Allgemein / General
12.11.2015 – Global Citizen
Yemen: We need to shine a light on this crisis
When was the last time you read an article in the paper about Yemen? I would guess that it wasn’t that recently. And despite the involvement of the UK government in the conflict, you don’t hear much from our leaders about it either.
All parties to this conflict have shown disregard for human life, with frequent reports that the rules of war are being broken. The international community have stood by as this has happened.
The UK government has a particular role here. Saudi Arabia is a long-term ally and the UK has supported them throughout this conflict.
Instead of supporting one side, the UK government should be pressuring all sides to the conflict to ensure the free-flow of life saving supplies into and within the country and uphold international laws that in times of conflict are designed to limit the impact on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Unless this happens, the children of Yemen and their families will continue to suffer disproportionally from the conflict.
As long as so few people know about the scale of this humanitarian crisis, the public pressure needed to ensure that our leaders take concrete action to protect Yemen’s children, will not exist – by Jack Wilson, Save the Children
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/yemen-we-need-to-shine-a-light-on-this-crisis/
12.11.2015 – Huffington Post
The Failure of Saudi Intervention in Yemen
The last three months have seen an unprecedented rise in military activity by the Saudi-led military alliance.
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.
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.
The diplomatic approach adopted by the Iranian and Turkish governments -- that is, a "political solution" to end Yemen's war - was understandably more appealing to Yemeni rebels than the reckless air attacks mounted by the Saudi-led coalition – by Khairuldeen Al Makhzoomi
Commentary: A superb article which really points to the pointlessness of war - it argues successfully that Saudi would have been much better off had it engaged in diplomacy rather than military action. In my opinion, war can always be averted, but leaders don't have the will to do so in these days when leaders can send their armies off to fight disgusting wars whilst living in safe comfort themselves. And that was certain,up the case with Saudi in this war - they had obviously been planning this for a year or more - in 2014 for example Saudi had the highest value military purchases in the world. They were determined on war, naively thinking the costs to them would be minimal and rewards high - how wrong they were.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1054451938040630
11.11.2015 – Principis obsta
Für ihren Krieg stehen den saudischen Streitkräften deutsche Kriegswaffen zur Verfügung, darunter Tornado- und Eurofighter-Kampfflugzeuge sowie - für den Fall eines Einmarschs saudischer Bodentruppen im Jemen - Sturmgewehre der Modelle G3 und G36. Beobachter halten eine vollständige Entgrenzung des jemenitischen Bürgerkriegs für durchaus wahrscheinlich. Die arabische Welt steht nach zahlreichen offenen oder verdeckten militärischen Interventionen des Westens unkontrollierbar in Flammen - vom Süden der Arabischen Halbinsel bis Nordsyrien, von Libyen bis Irak.
Bereits vor Beginn der aktuellen Luftangriffe auf Stellungen der Huthi-Rebellen hatten die westlichen Großmächte und ihr regionaler Hauptverbündeter Saudi-Arabien zur Eskalation des innerjemenitischen Konflikts beigetragen. Dies geht aus Analysen von Experten hervor. So weist die International Crisis Group, ein internationaler westlicher Think-Tank, darauf hin, dass Washington "und andere westliche Regierungen" den jemenitischen Staatspräsidenten Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi um jeden Preis an der Macht zu halten suchten, da er im "Anti-Terror-Krieg" stets bereitwillig mit ihnen kooperierte.
Hadi stellte etwa den Vereinigten Staaten den Stützpunkt Al Anad unweit der Hafenstadt Aden zur Verfügung - für Drohnenoperationen aller Art, aber auch für die Ausbildung jemenitischer Spezialkräfte. Dass der kooperationswillige Präsident weithin dringend gewünschte Reformen verschleppte und in der Bevölkerung kaum noch Rückhalt hatte, sei im Westen ignoriert worden, heißt es bei der Crisis Group.[2] Im Herbst letzten Jahres berichtete die Büroleiterin der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (SPD) im Jemen, Hadis "politisches Überleben" werde "derzeit nur noch durch die internationale Gemeinschaft garantiert"......
So sieht die Wirklichkeit westlicher "Hilfsbereitschaft" aus. Und selbst wenn Deutschland nicht direkt militärisch aktiv tätig wird, wie beim Nato-Überfall auf Libyen, so ist es immer mit kriegsentscheidenden Waffenlieferungen dabei. Tendenz stetig steigend – von Mowitz
http://principiis-obsta.blogspot.de/2015/11/eu-afrika-gipfel-milliarden.html
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian Situation
13.11.2015 – Doctors Without Borders / Foreign Affairs New Zealand
Yemen: “The air raids continued – ten to fifteen almost every day”
On 26 October, a Saudi-led coalition airstrike destroyed the hospital in Haydan that MSF supports. Programme coordinator Miriam Czech, who used to go to Haydan several times a week to assist personnel and patients, told us what she saw in the town in the days following the bombing. She added that the whole region is being targeted by the coalition airstrikes.
What’s left of the town of Haydan?
The main street and the houses and shops along it have been flattened. It’s practically empty and anything left is bombed-out. Lots of buildings on near-by streets were also hit. A small town in a mountain valley, Haydan has changed a lot since my first visit in September. Coalition planes have bombed it and the region time and time again. Personnel at the hospital we support told me that in June and July bombs fell just 250 metres from the facility, hitting several houses, a school and a market. But the air raids were even worse in October, especially during the week of 12 October. They were so bad that the team advised us against going to the hospital but my logistics colleague and I managed to get to it the following week. We saw that several villages had suffered further damage and that houses and the market in Haydan had been destroyed. Several days later, we made our routine visit to deliver drugs and monitor the refurbishment being done to improve hygiene and waste management. But the air raids continued – ten to fifteen almost every day. Haydan and the surrounding area were pounded night and day, until the night of 26 October when the bombing went on for two hours. The hospital supported by MSF was totally destroyed in the first wave. There’s nothing left of the emergency and consultation rooms, maternity unit and inpatient department.
Is Haydan the only place being bombed by the coalition?
The whole region is being targeted, and that includes villages and roads. Roads are littered with wrecked trucks and craters caused by the explosions. Several bridges on the main route to Saada have been damaged. The hospital in Saqim was destroyed by a coalition air strike last June and, at the end of August, it was the turn of the health centre in Maran, also in Saada Governorate. The small town of Kitaf where there is a hospital we would like to assist is also regularly bombed as are, for example, the village of Majz and the towns of Razeh and Ghamr. Indiscriminate bombing is rife.
http://www.msf.org/article/yemen-%E2%80%9C-air-raids-continued-%E2%80%93-10-15-almost-every-day%E2%80%9D = http://foreignaffairs.co.nz/2015/11/14/yemen-the-air-raids-continued-ten-to-fifteen-almost-every-day/
13.11.2015 – Australian Institute of International Affairs
The Disaster that Is Yemen: Violence, Bloodshed and Suffering Present Daily Challenges for the ICRC
More than seven months into the crisis in Yemen, the situation across the country is catastrophic. All aspects of life have been affected and no family has remained untouched. Rima Kamal, head of communication for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yemen, gives Australian Outlook a glimpse into a typical week responding to the serious humanitarian consequences of this ongoing conflict.
Working in a conflict zone, you have to strike a careful balance between the pressing needs of the population and the safety of your staff. We operate in conflict zones around the world. Taking a number of calculated risks is an inherent part of the job. Yet, the risks in Yemen are higher than those of a typical ICRC mission. Moving humanitarian assistance from one city to another can be extremely cumbersome and require days of negotiations ahead. At times, we have to carry out twenty phone calls to various sides to secure some sort of safety guarantees for our teams prior. And those safety guarantees do not always translate into reality once our teams are in the field.
Due to the intensity of the hostilities and the polarisation of the positions, principled humanitarian action is increasingly being challenged by the parties, who seek to influence where and to whom aid is distributed. We are often having to engage in long negotiations to adhere to our neutral, impartial approach. And yet, we are often accused of taking sides. It is extremely frustrating at times. Humanitarian organisations must be allowed to carry out their activities in an independent and impartial manner without excessive hurdles and lengthy administrative procedures. Humanitarian workers must also be unconditionally protected and respected at all times. A total of six volunteers from the Yemeni Red Crescent Society have died while carrying out their humanitarian duties since the conflict began in March this year. Coupled with the two ICRC colleagues we lost in September, that’s eight. An average of one colleague a month. That’s unacceptable.
The health-care sector in Yemen has been particularly impacted by the ongoing conflict, with nearly 25 percent of health infrastructure reportedly destroyed. Hospitals across the country are also suffering shortages of medical and surgical supplies as well as severe fuel shortages and chronic power cuts. In the worst affected areas, the health-care sector has been completely crippled. For example, in Taiz, half of the hospitals are closed and there are streams of wounded people desperate for treatment.
Fuel, which has become a rare commodity, is essential for the circle of life. The entire health-care system is dependent on fuel.
With the start of the hostilities, local water and sanitation corporations struggled to continue pumping water to households in the absence of both power and fuel. As the fighting intensified, water infrastructure was destroyed in a number of areas, at times cutting off entire communities from water.
Our teams have been carrying out urgent repairs of damaged water infrastructure, as well as maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure, to avoid the collapse of the water and sewage system – by Rima Kimal
13.11.2015 – International Organisation for Migration
IOM Trucks Water to Conflict-Affected Communities in Taiz, Yemen
Since November 5th IOM has been assisting the two districts of Taizz city most badly affected by the conflict – Al Qahira and Al Mudhaffar – with water trucking.
Located 250 kilometres south of the capital Sana’a, Taizz is Yemen’s third largest city and has been on the frontline of the conflict in Yemen since August.
IOM is working with local youth volunteers to distribute the water, an approach that has proven successful in gaining access to other conflict areas in Yemen, including Aden.
IOM is now trucking 6,500 liters of water a day to three water distribution points in Al Qahira to supply 650 people. It is delivering another 5,500 liters a day to three points in Al Mudhaffar, serving another 550 people.
https://www.iom.int/news/iom-trucks-water-conflict-affected-communities-taiz-yemen
Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
13.11.2015 – Defence blogs
Saudi-led coalition hits trucks carrying WFP in Yemen
Saudi-led coalition hits trucks carrying United Nations World Food Programme delivery for IDP in Hareeb Marib Yemen (Photos)
http://defence-blog.com/news/saudi-led-coalition-hits-trucks-carrying-wfp-in-yemen.html
13.11.2015 – The Jamestown Foundation
The Houthis’ Counter-Offensive in Yemen: Strategy, Aims and Outcomes
After seven months of military operations in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners are facing a counter-offensive by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
t is unlikely that the Houthis and allied forces want to retake Aden, or secure and hold those territories that were part of what was an independent South Yemen (the former People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen). One reason is that the Houthis and their allies, who are mostly drawn from Yemen’s northern elite, will find it increasingly difficult to operate outside of their traditional powerbases in northwest Yemen.
Houthi fighters and allied Yemeni Army units began a well-coordinated counter-offensive in late October, when small, mobile bands of fighters moved toward the towns of Dhubab (located on the Red Sea coast), Damt (centrally located on the main road from Sana’a to Aden) and al-Bayda (a town located along another important north-south corridor). The towns were all occupied by members of the Popular Resistance, a loose alliance of southern separatists, tribal militias, militant Salafists and backers of Yemen’s exiled, Saudi-backed government.
By November 8, the Houthis and allied forces had seized control of Dhubab and Damt (Middle East Online, November 8; al-Masdar, November 8). They, however, failed to retake al-Bayda, where fighting continues.
As outlined above, the objectives of the current Houthi offensive are most probably threefold: secure the borders of what was North Yemen ahead of negotiations, further isolate the besieged city of Taiz and increase the pressure on Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners.
The first of these aims underlines that the restoration of a unified Yemen looks increasingly unlikely. The divisions between north and south Yemen were significant before the outbreak of civil war.
As outlined above, the objectives of the current Houthi offensive are most probably threefold: secure the borders of what was North Yemen ahead of negotiations, further isolate the besieged city of Taiz and increase the pressure on Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners.
The first of these aims underlines that the restoration of a unified Yemen looks increasingly unlikely. The divisions between north and south Yemen were significant before the outbreak of civil war.
The third objective is to increase pressure on Saudi Arabia and its partners. The Houthis’ current offensive is occurring at the same time as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are reconsidering the efficacy of their direct involvement in the war.
It is unlikely that the current counter-offensive will result in the Houthis and their allies regaining control of Aden and the parts of southwest Yemen that they briefly controlled in mid-2015. The Houthi leadership and the northern elites allied with them know that they cannot retake, much less secure, all of southwest Yemen, even if Saudi Arabia and its partners cease military operations in the country.
However, the counter-offensive shows Saudi Arabia and its partners that seven months’ of intense aerial bombardment has done little to impede the Houthis’ and their allies’ ability to plan and execute complex offensives. While the counter-offensive does have important strategic aims, its primary purpose is to strengthen the Houthis’ and their allies’ bargaining position in Geneva, if—and when—talks begin – by Michael Horton
12.11.2015 – Abu Hud Al Hadhrami
Aden, #Yemen : Large force of #UAE tanks & armoured vehicles arrived at Brega port, deployed to Al Maashiq Palace.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/664808518160117762
12.11.2015 – Emirates 24 7
28 Yemeni coup rebels killed in attacks
Coalition jets raid rebel positions in Bihan city
Intensified raids by Arab coalition warplanes and ground attacks by the national Yemeni army and resistance killed 28 coup insurgents from the Houthis and their allies on Wednesday, Yemen’s press reported on Thursday. The air raids targeted positions for the Houthis and forces loyal to deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh in Bihan city in the central Albayda governorate.
Quoting resistance sources, Masdar Online aid 15 insurgents were killed and several others were injured in the raids on Wednesday morning.
In the Southwest, national resistance fighters attacked a Houthi convoy in Damat city, killing 13 rebels and injuring several others, Marib Press reported. It quoted a military source as saying rocket propelled grenades and machine guns were used in the attacks, resulting in the destruction of two armored vehicles.
“Clashes have been raging for days between the national resistance and the coup rebels on the fringes of Damat…the Houthis are trying to advance towards Al Dale governorate, which is under the control of the national army and the coalition but are facing fierce resistance from the national forces,” a military source said.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/28-yemeni-coup-rebels-killed-in-attacks-2015-11-12-1.610226
12.11.2015 – Yemen News Today
I have been told this photograph is of Multi-national Saudi mercenaries captured as prisoners of war in Yemen.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1052409994911491
12.11.2015 – Emirates 24 7
Yemeni coup rebels take missiles away from Taiz
They fear imminent attack by the coalition
Yemen’s coup rebels have started moving missiles and heavy weapons in the Southwestern town of Taiz to the capital Sanaa as they fear a major offensive by the coalition and their allies to seize the town.
Reports from Yemen quoted eye witnesses as saying they saw large trucks laden with rockets and other weapons leaving the Taiz area on Tuesday and heading for Sanaa, the main stronghold of the Iranian-backed Houthis and their allies.
Kommentar: Offenbar ein neuer Propagandasprech, die Huthis warden von “rebels” zu “coup rebels”. Ziehen sie die Waffen ab, um auf Aden zu marschieren?
Pro-Huthi-Meldung aus einem iranischen Medium, interessant ist der Vergleich:
12.11.2015 – Fars News
Yemeni Forces Use Heavy Weapons to Destroy ISIL, Al-Qaeda Positions
The Yemeni forces bombed the military centers of the ISIL and al-Qaeda terrorist groups in Southern Yemen which led to the killing and wounding of several terrorists and the destruction of their positions," Ali al-Houthi, the spokesman of Yemen's popular committees, told FNA today.
He also said that in the past two days 56 terrorists were killed during the Yemeni forces' attacks and tens of others were wounded, adding that 10 al-Qaeda terrorists were also held captive.
On Wednesday, Yemen's army and popular committees killed dozens of Saudi forces, including senior commanders, in an attack on their command center in the Yemeni province of Ta'iz.
The Yemeni forces attacked the command center in Wadi al-Qadi district in Ta'iz, killing dozens of Saudi forces and injuring several others.
Reports said several senior Saudi commanders had been identified among the dead bodies.
On Monday, the Yemeni army and popular forces inflicted heavy losses on the pro-Saudi forces and pro-Hadi militias in the province of Ta'iz.
A large number of forces of the Saudi-led Arab coalition and forces loyal to the fugitive President Mansour Hadi were killed in fierce clashed with the Yemeni forces in the region of al-Jahmalia in the Eastern parts of the Ta'iz province on Monday.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940821000449
Kommentar: Hier werden dann die “Yemeni coup rebels” zu “Yemeni forces”. Worauf läuft das Ganze hinaus? https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1052384058247418: The Saleh-Houthi alliance are moving back towards Aden - from where they were driven out in July - which is being controlled by militants including Da'esh and Al Qaeda
Und noch eine Erfolgsmeldung von Fars News:
12.11.2015 – Fars News
Artillery Fire Destroys 3 Armored Vehicles, Kills Sudanese Forces in Yemen
The Yemeni army and popular forces' artillery fire killed and wounded tens of Saudi-led Sudanese military forces in Taiz, destroying 3 of their armored vehicles some days after the African country sent a new batch of forces to Yemen.
"The Yemeni forces used advanced artilleries to attack the armored vehicles," Abdolmona'm Salem al-Zaidi, one of Ansarullah movement's military commanders told FNA on Thursday.
He also said that the attack killed and wounded tens of Sudanese forces and destroyed 3 of their armored vehicles
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940821000661
12.11.2015 – SZ, Die Zeit (Filme)
Heftige Straßenkämpfe in Jemen
In Jemens drittgrößter Stadt Tais halten die Kämpfe zwischen Regierungssoldaten auf der einen und Huthi-Rebellen auf der anderen Seite an.
http://www.zeit.de/video/2015-11/4608605015001/strassenkaempfe-heftige-strassenkaempfe-in-jemen und http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/heftige-kaempfe-in-jemen-zwischen-jemenitische-soldaten-und-huthi-rebellen-1.2733655
Hierzu
11.11.2015 – Reuters (Film)
The battle for Taiz
Fighting between Houthi-led forces and government loyalist fighters showed no sign of abating in Yemen's third largest city of Taiz. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.
10.11.2015 – US Message Board
Karte des Jemen mit Einflussgebieten
http://www.usmessageboard.com/threads/map-of-yemen.455872/
Huthis
13.11.2015 – Shiite News
Yemen’s Ansarullah: Hadi’s Presidency Is Over, Army Untouchable
In an interview with Sada al-Massirah, Ansarullah Spokesman, Mohammad Abdussalam, said that the UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was late in responding to the movement’s letter in which Ansarullah urged an agenda for the talks.
The revolutionary movement is sticking to its demands mentioned in the letter, Abdussalam said, accusing the other side of evading the peace talks.
“The one who is evading the political solution is the other side, because it wants to stay in power, without any legal cover,” Abdussalam said, referring to Saudi-backed Hadi and his party.
This side is using the international legitimate as a pretext, the spokesman added.
The Yemeni people don’t trust the ousted government, Abdussalam said, adding that this government is incapable of taking its real role as a national government.
“The presidency (that’s of Hadi) is over. It was over when the period set by the Gulf initiative had ended. However, it was extended and then Hadi himself resigned.”
Meanwhile, Abdussalam stressed that the Yemeni army, as well as the popular committees loyal to Ansarullah revolutionaries are untouchable because they are defending the country against the Takfiri threat represented by al-Qaeda and ISIL, and defending the country against the foreign invasion.
Kommentar: Unter Propaganda fällt natürlich die Aussage, die Huthis und Verbündete wären “untouchable”, weil sie für die gerechte Sache, hier die religiöse Intoleranz der Saudis, kämpfen. „Untouchable“ ist niemand.
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
13.11.2015 – Spiegel Online
Militäroffensive im Jemen: Saudi-Arabiens Krieg mit dem Scheckbuch
Seit sieben Monaten führt Saudi-Arabien Krieg im Jemen, seit sieben Monaten verbreitet Riad Erfolgsmeldungen. Doch die Offensive stockt, das Königshaus bezahlt nun arme afrikanische Staaten für ihre Beteiligung an der Operation.
[Mit den Soldaten aus dem Sudan] soll eine Armee für Frieden in dem Bürgerkriegsland sorgen, der selbst seit Jahren Kriegsverbrechen vorgeworfen werden. Sudanesische Truppen sind nach Erkenntnissen von Menschenrechtsgruppen für Massaker an Zivilisten in den sudanesischen Provinzen Darfur und Süd-Kordofan verantwortlich, bei denen Tausende Menschen getötet wurden. Der Oberbefehlshaber der Armee, Sudans Diktator Umar al-Baschir, wird wegen Völkermords, Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit und Kriegsverbrechen vom Internationalen Strafgerichtshof in Den Haag per Haftbefehl gesucht.
Die Entsendung sudanesischer Bodentruppen ist nur die jüngste Episode in Jemens Bürgerkrieg, in den sich immer mehr Staaten hineinziehen lassen. In den vergangenen Wochen haben unter anderem Mauretanien und der Senegal Hunderte Soldaten in den Jemen geschickt.
Seinen Kriegszielen ist Saudi-Arabiens Bündnis in den vergangenen Monaten kaum näher gekommen. Saudi-Arabiens Herrscherhaus verkauft die Offensive trotzdem als Erfolg.
Die Verbündeten lassen sich ihr militärisches Engagement im Jemen vom Königshaus fürstlich bezahlen. Einen Tag nachdem Sudans Diktator Baschir der Entsendung von Soldaten auf die Arabische Halbinsel zugestimmt hatte, gab sein Finanzminister bekannt, dass Saudi-Arabien eine Milliarde US-Dollar an die Zentralbank in Khartum überwiesen habe. Katar wolle die gleiche Summe bereitstellen. Dem von Sanktionen betroffenen Regime im Sudan sind diese Finanzspritzen hochwillkommen – von Christoph Sydow
12.11.2015 – Washington Post
Saudi Arabia can’t find its way out of Yemen’s messy war
Eight months after launching a war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia appears trapped in a protracted and devastating conflict that is straining relations with its allies, intensifying internal power struggles and emboldening its regional rival, Iran, analysts say.
The coalition appears increasingly hobbled by divisions and unable to find a face-saving way to end the costly conflict.
The rebels, known as Houthis, still control much of Yemen’s north. And in southern areas where the coalition has driven them out, lawlessness has spread as attacks linked to an Islamic State affiliate wreak havoc.
“This war is draining the Saudis militarily, politically, strategically,” said Farea al-Muslimi, a Yemen analyst at the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center.
Inside the kingdom, analysts say, the war has intensified apparent power struggles within the secretive and opaque royal family.
The relatively small number of Saudi troops fighting in Yemen — estimated at several hundred — signals Saudi rulers’ heightened concern about the potential domestic blowback over casualties from the war, Sayigh said.
Despite requests from Saudi Arabia, allies such as Egypt and Pakistan have refused to send in ground forces. Several thousand UAE troops have taken the lead on the ground in Yemen.
But allied Yemeni fighters say that the coalition has deployed far too few soldiers, causing a land offensive that started in June to falter.
Christopher Davidson, an expert on Persian Gulf countries at Durham University in Britain, said Iranian leaders view the Saudi troubles in Yemen as a strategic gain in the countries’ competition for influence in Syria’s civil war and elsewhere in the region. Iran backs the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Saudi Arabia supports the opposition.
In Tehran, Saudi Arabia is seen as unable to defeat ragtag Houthi fighters despite its advanced, Western-made arms, Davidson said – by Hugh Naylor
USA
United States Human Rights
Leahy Law (State) “No assistance shall be furnished … to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of State has credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights.” - Section 620 M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA)
Leahy Law (Defense) “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to support any training program involving a unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of Defense has received credible information from the Department of State that the unit has committed a gross violation of human rights, unless all necessary corrective steps have been taken.” - DOD Appropriations Act for FY2012 (Div. A, P.L. 112-74), Sec. 8058
Leahy Law Recent Changes Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended: Section 620M “Limitation on Assistance to Security Forces” “(a) IN GENERAL. – No assistance shall be furnished under this Act or the Arms Export Control Act to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of State has credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. (b) EXCEPTION. –The prohibition in subsection (a) shall not apply if the Secretary determines and reports to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Committees on Appropriations that the government of such country is taking effective steps to bring responsible members to justice. (c) DUTY TO INFORM. – In the event that funds are withheld from any unit pursuant to this section, the Secretary of State shall promptly inform the foreign government of the basis for such action and shall, to the maximum extent practicable, assist the foreign government in taking effective measures to bring the responsible members of the security forces to justice.
Leahy Law Recent Changes Cont’d (d) CREDIBLE INFORMATION. – The Secretary shall establish, and periodically update, procedures to- (1) ensure that for each country the Department of State has a current list of all security forces units receiving United States training , equipment, or other types of assistance; (2) facilitate the receipt by Department of State and United States embassies of information from individuals and organizations outside the United States Government about gross violations of human rights by security force units; (3) routinely request and obtain such information from the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other United States Government sources; (4) ensure that such information is evaluated and preserved; (5) ensure that when vetting an individual for eligibility to receive United States training the individual’s unit is also vetted; (6) seek to identify the unit involved when credible information of a gross violation exists but the identity of the unit is lacking; and (7) make publically available, to the maximum extent practicable, the identity of those units for which no assistance shall be furnished pursuant to subsection (a).
What is Credible Information? § Leg history: evidence need not be admissible in a court of law. § Should be deserving of confidence as a basis for decisionmaking § NGO information or press reports can be sufficient (assuming sources have reputation for accurate and impartial reporting and reported information has indicia of reliability) § Information ideally should be corroborated by multiple sources (i.e., more than one source preferred although not necessary; depends on quality of source/information)
Gross Violations of Human Rights Not defined in the Leahy context According to section 502B(d) of the FAA, gross violations of internationally recognized human rights includes: § torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, § prolonged detention without charges and trial, § causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those persons, and § other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of person (e.g. extrajudicial killing). Department Leahy Vetting policy also includes: – Politically-motivated rape This is not an exhaustive list. Incidents are examined on a case-by-case basis.
http://www.humanrights.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/leahy-vetting-law-policy-and-process.pdf
Kommentar: Zum Leahy-Gesetz hier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leahy_Law. Die Hilfe der USA für Saudi-Arabien verstößt eindeutig gegen amerikanisches Recht.
13.11.2015 – New Eastern Outlook
Yemen: Why is US Media Ignoring a Massive War?
The war should be of interest to US audiences — especially because the US government is actively involved, directly taking sides in the conflict. The Saudi cruise missiles and the weapons used by the Sudanese and Emirati troops are supplied by the United States. Pentagon generals are in Saudi Arabia, advising the king and his military. US military satellites are directing the Saudis where to strike.
Shouldn’t US audiences be informed about a war that their government is actively participating in? Yet days and weeks go by without US media even making the slightest mention of Yemen or the massive war taking place there.
The reason western media is ignoring the war in Yemen is because the US position is indefensible. The United States is essentially aligned with the repressive monarchies of the UAE and Saudi Arabia in their rampage of terrorism, intended to crush the Yemeni people and their aspirations for democracy.
The war did not exactly begin in 2015. The roots of the conflict go back to the “Arab Spring” of 2011.
After the 2011 uprising, Yemen had one of the most hopeful moments in its history. People’s assemblies sprung up, and broad democratic debate took place. However, the hopeful moment was abruptly terminated with a sham election. As the only candidate on the ballot, Mansour Hadi, a Saudi agent, was declared the president.
The deeply religious Zaidi shias in the Ansarullah organization; the socialists and communists of the southern independence movement; and the Arab Spring party of secular urban youth all refused to accept this.
It should be obvious why US media is ignoring this war. The United States has lined up with ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Israel, and a collection of autocratic monarchies against a People’s Committee seeking to write a democratic constitution.
The allegation leveled by opponents of Yemen’s unfolding revolution is that the Ansarullah organization’s members are “Iranian proxies.” This allegation is fallacious for several reasons.
First, Ansarullah’s members are not religiously identical to the Islamic Republic. The shia Muslims in Iran are “Twelvers” who acknowledge twelve imams as successors to the Prophet Mohammed. The Ansarullah organization are Zaidis, from an entirely different religious tradition. Though they are technically shias, their religious practices are much closer to sunni Islam than what is practiced in Iran.
Second, Iran has not been proven to have given any material assistance to Ansarullah.
Third, if Ansarullah and its allies are merely Iranian agents with no support among the Yemeni people, why have they scored so many victories?
Are we really expected to believe that the only reason the Yemeni people will not accept a foreign imposed dictator is because of “Iranian influence?” Did Yemenis form people’s assemblies, take up guns, and brave months of horrendous onslaught merely because they received orders from Tehran? Can anyone truly accept this as a logical analysis of the war?
This shallow explanation, often presented in the rare instances the US media describes the conflict, is reminiscent of US propaganda during the Cold War. Let’s not forget that US media declared even Martin Luther King, Jr. to be a Soviet agent, implying that Blacks were happy living under Jim Crow, and that the civil rights movement was merely the work of “outside agitators” and “communist influence.”
The Cold War between Marxist-Leninists and western capitalism has long been over. However, the world is rapidly re-polarizing. The battle of the 21st century is a war between western neoliberal capitalism and those who reject it – by Calep Maupin
http://journal-neo.org/2015/11/13/yemen-why-is-us-media-ignoring-a-massive-war/
Kommentar: Interessante Gedanken, aber folgende Kritikpunkte: 1) Die Huthis sind sicher keine Demokraten; 2) Es ist nicht ersichtlich, warum Israel hier eine große Rolle spielen sollte; 3) Die internationalen Gegner der USA sind nicht deshalb besser, weil sie Gegner der USA sind.
http://journal-neo.org/2015/11/13/yemen-why-is-us-media-ignoring-a-massive-war/
Deutschland / Germany
12.11.2015 – Süddeutsche Zeitung
In Jemen kämpfen Soldaten von Deutschlands Panzerkunden Katar
Muhammad Hamid Sulayman ist der erste katarische Soldat, der im Zuge der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Militäroperation gegen die aufständischen Huthi-Milizen in Jemen gefallen ist, an der sich Katar beteiligt. Am Donnerstag nahm der katarische Emir, Scheich Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, am Begräbnis des Soldaten teil.
Die Nachricht von seinem Tod in Jemen bringt nun - zusammen mit anderen Informationen - die Bundesregierung in Erklärungsnöte, genauer: das Auswärtige Amt. Dessen Sprecher Martin Schäfer hatte am 23. Oktober in der Bundespressekonferenz gesagt, Katar sei Teil einer Koalition, die sich militärisch am Konflikt in Jemen beteilige. Er betonte jedoch: "Katar hat sich aber von Anfang bis zum heutigen Tag nicht aktiv an Kampfhandlungen im Jemen oder mit dem Jemen beteiligt". Doha beschränke sich auf "Grenzsicherung, logistische Dienstleistungen und Ähnliches" - eine Darstellung, die kaum noch zu halten ist – von Paul-Anton Krüger und Georg Mascolo
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/deutsche-panzergeschaefte-die-katar-connection-1.2734097
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/deutsche-panzergeschaefte-die-katar-connection-1.2734097
Pakistan
13.11.2015 – Counterpunch
The Great Dance: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the Yemen Question
Pakistan refused to send troops to help Saudi Arabia and the UAE fight its war in Yemen. The Saudis and the Emiratis were furious. Ties seemed on the brink of being snapped.
In early April, Pakistan’s parliament held a crucial debate over five days. Saudi Arabia and the UAE had begun an assault on Yemen. They requested Pakistani troops. Neither the Saudis nor the Emiratis have the capacity for ground warfare, but their fighters are comfortable in the air.
The Pakistani parliament surprised both the Saudis and the Emiratis with a twelve-point resolution.
Unanimously, the parliament vowed to defend Saudi territory, as the home of Mecca and Medina. It called upon the UN and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to bring the parties to ceasefire negotiations.
The most significant of their points was number eight: “[Parliament] desires that Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict so as to be able to play a proactive diplomatic role in the crisis.”
In other words, no Pakistani ground troops to enter on the Saudi-Emirati side.
The UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said that the Pakistani decision was “dangerous and unexpected”. He accused Pakistan of siding with the Iranians.
It is hard to determine how the Pakistani army has been doing. The only information comes from its Inter-Services Public Relations wing. There is consensus, however, that Pakistan’s army is tied down by its own wars.
A second, less obvious, reason comes from a senior Pakistani diplomat. He told me a few months ago that sections of the Pakistani military worried about the nature of Saudi conflicts.
In earlier conflicts in the Middle East, the Pakistani military went willingly because these were being framed in terms of the defense of Islam. This battle in West Asia now seems less about the defence of Islam and more on sectarian lines – as a Sunni-Shia conflict.
The war in Yemen seemed framed in sectarian terms. That the UAE’s Foreign Minister accused Pakistan of being an Iranian stooge seemed to prove the point.
The Pakistani military does not want to enter such a conflict, as it would merely create more problems along sectarian lines in Pakistan itself.
What gave the Pakistani military confidence to walk away from the Saudi request, says the senior diplomat, was the gradual alignment of Pakistan to a Chinese and Russian axis. In November 2014, Russia and Pakistan signed a “military cooperation” agreement, with secret discussions about Pakistani purchases of Russian military hardware.
The Chinese have pledged to invest $46 billion in Pakistan, some of which is more than likely to go to the Pakistani military. Saudi money is not the only game in town. It is perhaps one of the reasons why a section of the Pakistani elite is no longer utterly beholden to Riyadh – by Vijay Prashad
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/11/13/the-great-dance-pakistan-saudi-arabia-and-the-yemen-question/
Libanon
12.11.2015 – Mehr.news
Arabsat suspends Al-Mayadeen TV channel over Yemen war coverage
Al-Mayadeen TV Channel’s Director Ghassan bin Jaddou denounced on Friday the pressure exerted by Arabsat, the largest satellite communications operator in the Arab world to the Lebanese government for its coverage of the Yemen war.
Bin Jeddou said the satellite communications operator has suspended providing services to the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen television channel, arguing the channel offended a friendly Arab country, in clear reference to Saudi Arabia.
During a press conference, Jaddou pointed to pressure from certain Arab countries, which, according to him, asked the Lebanese government to close the channel and asked Al-Mayadeen not to deal with the Saudi war on Yemen as a humanitarian issue and refrain from covering the Saudi strikes on Yemeni civilian targets.
Sources reported that Arabsat threatened to relocate its broadcast station from Lebanon to Jordan if Al-Mayadeen television channel was not suspended.
Reports say pressure against Al-Mayadeen increased after a guest appearing on a program broadcast by the TV criticized Saudi Arabia’s mismanagement of the Hajj rituals.
Al-Mayadeen channel journalists voiced their rejection to the pressures and demanded to respect freedom of speech, as they thanked the solidarity received by different Arab media and other international networks
http://en.mehrnews.com/news/111707/Arabsat-suspends-Al-Mayadeen-TV-channel-over-Yemen-war-coverage
Söldner / Mercenaries
5.11.205 – 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.
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.
Eritrean citizens fleeing forced labor and conscription in the northeast African nation make up the third-biggest source of migrants who crossed into Europe by sea in the first six months of 2015.
Kommentar: Der letzte Satz ist auch wichtig: Die Soldaten aus Eritrea kommen zum großen Teil nicht freiwillig, sondern sind zwangsrekrutiert. Kürzlich war von einer 30jährigen Frau zu lesen, die deswegen aus Eritrea geflohen ist, weil sie zum Militär ausgehoben werden sollte. – Und es sind wohl eher die Saudis, die hier Söldner anmieten, weniger die VAE.
Propaganda
13.11.2015 – Emirates 24 7
Mohamed, Obama discuss Yemen, call for implementing UN resolutions
Also discuss efforts of the Arab Coalition in Yemen
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, today received a phone call from US President Barack Obama.
During the phone call, Sheikh Mohamed and Obama discussed cooperation and friendship between the two countries, as well as ways to enhance them in the light of the strategic ties between the two countries.
They also tackled Yemen's dossier and the efforts being exerted by the Arab Coalition to support the legitimate government in Yemen and restore stability and security there, emphasising the importance of the implementation of the UN Resolutions in this regard.
Sheikh Mohamed and Obama also discussed the efforts being exerted by the Arab Coalition in Yemen and the international organisations and institutions, aimed to provide the humanitarian support for the people of Yemen.
During the phone call, they confirmed the two countries' keenness on supporting stability in the region, joint efforts and coordination in the fight against extremism and violence, as well as terrorist organisations that undermine peace and security, and pose challenges to the development and progress of the peoples of the region.
Kommentar: Die zitierten Aussagen haben Orwellsche Qualität: Die Worte sind genau das Gegenteil der Realität.
12.11.2015 – Khaleej Times / Gulf News
UAE air force chief denies Yemen civilian deaths by air power
"We are a professional air force, the Saudis the same, the allied forces they are all the same."
The head of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) air force on Wednesday dismissed charges that Arab coalition air power caused regular civilian casualties in Yemen's war, saying warplanes used precision weapons and raids needed multiple approvals.
In an interview with Reuters at the Dubai Airshow, Major-General Ibrahim Nasser Al Alawi said coalition planes had complete command of the skies and so could focus their efforts on supporting ground forces fighting the Houthis.
"As an air power player in the allied forces we are running almost 98 percent precision (weapons) and with small calibres, especially when it comes to civilian areas like cities," he said, in a rare public comment by a senior coalition officer.
"I can say there are three to four different layers for approving these targets, just to make sure that civilians (are unharmed) - and going with a small calibre you are really controlling collateral damage."
"We are a professional air force, the Saudis the same, the allied forces they are all the same."
Alawi, commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, said coalition warplanes were helping ground forces to try to take the capital Sanaa and other major cities from the Houthis.
"The whole airspace belongs to the allied forces ... so militarily I don't think you can ask much more than that," he said. "Now it is up to the Yemenis to recapture their cities like the capital Sanaa or Saada and practise their government."
http://khaleejtimes.com/nation/uae-air-force-chief-denies-yemen-civilian-deaths-by-air-power = http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/uae-officer-denies-yemen-civilian-deaths-caused-by-air-power-1.1618766
Kommentar: Wie dreist kann man in seiner Propaganda sein? Die nicht existierenden zivilen Opfer der Luftangriffe kann dieser Kommandeur hier anschauen. http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm. Letztlich entlarvend ist ja dann der Satz: "The whole airspace belongs to the allied forces”. Ja eben. Und sie allein ist dann auch für all das verantwortlich.
Terrorismus / Terrorism
13.11.2015 – Reuters
Worshippers killed as bomb hits Yemen mosque in Houthi-dominated region: residents
A bomb exploded on Friday during midday prayers at a mosque frequented by Houthi supporters in Yemen's northwestern Mahwit region, killing several worshippers and wounding others, residents said.
The blast took place in Shibam, a city about 40 km (25 miles) outside the capital Sanaa which has been an area of relative calm in the conflict-stricken country.
12.11.2015 – Alalam
Yemen Al-Qaeda Affiliate Ansar ul-Sharia Fighters at Riyadh Side
The Ansar ul-Sharia terrorist group has said that its members are fighting along with the Saudi forces and militant groups in Yemen’s Ta’izz Province.
A major local affiliate of the al-Qaeda in Yemen has vowed allegiance to the Saudi regime, saying it will fight along with the kingdom’s forces in the ongoing war against Yemen.
The so-called Ansar ul-Sharia group said on Wednesday that its members are fighting along the Saudi forces and militant groups in Yemen’s Ta’izz Province.
The group released a video showing tens of armed militants fighting against Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement and army in an operation dubbed Jahmaliyah in an area with the same name in the southwestern Yemeni province.
This is the first time that an al-Qaeda-affiliated group officially confirms it is contributing to Saudi Arabia’s military aggression against Yemen
http://en.alalam.ir/news/1758565
11.11.2015 – Duke Chronicle
AEI scholar Zimmerman critical of U.S. foreign policy in Yemen
Katherine Zimmerman, a scholar specializing in the al-Qaida network, critiqued U.S. foreign policy in Yemen at a student discussion Tuesday evening.
She criticized current U.S. policy in Yemen for only focusing on a small cell of individuals who lead al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemeni al-Qaida organization, rather than viewing larger insurgency groups as the primary threat. She noted that Yemeni citizens have also expressed grievances such as political marginalization and the unfair distribution of wealth.
The situation is complicated further because Yemen is home to so many regional identities, she explained, noting local concerns about resource distribution. Some of Yemen’s key natural resources lie in its poorest provinces.
Zimmerman emphasized that U.S. policy in Yemen fails to understand the complexities of the issues on the ground, whereas al-Qaida has a better understanding of these issues, which it has used to gain influence in recent years. She also noted that AQAP does not itself govern. Rather, it has locally appointed councils that lean towards decisions favorable to AQAP and identify grievances the group can use to strengthen its insurgency.
Partly because of al-Qaida’s understanding of the problems in the area, Zimmerman explained that U.S. partnerships with local Yemeni military forces have not been sufficient.
“This is a place where the security forces are so degraded that they will not be viable partners next year,” Zimmerman said.
She explained that Yemen is a “chaotic system” because it is often difficult to obtain information about who is fighting for whom or what weapons each group possesses – by Sarah Kerman
Kommentar: Keine Kritik am Bündnis der USA mit den Saudis – das diese Probleme noch wesentlich verschlimmert. Wie geht das?
Zyklon / Cyclone
12.11.2015 – World Bulletin
Twin cyclones killed 26 in Yemen
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Thursday that 26 people in Yemen had been killed -- including 18 on Socotra Island -- by cyclones “Chapala” and “Megh”, which recently pounded the country.
According to UN Spokesman Stephen Dujjaric, the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners are currently distributing high-energy biscuits to some 25,000 effected people in Yemen.
Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and its partners are carrying out relief efforts in Yemen’s Shabwah province, where around 2,700 people have received assistance -- including tents -- along with another 2,500 people in Hadramaut province.
Dujarric, however, said the humanitarian aid was meeting only a "fraction" of the affected population’s total needs.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/haberler/166283/twin-cyclones-killed-26-in-yemen
12.11.2015 – Vice News
Battered By Civil War and Historic Cyclones, Yemen Now Faces Swarms of Locusts
A combination of historic rains brought by cyclones Chapala and Megh this month and an unceasing security vacuum mean both the potential for infestations and the lack of government response are particularly acute.
Prior to Chapala making landfall on November 3, the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) observed low level breeding activity among locusts in Yemen.
"They don't need much rain in order to survive," said Keith Cressman, the FAO's senior locust forecasting officer. "If they get 25mm or 1 inch in a month it's enough for them to breed."
"The worst case scenario would be that the national teams wouldn't be able to undertake surveys in these areas, so we have no confirmation of what the locust situation is," said Cressman. "Assuming that the winds associated with the cyclones may have brought some locusts into areas they wouldn't normally be in, they have the possibility to breed unchecked. You could have one or two generations of breeding." – by Samuel Oakford
11.11.2015 – UN Radio
Locust surge warning for Yemen and north-east Africa
Heavy rains and cyclones that have plagued Yemen and northeast Africa could lead to a surge in desert locusts in the coming months.
The warning came from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on Wednesday which said that torrential downpours had the potential to trigger destructive swarms.
Daniel Dickinson has more.
Tropical cyclones Chapala and Megh, caused major destruction in Yemen and some parts of the Horn of Africa, leaving moist soil in their wake, ideal for locusts to lay their eggs.
If the wet conditions continue then the likelihood of locusts breeding and swarming will rise sharply, WHOsaid.
The unusually wet weather, due also in part to the El Niño system, makes it very hard to predict whether locusts are likely to be a problem, but countries need to be vigilant, according to WHO's Senior Locus Forecasting Officer.
A plague of locusts could have a devastating effect on crops and threaten food security in places like Yemen – by Daniel Dickinson
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-48: / Yemen Press reader 1-48:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
Was ist Ihre Meinung?
Kommentare einblendenDiskutieren Sie mit.