Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Am wichtigsten / Most important
Allgemein / General
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Houthis
UNO und Friedensverhandlungen / UN and peace talks
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
USA
Europäische Union / European Union
Großbritannien / Great Britain
Propaganda
Pressefreihet / Liberty of Press
Terrorismus / Terrorism
Flüchtlinge / Refugees
Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Am wichtigsten / Most important
15.12.2015 – Aljazeera
Letter from Sanaa: Some long for death as a way out
Hisham al-Omeisy, aresident of the city, spoke with Al Jazeera's Faisal Edroos about daily life amid the war and what a seven-day ceasefire may yield.
There is a lot of international hype around the ceasefire in Yemen - which, when announced, seemed like a good idea. However, for those of us having to endure this bitter conflict, it offers little hope, and is more bemusing than anything else.
It's not the ceasefire we find bemusing, as most of us living in this war zone already know what to expect. Rather, it is the media's reporting of what the truce entails and the actual effect it will have on the average Yemeni that we find baffling.
We've been through two ceasefires in the past few months, so we know it generally means a cessation of air strikes in some areas and a reduction in others, while ground battles continue to rage. As a result, while the ceasefire is being embraced by politicians and the media, we're welcoming it less enthusiastically.
For almost nine months, the war in Yemen has destroyed cities, roads, infrastructure, the economy, and the country's social fabric. There are now more than 2.3 million internally displaced people, and 80 percent of the population is in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
There are severe shortages of basic services and commodities - including electricity, fuel, food, water and drugs - and the situation is exacerbated significantly by a commercial blockade.
Yemen imports 90 percent of its food and fuel, and the devastating blockade is not addressed by the ceasefire. Even if the blockade was lifted during of the seven-day truce, the window would not be long enough to meet local demands, as the threat of famine looms.
There has not been any electricity in the capital for the past few months, and due to the scarcity of gas, residents have been trying to conserve as much food as possible, scavenging for survival while trying to dodge the daily bombs.
Businesses such as restaurants and cafes have been forced to close, and with growing numbers of people out of work, we have all been making cutbacks and started rationing.
Prices, meanwhile, have skyrocketed. Chicken, which was once eaten at every dinner table, is now eaten once a week - and other meats even less so.
We're exhausted, and you can see it on the streets. Sanaa's once-beautiful streets are now littered with broken glass and destroyed buildings.
Daily life is a struggle for survival, with most of us just trying to make it through to the next day.
The situation is so desolate that it's common to hear some people say they wish an air strike would end their misery. That's why a simple and temporary ceasefire, with no larger breakthrough, has not changed the morbid mood on the streets of Yemen.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/12/letter-sanaa-long-death-151215111344275.html
15.12.2015 – Mwatana
Mwatana: Airstrikes of Saudi Arabia-led Arab coalition killed hundreds of civilians in Yemen
The Report" Blind Airstrikes", highlights the details of 44 incidents of aerial attacks by Saudi Arabia-led coalition that killed 615 civilians including 120 women and 220 children, and injured 678 others among whom at least 125 women and 167 children in nine Yemeni provinces.
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition's aerial attacks in Yemen have led to the killing and injury of hundreds of civilians since March 26, 2015, in flagrant violation for International Humanitarian Law, Mwatana Organization for Human Rights said in a report it released today.
The Report, " Blind Airstrikes", Civilian victims of Saudi Arabia-led coalition' air strikes in Yemen, highlights the details of 44 incidents of aerial attacks by Saudi Arabia-led coalition that killed 615 civilians including 120 women and 220 children, and injured 678 others among whom at least 125 women and 167 children.
Mwatana Organization for Human Rights has documented the 44 incidents of unlawful airstrikes through carrying out a field research and conducting interviews with 155 persons including surviving victims, families of the victims, eye- witnesses and medical sources in nine Yemeni provinces: Sana’a, Taiz, Lahj, Ibb, Hodeidah, Sa’adah Hajjah, AL-Baidha and Dhamar, from 26 March to October 2015.
Mwatana called on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all state members of its led coalition to stop violating International Humanitarian Law and its relevant Instruments particularly and immediately halt targeting civilians, infrastructure and civil institutions and locations the target of which may bring damage to civilians.
The report states that these attacks, which came at the request of Yemeni President Abdraboo Mansoor Hadi to restore his legitimacy, targeted non-military locations and populated areas with no military presence.
The Report calls on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to carry-out an impartial and transparent inquiry on the alleged attacks featured in this report and any other airstrikes led to civilian casualties and to declare findings of investigation for the public and to hold those responsible accountable bringing them into justice.
" It is very regrettable this denial by Saudi Arabia-led Arab coalition to the fact that these aerial attacks did target civilian objects in Yemen and thus resulted in loss of civilian lives and injures. Said Radhya al-Mutawakel, chairperson of Mwatana Organization for Human Rights
Mrs. al-Mutawakel holds the Saudi Arabia-led coalition the full legal and ethical responsibility for these violations which may tantamount to war crimes.
The Report concludes with a matrix of recommendations directed to all warring parties and to local, regional and international players and actors in the on-going conflict in Yemen, to put an end for the continuous loss of civilians' lives and sabotaging their own their interests.
The Report emphatically calls for the formulation of an international commission to investigate all violations attributed to Saudi Arabia-led coalition that breach the International Humanitarian Law.
"International community is has to get out of its discreditable inaction and act responsibly towards such flagrant war violations against civilians committed by Saudi Arabia-led coalition and other warring parties in Yemen. " International community must realize that it is gradually turning into an actor in compromising justice and will, thus, be supportive to perpetrators against victims of human rights violations." al-Mutawakel asserted .
http://mwatana.org/en/15122015444 and summary of report: http://mwatana.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Executive%20Summary%20English%20PDF.pdf
15.12.2015 – BBC
Yemen peace talks under way as ceasefire begins
Yemen's warring parties have begun UN-backed peace talks in Switzerland, as a seven-day ceasefire came into effect.
The UN says the talks between the government, the Houthi rebel movement and its allies aimed to find a "durable settlement" to the months-long crisis.
Representatives of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, the Houthis and the General People's Congress party of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh - whose loyalists in the security forces have backed the rebels - are meeting near the town of Biel.
The Saudi-led coalition is not involved in the talks, which are expected to last all week.
The UN's special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said the truce "should mark the end of military violence in Yemen and the transition to progress based on negotiations, dialogue and consensus".
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35097028
Kommentar: Dass die Saudi-Koalition nicht an den Gesprächen teilnimmt, könnte am Ende das Ganze noch weiter gefährden – auch wenn „Präsident“ Hadi längst nichts mehr als eine saudische Marionette ist.
Allgemein / General
15.12.2015 – Süddeutsche Zeitung
Jemen schnauft kurz durch
Westliche Diplomaten hoffen darauf, dass in den Golfstaaten nach Tausenden Luftangriffen die Einsicht wächst, dass dieser Konflikt militärisch nicht zu gewinnen ist. Die geplante Offensive der Koalition mit dem Ziel, Sanaa einzunehmen, ist ins Stocken geraten. Als Zeichen für das militärische Patt gilt auch der Einsatz von Hunderten Söldnern aus Kolumbien, anderen lateinamerikanischen Ländern und womöglich auch Eritrea – von Paul Anton Krüger
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/waffenstillstand-jemen-schnauft-kurz-durch-1.2781965
Kommentar: Ein kurzer Überblick über die Lage zu Beginn des Waffenstillstands.
15.12.2015 – Critical Threats
2015 Yemen Crisis Situation Report: December 14
The Yemen ceasefire began at 9:00 PM GMT on Monday, December 14, but it remains tenuous following an al Houthi-Saleh rocket attack on a coalition base in Taiz governorate. The breakdown of the ceasefire would likely derail the simultaneous UN-led peace process and further prolong the conflict in Yemen.
Al Houthi-Saleh forces fired a Tochka rocket at a coalition forward operating base in southwestern Taiz governorate, raising concerns for the stability of the ceasefire..
Saudi Arabia is escalating its response to al Houthi-Saleh aggression on the Saudi-Yemeni border.
Coalition-backed forces are seeking control of al Jawf governorate, which would secure positions in Ma’rib and place additional pressure on al Houthi-Saleh positions in northern Yemen. The coalition is pushing toward al Jawf’s regional capital, and coalition-backed forces clashed with al Houthi-Saleh militias near Labanat military base on December 13. Coalition airstrikes targeted military sites and equipment throughout al Jawf on the same day. Al Jawf borders the al Houthi stronghold of Sa’ada governorate, and an uptick in coalition activity there likely signals an attempt to gain a strategic advantage in northern Yemen before the anticipated ceasefire.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is both entrenching itself in Yemen and reaffirming its connection to al Qaeda’s global network.
Al Houthi-Saleh forces’ escalation of attacks against Saudi Arabia and coalition positions challenges the Gulf states’ narrative of victory in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition will remain entrenched in Yemen, regardless of the outcome of the UN-led talks. The requirement of a victory against the al Houthi-Saleh alliance continues to distract the coalition from the counter-terrorism fight in Yemen, allowing AQAP to strengthen its foothold in the country. – by Emily Estelle
http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/yemen-crisis-situation-reports-december-14-2015
14.12.2015 – Beforeitsnews
Yemen update 12/14\2015.. Yemen Ballistic Missile Hits Saudi Military Base In Bab-El-Mandeb..150 People Killed
Films and reports
14.12.2015 – Global Observatory
In Yemen, “One More Day of War Means 10 More of Rebuilding”: Q&A with Farea Al-Muslimi
The parties to Yemen’s devastating civil war are due to meet for talks in Geneva tomorrow, triggering a seven-day ceasefire and the hope of a more lasting peace to come. Farea Al-Muslimi, Visiting Fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center and Chairman of the youth-oriented Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, said the lack of a positive outcome could set back the vital process significantly.
The most important thing about these negotiations is that if they are to happen and fail it would be worse than if they didn’t happen in the first place, because it will send a very wrong message in Yemen and escalate the conflict further. For peace to occur, there needs to be a very clear will from both sides and that doesn’t seem to be happening at the moment. The Houthis could have released their prisoners and the Saudis could have ended their economic siege in Yemen as acts of good conscience. We will have to wait and see, but if we miss this opportunity for peace now it’s very unlikely we will have a chance again anytime soon. The real fear is that both sides are losing command and control, so that even if they agree on peace they might not have the will to achieve it.
The US and the international role have been very unhelpful in matters of protecting civilians and upholding humanitarian law. This isn’t a new thing. Since the US and the UK backed off from the Dutch proposal for an international fact-finding committee in Geneva, both sides of the conflict—the Saudis and the Houthis—have extended and increased their level of violence and used that as a sign of the absence of any possible accountability.
It is devastating the level of unconditional support that is being given to the Saudis by the international community, including the US. It’s hard to see how this will make Yemen or the Saudis more peaceful or how it will add to the efforts to end the conflict.
The main focus in terms of eliminating al-Qaeda and eliminating every other non-state group in Yemen is ending the war. As long as the war is continuing, and as long as this deadly conflict increases, people and youth will have less opportunity and it will allow groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS to continue to thrive. The way to eliminate them starts with an immediate ceasefire in Yemen and going back to a political path that was maybe not the best, but was at least there for the youth and all Yemenis.
Even if we have a ceasefire tomorrow, I don’t think that will bring peace necessarily. What it will do is start paving the right road for Yemen to be on, but for some processes that will take years or decades. Despite the terrifying numbers in Yemen right now, what everyone needs to realize is that one more day in the war will take 10 days to rebuild in the near future. That’s something we should be alert to, and we should avoid the sort of mistakes that were made in the past political deals in Yemen, which were ultimately concerned with the elites’ problems and desires, rather than the ordinary Yemenis’ desires. We should be answering the real questions around the economy, humanitarian outcomes, and social and political inclusion – by James Bowen
http://theglobalobservatory.org/2015/12/yemen-saudi-arabia-houthis-isis-al-qaeda/
14.12.2015 – AFP
Yemen: Shiite, Sunni militants fuel chaos
Armed groups have led the slide into chaos in Yemen, where a truce between Arab-backed loyalist forces and Iran-backed Shiite rebels is expected to enter into force at midnight Monday.
Shiite militiamen and Sunni extremists have sought to exploit a power vacuum since 2011 nationwide protests forced veteran president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.
Short overview on Huthis, “Loyalists”, Al Kaida and IS.
http://news.yahoo.com/yemen-shiite-sunni-militants-fuel-chaos-174738416.html
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
15.12.2015 – Reuters
WHO plans to distribute medical supplies in Yemen under ceasefire
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the warring parties in Yemen have promised it “unconditional movement” of supplies and medical teams under a UN ceasefire that came into effect throughout the war-torn country on Tuesday.
Nineteen trucks pre-loaded with medical supplies in Aden and Sanaa are due to begin moving later in the day to start distribution across Yemen, WHO representative Ahmed Shadoul told . Some 150 metric tonnes of supplies in WHO’s warehouse in Djibouti are expected to be shipped to Sanaa on Dec 21 or 22, he said. From there, ships will take them to other Yemeni ports. “It depends on access, we will plan more if access is really granted. This is just a test,” he said.
Comment: I guess all agencies are going to see if they can take advantage of the ceasefire - its unbelievable to think that WHO has medical supplies in Djibouti but can't ship them to Yemen - they are going to try to do it in the blockade. Lets hope they succeed - 700,000 diabetics are without insulin, 500,000 children are severely malnourished and need feeding aids. And that is just the tip of the iceberg of medical needs.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1073323979486759
10.12.2015 – United Nations Development Programme
When home is no longer safe: Reporting human rights abuses in Yemen
"So close to dying”. This is how Hanan describes what happened earlier this year, when forces surrounded and stormed her home in Khur Maksar District, Aden, where she lived with her husband, 4-year-old child and niece, aged 16.
Later Hanan and her family fled their home due to shelling and because of gas, electricity and water shortages. In this sense, their suffering is typical of stories told by Yemenis throughout the country who describe human rights violations at the hands of the parties to the conflict, which began in March 2015
Many Yemenis I have spoken to are pinning their hopes on the UN brokered negotiations, which are due to commence on 15 December. One Yemeni activist told me yesterday: “We fear the worst if these negotiations do not succeed in reaching an agreement.”
This year Human Rights Day has special significance in Yemen. It comes at a time when people are holding out hope for what the negotiations will bring, but equally are full of apprehension for what the future may hold.
The question that we ask as human rights workers is what can we do in response to such devastating human rights situations, the likes of which Yemen has not witnessed in living memory? On top of the terrible loss of life, the war is having a shattering psychological effect on its citizens.
The answer we reached is that it is incredibly important to document and report on human rights violations and abuses: a) as a protection mechanism, b) to ensure and aid future accountability efforts, and c) so victims can find relative peace and move on with their lives.
In October, UNDP Yemen together with UN WOMEN and OHCHR started training Yemeni civil society organizations to independently document human rights violations and provide psychosocial support to victims of the ongoing conflict.
A total of 130 researchers and members of non-governmental organizations across the country are currently being trained, building their skills and knowledge on how to document and report human rights violations in line with international standards.
The initiative is part of the international humanitarian response in Yemen. And it is just one of the ways UNDP has been boosting support to human rights and transitional justice around the world.
Through our long-standing presence in Yemen, we are committed to supporting people like Hanan by working with communities, based on the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence – by Dina El-Mamoun
UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
15.12.2015 – Vice News
The Future of Yemen Hangs in the Balance at the UN Talks in Switzerland
Though the Saudi-led campaign has been able to reverse some of the Houthi's advances, notably in the southern port city of Aden, recent months have seen the conflict settle into a grinding war of attrition. The internationally recognized government of Hadi exerts only a modicum of control in the country and is riven with its own internal strife. Fighters united in opposition to the predominantly Shia Houthi rebels, including Southern cessationists and jihadists, have grown increasingly fragmented. In the vacuum left behind by fighting, the Yemen branches of al Qaeda and the Islamic State have also become progressively more assertive. Earlier this month, the Islamic State claimed it carried out a bombing attack that left the governor of Aden dead.
"The fact that resistance factions in places like Taiz refused to cooperate with a ceasefire underlines the lack of control the central government has," said Adam Baron, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. That, he added, only furthered the need to broker a deal now, rather than let the violence spiral into increasingly localized power struggles.
Last Friday, in response to questions about civilian casualties, State Department spokesperson Michael Kirby repeated talking points that have been used by American officials for months.
"We've encouraged them all [the coalition's members] to investigate any credible accounts of civilian casualties resulting from coalition strikes; to provide a timely, thoroughly and objective accounting of the facts," said Kirby.
Pressed on whether he knew of any such Saudi inquiries, Kirby said, "I have seen no investigations."
In fact, perhaps the only time Saudi officials have admitted to striking a civilian target was when the country's ambassador to the UN told VICE News that it had accidentally struck a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Sadaa province in October. The next day, however, the ambassador claimed he was misquoted and denied any such attack had taken place.
The scale of Riyadh's intervention in its southern neighbor comes with little precedent, and it remains unclear what the Saudis feel they must get from the talks in Switzerland, which are being attended by 24 Yemeni representatives – by Samuel Oakford
15.12.2015 – UN News Center
Yemen: UN-sponsored peace talks kick off as ceasefire goes into effect
After months of relentless violence in Yemen, consultations facilitated by the United Nations began today in Switzerland aimed at finding a durable settlement to the crisis, including establishing a permanent ceasefire, securing improvements to the humanitarian situation and a returning to a peaceful and orderly political transition.
The talks kicked off with the announcement by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, that the parties had agreed to a cessation of hostilities.
The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon welcomed the talks and added that peaceful and inclusive dialogue is the only way to end “suffering and rebuild confidence, trust and mutual respect amongst the Yemeni people following months of civil war and thousands of lives lost.”
“The Secretary-General also welcomes the declaration of cessation of hostilities accompanying the opening of the talks. He urges all parties to adhere to this cessation of hostilities and work towards a permanent and lasting end to the conflict,” said a statementissued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson in New York.
Welcoming the declaration of cessation of hostilities among the parties as a “critical first step towards building a lasting peace in the country,” Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed stressed at the same time that finding a durable solution is critical, warning that “anyone who does not participate in the solution is effectively helping to perpetuate the crisis.”
“The cessation of hostilities which was called today should mark the end of military violence in Yemen and the transition to progress based on negotiations dialogue and consensus,” said Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who added that making peace is a fundamental requirement to rebuild Yemen, rehabilitate the basic infrastructure, address the consequences of the war, provide the necessary environment to normalize life in all governorates, and resume economic activity.
The talks are being facilitated by the Special Envoy and attended by 24 Yemeni representatives and advisors. UN experts are working with the delegations present to provide support to develop agreements which improve humanitarian access and delivery and to aid in the development of a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire.
In his opening remarks to the consultations, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said Yemeni people of all groups – men and women of all ages and communities – are undergoing unprecedented suffering as their beloved county “is being consumed by the flames of violence and armed conflict.”
“Here I would like to pause and reiterate once more that the only solution is a political one and that violence must cease. You have already effectively taken the necessary first step in that direction by agreeing on the cessation of hostilities, he said, stressing however that while there can be no doubt that that was a real achievement, the most important thing now is to focus efforts during the coming week on reaching a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.
“Moreover, should any violation occur, I would invite you to address that situation immediately and in a constructive and practical manner,” he underscored.
Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed went on to say that the people of Yemen are daily, indeed hourly, anticipating the outcome of the discussions. “This meeting is their only glimmer of hope and must not be extinguished,” he said, asking the participants: “Are you going to abandon Yemen and its people and lead the country into further violence and slaughter, or are you going to put Yemen first, awaken your humanitarian and patriotic consciences, activate the role of the institutions, and ensure the people of Yemen can live the dignified life they deserve?”
He explained that based on previous discussions, the purpose of the talks is to create a general framework for a comprehensive agreement on how to put an end to the crisis.
All were present to achieve a common goal, he said, namely to put an end to the armed conflict and return the country to an orderly, peaceful, political process based on UN Security Council resolution 2216 (2015) and other related Council texts, as well as the initiative of the Gulf Cooperation Council and its operational mechanisms and the outcome of the National Dialogue Conference.
“Moreover, I urge you to work at the same time on the issue of providing urgent basic services to the Yemeni people. I therefore invite you to work with the colleagues here present from United Nations humanitarian agencies to guarantee unconditional and unrestricted access to humanitarian supplies throughout Yemen,” Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said, recommending that the participants consider the practical steps that could be taken right away to provide vital services, revive the economy and facilitate the return of Yemeni refugees and displaced persons.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52818#.VnDWXErhCUk
15.12.2015 – Al Arabiya
Yemen ceasefire takes effect as U.N. talks open
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen said on Tuesday that a ceasefire had begun at noon (0900 GMT) as scheduled.
Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri confirmed that the truce had taken effect. The militia forces have yet to say if they will abide by the ceasefire.
“The command of the coalition forces announces a ceasefire as of 12 P.M. Sanaa time ... while retaining the right to respond to any breach of the ceasefire,” the alliance said in a statement on the Saudi state news agency, SPA.
“The ceasefire (will last) for a period of seven days starting from the 15th to the 21st of December in conjunction with the launch of consultations, and will be renewed automatically in the event of the commitment of the other party,” it said.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Prime Minister Khaled Bahah on Tuesday called on Houthis to lay down their weapons, as a ceasefire in his war-wracked country came into force.
“We need to restore the country,” Bahah said in the Qatari capital Doha. “We need the Houthis to surrender their weapons and arms and leave the government institutions to restore legitimacy.”
Bahah was delivering a speech at Qatar University coinciding with the start of a seven-day ceasefire as U.N.-brokered peace talks opened in Switzerland.
Kommentar: Vizepräsident Bahah, eine propagandistische Lachnummer? Warum sollten die Huthis wegen des einwöchigen Waffenstillstands die Waffen niederlegen? Hat Bahah etwa angekündigt, dass auch die Saudis und ihre Verbündeten sowie seine eigenen Verbände die Waffen niederlegen würden?
15.12.2015 – Der Standard von APA
Kämpfe trotz Waffenruhe im Jemen
Trotz einer Waffenruhe sind am Dienstag im Jemen 15 Regierungssoldaten bei Angriffen der Houthi-Rebellen im Osten des Landes getötet worden. Es gab 20 Verletzte.
An mehreren Orten war jedoch weiter Gefechtslärm zu hören, wie Reporter berichteten.
http://derstandard.at/2000027538945/Jemen-Siebentaegige-Feuerpause-in-Kraft-getreten siehe auch http://www.pressreader.com/germany/neues-deutschland/20151216/281689728761005/TextView
15.12.2015 – Al Araby
Video: Fighting continues in Yemen despite UN ceasefire
A week-long ceasefire in Yemen was broken moments after it began midday on Tuesday, with Houthi rebels shelling pro-government forces in the flashpoint city of Taiz.
"Five mortar rounds hit positions of the legitimate forces in al-Shuraija after the truce entered into effect," said police officer Taha al-Subhi.
Taiz residents have reported hearing shelling in the city.
Clashes also continued after the ceasefire began in the eastern Marib province between pro-government forces and Houthi rebels
http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/12/15/video-fighting-continues-in-yemen-despite-un-ceasefire siehe auch The National UAE http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/houthis-breach-ceasefire-as-yemen-peace-talks-begin-in-switzerland (hier natürlich mit dem klaren propagandistischen Unterton „Die bösen Huthis“) und RT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHdOWBVDGZ0
16.12.2015 – Zawya
Yemen's Houthis say ceasefire not being adhered to by Saudi-led alliance
Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Wednesday the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition was not adhering to a United Nations-sponsored ceasefire.
Brigadier General Sharaf Luqman, a spokesman for Yemen's armed forces allied with Houthi fighters, said that a "serious escalation by land, sea and air is taking place by the alliance in various areas," according to the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency.
A ceasefire took hold in Yemen on Tuesday as United Nations-sponsored peace talks opened in Switzerland in a new push to end months of fighting that has killed killed nearly 6,000 people and dragged in foreign powers.
Luqman said that strikes from the sea were currently taking place on Hodaida and in Taiz there were attacks by ground troops while air strikes by the Arab coalition had not stopped.
"We will not stay hand-tied but we will respond strongly towards the breaches that are taking place by the alliance and their mercenaries," Luqman said.
15.12.2015 – Reuters
U.N.-sponsored Yemen peace talks start, ceasefire takes effect: U.N.
Army commanders said the truce appeared to be largely holding, though Saudi state TV reported some 20 violations by the Iran-allied Houthis in the first hour of the ceasefire.
"U.N. Secretary-General Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed announces today the start of cessation of hostilities in Yemen which he considers an initial first step towards building a lasting peace in the country," U.N. spokesman Ahmad Fawzi told a news briefing in Geneva.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0TY0OZ20151215
15.12.2015 – Tagesschau
Waffenstillstand im Jemen hat begonnen
Im Jemen ist eine siebentägige Waffenruhe in Kraft getreten - parallel zu Friedensgesprächen, die in der Schweiz stattfinden.
Im Jemen hat eine Waffenruhe begonnen, die sieben Tage dauern soll. Die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Militärkoalition teilte mit, seit 12.00 Uhr (10.00 Uhr MEZ) seien die Kampfhandlungen ausgesetzt. Die Feuerpause begann damit wie vereinbart.
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/jemen-waffenstillstand-101.html
15.12.2015 – Aljazeera
Yemen truce starts as warring sides meet in Switzerland
Seven-day ceasefire called by Saudi-led force takes effect, while warring sides hold closed-door talks in Switzerland.
A ceasefire has taken effect in Yemen after more than a year of fighting between government forces and Houthi rebels in which thousands of people were killed.
Fighting raged on Tuesday shortly before the 09:00 GMT start of the ceasefire, which was called by the Saudi-led coalition battling the Iran-backed rebels.
Coalition warplanes bombed rebel positions in Taiz, as Houthis attempted to advance towards the loyalist-held northern neighbourhood of al-Zonooj, a military official told AFP news agency.
Warplanes also bombed rebel positions south of Sanaa overnight on Monday, witnesses said.
The coalition, which launched an air campaign against the Shia Houthi rebels in March, said the ceasefire would go ahead at the request of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
But it warned that it "reserves the right to respond in case of any violation".
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/12/yemen-truce-starts-warring-sides-meet-switzerland-151215092027454.html and from AP: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6616d2941951434593ab1c1d07dd9765/pro-government-forces-take-yemen-island-ceasefire and from Arab News http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/850691
15.12.2015 – Washington Institute
Yemen Missile Strike Jeopardizes Peace Talks
U.S.-led diplomatic efforts had aimed to make up for the recent lack of military progress and stave off a humanitarian crisis, but a deadly rebel attack could threaten the planned ceasefire.
Whatever the final count, today's attack is a setback for U.S. diplomatic efforts, which run in parallel with American intelligence and logistics support for the Gulf coalition forces. It also illustrates the limitations of near-daily heavy airstrikes against the Houthi/Saleh forces, which have either managed to hide Scarab missiles or been resupplied with them despite a UN embargo. An additional concern is that the high Saudi and Emirati public approval for the war could wane, forcing a change in policy or military leadership – by Simon Henderson
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/yemen-missile-strike-jeopardizes-peace-talks
Kommentar: Die Friedensgespräche als Ergebnis und Ziel amerikanischer diplomatischer Bemühungen? Das ist lachhaft. Mit welchen falschen Federn wird hier der größte Kriegstreiber in der Region geschmückt?
15.12.2015 – Handelsblatt von AP
Heftige Kämpfe im Jemen
Eigentlich sollte die Waffen zwischen den verfeindeten Gruppen im Jemen bereits Schweigen. Aber aus unbekannten Gründen haben Huthis das Abkommen verschoben. Dabei braucht die Bevölkerung dringend humanitäre Hilfe.
Kommentar: Wieder eine falsche Propaganda-Meldung. Es war die saudische Seite, die den Waffenstillstand um 12 Stunden verschoben hat. Siehe folgende Meldung:
15.12.2015 – Deutsche Welle
Yemen ceasefire pushed back to coincide with peace talks
A ceasefire planned for midnight has been postponed in Yemen as violence went unabated in the country's south. A seven-day truce will instead begin with peace talks in Switzerland on Tuesday morning.
The Saudi-led coalition, which has backed internationally recognized President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in the Yemen conflict, announced late on Monday that a long-awaited ceasefire will begin Tuesday morning instead of at midnight as originally planned. The change in plans, reportedly requested by Hadi himself, now coincides with the start of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva.
According to the coalition, Hadi said that his forces and their supporters would lay down their arms at 9 am local time on Tuesday, and begin a 7-day true that will be "renewed automatically if the other party commits to it." The president's statement maintained, however, that he "reserves the right to respond in case of any violation."
http://www.dw.com/en/yemen-ceasefire-pushed-back-to-coincide-with-peace-talks/a-18917614
15.12.2015 – NZZ
Gewaltausbruch vor Friedensgesprächen in Genf
Am Dienstag sollen in der Schweiz Verhandlungen zur Beendigung des Kriegs in Jemen beginnen. Ein Raketenangriff auf Truppen der saudisch geführten Anti-Huthi-Allianz könnte die Gespräche gefährden.
Die Friedensgespräche unter der Obhut der Uno finden an einem Ort in der Schweiz statt, der bisher nicht bekanntgegeben wurde. Die international anerkannte Regierung von Präsident Abedrabbu Mansur Hadi wird von einer Delegation vertreten, die von Aussenminister Abdelmalik al-Mikhlafi geleitet wird. Ihr gegenüber sitzt eine Delegation mit Vertretern der Ansar Allah, wie sich die Huthi selbst nennen, sowie des Allgemeinen Volkskongresses, der Partei des früheren jemenitischen Präsidenten Ali Saleh, der mit den Huthi verbündet ist. Ziel der Verhandlungen ist die Umsetzung einer Resolution des Uno-Sicherheitsrats, die den Rückzug der Huthi in ihr Stammgebiet im Norden und die Rückgabe der Macht an Hadi verlangt.
Seit dem Beginn des Luftkriegs gegen die Huthi Ende März wurden schon zwei Mal Waffenruhen ausgerufen, die nicht befolgt wurden. Nach der Intensivierung der Kämpfe in den letzten Tagen fragen sich viele Beobachter, ob die beiden Seiten zu Friedensgesprächen bereit sind – von Jürg Bischoff
15.12.2015 – Deutschlandfunk
Beginn der Waffenruhe verzögert sich
Die geplante Waffenruhe im Jemen ist nach Angaben aus Saudi-Arabien um zwölf Stunden verschoben worden.
Wie die offizielle saudische Nachrichtenagentur SPA gestern Abend mitteilte, soll sie nun erst um zehn Uhr Vormittags unserer Zeit beginnen. Ein Grund für die Verzögerung wurde nicht genannt. Noch heute sollen in Genf Verhandlungen über einen dauerhaften Waffenstillstand beginnen.
15.12.2015 – AP
Saudi-led coalition delays truce with Yemen rebels
7-day ceasefire was scheduled for end of Monday, but was pushed back to noon Tuesday
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government says a planned truce with the country's Shia rebels has been postponed for 12 hours.
The official Saudi news agency announced the postponement late Monday, saying coalition forces will halt fire at noon local time Tuesday. The ceasefire was originally scheduled to start at midnight Monday.
The statement did not provide further details about the reason for the postponement. Rebel leaders could not immediately be reached for comment.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/yemen-peace-talks-violence-1.3363553 und dasselbe von AFP http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/coalition-declares-yemen-truce-0900-gmt-tuesday-saudi-media
14.12.2015 – Frankfurter Allgemeine
Feuerpause für den Jemen
In der Schweiz laufen Friedensgespräch: Als Signal will die Militärkoalition im Jemen ab Dienstag eine einseitige Waffenruhe durchsetzen – solange sich die Rebellen daran halten.
Kommentar: Hier ist man schlichtweg der Propaganda der saudischen Seite aufgesessen. Dem Waffenstilstand hatten beide Seiten zugestimmt. Er ist keineswegs „einseitig“.
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
15.12.2015 – AFP
Impact of Yemen war felt as 'hero' Saudi colonel buried
The impact of the war in Yemen was felt keenly in Saudi Arabia Tuesday with the burial of a decorated special forces colonel who became perhaps the highest-profile Saudi casualty.
Colonel Abdullah al-Sahyan died in the desert and scrubland of southwest Yemen on Monday, official media reported.
Other senior Saudi officers, including at least one general, have been killed but none seemed to have the profile of Sahyan.
With media access to the war zone tightly controlled, the kingdom has been spared gruesome images of its dead or maimed.
Readers of mainstream Saudi newspapers and viewers of state television have also not been exposed to the frequent criticisms raised by foreign rights groups over civilian casualties in Yemen.
Sahyan had been previously photographed by journalists on duty in Yemen, and his story was the lead item on Tuesday on Saudi news channel Al-Ekhbariya.
The Arab News hailed as "heroes" Sahyan and United Arab Emirates officer Sultan al-Kitbi who died with him.
Major Saudi newspapers on Tuesday showed photographs of Sahyan's coffin being unloaded by fellow soldiers, an image rarely seen during this war.
The Okaz daily showed his two sons, one of them wiping a tear from his left eye, as the body arrived.
Local media said Sahyan was buried in the northwestern region of Jawf.
http://news.yahoo.com/impact-yemen-war-felt-hero-saudi-colonel-buried-153939429.html
15.12.2015 – Telepolis
Saudi-Arabien ruft neue islamische Anti-Terror-Koalition aus
Die Allianz aus 34 Ländern soll gegen den IS und andere terroristische Organisationen kämpfen
Es handelt sich um eine "islamische Koalition" mit 34 Ländern, darunter solche, die man nicht erwartet wie z.B. die Malediven.
Zur neuen Koalition gehören eine Menge Krisen-Staaten: die Türkei, Pakistan, Somalia, Ägypten, Niger, Nigeria, der Jemen, Libyen, Mali und Tunesien; weitere afrikanische Länder wie Mauretanien, Senegal, der Sudan, Sierra Leone, der Tschad, Gabon, Guinea, die Elfenbeinküste und die Komoreninseln, dann asiatische Länder wie Malaysien und Bangladesch. Dazu die arabischen Staaten Jordanien, Kuweit, die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate sowie Palästina.
An der Abgrenzung zu den Staaten aus der Nahostregion, die nicht aufgenommen wurden - Iran, Syrien und der Irak - lässt sich die politische Kontur dieser weitverzweigten Koalition ablesen: Saudi-Arabien will damit sein Gewicht als sunnitische Führungsmacht verstärken. Das Kommandozentrum liegt im wahabitischen Wüstenstaat.
Ziel der Koalition, so Muhammed bin Salman, die neue große Führungsmacht in seinem Land, ist der Anti-Terror-Kampf. Die Allianz soll es mit dem "Problem der arabischen Welt aufnehmen, mit seiner Landplage". Es geht also nicht nur gegen den IS, sondern allgemeiner gegen jede "terroristische Organisation".
Als Operationsgebiet wird "Syrien, Irak, Libyen und Afghanistan" mitgeteilt. Der Jemen taucht in dieser Aufzählung, wie sie al-Jazeera aus der Pressekonferenz übermittelt überraschenderweise, nicht auf, obwohl das Königreich mitten drin ist in einem "Anti-Terrorkampf", der unzählige Zivilisten trifft.
Wie üblich bei Ausrufung einer Anti-Terrorkoalition wird betont, dass der Kampf umfassend ist. Die Allianz werde den Terrorismus nicht nur mit militärischen Mitteln bekämpfen, sondern auch "intellektuell" und über Medien, wird dazu aus dem Königreich bekannt gegeben.
[Es] stehen die Voraussetzungen gut für den ehrgeizigen Prinzen, die Rolle Saudi-Arabiens auszubauen.
Die Rolle, die Saudi-Arabien im Jemenkrieg spielt, ist allerdings nicht dazu angetan, dass man von der neuen Allianz erwarten kann, dass sie für stabile Verhältnisse zum Beispiel in Libyen sorgen könnte – von Thomas Pany
http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/46/46866/1.html
15.12.2015 – Die Welt von Reuters
Saudi-Arabien startet islamische Antiterror-Koalition
Saudi-Arabien hat die erste islamische Antiterror-Koalition gegründet. Mitglieder wie Libyen, Ägypten, Jordanien oder der Sudan sollen vor dem "Übel aller terroristischen Gruppen" beschützt werden.
Saudi-Arabien will zusammen mit Dutzenden islamischen Staaten eine Militärallianz zur Bekämpfung des Terrorismus bilden. Insgesamt würden dem Bündnis 34 Nationen angehören, darunter die Türkei, Ägypten, Katar, die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE), Malaysia und Pakistan, teilte das Königreich in einer über die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur SPA verbreiteten Erklärung mit.
Das sunnitische Saudi-Arabien werde die Führung der Allianz übernehmen. Der schiitische Iran, der mit Saudi-Arabien um Einfluss in der Region buhlt, tauchte unter den genannten Teilnehmerstaaten nicht auf. In der Hauptstadt Riad werde ein gemeinsames Zentrum zur Koordinierung und Unterstützung von Militäreinsätzen eingerichtet.
Das Bündnis solle vor allem gegen Terrorismus im Irak, Syrien, Libyen, Ägypten und in Afghanistan vorgehen, sagte der Kronprinz und Verteidigungsminister des Landes, Mohammed Bin Salman, auf einer Pressekonferenz. Aktionen vor allem in Syrien und im Irak würden international abgestimmt
Kommentar: Der Bock macht sich selbst zum Gärtner. Jens Berger auf den Nachdenkseiten: „Der Hauptfinanzier des Terrors übernimmt die Führerschaft im Antiterror-Kampf. Das ist doch Realsatire.“ das Ganze ist genauso absurd wie Saudi-Arabien als Vorkämpfer der Menschenrechte im UN-Menschenrechtsrat.
Kommentar: Die Saudis brauchen halt Unterstützung um aufzuräumen.
Alleine können Sie halt nicht die reichen Prinzen festnehmen, die den IS finanzieren.
Da werden wohl demnächst Sondereinsatzkommandos aus Malaysia eintreffen, um die erforderlichen Aktionen durchzuführen.
Eine andere Erklärung wäre, dass Saudi-Arabien die gleiche Strategie fährt, wie ein Kinderschänder, der eine Ortsgruppe des Kinderschutzbundes eröffnet.
Aber das ist natürlich keine erwünschte Erklärung und gibt nicht die Haltung der Bundesregierung wieder.
15.12.2015 – Südwestpresse
Ein Königreich will sich den Terror vorknöpfen
"Nicht nur den Islamischen Staat, jede Terrororganisation, die vor uns auftaucht, werden wir uns vorknöpfen", brüstete sich Saudi-Arabiens Vizekronprinz Mohammed bin Salman. Überraschend zeigte sich der Verteidigungsminister am Montag vor der heimischen Presse und kündigte an, 34 Staaten hätten unter Führung von Saudi-Arabien eine islamische Allianz gegen den Terrorismus geschmiedet, "um diese Krankheit auszurotten, die die islamische Welt bereits geschädigt hat - bevor sie begann, die gesamte Welt in Mitleidenschaft zu ziehen".
Bei den Einzelheiten blieb der forsche Königssohn ausgesprochen vage. Nur soviel war dem verbreiteten Gründungsmanifest zu entnehmen: Die Koordinationszentrale wird in der saudischen Hauptstadt Riad eingerichtet, alle Staaten sollen freiwillig entscheiden, was sie an Militärkapazitäten beisteuern, und die neue Koalition wird nicht in einem Land gegen dessen Willen intervenieren.
Mohammed bin Salman weiß, dass er dringend etwas tun muss, um sein internationales Ansehen aufzupolieren und die eigene Bevölkerung zu beruhigen. Der von ihm und seinem Vater, König Salman, im Jemen vom Zaun gebrochene Krieg entwickelt sich immer mehr zu einem humanitären, außenpolitischen und militärischen Desaster.
Das Ganze erinnert sehr an das andere arabische Allianzprojekt dieses Jahres, die im März ausgerufene panarabische Armee gegen den Terror. Doch bereits die ersten Gespräche der arabischen Generalstäbe endeten in allgemeinem Gezänk. Im September wurde das Projekt dann für unbestimmte Zeit vertagt - auf Wunsch Saudi-Arabiens – von Martin Gehlen
16.12.2015 – Sofmag
Oily Kingdom Gone Wild Wild East: Saudi Arabia launches coalition of 34 mainly Muslim countries to combat terror threats
The Oily Kingdom high on Steroids, imagining itself to be the world’s new superpower, mobilizes a 34- nation Islamic military alliance.
Saudi showed its new aggressive foreign policy when it led a coalition to Yemen this year. Yesterday a shaky truce was called in Yemen.
17 of the 19 9-11 perpetrators were originally from Saudi Arabia, as was Osama bin Laden. But somehow the oily Kingdom convinced George W Bush and Cheney to go tear the hell out of Iraq although none of the 9-11 terrorists were from Iraq.
Saudi Arabia was an advocate of the war in Syria and armed and trained foreign fighters to fight against the Assad regime, with the U.S. at its bid and call. The result: a surge in ISIS supporters, including some fighters that Saudi Arabia and the U.S. and its coalition trained.
Once more, the latest announcement of Saudi and its band of state thugs that the plan is for the coalition to become the world’s anti-terror police has met approval with U.S. authorities.
What is behind it all? Thirst for power, according to global research.org.
“Saudi Arabia and Turkey are key US allies, fostering endless Middle East wars,
They’re involved in recruiting and directly aiding ISIS and other takfiri terrorists throughout the region – mainly in Syria and Iraq, now beginning to establish a foothold in war-torn, chaotic Libya, with elements in Yemen and elsewhere.
Riyadh wants more regional power along with control over oil reserves outside its borders. Together with Washington and other partners, it’s using ISIS and other terrorist groups to advance its objectives, not oppose a universal scourge,” global research.org writes
Saudi has “a duty to protect the Islamic nation from the evils of all terrorist groups and organizations whatever their sect and name which wreak death and corruption on earth and aim to terrorize the innocent, ” Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir announced in a video.
About ground troops? “Nothing is off the table” “It depends on the requests that come, it depends on the need and it depends on the willingness of countries to provide the support necessary,” he told a news briefing in Paris, Reuters reports.
He added that Saudi Arabia has “a duty to protect the Islamic nation from the evils of all terrorist groups and organizations, whatever their sect and name, which wreak death and corruption on earth and aim to terrorize the innocent.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, in Turkey gave a nod of approval to the announcement.
No one asked Saudi Arabia, a long exporter of radical Wahabi extremism, what its definition of “terror” is.
19.9.2015 – AWD News
Saudi foreign minister: we are in dire need of Israeli military assistance to defeat Yemeni rebels; after all we are historically cousins
According to Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Adel al-Jubeir, the newly appointed foreign minister tacitly recognized his country's failure to rout Single-handedly Yemen's anti-Saudi rebels and called on regional allies, namely Qatar and UAE, to help Saudi Arabia to end the protracted war on Yemen.
"I personally discussed the Yemeni issue with His Royal Highness the King and to find a feasible solution to terminate this dilemma, I suggested Israeli help as our only hope to end the status quo , as they[Israelis] are highly skilled and indeed proficient in this kind of warfare through decades in their confrontations with Lebanese and Palestinian militias and to my delight, His Highness King Salman put this proposal forward for further consideration," Qatari News Agency (QNA) quoted Mr. Al-Jubeir as saying on Friday during his recent regional tour to Arab Gulf States.
To the detriment of our inexperienced pilots, added Mr. Al-Jubeir, the Yemeni revolutionaries have in their possession the Russian lethal shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles and we lost a sum of 28 of F-15 fighters, thus in this crucial times , we are in dire need of Tel Aviv's military prowess to curb Iran's slow but gradual encroachment in Yemeni, so I hope one day this futile Israeli hesitation to intervene in Yemen would end and the entire world will witness the comradeship and amicable co-existence between kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Israel, after all we are historically cousins.
Kommentar: Seltsame Koalitionen…
USA
15.11.2015 – The Intercept
MYSTERY, CONFUSION SURROUNDS AMERICANS DETAINED IN YEMEN
OVER A MONTH AFTER HIS DEATH, the details surrounding what happened to John Hamen, an American who was held by Houthi rebels in war-torn Yemen, remain a mystery.
At least six Americans held by the Houthis have been released from captivity since March.
Hamen, a former Army master sergeant who worked as a security contractor at facilities in Sanaa where many U.N. staff and other foreigners stayed, was detained, along with a colleague, on arrival at the airport in Sanaa in October. According to a LinkedIn profile under his name, he previously worked as a trainer at U.S. Special Operations Command.
One version of what happened, provided by a source with close ties to the Houthi authorities, is that Hamen faked an illness while in captivity so that he would be taken to the hospital. En route, Hamen allegedly seized a rifle from one of his guards, killed at least one of his captors, and injured a number of others. He was then returned to his cell, where he was later found dead.
This version of events could not be independently confirmed. Hamen’s wife announced his death on Facebook in early November. The State Department has confirmed his death but would not comment on further details, citing the privacy of his family, and Hamen’s family also declined to speak about his death.
Hamen’s colleague, whose name The Intercept is withholding, remains detained in Yemen.
A Houthi source told The Intercept that Hamen and his colleague had also been arrested on suspicion of being spies and that the National Security Bureau tracked other U.S. citizens for the same reason. (The National Security Bureau, or NSB, is a remnant of the former government, with both Houthis and loyalists of ex-President Saleh now controlling its operations.) The three U.S. citizens reportedly released in November were “closely followed by NSB for being spy suspects,” the source said – by Shuaib Almosowa
https://theintercept.com/2015/12/15/mystery-confusion-surrounds-americans-detained-in-yemen/
Europäische Union / European Union
14.12.2015 – EU
EU erhöht humanitäre Hilfe für Jemen um 15 Millionen Euro
Angesichts der sich zuspitzenden humanitären Lage im Jemen hat die Europäische Kommission heute (Montag) ihre Finanzhilfen für die von Hunger bedrohte Bevölkerung um 15 Mio. Euro aufgestockt.
Insgesamt hat die Kommission bislang 52 Mio. Euro an das von Bürgerkrieg gebeutelte Land zu besseren Bewältigung der humanitären Krise gezahlt. "Die humanitäre Krise, die sich in Jemen abspielt, muss zu unseren obersten Prioritäten gehören. Der andauernde Konflikt hat eine große Anzahl ziviler Opfer gefordert und Schaden an der zivilen Infrastruktur einschließlich der medizinischen Versorgung angerichtet", sagte Christos Stylianides, der für Humanitäre Hilfe und Krisenmanagement zuständige Kommissar.
"Wir bauen unsere Unterstützung für die humanitären Hilfsorganisationen im Land aus, damit diese lebensrettende Hilfen wie Gesundheits-, Wasser- und Sanitärversorgung sowie Nahrungssicherheit gewährleisten können."
Die Zusage der Hilfen ist mit dem Europäischen Parlament abgestimmt und hängt jetzt noch an der Entscheidung des Rates, die diese Woche getroffen werden soll.
http://ec.europa.eu/deutschland/press/pr_releases/13864_de.htm
Kommentar: Was soll man davon halten? Wieviel haben EU-Staaten schon an Waffenverkäufen an Saudi-Arabien verdient, die Bomben aus Italien, die direkt auf den jemen abgeworfen werden, inklusive? 15 Millionen Euro sind ca. 60 cent pro Einwohner des Jemen.
in English:
14.12.2015 – EU
European Commission increases humanitarian aid for Yemen crisis
The European Commission is releasing an additional €15 million of emergency aid to provide life-saving assistance in Yemen.
This money will bring the Commission's total humanitarian support to the country to €52 million for 2015.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen continues to worsen, with over half of the population suffering from food insecurity and almost 30% facing severe food shortages. The country has been classified by the United Nations as a Level 3 emergency – the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crisis.
The extra funds announced today come in addition to the €37 million of humanitarian aid already made available by the European Commission earlier in 2015 to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-6311_en.htm
Großbritannien / Great Britain
15.12.2015 – Global Research
Bloody Entanglements: Saudi Arabia, Britain and Yemen
“How our ally is using British arms runs counter to our self-proclaimed role in the world, and our aid efforts.” - Major General Tim Cross, Dec 14, 2015.
The Saudi Arabian effort in Yemen has been essentially written off by its Western allies as one of those things. In terms of strategy, there are bigger fish to fry in Syria, and areas where the next feted bogeyman, Islamic State, is doing its work. And yes, while Saudi Arabia allows decapitation, amputation, established laws of misogyny and a range of restrictions against Islamic faiths not quite in line with the House of Saud, it is an ally. And allies are good to stand by – aren’t there?
The case of Yemen suggests that amnesia is settling in over the entire landscape. The House of Saud is playing its cards well, conducting its relations with the West in a manner that combines disdain and grovelling in equal measure. There are enemies in Yemen it would like to vanquish, and so far, it has gotten some of what it wants. Not that its enemies are going into the night quietly.
The double bind of the Saudi relationship with other states, a good deal lathered in hypocrisy that it is, crops up whenever there are public discussion between Riyadh and other Western governments. This takes place on two levels – an internal one, given the Kingdom’s approach to human rights; and an external one, with its financial and military role behind global Sunni militancy.
A neat, if supreme example of ghastliness has been David Cameron’s stance on the subject of condemning anti-war opponents at home as terrorist sympathisers while cuddling up to Riyadh, a long-time recipient of British military hardware.
In October, the veteran journalist John Snow put Cameron through the wringer to see why he had been so keen to get a seat for Saudi Arabia on the UN Human Rights Council. Such a gesture was tantamount to placing an overly enthusiastic fox in the chick coop.
Having made it clear that the PM and his government opposed “the death penalty anywhere and everywhere and we make that clear in all our international contacts,” Cameron faced an incredulous observation from Snow. The stance was “curious” given the “squalid” deal to lobby the Saudis in joining the Human Rights Council of the United Nations.[2]
On facing one of Snow’s barrages as to why it was done, with persistent deflections from Cameron, the nub was finally reached. The relationship with Riyadh was important because “we receive from them important intelligence and security information that keeps us safe.” Bomb plots had been stopped in their tracks as a result. What does it matter what that government does to its citizens?
The external nature of Riyadh’s policy has also placed Britain’s Middle East policy under scrutiny, one that has intensified ahead of UN-sponsored peace talks. Even members from Cameron’s own party were wondering if the PM had muddied the slate with military support for the Kingdom just as humanitarian aid was being supplied to Yemen. This, despite assertions by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond that a “legitimate war” is being conducted.
Andrew Mitchell, former Tory cabinet minister, has taken exception to Britain’s entangled role regarding Saudi Arabia and Yemen. “Britain’s humanitarian and foreign policy are pursuing different ends.”[3] As Yemen was being pulverised, “we try to get aid in through ports which are being blockaded and while British ordnance is being dropped there.” Since the conflict began, some 37 export licenses for military goods have been granted.
Retired Major General Tim Cross, while conceding that selling arms to the Kingdom was “well within” the rights of Britain, saw a patent inconsistency. There was “a clear risk that the government is complicit in indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas – breaches of international and UK law.”
This conflicted policy has been costly – £400 million in taxpayer aid to Yemen, paired with arms sales to Riyadh. But such costs are nothing compared to the slaughter on the ground, the product of a certain breed of terrorist sympathising UK foreign policy has been showing for a time. Different ends, indeed – by Binoy Kampmark
http://www.globalresearch.ca/bloody-entanglements-saudi-arabia-britain-and-yemen/5495936 = http://www.usmessageboard.com/threads/bloody-entanglements-saudi-arabia-britain-and-yemen.463304/ = http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/12/16/bloody-entanglements-saudi-arabia-britain-and-yemen/
Notes:
15.12.2015 – Express
New foreign aid row... Britain gives £275m to Yemen but lets Saudi BOMB relief efforts
BRITAIN's ballooning foreign aid bill came under fresh scrutiny today as a former Tory minister asked why the Government has pumped hundreds of millions of pounds into war-torn Yemen - only to let Saudi Arabia bomb humanitarian relief efforts.
Since 2010/11, official Government figures reveal almost £275million of UK taxpayer's cash has been spent in the Gulf state by the Department for International Development (DfID).
This financial year DfID, who oversee Britain's overseas aid spending, is planning to pour a further £98m into Yemen.
But, a former minister who used to be responsible for the multi-billion pound foreign aid budget has asked why the Government is directing so much cash towards the failing state while also supporting Saudi Arabia's military action in the country.
Former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell told the Daily Telegraph: "Britain’s humanitarian and foreign policy are pursuing different ends.
"The Yemenis are being pulverised by the Saudis while we try to get aid in through ports which are being blockaded and while British ordnance is being dropped there."
Nathan Gill, Ukip's spokesman for international development, said: "It’s utterly tragic that while spending hundreds of millions in aid to Yemen we are also working with Saudi Arabia to pursue a campaign that has not only undermined this work, but has directly targeted the charities and non-governmental organisations we are funding there.
"If this is how effectively the Government operates when it comes to foreign policy in the Middle East, we should be massively alarmed, given our growing involvement in conflicts in the region yet again."
Ahead of the UN talks, Labour's shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn called on the Government to rethink its arms deals with the Saudi regime.
He said: “The humanitarian situation in Yemen is increasingly desperate, with many civilians being killed by airstrikes and reports of potential breaches of international humanitarian law by the Saudi military, which involve the use of British supplied weapons.
“That’s why I am calling on the Government to launch an immediate review of arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia in the light of these reports – by Greg Heffer
Propaganda
15.12.2015 – WAM
Urgent need to establish peace in Yemen: paper
n the day of an anticipated cease-fire in Yemen, the UAE is ready to support all efforts to find a political solution that will help create an inclusive country, says an editorial in today's edition of The Gulf News, a Dubai-based English language daily.
The editorial goes on to say that the UAE’s willingness to give its all as part of its deep commitment to the people of Yemen was demonstrated again this week with the tragic martyrdom of Sultan Mohammad Ali Al Kitbi, a senior Emirati officer, who was killed near Taiz in Yemen by a rocket fired by Al Houthi rebels. "It is horribly poignant that his loss came just hours before a formal seven-day ceasefire was due before midnight, as representatives of Al Houthi rebels and their ally, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, are due to start talks today with the legitimate government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi in Geneva.
"The UAE has made the largest contribution to the military forces required by the Saudi-led coalition to back the Hadi government in Operation Restoring Hope, and it has suffered exceptional losses as it has put its resources and the lives of its soldiers at risk to restore the legitimate government in Yemen. With his martyrdom, Al Kitbi joins many other Emiratis who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in fighting for the values the UAE believes in, as they seek to restore the legitimate government and rebuild an inclusive society under the rule of law.
"Inevitably," the editorial continues, "The incident casts a shadow over the peace talks that are due to start today. Previous ceasefires in May and July were marred by grave breaches as Al Houthi rebels failed to honour either humanitarian or general ceasefires. But we hope that this time it will be different, as both sides have chosen their negotiating teams and seem set on finding a way forward to a political solution.
The paper concludes by saying, "The UAE stands ready to support the peace efforts in finding a political solution that will help create a new and inclusive Yemen, as well as the reconstruction that must start immediately so that the people can return to their homes with some hope of finding power and water available and start to rebuild their lives. The people of Yemen deserve a fresh start after the horror of the war and the UAE stands ready to support them."
http://www.wam.ae/en/news/%5BEmirates%5D/1395289235774.html
Comment: Indeed it is urgent - but even here the propaganda to blame the other side begins before the peace talks even start...
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1073257759493381
15.12.2015 – Nachdenkseiten
Die Terror-Indoktrination
Der Islam strebt nach der Weltherrschaft und ist eine Terror-Religion? Das Kopftuch ist ein Symbol der Unterdrückung? Überall zwischen uns leben „Schläfer“? In deutschen Moscheen werden Terroristen akquiriert? Muslime bedrohen „unsere Werte“ und haben bereits qua Religion eine gefährliche Neigung zu Gewalt? Glauben Sie etwas hiervon? Dann sind Sie womöglich Opfer geheimdienstlicher Psychotechniken geworden. Ein Opfer, das nun in einem Weltbild gefangen ist, mit dem es kaum mehr anders vermag als den neokolonialen, kriegerischen Interessen der Mächtigen emotional Folge zu leisten. Konkret also etwa die Mehrzahl der Armen der Welt pauschal als Terroristen und einige der rohstoffreichsten Länder des Planeten als zu zivilisierende Horte der Barbarei wahrzunehmen. Das legen zumindest die Erkenntnisse des Filmemachers Moritz Enders nahe, dessen Dokumentation zur Verstrickung westlicher Geheimdienste in das Attentat auf Johannes Paul II. soeben im ZDF zu sehen war. Jens Wernicke sprach mit ihm.
Die Mechanismen, die da ineinandergreifen, sind relativ komplex. Aber man kann sie vielleicht wie folgt zusammenfassen: Es kommt auf emotionalisierendes Bildmaterial an, das Unterdrücken wichtiger Informationen und auf die richtige Montage der verbleibenden und nach Möglichkeit wahren Elemente. Man sollte also im Grunde mit der Wahrheit lügen und die einzelnen meist wahren Informationen wie Mosaiksteine so zusammensetzen, dass sie ein völlig anderes Bild ergeben – das sich anschließend dann propagandistisch verwerten lässt.
Wesentlich dabei sei allerdings, so Giannuli, die gewünschten Narrative innerhalb der ersten zwei, drei Wochen zu etablieren. Dann blieben sie in der Regel im öffentlichen Bewusstsein verankert. Nachträgliche Enthüllungen könnten hieran kaum mehr etwas ändern. Ich finde, es ist wichtig, das zu verstehen, denn auch so wird Politik gemacht.
Nehmen Sie zum Beispiel den Abschuss des Verkehrsflugzeuges MH17 über der Ukraine im letzten Jahr. Wir – und damit meine ich jetzt die normalen Medienkonsumenten – wissen nicht, was da passiert ist. Aber bei der Bevölkerung soll sich der Eindruck verfestigen, daran seien „die Separatisten und damit irgendwie die Russen schuld“.
Dafür gibt es allerdings keine Beweise und zudem werden wohl, wie ich gelesen habe, entscheidende Funksprüche, die ja vielleicht für die Aufklärung des Vorfalls hilfreich sein könnten, unter Verschluß gehalten. Doch darauf kommt es nach einiger Zeit auch gar nicht mehr an. Dann hat sich die Geschichte ins kollektive Gedächtnis eingebrannt. So funktioniert Propaganda.
Wie ich eben schon angedeutet habe, ist die suggestive Montage anhand von Meldungen, die fast alle, wenn nicht sogar wirklich alle, stimmen, fundamental. Ideal ist eine Mischung aus Weglassungen und Suggestionen.
Bei Ihren Manipulationen geht jedenfalls nicht darum, zu lügen – denn Lügen können später ja auffliegen -, sondern darum, entscheidende Informationen wegzulassen; um die Reihenfolge, in der Nachrichten verbreitet werden; um die Art und Weise, in der Dinge mit dem Vorfall in Zusammenhang gebracht werden, die mit ihm zwar nichts zu tun haben, dennoch aber eine gewisse Verantwortlichkeit nahelegen. Darum also, wie Sinn indiziert [PDF] wird. Und wichtig ist natürlich immer auch das Auslegen falscher Spuren…
Aldo Giannuli hat uns erläutert, mit welchen Techniken man falsche Spuren legen kann. Zunächst müsse man aber verstehen, dass es nicht nur zu den Aufgaben der Geheimdienste gehöre, Informationen einzusammeln, sondern auch, welche in Umlauf zu setzen.
Laut Giannuli brauche man für so etwas eine gute Regie, die etwa wisse, wann man eine bestimmte Nachricht verbreiten und wann man zwei Empfänger verschiedener Nachrichten zusammenbringen müsse, damit die sich in ihrer Meinung gegenseitig bestärkten.
Das seien komplexe Operationen, die mit langem Atem und großer Akribie umgesetzt werden müßten. Aber genau darin seien Geheimdienste seit Jahren und Jahrzehnten „geschult“; das sei ihr Tagesgeschäft, das keiner so gut beherrsche wie sie.
Tatsächlich sollten wir uns immer klarmachen, dass die Geschichte eines Attentats – oder eines anderen politischen Verbrechens – mit dem Ereignis selbst gar nicht endet, sondern in gewisser Weise erst beginnt: Nach dem Ereignis versuchen alle möglichen – in aller Regel mächtigen – Parteien, die Deutungshoheit hierüber zu erlangen. Dabei kommen die eben erwähnten Methoden zum Einsatz, die uns Aldo Giannuli erläutert hat.
http://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=29570
Pressefreiheit / Liberty of Press
15.12.2015 – International Federation of Journalists
IFJ and YJS urge the warring parties in Yemen to ensure the safety of journalists
In the framework of the peace talks and ceasefire between the warring parties in Yemen starting today in Geneva and sponsored by the United Nations (UN), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Yemen Journalists’ Syndicate (YJS), have called on all sides in the conflict to ensure the safety of journalists, to investigate the tortures and violations they have suffered and to immediately release the 13 colleagues who remain captive.
In a letter sent today to the participants at the peace talks, both organisations have welcomed this step led by the UN which would bring to an end a conflict that has already taken the lives of 10 journalists, the Yemeni union reported. IFJ and YJS have reminded participants at the peace talks of the Security Council Resolutions 1738 (2006) and 2222 (2015), calling “to respect the professional independence and rights of journalists and media professionals” in situations of armed conflict.
The IFJ backed its affiliate in urging the warring parties to publicly declare their commitment to put an end to the threats, kidnapping and harassment facing media workers since the start of the conflict and to fully investigate these violations. Finally, both organisations urged for the immediate release of the 13 journalists who remain captive in the country and to reopen all closed media outlets, both public and private, in order to allow reporters to go back to their work.
See more information about the situation of press freedom and safety of journalists in Yemen here.
Terrorismus / Terrorism
14.12.2015 – Middle East Eye
Yemen inches towards peace - but what about the Islamic State group?
The rise of IS in Aden threatens to scupper hopes of peace in a country devastated by months of war
Many in the southern city now ask: how can Yemen have peace if the spectre of IS hangs over the country?
The rebel forces have yet to say if they will abide by the ceasefire agreement.
The attacks have sent shockwaves through the Saudi-backed Hadi government, with Hadi appointing members of the Southern Resistance to lead Aden's defence. Hadi forces have also moved from fighting in Sanaa and Taiz towards Aden in response to the growing IS campaign.
Galal al-Sobaihi, a commander in the Southern Resistance in Aden's al-Mansoura district, told Middle East Eye that Aden was his main priority, but claimed that the Houthis were in fact the force behind the IS campaigns.
"The war in Aden has not finished, as the ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthi rebels still create chaos under the name of IS fighters," he said.
The city's former head of security, Mohammed Mosaed, supported Sobaihi's view: "There are no IS in Aden and the militias who create chaos are supporters of Saleh and the Houthis."
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are also suspected of aligning with IS in Aden to strike at the Hadi government. It is this seemingly intractable situation on the ground that has spread fears that whatever is agreed in Switzerland this week will have little effect in the city.
Mohammed Al-Hassani, a political analyst and the former managing editor of al-Tagheer news website, told MEE that IS must be dealt with if there is to be a lasting peace.
"We did not hear about the AQAP or IS fighters in Aden before the war began, and they took advantage to enter the city," he said.
He said that Hadi's supporters had recently stopped their advances in Taiz, possibly to facilitate the ceasefire - but that they had a more pressing mission to confront IS in Aden. IS, he added, was the common enemy for Houthis and pro-government forces.
"AQAP and IS are fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Resistance in different provinces against the Houthis," he said. "But that does not mean that the AQAP and IS love the government - rather they hate the Houthis more and they will fight the government after defeating the Houthis."
Abdul Mazen, a resident in Aden's Crater district, told MEE that he used to see the AQAP fighters in his visits to al-Tawahi area, confirmed by al-Qaeda slogans on their rifles and vehicles.
However, recent deployments by Hadi-aligned forces had driven them out, or at the very least underground. "For the last three days I have not seen the AQAP fighters, as the Southern Resistance spread everywhere in the city," he said– by Nasser Al-Sakkaf
Kommentar: Zu den Behauptungen der Propaganda im Süden, die Huthis oder Ex-Präsident Saleh seien am Erstarken der Huthis schuld, siehe http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/15/world/middleeast/islamic-state-gains-strength-in-yemen-rivaling-al-qaeda.html?_r=0
Flüchtlinge / Refugees
15.12.2015 – Reuters
Yemen violence forces over two million to flee
More than two million Yemenis have been forced to flee their homes due to escalating violence in the nine-month civil war. Natasha Howitt reports. (Film)
15.12.2015 – International Business Times
Yemen: Over 2.3m people forced to flee homes due to civil war
Across Yemen, more than 21m people are now in need of some form of humanitarian protection and assistance and the displaced are often the most vulnerable. Many have moved into abandoned school buildings, more than 3,000 of which, according to the UN, have been closed due to the violence, while others have sought refuge with relatives.
With displacement comes a whole range of concerns, for both hosting communities and the displaced. Resources, including access to water, food and sanitation, have been stretched to breaking point in often overcrowded shelters, increasing risk of disease and violence.
"I was displaced from al Jahmaliyya area that witnessed fierce clashes. We fled due to the shelling and shooting that continues to happen there. So I took my kids and came here," said Majed Mohammed, who is now living in an abandoned school in Taiz.
In the capital Sanaa, one resident describes his neighbourhood as a "ghost town" left in ruins from repeated airstrikes and clashes throughout the war.
"As you can see, there are lots of damaged homes around us and their residents have fled. Some have fled to the countryside, some have fled the country all together, and some have fled to other cities," said Sanaa resident Ali Ahmed al Nahari.
"This neighbourhood has become a town of ghosts. There is no one that can provide relief or record the damages or record anything," he said – by Adam Justice
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/yemen-over-2-3m-people-forced-flee-homes-due-civil-war-1533464
Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
15.12.2015 – Yemen Post
23 Saudi airstrikes bombard Taiz killing 7 civilians on 1st day of #UN sponsored ceasefire
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/676806973497745412
15.12.2015 – Yemen Post
WAR during #Yemen CEASEFIRE: 7 civilians killed/dozens injured by Saudi airstrikes & Houthi clashes in 3 hrs
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/676732279817961473
15.12.2015 – Albawaba
Saudi crown prince tasks paramilitary tribal group to defending Yemeni border
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has tasked a paramilitary tribal force with conducting an anticipated guerilla war in the "mountainous border region" in an apparent reference to the kingdom’s border with war-torn Yemen.
The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday that Crown Prince Mohamed bin Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who also serves as deputy prime minister and minister of interior, had issued a decree mandating the force with safeguarding the country’s southern border.
Prince Mohamed, the SPA reported, had mandated this force with "conducting guerrilla warfare in the mountainous border areas".
Members of the force, he said, had been delegated with authority "to make arrests, conduct inspections, and track and open fire [on infiltrators], according to legal procedure".
The crown prince’s decree also called for providing members of the tribal force with weapons and training them at Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Center for Mountain Warfare.
The decree did not specify the exact location in which these forces were expected to carry out their tasks, but the reference to the "mountainous border region" most likely means the kingdom’s southern border with Yemen, where a Saudi-led Arab coalition is fighting a bitter war with the Shia Houthi militant group.
Earlier Monday, Saudi Arabia’s National Guard Ministry announced the deployment of additional troops to Najran, a city in the kingdom’s southwest, to participate in the Saudi-led campaign -- now in its ninth month -- against the Houthis in Yemen.
Comment: I wonder who these are??? Maybe another extremist Sunni militia that Saudi seems to foster???
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1073386409480516
15.12.2015 – Saba Net
Aggression strikes kill ten, injure 20 in Hajjah
At least 10 people were killed and 20 others injured on Tuesday in an initial toll of the aggression bombardment on Bani al-Haddad village in Harad district of Hajjah province.
In a statement to Saba, an official source at the joint operations room in the province said that the rescue and ambulance teams managed so far to recover 10 bodies and transfer 20 wounded for treatment.
The source pointed out that the number of dead and injured is likely to rise as there are many bodies still under the rubble.
He valued the interaction of Doctors Without Borders organization through raising the readiness of their crews in the cities of Abs and Hajjah to receive the wounded and treat them.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news412812.htm see also http://www.dw.com/en/airstrikes-hit-yemen-hours-before-ceasefire/a-18917975
15.12.2015 – Al Araby
Hadi allies capture Yemen island ahead of week-long ceasefire
Pro-government forces backed by Saudi-led air raids have captured an island in the Red Sea from Houthi rebels, just hours before a week-long ceasefire came into effect, it emerged on Tuesday.
Troops allied to President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi seized Zuqar island - just before delegations from Yemen's warring factions convened for peace talks in northern Switzerland.
On Monday, Saudi coalition aircraft bombed rebel positions on the island, causing a fire to break out at one of the sites, according to an al-Araby al-Jadeed Yemen correspondent.
Clashes also took place on Tuesday after the truce began in the flashpoint city of Taiz with mortar rounds hitting pro-government forces south of the city.
Zuqar Island lies close to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the busiest routes for oil and cargo shipping in the world. - See more at: http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/12/15/hadi-allies-capture-yemen-island-ahead-of-week-long-ceasefire#sthash.BnRAyl8a.dpuf
15.12.2015 – Junge Welt
Brüchige Feuerpause: In der Schweiz beginnen Friedensverhandlungen über den Jemen. Seit Mitternacht gilt ein Waffenstillstand
Kurz vor Inkrafttreten des Waffenstillstands versuchten beide Seiten am Montag noch, die militärische Lage zu ihren Gunsten zu verbessern. Wie die von den Ansarollah- bzw. Huthi-Rebellen kontrollierte staatliche Nachrichtenagentur SABA mitteilte, wurden bei einem Raketenangriff auf ein Militärlager am Montag morgen mehr als 150 Soldaten der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Kriegsallianz getötet. Andere Quellen sprechen von rund 50 Toten. Das Bündnis unterstützt den jemenitischen Präsidenten Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi gegen die schiitische Ansarollah und ihren Verbündeten, den »Allgemeinen Volkskongress« des früheren Staatschefs Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Das angegriffene Camp liegt in der Nähe der seit Monaten umkämpften Stadt Tais. Unter den Opfern sollen sich nach Angaben der Ansarollah auch 40 Angehörige der US-Sicherheitsfirma Academi befinden, früher bekannt als Blackwater. Außerdem verloren zwei hohe Offiziere ihr Leben, berichtet die saudiarabische Nachrichtenagentur SPA. Sollten die Opferzahlen von SABA stimmen, wäre es die bis heute tödlichste Attacke der Ansarollah auf die Truppen der Golfstaaten-Allianz. Bei der eingesetzten Rakete soll es sich um eine russische »Tonka« gehandelt haben. Von diesem Typ sollen die Rebellen rund 40 Stück besitzen.
Am Sonntag hatten Saudi-Arabien und seine Verbündeten erneut die jemenitische Hauptstadt Sanaa bombardiert. Dabei starben zwölf Personen, mindestens 20 wurden verletzt, darunter Frauen und Kinder. Bei mindestens elf Luftangriffen in der Provinz Hadscha starben 25 Menschen. Das berichtete der panarabische Nachrichtenkanal Al-Majadin. – von Gerrit Hoekman
https://www.jungewelt.de/2015/12-15/008.php
15.12.2015 – Defense News
152 Feared Dead in Yemen Ballistic Missle Strike
One hundred and fifty-two coalition soldiers are feared dead after a short range ballistic missile strike hit a coalition base at the strategic Bab al-Mandab region in the south, a coalition source told Defense News.
Among the dead in the attack, which took place Monday afternoon, was the commander of the Saudi Special Forces, Col. Abdullah Al Sahyan, the source confirmed.
"So far, nine Emirati soldiers, seven Moroccans and 23 Saudis have been identified," the source added.
The missile strike was conducted by OTR-21 Tochka mobile missile launch system for short range ballistic missiles, the source said.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition also announced Monday that the planned cease-fire in the country will start at 12:00 midday, Sanaa time, 9:00 am GMT, on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
"The coalition reserves its right to respond to any breach of the seven-day truce which is renewable on December 21 in case of compliance by the other party (the Houthis)", according to a statement by the command, carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
"The Houthis fired a long-range missile at a secret headquarters of the pro-government military leadership close to the strategic strait of Bab al-Mandab, killing more than 100 men of the coalition," said Shehab Al Makahleh, a political analyst and director of Geostrategic Media Middle East.
"The launch of a Tochka missile on a military base in southwest of Yemen by al-Mandab Strait aims to shift the political scene, which the coalition had been trying to achieve for more than eight months, which culminated in an expected cease-fire tonight before Geneva talks," he said.
The strike proves that the Houthi rebels in Yemen have improved intelligence capabilities, Makahleh added.
"Two other missiles were also launched yesterday and today on Jizan, which led the Saudis to send more troops to the borders with Yemen," he added – by Awad Mustafa
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2015/12/14/united-arab-emirates/77289732/
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-66: / Yemen Press reader 1-66:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
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