Allgemein / General
4.11.2015 – PRI
For Yemen, cyclone was bad, but the war is worse
Aid has begun to reach Yemeni victims of Cyclone Chapala. But as serious as the storm was, international aid workers are concerned about an even bigger problem: Yemen's civil war.
"Of course it is important to focus on the suffering and the damage caused by the cyclone," says Rima Kamal from UCRC in Sanaa, "but at the end of the day three people died from Cyclone Chapala. You have 30 people dying every day because of lack of access to health services, because of war wounds from the fighting on the ground, and from the air strikes as well."
"Yes, the cyclone was extremely unfortunate and it has hit Yemen hard, but it has been passing and it will end," Says Kamal. "But then you have the larger conflict which is ongoing, which at this point in time does not seem to have an end in sight, and which is the primary reason and cause of the suffering of the Yemeni people."
Kamal says it is important to remain focused on the big picture. "We can do something to stop this conflict," she notes. "Import restrictions must immediately be lifted. Goods must be allowed into the country. And a political solution must be found." – by Stephen Snyder
http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-11-04/yemen-cyclone-was-bad-war-worse
4.11.2015 – American Interest
As we have noted since this summer, when and if the Saudis move into Houthi territory, the bloodbath will be enormous. Most of these casualties will be Yemeni civilians, but many may be Saudis, if they can’t close on the truce they keep promising is right around the corner—but never seems to come. And with a small population, high standard of living, and historically conservative foreign policy, the Saudi public may not be willing to take much. Even—or perhaps especially—in a totalitarian monarchy, that can spell trouble.
The Saudis have only undertaken this risky course because of the retreat of American leadership in the region—we need to keep a careful eye on Yemen, and Riyadh, to make sure the follow-on effects of our pull-back do not grow even worse.
http://www.the-american-interest.com/2015/11/04/in-yemen-the-worst-may-be-yet-to-come/
3.11.2015 –Reuters
Yemen: Why victory is proving elusive for King Salman's coalition
Riyadh is now immersed in a campaign that seems to be hinged on an early surrender by its foes. Its allies are weak and divided and the outcome of the conflict will go a long way towards determining its future role in the Middle East.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Saturday he thought the campaign may be nearing its end because of coalition gains and Saleh and the Houthis' willingness to talk. It was the latest in a series of Saudi predictions the intervention would be over quickly, and a Western official said it was optimistic.
Failure will make it harder to reassemble the coalition of Arab states that has supported it in its southern neighbour.
Saudi Arabians have been buoyed by the taking of Aden in July, and their relatively low number of casualties - a few dozen soldiers and border guards and a handful of civilians killed in cross-border shelling.
But the worst fighting may be to come.
Even in retaking areas where local people supported the coalition, inexperience has shown: security lapses allowed jihadist suicide bombers to hit three major coalition targets in Aden, and billeting troops too close together led to high casualties when a missile hit a base near Marib.
The coalition has not pushed far into highland areas where the Houthis enjoy greatest support, and where the terrain favours those holding it.
Diplomats say Riyadh appears to hope the military pressure, which has tacit support from the U.S. France and Britain, will force the Houthis and Saleh to sue for peace without the coalition and its local allies having to reach the capital.
The war has already cost billions of dollars. It would be hard to sustain even if Riyadh's oil revenues were not hit by stagnant crude prices and would skyrocket with any escalation.
So far, despite the presence of several thousand Saudi and Emirati troops in Yemen at times during the war, their use of more ground troops seems unlikely. The arrival of Sudanese troops in Aden this month underlined Riyadh's desire to keep a light footprint.
That policy has also meant a reliance on local fighters, but they are often untrained and engaged in the war not because of their support for Hadi, but for tribal or religious reasons.
In Aden, the only Yemeni flag on obvious display in the city was in the temporary seat of government at the Qasr Hotel, days before it was hit by a jihadist suicide bomb. Hundreds of other flags represented a longstanding southern separatist movement.
In Marib, Sunni Muslim fighters used virulently sectarian language to describe the Shi'ite Houthis.
Even Hadi's government, based in the fraying splendour of Riyadh's 1970s Guest Palace since March, is divided between partisans of the president and those of his vice president, Khaled al-Bahah – by Angus McDowall
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/02/yemen-security-saudi-idUSL8N12J2QT20151102 = http://www.arabianbusiness.com/yemen-why-victory-is-proving-elusive-for-king-salman-s-coalition-610975.html#.Vjjb2Lcvfcv
Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
4.11.2015 – Shia Post
Yemeni forces kill dozens of Saudi troops
Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah fighters, backed by allied army units, have killed dozens of Saudi soldiers in a retaliatory attack in the southwestern Yemeni province of Ta’izz.
According to a Tuesday report by Yemen’s official Saba Net news agency, Yemeni forces also seized a military base used by Saudi forces in Ta’izz and killed a senior Saudi commander.
Saudi troops later tried to take back the base; however, their struggle resulted in failure and the destruction of a number of their vehicles, the report said.
Ansarullah fighters also launched missile attacks on a base in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern border region of Jizan.
According to the report, the Yemeni army also launched rocket attacks on Saudi military bases in Zahran in the Asir border region of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, Yemeni Popular Committees fired a number of missiles at Saudi bases in the al-Khobe district of Jizan.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Saudi fighter jets pounded various areas across Yemen, including the town of Tuhayta in the province of Hudaydah, the town of Bani Matar in Sana’a Province and a number of areas in the provinces of Hajjah and Sa’ada. Saudi artillery also fired shells toward different parts of the Kitaf region in Sa’ada.
Yemen’s al-Masirah television reported that two civilians were killed after Saudi warplanes bombarded the Razih district in Sa’ada.
http://shiapost.com/2015/11/04/yemeni-forces-kill-dozens-of-saudi-troops/ siehe auch
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940813001252 und http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/11/04/436325/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-retaliatory-Jizan
3.11.2015 – NZZ
Krieg in Jemen: Mehr als 30 Tote durch Luftangriffe und Kämpfe
Bei Luftangriffen und Kämpfen zwischen schiitischen Rebellen und ihren Gegnern sind in Jemens drittgrößter Stadt Tais mindestens 33 Menschen ums Leben gekommen. Jemenitische Sicherheitskräfte teilten am Dienstag mit, in den vergangenen 24 Stunden seien 21 Huthi-Rebellen bei Luftangriffen der saudiarabisch geführten Koalition getötet worden. Acht Zivilisten seien ums Leben gekommen, als ihr Bus auf eine Landmine gefahren sei. Zudem seien vier Kämpfer der Anti-Huthi-Kräfte bei Straßenkämpfen getötet worden.
http://www.nzz.ch/international/mehr-als-30-tote-im-jemen-durch-luftangriffe-und-kaempfe-1.18640645
3.11.2015 – AP
Yemen: Airstrikes kill 21 Houthi rebels in Taiz
Yemeni security officials say fighting between Shiite rebels and their opponents has killed over 33 people in the past 24 hours in Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.
The officials said Tuesday that 21 rebels, known as Houthis, died in airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition that opposes them. Eight civilians died when their bus hit a land mine and four fighters from the anti-Houthi forces were killed in street clashes.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/11/03/fighting-in-yemen-third-largest-city-taiz-kills-over-33-people-in-past-24-hours/ = http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/yemen-airstrikes-kill-21-houthi-rebels-in-taiz/
3.11.2015 – Albawaba
Saudi warplanes accidentally hit Hadi-allied forces
Saudi warplanes have caused dozens of casualties by mistakenly targeting the forces who fight on the side of Yemeni President Abed Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in west-central Yemen.
The offensive, which took place in Ma’rib province on Tuesday, was the second time in the space of a week to that Saudi aircraft targeted the allied forces by mistake, Yemen’s official Saba Net news agency reported.
The previous attacks came on Thursday, when Saudi warplanes carried out airstrikes on Ma’rib’s provincial capital city of the same name, killing an unknown number of forces loyal to Hadi.
Südjemen / Southern Yemen
3.11.2015 – Ahram
Guards clash at Yemen presidential palace in Aden
Guards at the presidential palace in Yemen's second city Aden clashed Tuesday with militiamen providing security for the complex in a dispute over unpaid wages, a military source said.
At least two members of the presidential guard were wounded in the shootout, the source said.
The clash reflects a state of chaos that prevails in Aden.
Soldiers from the force clashed with fighters from the Popular Resistance, a group of southern factions that fought alongside Hadi loyalists, the military source said.
The fighters were protesting a delay in their wages, the source added.
"The fighting has subsided, but tension remains at the Maashiq palace," the source added.
The palace was severely damaged during the fighting between Hadi loyalists and the rebels, but was recently repaired by the United Arab Emirates
UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
4.11.2015 – AP
Saudi, Yemeni ambassadors optimistic for Yemen peace talks
The Saudi and Yemeni ambassadors said Wednesday they are optimistic that peace talks between the Yemeni government and Shiite Houthi rebels will take place in mid-November after weeks of preparations to try to prevent another failure.
Saudi Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi and Yemen’s Khalid Alyemany told reporters after meeting members of the Yemeni community that the talks will focus on implementing a U.N. Security Council resolution approved in April that requires the rebels to withdraw from all areas they have seized and lay down arms captured in months of fighting.
Alyemany said the agenda for the talks, likely to be held in Geneva, should be completed by the end of this week.
Kommentar: Man kann sich nur wundern. Yemen’s Alyemany ist natürlich ein Mann der Hadi-Regierung. Hier äußert sich nur die eine Seite. Wer bestimmt die Agenda der Gespräche? Die Gegenseite wird nicht gefragt? Und ein weiterer Kommentar: Well let's hope that Hadi has been told to vote for peace by his Saudi masters, and Saudi has been told to vote for peace by their U.S. masters, and Saleh and the Houthis haven't many munitions left, then maybe - just maybe... Well, if they reach an agreement it would be a start, but it's a long and difficult road to recovery for Yemen, https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1046763425476148
4.11.2015 – The Global Observatory
Lessons from Yemen’s Humanitarian Frontlines: Q&A with Cedric Schweizer & Claude Bruderlein
Much-needed peace talks between Yemen’s government and Houthi rebels could commence in mid-November, according to the United Nations’ special envoy to the country, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. For now, much of Yemen’s population remains in danger, and humanitarian workers must negotiate on the conflict’s frontlines to deliver assistance.
The former head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Yemen, Cedric Schweizer, said this task was made harder by the multi-layered nature of Yemeni society.
“We needed to discuss with absolutely all the groups there—the government, of course, but also the armed groups, and different tribes and subtribes—to have a better understanding and to be able to have access to the neediest people,” Mr. Schweizer said.
Mr. Schweizer and ICRC Senior Adviser Claude Bruderlein spoke with International Peace Institute Senior Director of Programs Maureen Quinn, while in New York to discuss ICRC’s experience of these and other frontline negotiations, and to explain a new project aimed at allowing more humanitarian experts to share similar valuable information. The interesting thing about Yemen is that it’s a kind of multi-layered society, and we needed to discuss with absolutely all the groups there—the government, of course, but also the armed groups, and different tribes and subtribes—to have a better understanding and to be able to have access to the neediest people.
It’s very important to understand that we are facing between three and four conflicts in Yemen. The first priority was to try to have better access to the field, to be able to deliver assistance, but then, when the Decisive Storm Operations started in 2015, we were facing even more problems in terms of humanitarian assistance.
The big issue was with our assistance accessing the country, and here we were mainly concerned with fuel. The problem in Yemen is that fuel is the most important thing if you want to get a generator functioning, if you want to get water, or if you want the machines in your hospital functioning. So we were dealing not only with the people within Yemen, but also from the outside with the people of the coalition, to be able to import these very vital needs like medicines, and also to allow the commercial system to function again, to ensure that fuel was going to be distributed within the country – by Maureen Quinn
http://theglobalobservatory.org/2015/11/yemen-humanitarian-international-red-cross/
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
3.11.2015 – Veterans Today
Jim W. Dean interview: Saudi hush money avoids criticism on Yemen war
Saudi money has insulated it from every international law I can think of
I’ve just felt that with their military power and friends in the region that eventually will get the upper hand militarily and then they would want to negotiate from a position of strength. Read today, the foreign minister has basically said that he thinks the worst is going to wrap up pretty soon.
And but they have no shame whatsoever. We see they brought in an African brigade of mercenaries to try to avoid Saudi and [Persian] Gulf coast casualties. And the world’s biggest surprise is we heard today they moved thousands of ISIL fighters from Syria, where you would think, they would want to keep them and brought them to Aden, have them fight in the final of course to Sana’a.
I’m very pessimistic on what’s going to happen to Yemen. It seems that the whole world has basically give up on the poor country.
Yemen is a faraway place. I can tell you by comparison even the war in Ukraine has completely dropped out of the news here. Syria is getting all of the attention. And Saudi Arabia knows that they can now do whatever they want to do in Yemen. And they don’t have to worry about public opinion.
A good sign is that they do have another UN meeting scheduled for the middle of November. Maybe that might be the time when they want to do a political settlement or begin one. But so far Saudi Arabia has basically said: “We’ve got plenty of money, time is on our side; so, we’re going to continue with the war of attrition.” And that’s the sad reality.
Press TV: What gives Saudi Arabia impunity?
Dean: Money, money to spend on arms, which Western countries want for their powerful defense industries who donate very lavishly to political groups to help keep selling arms, they want Saudi oil.
Saudi Arabia, even though they’re spending a lot of money with their deficit, and the UN has not done very much. Saudi Arabia has given huge amounts of money to the UN. They want to keep getting that money.
So, I’m afraid it’s the corruption. The all money – the dollar, rial or whatever currency – or the oil dollar. At the end of the day, those with the money can do more than the people’s votes sometimes can.
USA
4.11.2015 – Truthdig
It’s Always the Same War
The United States is engaged in endless war.
The crisis of war and the millions fleeing these infernos has reached levels unprecedented since World War II, prompting the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to issue what they called an “unprecedented joint warning” for states to end wars, respect international law and aid the 60 million refugees made homeless from recent conflicts.
The joint plea of these leaders [to stop wars] came shortly after U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter mentioned that the U.S. military would be engaging in “direct action” in Iraq and Syria. White House press secretary Josh Earnest confirmed in a briefing that troops had been deployed to Syria. He said, “The president did make a decision to intensify that support by offering a small number of U.S. special operations military personnel to offer them some advice and assistance on the ground as they take the fight to ISIL.”
“Only by taking stock of the full magnitude of our military failure can we come to an appreciation of the imperative of beginning to think differently about our approach to the region,” Andrew Bacevich told me on the “Democracy Now!” news hour. Bacevich is a retired colonel, Boston University professor and Vietnam veteran. “The alternative, it seems to me, is to recognize that there are some wars that are unwinnable and should not be fought. If there is a solution to the problem, it has to come from nonmilitary means,” he added.
Finding an end to this ever-widening war is the responsibility of us all – by Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/its_always_the_same_war_20151104#.VjucbP43dD4.facebook
3.11.2015 – The Intercept
Die Drohnen-Dokumente: Die Befehlskette für die gezielten Tötungen
Die tödliche Bürokratie hinter Obamas Drohnen-Krieg. | Von Cora Currier | The Intercept | Übersetzung: Wolfgang Jung | Luftpost | – Militärische Geheimdokumente, die “The Intercept” zugespielt wurden, enthalten auch einige Informationen über den Prozess, in dem die Obama-Regierung ihre Tötungsliste mit Terrorverdächtigen aus dem Jemen und aus Somalia erstellt.
Die Dokumente gestatten einen ungewöhnlichen Blick auf die Entscheidungen, die vor Drohnen-Angriffen und anderen Operationen im überwiegend verdeckt geführten Krieg (gegen den Terror) getroffen werden; dabei geht es um die Auswahl und die Überprüfung von Zielpersonen durch die Geheimdienste, das Militär und das Weiße Haus, die mit der Genehmigung des US-Präsidenten enden, mit der gleichzeitig eine Frist von 60 Tagen beginnt, innerhalb der die gezielte Tötung durchgeführt werden soll.
Die Dokumente stammen aus einer Pentagon-Studie, die Anfang des Jahres 2013 erstellt wurde – zur Überprüfung und Bewertung der Überwachungstechnologie der Geheimdienste und der Aktivitäten des militärischen Joint Special Operations Command, abgekürzt JSOC, während der tödlichen Drohnen-Angriffe, die in den Jahren 2011 und 2012 im Jemen und in Somalia durchgeführt wurden.
In der von einer „Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Task Force“ (einer Sonderkommission zur Bewertung der Ergebnisse von Spionage, Überwachung und Aufklärung) des Pentagons erarbeiteten Studie werden die öffentlichen Erklärungen der US-Regierung über ihre Drohnen-Kampagne gegen hochrangige Terroristen, die eine akute Bedrohung für die USA darstellen sollen, teilweise bestätigt, teilweise wird ihnen aber auch widersprochen. Es wird offen zugegeben, dass es nur sehr selten zur Festnahme von Terroristen kam und dass mit so genanten „Signature Strikes“ häufig unbekannte Personen nur wegen ihres „verdächtigen Verhaltens“ umgebracht wurden.
The Intercept liegen zwei Versionen der Studie vor, eine längere Präsentation vom Februar 2013 und eine Kurzfassung vom Mai 2013, die auch ein Dia enthält, aus dem die Befehlskette für die gezielten Tötungen zu ersehen ist.
Die Obama-Regierung hat sich zunächst sogar geweigert, die gesetzliche Grundlage für die Drohnen- Angriffe offenzulegen – ganz zu schweigen von den bürokratischen Strukturen, die in diesen Dokumenten sichtbar werden. Obwohl im Jemen sowohl die CIA als auch das JSOC Drohnen-Angriffe durchführen, gab es bisher nur sehr wenige offizielle Mitteilungen über die US-Operationen in diesem Land.
„Die Öffentlichkeit hat ein Recht zu wissen, wer nach welchen Kriterien wen zur Zielperson erklären darf, und wo diese Entscheidung fällt,“ erklärte Jameel Jaffer, der stellvertretende Direktor der American Civil Liberties Union.
Sowohl das Pentagon als auch der National Security Council / NSC lehnten es ab, Fragen zu der Studie und zum US-Drohnen-Programm zu beantworten. Der NSC wollte sich auch nicht dazu äußern, ob sich das Verfahren zur Auswahl der Zielpersonen und zur Genehmigung von Drohnen-Angriffen seit dem Erscheinen der Studie geändert hat.
Das oben reproduzierte Dia zeigt, dass die Genehmigung eines Drohnen-Angriffes in einem zweiteiligen Prozess erfolgt. Der erste Schritt beinhaltet die Auswahl einer Zielperson und die Genehmigung ihrer Tötung, der zweite Schritt die Erteilung des Tötungsbefehls. Aus dem Dia geht hervor, dass eine geheimdienstliche Sondereinsatzgruppe des JSOC mit dem Tarnnamen TF-48-4 zusammen mit anderen Geheimdiensten Information über eine Zielperson sammelt und in einer „Baseball Card“ zusammenfasst, die über verschiedene Zwischenstufen dem US-Präsidenten zur Genehmigung der Tötung vorgelegt wird.
http://politik-im-spiegel.de/die-drohnen-dokumente-die-befehlskette-fr-die-gezielten-ttungen/
3.11.2015 – Counterpunch
Reaping the Fruits of the War on Terror in Yemen
The current war in Yemen is a war that US foreign and counter-terrorism policies are partially responsible for.
As in most parts of the world where the US has waged its war on terror, the supposed targets—terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State—are the primary beneficiaries.
These organizations exploit and feed off the chaotic and divisive environments that arise from short-sighted and uninformed “whack a mole” counter-terrorism strategies. Such an outcome is perfectly acceptable to the thriving military-industrial complex that drives and profits from US foreign policy.
Yemen is one of the countries where the disastrous consequences of the war on terror are most evident and potentially most consequential. Yemen’s strategic location across from the Bab al-Mandeb—a critical shipping corridor—and its long border with Saudi Arabia ensure that the chaos that has engulfed the country will not be easily contained.
Much of southern Yemen, which includes areas that Saudi Arabia and its allies claim to have “liberated,” is being infiltrated by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State. Parts of Aden—Yemen’s major port city—are now under the control of AQAP and allied bands of militant Salafis who are enforcing their version of Sharia law on the once cosmopolitan and relatively liberal city.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government—most of whose members remain in their villas in Saudi Arabia—has been unable to assert its authority in the liberated areas. As one of the better organized forces in the country, AQAP is filling the void. This is undoubtedly being facilitated by Saudi Arabia and its allies who view AQAP and militant Salafis as useful proxies. Just as they view groups like al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front in Syria as allies in their war against the government of Bashar al-Assad.
So how have US foreign policy and its counter-terrorism strategies contributed to the chaos that has engulfed Yemen?
In the wake of September 11th, then Yemeni President Saleh—a wily political survivor—recognized that the US’ war on terror was going to be a gift to corrupt governments like his. Saleh promised to be an ally in what he knew would be a war without end against organizations that are easily manipulated by intelligence services.
Thanks to the generosity of US tax payers, weapons and US Special Forces trainers poured into Yemen. There was little effective oversight of how the weapons and newly trained soldiers would be used. Rather than targeting al-Qaeda—an organization that the security services of Saleh’s government had already thoroughly penetrated—Saleh used his US supplied and trained special and counter-terrorism forces against his real enemies: namely the Houthis and those in south Yemen who opposed Saleh’s corrupt northerner dominated government.
In exchange for weapons and training, Saleh also agreed to let US drones hunt down and kill Yemeni citizens. It mattered little to him that the strikes strengthened AQAP. AQAP benefited from the cycles of revenge that resulted from the deaths of what were most often civilians. The drone strikes also weakened and de-legitimized tribal authority, one of the few constraints on the growth of AQAP and Saleh’s corrupt government.
US policies in Yemen—which were narrowly focused on killing the “bad guys” in the parlance of George W. Bush—altered the balance of power and helped set in motion the country’s rapid descent into chaos. With support from the US, Saleh was emboldened and rather than falling back on negotiations and patronage, which are long-established traditions in Yemen, he pursued his enemies. However, he and his forces were not powerful enough to prevail. Saleh, who is a student of Yemeni history, forgot that there are few periods when one man or a government has exercised control over the entirety of the country.
Rather than being defeated, Yemen’s Houthi rebels fought back and in the aftermath of the “Arab Spring” in Yemen, they took over a large part of northwest Yemen. In the south, southern separatists, who were routinely imprisoned and disappeared by the security services and “counter-terrorism” forces, were further radicalized. Now, in southern Yemen, the flag of a unified Yemen is nowhere to be seen. It has been replaced by the flag of the formerly independent south Yemen and the black flags of al-Qaeda.
The US has spent billions of dollars—the actual amount is unknown—on its war on terror in Yemen. It is worth contemplating what the political situation in Yemen would look like if even a fraction of that money had been spent on programs that tackled the real issues that drive instability in Yemen like water shortages, government corruption, a lack of schools and medical facilities, and food insecurity. And what if this aid had been linked to meaningful reform within government institutions?
While it is of course unlikely that Yemen would be a bastion of stability and transparent government, it is just as unlikely that the country would be mired in a brutal civil war that has drawn in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Unfortunately, US policy makers have learned nothing from fourteen years of trillion dollar failures in Afghanistan and Iraq and now Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Rather than rethinking its policies in Yemen and pushing for a negotiated end to hostilities, the US is aiding and enabling Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the war in Yemen. This war has killed thousands, impoverished millions, and effectively ceded control of large parts of Yemen to AQAP and other militant Salafi organizations.
The US’ war on terror in Yemen has done nothing but increase instability, embolden terrorist organizations, and ensure years—likely decades—of healthy profits for the companies that make up the military-industrial complex. These companies—not the American or Yemeni people—are reaping the fruits of a war without end – by Michael Horton
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/11/03/reaping-the-fruits-of-the-war-on-terror-in-yemen/
Kommentar: Wichtige Analyse der Hintergründe der Verstrickung der USA in die Jemenkrise, lange vor Beginn des Krieges / Important analysis of the background of US involvement in the Yemen crisis long before this war began
Kolumbien / Columbia
4.11.2015 – NZZ
Kolumbianische Söldner im Dienste Riads
Saudiarabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate haben offenbar bis zu 800 kolumbianische Söldner eingekauft. Sie sollen im Kampf gegen Jemens Huthi-Rebellen zum Einsatz kommen.
http://www.nzz.ch/international/kolumbianische-soeldner-im-dienste-riads-1.18641080
Propaganda
4.11.2015 – WAM
President of Yemen accuses Houthi militias of imposing alien policies
President of Yemen, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has accused the Houthi rebels of seeking to impose alien policies on the Yemeni society to serve foreign agenda, lay siege to cities, kill innocent people and destroy public and private property.
Speaking to political leaders and tribal dignitaries of Al-Bayda Governorate (South of Sana'a) today, he said the Houthi militias perpetuate hysteric and aggressive war against the people of Yemen. He stressed that the loyalists and the legitimate government army have scored victories against the militias in many battles in coordination and cooperation with the Arab coalition forces.
According to the Yemeni news agency, President Hadi reiterated that the Houthi rebels seek to restore the Imamate system, and added that the President praised the steadfastness and sacrifices of the national army and the elements of popular resistance in various governorates.
https://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395287577773.html
Kommentar: Das ausgerechnet Hadi den Huthis vorwirft, ausländische politische Interessen zu bedienen (des Iran, den er hier gar nicht mehr zu nennen braucht, es weiß eh jeder, wen er meint), ist von diesem Vasallen der Saudis, der sie selbst ins Land gerufen hat, ein schlechter Witz – bei allem an „alien policies“, die die Saudis seitdem im Jemen treiben. Und der Vorwurf an die Huthis, sie „kill innocent people and destroy public and private property”, ist zwar nicht falsch, aber von Seiten dieses Mannes lächerlich, der die saudischen Luftangriffe mit keinem Wort erwähnt und den Saudis für ihre Luftangriffe sogar noch huldigt. Neu der Vorwurf an die Huthis, sie wollten das Imamat, also die nach dem Bürgerkrieg von 1962-69 abgeschaffte Monarchie wieder installieren: das ist wohl der ganz große Propaganda-Weitwurf, wenn jetzt hier die Konfliktlinien der 60er Jahre reaktiviert werden.
4.11.2015 – Gulf News
Yemen’s Bahah says Al Houthis derailing peace efforts
Yemen’s Vice President Khalid Bahah lashed out at the Al Houthi militia, saying that its intransigence is derailing peace efforts and creating obstacles to make the exit from the current situation even more difficult.
During his meeting in Riyadh today with the US ambassador to Yemen, Matthew Touler, Bahah said the legitimate government of Yemen was seeking to reach peace and evade more fighting, and welcomes any serious consultations that guarantee the implementation of international resolutions, led by the UN Security Council resolution No. 2216 in 2015.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/yemen-s-bahah-says-al-houthis-derailing-peace-efforts-1.1613476 see also http://gulftoday.ae/portal/a99ad1d2-b835-4d37-b8c9-d8bcbf28f36f.aspx
Kommentar: Wer hat denn schon mehrere Ansätze zu Friedensgesprächen abgewürgt?
4.11.2015 – WAM
Our troops go to Yemen to aid our values: paper
A UAE paper has said that Flag Day focused minds on what it means to serve this country, whether on the front lines against rebel forces in Yemen or at home steering our development to ensure that the next generation of Emiratis continue to have the full array of opportunities.
This was particularly timely for the second detachment of Emirati troops who are about to deploy in Yemen. They will have appreciated the outstanding example already set by the troops they will replace, who have worked with the Saudi-led coalition and loyalist Yemeni forces to liberate Aden and to claw back much of the south into the control of the internationally recognized government.
In an editorial on Wednesday, The National said, "As we know all too well, and as we remembered through the flag-raising ceremonies yesterday, this progress has come at a high cost for dozens of families whose sons became martyrs.
"That these soldiers risked their lives seeking to restore liberty, stability and opportunity for the citizens of another Arab country reflects the ideals and values on which the UAE is based. It is not enough to foster a haven of peace and tolerance just within our borders. When we see fellow Arabs facing the risk of despotism, we will not stand idly by.
"As Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, told the opening of the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate this week, a swift return to the legitimate government in Yemen is needed to avoid it becoming a haven for Iran-backed militia similar to Hezbollah. That, in a nutshell, is why our foreign policy has to consider the region as a whole rather than trying to withdraw into the silo of the UAE or even the GCC. In stark contrast to our policy of wishing to cultivate a stable and prosperous region for the good of all those who live here, countries like Iran are actively trying to foment trouble for their own benefit – and to the great detriment of people such as the millions of ordinary Yemenis.
"Dr. Gargash made an equally interesting point when he noted that future threats to our well-being and our values will include ones that we cannot yet envisage. This is a prescient observation and a call on the UAE to remain nimble in its thinking so we can meet whatever challenges come our way. Few would have predicted the Houthis’ surge through Yemen, and similarly unorthodox threats will emerge in the future.
The Abu Dhabi-based daily concluded by saying, "But as Flag Day showed, these are challenges we are resolved to overcome."
https://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395287530081.html
Kommentar: Die üblichen Propagandaphrasen zum „Flaggentag“. Irgendwie scheint man hier, was die Feinheit der Propaganda angeht, noch im frühen 20. Jahrhundert steckengeblieben zu sein. Das ist ja nicht einmal der berühmte Holzhammer, hier wird noch mit dem Schmiedehammer zugeschlagen. Das Ergebnis wird dann albern bis zur Karikatur.
3.11.2015 – WAM
President Hadi praises UAE for supporting Yemen
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi on Monday praised the UAE for its positive support for Yemen and brotherly stances for the Yemeni people suffering from the war being waged by the Houthi insurgent group and militia loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh across the country, the Yemen News Agency reported.
This war which has caused a very difficult humanitarian situation in Yemen as the rebels continue to carry out systematic killings against innocent people and destroy households and Yemen's infrastructure, President Hadi said.
President Hadi stressed that the Yemeni people will never forget the heroic stances of the Arab Coalition, namely Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the great sacrifices they have offered to help their Yemeni brothers to restore security, stability and legitimacy to all Yemeni provinces and deliver relief and humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering.
"The UAE is playing a brotherly, brave and powerful role to deliver relief aid to the Yemeni people, rehabilitate schools and hospitals and repair power grids and water services. The UAE is also providing humanitarian support in the provinces struck by super cyclonic storm Chapala," the Yemeni president said.
President Hadi added that the UAE's humanitarian stances show how solid and deep the fraternal ties and bilateral relations between the two countries in various spheres are.
https://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395287472457.html
Kommentar: Ach du lieber Himmel. Ist dieser Hadi nun eine lächerliche oder eine tragikomische Figur? „Yemeni people suffering from the war being waged by the Houthi insurgent group”: Führt sonst niemand Krieg im Jemen? Schon mal was von saudischen Luftangriffen gehört? Das gilt auch für diesen Satz: „The rebels continue to carry out systematic killings against innocent people and destroy households and Yemen's infrastructure”. Wie erbärmlich muss jemand sein, der so etwas sagt, weil er sich von den Saudis aushalten lässt? Und weiter: “The Yemeni people will never forget the heroic stances of the Arab Coalition, namely Saudi Arabia and the UAE” – das ist schon bizarre ins Komische, die Luftangriffe, die ihnen alles zerstört und Freunde und Verwandte geraubt oder verstümmelt haben, werden die Menschen in der Tat nicht vergessen, aber das hat Hadi hier gar nicht gemeint, aber etwas anderes zum Nicht-Vergessen gibt es hier nicht. Diejenigen, die bei den Luftangriffen umgekommen sind, sind freilich überhaupt nicht mehr in der Lage, irgendetwas zu „never forget“, aber egal, warum hier so pingelig sein? Weiter: „to restore security, stability and legitimacy”: das übliche Propaganda-Dreigestirn; was die Luftangriffe zu “Security and stability” beitragen, bleibt Hadis Geheimnis, mit normalem Menschenverstand würde man genau das Gegenteil annehmen. Und „legitimacy“? Klar, dafür, dass ein Hadi im Jemen weiter regieren kann (er war 2012 für 2 Jahre gewählt worden), das ist so ein paar kleine Opfer wert wie das ganze Land in Schutt und Asche zu legen, oder mal eben Ehefrau, Kind, Vater bei einem Bombenangriff zu verlieren... Und weiter: Das Eingreifen der „Koalition“ dafür, um „deliver relief and humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering“, was ist damit? Genauso von Hadi gesagt; dass ein Großteil des “suffering” erst durch dieses Eingreifen von Saudi und Co. überhaupt erst verursacht wurde – wer wird denn bitte so pingelig sein und bei Propagandageschwafel mit irgendwelchen Fakten kommen? Wer war es denn eigentlich, der seit über einem halben Jahr durch eine Seeblockade verhindert hat, zu „deliver relief and humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering“ – in alle Gebiete, die von den Huthis kontrolliert werden? Hadi: Was für eine jämmerliche und lächerliche Figur? Das trifft es wohl nicht ganz: Hadi war schließlich derjenige, der – zumindest nach der Version, die als völkerrechtliches Feigenblatt für den Luftkrieg der Saudis herhalten muss – dieses Menü aus Leichen und Ruinen, das die Saudis im Jemen angerichtet haben, bestellt hat. Also: Ein Mann, der über Leichen geht, mag er auch eine jämmerliche und lächerliche Figur sein.
Zyklon / Cyclone
4.11.2015 – Tiroler Tageszeitung
Zyklon wütet im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen: Eine Million Betroffene
Der Wirbelsturm brachte Überschwemmungen in den Küstenprovinzen des Jemen. Zehntausende Menschen mussten ihre Häuser verlassen.
Bei einem Wirbelsturm sind im Jemen mindestens drei Menschen getötet und Zehntausende aus ihren Häusern vertrieben worden. Zyklon Chapala habe viel Regen gebracht und Überschwemmungen in den Küstenprovinzen Schabwa und Hadramaut verursacht, teilte das UN-Büro zur Koordinierung humanitärer Hilfe (OCHA) in dem Bürgerkriegsland mit.
40.000 Menschen wurden demnach am Dienstag vertrieben oder mussten zeitweise in Sicherheit gebracht werden. Mindestens 450 Häuser seien beschädigt oder zerstört worden. Zudem wurden 34 Menschen verletzt. Insgesamt seien mehr als eine Million Menschen von dem Wirbelsturm betroffen.
Der vor einigen Tagen noch als Zyklon der zweithöchsten Kategorie vier eingestufte Sturm hatte bis zur Ankunft an der Küste beträchtlich an Energie verloren. Es waren deutlich schwerere Verwüstungen befürchtet worden.
4.11.2015 – Pravda.tv
Außergewöhnlich starker Zyklon „Chapala“ fegt über Jemen und Oman hinweg (Videos)
Ein seltener Tropensturm verursachte Überschwemmungen und Schäden im sonst trockenen Wüstenstaat Jemen.
Der heftige Wirbelsturm Chapala hat im Jemen mindestens drei Menschen getötet und Zehntausende aus ihren Häusern vertrieben. Der Zyklon habe viel Regen gebracht und Überschwemmungen in den Küstenprovinzen Schabwa und Hadramaut verursacht, teilte das UN-Büro zur Koordinierung humanitärer Hilfe (OCHA) in dem Bürgerkriegsland mit.
4.11.2015 – Weather.com
Cyclone Chapala Makes Landfall in Yemen (PHOTOS)
A rare tropical cyclone landfall has occurred along the coast of Yemen, as Cyclone Chapala moved across the Arabian Sea before slamming into the Middle Eastern nation.
The powerful storm dumped huge amounts of rain on an arid region that normally receives far less on an annual basis, which led to flooding and fears of rockslides. As a result, thousands were evacuated from the most vulnerable parts of coastal towns nearest to Chapala's landfall.
Satellite estimates show some areas near the coastline received as much as 8 or 9 inches of rainfall from Chapala. Those areas only get about 4 inches of rain per year, on average.
Before the storm hit mainland Yemen, it dealt a severe blow to the island of Socotra, located some 200 miles to the southeast. The storm's effects killed at least three people on the island and left 200 or more injured, according to Emirates 24/7.
“We have reports from Mukalla of very severe flooding, and locals report that the water level has risen by about nine meters (about 30 feet),” Sebastian Rhodes-Stampa, senior humanitarian officer for the UN’s emergency aid coordination body, told IRIN.
4.11.2015 – Vice News
Nearly 40,000 Displaced After Cyclone Chapala Slams Into Yemen
Cyclone Chapala slammed into Yemen earlier this week, a rare occurrence in the region, displacing tens of thousands and creating an acute humanitarian problem in a region already steeped in civil war and pervasive poverty.
The storm, with its extremely heavy rains and flooding, affected as many as 1.1 million people, and displaced more than 36,000, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The agency saidthat an airlift was being prepared for Socotra Island, where three people reportedly died from the storm.
Phil Klotzbach, a meteorologist at the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University, said that Cyclone Chapala was the first hurricane-strength storm to hit Yemen since the 1940s, and the first tropical storm-strength tempest to hit the country since 1960 — with the caveat that historical records from the region are not good. (Hurricanes in the Indian Ocean are called cyclones.) – by Rob Verger
https://news.vice.com/article/nearly-40000-displaced-after-cyclone-chapala-slams-into-yemen
4.11.2015 – Foreign Policy
Cyclone Strikes Yemen, 40,000 People Displaced
Cyclone Chapala, the second most powerful storm on record to strike the Arabian Peninsula, caused catastrophic flooding along Yemen’s southern coast yesterday. The city of Mukalla, which is currently administered by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and local tribal councils, bore the brunt of the storm. Photos from residents posted to social media show torrential flooding in the heart of the city that overwhelmed drainage canals and rose above cars. Meteorologists estimate that some mountains above Mukalla could have seen 20-30 inches of rain, as much as seven times the local annual rainfall average, contributing to the flash floods. There have been no immediate reports of casualties in Mukalla, but 25 people were left injured and 21 are missing according to local reports from Hadhramout province. At least 40,000 people have been displaced by the storm,according to U.N. estimates, and the United Arab Emirates is providing aid to people affected on the Yemeni island of Socotra – by J. Dana Stuster
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/04/cyclone-strikes-yemen-40000-people-displaced/
3.11.2015 – N 24
Jemen: Drei Tote nach seltenem tropischen Zyklon
Zyklon Chapala hat schwere Schäden im Jemen hinterlassen und drei Menschenleben gefordert. Der Wind erreichte Geschwindigkeiten von bis zu 230 Stundenkilometern.
Ein seltener tropischer Zyklon traf am Montag auf die Küstenregion von Jemen. Dabei sind drei Menschen getötet worden, mehrere wurden verletzt. Der Wind erreichte Geschwindigkeiten ähnlich wie bei einem Hurrikan. Zunächst wütete der Zyklon auf der Socotra Insel, 380 Kilometer vor der Küste Jemens, bis er das Festland ansteuerte. Dabei war ein großes Gasterminal bedroht. Eine von der Al-Qaeda kontrollierte Stadt lag ebenfalls auf dem Weg des Zyklons. Chapala, so der Name des Sturms, wurde zunächst als sehr gefährlich eingestuft. Nach dem Erreichen der Küsten schwächte der Sturm ab und zog mit starken Regenfällen und Windgeschwindigkeiten von immerhin mehr als 150 Stundenkilometern weiter Richtung Landesinnere und Hauptstadt Sanaa. Jemens Klima ist generell sehr heiß und feucht, aber besonders niederschlagsarm. Die Infrastruktur des Landes ist auf große Wassermassen kaum vorbereitet.
http://www.n24.de/n24/Mediathek/videos/d/7553016/drei-tote-nach-seltenem-tropischen-zyklon.html
3.11.2015 – The Independent
Yemen conflict: Al-Qaeda out of its depth as territories under its control are engulfed by rare tropical cyclone
Jihadists appear unable to cope with damage wrought by hurricane-force winds and up to 20 inches of rain in one day
Perhaps not unexpectedly, the al-Qaeda jihadists appeared unable to cope with the damage wrought by hurricane-force winds and up to 500mm (20 inches) of rain in one day. Indeed, images shared on social media appeared to show a solitary digger attempting to clear whole districts demolished by floodwater.
Close to the storm’s path was the port of Mukalla, which has been run by a tribal council and al-Qaeda militants since the army and government institutions withdrew in April. One of the militants in the town posted pictures of a convoy of trucks crudely labelled “rescue team” patrolling the seafront. “God protect us, the winds are not normal in Mukalla,” said the man, going by the name of Laith al-Mukalla. “The sea water level has risen by nine metres (30ft) and has destroyed Mukalla’s seafront,” said resident Muhammed Ba Zuhair – by Noah Browning
3.11.2015 – Emirates 24 7
Cyclone Chapala slams into Yemen, floods Mukalla, thousands flee [video]
10 years of rain in 2 days; 22ft high waves; 3 killed on Yemen's Socotra
WHO estimates 127,000 people affected; 10 years of rain in 2 days; 22ft high waves; 3 killed on Yemen's Socotra Island
Even as Cyclone Chapala is downgraded to a tropical depression and is expected to completely dissipate today (Wednesday), Yemen is picking up the pieces in the aftermath of the devastation, which has destroyed homes and flooded city streets and villages.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the effects of this cyclone will be felt over large parts of Yemen, which likely to be more severe in Shabwah and Hadhramaut, which have a combined population of about 1.8 million people.
This includes more than 100,000 internally displaced persons and 27,000 refugees and migrants.
In preparation for the health impact of the cyclone, the World Health Organisiation (WHO) has delivered trauma kits for 1,000 patients in Al Mukalla district of Hadramaut governorate. WHO is also providing 20,000 litres of diesel to eight hospitals to ensure continued operation, as well as 2,500 litres of petrol for 16 ambulances to continue to provide emergency services – by Bindu Rai
Heuschrecken / Locusts
3.11.2015 – Weather.com
Yemen, Slammed by Cyclone Chapala, Faces Locust Plague Risk for Months
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in its routine monthly Desert Locust Bulletin issued Tuesday, said heavy rains from Cyclone Chapala "are likely to result in favourable ecological conditions" for the growth of desert locusts in the central part of the country. The bulletin warned those conditions "could last well into next spring."
Desert locusts do not attack people or animals, and the FAO website says there is no evidence that locusts carry diseases capable of infecting humans. The threat these insects pose to humans is a function of their appetite.
FAO says a locust swarm the size of New York City eats as much food in one day as the entire combined population of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey (about 40 million people).
FAO said Yemen and other countries affected by recent heavy rains should exercise "strict vigilance" around potential growth of desert locusts, which are one of many species within a large group of insects commonly known as grasshoppers. However, ongoing security concerns and logistical problems leave Yemen particularly vulnerable to uncontrolled locust outbreaks.
A desert locust outbreak began in Yemen in June 2013. FAO said control operations were not possible not only because of violence in the region, but also because beekeepers in the area refused to cooperate, fearing pesticides would damage their livelihoods. Ultimately several full-blown swarms of locusts developed over the country over the following eight months.
The FAO said its abilities were hampered in that outbreak by violence and looting of the organization’s pesticide stocks in 2011. In an April 2015 press release, the FAO said it had successfully rehabilitated its local monitoring and control headquarters in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, bringing at least a sliver of hope that something might be done to prevent another plague of locusts from descending on a country already grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis.
http://www.weather.com/news/news/yemen-locust-plague-risk-cyclone-chapala
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-43: / Yemen Press reader 1-43:
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