Krieg im Jemen: Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 45

Yemen Press Reader 45: Mehrere gute Hintergrund-Analyen - Erfolge der Huthis - Russland zeigt Präsenz - USA liefert Bomben - Innere Rivalitäten bei Saudis - Propaganda satt - Zyklon Chapala

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Allgemein / General

6.11.2015 – Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies

YEMEN’S ECONOMIC COLLAPSE AND IMPENDING FAMINE: THE NECESSARY IMMEDIATE STEPS TO AVOID WORST-CASE SCENARIOS

The ongoing civil war and Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen have ground normal economic activity to a halt and the country now faces the real prospect of famine. Revenues from oil exports, which previously accounted for roughly 70% of Yemen’s national budget, have stopped completely. The country’s electricity production too has become anemic, which, coupled which a nationwide fuel shortage, has led to dozens of major factories and hundreds of smaller ones closing down, putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work. Most foreign companies and International organizations have suspended operations and withdrawn both their capital and personnel.

Yemeni purchasing power is vanishing in concert with the skyrocketing cost of imports, in a country that imports 90% of its citizens food requirements. Even before the Saudi-led military intervention began in March 2015, the World Bank was reporting that just over half of all Yemenis were living in poverty and that 45% were food insecure ; today there are nationwide shortages of all basic commodities and more than six million people are at risk of starvation.

This policy paper, published by the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation, aims to provide a reading of Yemen’s current economic situation. It offers a contemporary context to the crisis, examines the economic impact of the ongoing civil war and Saudi-led military intervention, then discusses policy recommendations for stakeholders regarding how best to prevent the disintegration of Yemen's economy and the onset of famine.

http://sanaacenter.org/publications/item/26-yemens_economic_collapse_and_impending_famine.html

6.11.2015 – Yemen News Today

Yemen Update, Nov., 6

I would like particularly to dwell on the suffering of children in this ghastly war, as this week children are returning to school after an 8 month gap in their education since March. When children stopped going to school because of the aerial bombardment, people thought it would be a short time until the war was over. Now, 224 days later, they are still subject to a barrage of bombs, but people want to get on with their lives. Education will still be difficult. Many schools are destroyed or damaged, and in some areas the remaining intact schools are so far away that it will not be possible to send children to school, such as in Saada governate. Most schools do not have electricity or water, and also lack basic equipment such as paper because of the blockade. So despite the fact that the pace of the war has not diminished and the blockade stops educational equipment from arriving, the people of Yemen do not want their children to be a lost generation and they have decided that they must go to school, whatever happens. This will not be easy, as bombs can still be heard day and night, and many children are suffering from stress because of it. But congratulations, mabruk Yemen, on getting your schools up and running. And what courage those teachers must have.

Children’s lives are affected in many different ways in this war. The blockade has meant that petrol cannot be imported, and hence water cannot be pumped from aquifers. I had water delivered direct to my home from the water authorities when I lived in Yemen, but this is a thing of the past now. People collect water from tankers, using plastic cartons, limiting them to 5 litres a day per person – for all tasks, drinking, washing, cooking, and laundering clothes. The severe shortage of clean water has caused high rates of water borne diseases, such as diarrhoea. The figures are shocking – half a million children at risk of severe malnutrition, and over 100,000 treated for severe malnutrition. I cannot find any figures for deaths due to malnutrition, but as hospitals have been destroyed, equipment and medicines cannot reach Yemen due to the blockade; my guess is that the death rate is high.

There is also the issue of child soldiers. They do not fight in armies as far as I know, but they do fight with militias; the Houthis have been accused by the Saudi-led coalition, but my guess is that they are fighting with other militias too. They are not forced to fight; they want to do so. The constant bombs in the north – over 40,000 have been dropped in 7.5 months – which destroy civilian homes and infrastructure – has made many in the population feel that the Saudi coalition is conducting a foreign invasion and it is their duty to fight. Particularly in the Saada province, which has suffered wars since 2004, many schools have been destroyed and many children cannot get to school. These children work in subsidence farms or sell items in the roads to passing drivers – a mini business – and many of them are illiterate. It is not surprising that adolescents decide to fight, as it gives them a moment of glory that they will not otherwise experience in their dreary lives. This is not to excuse child soldiers, but it is to explain it.

And last of all, so many children have been killed in this dreadful war. Nearly 50% of the population were under 18 in Yemen; it had one of the highest fertility rates in the world. So inevitably, there are many children killed when bombs fall in civilian areas – which is caused by militias, armies, and air bombardment – by Judith Brown

More: Cyclone Chapala, Ground and aerial war; Russian plane; Peace talks;

http://yemen-news-today.org/2015/11/06/yemen-update-6th-november-2015/

5.11.2015 – The Dialogue

Commentary — Yemen: Another country beset by warfare

While much needed attention is being given to refugees flowing from war-torn Syria, one desperately suffering Middle East nation is barely a blip on the developed world’s radar screen.

To be honest, Yemen wasn’t on my radar screen either, until I met Barbara Deller.

For 12 years Deller worked as a hospital nurse-midwife in Yemen, and later served as a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, advising ministries of health in numerous countries in Africa and Asia and the Middle East.

She told me that Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen has greatly increased the suffering of this desperately impoverished nation of 27 million people.

http://thedialog.org/?p=28704

Kommentar: Der Inhalt nichts Neues, für den, der sich länger mit dem Jemen beschäftigt hat. Ein Zeichen dafür, dass die Amerikaner langsam aufwachen?

5.11.2015 – Berkeley Political Review

The Failure of Saudi Intervention in Yemen

The Yemeni Civil War, which began this year, is a conflict between two factions, both claiming the right to control the Yemeni government. One side consists of southern separatists and loyalists who support the ruling president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. The other side includes forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthis, a Yemeni Zaydi Shiite rebel group that emerged in the eighth century (named after Zayd ibn ʻAli, the grandson of Husayn ibn ʻAli). Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have also carried out attacks, with AQAP controlling swaths of territory in the hinterlands and along stretches of the coast.

Given the military and social setbacks in Yemen, it would arguably have been prudent for the Saudi government to have first engaged the warring parties in discussion, rather than beginning a war which has inflamed anti-Saudi sentiment and created a military and political quagmire for the Saudi government. However, attempts to find a diplomatic solution and bring the bloody campaign to an end were instead thwarted by the intensification of ground battles and airstrikes.

The Saudi approach is primarily focused on ending paramilitary operations in Yemen, with little consideration of the impact on the country’s economy. The intensified military response to the Yemeni situation plunged the country into economic crisis,

To make matters worse, Saudi military actions in Yemen resulted in an internal power struggle that further divided the region. Even greater humanitarian disaster now looms in the wake of this conflict. The International Committee of the Red Cross has estimated that going forward, voluntary, facilitated talks between warring factions will be required to fast-track a wholesome political reform process.

A better approach would have involved focusing on initiatives aimed at unifying Yemeni communities. Undoubtedly, peaceful negotiations could have abated the war and brought longer-lasting solutions to the political and social differences that initially robbed Yemen of its peace. An example of one such diplomatic solution can be found in the seven-point plan proposed by Oman.

Muhammed Abdul Salam, a Houthi spokesperson, had said that the group would only return to talks if the coalition put an end to military operations. Evidently, before the operations had begun, the Gulf Cooperation Council had initiated talks to end hostilities, but the intervention would have only succeeded in restoring peace in Yemen if Saudi Arabia had not used force to quell prolonged Yemeni civil unrest.

In an interview with Dr. Obaid Al-Wasmi, a law professor at Kuwait University and a former member of the Kuwaiti parliament, he asserted that the solution to the Yemeni crisis can not be military in nature, because the suffering of the Yemeni people – caused by military intervention – is the basis of not only political disorder, but economic and social difficulties as well. He called the Saudi military action “an unthoughtful act” and that “the current war in Yemen has no clear-cut goals.”

Short-term achievements notwithstanding, a military response to civil unrest and other forms of crisis is disastrous. These operations often spark battles for supremacy between foreign countries and allow the situation in the embattled country to deteriorate. In the case of Yemen, military operations resulted in an economic recession and deepened local infighting. Saudi Arabia has also lost soldiers in battle and faces increased retaliatory attacks. To avoid further bloodshed, it would be wise for Saudi Arabia to consider using diplomacy rather than facing the Houthis head-on – by Khairuldeen Al Makhozoomi

http://bpr.berkeley.edu/2015/11/05/the-failure-of-saudi-intervention-in-yemen/

Kommentar: Sehr gute Analyse mit vielen Karten und Diagrammen / Very good analysis with many maps and diagrams.

5.11.2015 – The Cairo Review

Unraveling Yemen’s Civil War

More than sectarianism or foreign intervention, the civil war is driven by broken politics. In Yemen, the self-interest of leaders creates political dead ends.

[There are] deep fissures long underlining Yemen’s political scene: trust between various sides has collapsed. A casual reading of the political roadmap suggests a war being waged by two sides—that is, the country’s Saudi-backed government and the rebels who overthrew them in a coup. The reality is far more complicated. Both factions may allege that they constitute “one hand” against their opponents, but any look below surface level only underlines the extent to which Yemen’s political scene remains riddled by divides, new and old.

This is the case both within and without the country’s political establishment. While the ultimate results of the Saudi-led military operation against the Houthis and their allies remain to be determined, one of its key consequences appears to be the unraveling of Yemen’s political order. The divide between former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s General People’s Congress party and the opposition Joint Meeting Parties—a coalition of the Sunni Islamist Islah party, Yemen’s Socialist Party, and other smaller factions—has effectively dissipated owing to nearly existential fractures within Yemen’s traditional political groupings. Leaders within the same party have taken different sides. Simultaneously, groups outside the system—most notably, the Houthis and secessionist Southern Movement, but also tribal groupings in numerous provinces, specifically resource-rich Marib—have formed strategic relationships with various sides in the conflict. That being said, despite these fragile ties, all have retained their own separate interests and aims. While many may place focus on politicians speaking in the name of the central government, the inclusion of locally rooted, non-traditional groupings will be a necessity in any potential political negotiations or settlement.

Much attention has—unsurprisingly—focused on the presence of small numbers of fighters with ties to Al-Qaeda in the ranks of anti-Houthi resistance militias. But while Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups are likely to continue posing a challenge to those trying to restore order, the deeper challenge lies in rebuilding a political system that long ago fundamentally broke down, leaving a void no political actor seems able to fill.

At the moment, this remains most flagrantly on display in Yemen’s south, where longstanding adversaries—specifically, backers of the pro-unity Islah party and the secessionist Southern Movement—fought alongside each other to expel the Houthis, but have since engaged in a fierce media war with each other that many worry will eventually move from words to bullets. At the moment, the city of Aden remains plagued by disorder and occasional violence.

Such divides continue to riddle both sides of the conflict. The relationship between the Houthis and Saleh’s allies remains characterized by deep distrust. […]

Few, if any, key stakeholders have demonstrated any semblance of accountability. If there’s one thing Yemen’s warring factions have in common, it is their tendency to shirk responsibility for the country’s current state by laying the blame on others. Regrettably, this suggests that the lessons of the past are unlikely to be learned any time soon – by Adam Baron

http://www.thecairoreview.com/tahrir-forum/unraveling-yemens-civil-war/

4.11.2015 – Norwegian Peace Building Resource Center

The current situation in Yemen: causes and consequences

The war in Yemen reflects the failure of the 2011 transition deal to end the influence of the powerful patronage networks of the Salih regime and deal with the marginalisation of the Huthis and the south. Huthi leaders used militias developed in the 2000s, their skills in mobilising tribal support and a Faustian pact with Salih to defeat Islah and, in the process, force President Hadi out of the country. Hubris may have led to their attempt to move out of their Zaydi heartland, but this provoked a Saudi-led coalition to mobilise against them. Fighting has continued for six months with much destruction of human life, infrastructure and the economy. The war may soon culminate in battles to capture Sanaa and Ta’izz. The combatants are not ready for serious negotiations. When they do talk they will find it difficult to establish a regime that enjoys the support of a majority of Yemenis. The war has empowered local groups and created sectarian tensions that previously did not exist. The conflict will not lead to a clear victory: the Yemenis and the coalition will need to make some difficult compromises. Meanwhile, the destruction continues and al-Qa‘ida in the Arabian Peninsula and Islamic State terrorists are exploiting the situation – by Noel Brehony

http://www.peacebuilding.no/Regions/Middle-East-and-North-Africa/The-Gulf/Publications/The-current-situation-in-Yemen-causes-and-consequences = http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Articles/Detail/?id=195131 und der vollständige Report: http://www.peacebuilding.no/var/ezflow_site/storage/original/application/2f5bf98a4531d31682098dcb67226b44.pdf

4.11.2015 – NZZ

Flüchtlingsdrama: Jetzt muss sich der Westen selbst begrenzen

Der Westen glaubte, seine Werte würden die Welt befrieden. Doch die unipolare westliche Weltordnung war eine Utopie. Statt dem Ende der Geschichte, haben wir heute endlose Konflikte.

Nach dem Ende des Sowjetsystems und der bipolaren Weltordnung beherrschten zwei große Thesen die politische Debatte, die vom «Ende der Geschichte» (Francis Fukuyama) im Sinne einer unaufhaltsamen Ausdehnung der westlichen Demokratie und die vom «Kampf der Kulturen» (Samuel P. Huntington) im Sinne eines über die westliche Ausdehnung entstehenden Zusammenpralls unterschiedlicher Werteordnungen.

Unglücklicherweise folgte die westliche Außenpolitik der ersten These – vom Balkan über Afghanistan, den Irak, Libyen bis zu den Lockangeboten an die Ukraine. Dadurch hat sie maßgeblich zur politischen Destabilisierung dieser Regionen beigetragen, uns heillos in unlösbare Konflikte verstrickt und den Kampf der Islamisten gegen den Westen angefeuert. Das Scheitern des Westens jenseits seiner Grenzen spricht nicht gegen westliche Werte, wohl aber gegen unsere Fähigkeit, diese Werte zu universalisieren. Die Konfessions- und Stammeskriege im Irak und in Libyen und das Vordringen von Islamisten waren vor allem Folgen einer Destabilisierung autoritärer, aber stabiler Regime durch westliche Interventionen. Als Ergebnis dieser Missionspolitik sind die Staaten der EU heute von einem «Ring of Fire» umgeben, welcher vom Mittleren und Nahen Osten bis nach Nordafrika und neuerdings bis zur Ukraine reicht.

Die amerikanische Außenpolitik betreibt einerseits eine Politik des Regime-Change, wo immer sie amerikanische Interessen gefährdet sieht, andererseits legitimiert sie dies seit zwei Jahrzehnten mit einer Politik der Demokratisierung, bevorzugt mit einem Uno-Mandat für die sogenannte «Schutzverantwortung». Beide Motive sind an ihre Grenzen gestossen: Auch die amerikanische Militärmacht reicht nicht aus, um fremdkulturelle Regionen zu stabilisieren, und die Demokratisierung verkennt die Realitäten in nichtwestlichen Clan-Kulturen, wo unabänderliche ethnische und religiöse Identitäten die Wahlen entscheiden und das gesellschaftliche Gemeinwohl keine Rolle spielt.

Der westliche Universalismus hat nicht das Ende der Geschichte, sondern endlose Konflikte hervorgebracht. Der Universalismus des Westens sollte daher von einer realpolitischen Strategie abgelöst werden. Darin sind kulturelle Unterschiede und politische Machtverhältnisse zu respektieren. […] Für die Selbstbehauptung des Westens ist vor allem seine Selbstbegrenzung gefordert. – von Heinz Theisen

http://www.nzz.ch/meinung/kommentare/die-grenzen-der-grenzenlosigkeit-1.18640730

Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian Situation

6.11.2015 – USAID

Yemen Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #1 Fiscal Year (FY) 2016

Tropical Cyclone Chapala makes landfall in central Yemen, potentially affecting an estimated 1.1 million people and exacerbating humanitarian needs

Relief agencies dispatch emergency food, shelter supplies, and WASH assistance for storm-affected people

Insecurity continues to constrain humanitarian access across conflict- affected areas of Yemen

http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/11.06.15%20-%20USG%20Yemen%20Complex%20Emergency%20Fact%20Sheet%20%231.pdf

Kommentar: das Land im Krieg zerstören auf der einen Seite, humanitäre Hilfe im (im vergleich dazu) Promillebereich auf der anderen Seite

6.11.2015 – UNCHR

UNHCR provides emergency relief to Yemen cyclone displaced

The UN refugee agency has provided emergency relief including tents, bedding and cooking utensils to more than 1,600 families displaced by Cyclone Chapala, which struck the Arabian Sea coast of Yemen in recent days sweeping away houses, boats and livestock. A day before the cyclone struck, UNHCR moved 1,000 tents and 3,000 Non Food Item kits – containing items ranging from blankets and mattresses to plastic buckets and kitchen sets – to Al Mukalla in Hadramaut, and UNHCR partners began distributing them on November 4. An initial 350 families were reached in Hadramaut and distributions are ongoing in affected areas.

The refugee agency also brought in 5,000 emergency shelter kits, comprising plastic sheets, poles, hammers, nails, ropes and other items, to neighbouring Al Mukalla governorate. Throughout the preparations and response, UNHCR has been coordinating with authorities, other UN agencies, NGOs, civil society organisations and through the sub-national Protection and Shelter Clusters in Aden.

http://www.unhcr.org/563cab666.html

6.11.2015 – Yemen Real News

A HEART-BREAKING CRY FROM YEMEN

Abdul Rahman al-Ahdal: "The only center for kidney dialysis has stopped operating in Hodeidah governorate and with it, several people will stop breathing and die and my dad will be among them."

Thank you Salman! Thank you Saudi Arabia! Thank you United Arab Emirates, Britain, USA and the rest of the coalition for 'helping the Yemeni people' .... by killing them!

https://www.facebook.com/yemen.crisis/posts/528431437323097

6.11.2015 – Open Democracy

Saudi blockade threatens famine in Yemen

Yemeni civilians are starving as the international community tacitly allows the blockade to continue. It must be lifted so they have a chance for survival.

Last week a royal Saudi charity announced that it would donate $244 million to help those in the grip of a humanitarian crisis in Yemen. But meanwhile, the ongoing blockade by the Saudi-led coalition combined with escalating violence risks pushing the country towards a famine.

The economic blockade, originally designed to stop Iranian supplies from reaching Houthi rebels, began in March 2015. It is backed by five of the six Gulf Cooperation Council member states—Oman being the only exception.

This Saudi-led coalition is also responsible for airstrikes against the population, backed by intelligence from the USA. The UK has expressed its support for the Saudi-led assault “in every practical way short of engaging in combat”, as Philip Hammond, UK Foreign Secretary stated. In so doing, all parties involved in the airstrikes, including the US and UK, are tacitly supporting the economic blockade.

The blockade may have succeeded in stemming the flow of supplies to Houthi rebels but at an unacceptable cost to the civilian population. Keep in mind, Houthis represent at least a quarter of the Yemeni population; even if the blockade was more targeted, depriving a quarter of the population of essential goods like food—leading to starvation—is not only unreasonable, but also inhumane. In August 2015, the World Food Programme said Yemen was “one step away" from famine.

The blockade has hit Yemen hard for a number of reasons. It is a resource-scarce environment that heavily depends on imports for food and fuel. According to Oxfam, 90 percent of staple food items, such as wheat and rice are imported. Even before the current conflict broke out, more than ten million Yemenis faced hunger every day.

Humanitarian assistance can only do so much and whatever assistance is administered today will not feed the population forever as Yemen faces a severe economic crisis. Businesses and traders in Yemen are critical to bringing in food, medicine and more, but trade has nearly ground to a halt, and the escalation of violence is already placing restrictions on access.

The conflict, and resulting humanitarian crisis, can play out in a number of ways. Here, I outline three future scenarios—and what they mean for civilians in Yemen.

Yemeni civilians are starving as the international community tacitly allows the blockade to continue – by Sherine El Taraboulsi

https://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-awakening/sherine-el-taraboulsi/saudi-blockade-threatens-famine-in-yemen

The whole text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence.

Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

7.11.2015 – The Arab Source

Yemeni Army and Houthis Launch Massive Offensive in Southern Yemen

On Friday afternoon, the Yemeni Army and their popular committees – led by the Houthis – have launched a massive military operation to recapture the strategic Shawba and Dhale Governorates in southern Yemen after the pro-Hadi forces captured this province in mid-August of this year.

One of Yemen’s largest provinces in terms of landmass, the Shawba Governorate is the gateway to the eastern part of the country that is currently controlled by a number of factions loyal to Al-Qaeda; if recaptured by the Yemeni Army and Houthis, they will have access to its large port that is situated at the northern section of the Persian Gulf

Unlike the Shawba Governorate, the Dhale Governorate is relatively small in terms of landmass, but its population size rivals that of the former, making it another imperative military endeavor for the Yemeni Army and Houthis; this province is also imperative due to its proximity to the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, which is located northwest of Dhale.

The Yemeni Army and their popular committees have already started operations to recapture Dhale; however, their offensive in Shawba is set to begin in the next 48 hours, as the pro-Hadi forces attempt to rally their fighters to combat this massive assault.

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/yemeni-army-and-houthis-launch-massive-offensive-in-southern-yemen/

6.11.2015 – Khaleej Times

Fresh UAE troops join Yemen war

The second batch of Emirati soldiers has assumed its duties within the Arab coalition forces to give an impetus to the Yemen war.

The General Command of the UAE Armed Forces has said that the process of replacing the forces has been accomplished according to a systematic strategy and accurate military standards.

It explained that the first batch will arrive home over the next few days, where there will be an official reception for the brave soldiers who have stood with the Arab coalition forces, as well as the legitimate Yemeni people, against the putschists. Analysts have said a rotation of units to and from the frontline in Yemen is important for the overall success of the coalition's campaign against Houthi militia and forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

"It is vital to rotate troops in war zones," he said. "We need to give the troops time to rest, regroup and refresh," Riad Kahwaji, founder and CEO of Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, told Khaleej Times recently – by Ahmed Shaaban

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/government/fresh-uae-troops-join-yemen-war

5.11.2015 – Critical Threats

2015 Yemen Crisis Situation Report: November 5

The frontlines in Yemen remain fixed even as fighting escalates in buildup to proposed UN-led peace talks. The security conditions are exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian crisis and preserving the security vacuum that is allowing al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to increase its influence throughout Yemen.

The battle for Taiz continues as both pro- and anti-al Houthi forces fail to gain clear momentum.

Clashes between anti-al Houthi popular resistance forces and al Houthi-Saleh forces resumed in al Bayda governorate, where AQAP has had a growing presence

Pro-al Houthi militias launched a counteroffensive in al Dhaleh governorate in south-central Yemen, following an anti-al Houthi offensive that secured much of the governorate in June and July.

The Ma’rib frontline remains fixed in Sirwah district, west of Ma’rib city

Yemeni political parties signed a Charter of National Honor against the Saudi-led coalition..

The al Houthis detained two American UN contractors in Sana’a airport, according to reports.

A Russian plane broke the coalition’s no-fly zone and delivered 23 tons of humanitarian aid to Sana’a.

The humanitarian aid response to Cyclone Chapala in AQAP-controlled al Mukalla, Hadramawt may increase AQAP’s legitimacy in the region

The frontlines will likely remain relatively fixed because they are now aligned along lines of support within the human terrain. Continued fighting will exacerbate Yemen’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, provide the opportunity for foreign powers to influence the upcoming negotiations, and allow AQAP to increase its operational and governmental capabilities – by Emily Estelle

http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/yemen-crisis-situation-reports-november-5-2015

5.11.2015 – South Front

Yemen Map of War – Nov. 5, 2015

The past week has seen increasing pressure from all corners against the Saudi imposed war of aggression in Yemen:

Sources in the White House admit to doubts continuing support of close ally Saudi Arabia in Yemen, but have reassured skeptics that second-guessing their relationship could jeopardize the whole situation as the Iran nuclear deal has already strained tensions and that they have no intention to distance themselves from their most powerful ally in the region.

MSF has called upon Saudi Arabia to provide convincing reasons for the several airstrikes against their medical facility in northwestern Yemen. Amnesty International said the Saudi attack on the hospital could amount to a war crime. The UN also condemned airstrike calling for an immediate probe into the incident.

Yemen’s Houthi alliance said that efforts to convene UN-backed peace talks to find a political solution to the ongoing crisis in the Arab country have failed.

Saudi support for the militant groups, specially Al-Qaeda and the ISIL, in Aden has resulted in a rise in the number of the terrorist attacks on influential political figures and senior officers. Two suspected CIA operatives, American citizens, Mark McAllister and John Hamen, who were ostensibly working for a maintenance company, Al Rafideen, were arrested on espionage charges by Ansarullah of the Houthi alliance.

Saudi strikes serves little tactical objectives, almost like a cornered animal while it is clearly losing large amounts of material and personnel. Will they submit to negotiations for a political settlement?

Day by day – by Akram Abu Abs

http://southfront.org/yemen-map-of-war-nov-5-2015/

5.11.2015 – ABNA

Yemeni forces captured dozens of mercenary soldiers mostly Africans / Photos

Dozens of foreign mercenaries from Saudi-led coalition troops were captured by the army and Yemen Popular Committees in Taiz, the third largest city in Yemen.

These foreigners, who are mostly from Somalia and Ethiopia, came to Saudi Arabia to fight in exchange for money, al-Masirah TV network reported.

Traffickers also were paid one thousand of Saudi riyals per person, the report added.

http://en.abna24.com/service/middle-east-west-asia/archive/2015/11/05/718608/story.html

5.11.2015 – Islam Invitation Turkey

Terrorist Saudi regime’s Fighter Jet Shot Down in Yemen’s Sana’a

The Yemeni army shot down a fighter jet of the Saudi-led coalition in capital Sana’a on Thursday.

According to the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television, the warplane was brought down in Bilad al-Rous district in Sana’a.

The Saudi fighter was targeted by the Yemeni army anti-air missile defense system and hit al-Laham mountain.

On Saturday, the Yemeni army and popular forces shot down two spying aircraft of the Saudi-led coalition forces as they were running reconnaissance missions in two different parts of the province of Saa’da.

The Saudi-led coalition plane was targeted by the Yemeni army while flying over Sahar region in Saa’da province on Saturday.

Meantime, a separate report said that the Yemeni popular forces have also downed a spying drone in al-Zaher region.

No other details have been released on either incident yet.

On October 29, a Saudi military plane used for airdropping arms cargoes for the terrorists and Saudi troops was shot down in the province of Ta’iz.

The Saudi-led coalition’s logistics plane was hit while flying over the mountainous area of Sabr in Ta’iz province.

In the past 7 months tens of drones and fighter jets of the Saudi-led coalition have been shot down by the army and popular forces in different Yemeni provinces, including Saa’da, Ma’rib, Jizan, Dhamar and Sana’a.

http://www.islamicinvitationturkey.com/2015/11/05/terrorist-saudi-regimes-fighter-jet-shot-down-in-yemens-sanaa/ siehe auch Fotos: https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1046709985481492 (Flugzeug) und http://newsofyemen.net/2015/11/breaking-first-streets-fights-end-with-yemen-i-army-and-houthi-control-of-sauid-town/ (Stadt besetzt)

5.11.2015 – ORF / NZZ nach AFP

Elf Tote und 22 Verletzte bei Angriff in jemenitischer Stadt Taes

Bei einem Angriff auf Wohngebiete in der jemenitischen Stadt Taes sind in der Nacht zum Donnerstag mindestens elf Zivilisten getötet worden. Weitere 22 Menschen seien durch den "wahllosen Beschuss von Wohngebieten" im Zentrum der Stadt verletzt worden, sagte ein Militärvertreter. Er machte die schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen und die mit ihnen verbündeten Anhänger des früheren Präsidenten Ali Abdallah Saleh für den Angriff in der drittgrößten Stadt des Landes verantwortlich. Mediziner bestätigten die Zahl der Toten. Unter ihnen war demnach eine Frau.

In den Randbezirken der Stadt im Südosten des Landes war es in der Nacht laut Militärangaben zu heftigen Kämpfen zwischen Rebellen und regierungstreuen Soldaten gekommen. Die von den Regierungstruppen kontrollierte Stadt Taes ist seit Monaten von den Rebellen umstellt.

http://orf.at/stories/2308317/ = http://www.nzz.ch/newsticker/beschuss-von-wohngebieten-in-taes-11-tote-und-22-verletzte-bei-angriff-in-jemen-1.18641737

UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

4.11.2015 – Humanitarian Academy of Harvard

Why No International Inquiry in Yemen?

Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) reviewed two resolutions to investigate serious violations of international law committed during the conflicts in Sri Lanka and Yemen. In the case of the Sri Lankan civil war, which ended in 2009, the Council approved a resolution calling for the establishment of a hybrid court to prosecute grave violations of international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. In the case of Yemen, the UNHRC dropped plans for an international inquiry into human rights and humanitarian law violations by all sides in the ongoing conflict, in light of strong resistance by Saudi Arabia and other members of the international military coalition currently carrying out airstrikes in the country. Instead, the Council voted to support a decree by exiled Yemeni President Hadi, with Saudi support, to create a national commission of inquiry, with the Council agreeing “to provide technical assistance and to work with the government of Yemen, as required, in the field of capacity building.” What accounts for this difference in the international community’s will to investigate and prosecute alleged serious violations of international law, and what are the consequences of such disparate treatment?

One explanation for the difference in international efforts to investigate alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka and Yemen could be the severity of the allegations. Since international mechanisms are only intended to address the most serious violations of international law, their application is inherently selective. Yet given that the allegations arising out of Yemen and Sri Lanka – such as torture, recruitment of child soldiers, and widespread indiscriminate and direct targeting of civilians – both situations would seem to meet the threshold for international inquiry.

Another factor that may explain the difference is time. The conflict in Sri Lanka formally ended in 2009, and a new government elected in 2015 has been more open to investigation and prosecution. In contrast, the conflict in Yemen remains ongoing and hotly contested and therefore presents a much more difficult environment for investigation, let alone prosecution, of those currently in power. However, it may also be argued that a war crimes investigation is more urgently needed in order to protect civilians and deter or bring about a cessation of the ongoing violations of international law. It is often more feasible to conduct investigations after the conflict has ceased, though the longer an investigation takes to begin after the acts in question occur, the more difficult it is to collect evidence and establish proof.

Another closely related factor is politics. Considering that international investigations and prosecutions are not automatically engaged but must be mandated by political actors such as the UNHRC or UN Security Council, a certain amount of consensus is required to establish a commission of inquiry or special tribunal, whether in the UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, or other international body. It may be that investigations into violations of international law in Sri Lanka – a primarily internal conflict – are simply less contentious than those in Yemen, in large part due to the greater geopolitical pressure against investigating parties that may be involved, such as Saudi Arabia or the United States. The exception to a mandate by a political body is investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC), as the ICC Prosecutor may initiate an investigation propio motu; however such investigations are limited to alleged crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the Court. Nonetheless, we should distinguish the political natural of mandating process for commissions of inquiry – whether within the Human Rights Council or elsewhere – from the process of inquiry itself. As noted in the HPCR Advanced Practitioner’s Handbook on Commissions of Inquiry—and in this article written by my ATHA colleague Rob Gracepractitioners working on commissions of inquiry strive to insulate themselves from the political forces inherent in the environment in which they operate. So while politics may present an obstacle to the creation of a commission of inquiry or tribunal, once mandated, these international commissions can and often do carry out independent, credible and professional investigations into alleged violations and are not merely the product of political machinations.

Overall, the prime factor explaining the disparate international treatment of alleged serious violations of international law seems to be the ongoing nature of the conflict in Yemen, as opposed to Sri Lanka, and the inherent political and practical difficulties for investigation and prosecution that that entails.

In the context of Yemen, however – where the conflict has resulted in staggering civilian losses and reduced the country to near total dependency on international humanitarian aid, which is further limited by severe access restrictions and attacks on aid workers – even the proposed (and rejected) international commission of inquiry would have been unlikely to halt ongoing violations. In the longer term, serious investigation efforts are essential to the enforcement of international law, and the achievement of at least some measure of justice for victims of these crimes. Yet investigations alone are insufficient; new mechanisms and international fora are needed to address ongoing violations of international law in a manner that transcends political strife – by Julia Brooks

http://www.atha.se/blog/why-no-international-inquiry-yemen

“Koalition” / “Coalition”

5.11.2015 – HIS Janes 360

Diverging Saudi and Emirati priorities will likely undermine campaign in Yemen, sustaining threat of jihadist expansion

The Saudi-led coalition is struggling to organise and co-ordinate its Yemeni proxies, which is prompting infighting but also contributing to a growing jihadist presence and activity in Aden and elsewhere.

Expanding jihadist activity is likely to further reduce Saudi Arabia's and the UAE's appetites for relying on their own ground forces, resorting instead to contingents of non-GCC forces and Yemeni proxies for offensive and security operations.

The coalition's failure to secure any major Yemeni province after months of conflict will probably ensure tribal groups across the country continue to prioritise cultivating their relationships with local non-state armed groups and factions controlling patronage networks, including with the Houthi Movement, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in particular, as opposed to committing to supporting the coalition's ongoing military operations, or any government it is backing.

http://www.janes.com/article/55790/diverging-saudi-and-emirati-priorities-will-likely-undermine-campaign-in-yemen-sustaining-threat-of-jihadist-expansion

Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

5.11.2015 – Yemen Peace Project

Putting the Saudi “coup letters” in context

In September, several international news outlets reported on a set of letters, written by a member of the Saudi royal family (known in Arabic as Al Saud, the House of Saud), calling on the entire family to overthrow King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. None of these outlets, however, has published an English translation of the letters. We’re doing so here for the first time.

These letters deal only briefly with the war in Yemen, but the war–and the larger trend of military adventurism–is one of the author’s major grievances with the Salman regime. You can download the full English text of the letters here. Below are some choice excerpts, followed by commentary on the letters by journalist and Chatham House Fellow Peter Salisbury.

I asked journalist and Chatham House Fellow Peter Salisbury a few questions to help us gauge the importance of these letters in the context of internal Saudi politics.

When King Salman appointed two members of his Sudairi branch of the family, his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef and his favourite son Mohammed bin Salman, who may have been as young as 29 at the time, as first and second in line to the throne, it sent shock waves across the Saud family [Will’s note: “Sudairi” refers to the descendants of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmad al-Sudairi, including the so-called “Sudairi Seven,” the most powerful grouping of Abdulaziz’s many sons].

That makes the letter feel a bit like a desperate last attempt to get King Salman to reverse course on the succession issue, by someone trying to carve out a political space for themselves. It’s interesting to see this happen, and critics of the Saudi regime will of course latch on to it but I am not sure what impact if any it will have on the actual internal workings of the state.

Basically, the other factions are the remaining sons of Abdulaziz and the sons of his children, particularly the offspring of former Kings and senior Princes, who are worried that their branches of the family may be robbed of their inheritance – i.e. a fair shot at the throne in the future. Abdulaziz had an estimated 45 sons and a similar number of daughters so being a Saudi Prince is a bit like like having the surname Smith in the UK or US.

The author of the letter mentions a number of the most prominent former Kings and Princes – Saud, Faisal, Khaled, Fahd, Nayef – while taking a swipe at the previous King, Abdullah, and at Salman so I think it’s fair to guess he isn’t from either of these branches of the family. It’s also interesting that he refers to the 13 living sons of Abdulaziz and puts forward a list of potential candidates for King who are fairly low-key and would likely not overstep the mark when it comes to marginalising the rest of the family.

The issue for the rest of the al-Saud is that if the Sudairis become the only branch of the family who are considered for succession, everyone else will become increasingly removed from the levers of the state and hence prime opportunities to receive and distribute patronage. That means their influence and power will be eroded, and that their ability to angle for future posts or crown prince roles will also be limited. So the issue really is one of being marginalized in the long term, and of a power-grab by a single branch of the family, which in and of itself is seen by many Princes as breaking the rules.

http://www.yemenpeaceproject.org/blogpost/analysis-commentary/saudi-letters/

5.11.2015 – Bloomberg

Saudi Drought spells end of desert wheat
The circular wheat farms, half a mile across with a central sprinkler system, spread across the desert in the 1980s and 1990s, visible in spring to anyone overflying the Arabian Peninsula as green spots amid a dun sea of sand. The oilfields remain, but the last wheat farms have just disappeared to save the aquifers supplying them.

For the first time, Saudi Arabia will rely almost completely on wheat imports in 2016, a reversal from its policy of self-sufficiency.

The shift toward imports, which started eight years ago, is reverberating beyond the kingdom, providing business opportunities for grain traders such as Cargill and Glencore as well as for farmers in countries such as Germany and Canada. "The Saudis are the largest new wheat buyer to emerge," said Swithun Still, director of grain trader Solaris Commodities in Morges, Switzerland.

An agency presentation says the kingdom will rely on imports for "100 per cent" of its wheat in 2016 for the first time. By 2025, demand is forecast to rise to 4.5 million tonnes as population growth drives demand for flour, positioning Saudi as one of the 10 biggest wheat buyers world wide.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/saudi-drought-spells-end-of-desert-wheat/articleshow/49668841.cms

USA

6.11.2015 – UPI

UAE seeks $380M in JDAM bomb kits from United States

Kits that convert free-fall bombs into precision glide weapons are being sought by the United Arab Emirates.

The United Arab Emirates is seeking Joint Direct Attack Munition kits for use in air operations against the Islamic State and Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The JDAM kits are attached to free-fall bombs, converting them into GPS-guided munitions with a glide range of as much as 15 miles.

The kits, associated equipment, parts and logistical support to be obtained through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program have a combined worth of an estimated $380 million.

"This proposed sale contributes to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping the UAE remain an active member of the Operation Inherent Resolve coalition working to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and as part of the Saudi-led coalition to restore the legitimate government in Yemen," the U.S.Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in its notification to Congress. "These munitions will sustain the UAE's efforts and support a key partner that remains an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East."

On the shopping list from the UAE are: 3,250 GBU-31V1 (KMU-556 JDAM kit) with 3250 MK-84/BLU-117 bombs; 750 GBU-31V3 (KMU-557 JDAM kit) with 750 BLU-109 bombs; 1,000 GBU-12 with 1002 MK-82/BLU-111 bombs; 4,250 FMU-152 fuzes, and 216 GBU-24 tail kits (BSU-84).

DSCA said in its notification that the U.S. State Department has approved the possible sales deal – by Richard Tomkins

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2015/11/06/UAE-seeks-380M-in-JDAM-bomb-kits-from-United-States/7571446825237/?spt=sec&or=bn

5.11.2015 – Salem News

What Does Blackwater Do in Yemen?

The presence of this company in Yemen indicates that the House of Saud seeks a way out of the Yemeni quagmire at any cost.

The company formerly known as Blackwater, now called XE, has forces on the ground in Yemen, according to Yemeni journalist Abdullah bin Amer.

In a report on the website Yemen Press, Amer wrote that Blackwater, whose license in Iraq was revoked by Baghdad for committing crimes, sent military forces into Yemen, reportedly at the request of Saudi Arabia.

During the seven months of aggression against Yemen, Saudi Arabia has not spared any effort to commit bloody crimes against the Yemenis; however, it has failed to achieve any of its goals.

Not only has Saudi Arabia failed to restore to power the fugitive President Mansour Hadi or the Prime Minister Khaled Mahafoudh Bahah... its southern border have turned to a part of the battlefront of Yemeni revolutionaries, and dozens of military bases of Saudi Arabia have come under the control of Ansarullah and the Yemeni army.

These successive failures of Saudi Arabia have made it seek another way out. For this purpose, Saudis are reported to have hired mercenaries from Sudan, and mercenary soldiers from Colombia.

They are apparently far more than a mercenary army, and the notorious Blackwater (XE) Company has also had a share in the war against Yemen.

The mercenaries of Blackwater are reported to have entered Yemen under the guise of the Colombian soldiers. Recently, a Colombian-based media group reported that over the next few months, more than 800 Colombian military forces will enter Sana, Yemen, to support Saudi offensive strikes, and to support Saudi allies fighting in Yemen.

Colombia is an important center for Blackwater to recruit and train its forces, due to ties the US has with Colombia. Many describe Colombia as the Israel of the US in Latin America.

Blackwater is the first terrorist organization in the world which recruits mercenaries and has built a special army and an assassination Squad. Blackwater Company has more than 2700 soldiers and a fleet of airplanes.

Blackwater is a private American military company and security consulting firm. Due to legal actions taken by the US government, its troops enjoy legal immunity from prosecution for crimes committed in war.

It played an essential role in the invasion of Iraq by the US forces. The troops of Blackwater have committed horrible crimes against Iraqis, this was especially true in Fallujah. The company also has a bad reputation in Afghanistan.

The presence of this terrorist company in Yemen indicates that the House of Saud seeks a way out of the Yemeni quagmire at any cost. Certainly, Blackwater’s fully armed forces will wreck havoc on Yemen, similar to the one they dine in Fallujah.

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/november052015/blackwater-xe-yemen.php

5.11.2015 – The American Conservative

The Disgrace of U.S. Support for the War on Yemen

he Saudi-led intervention has been going on for over seven months, and U.S. support for their operations has been constant, and I have been criticizing both from the beginning. The administration has aided the Saudis in waging their war with weapons, intelligence, and refueling, backed the blockade they have imposed that starves Yemen of basic necessities, and helped to shield the Saudis and their allies from independent international investigations into war crimes committed in Yemen. The Obama administration is responsible for this disgraceful enabling of the Saudi-led war on Yemen, but it has had lots of tacit support from a Congress that has barely noticed what’s going on and from the remarkably limited coverage the war has received in American media.

Obama’s policy faces little or no scrutiny and absolutely no political pressure at home, and so it continues to inflict terrible harm on the people of Yemen and on our reputation and our security interests. I addressed the U.S. role in my remarks yesterday at our conference:

The current intervention in Yemen is a conflict that the U.S. has joined out of a misguided desire to placate client states at considerable cost to our country’s reputation and security interests. The U.S. should have no part in such conflicts, and it ought to be using its position as a patron to restrain clients rather than enabling their worst behavior.

There were some brief mentions of U.S. “soft power” during our panel, but we weren’t able to discuss it at great length. If there had been more time, I would have liked to ask the other panelists what effect they think U.S. support for such an atrocious war is having on our “soft power” in the region now and in the future. I’m confident that it is having a disastrous effect on how the U.S. is perceived, and as Dougherty says it makes a mockery of our professed concern for the protection of civilians elsewhere.

U.S. backing for the war on Yemen is the kind of indefensible, horrid policy that one might think an opposition party would see as a major vulnerability for the president, but the only protests against U.S. involvement to date have come from within his own party and it took months before there were even minor protests. The only problem most Republicans seem to have with it is that the administrationhasn’t been doing enough to support the Saudis. If “humanitarian” interventionists and advocates of “moral clarity” weren’t as cynical as they clearly are, one might expect to have heard something from at least a few of them by now about the evils being perpetrated on the civilian population with our government’s help, but they have remained either deafeningly silent or are openly supportive of the campaign. In a sane foreign policy debate, Rubio’s endorsement of the Saudis’ intervention and his call for increased support for it would be deeply discrediting, but instead like the war on Yemen itself it goes almost entirely unnoticed.

As I’ve said before, the U.S. is deeply complicit in the wrecking of Yemen, and our entire political class is implicated in allowing such a monstrous policy to continue largely free of criticism or condemnation. U.S. support for the war on Yemen is a particularly shameful episode in modern U.S. foreign policy, and like so many of those before now it has the support, tacit or otherwise, of both parties – by Daniel Larison

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-disgrace-of-u-s-support-for-the-war-on-yemen/

5.11.2015 – The Week

How Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen became America's shame

Saudi Arabia has been a longtime ally of the United States, a friend in a region where Iran and Iraq have been hostile. But the House of Saud's war in Yemen is a conflict that is angering several of our other allies. As early as April, Australia demanded a ceasefire to end the humanitarian crisis and killing of civilians. America's failure to listen or act has consequences for U.S. credibility (such as it exists). All the U.S. posturing about sparing civilian deaths in Libya and Syria is made into sick hypocrisy by the U.S. support of Saudi Arabia and friends. It also continues the pattern of the U.S. involving itself wherever there is destruction, death, and misery in the Middle East. Quite understandably, those who become victims of the chaos in the region will put blame on the world hegemon that decided to barge in uninvited.

It's a disgrace and an abomination. The Obama administration needs to recognize, like any designated driver, that a friend who is abetted in reckless behavior will become a liability. It's time to tell our friend to stop it, end the blockades, cease bombing civilian targets, and let the Yemeni people come to a new, hopefully more durable political settlement. The U.S. has enough disasters on its conscience in this region. We don't need Yemen, too – by Michael Brendan Dougherty

http://theweek.com/articles/587008/how-saudi-arabias-war-yemen-became-americas-shame

Commentary by https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1046726818813142

Good article, worth a read. Yes, I hear that Obama doesn't approve of the attacks on Yemen. But it provides not only weapons, but refuelling in the air, intelligence including surveillance aircraft, rescue for airmen if needed, warships in the Red Sea to assist the naval blockade of Yemen, and it is still using drones. Which seems really strange. Al Qaeda has been openly fighting alongside the Saudi led coalition troops, and they have been left in control in Mukalla and Aden. Yet the USA, allies and part of the offensive, still attacks the same group in Hadramaut. There's nothing as obscene as war.

Russland / Russia

6.11.2015 – Express

Putin hints at military intervention in Libya and Yemen to 'protect Russian interests'

VLADIMIR PUTIN has issued his strongest warning yet of fresh military interventions in the Middle East, with lawless Libya and war-torn Yemen in the Kremlin's crosshairs.

The Russian president said his priority was to protect citizens living abroad, regardless of where they were.

Speaking at the fifth World Congress of Compatriots in Moscow, Mr Putin said: "People who are not in Russia due to various reasons should be firmly sure: we will always protect your interests.

"Moreover, in difficult and crisis situations, such as in Libya, Syria or Yemen."

Russia has been providing humanitarian aid to Yemen since the outbreak of the civil war in March – by Tom Batchelor

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/617664/Vladimir-Putin-Russia-war-Libya-Yemen

6.11.2015 – Sputnik News

Saudi Arabia Plays Key Role in Yemen Conflict Settlement - Russian Envoy

Saudi Arabia is a key to resolving the Yemeni crisis, Russian Ambassador to Yemen Vladimir Dedushkin said.

"Saudi Arabia, in my view, has a decisive role in resolving this [Yemeni] conflict. The key to its settlement is in the hands of Riyadh," Dedushkin told RIA Novosti.

According to him, the recent statements by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir concerning the near end of the war in Yemen and necessity of a political solution to the crisis, are very reassuring.

"The UN Special Envoy [to Yemen] has been making every effort to make these negotiations take place. He is in charge to ensure that they will be convened in Geneva or in [Oman's capital] Muscat. The place has not been yet officially announced, but many are inclined to believe that most likely it will be Geneva," Dedushkin told RIA Novosti.

The diplomat recalled that all parties to the Yemeni conflict now welcome the peace process, and had expressed their readiness to negotiate.

The Shiite movement Ansar Allah, known as the Houthis, is the only force in Yemen fighting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) terrorist organization, Vladimir Dedushkin, said.

According to the envoy, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorist groups in recent years strengthened their positions in Yemen "like never before, since the entire eastern part of Yemen, nearly 70 percent of the country, is largely controlled by extremists."

"Now only Ansar Allah fights al-Qaeda at the same time withstanding the onslaught of the coalition and the army of President [Abd Rabbuh Mansour] Hadi," Dedushkin told RIA Novosti.

He added that as the Yemeni crisis increases anarchy in the country it creates a breeding ground for terrorists, who arrive in Yemen from abroad, including from Syria.

"Therefore, there is a serious risk that if the Ansar Allah recedes from their positions, they will be occupied by the terrorists," the ambassador stressed.

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151106/1029684153/saudi-arabia-yemen.html

6.11.2015 –– Emirates 24 7

Coalition stops deposed Yemeni president from fleeing

He tried to board a Russian plane in Sanaa

Deposed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh tried to flee the capital Sanaa aboard a Russian plane but he was prevented by the Saudi-led coalition imposing a ban on flights over the conflict-battered Arab country, Yemen’s media reported on Friday.

A Russian aircraft carrying diplomats and relief aid landed in Sanaa airport on Thursday apparently after getting permission from coalition air force.

“The deposed president tried to flee aboard that plane Thursday night but it was prevented from taking off by the coalition forces,” Yemen Press news website said.

It said the coalition ordered the pilot of the Russian plane to fly first to Bisha airport in Southern Saudi Arabia for inspection but he refused.

“This confirms the information that the deposed President tried to flee the country,” the report said, adding that Saleh visited the Russian embassy in Sanaa on Tuesday.

http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/coalition-stops-deposed-yemeni-president-from-fleeing-2015-11-06-1.609522

Kommentar: Dichtung oder Wahrheit?

6.11.2015 – Middle East Monitor

Saudi-led alliance prevents Russian plane from taking off from Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition yesterday prevented a Russian plane leaving Sanaa International Airport after it arrived without going through the coalition’s inspections process in Djibouti, a pro-Houthi TV channel reported.

The Al-Masirah TV quoted an unnamed Russian diplomat as saying that there is no justification for preventing the flight from taking off.

Yemen’s Saba news agency reported Sanaa airport director, Khalid Shayef, as saying that the plane is the first to arrive in Sanaa directly from Russia, carrying 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid and diplomatic staff.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/22129-saudi-led-alliance-prevents-russian-plane-from-taking-off-from-yemen

Kommentar: Mit verzögerung konnte das Flugzeug abfliegen, und es war von “technischen Problemen” die Rede.

5.11.2015 – AFP

Russia sends plane carrying 'humanitarian aid' to Yemen

Russia on Thursday sent a plane to rebel-controlled Yemen carrying what Moscow said was more than 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the conflict-torn country.

Russia's emergencies ministry said the Il-76 transported "23 tonnes of humanitarian aid" including food and tents to Yemen's capital Sanaa.

AFP journalists saw the plane at Sanaa airport -- which is controlled by Shiite Huthi rebels -- and were told it contained aid.

The plane was then set to fly back to the Russian capital Friday with some 75 people on board who wanted to quit the strife-torn city, the ministry said.

Russia last sent planes to Yemen's capital in July, with Moscow saying they had some 46 tonnes of aid.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/russia-sends-plane-carrying-humanitarian-aid-yemen-143249525.html#GH3ShH0

Kommentar: Präsenz zeigen! Und https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1046747228811101 schreibt: I don't know why they put this in italics The airspace is controlled by Saudi Arabia. If they have allowed this plane in, then you can bet that this cargo has been checked somewhere along the line, or it would have been shot down.

Deutschland / Germany

7.11.2015 – Süddeutsche Zeitung

Wie deutsche Behörden den USA im Drohnenkrieg behilflich waren

Die US-Militärstützpunkte in Deutschland sind für den völkerrechtlich höchst umstrittenen Drohnenkrieg der USA sehr wichtig.

Das hätte die Bundesregierung spätestens seit 2011 wissen können, wie aus neuen Unterlagen hervorgeht.

Von deutschen Behörden wie Verfassungsschutz, MAD und BND bekamen die Amerikaner Telefon- und Sim-Karten-Nummern, um Ziele identifizieren zu können.

Damit nicht genug: Die deutschen Behörden versorgten ihre US-Kollegen bis vor Kurzem auch mit menschlichen Quellen .

Es gab sogar eine eigene Behörde dafür: die Hauptstelle für Befragungswesen (HBW). Seit Jahrzehnten wurden in der geheimen Außenstelle des BND Asylbewerber befragt. Wer kooperierte und viel über sein Herkunftsland verriet, konnte auf schnelle Anerkennung hoffen.– von John Goetz, Antonius Kempmann und Frederik Obermaier

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/austausch-mit-den-usa-daten-fuer-den-drohnenkrieg-1.2725447

Eritrea

5.11.2015 – Bloomberg

Saudi Arabia, U.A.E Paying Eritrea to Back Yemen Fight, UN Says

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are paying Eritrea to help fight its anti-Houthi military campaign in Yemen in an agreement that may violate United Nations sanctions against the Horn of Africa nation, according to a UN report.

Eritrea is allowing the Arab coalition to use its land, airspace and territorial waters in a “new strategic military relationship with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea said in its report published Oct. 21. The arrangement would violate Security Council resolutions if Eritrea diverted the compensation “towards activities that threaten peace and security,” it said.

A request for comment from the Saudi-led coalition in Riyadh wasn’t answered. The U.A.E’s national media office and Eritrea’s Information Ministry didn’t immediately respond to e-mailed requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. struck the deal with Eritrea earlier this year after failing to arrange a similar accord with its neighbor Djibouti, according to the report. Eritrea receives fuel and financial compensation in return for its support, which includes providing 400 soldiers who “are embedded with the United Arab Emirates contingent of the forces fighting on Yemeni soil.” The report didn’t give further details on the payments – by Ilya Gridneff

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-05/saudi-arabia-u-a-e-paying-eritrea-to-back-yemen-fight-un-says

Söldner / Mercenaries

5.11.2015 – Instituto Manquehue

Did Erik Prince mobilize foreign mercenaries in Yemen?

With the creation of a firm based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the American multimillionaire will be overseeing the training and coordination of foreign mercenaries

According to a story published in the news portal, Alwaght, on Friday, October 30, at the request of the UAE government, the mercenary army that will be employed by the Saudi led international coalition, will be headed by Erik Prince, CEO of the military contractor firm formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, which now goes by the name of Academi.

The firm, established by Prince, is the most relied upon military-contractor for both the US State Department and the CIA. Blackwater is abound in accusations and controversies that include extrajudicial killings, threats, and illegal arms trade. Recently, four of the company’s mercenary fighters were convicted for the killing of 17 civilians in Iraq in 2007, leading to Baghdad’s rescinding of the firm’s operating license in the country.

Former soldiers of the Colombian army who were recently trained in the UAE, had been summoned by Prince, where he recently established a new firm, Reflex Responses, and currently resides there. In a 2011 New York Times piece it was revealed that dozens of Colombian fighters had entered through Abu Dhabi disguised as construction workers.

At the request of the federation of monarchs, the American contractor created a special unit of mercenaries in order to carry out missions both inside and outside the UAE with the purpose of providing defense against terrorism, suppressing internal revolts, and in the case of a conflagration with Iran, providing military support. Along with the Colombian trainees and mercenaries headed by Prince’s firm are military veterans from the UK, Germany, and the French Foreign Legion.

http://en.institutomanquehue.org/issues/politics/did-erik-prince-mobilize-foreign-mercenaries-in-yemen.html

Propaganda

7.11.2015 – Gulf News

Live coverage: Grand welcome for UAE troops returning from Yemen

Live coverage: Convoy in UAE on way to Sweihan where a parade will be held in their honour

The first batch of UAE Armed Forces arrived home after performing their national duty in Yemen and handing responsibilities over to the second batch, reports WAM. The second batch is already stationed in Yemen as part of the Saudi-lead Arab Coalition forces participating in Operation Restoring Hope, aimed at supporting the legitimate government in Yemen.

One of the first batch’s most notable roles was the liberation of Marib from the hands of Al Houthi militias and their allies, the forces of deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The significance of liberating Marib, a key Yemeni province, is that it is home to the ancient landmark, the Marib Dam, which was re-built by the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The first batch personnel were accorded a heroes’ welcomes by thousands of UAE citizens and residents who lined the streets to greet them while waving the national flag.

http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/government/live-coverage-grand-welcome-for-uae-troops-returning-from-yemen-1.1614655 dazu auch http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/live-nation-welcomes-home-its-heroes-uae-soldiers-return-from-yemen-to-jubiliant-welcome-2015-11-07-1.609536

6.11.2015 – Gulf News

Al Houthis forcing young boys to fight in Taiz

Families who refuse to give up their children are being expelled from their homes

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/al-houthis-forcing-young-boys-to-fight-in-taiz-1.1614627#.VjzQ3uSDTxA.facebook

Kommentar von https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1047437942075363: I think this article is so flagrantly biased. There are young men fighting with the Houthis, it is very true, and some of them are very young indeed. But many from Saada governate have not been educated since 2009 - and some earlier - when their schools were destroyed in earlier wars. They live in villages, work on farms, and generally have not had the sort of childhood we have here in the West. Many, perhaps most, are illiterate. They are used to guns, probably starting to learn to shoot from a young age. When the war came along, it gave them the chance of prestige that their lives otherwise lacked, and they were keen to fight. Indeed, what this article fails to point out is that the coalition bombing of the north has been the biggest pull factor in recruitment for militias in Yemen, including the Houthis. As each bomb falls, many in Yemen see them as bombs of foreign invaders and they see it as their national duty to fight. Without Saudi intervention, in the civil war it was very likely that the Yemen army loyal to Saleh (70% of it) would have split from the Houthi militias at some point. Now, because of the incredible and unjustified bombing of civilian sites, they are strongly bonded by a deep hatred for Saudi Arabia and Hadi. No, Gulf News. You have done a little bit of story telling here.

6.11.2015 – WAM

Yemen informs UN on Houthis' violations in Taiz

The government of Yemen has informed the United Nations on the continued violations by the rebel Houthi group and militias loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh against civilians in Taiz province.

The Yemeni Human Rights ministry sent a detailed message to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon explaining a number of facts about the continued bombing and besieging of Taiz by the Houthi militia for the sixth month in addition to the Houthis' systematic aggression against civilians in the province, according to the state Yemen News Agency.

The ministry expressed confidence in the UN's main and effective role in the field of human rights, and its firm stand against critical violations of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) committed by the revolutionary militias against the Yemeni people.

https://www.wam.ae/en/news/arab/1395287643486.html

Kommentar: Ja, die Belagerung von Taiz ist ein Kriegsverbrechen der Huthis. Solange aber die Hadi-Regierung die saudischen Luftangriffe nicht ebenso stark verurteilt, gehören solche Meldungen unter „Propaganda“.

5.11.2015 – The National AE

Yemen’s vice president lashed out at the country’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday, accusing them of derailing peace efforts and prolonging the war.

During a meeting in Riyadh with the US ambassador to Yemen, Matthew Tueller, Khalid Bahah said his government was seeking peace and wanted to avoid any more fighting, reported Wam, the UAE’s state news agency.

He said the government welcomed any dialogue that guarantees the implementation of UN security council resolution 2216, which reaffirms support for the internationally recognised government of Yemeni president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, and demands that all other parties, including the Houthis, withdraw from areas they have seized.

Mr Bahah and Mr Tueller discussed how their two countries could work together to restore stability to all Yemeni cities and provinces, the Saudi Press Agency quoted the government-run Yemeni News Agency as saying

http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/yemens-vice-president-lashes-out-at-houthis

Kommentar: Auch nichts Neues. Schon wieder Verweis auf Resolution 2216; will man schon einmal propagandistisch vorbauen, dass man wieder mit Verweis auf diese Resolution erst die Kapitulation der Huthis fordert und, wenn sie das zurückweisen, die Friedensgespräche wieder einmal platzen lässt?

5.11.2015 – Khaleej Times

We will stand by Yemen: VP Mohammed

Nothing is more truthful in media than confronting lies, according to His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Shaikh Mohammed, while addressing the local media outlets at the third Emirati Media Forum on Wednesday, underlined the importance of media in creating the present and future of the region and driving motivations and energies. He also said the media is important in supporting creators, innovators and hope makers.

Shaikh Mohammed pointed out the significance of the media in confronting the challenges the region is facing at present, and reiterated the stand of the UAE in Yemen, saying that the UAE will continue to support the aggrieved and extend aid to the needy in every nook and corner of the earth.

He said: "Enjoy, as we have always used to, with professionalism and credibility for they are the basis of the media work, which we want in our society, and we will extend you all support.

"Our doors are always open, and means of communication with you and all segments of the society are available for everybody," he said, adding, "I personally follow up what the media disseminate of issues that touch upon the people."

"Nothing is more truthful than confronting the lies, and the UAE led by its valiant heroes will remain supporting the legitimacy and defending the oppressed under the banner of right and justice," he noted.

"Our youth are good, and will not hesitate in defending the gains of our country and achievements," he added.

Delivering the keynote address of the forum, Lt. Gen Shaikh Saif said that positive citizenship requires positive media that champions the country in all circumstances based on credibility and responsible transparency.

He also demanded that all Emiratis have a sense of national and social responsibility when transmitting, carrying or sharing ideas through various media. Shaikh Saif expressed his pride in the UAE Armed Forces taking part in the Saudi-led Arab Coalition's war in Yemen and said they are making steady progress in defending the region and the right of its peoples to dignified life while protecting the achievements made by the UAE, including openness, freedom of expression and media freedom.

The UAE deputy prime minister also hailed local media organisations for covering the funerals of the UAE Armed Forces' martyred servicemen and showing their families' high sense of national responsibility and belonging while the injured servicemen showed courage and patriotism.

In her speech at the forum, Mona Ghanem Al Marri, director-general of Dubai Government Media Office and chair of Dubai Press Club, noted that the exceptional developments in the region have produced great challenges.

She noted that the UAE declared its firm backing for victims of injustice and the Yemeni people's defence of their country where Emiratis sacrificed their lives to defend what is just and right.

She underscored the importance of standarising local media discourse based on the forum's focus on the need for a media agenda that is nationally responsible.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/government/we-will-stand-by-yemen-vp-mohammed

Kommentar: Über Jemen das Übliche oder ein Teil davon. Und was die Medien betrifft, sagt man hier ganz offen, dass sie natürlich im Sinn der Regierung zu schreiben haben, fokussiert in der Aussage: „positive citizenship requires positive media“. Dann noch Rede- und Pressefreiheit als eine Errungenschaft der VAE zu bezeichnen, ist mal wieder ein schlechter Scherz mehr.

Dazu auch

5.11.2015 – Dubai Eye 1038

UAE Ministry of Interior praises Armed Forces’ efforts in Yemen

His Highness Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, has praised the efforts of the UAE Armed Forces.

In his opening speech at the third Emirati Media Forum, he praised the commitment of the Armed Forces within the Saudi-led Arab operation to restore peace in Yemen.

He added that this defense will bring stability to the region and allow the right of the Yemeni people to live in dignity.

His Highness also said that the martyrs have shown the highest degree of patriotism and loyalty to the UAE.

http://dubaieye1038.com/uae-ministry-of-interior-praises-armed-forces-efforts-in-yemen/

Kommentar: “to restore peace in Yemen”: indem man alles durch Luftangriffe zerbombt? Interessante These. „defense“ wird der Angriff zu Wasser, Land und vor allem Luft genannt. Das ist schon eine 90 Grad steile These. Diese „defense“ würde „allow the right of the Yemeni people to live in dignity”: lässt sich 90 Grad bei der Steilheit einer These noch steigern? Die Jemeniten können also dadurch in Würde leben, dass man ihr Land, ihre Häuser, ihre Infrastruktur, in Schutt und Asche bombt? Die meisten wären ja schon froh, wenn man sie einfach nur leben ließe, ob mit oder ohne „dignity“, so wie sie ein solcher Phrasendrescher-Prinz versteht. Aber da sind ja die Luftangriffe von Saudi und Co. vor. Sie dürfen also wenigstens mit der „dignity“ oder dem, was dieser Propaganda-Prinz dafür hält, sterben. Das durften ja auch die „Märtyrer“, deren „Patriotismus“ und „Loyalität“ er hier lobt – Heldentod-Geschwätz, wie es die Machthaber und Propagandisten weit weg genug vom Krieg im Hinterland schon vor 100 Jahren von sich gaben. Soldatentod war und ist aber ganz allein Verrecken im Dreck mit herausquellenden Gedärmen oder ähnlich. Solche Propagandisten sind doch die Sch… nicht wert, die sie am anderen Ende ihres Verdauungskanals absondern.

5.11.2015 – Gulf News

UAE’s role in Yemen historic, report says

Report highlights historic and strategic role played by UAE in Yemen

The UAE has played a historic and strategic role in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition, stated a report issued by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on Thursday.

The UAE played a massive role in liberating Marib from Al Houthis and forces loyal to ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as well as liberating the Marib damn which was rebuilt by the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Since the role of the Arab coalition in Yemen is to end the rebellion and restore stability to the country, the coalition soon announced the launch of Operation Restoring Hope following Operation Decisive Storm in order to complete the liberation of Yemen and reconstruct it following the destruction caused by Al Houthis and Saleh.

Following the liberation of Aden, the UAE focused on supplying urgent aid to the city and nearby areas.

On the humanitarian front, the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) provided the city with 2,315 tonnes of medical aid, in addition to 300 tonnes of food aid supplied by the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation (KBZF). The UAE also worked on the renovation of various hospitals and health centres in Aden at a cost of Dh35 million.

The ERC carried out a number of development projects for the education sector in Aden at a cost of Dh81.3 million, which includes the renovation of 154 schools. The ERC has already renovated 34 schools, with the total expected to rise to 154 schools that will be ready to receive students and resume operations in the coming school year.

The UAE has also worked on restoring power to majority of areas in Aden through the renovation of power stations and purchase of new generators. The total cost of power generating projects was carried out at a cost of Dh217.3 million. The power station that was provided by the UAE contributes to generating 90 per cent of power used to offer lighting in various affected areas.

http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/government/uae-s-role-in-yemen-historic-report-says-1.1614225

Kommentar: Ein Teil der üblichen Propaganda-Versatzstücke. „liberate“ bzw. „liberation“ gleich mehrmals. Angesichts der saudischen bzw. Koalitions-Luftangriffen ist die Phrase, Ziel der Koalition sei „reconstruct it following the destruction caused by Al Houthis and Saleh”, ein dummer Scherz. Dass die VAE sich für ihre humanitäre Hilfe selbst loben, geschenkt. Was fehlt und wir schmerzlich vermissen: der böse Iran!!

Terrorismus / Terrorism

6.11.2015 – Investment Watchblog

ISIS funded by US FEDERAL RESERVE as 13 billion dollars goes unaccounted for in Iraq.

This is a report that originated from the Wall Street Journal. Of course, we know that the speculation is that ISIS has been funded by the US, but this new report leaves one infuriated and in shock.

The Federal Reserve has been funding ISIS, and an ISIS leader in Pakistan just admitted it.

So it is very interesting to hear that billions of American dollars are ending up in the hands of ISIS, directly from the Federal Reserve, and that fact is only “raising eyebrows” according to the Wall Street Journal Nov. 3.

North American governments do not want your money getting into the hands of terrorists, they say. But according to Wall Street Journal Nov. 3, they are giving it away to them anyway. And not just a trickle of a few dollars here and there. Originally the Federal Reserve estimated the ISIS funding “oops” as an expensive mistake that cost Americans $3 billion.

They were wrong. Not that this number isn’t shocking enough, but they forgot to add an extra digit to that billion dollar mistake. Now it is estimated that the amount of money that has gone right from the US Federal Reserve into the pockets of ISIS is around $13.2 billion dollars.

http://investmentwatchblog.com/isis-funded-by-us-federal-reserve-as-13-billion-dollars-goes-unaccounted-for-in-iraq/

5.11.2015 – Examiner

ISIS funded by US Federal Reserve as $13 billion goes unaccounted for in Iraq

http://www.examiner.com/article/isis-funded-by-us-federal-reserve-as-13-billion-goes-unaccounted-for-iraq

Zyklone / Cyclones

6.11.2015 – Wetter.net

Erneuter Zyklon für den Jemen

Erneut hat sich im Arabischen Meer ein kräftiger Zyklon gebildet. Bereits wenige Tage nach dem verheerenden Wirbelsturm Chapala, muss der Jemen erneut die Folgen eines Zyklons befürchten. Megh hat sich nun an der ähnlichen Stelle wie Chapala vor einer Woche gebildet. Auch auf dem afrikanischen Kontinent könnte Somalia von dem Zyklon einiges zu spüren bekommen.

Nach jetzigen Prognosen soll Megh in der Nacht zum Sonntag (Ortszeit) zunächst auf die Inselgruppe Sokotra treffen. Doch der Zyklon soll wohl weitaus schwächer bleiben als Chapala vor kurzem. Dennoch ist mit Windböen bis 150 km/h sowie Überflutungen durch den kräftigen Regen zu rechnen. Den Jemen und Somalia wird Megh dann vermutlich am späten Sonntagabend (Ortszeit) erreichen. Nach Landkontakt wird sich der Zyklon aufgrund der trockenen Wüstenluft aber rasch abschwächen.

http://www.wetter.net/wetternews/erneuter-zyklon-fuer-den-jemen-9718.html

6.11.2015 – Weather.com

Cyclone Megh in Arabian Sea Could Be Unprecedented Back-to-Back Threat for Socotra Island, Yemen

Cyclone Megh, another Arabian Sea tropical cyclone, is heading toward Socotra Island and may track near mainland Yemen roughly one week after Cyclone Chapala made an extremely rare pass through the region, triggering destructive flash flooding.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the agency sanctioned by the World Meteorological Organization for issuing official tropical cyclone bulletins for the Arabian Sea, the center of Cyclone Megh is just over 400 miles (about 640 kilometers) east of Socotra Island, an island about 150 miles east of the Horn of Africa in the central Arabian Sea.

Cyclone Megh has not yet strengthened appreciably as of early Friday night, U.S. time. Early Friday, its central core convection looked less consolidated than it did Thursday morning, but recent satellite imagery appears to show improved organization of the system.

Megh is still situated in a narrow east-west zone of relatively low wind shear, which otherwise would weaken the cyclone by displacing convection away from the center of circulation.

A satellite analysis from the University of Wisconsin's CIMSS group also shows a pair of decent outflow jets, which are bands of upper-atmospheric winds blowing away from the cyclone, both north and south of Megh. These, in turn, are increasing near-sea-level winds toward the center and the co-located convection.

While Megh formed in roughly the same location as Cyclone Chapala did just over a week ago, there are key differences and similarities in the forecast ahead.

Cyclone Megh is expected to slowly intensify into the weekend, but is not expected to become nearly as intense as Chapala.

http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/cyclone-megh-five-yemen-socotra-somalia-arabian-peninsula

6.11.2015 – Gulf News from Reuters

2nd freak storm in a week heads for Yemen, WMO says

Unprecedented back-to-back cyclones form in Arabian Gulf within a week

A new tropical cyclone is heading for Yemen three days after a storm dumped several years' worth of rain on the port city of Mukalla, the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.

"As far as WMO is aware, it is unprecedented to have back-to-back cyclones in this part of the Arabian Gulf in the space of a week," the Geneva-based UN weather agency said in a statement.

The new storm, named Megh, is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours with sustained winds of up to 100 kmh (62 mph). It will weaken from Sunday, becoming a mere low pressure area by the time it hits the Yemen coast around Tuesday bringing more rain.

In its path lies the remote island of Socotra, 380 km (238 miles) off Yemen in the Arabian Sea, where it may wreak havoc on the 50,000 residents and hundreds of the island's unique plant species, the second time in the space of a week they will have suffered.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/2nd-freak-storm-in-a-week-heads-for-yemen-wmo-says-1.1614404

5.11.2015 – Salzburg 24

Mindestens acht Menschen durch Zyklon im Jemen gestorben

Durch den im Jemen wütenden Zyklon “Chapala” sind diese Woche mindestens acht Menschen ums Leben gekommen. Fünf Menschen seien ertrunken und drei weitere durch einstürzende Häuser getötet worden, sagte der Regierungsvertreter Mohammed al-Amudi am Donnerstag. Zudem seien bei dem Unwetter etwa 40 Menschen verletzt worden. 3.000 Familien seien durch den Zyklon aus ihren Häusern vertrieben worden.

Die Infrastruktur des Landes habe “massive” Schäden erlitten. Der Zyklon war in der Nacht zum Dienstag im Jemen auf Land getroffen. Er löste hohe Wellen und Sturzfluten an den Küsten aus. Besonders die 350 Kilometer von der Küste entfernte Insel Socotra wurde schwer getroffen: Dort wurden mehr als 200 Menschen verletzt und dutzende Häuser beschädigt. Am Mittwoch schwächte sich der Tropensturm ab, bis Donnerstag beruhigte sich das Wetter.

http://www.salzburg24.at/mindestens-acht-menschen-durch-zyklon-im-jemen-gestorben/apa-s24_1426503520

5.11.2015 – AFP

Cyclone killed eight in southeastern Yemen: official

Eight people were killed in southeastern Yemen by a rare tropical cyclone that wreaked havoc in parts of the war-torn country this week, a local official said Thursday.

The deaths, five by drowning and three in collapsed homes, occurred in Hadramawt province between Tuesday and early Wednesday, before Cyclone Chapala eased into a depression, said Mohammed al-Amudi of the governorate's technical affairs department.

Forty people were also injured over the two days, Amudi said.

Around "3,000 families were displaced during the cyclone," he said, reporting "massive destruction" of the province's infrastructure.

Cyclone Chapala weakened Wednesday after making landfall Tuesday in mainland Yemen, triggering heavy flash floods after severely striking the country's Arabian Sea island of Socotra.

Weather was back to normal on Thursday.

More than 200 people were injured and dozens of houses and hamlets severely damaged or washed away when Chapala hit Socotra, according to Salem Zaher, mayor of the island's main district Hadibo.

Socotra is 350 kilometres (210 miles) off the Yemeni mainland.

The UN said Tuesday that at least 1.1 million people, mainly in the provinces of Hadramawt and Shabwa, were expected to be affected by Chapala.

http://news.yahoo.com/cyclone-killed-eight-southeastern-yemen-official-202550208.html

Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-44: / Yemen Press reader 1-44:

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

http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

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

Dietrich Klose

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

Dietrich Klose

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