured in the Yemeni forces' operations on Thursday.
29.10.2015 – Stratfor / Eastafro
The Emirati Navy Arrives in Eritrea
Stratfor has detected an Emirati naval presence in the Eritrean port of Assab that may indicate Eritrea's support of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Satellite imagery taken Sept. 16 appears to show three landing craft docked in the port that are not vessels known to exist within the Eritrean navy's inventory. Analysis of the detailed images provided by our partners at AllSource Analysis — and of naval vessels in the wider region — suggests that all three vessels belong to the United Arab Emirates. While there have been previous claims of Eritrea's support for the coalition conducting operations in Yemen, the naval activity in Eritrea's southern port reveals that Eritrean facilities and possibly even personnel are assisting the Saudi-led military effort.
While the imagery cannot lay bare the details of Eritrea's role in the coalition's efforts, perhaps more interesting is its revelation of Eritrea's political realignment, at least for now, toward Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. There was a time when Eritrea supported Yemen's Houthi fighters and functioned as a transshipment location for Iranian supplies heading to them. And indeed, Houthi representatives have met with Eritrean organizations as recently as January. But over the past few months, Saudi Arabia has been building up its coalition, and it seems to have successfully pulled in Eritrea.
The U.N. report mentioned the provision of Saudi financial support and fuel supplies to Eritrea, which could have been a means to secure Eritrea's cooperation. But it also included claims that the United Arab Emirates has secured a 30-year lease of Assab port, which are more directly related to the presence of the Emirati naval vessels.
Either way, as Eritrea integrates itself into the Saudi-led coalition, it will likely seek to expand its relationships beyond the region in an attempt to break its isolation and attract Western investors. From Eritrea's perspective, accepting Saudi and Emirati cash and resources would be a logical move. Eritrea's new partnerships could also enable it to show the international community that it can play a constructive role in regional security matters — a goal Eritrea has long sought.
https://www.stratfor.com/sample/analysis/emirati-navy-arrives-eritrea = http://eastafro.com/2015/10/29/the-emirati-uae-navy-arrives-in-eritrea/ dazu http://mideast.liveuamap.com/en/2015/29-october-satellite-imagery-confirms-an-eritrean-role-in
29.10.2015 – Southfront
YEMEN MAP OF WAR – OCT. 22-28, 2015
Another week of attacks and counter-attacks showing little tactical progress, but defiance from the Houthi alliance and increasing desperation shown by the Saudi coalition are indications of this proxy war turning into another quagmire. This week has shown a decrease in frequency and intensity in the fighting and a worsening of the humanitarian situation but the emergence of various mercenaries, ISIS Jihadists and a rampant Al-Qaida in Yemen is a cause for concern.
The events day by day
With mercenaries from Academi (Blackwater); mercenaries from Colombia; Daish Takfiri terrorists from Syria; and Al-Qaida terrorists from Yemen’s East:- the Saudi coalition is showing their desperation!
Southern separatist Adel Muhasin said al-Qaida had penetrated local Salafi groups and now holds several areas, with some 5,000 fighters in Aden. He said: “Al-Qaida has the money and the weapons, so they’ve succeeded in recruiting hundreds of young people, many of them brainwashed or seeking money.”
As the humanitarian crisis is deepening with acute shortages in food, medicine, water and fuel – and international pressure is mounting from all corners – will this foolish endeavor draw to a close? Extraction of the Saudi coalition forces will be nigh impossible. Will negotiations be considered or will Yemen turn into another Somalia or Libya with the defeat of the Houthi alliance by the Saudi coalition supported by mercenaries and terrorists? – by Akram Abu Abs
http://southfront.org/yemen-map-of-war-oct-22-28-2015/ mit http://mideast.liveuamap.com/en/2015/29-october-yemen-houthis-claim-3rd-antiship-missile-attack
29.10.2015 – Press TV Iran
Saudi warplanes kill 13 Yemenis in attack on bus
At least 13 people have been killed in Saudi military attacks on a bus carrying the employees of a private company in Yemen’s southwestern Ta’izz Province.
The bus was hit on the road linking the city of Ta’izz with the capital, Sana’a, on Thursday. Fourteen people were also wounded in the attack.
Saudi fighter jets have also targeted a mosque and a house in the Saqayn district of the northwestern province of Sa’ada.
Warplanes also carried out three airstrikes on Kitaf district of the same province.
Earlier in the day, Riyadh launched a series of airstrikes on the Sirwah district of Ma’rib Province
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/10/29/435461/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-Saada-Saqayn-Kitaf-Taizz-Marib- = http://theiranproject.com/blog/2015/10/29/saudi-warplanes-kill-13-yemenis-in-attack-on-bus/
29.10.2015 – Shabestan
Saudi Warplanes target Bus Carrying Employees in Yemen
The bus was hit on the road linking the city of Ta’izz with the capital, Sana’a, on Thursday. Fourteen people were also wounded in the attack Saudi fighter jets have also targeted a mosque and a house in the Saqayn district of the northwestern province of Sa’ada. On Wednesday, Saudi fighter jets pounded the Yemeni province of Sa'ada, leaving 19 civilians dead, including women and children.
Earlier reports said Saudi Arabia launched air raids on the Province of Sa'ada, killing at least 7 civilians. Seven civilians, including women and children, were killed in Saudi airstrikes in Razih district in Sa'ada on Wednesday.
http://en.shabestan.ir/detail/News/36344
28.10.2015 – Reuters
Saudi-led coalition drops weapons for allies in Yemeni city
Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition bombed the Iran-allied Houthi movement across Yemen on Wednesday and dropped weapons to Islamist militias battling the group, a day after being accused of bombing the hospital of an international medical aid charity.
The coalition dropped weapons in the southwestern city of Taiz, Yemen's third largest which has become a major front in the coalition's northward push toward the capital. Islamist militias are fighting artillery and heavy machine gun duels with the Houthis in civilian neighborhoods there.
"Coalition forces supplied the resistance with a quantity of high-quality weapons which landed in the south of the city in an area under our control," a senior militia leader told Reuters – by Noah Browning
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/28/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0SM11F20151028
28.10.2015 – Der Standard
200.000 Jemeniten nach Angriff auf Klinik ohne medizinische Versorgung
Mehr als 200.000 Menschen haben im Jemen nach dem Angriff auf ein Krankenhaus von Ärzte ohne Grenzen nun keinen Zugang mehr zu medizinischer Hilfe. Das gab die Organisation am Mittwoch bekannt. Nach Angaben von Ärzte ohne Grenzen war die Klinik im Bezirk Haydan (Provinz Saada) in der Nacht zum Dienstag bei Luftangriffen der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Koalition zerstört worden, mehrere Menschen wurden verletzt.
Riad wies die Verantwortung für den Angriff zurück. Auf die Frage, ob die Allianz die Klinik angegriffen habe, schrieb Brigadegeneral Ahmed Asseri am Dienstag: "Ganz und gar nicht."
Ärzte ohne Grenzen erklärte in einer Aussendung, das Krankenhaus sei zunächst am Montag um 22.30 Uhr "mehrmals angegriffen" worden, "über einen Zeitraum von zwei Stunden" sei es zu weiteren Angriffen gekommen. "Die Abteilung zur stationären Behandlung, die Ambulanz, die Geburtenabteilung, das Labor und die Notaufnahme wurden alle zerstört", erklärte Miriam Czech, Projektkoordinatorin von Ärzte ohne Grenzen in Saada. "Dies war das einzige Krankenhaus in der Gegend, das noch in Betrieb war."
Die GPS-Koordinaten des Krankenhauses seien der Militärallianz aber regelmäßig mitgeteilt worden, das Dach der Einrichtung außerdem "eindeutig und gut sichtbar" mit dem Logo von Ärzte ohne Grenzen gekennzeichnet. "Dieser Angriff zeigt einmal mehr, dass Zivilisten im Jemen völlig missachtet werden," sagte Hassan Boucenine, der Einsatzleiter von Ärzte ohne Grenzen im Jemen. Nach Angaben von Unicef war es bereits das 39. Gesundheitszentrum, das seit März im Jemen bei Luftangriffen getroffen wurde.
UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki-moon forderte einem UN-Sprecher zufolge ein sofortiges Ende aller Operationen im Jemen, einschließlich der Luftangriffe. Zugleich sprach er sich für umfassende Ermittlungen aus.
http://derstandard.at/2000024653535/200-000-Jemeniten-nach-Angriff-auf-Klinik-ohne-medizinische-Versorgung siehe auch http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/jemen-krankenhaus-von-aerzte-ohne-grenzen-bombardiert-a-1059873.html
28.10.2015 – The Independent
Yemen civil war: MSF condemns 'complete disregard' for civilian life as Saudi authorities destroy vital hospital
Kommentar: Es ist schon längst kein “civil war” (Bürgerkrieg) mehr. Dank Saudi, USA und Co.
27.10.2015 – Amnesty International
Yemen: Bombing of MSF hospital may amount to a war crime
The apparently deliberate targeting and destruction of a hospital supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in northern Yemen last night, which may amount to a war crime, demands an urgent, independent and thorough investigation, Amnesty International said today.
“The attack on Haydan Hospital appears to have been an unlawful attack causing harm to civilians and civilian objects. The consecutive airstrikes show deliberate targeting of the medical facility - this is another sad day for civilians,” said Philip Luther, Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
“Hospitals and medical units must be respected and protected in all circumstances - they only lose their protection against attack if they are used for military purposes - and the destruction of this one means the loss of vital humanitarian treatment for civilians across four directorates of northern Yemen".
MSF staff confirmed the attack, saying they witnessed two consecutive airstrikes before fleeing the hospital compound. Three to four further airstrikes were reported, coming around five minutes apart. According to Hassan Boucenine, MSF head of mission in Yemen, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition has the coordinates of all MSF hospitals in Yemen, including Haydan Hospital.
According to the hospital’s director Dr Ali al-Mughli, the hospital is now completely destroyed with the exception of the storage rooms. He said that while the hospital often receives injured fighters, there was no military activity in the hospital at the time of the attack.
This is not the first strike on a hospital in Sa'da since the Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s military intervention in Yemen began last March. On 4 September 2015, the coalition reportedly bombed al-Sh’ara hospital in Razih, in the west of Sa’da governorate, resulting in the killing of six patients and the injury of six others. MSF personnel who visited the site afterwards said there was no evidence that the hospital was being used for any military purposes.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/yemen-bombing-of-msf-hospital-may-amount-to-a-war-crime = http://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/yemen-attack-msf-hospital-may-be-war-crime
Frage: Was heißt “may amount to a war crime” in der Überschrift?? “is a war crime” past auf jeden Fall.
27.10.2015 – Doctors without borders
Yemen: MSF Hospital Destroyed by Airstrikes
Airstrikes carried out late last night by the Saudi-led coalition in northern Yemen destroyed a hospital supported by the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), MSF announced today.
The small hospital, in the Haydan District in Saada Province, was hit by several airstrikes beginning at 10:30 p.m. last night. Hospital staff and two patients managed to escape before subsequent airstrikes occurred over a two-hour period. One staff member was slightly injured while escaping. With the hospital destroyed, at least 200,000 people now have no access to lifesaving medical care.
"This attack is another illustration of a complete disregard for civilians in Yemen, where bombings have become a daily routine," said Hassan Boucenine, MSF head of mission in Yemen.
he bombing of civilians and hospitals is a violation of international humanitarian law and MSF is demanding that coalition forces explain the circumstances around the attack in Haydan. The hospital’s GPS coordinates were regularly shared with the Saudi-led coalition, and the roof of the facility was clearly identified with the MSF logo.
"Even 12 hours after the airstrike, I could see the smoke coming out of the facility," said Miriam Czech, MSF project coordinator in Saada. "The inpatient department, the outpatient department, the maternity ward, the lab, and the emergency room are all destroyed. It was the only hospital still functional in Haydan area," she said.
MSF began supporting the hospital in May. Since then, roughly 3,400 patients were treated, with an average of 200 war-wounded patients admitted to the emergency room per month.
MSF’s priority is to reestablish a new health facility as soon as possible, in order to maintain the provision of health care to the population of Haydan.
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/yemen-msf-hospital-destroyed-airstrikes?utm = http://www.msf.org.au/media-room/press-releases/press-release/article/yemen-hospital-destroyed-by-airstrikes.html
27.10.2015 – Human Rights Watch
Yemen: Coalition Airstrikes Hit Hospital
Credible, Impartial Inquiry Needed into Attack
The airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition on a hospital in northern Yemen supported by Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontiers, MSF) on October 26, 2015, was in apparent violation of the laws of war. The attack with a half-dozen bombs destroyed Haydan Hospital, the only medical facility in the town of Haydan in the northern governorate of Saada, about 30 kilometers from the Saudi border. Two patients were injured during the evacuation of the hospital.
The MSF Yemen country director, Hassan Boucenine, told Human Rights Watch that the first strike hit the left wing of the building at about 10:30 p.m. After the first explosion, all of the patients and staff members in the hospital – there were at least 12 at the time – fled the building. Aircraft then dropped about five more bombs on the hospital, including two that did not explode and are still in the building.
“The bombing of a hospital is shocking amid increasing reports in Yemen of civilian deaths from coalition airstrikes,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director. “Bombing a hospital sends a message that all medical facilities, health workers, and patients are at grave risk.”
Boucenine said that, as is standard practice to avoid becoming a target, MSF had first supplied the health center’s coordinates to the coalition about six months ago and reconfirmed them at least once a month since then. The hospital had the MSF logo and name painted on its roof.
Haydan Hospital receives support, including funding to cover staff salaries and medical supplies, from MSF, Boucenine said. It is the only medical facility within an 80-kilometer radius, and usually receives about 150 emergency cases a week. Since May 2015 the facility has treated about 3,400 wounded. The facility is now closed.
A Yemeni Health Ministry official told MSF that the attack completely destroyed the emergency room, outpatient and inpatient departments, lab, and maternity ward, and severely damaged the windows and walls of the building. The only departments that were undamaged were the x-ray department and the medical staff room.
Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, the coalition military spokesman, told Reuters that “coalition jets had been in action over Saada governorate” but had not hit the hospital.
Since the beginning of the Saudi-led coalition air campaign on March 26, Human Rights Watch has documented more than two dozen airstrikes that appeared to be in violation of the laws of war. Human Rights Watch has not been able to ascertain that Saudi Arabia or other coalition members are investigating a single airstrike. In some instances the coalition has denied that the attacks Human Rights Watch documented were unlawful, but has not provided information to support those claims. The coalition should open an impartial, thorough, and transparent investigation into the bombing of Haydan Hospital to establish the circumstances of the attack, and make its results public. Anyone responsible for committing a war crime should be fairly prosecuted.
The coalition has carried out many strikes near Haydan Hospital since the beginning of the war, Boucenine said. He added that the hospital is in a village of mostly clay huts in which there was no fixed military target in the vicinity. There have been no allegations that Houthi forces are in the area or that the hospital was being used for military purposes.
The United States has said that it is providing the coalition with logistics and intelligence support. The United Kingdom has said that it is “providing technical support, precision-guided weapons and exchanging information with the Saudi Arabian armed forces through pre-existing arrangements.” Providing direct support to military operations, such as information on targets and refueling aircraft, could make the US and the UK parties to the armed conflict, and bound to apply the laws of war, including the obligation to investigate alleged violations.
“Again and again, we see coalition airstrikes that smack of violations of the laws of war, but we see no investigation into possible violations,” Stork said.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/10/27/yemen-coalition-airstrikes-hit-hospital
27.10.2015 – The Guardian
Airstrikes hit Médecins sans Frontières hospital in Yemen
Natalie Roberts was MSF’s emergency coordinator for the area last summer and worked at the hospital that was struck on Monday night. She said it was the only functional hospital in the region and had a large catchment area.
“It’s an area that had a lot of civilian casualties from the Saudi airstrikes – the town the hospital is in was usually hit by Saudi airstrikes about three times a week and the nearby towns were hit pretty much every day,” she said.
“We used to get about 150 emergency cases a week, half of which were trauma incidents from the bombing. People would travel two, three hours to reach us.”
Roberts said she had heard there were up to six airstrikes in 90 minutes on the hospital, the first at 10.30pm and the last at about midnight. “It’s quite a small hospital, it was really an emergency room with a maternity department. We’d stabilise the wounded patients and then refer them to Sa’dah city if they needed surgery.
“Generally, patients weren’t very comfortable sleeping in the hospital overnight because it’s in a very dangerous location. It was pretty scary working there. We’d have to give the GPS coordinates of the hospital and our movements to the coalition so they wouldn’t bomb us.”
Roberts added that a nearby girls’ school was bombed several times when she worked in the area. “It’s destroyed. The children haven’t been able to go to school for months, pretty much since the war started. They still seem to be bombing the school even though there’s no one in there.” – by Nadia Khomami
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/27/yemen-hospital-hit-by-saudi-led-airstrikes
Südjemen / Southern Yemen
29.10.2015 – UNO
UN: Yemen, Aden is not Safe
UN SG spokesman confirms that Aden is not under control of the Saudi controlled government of President Hadi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgAFFolTZVI
Mehr zur Unsicherheit in Aden unter "Terrorismus" More see at "Terrorism"
UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
29.10.2015 – AFP
Yemen peace talks 'probably' mid-Nov in Geneva: UN
The UN special envoy for Yemen said Thursday he was confident that peace talks between the government and Shiite rebels will "probably" be held in mid-November in Geneva.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, contacted in the Gulf by telephone, told AFP his team was in contact with the Yemeni parties to discuss the modalities of the UN-brokered peace talks.
"I am very optimistic" that the talks will take place "between 10 and 15" November or "around November 15", he said.
"We are 90 percent agreed that they will be in Geneva, but there is also a possibility of Muscat. It will probably be Geneva," said Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
He stressed that the two sides were being positive, "both the Huthis who have shown a lot of flexibility, as well as the government side. Today there is an optimism on which I would like to capitalise."
http://news.yahoo.com/yemen-peace-talks-probably-mid-nov-geneva-un-191301916.html
28.10.2015 – Reuters
Saudi Arabia complains U.N. blamed coalition for bombing Yemen hospital
audi Arabia complained on Wednesday that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had blamed Arab coalition air strikes for hitting a U.N.-supported hospital in Yemen before the incident had been properly investigated.
Saudi Arabia's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said the coalition did not carry out Monday's attack on the hospital.
"We regret the statement that was attributed to the Secretary-General," Mouallimi told a news conference, adding that he would contact Ban. "How was the hospital hit or damaged? We do not know and we will have a full and transparent investigation carried out by the Yemeni authorities."
He said Saudia Arabia was aware of many other incidents in Yemen where damage had been caused to targets by Houthi artillery fire and blamed on the coalition.
"It would not be surprising if this was a similar situation. However, it would also be premature to reach any such conclusions," Mouallimi said. "The wise thing to do is the await the results of the investigation."
He said MSF had given the coalition the correct coordinates of the hospital and it was on a list of forbidden targets. He said the nearest air operations at the time of the attack were at least 40 km (24 miles) north of the hospital.
http://www.trust.org/item/20151028183649-k6llh/
Kommentar: Das ist pervers. Nicht einmal richtig lügen können die Saudis. Man sollte sich wenigstens absprechen, welche Lüge man nun offiziell verbreiten will. Eine parallele Lüge: Es war ein Versehen, MSF hätte uns die falschen Koordinaten geliefert. Vergleiche http://www.english.alahednews.com.lb/essaydetails.php?eid=30859&cid=499#.VjItsSuSn3E
Das fällt Anderen auch auf:
29.10.2015 – Albawaba
Saudi Arabia backtracks to deny hitting Doctors Without Borders hospital in Yemen
As the UN chief calls for an investigation into fives airstrikes that hit a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), Saudi Arabia stumbles to figure out what narrative it wants to stick to.
The kingdom on Wednesday denied hitting a hospital in Yemen's northwestern city of Saada, but not before an official blamed the incident on the nonprofit medical organization.
In a statement to the UN on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia said it wasn't responsible for the attack on the facility, which had no casualties. Saudi Arabia had been provided the exact location of the hospital, AFP reported, so it couldn't have hit an area that's off-limits.
"Accordingly, this hospital could not have been targeted by the coalition forces," the statement said.
But that's a different story from what Abdallah al-Mouallimi, Saudi representative on the UN, said in an interview Tuesday. Here's what he told VICE News a day earlier:
"The coalition forces tried to avoid the location that was given to them by Medecins Sans Frontieres, and they were targeting a field that was used by the Houthis for training and ammunition gathering. This [hospital] was hit by mistake as a result of Medicins Sans Frontieres providing wrong coordinates of their location."
Of course, that explanation didn't fly. It was a claim the nonprofit quickly proved wrong.
http://www.albawaba.com/loop/saudi-arabia-backtracks-deny-hitting-doctors-without-borders-hospital-yemen-761112 bezieht sich auf https://news.vice.com/article/exclusive-saudi-arabia-admits-bombing-msf-hospital-in-yemen-but-faults-msf (siehe hier unten bei Propaganda, da gehören die saudischen Märchen hin)
Dazu, die Story wird noch besser:
29.10.2015 – Newsmedia live
SAUDI ARABIA UPSET OVER UN ACCUSATION ON YEMEN HOSPITAL BOMBING
Saudi Arabia complained on Wednesday that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had blamed Arab coalition’s airstrikes for hitting a UN-supported hospital in Yemen before the incident had been properly investigated, Arab News reported.
Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN, said the coalition did not carry out Monday’s attack on the hospital.
In a statement on Tuesday, Ban “condemned the airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition” that hit the hospital in north Yemen’s Saada province, a region controlled by Houthi forces. No one was killed in the attack.
The hospital is run by aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
“We regret the statement that was attributed to the Secretary-General,” Al-Mouallimi told a news conference, adding that he would contact Ban. “How was the hospital hit or damaged? We do not know and we will have a full and transparent investigation carried out by the Yemeni authorities.”
He said Saudia Arabia was aware of many other incidents in Yemen where damage had been caused to targets by Houthi artillery fire and blamed on the coalition.
“It would not be surprising if this was a similar situation. However, it would also be premature to reach any such conclusions,” Al-Mouallimi said. “The wise thing to do is to await the results of the investigation.”
He said MSF had given the coalition the correct coordinates of the hospital and it was on a list of forbidden targets. He said the nearest air operations at the time of the attack were at least 40 km north of the hospital.
http://www.newsmedialive.com/saudi-arabia-upset-over-un-accusation-on-yemen-hospital-bombing/
29.10.2015 – Foreign Policy
Top State Department Official: Saudis Finally Get That Yemen Is a Problem
Saudi Arabia’s U.N. envoy, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, appeared to confirm the coalition’s responsibility for the strike, telling Vice News on Tuesday that the bombing was a “mistake” caused by the failure of MSF to provide the coalition with their hospital’s accurate GPS coordinates.
But MSF quickly challenged that account, issuing a statement asserting that the “correct GPS coordinates for Haydan hospital were shared with coalition forces. They are sent every week to the coalition operations room, and the last time they were shared was on October 24.”
On Wednesday, Mouallimi told a small group of reporters at the Saudi mission to the U.N. that he was “either misquoted or the quotations were taken out of context” and that the Saudi-led coalition played no role in the strike. He said that he had been questioned by the reporter before Saudi authorities had determined the cause of the strike and that he had simply speculated that “if a strike did take place it would have been by mistake, obviously.”
Since then, he said, the Saudi defense forces confirmed that coalition fighters did not hit the hospital and that the nearest coalition air operations occurred at least 40 kilometers north of the hospital, near the Saudi Yemeni border. Mouallimi also acknowledged that MSF had supplied the coalition with the correct coordinates and he criticized the U.N. chief for jumping to conclusions.
“We regret the statement that was attributed to the secretary-general,” Mouallimi told a news conference, adding that he would contact Ban. “How was the hospital hit or damaged? We do not know and we will have a full and transparent investigation carried out by the Yemeni authorities.” – by John Hudson
29.10.2015 – News Videonews.is
UN insists Yemen hospital bombed by Saudi-led coalition
A UN spokesman reiterated Thursday that airstrike that hit a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Yemen was carried out by Saudi-led coalition forces.
“The issue of who controls the skies and who has the air power, I think, is clear for many people to see,” Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
Dujarric’s remarks came in response to comments by Saudi Arabia’s UN envoy Abdallah al-Mouallimi, who denied that the coalition’s planes had hit the hospital Monday.
http://news.videonews.us/un-insists-yemen-hospital-bombed-by-saudi-led-coalition-2938682.html
28.10.2015 – WHO
WHO condemns attack on MSF hospital in Yemen
WHO condemns the bombing of the Medécins Sans Frontières (MSF) supported hospital in Saada province in northern Yemen. MSF estimates that this will leave 200 000 people with no access to lifesaving medical care.
The attack violates International Humanitarian Law. It is the second attack on an MSF-run health facility in a month. On 3 October, 30 people were killed when the MSF-supported medical clinic in Kunduz, Afghanistan was bombed. Twenty-seven MSF staff were injured.
The bombing represents a serious setback for both MSF and the affected community and an additional challenge to humanitarian work in Yemen.
http://who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2015/msf-hospital-yemen/en/
27.10.2015 – Al Monitor
How to end the war in Yemen
The tragic war in Yemen needs a political solution urgently. UN Security Council Resolution 2216 provides a one-sided path forward. A better solution would outline a path forward for all the parties. All parties involved need to back off their extreme positions. Some creative imagination needs to be given to this crisis sooner rather than later.
The current peace effort is based on a formula decided hastily by the Security Council to satisfy Riyadh. Only Russia demurred. A better approach would be to determine who needs to exit the Yemen equation, who needs to reconsider their posture, a new regional agreement for the Arabian Peninsula and a better role for Washington.
At the top of the list to go is the man who has done so much to ruin the Arab World's poorest state. Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh needs to retire permanently and thoroughly from Yemeni politics and take his sons with him into exile. More than any other figure, Saleh is responsible for the tragedy of today's Yemen. After 33 years of misrule, he refused to accept the results of the Arab Spring and systematically undermined efforts to build an inclusive broad national government. Saleh needs to go. It can be a comfortable retirement, but his departure should be the commonly agreed upon basis of a deal.
Two other parties don't need to lose but do need to be sobered by the events of the last year. The Zaydi Shiite Houthi rebels have cost themselves and Yemen a humanitarian catastrophe by their arrogant pursuit of power. They need to be part of a national reconciliation process but not the sole or dominant power broker. The government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was elected in a legitimate process, even if he proved a very weak leader, as many expected. He can step down gracefully and let a government of national unity come forward that includes the Houthis. The UN should mediate its formation.
The Zaydis also need to recognize Iran is an unreliable and ineffective ally who did little or nothing to help Yemen or them. Iran meddled in Yemen solely to frustrate Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the other Gulf states. It has not been a responsible party in this crisis.
Saudi Arabia needs sobering, as well. Its hasty decision to begin airstrikes and a blockade (before even consulting some of its own allies such as Pakistan) plunged the region into war. The blockade has created a horrific humanitarian disaster for Yemenis. Both sides have caused terrible acts of violence, but the kingdom is a state that aspires to lead the Islamic world and must be held to a high standard.
Saudis in the border region have also paid a high price for the war, and all Saudis and their Gulf partners should have to foot the enormous bill for reconstruction in Yemen. The kingdom needs a more thoughtful and judicious foreign policy than the one that went to war this year.
Finally, Washington needs some second thoughts. It facilitated a war it has no vital interest in and let several allies operate callously. It has done far too little to secure a cease-fire and lift the blockade. It should be much more engaged at a much higher level in resolving this war than it has been to date. – by Bruce Riedel
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/10/yemeni-endgame.html#
27.10.2015 – Relief Web
Yemeni women call for their inclusion in peace efforts
On 11 October 2015, 45 Yemeni women leaders met the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed at a UN-organized meeting in Larnaca, Cyprus. The women strongly voiced their demands for permanent peace and urgent humanitarian response, while stressing the importance of involving women in peace negotiations.
The women leaders—representing different political parties and including civil society, activists and development workers—all agreed to be impartial. They focused on what brings them together, rather than what divides them. “Frankly I was very worried when I was on my way here, as there are participants that I completely disagree with, but throughout the workshop, the Yemeni women participants displayed an exemplary model of wisdom, respect, and sincere interest in saving Yemen, regardless of their differences,” said participant Rasha Jarhum, founder of Yemeni Youth for Humanitarian Relief.
UN Women will act as the interim secretariat for the platform and establish a collective virtual forum to enable ongoing communication. The women set a number of objectives, primarily aimed at calling for an end to the war and violence, building peace, improving living conditions, and amplifying women’s voices and participation in negotiations and peacebuilding. Their action plan also includes initiating a comprehensive national plan to implement UN Security Council resolution 1325 as a mobilization tool with the active participation of officials, civil society organizations and women’s groups.
“Yemeni women have an opportunity to contribute in building peace, revitalizing dialogue, and helping Yemen get out from this dark tunnel. We are counting on Yemeni women’s wisdom to create a model that people will follow,” said UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States, Mohammad Naciri. These are the first steps of many to ensure that Yemeni women are active participants in the process of peacebuilding and security. UN Women has had a presence in Yemen since December 2014 – by Ashwaq Shugaa Addin
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemeni-women-call-their-inclusion-peace-efforts
27.10.2015 – UN News Centre
Yemen: Ban calls for all warring parties to halt operations after Saudi-led airstrikes destroy hospital
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52389#.VjBQz7cvfcu
Kommentar: Mit diesem Foto macht sich die UN lächerlich. Das Gesundheitszentrum in Haidan ist plattgemacht.
27.10.2015 – Deutsche Welle
Ban verurteilt Luftangriff auf Klinik im Jemen
Nach der Bombardierung einer MSF-Klinik im Jemen hat UN-Generalsekretär Ban die Einstellung aller Kämpfe gefordert. Saudi-Arabien bestreitet die Verantwortung für den Angriff - der keineswegs der erste dieser Art war.
UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki Moon machte die Allianz dagegen direkt für den Angriff verantwortlich und verurteilte die Bombardierung des Krankenhauses im Norden des Landes. Ban forderte in der Erklärung eine umgehende Untersuchung des Vorfalls, bei dem "mehrere Menschen" verletzt worden seien. Er rief die Konfliktparteien auf "sofort alle Operationen einzustellen, einschließlich Luftschläge.
http://www.dw.com/de/ban-verurteilt-luftangriff-auf-klinik-im-jemen/a-18809405
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
28.10.2015 – Foreign Policy
Top State Department Official: Saudis Finally Get That Yemen Is a Problem
The devastating humanitarian situation in war-torn Yemen has become so bleak that Saudi Arabia is now finally serious about finding a political resolution to the crisis, a top State Department diplomat said Wednesday.
Anne Patterson, the assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday that “there are some hopeful signs” that Riyadh is intent on bringing the conflict to a close.
“Most Saudis understand this can’t go on much longer because it’s going to turn the Yemeni population against them and because they’re going to be responsible for rebuilding the country,” she said.
Patterson noted that talks aimed at ending the months of fighting in Yemen will begin in Geneva at the end of October under the auspices of the United Nations. “We talk to the Saudis all the time about this,” she said, pointing to Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Patterson may be on to something.
The situation is an embarrassment for the United States, which has assisted the Saudi campaign with logistical, intelligence, and political support – by John Hudson
USA
29.10.2015 – Sputnik News
As Death Toll Rises in Yemen, White House Questions Its Support for Saudis
US-backed Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes in Yemen, which have reportedly cost the lives of at least 1,500 civilians so far, have divided the Obama administration, as many fear being blamed for abetting war crimes that could empower Islamic militants
Sources in the White House admit they are having a rough time supporting the role of close ally Saudi Arabia in Yemen, as a Saudi-Iran proxy war rages in the Arab nation.
However, despite mounting reports of civilians being killed and terrorist groups making inroads in the country, US officials have reassured sceptics that second-guessing American support for the Saudis could jeopardize the whole situation.
The Iran nuclear deal has already strained tensions between Saudi Arabia and the US, and Washington has no intention of continuing to distance itself with its most powerful ally in the region.
Meanwhile, what was supposed to be a brief Saudi-led campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels who overturned Yemen's government has now entered its eighth month, and no end is in sight.
"The White House is increasingly frustrated with the Saudis, and they're trying to figure out how to handle it," a source in the US administration told Politico.
Face-to-face discussions appear to have had little effect, the expert said, but "the US is walking on such eggshells around Saudi when it comes to the public domain that they're not willing to ramp up their public pressure."
That hesitation seems to have prompted a rift within the Obama administration over the sensitive issue. A former US official told journalists that the main disputes are between those who believe "this humanitarian toll is ultimately going to be a stain on our reputation and we're going to end up holding the blame" and others who "will say it's very important to restore order and deliver a very clear message about the intolerance that we as a nation and community of nations will have for this type of seizure of power."
A State Department official, when asked whether the US was frustrated with the Saudis, said "We're always frustrated with everyone."
Civilian deaths in Yemen have become a tragic routine since hostilities began in late March. According to UN data, the majority were killed by Saudi-led airstrikes that are supposed to be targeting Houthi rebels and their allies. The US was quick to announce its "logistical" and "intelligence" support for the Saudi royal family after Yemeni leader Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi fled Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, early this year.
The idea of Shiite Iran calling shots in neighboring Yemen was a red flag for Sunni Saudi Arabia, which together with Qatar and UAE hopes to thwart the rising power of Iran.
It is still likely that "the Saudis are in this for the long haul," said Fahad Nazer, a former policy analyst at the Saudi embassy in Washington: "They continue to be very resolute in this campaign."
http://sputniknews.com/world/20151029/1029267474/yemen-us-china-patrol.html
28.10.2015 – One World
US arms industry defends human rights policy of Saudi Arabia
The two representatives arrived for trading Saudi Arabia during a conference organized by the National Council on US-Arab Relations. The conference aimed to strengthen ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia and was not solely funded by a triad of weapons manufacturers such as Raytheon, United Technologies, Halliburton, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman. Also, US oil giants Chevron and ExxonMobil see it in their interest to keep relations with one of the largest oil producing countries account and where necessary to iron out the creases politically sensitive. (translated by Google)
Großbritannien / Great Britain
31.8.2014 – The Guardian
To really combat terror, end support for Saudi Arabia
Ramped up rhetoric on security makes no sense so long as the west cosies up to dictatorships that support fundamentalism
As the British government ramps up the terror alert to “severe” and yet more anti-terror legislation is proposed, some reflection after 13 years of disaster is surely needed. One element has been missing, and that is the west’s relationship with Middle Eastern dictatorships that have played a pernicious role in the rise of Islamist fundamentalist terrorism. And no wonder: the west is militarily, economically and diplomatically allied with these often brutal regimes, and our media all too often reflects the foreign policy objectives of our governments.
David Cohen, the US Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, has even described Kuwait as the “epicentre of fundraising for terrorist groups in Syria”. As Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, an associate fellow at Chatham House, told me: “High profile Kuwaiti clerics were quite openly supporting groups like al-Nusra, using TV programmes in Kuwait to grandstand on it.” All of this is helped by lax laws on financing and money laundering, he says.
But don’t expect any concerted action from the British government. Kuwait is “an important British ally in the region”, as the British government officially puts it.
And then, of course, there is the dictatorship in Saudi Arabia.
This human rights abusing regime is deeply complicit in the rise of Islamist extremism too. Following the Soviet invasion, the export of the fundamentalist Saudi interpretation of Islam – Wahhabism – fused with Afghan Pashtun tribal code and helped to form the Taliban. The Saudi monarchy would end up suffering from blowback as al-Qaida eventually turned against the kingdom.
Chatham House professor Paul Stevens says: “For a long time, there was an unwritten agreement … whereby al-Qaida’s presence was tolerated in Saudi Arabia, but don’t piss inside the tent, piss outside.” Coates Ulrichsen warns that Saudi policy on Syria could be “Afghanistan on steroids”, as elements of the regime have turned a blind eye to where funding for anti-Assad rebels ends up.
Although Saudi Arabia has given $100m (£60m) to the UN anti-terror programme and the country’s grand mufti has denounced Isis as “enemy number one”, radical Salafists across the Middle East receive ideological and material backing from within the kingdom. According to Clinton’s leaked memo, Saudi donors constituted “the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide”.
But again, don’t expect Britain to act. Our alliance with the regime dates back to 1915, and Saudi Arabia is the British arms industry’s biggest market, receiving £1.6bn of military exports. There are now more than 200 joint ventures between UK and Saudi companies worth $17.5bn.
So much rhetoric about terrorism; so many calls to act. Yet Britain’s foreign policy demonstrates how empty such words are. Our allies are up to their necks in complicity with terrorism, but as long as there is money to be made and weapons to sell, our rulers’ lips will remain stubbornly sealed – by Owen Jones
Kommentar: Nichts hat sich seitdem geändert, auch trotz Jemenkrieg…
Deutschland / Germany
29.10.2015 – Tagesschau
Gewehrproduktion in Saudi-Arabien: Heckler & Koch verklagt Bundesregierung
Der Waffenhersteller Heckler & Koch verklagt nach Informationen von NDR, WDR und SZ die Bundesregierung. Auch die saudische Regierung macht Druck. Es geht um nicht erteilte Ausfuhrgenehmigungen für Teile zur Herstellung von G36-Gewehren in Saudi-Arabien.
Vor wenigen Jahren hat der saudische Rüstungskonzern "Modern Industries Company" (MIC) nahe Riad eine neue Waffenfabrik errichtet - mit Hilfe des deutschen Konzerns Heckler & Koch. Hier sollen G36-Sturmgewehre in Lizenzproduktion hergestellt werden. Allerdings müssen wichtige Komponenten für das Sturmgewehr weiter aus Deutschland geliefert werden. Doch der Nachschub stockt. Angeblich musste die G36-Produktion in Saudi-Arabien gestoppt werden.
Der Grund dafür: Das Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle (BAFA), das dem Wirtschaftsministerium nachgeordnet ist, hat seit mehr als einem Jahr keine Genehmigungen für die Exporte der G36-Bauteile mehr erteilt. Deshalb klagt nun Heckler & Koch gegen das BAFA. Laut Regierungskreisen ist es die erste Klage dieser Art. Der Waffenhersteller schließt demnach eine Schadensersatzforderung in einer zweistelligen Millionenhöhe nicht aus, sollten die Anträge nicht genehmigt werden.
Heckler & Koch begründete die Klage auf Anfrage damit, dass man "drohenden Schaden von unserem Unternehmen sowie der Bundesrepublik abwenden" wolle. Es bestehe die Gefahr, "dass unser Vertragspartner Klage gegen Heckler & Koch" oder die Bundesrepublik erhebe. Eine klare und transparente Entscheidung der Bundesregierung sei von entscheidender Bedeutung – von Georg Mascolo und Christian Baars, NDR
http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/sturmgewehr-149.html
29.10.2015 – Süddeutsche Zeitung
Empörung in Saudi-Arabien:Am Anschlag
Wann immer in diesen Tagen deutsche und saudische Diplomaten aufeinandertreffen, scheinen die Erwartungen ziemlich unterschiedlich zu sein. Die Deutschen hoffen auf eine konstruktive Rolle des Königreichs bei der Suche nach einem bisschen Frieden für die Region, aus der zurzeit Hunderttausende nach Europa fliehen. Die Saudis hingegen verlangen deutsche Waffen, genauer gesagt Waffenteile. Es geht um zwei Druckfedern, Kolbenring, Gabel und einen Auszieher.
Die Geschichte von den fünf sogenannten Schlüsselkomponenten kennt inzwischen jeder deutsche Diplomat, der mit den Saudis verhandelt. Sie gehören zum Sturmgewehr G36, das sie seit 2008 in Lizenz herstellen dürfen. Aber seit Mitte 2014 verweigert die Bundesregierung jede Ausfuhr der Teile. Dabei hat Saudi-Arabien nach Zeitungsberichten für einen dreistelligen Millionenbetrag eine Fabrik für die Fertigung der Waffe gebaut.
Seit Monaten protestiert das Königshaus deshalb in Berlin, mal im Auswärtigen Amt, dann direkt im Kanzleramt. Das Ganze sei ein eklatanter Vertragsbruch. Inzwischen hat sich die Lage verschärft: Die Golf-Monarchie scheint die Waffenlieferungen zum Testfall für die deutsch-saudischen Beziehungen erklären zu wollen, zu einer Sache des Prinzips – von Christoph Hickmann und Georg Mascolo
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/empoerung-in-saudi-arabien-am-anschlag-1.2714118
Kolumbien / Colombia
14.5.2011 – New York Times
Secret Desert Force Set Up by Blackwater’s Founder
Blackwater Founder Forms Secret Army for Arab State
Late one night last November, a plane carrying dozens of Colombian men touched down in this glittering seaside capital. Whisked through customs by an Emirati intelligence officer, the group boarded an unmarked bus and drove roughly 20 miles to a windswept military complex in the desert sand.
The Colombians had entered the United Arab Emirates posing as construction workers. In fact, they were soldiers for a secret American-led mercenary army being built by Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of Blackwater Worldwide, with $529 million from the oil-soaked sheikdom.
Mr. Prince, who resettled here last year after his security business faced mounting legal problems in the United States, was hired by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi to put together an 800-member battalion of foreign troops for the U.A.E., according to former employees on the project, American officials and corporate documents obtained by The New York Times.
The force is intended to conduct special operations missions inside and outside the country, defend oil pipelines and skyscrapers from terrorist attacks and put down internal revolts, the documents show. Such troops could be deployed if the Emirates faced unrest in their crowded labor camps or were challenged by pro-democracy protests like those sweeping the Arab world this year.
The U.A.E.’s rulers, viewing their own military as inadequate, also hope that the troops could blunt the regional aggression of Iran, the country’s biggest foe, the former employees said.
Although there was no expectation that the mercenary troops would be used for a stealth attack on Iran, Emirati officials talked of using them for a possible maritime and air assault to reclaim a chain of islands, mostly uninhabited, in the Persian Gulf that are the subject of a dispute between Iran and the U.A.E., the former employees said .
The first waves of mercenaries began arriving last summer. Among them was a 13-year veteran of Colombia’s National Police force named Calixto Rincón, 42, who joined the operation with hopes of providing for his family and seeing a new part of the world.
“We were practically an army for the Emirates,” Mr. Rincón, now back in Bogotá, Colombia, said in an interview. “They wanted people who had a lot of experience in countries with conflicts, like Colombia.” – – By MARK MAZZETTI and EMILY B. HAGER
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/world/middleeast/15prince.html?_r=2&referer
Kommentar: Es kann also durchaus etwas dran sein an der Geschichte, dass das Anheuern von Kolumbianern durch die Saudis etwas mit Blackwater zu tun hat.
Propaganda
29.10.2015 – Gulf News
Yemen war nearing its end: Saudi FM
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said Wednesday that he sees the Yemen war nearing its end.
"One of the indications that the campaign is nearing its end is the fact that ... Ali Abdullah Saleh and Al Houthis are accepting UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and entering into talks the UN on that basis,” Al Jubeir told a press conference with his British counterpart in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
“We also see the gains that have been made on the ground. Most of Yemen’s territory that was captured by the rebels has been recaptured,” he added.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/yemen-war-nearing-its-end-saudi-fm-1.1609169
Kommentar: Wer soll das noch glauben?
28.10.2015 – German Foreign Policy
Informationskrieg
Die NATO stützt sich bei der Entwicklung neuer Propagandatechniken zunehmend auf deutsche Wissenschaftler und Journalisten. Jüngster Ausdruck dieses Vorgangs ist eine für Ende November im nordrhein-westfälischen Essen anberaumte Konferenz über "strategische Kommunikation", die ein Think-Tank des westlichen Militärbündnisses veranstaltet - unter Mitwirkung unter anderem eines Korrespondenten der ARD. Erklärtes Ziel der von führenden deutsch-europäischen Rüstungskonzernen gesponserten Tagung ist es, Methoden zu erarbeiten, mit denen sowohl "öffentliche Unterstützung" für Kriegsoperationen der NATO generiert als auch "feindliche Medienarbeit" gekontert werden kann. Deutschland gilt den Konferenzplanern in diesem Zusammenhang als "problematischer Fall". Ihrer Auffassung nach sind "pazifistische Auffassungen" weit verbreitet unter den Deutschen, die sich deshalb oftmals als besonders anfällig für antimilitaristische "Desinformationskampagnen" erweisen. Dies zeige sich insbesondere bei den öffentlichen Auseinandersetzungen über die zivilen Opfer westlicher "Luftschläge" und den Einsatz bewaffneter Drohnen.
Ausgangspunkt der Tagung des JAPCC ist die These, dass von Kampfjets und Drohnen der NATO ausgeführte "Luftschläge" zwar wesentlich für den "strategischen Erfolg" des westlichen Militärbündnisses sind, aber gleichzeitig immer wieder massive öffentliche Kritik nach sich ziehen. Insbesondere die von Aufständischen und "radikalen Gruppen" lancierten Berichte über zivile Opfer und "Kollateralschäden" trügen dazu bei, die "öffentliche Meinung" über die westliche Luftkriegsführung zu "unterminieren", heißt es. Dies könne schlimmstenfalls dazu führen, dass die NATO die für sie entscheidende "Unterstützung" durch die Bevölkerungen ihrer Mitgliedsstaaten einbüße, erklärt das JAPCC.
Das JAPCC hält Deutschland in diesem Zusammenhang für einen besonders "problematischen Fall". Nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs habe sich hier eine "starke pazifistische Haltung" etabliert; auch lasse die "öffentliche Meinung" die in den USA und Großbritannien gängige Unterstützung für die eigenen Streitkräfte sträflich vermissen, heißt es: "Wann immer die NATO Gewalt anwendet, sind die Deutschen weit empfänglicher für anti-militaristische Desinformationskampagnen als alle anderen NATO-Staaten." Um hier Abhilfe zu schaffen, hat das JAPCC eigens ein Forschungsprojekt initiiert, das das Ziel verfolgt, gegen die Luftkriegsführung der NATO gerichtete Anwürfe im Hinblick auf deren "Effektivität" zu analysieren. Darauf basierend sollen dann erklärtermaßen "Informationsstrategien" entwickelt werden, die die Luftkriegsführung der NATO als mit dem Völkerrecht übereinstimmend und "human" porträtieren.
Unterdessen hat das JAPCC schon im Vorfeld seiner Konferenz über "strategische Kommunikation" etliche "Empfehlungen" für die "Erziehung der Öffentlichkeit" im Sinne der NATO formuliert. Danach soll das westliche Militärbündnis etwa spezielle "Medienteams" aufstellen, die bei künftigen Konflikten gezielt über "Menschenrechtsverstöße des Feindes" berichten. Umgekehrt müssten diejenigen "aggressiv" in ihre Schranken gewiesen werden, die den Einsatz von Streubomben oder illegale Tötungen durch bewaffnete Drohnen "per se als Kriegsverbrechen brandmarken". Ihnen gegenüber sei zu betonen, dass "terroristische Gruppen" und "Diktatoren" sich ohnehin nicht an das Völkerrecht hielten, während die NATO stets alle "verfügbaren Ressourcen" mobilisiere, um "zivile Opfer zu vermeiden": "Streubomben sind sehr wichtig, wenn man einen Feind bekämpft, der als konventionelle Streitmacht organisiert ist."
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/fulltext/59235 siehe dazu auch die offizielle Ankündigung: https://www.japcc.org/wp-content/uploads/JAPCC_Conf_Flyer_2015_web.pdf
Kommentar: Abenteuerlich.
27.10.2015 – Khaled Bahah, Vicepresident of Yemen
Battle for Yemen's future has been intense: Bahah
Future was stolen by Iranian-backed Houthi militia
"In a region racked by strife, Yemen stands out. It is the poorest country in the Middle East and since March, the plight of my people has been worsened by an inhumane war.
The people of Yemen elected President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in February 2012 to preserve the country’s unity, independence and territorial integrity, while leading all Yemenis toward a brighter future. But that future has been stolen by Iranian-backed Houthi militia, who drove our legitimate government from office and have committed countless human-rights abuses, documented by the UN. In response, a broad, international coalition led by Saudi Arabia, and with Yemen’s national army, is working to liberate our country from illegal, foreign-sponsored control.
With Aden now secured, we have accelerated the delivery and distribution of essential goods and humanitarian assistance to Yemenis, who had been on the verge of famine before the current conflict.
Thanks in large part to the exceptional generosity of our Gulf brothers, Aden’s schools, which were shut down during the Houthi occupation, are open. Electricity has been restored and hospitals are starting to function again.
While much more needs to be done, the arduous road to recovery begins with the restoration of territorial control. Yemen’s national army and coalition forces have advanced to the northern province of Marib on the doorstep of the capital, Sana'a.
We will take our capital back, and restore legitimacy to our country and hope to all Yemenis.
The Houthis can avoid further bloodshed if they comply with the UN Security Council resolution adopted on April 14th and recognise the legitimate, freely elected government and return all territories that they have illegally seized.
The world is rightly concerned about the toll, especially to civilians, from this war.
Any civilian death is a tragedy for which my heart bleeds, and the forces allied with us are taking extraordinary care to avoid civilian casualties and target only military objectives.
Yet we have seen terrible evidence, documented by internationally respected NGOs, of Houthis locating their hide-outs and weapons caches in civilian areas and making human shields out of political detainees.
In its practices, the Houthi group enjoys the support of a regional power.
My country is keen to have good relations with all countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, provided that principles enshrined in the UN charter particularly non-interference in internal affairs are respected and observed.
But Tehran must choose, either it continues to sow discord and maintain relations with a seditious movement, the Houthis, or it deals with Yemen’s legitimate authority.
The end of this conflict cannot come soon enough. In their callous disregard for the rule of law, the Houthis have opened up a dangerous power vacuum in parts of the country, which Al Qaeda and ISIS [Daesh] the sworn enemies of humanity are exploiting. As a result, much more than the future of my country is at stake.
Failure in Yemen will reverberate regionally and globally, emboldening and empowering extremists. Victory will send a powerful message beyond our shores that Yemenis are committed to defend their inalienable right to self-determination, to prosper in peace and to project those values throughout the Middle East."
http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/battle-for-yemen-s-future-has-been-intense-bahah-2015-10-28-1.608461 = http://www.pressreader.com/china/the-wall-street-journal-asia/20151029/282011851222698/TextView
Kommentar: Die saudischen bzw. Koalitions-Luftangriffe werden nicht einmal erwähnt, wenn die Gewalt des Krieges und die zivilen Opfer beklagt werden. Alle Schuld an allem Übel im Jemen wird den Huthis gegeben, als hätten Saudis und Co. nie in den Konflikt eingegriffen. Sogar für das Erstarken von Al Kaida und ISIS wird die Schuld bei den Huthis abgeladen, die immer die stärksten Gegner dieser Gruppierungen waren, während die Saudis und die Hadi-Anhänger teilweise mit ihnen gemeinsame Sache – solange es nur gegen die Huthis geht – machen. Es muss auch immer der iranische Popanz entsprechend schrecklich gezeichnet werden, obwohl die Parteinahme des Iran für die Huthis vor allem verbal ist. Die Einmischung anderer Mächte ist nun wesentlich heftiger, aber dagegen schreibt Bahah nichts. Die alberne Begründung für eventuelle zivile Opfer, dass die Huthis ihre Waffen in zivilen Gebieten verstecken würden, darf natürlich auch nicht fehlen; wir kennen das schon aus der Ostukraine gegenüber den dortigen „Separatisten“. Die Bilder von den Zerstörungen nach den Luftangriffen zeigen ja auch überall die in den zerstörten Zivilgebäuden herumliegenden Waffen??? Und wie oft kommt „legitim“ in Verbindung mit der Hadi-Regierung vor? Ob sie international anerkannt wird oder nicht: Ihrer Amtszeit ist im Februar 2015 ausgelaufen. Demnach hat Jemen derzeit keine legitime Regierung. Nur eine Neuwahl könnte wieder eine bringen. Wieviele Stimmen Hadi, Bahah und Co. dann wohl bekommen würden? In der Versenkung würden sie verschwinden.
27.10.2015 – Vice News
Saudi Arabia Admits Bombing MSF Hospital in Yemen — But Faults MSF
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the UN has admitted a "mistake" was made when Riyadh-led coalition jets bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Yemen, but says the medical charity provided incorrect geographic coordinates for the facility, leading to the incident.
In a statement, MSF said that the hospital's GPS coordinates "were shared with Coalition forces. They are sent every week to the Coalition operations room, and the last time they were shared was on October 24." The organization also said that it's logo had been painted on the facility's roof and was visible from the air.
However, in an interview with VICE News, Saudi Ambassador to the UN Abdallah al-Mouallimi called into question the charity's account, and appeared to fault MSF.
"The coalition forces tried to avoid the location that was given to them by Medecins Sans Frontieres, and they were targeting a field that was used by the Houthis for training and ammunition gathering," Mouallimi told VICE News, referring to the northern rebel group that, along with their allies, the Saudi-led coalition has targeted since March. "This [the hospital] was hit by mistake as a result of Medicins Sans Frontieres providing wrong coordinates of their location."
The ambassador's admission appeared to contradict earlier remarks by coalition spokesperson Brigadier General Ahmad Asseri, who, when asked by Reuters if their jets had hit the hospital, said "Not at all."
Mouallimi said the Saudi government was conducting an investigation into the incident "to examine the exact causes and the impact of the strike," adding "we will take all measures necessary to avoid such situations in the future."
"Clearly a mistake was made," said the ambassador.
According to a report in the Associated Press, US Green Berets were aware the target was a functioning hospital.
In addition to the sale of tens of billions worth of armaments, the US provides the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen with vast logistical support and what it terms "targeting assistance."
American tanker jets also fly two sorties per day within Saudi airspace to refuel coalition jets prior to or after their bombing runs, like the one that hit MSF's hospital in Sadaa. American defense officials will not say if they are investigating any civilian death reports in Yemen, and refer reporters to the Saudi government.
In his comments to VICE News, Mouallimi said he wasn't trying to "blame" MSF for the incident, but reiterated that if it weren't for what he alleged was an error on their part, the airstrike wouldn't have taken place.
"We are just stating the fact of the situation," he said – by Samuel Oakford
Terrorismus / Terrorism
29.10.20215 – Press TV Iran
Over 1,000 Daesh militant backups arrive in Yemen’s Aden to fight Ansarullah
Over 1,000 militants have arrived in the Yemeni city of Aden to join the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the war-torn country and fight against the Houthi Ansarullah fighters.
“Hundreds of armed militants who came from other provinces of Yemen and from abroad started their training in the Salah al-Din camp in Aden,” an unnamed Yemeni security source told Russia's Sputnik news agency on Wednesday.
The Yemeni source said that the exact number of the reinforcements is not yet known but approximately between 1,500 to 2,000 militants have come to the southern port city to fight alongside the terror group.
He added that during the past few days a number of airplanes with hundreds of militants aboard had landed at the city’s airport “under condition of high secrecy and reinforced security.”
On Tuesday, the spokesman of the Syrian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Ali Mayhoub, said that two planes from Turkey, one from the United Arab Emirates, and another from Qatar had transported 500 Daesh terrorists fleeing from Syria to an airport in Aden.
According to Mayhoub, these militants, transported from Syria to save them from Russian airstrikes, are supposed to take part in a ground operation against Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah fighters.
“[Daesh] militants were met by officers from the Saudi-led coalition, who took them out of the [Yemeni] airport in three groups,” he further said, adding that two groups were taken to two locations in Yemen and a third one was sent to the Saudi provinces of Asir and Jizan, in the south and southeast, respectively.
28.10.2015 – Sputnik News
Over 1,000 Militants Arrived in Yemen to Join ISIL, Fight Againt Houthis
Militants from all over the Middle East arrived at the military camp Salah al-Din in the Yemeni city of Aden to join Islamic State and fight against Houthi rebels, a Yemeni security source told Sputnik.
"Hundreds of armed militants who came from other provinces of Yemen and from abroad started their training in the Salah al-Din camp in Aden," the source said on the condition of anonymity.
According to him, the exact number of the fighters is unknown. Approximately, there are about 1,500- 2,000 people who arrived in the city to join the terrorist organization.
"In recent days, several planes with hundreds of fighters aboard landed at the airport of Aden under condition of high secrecy and reinforced security," the source said.
Earlier, it was reported that over 500 ISIL militants had been transported from Syria to Yemen on planes that had arrived from Turkey.
"They were transferred from Syria to escape Russian airstrikes," Syrian Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Ali Maihub said, adding that the fighters were “met by officers from the Saudi-led coalition who took them out of the [Yemeni] airport in three groups.”
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151028/1029249153/over-1000-militants-arrived-in-yemen-isil.html
28.10.2015 – Twitter
The Islah university in #Aden ( science and tec ) have decided to start teaching 1 week 4men and 1week 4 girls !
https://twitter.com/hussam25173474/status/659463948698304512
Kommentar: Al Kaida hat seinen Willen durchgesetzt – in Hadis „Hauptstadt“.
28.10.2015 – Washington Post from AP
Militants bomb college in Yemen’s port city of Aden
Security officials and witnesses in the southern Yemeni city of Aden say militants have bombed a local college, following previous threats against the school.
The officials said militants on a motorcycle tossed a bomb Wednesday onto the sprawling campus of the University of Aden. It shattered windows at the College of Commerce and Economics. Terrified students ran for safety.
There was no immediate word on casualties or a claim of responsibility.
A university official has told the AP that Islamic militants had vowed to attack the school if it did not gender-segregate classes.
Yemen is torn by fighting between the government and Shiite rebels, with Islamic extremists exploiting the chaos.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/militants-bomb-college-in-yemens-port-city-of-aden/2015/10/28/34aafd38-7d7c-11e5-bfb6-65300a5ff562_story.html = http://www.khaleejtimes.com/region/mena/militants-bomb-college-in-yemen
Flüchtlinge / Refugees
28.10.2015 – Kreiszeitung
Hanan M. aus dem Jemen hat in Dörverden ein neues Zuhause gefunden: „Man kann wieder träumen“
„Mein Traum ist es eines Tages Model zu werden“, erzählt Hanan mit leuchtenden Augen. Die junge Frau hat ein Ziel vor Augen hat, von dem sie in ihrem ehemaligen Leben nicht hätte träumen können. Hanan und ihre Familie stammen aus Sanaa, der Hauptstadt des Jemen. Einem Land, in dem seit Jahren Bürgerkrieg herrscht. Seit Anfang des Jahres leben sie in Dörverden.
An einem tristen Wintertag kam Hanan mit ihrer Familie an. Wo genau das sein würde, wussten sie nicht, nur, dass es nach Deutschland geht. Die achtköpfige Familie hatte alles hinter sich gelassen, um als Flüchtlinge nach Deutschland einzureisen und ein Leben in Sicherheit zu führen. Schließlich wurde Dörverden ihr Bestimmungsort: „Das Dorf sagte mir bis dahin rein gar nichts“, erinnert sich Hanan.
Es gab viele Hürden, gerade kämpft sie um das endgültige Aufenthaltsrecht in Deutschland und um ihre Gesundheit. Die junge Frau ist schwer an der Niere erkrankt. Auch das erzählt sie fast beiläufig.
http://www.kreiszeitung.de/lokales/verden/hanan-jemen-doerverden-neues-zuhause-gefunden-5696418.html
Kommentar: Sie kam noch vor dem Beginn der saudischen Luftangriffe. Weitere werden folgen.
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-40: / Yemen Press reader 1-40:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Fotos von saudischen Luftangriffen / Photos of Saudi air raids
(18+, Nichts für Sensible--Graphic!!)
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