Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Am wichtigsten / Most important
Allgemein / General
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
Friedensverhandlungen / Peace talks
Waffenstillstand / Truce
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
USA
Great Britain / Großbritannien
Deutschland / Germany
Schweiz / Switzerland
Propaganda
Flüchtlinge / Refugees
Terrorismus / Terrorism
Am wichtigsten / Most important
3.12.2015 – Salam for Yemen
Fatima’s Testimonial: Life in Times of War in Yemen
First-hand account of Fatima Al Kohlani, age 78 speaking by telephone in Sana’a the morning of Eid. She is a mother of 4 and grandmother of 14. Her voice is tired and wary and choked with sobs.
“I can’t sleep. It’s impossible to fall asleep for fear of not waking up tomorrow. The bombings come either near midnight, right before we lay down to sleep, or very early in the morning. They wake us up with a jolt and fill us with terror.
We live in deplorable conditions; we haven’t had electricity in four months. The only water we have to drink, water that we are forced to buy from trucks, is ten times more expensive than before the war. My little girl spends hours looking for a bit of fuel so we can have just one hour of power from the generator. It is our only ‘luxury’ to have a tiny bit of electricity so we are not so cut off from the rest of the world; so we can call family and hear from friends, even if the news is bad, as it always .Nearly every family has been touched by the loss of a loved one.
Since the bombing started four months ago, kids have not been able to attend school. My son is so close to taking his final exams, but they have all been cancelled.
Where we live, we are surrounded by neighbors who have nothing left to eat. Masons, plumbers, painters, gardeners, and those who work in construction no longer have any work and therefore, no revenue. The price of food has drastically gone up, 5 or 6 times what it was before.
My youngest brother Mohamed is a truck driver. He told me that the trucks that carry water, food and fuel from Sana’a to Hodeidah are being purposefully targeted by bomb attacks. All along this same route, the chicken farms have all been destroyed. If this continues, we will all die of hunger.
Saudi planes have bombed the Technical School in our village of Manakha. In Amran, the cemetery has been destroyed and last week, in Sana’a, the oldest textile factory near Bab Al Shub was also hit by bombs. Our country is already so poor, what will be left after this war? What do the Saudis want; that our youth remain unschooled and without work and out of desperation, ready to join the ranks of Daech? (ISIS).
My other brother is 60 years old, and a diabetic. He can’t find insulin and his condition is worsening every day.
My friend Salma from Aden lost her sister because she could notget to the hospital to be treated. Her family is taking refuge in a little house in Al Mansourah to escape the fighting and the bombs. All twenty of them are now living together in a tiny space, without electricity or water and with outside temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius.
It is the same fate for all the other families around us. My son-in-law’s parents fled the fighting in Taêz, after their home was demolished. My daughter and her five children are seeking refuge with me because the area where they lived between Attan and Sana’a is being bombed daily.
Nowhere is safe. I thought only the cities were affected, but the villages are equally being targeted. My cousin has told me that in a tiny village near Khamer, houses have been hit and the families inside have all perished.
I’m terrified of dying and afraid of never again seeing my son who lives abroad. He can’t come back to Yemen because of this cruel blockade, which is also responsible for keeping medicines from entering into Yemen.
When will this all be over? Why is there such hate targeted against our people? What crime have we committed to deserve such severe punishment?
http://salamforyemen.org/2015/12/03/fatimas-testimonial-life-in-times-of-war-in-yemen/
Comment: MUST READ. Such a moving account of what life is like in Sanaa through the eyes of an elderly woman trapped inside the war in Yemen. Please read, it is her only chance for the world to hear her tragic story.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1074324366053387
Kommentar: Ja, genau so ist Krieg IMMER und ÜBERALL. Man stelle in Gedanken einer solchen Frau eine Figur wie den saudischen Prinzen Salman gegenüber.
13.8.2015 – Qantara
Über Pressefreiheit und Medien am Zügel westlicher Geopolitik. Ein Kommentar von Charlotte Wiedemann
Solange die geopolitische Stimmung vom Wunsch der USA dominiert wurde, in Teheran einen regime change herbei zu führen, beteiligten sich viele Medien an einer Dämonisierung Irans. In keiner Diktatur, außer Nordkorea, schienen die Gefängnisse schlimmer. Nun wird Iran zum Beispiel, wie sich mit einer neuen politischen Großwetterlage der Blick ändert. Seit der Unterschrift in Wien haben iranische Menschenrechtsverletzungen abrupt an Gewicht verloren.
Beispiel Drohnen: Das Medienbild vom Drohnenkrieg in Afghanistan und Pakistan entsteht nun tatsächlich nach Handreichungen, nämlich denen der CIA. Unlängst wurden wieder einmal 30 Menschen beim Verlassen einer Beerdigung abgeschossen – ohne Beweis werden sie zu Taliban erklärt (wahlweise Al-Qaida oder der IS). Abweichendes liefert das "Londoner Bureau of Investigative Journalism": wiederum, wie bei "Netzpolitik.org", eine spendenfinanzierte neue Form von Journalismus, welche die Ehre der Branche rettet, ohne dass diese es verdient hätte.
Welches Leben, welches Sterben zählt?
Wer wissen will, wie unser tägliches Bild der Welt entsteht, muss eine simple Frage stellen: Welches Leben, welches Sterben zählt – und wer bestimmt jeweils den Takt des Zählens?
Der Vergleich mit dem Vietnamkrieg zeigt allerdings auch, was sich seit Beginn des War on Terror geändert hat: Die eigene, westliche Seite anzuprangern, ist äußerst schwer geworden. Früher war es begründungspflichtig, einem Krieg zuzustimmen. Heute muss sehr gut begründen, wer dagegen ist.
Da ist eine geistig-politische Hegemonie entstanden, in der inhaltliche Positionen überhaupt nur als solche wahrgenommen werden, wenn sie außerhalb des stillschweigend Vereinbarten stehen. Gleiches gilt für die Entscheidungen, was berichtet wird – und wie.
Unter diesen Umständen könnte Pressefreiheit bedeuten: eine Öffentlichkeit herstellen, die nicht am Zügel westlicher Außen- und Geopolitik geht.
Der Jemenkonflikt wird nun als "vergessener Krieg" bezeichnet, das ist irreführend. Er wird toleriert – verschämt, schweigend, wegsehend, denn es ist ein Verbündeter des Westens, der ihn führt. 4.000 Tote, 20.000 Verletzte, davon 9.000 Schwerstverwundete. Jeder Zweite hungert, es gibt kein Wasser, eine See-Blockade verhindert humanitäre Hilfe, Wohngebiete werden bombardiert. "Human Rights Watch" spricht von Kriegsverbrechen.
Würde all dies vom IS begangen, welch ein Aufschrei! – von Charlotte Wiedemann
https://de.qantara.de/inhalt/medienbilder-und-geopolitik-im-nahen-und-mittleren-osten-handreichungen
Kommentar: Nicht vorher gesehen, Chapeau!!! Der Kommentar erfasst genau, wie wir in Sachen Blick auf die Welt manipuliert werden.
17.12.2015 – Business Insider
ISIS is steadily gaining strength in another Middle Eastern country while everyone looks the other way
Militants affiliating themselves with the terrorist group ISIS are taking advantage of a power vacuum in Yemen to establish an increasingly strong foothold there as the government focuses on fighting other rebels, experts say.
Right now, ISIS seems to be focusing on establishing a solid foothold in parts of southern Yemen. (The Houthi rebels are from the north.)
ISIS will "start with Aden, other parts of the south," Nabeel Khoury, a former State Department official in Yemen who is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said. "As a combination of forces, this is driving the Houthis out of these areas. They don’t have the Yemeni government and military ready to take over. So as you drive the Houthis out, you leave a relatively weak state structure … That makes it very easy for [Al Qaeda] and ISIS to take over."
"The No. 1 target for ISIS from the beginning has been Shia governments, Shia authorities, Shia communities," Khoury said.
Farea al-Muslimi, a Yemeni activist who is a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center, told Business Insider the war had "created a sectarian narrative for ISIS and al Qaeda to build on."
And if the civil war in Yemen continues to drag on, young people might be persuaded to join jihadist groups, seeing few other viable alternatives for survival.
Khoury said the ISIS affiliate in Yemen seemed to be made up of "mostly locals" at this point. It's hard to determine how closely the ISIS militants in Yemen are coordinating with the group's central leadership in Iraq and Syria, but analysts told The Times there were signs the Yemeni militants were in touch with ISIS leaders abroad.
ISIS is growing in strength while AQAP remains flat. Khoury pointed out that ISIS and AQAP appeared to be staying out of each other's way in Yemen, but they still compete for recruits.
"They're fighting for the same space: Sunni radical recruitment," al-Muslimi said, adding that Al Qaeda "looks to ISIS as something taking space and, more importantly, warriors."
"The level of brutality of ISIS has recruited a lot of people that didn't find the absolute violence in Al Qaeda," al-Muslimi said.
"ISIS is about institution building … so they will set up an infrastructure similar to what they have in Syria and Iraq”. Khoury added: "The ultimate goal is to have one caliphate that has continuous territory." – by Pamela Engel
http://www.businessinsider.de/isis-in-yemen-2015-12?r=US&IR=T
Allgemein / General
17.12.2015 – Telepolis
Jemen: Brüchige Waffenruhe und Gefangenenaustausch
Die jemenitische Huthi-Schiitenmiliz und die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Sunnitenallianz, die den im Februar 2015 abgesetzten jemenitischen Staatspräsidenten Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi unterstützt, haben der BBC zufolge gestern in der südjemenitischen Provinz Lahj Gefangene ausgetauscht. 265 von den Huthis gefangen gehaltene Hadi-Unterstützer wurden der Allianz übergeben - 360 in die Hände der Allianz gefallene Huthi-Kämpfer der Schiitenmiliz. Der Austausch ist ein erstes Ergebnis von Friedensgesprächen, die unter Vermittlung der UN im schweizerischen Macolin stattfinden. Eine am Dienstag ausgerufene Waffenruhe scheint dagegen nur bedingt zu halten - beide Seiten beschuldigen sich gegenseitig, die Vereinbarung in Hudayda und Taiz tätlich verletzt zu haben.
Allgemeiner Überblick, am Ende näher zum Rhema Söldner:
Ausländische Söldner haben gegenüber einheimischen Wehrpflichtigen und Berufssoldaten potenziell Nachteile, was die Motivation betrifft - aber auch Vorteile: Gibt es unter ihnen Verluste, entsteht im allgemeinen weniger politischer Druck, die "Jungs heimzuholen". Und Verluste gab es in den Reihen der Sunnitenallianz in den letzten Monaten tatsächlich - alleine bei einem einzigen Raketenangriff im September starben dutzendweise Emiratis, Saudis und Bahrainer. Den Bewohnern dieser Länder geht es durch den Ölreichtum wirtschaftlich recht gut - was den Pool der Rekrutierungswilligen potenziell verkleinert. Und wer von dort aus Abenteuerlust oder Fanatismus kämpfen will, der tut das möglicherweise eher für seine religiösen Vorstellungen als für das Herrscherhaus - und landet dann nicht unbedingt in der staatlichen Armee.
Sean McFate, der Autor von The Modern Mercenary sieht den Einsatz von Söldnern aber nicht nur deshalb im Trend, sondern auch, weil die USA des Modell durch Verträge mit privaten Militärdienstleistern im Irak und in Afghanistan "legitimierten". Darüber hinaus gibt es der New York Times zufolge auch eine personelle Verbindung zu den Einsätzen im Irak: Die kolumbianische Rekrutierungsfirma soll nämlich mit Erik Prince verbunden sein, der während des Irakkrieges mit der (später umbenannten) Firma Blackwater Schlagzeilen machte – von Peter Mühlbauer
http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/46/46890/1.html
16.12.2015 – NPR
International Community Brokers Cease-Fire In Yemen
Renee Montagne talks to Tarak Bach Baouab, head of the mission in Yemen for Doctors Without Borders.
MONTAGNE: Now you there in Yemen are just a day into this cease-fire. What is it like where you are?
BAOUAB: Well, for now it seems that in Sana'a, in the capital, it is holding up. There hasn't been airstrikes last night, so we are cautiously optimistic that the capital will go through a period of rest. In other parts of the country, however, there has been some violations of the cease-fire. Sometimes, both the sides of the hostilities are not feeling bound by the cease-fire declared by, I'd say, the higher-level authorities. And the problem is that with the long-term conflict now ongoing in the country, there is more and more localized conflicts, and those are much more difficult to breach in terms of cease-fire.
MONTAGNE: Generally speaking, though, this has been a year of heavy conflict in Yemen. Those Saudi airstrikes have been just unrelenting. What is daily life for civilians trapped in this?
BAOUAB: Well, I think you have to realize that, first of all, this was already a very poor country. You have a high level of population, about 28 million people. And therefore, the country has always been relying on imports, particularly of cereals. Ninety percent of the food that is consumed in the country is important. And since the month of March and the de facto embargo on supplies coming into the country, it has been quite a struggle for everyday people to get their hands and to be sure on their next meal. And at the same time, people are obviously very afraid of aerial bombardment. So kids are traumatized. Whenever they hear the sound of a motor above their heads, they are quite afraid and want to hide. The whole country is basically getting traumatized, and it's struggling day to day to survive.
MONTAGNE: And I gather parts of the country could even be called or have been under a state of siege.
BAOUAB: They are actually indeed besieged areas in which it is very difficult to access for ourselves humanitarian workers but also, again, day to day for supplies of food or fuel. Fuel is essential in this country because it allows to pump water. The country is quite dry, and there is not a lot of rivers and so on, so fuel is an essential commodity. Fuel is also essential to transport food around the country, and therefore, a lack of fuel is really affecting the daily lives of people, not speaking about hospitals, which are not able to run because their generators are out of fuel. Hospitals are closing down, and there's obviously a lot of unnecessary deaths.
http://www.npr.org/2015/12/16/459936062/international-community-brokers-ceasefire-in-yemen
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
16.12.2015 – NPR
Yemen Has A Glimmer Of Hope Amid War, Malnutrition, Malaria
Overview on the humanitarian situation.
16.12.2015 – UN News Center
Urgent support needed to provide health services for 15 million people in Yemen – UN
he United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners today appealed for $31 million to ensure the continuity of medical services for nearly 15 million people in Yemen affected by the ongoing conflict, following the collapse of the country’s health system.
“WHO is appealing to donors to help us meet the urgent, immediate humanitarian needs of the injured, pregnant women, malnourished children and elderly who are bearing the brunt of a collapsing health system,” said Dr. Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean in a news release.
Mr. Alwan said that with sufficient funds, risk of disease outbreaks and the possibility of avoidable deaths can be reduced by providing life-saving medications and vaccinating children.
Currently, WHO and its health partners are providing essential medicines, supporting health services and providing mental health psycho-social support in hard-to-reach areas through mobile clinics and primary health care centres, said the news release, adding that more funding is required to ensure that disrupted services are restored.
“The funding requested will help WHO and our partners support vital health services in three major areas: casualty management for those injured due to the conflict, treatment for patients with chronic diseases, and disease surveillance and vaccination activities to prevent outbreaks,” said Dr. Ahmed Shadoul, WHO Representative to Yemen.
According to WHO, the health and humanitarian situation for the civilian population in Yemen has reached “catastrophic levels” with the situation in some governorates being especially “critical.”
WHO said that the entire population of the Aden governorate and more than three quarters in the Taiz governorate are in need of humanitarian assistance and since September fighting intensified in Taiz, leading to almost 240,000 vulnerable civilians living under a virtual state of siege.
The agency added that the conflict has crippled the health system, making the delivery of services and supplies extremely challenging. Almost 70 health facilities and 27 ambulances have been damaged, and there is a shortage of health workers, further limiting access to health care.
At the same time, WHO reported that fuel shortages have made it impossible for many major hospitals and health facilities to function optimally, while lack of fuel for ambulances has crippled the referral process.
This, WHO said, has disrupted surgical operations, including caesarean sections, and patients whose treatment requires constant power supply are also at risk. Fuel shortages are also creating severe challenges for the transportation of food, water, and medical supplies, and the operation of water pumps and generators.
In response to this, WHO said that it has supplied over one million litres of fuel to health facilities and ambulances to keep them functional, and additional support has also been provided for the delivery of water purification tablets and over 19 million litres of water to camps and areas hosting internally displaced persons.
The agency said that over the last 9 months, over 250 tons of life-saving medical supplies have been provided to Yemeni health authorities and international, and local non-governmental organizations, serving more than 7 million beneficiaries, and along with health partners, WHO has vaccinated 4.6 million children against polio and 1.8 million against measles in high-risk areas.
Lastly, WHO called on all donors to urgently fill the funding gap to ensure continuity of life-saving and essential health services.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52836#.VnI7wkrhCUl
Kommentar: Die WHO bittet um fehlende 31 Millionen Dollar. Ein lächerlicher Betrag – allein die amerikanische Bombenindustrie setzt täglich wesentlich mehr im Export nach saudi-Arabien um, wenn man an den letzten 1,29-Milliarden-Dollar-Handel denkt. Aber das sind eben die Prioritäten auch der „Westlichen Wertegemeinschaft“.
Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
16.12.2015 – The Conversation
Bricks and mortar fire: Yemen’s cultural heritage is in the crosshairs
Yemen’s rich history is connected to its location as a crossroads between Africa and Asia as early as the Paleolithic and throughout the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. This territory became the centre of the Saba kingdom as early as the second millennium BCE, strategically located on the caravan roads of the Arabian Peninsula.
Yemen’s rich cultural heritage is now under serious threat. The growing conflict and poor governance are both playing a role.
In 2000, UNESCO listed Zabid as “cultural heritage at risk” to underline the poor urban planning policies that had led to the destruction of more than 40% of the city’s traditional houses. In 2015, Sana’a and Shibam joined the list as the Arab coalition launched its first airstrikes in the region.
Sana’a’s fragile pisé buildings were among the first to suffer from the Saudi campaign in 2015. Archaeologist Lamy Khalidi has attested to the destruction of the Dhamar regional museum, which shelters thousands of artefacts from the country’s history. She has also highlighted damage to more than 25 cultural sites and monuments since the beginning of the conflict, including the al-Qahira castle in Taiz.
Some of the airstrikes do not seem to have any direct strategic imperatives – for instance, those on the Dhamar museum, the Marib dam and the civilian areas of the old Sana’a.
Pro-government forces destroyed a Shia mosque in Aden. And in October, parts of the ancient city Baraqish were heavily damaged.
To this damage we must add destruction caused by IS, which has already attacked a Sufi shrine in Lahj.
Considering the mobilisation to stop destruction of cultural heritage in Iraq and Syria, the international community has been slow to condemn what’s taking place in Yemen.
Western countries are justifiably outraged over the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria, yet the UK and US are selling weapons and providing intelligence to the Arab coalition. By pursuing their strategic goals in the region, these and other countries are indirectly contributing to the destruction of Yemen’s cultural heritage.
Friedensverhandlungen / Peace talks
17.12.2015 - AFP
Yemen peace talks reach deal on aid for flashpoint city Taez
A deal to immediately resume humanitarian aid to the flashpoint Yemeni city of Taez has been agreed at peace talks between the warring sides in Switzerland, the UN said today.
The UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, welcomed the agreement as "a major step forward that will ensure immediate action to alleviate the human suffering of the Yemeni people," according to a statement from the United Nations, which is sponsoring the talks.
"A large UN convoy, carrying essential humanitarian supplies, reached the most affected districts of the city of (Taez) and will start distributing assistance to those in need in the coming days," the statement said.
"It is expected that humanitarian assistance will also reach Hajja, Saada and other deprived Yemeni cities in the coming days."
The deal comes on the third day of talks .
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/yemen-peace-talks-reach-deal-on-aid-for-flashpoint-city-taez-115121800029_1.html = http://www.india.com/news/world/yemen-peace-talks-reach-deal-on-aid-for-flashpoint-city-taez-794404/ siehe auch http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/humanitarian-aid-to-enter-besieged-taez-under-deal-made-in-yemen-talks
17.12.2015 – Emirates 24 7
GCC, Yemen discuss reconstruction conference
Conference to be held after Yemeni parties reach a political solution
Yemen and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf are discussing preparations for an international reconstruction conference for Yemen, to be held after Yemeni parties reach a political solution to the Yemeni crisis in accordance with the Riyadh Declaration, the final communique of the 36th GCC Summit concluded earlier this month.
This came during a meeting between Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Negotiations of the GCC, Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg, and Yemeni Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Mohammad Al Maytami.
Minister Al Maytami said calling for the upcoming international conference will be an important step towards overcoming the consequence of the crisis and restoring stability and reconstruction.
The GCC and Yemeni officials also discussed the efforts being made by the GCC to restore security and stability to Yemen.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/gcc-yemen-discuss-reconstruction-conference-2015-12-17-1.614367
Kommentar: Da wird man sehr tief in die Rasche greifen müssen, um nur alle die Schäden, die Saudi und Co. angerichtet haben, wieder auszugleichen.
17.12.2015 – MSN
Konfliktparteien in Jemen tauschten hunderte Gefangene aus
Die Konfliktparteien im Jemen haben nach Regierungsangaben wie vereinbart hunderte Gefangene ausgetauscht. Die Aktion sei "erfolgreich abgeschlossen" worden, sagte Mokhtar al-Rabbash, Mitglied eines mit dem Austausch befassten regierungsnahen Komitees. Demnach wurden im Süden des Landes 285 regierungstreue Kämpfer und 370 Houthi-Rebellen freigelassen.
17.12.2015 – Reuters
Yemen peace talks struggling in Switzerland amid disputes: sources
U.N.-sponsored Yemeni peace talks in Switzerland appeared to be struggling amid differences over government demands for the release of senior officials held by the Iran-allied Houthis, sources close to the talks said on Thursday.
The sources said that direct talks between the two sides have been suspended since Wednesday evening, after the Houthis rejected demands to free senior officials, including Defense Minister Mahmoud al-Subaihi and Hadi's brother, Nasser.
Both Subaihi and Nasser Mansour Hadi, who was responsible for intelligence operations in the provinces of Aden, Lahej and Abyan, have been held by the Houthis since March.
The Houthis say they are ready to free the prisoners once a permanent ceasefire was agreed upon, another source close to the talks told Reuters.
The sources said that instead of direct talks, U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, was shuttling between the two sides trying to bridge differences.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0U00SQ20151217
17.12.2015 – France 24
Yemen truce in danger of collapse as prisoner swap blocked
Local tribesmen held up a prisoner swap between the Houthis and southern fighters, local officials said.
Armed tribesmen from al-Baydah province in central Yemen blocked roads leading to the exchange venue, demanding that their relatives held by the Houthis also be included in the swap.
Officials from both sides had earlier said 360 Houthis and 265 southern Yemenis were on their way to be exchanged on the border between Yafe and al-Bayda provinces at midday.
Residents said mediators were trying to persuade the al-Baydah tribesmen to allow the swap to proceed.
The prisoner swap, brokered by Yemeni tribal chiefs, had been one of the most positive signs yet in the conflict.
Most of the Houthi prisoners are fighters aged between 13 and 16, captured when the Southern Resistance retook the southern port city of Aden in July.
http://www.france24.com/en/20151217-yemen-truce-collapse-prisoner-swap see from Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0TY0OZ20151216
17.12.2015 – AFP
Yemen warring parties swap hundreds of detainees
Yemeni pro-government forces and rebels completed an exchange of hundreds of detainees on Thursday, an official said, amid a shaky ceasefire and as UN-sponsored peace talks in Switzerland entered their third day.
"We have successfully completed the process of exchanging the prisoners," said Mokhtar al-Rabbash, a member of the prisoners' affairs committee, which is close to the government.
The swap involved 370 Huthi rebels and 285 pro-government fighters, he said.
It took place in the Yafaa district of the southern province of Lahj, along the border with the central province of Bayda, witnesses said.
The swap was slowed down by concerns over security along the route linking the two points of exchange, Rabbash said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross in Sanaa, which was involved in a previous prisoner swap, said earlier that the organisation was "not aware of such an exchange".
http://news.yahoo.com/yemen-warring-parties-swap-hundreds-detainees-083157830.html see also Press TV Iran: http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/12/17/442090/Yemen-Houthis-Hadi-loyalists-prisoner-swap and Al Araby: http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/12/17/yemen-rivals-in-mass-prisoner-swap-as-fighting-continues
Zum Gefangenenaustausch noch dieser Bericht aus einer emiratischen Quelle, demnach propagandistisch gegen die Huthis aufbereitet, die natürlich ihre Gefangenen schlecht behandelt haben sollen. Und wie hat die Gegenseite gefangene Huthis behandelt? Manche wurden gelyncht, das war wohl nicht gerade eine gute Behandlung?
17.12.2015 - The National UAE
“After several interviews with sheikhs and organisations in Sanaa and Aden, we visited the prisons of the Southern Resistance and the Houthis and there was an agreement that the Houthis release all of the southern detainees and the Southern Resistance release all of the Houthis and this is what we did,” said Hakim Al Hasani who headed the months-long mediation to conduct the prisoner exchange.
Mr Al Hasani said the detainees held by the Houthis included children.
“There are some southern citizens still lost who we did not find in the Houthis’ prisons,” he added.
Shadi Mahmoud, a released prisoner, told The National that he considered the day as his birthday.
“The Houthis did not treat us well and I thought that they will not release us, but they resorted to release us after the southern resistance forced them to and due to the release of the Houthi detainees,” he said.
Salam Al Murshdi, 37, was a pro-government fighter detained while trying to defend Al Anad airbase in Lahij province from the rebels.
“When the Houthis detained us in Al Anad airbase, they kept us there for a month and a half. Then they took us in cars while we were blindfolded, and after travelling for 12 hours, we found ourselves to be in the central prison in Sanaa,” Mr Al Murshdi said, while taking part in the celebrations in Aden.
He said that in prison the Houthis did not feed them well and did not treat the sick, adding that several of his fellow fighters remain missing.
Waffenstillstand / Truce
17.12.2015 – Hamburger Abendblatt
Waffenstillstand im Jemen wird nicht eingehalten (mit Film)
Nur einen Tag nach seinem Inkrafttreten ist der Waffenstillstand im Jemen mehrfach gebrochen worden. Ein saudi-arabischer General sprach von rund 150 Verstößen gegen die Waffenruhe. Verantwortlich seien die Huthi-Rebellen. Man werde diese Praktiken nicht dulden, drohte er. Die saudische Luftwaffe griff Stellungen der Huthi-Rebellen in der Provinz Tais an. Zugleich gab auf dem Boden Kämpfe zwischen der Armee und den Aufständischen. “Die Huthis haben die Resolutionen des Weltsicherheitsrates abgelehnt und Wohngebiete und Zivilisten angegriffen. Wir verteidigen uns nur selbst”, betont ein Kämpfer der Regierungstruppen.
17.12.2015 – Foreign Policy
Yemen Ceasefire on Brink of Collapse
A two-day old ceasefire in Yemen is on the brink of collapse. Saudi military officers say that the truce has been violated by Houthi forces at least 150 times and one, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri, told Reuters that his forces were responding to the attacks. “We urge the United Nations to clarify to the Houthis that there will be no patience towards these practices and the truce could collapse at any moment,” he said. Despite the clashes, a prisoner swap between pro-government and Houthi forces involving hundreds of detainees was completed in Lahj Province. The swap was delayed when tribal militias blocked the roads near the exchange site to compel the release of additional prisoners, but who eventually allowed the exchange to proceed – by J. Dana Stuster
https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/12/17/yemen-ceasefire-on-brink-of-collapse/
17.12.2015 – France 24
Yemen truce in danger of collapse as prisoner swap blocked
A ceasefire between Yemen’s Houthi group and a Saudi-led alliance was in danger of collapse on Wednesday, each side accusing the other of violating the truce, as peace talks went into a second day in Switzerland.
See articles below and in Yemen Press reader 68. In addition:
“Coalition planes launched an air strike on the positions of the Houthis and Saleh forces in the Najd area of Sirwah district after they repeatedly violated the ceasefire,” a tribal source said by telephone from the central province of Mareb.
Residents in Taiz said there was an air strike there after Houthi forces launched rockets on the area. Saudi state news agency SPA said the Houthis had killed one of its officers in a border area after the ceasefire was supposed to begin.
“Coalition planes launched an air strike on the positions of the Houthis and Saleh forces in the Najd area of Sirwah district after they repeatedly violated the ceasefire,” a tribal source said by telephone from the central province of Mareb.
Residents in Taiz said there was an air strike there after Houthi forces launched rockets on the area. Saudi state news agency SPA said the Houthis had killed one of its officers in a border area after the ceasefire was supposed to begin.
http://www.france24.com/en/20151217-yemen-truce-collapse-prisoner-swap
17.12.2015 – Middle East Eye
Fighting rocks Yemen as peace deal teeters on brink: Reports
There are clashes and bombing being reported in a growing number of Yemeni districts during an agreed ceasefire
Fierce clashes and air strikes have continued to rock Yemen despite delegates still being locked into ongoing peace talks in Switzerland and a ceasefire officially supposed to be in effect.
Combat escalated between the warring sides on Thursday as forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi seized a key military base from Houthi fighters in the central city of Marib, local officials and tribesmen told Reuters.
According to the sources, 15 people were killed on both sides. Fighting was also reported further to the north, in the border province of Jawf, Yemeni sources told MEE.
Saudi-led military coalition planes and gunboats also reportedly bombed targets in northern Yemen, local residents said.
While residents in the south-west city of Taiz have reported the worst fighting with near constant air strikes from the Saudi-backed coalition and shelling from the Houthis battering the city, the fighting has also touched other parts of Yemen in recent days.
On Wednesday, the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah saw fierce clashes between pro-government troops and the Houthis
Government officials and local journalists told Middle East Eye that a large number of pro-government troops, who had recently been trained in Saudi Arabia, had launched an attack on Houthi-controlled Haradh and Medi districts in the borderline with Saudi Arabia. Conflicting accounts have emerged about which faction managed to seize the most ground.
A journalist from Hajjah province, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that pro-government troops advanced deeply into the Yemeni side of the border taking control of the main border crossing and a small area near the city of Haradh.
“The Yemeni forces marched from the Saudi border under heavy cover from the Saudi warplanes. The retreating Houthi responded by deploying snipers in the city to roll back their opponents’ advance,” the journalist said.
But a government official who used to work at the Haradh border crossing told MEE that the Houthis managed to repel the attack.
“Ansar Allah [the Houthis] are in control of the border crossing. They even launched an attack on Wednesday on the Saudi forces on the other side of the border,” said the government official who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal.
17.12.2015 – Daily Witness
Pro-Yemeni president military troops seize strategic camp in central Yemen
Army troops loyal to Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansur Hadi took control on Thursday over Mas strategic camp in the central Yemeni province of Marib after heavy clashes with rebel Houthi militias, according to military officials.
The officials explained that pro-Hadi troops stormed the camp in spite of the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on Tuesday.
Last week, the camp was targeted by dozens of airstrikes of the Saudi Arabia-led Arab coalition, which supports the government of Hadi.
A military official from the Yemeni army loyal to Hadi told EFE that heavy fighting took place on Thursday at the camp and its surroundings amid intensive shelling by the Arab coalition, which caused widespread destruction of facilities and equipment.
The official added that more than 50 Houthi fighters were killed in the fighting and airstrikes, while the rest fled before the entry of the forces loyal to Hadi.
This military headquarters is located on the road that links Marib with Sanaa and Al-Jouf provinces.
Al-Jouf province will be, according to officials from the Yemeni government, the next target of pro-Hadi forces, which have been trained and armed by the Arab coalition. EFE
http://dailywitness.com/pro-yemeni-president-military-troops-seize-strategic-camp-in-central-yemen/
Kommentar: Was kümmert uns der Waffenstillstand?
17.12.2015 – Mint Press News
Saudi Airstrikes Pound Yemen As Ceasefire Falters
Saudi warplanes tend to kill a few dozen people in Yemen on any given day, and despite the newly minted ceasefire today was no different, with Saudi warplanes pounding Houthi targets in several provinces across Yemen. The Saudis did not deny this.
Rather, Saudi officials say they were “responding” to Houthi hostility and that if anything their airstrikesproved that the Houthis are not to be trusted in the ongoing peace talks in Geneva. The UN has a total blackout on media coverage at the talks, so there is needless to say no news there.
Still, fighting on the ground has slowed, if not totally stopped, so there is some relative calm in some parts of Yemen. Saudi officials, however, say this too could “collapse at any moment” with a full resumption of hostilities.
http://www.mintpressnews.com/saudi-airstrikes-pound-yemen-as-ceasefire-falters/212137/
16.12.2015 – Al Arabiya
Coalition forces: Yemen truce could collapse
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthis in Yemen has accused the Iranian-allied militia group of repeatedly violating a ceasefire and warned the truce could collapse, Saudi television reported on Wednesday.
“The number of violations is around 150 and this does not represent true intentions,” Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri told al-Ekhbariya television. “We urge the United Nations to clarify to the Houthis that there will be no patience towards these practices and the truce could collapse at any moment,” he added.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2015/12/16/Yemen-s-foes-agree-on-prisoner-swap.html
Kommentar: Bemerkenswert an diesem Artikel – übernommen von Reuters – dass weiter unten die Vorwürfe der Gegenseite, die saudische Koalition würde den Waffenstillstand brechen, nicht herausgeschnitten wurden. Die Aussagen des jemenitischen Generals Luqman dazu in „Yemen Press Reader“ 68.
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
17.12.2015 – Die Welt
Teilnehmer wissen nichts von saudischer Anti-IS-Allianz
Saudi-Arabien kündigte den Beginn einer islamischen Militärallianz zur Bekämpfung des Terrorismus an. Einige Partner reagieren nun überrascht, sie wussten angeblich nichts von ihrer Teilnahme.
Unter einigen Mitgliedern der von Saudi-Arabien ausgerufenen Antiterrorallianz herrscht offenbar Unklarheit über die Art des neuen Bündnisses.
Der indonesische Sicherheitsminister Luhut Pandjaitan sagte am Mittwoch: "Wir wollen keiner Militärallianz beitreten." Sie würden wie auch Saudi-Arabien gegen den Terrorismus kämpfen, insbesondere gegen den Islamischen Staat, aber allein, berichtet die Nachrichtenplattform "The Rakyat Post". Ein Sprecher des Außenministeriums sagte, die Regierung in Jakarta sei lediglich gebeten worden, bei einem Koordinierungszentrum gegen Extremismus und Terrorismus mitzuarbeiten.
Pakistans Außenminister Aizaz Chaudhry sagte der Tageszeitung "Dawn", er sei überrascht, dass sein Land als Mitglied der Allianz geführt werde. Er habe die saudi-arabische Regierung um Erklärungen gebeten. Dem Bericht zufolge soll Saudi-Arabien Pakistan bereits in der Vergangenheit ohne Einverständnis als Verbündeten in einer Militärallianz präsentiert haben. Damals ging es um einen Einsatz im Jemen.
Auch der Libanon wehrt sich gegen eine angebliche Mitgliedschaft in dem Bündnis, wie die Tageszeitung "The Daily Star" berichet. Der Außenministerium habe keine Kenntnis über ein solches Bündnis. Damit wiedersprach die Behörde dem Premierminister Tammam Salam. Der hatte zuvor angedeutet, das Land sei Mitglied.
Kommentar: Saudische Groteske. Dazu auch der folgende Artikel:
17.12.2015 – The Independent
Why is Indonesia not in the Saudi-led Sunni coalition against terror?
All in all, then, a pretty vast “coalition” – most of whom are saddled with massive international debt and face constant economic collapse. So the real figures behind this extraordinary military force is not how many countries plan to participate, but how many millions – or billions – of dollars Saudi Arabia plans to pay them for their fraternal military assistance.
Along with the obvious question: just which strain of the “terror disease” does young Prince Mohamed intend to destroy? The Isis version – albeit spiritually founded on the same Sunni Wahabi purist doctrines which govern the Saudi state? The Nusrah version, which is espoused by the very same Qatar which is now part of this weird “coalition”? The Shia Houthis of Yemen, who are regarded as pro-Iranian terrorists by the Sunni Yemeni President whom the Saudis support? And what kind of relationship do the Saudis envision with the Iranians who are fighting in both Iraq and Syria against the same Isis “terror” which our favourite Saudi prince identifies as part of the “disease”? Neither Shia Iran nor Shia Iraq, needless to say, is part of the new international Muslim army.
So we know there’s a “coalition”. But who will it fight? How much will it be paid? And why is this a largely Sunni Muslim force rather than just a Muslim “coalition”? – by Robert Fisk
17.12.2015 - Almasdar News
Phone call from Saudis enough to drag Lebanon into ‘International Coalition’
Lebanese people received on Tuesday the news about the Republic of Lebanon joining the Islamic Military Alliance. The announcement was made by Saudi Arabia the midnight before, and is aimed at fighting terrorism.
In a statement on Tuesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam stressed that he welcomes Lebanon joining the alliance, “since Lebanon lies on the front line against terrorism, where army and security forces are engaged in daily battles with terrorist groups, one of which is still holding nine of the Lebanese military personnel,” according to the statement.
In a new rhetoric which is far from self-distancing policy, Prime Minister stressed that Lebanon should “not hesitate to welcome any move that aims to mobilize all energies and to close the ranks to confront this scourge, which constitute the most significant challenge to the security and stability of our region.”
Prior to Salam’s statement, Al-Manar TV Website had a phone call with the Lebanese Minister of Labor, Sajaan Qazzi, who strongly denied being aware of the news, stating that, “I have communicated with the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, and he told me that he had no knowledge of the subject.”
“We do not accept to join any religious alliances,” said Qazzi, but soon the statement of the prime minister was issued to declare that Lebanon has joined the alliance via a “phone call,” without turning to the constitutional frameworks!
According to the Lebanese constitution, Lebanon joining a military alliance requires the approval of the Council of Ministers of a treaty to be presented later before the Parliament to be duly approved.
The Minister of Labor’s statements confirm that the ministers themselves were unaware of the accession of the “Republic” to an alliance that drags Lebanon to battles set and drawn by the Saudi Arabia.
17.12.2015 – Sputnik News
Saudis Label Shiites, Atheists Terrorists, Create Anti-Daesh 'Coalition'
Saudi Arabia's new anti-Daesh coalition appears to have a goal of opposing Iranian influence while antagonizing differences between Sunnis and Shiites, according to Turkish analyst Fehim Tastekin.
Saudi Arabia's new attempt at a coalition in Syria could invigorate the sectarian conflict, Turkish political analyst Fehim Tastekin told Sputnik Turkiye.
Part of the issue is that Saudi Arabia has a warped list of "terrorists," in which it includes Shia groups, opposition activists, and even atheists, but excludes Islamic fundamentalists who carry out actual terrorist attacks, according to Tastekin. Saudi Arabia and Qatar also sponsored many terrorist groups now active in Syria, including Daesh and al-Nusra Front, the analyst added.
According to Tastekin, the Saudis, will simply increase the military confrontation between Sunni and Shiite Muslims through its support for Sunni groups, including those considered terrorist internationally.
"In my view, the only thing that carrying out this initiative can lead to, is an intensification of confrontation on the Sunni-Shia axis and the strengthening of a rhetoric of animosity as a result of the situation in the region," Tastekin said.
Tastekin also said that he sees the attempt to create a coalition as a way to block Iran from having a role in resolving the Syrian conflict.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151216/1031861992/saudi-terrorism-coalition.html
16.12.2015 – Hintergrund
Terrorstaat gründet Anti-Terror-Bündnis
Mit dem verstärkten Einsatz militärischer Mittel will Saudi-Arabien seine Interessen in der Region durchsetzen –
Saudi-Arabien gab am Dienstag die Gründung eines neuen Militärbündnisses bekannt, mit dem das islamistische Königreich nach eigenen Angaben den Terror bekämpfen will. An der „islamischen Koalition“ mit Sitz in Riad beteiligten sich 34 Länder, erklärte der saudische Verteidigungsminister und Vize-Kronprinz Mohammed Bin Salman am Dienstag. In der Hauptstadt Riad werde ein gemeinsames Zentrum zur Koordinierung und Unterstützung von Militäreinsätzen eingerichtet. Dem Bündnis gehören unter anderem Katar, Jordanien, die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, Tunesien, Ägypten, Pakistan und die Türkei an.
Dazu ausführlich in Yemen Press Reader 67 und 68.
Riad spricht von einer „islamischen Koalition“, tatsächlich handelt es sich um eine sunnitische Koalition, die vor allem deshalb ins Leben gerufen wurde, um den Einfluss der dem saudischen Königshaus verhassten schiitischen Kräfte in der Region entgegen zu wirken
Mit der Betonung, der Kampf richte sich gegen „alle terroristischen Organisationen“, nicht nur gegen den „Islamischen Staat“, liefern die Saudis den Hinweis, worum es der Allianz wirklich geht. Deren Mitglieder sollten „vom Übel aller terroristischen Gruppen und Organisationen ohne Rücksicht auf deren Religion und Ziele“ beschützt werden, heißt es in einer offiziellen Erklärung.
Entsprechend kann davon ausgegangen werden, dass sich die Aktivitäten der Koalition auch gegen „Terroristen“ richten werden, die den IS bekämpfen. Für Ankara sind das vor allem die kurdischen Kämpfer der PKK und ihres syrischen Ablegers, der YPG. Auf Riads Wunschliste der zu bekämpfenden Gegner stehen die jemenitischen Huthi-Rebellen sowie die libanesische Hisbollah ganz oben – beide gelten dem Königshaus als Stellvertreterkräfte Teherans.
Der Kampf gegen den „Islamischen Staat“ dient der neu gegründeten Allianz offenkundig als Vorwand. Hätten deren Mitglieder ein ernsthaftes Interesse daran, der Terrormiliz das Wasser abzugraben, würden sie den Geldfluss an den IS sowie den Nachschub an Kämpfer und Waffen unterbinden, bevor sie gemeinsame militärische Aktionen erwägen.
Die Gründung der „Anti-Terror-Allianz“ ist die zweite größere diplomatische Initiative innerhalb kurzer Zeit, mit der der „größte Brandstifter in Nahost“ (Welt) seine Vormachtstellung in der Region zementieren will.
Vor einer Woche trafen sich in Riad Vertreter der syrischen Opposition zu einer Einigungskonferenz, um eine gemeinsame Haltung für Verhandlungen mit Damaskus zu finden. Neben zwei Dachverbänden – die Syrische Nationale Koalition und das Nationales Koordinationskomitee für Demokratischen Wandel – nahmen über einhundert Vertreter einzelner Gruppen an der Konferenz teil.
Schlagworte wie „Pluralismus“ und „Rechtsstaatlichkeit“ sind vor allem für die westliche Öffentlichkeit gedacht und spiegeln nicht die wirklichen Ziele vieler Konferenzteilnehmer wider.
Die einzige Fraktion der bewaffnet kämpfenden Opposition, die säkulare Prinzipien verfolgt und bestrebt ist, in ihrem Herrschaftsbereich demokratische Strukturen zu etablieren, war gar nicht erst zur Einigungskonferenz eingeladen.
Mit der Gründung der „Anti-Terror-Allianz“ erweitert Riad nun seinen Handlungsspielraum, die eigenen Interessen in der Region – wie derzeit im Jemen – militärisch durchzusetzen. Die damit einhergehende Destabilisierung kann das saudische Königshaus für sich nutzbar machen, um sich als – wie es die Bundesregierung seit Jahren formuliert – „Stabilitätsanker“ in dem selbst gestifteten Chaos zu präsentieren.
http://www.hintergrund.de/201512163784/politik/welt/terrorstaat-gruendet-anti-terror-buendnis.html
16.12.2015 – Watson
Ulrich Tilgner: «Saudi-Arabien ist weltweit einer der Hauptunterstützer radikal-islamischer Strömungen»
Droht der Anti-Terror-Kampf zum Deckmantel für eine Abrechnung mit der Bruderreligion zu werden?
Dieser Bruderkrieg existiert bereits und wird nur weiter angefacht. Es ist ein weiterer Schritt, den Wahhabismus zur dominanten Strömung unter den Sunniten auszubauen. Seit Jahrzehnten finanziert Saudi-Arabien die Ausbreitung dieses Wahhabismus: In den 80er Jahren waren Pakistan und Afghanistan die Hauptziele, später wurde unter den Muslimen auf dem Balkan und in Westeuropa missioniert. In den vergangenen Jahren standen Irak, Nordafrika und Syrien im Zentrum der saudischen Bemühungen. Die neue Allianz ist das Ergebnis einer langjährigen Politik, die nur im Schatten der US-Aussenpolitik so erfolgreich sein konnte.
Rücken wir den Fokus auf Saudi-Arabien selbst: Welche Bevölkerungsgruppen fallen dort – ausser Schiiten – unter den Begriff «Terrorist»?
Schiiten gelten als Abtrünnige, die ihr Leben verwirkt haben. Das erklärt auch das brutale Vorgehen von Polizei und Justiz in Saudi-Arabien. Dort gelten Schiiten offiziell als Staatsbürger, sind aber letztlich Bürger zweiter Klasse. Wie in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten werden Oppositionelle, die für westliche, demokratische Rechte und bürgerliche Freiheit eintreten, immer wieder als Terroristen gebrandmarkt.
Ist Riad denn überhaupt gegen den «IS»?
Sicherlich ist Saudi-Arabien auch gegen den «IS»-Terror. Das liegt daran, dass dieser Wurzeln im Wahhabismus hat, jedoch die Monarchie in Saudi-Arabien nicht akzeptiert.
Immer wieder wird Riad unterstellt, es unterstütze radikale islamische Strömungen – auch in Europa: Was ist da dran?
Saudi-Arabien ist neben den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten, Katar und Kuwait weltweit der Hauptunterstützer radikal-islamischer Strömungen. Diese Staaten und Geldgeber aus diesen Staaten haben auch alles daran gesetzt, die demokratischen Prozesse des «Arabischen Frühlings» abzuwürgen und in den betroffenen Staaten Bürgerkriege anzuzetteln.
Wie eng wird Riad mit seiner Koalition Ihrer Meinung nach mit den USA zusammenarbeiten?
Saudi-Arabien versucht den schleichenden Rückzug der USA aus dem Mittleren Osten zum eigenen Vorteil zu nutzen. Dabei geht es dem Königshaus vor allem darum, die eigene Machtposition zu festigen und auch aussenpolitisch abzusichern. Im Vordergrund der neuen Koalition steht nicht der Kampf gegen den Terror, sondern die Bildung einer von Saudi-Arabien dominierten neuen sunnitischen Staatengruppe mit zum Teil von Riad finanzierten Regimen – Philipp Dahm interviewte Ulrich Tilgner
Großbritannien / Great Britain
17.12.2015 – The Guardian
UK fuelling Yemen civil war with arms sales to Saudi Arabia, says Amnesty
UK government breaches arms trade treaty by selling arms while Yemeni civilians being hit by Saudi-led coalition, say lawyers
UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia are fuelling the civil war in Yemen and breach domestic, European and international law obligations, according to legal opinion obtained by Amnesty and other human rights groups.
The UK government has known for months that the weapons systems it supplied to Saudi forces have been used against civilian targets, the report released on Thursday maintains.
A British-made cruise missile, manufactured by Marconi, destroyed a ceramics factory in a village west of the capital, Sana’a, killing at least one civilian, it was alleged last month.
The legal opinion of Prof Philippe Sands QC, Prof Andrew Clapham and Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh of Matrix Chambers, was commissioned by Amnesty International UK and Saferworld, both members of the Control Arms coalition.
The lawyers argue that, on the basis of the information available, the British government is breaching its obligations under the UK’s consolidated criteria on arms exports, the EU common position on arms exports and the arms trade treaty by continuing to authorise transfers of weapons and related equipment to Saudi Arabia.
The lawyers conclude: “Any authorisation by the UK of the transfer of weapons and related items to Saudi Arabia … in circumstances where such weapons are capable of being used in the conflict in Yemen, including to support its blockade of Yemeni territory, and in circumstances where their end use is not restricted, would constitute a breach by the UK of its obligations under domestic, European and international law.”
The legal opinion also states that the UK government can, since at least May 2015, be deemed to have “actual knowledge ... of the use by Saudi Arabia of weapons, including UK-supplied weapons, in attacks directed against civilians ... in violation of international law.”
The government insists it is not taking part in the military campaign in Yemen.
The director of Amnesty International UK, Kate Allen, said: “The UK has fuelled this appalling conflict through reckless arms sales which break its own laws and the global arms trade treaty it once championed – by Owen Bowcott
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/17/uk-yemen-civil-war-arms-sales-saudi-arabia
See also:
17.12.2015 – The Independent /Newsweek
UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia fuel ongoing Yemen conflict, says Amnesty report – by Conor Gaffey
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/uk-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-fuel-ongoing-yemen-conflict-says-amnesty-report-a6777021.html = http://europe.newsweek.com/amnesty-yemen-report-406290
Comment: Oh, so true. This has at last been raised in political circles in UK, as well as with agencies like Amnesty, HRW and Saferworld. Look at the picture of this bomb - it is in the capital Sana'a - imagine bombs like this going off every twenty minutes or so, day and night, for weeks at a time. Even on the days they don't drop bombs, the warplanes fly low overhead, making everyone feel stressed, wondering if there will be a bomb and if their home will be the target. Saada received 42,500 air to ground missiles in the first 250 days of conflict - everything in the city has been flattened. Why are we selling this non-democratic nation with no accountability munitions worth £1.75 billion pounds? Just think about what I am saying. And repeat after me - Yemen's children and only children. Yemen's women are just like mothers, sisters, daughters, wives everywhere. Most of Yemen's men have never fought in any war, nor ever threatened anyone; they are students, engineers, teachers, painters and decorators, truck drivers, journalists, nurses and doctors, accountants, factory workers, salesmen, agricultural workers, gardeners, cooks, waiters, market traders, potters, artists, security guards - just like men everywhere in the world. Can you understand why this is so barbaric and unfair? Yemenis didn't know there were at war nor at threat of war until one night in March, the went to bed as normal and in the middle of that night they were awoken to the sound of terrible bombs falling close to their homes, an experience that has not stopped until this day. Imagine this happening to you and your family, and ask, why Yemen????
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1074349412717549
17.12.2015 - BBC Newsnight
UK arms sales to Yemen - Newsnight
There is a very real prospect of the government being taken to court over sales of weapons to Saudi Arabia. The country is leading a coalition in Yemen against rebel fighters in a conflict which has cost almost six thousand lives, including many civilians. Gabriel Gatehouse reports.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ehiYcSUwc (blocked? and https://www.facebook.com/yemen.crisis/posts/541193276046913
16.12.2015 – They work for you
Oral Answers to Questions — International Development – in the House of Commons at 11:30 am on 16th December 2015.
Minister Desmond Swayne answering to questions of Members of Parliament
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, Shadow SNP Westminster Group Leader (Trade and Investment):
What discussions has the Minister had with the Foreign Office about concerning reports from Amnesty International and others that British-made weapons sold to Saudi Arabia are being used in the conflict, in breach of human rights laws?
Desmond Swayne, The Minister of State, Department for International Development:
The UK has the toughest standards for the export of weapons. The hon. Lady should be aware that the coalition is acting in support of the legitimate Government of Yemen after an illegal coup by an armed—[Interruption]—force.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2015-12-16a.1538.8&p=10580
Commentary: A strange debate – questions showing that The MPs don’t have any idea what is happening in the country they are speaking about – and a minister giving stupid answers in the manner: Everything is quite nice. The only really fitting question is stated above, the answer is as ignorant as always.
16.12.2015 – The Telegraph
Britain told to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia
Hilary Benn, shadow foreign secretary, calls for the government to launch “immediate review of arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia” as Gulf country implicated in civilian deaths across Yemen
Calls were growing on Wednesday night for Britain to open an investigation into the legality of its arms sales to Saudi Arabia as the Gulf country was implicated in civilian deaths across Yemen.
Hilary Benn, shadow foreign secretary, has called for the government to launch “an immediate review of arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia” in light of reports of potential breaches of international humanitarian law by the Saudi military, which involve the use of British supplied weapons.
The Prime Minister is facing an outcry from aid agencies and a rift in his own government over his continued backing for Saudi Arabia's role in the conflict, in which nearly 6,000 people have died.
Last night, a legal opinion published by a team of leading human rights lawyers said the British government was breaking national, EU and international law and policy by continuing to supply weapons to its Gulf ally.
In their opinion, Philippe Sands QC, Andrew Clapham and Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh of Matrix Chambers concluded that the British government was likely to have "actual knowledge ... of the use by Saudi Arabia of weapons, including UK-supplied weapons, in attacks directed against civilians and civilians objects, in violation of international law", since at least May 2015.
According to reports, 50 per cent of the warplanes being used are British-made Tornadoes and Eurofighters.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/yemen/12055036/Britain-told-to-halt-arms-sales-to-Saudi-Arabia.html?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_pq_fb_20150423 see also http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/call-to-halt-british-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-amid-yemen-conflict-34294235.html
Comment: Why have they waited so long? The 'almost incomprehensible suffering' statement was made four months ago.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1074045552747935
Comment: As if the British government didn't know already. They knew all along what was happening. Philip Hammond when challenged at the beginning of the war said something like, well, when we sell weapons, we expect that they will be used to kill, that's what weapons are for.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1074026542749836
Deutschland / Germany
17.12.2015 – Kath.ch
Kirchen: Keine deutschen Waffen mehr nach Saudi-Arabien
Die beiden grossen Kirchen Deutschlands fordern einen Stopp von deutschen Waffenlieferungen nach Saudi-Arabien. In ihrem am Donnerstag, 17. Dezember, in Berlin vorgestellten Rüstungsexportbericht verweisen sie auf eine instabile Gesamtsituation in dem Land und in der Region. Laut dem Bericht gehört Deutschland weiterhin zu den weltweit grössten Waffenexporteuren.
In der Studie der Gemeinsamen Konferenz Kirche und Entwicklung (GKKE) ist von einer «katastrophalen Menschenrechtslage» die Rede. Ausserdem seien saudische Truppen in die Kämpfe im benachbarten Jemen verstrickt. So hätten Milizen dort deutsche G3-Sturmgewehre verteilt, die von saudischen Militärflugzeugen abgeworfen worden seien. Vermutlich stammten die Waffen nicht aus Deutschland selbst, sondern aus saudischer Lizenzproduktion. «Es bestehen ernsthafte Zweifel daran, dass die saudische Regierung an einer dauerhaften Befriedung der Region interessiert ist», fasst der Bericht zusammen.
Den Angaben zufolge erteilte die deutsche Bundesregierung im vergangenen Jahr Ausfuhrgenehmigungen im Gesamtwert von 6,52 Milliarden Euro. Dazu gehören Einzelausfuhrgenehmigungen in Höhe von 3,974 Milliarden Euro. In der Rangliste der Empfängerländer der geplanten Lieferungen steht Saudi-Arabien mit 209 Millionen Euro auf Platz 6.
Schweiz / Switzerland
17.12.2015 – Workzeitung
Die autorisierten Lieferungen von Schweizer Waffen an Saudiarabien sind in voller Blüte. Die Saudis führen einen schrecklichen Vernichtungskrieg in Jemen, dem wöchentlich Hunderte von Familien zum Opfer fallen.
WAFFENSCHIEBER. Es gab ein Hin und Her: Im März 2009 verbot der Bundesrat den Export von Kriegsmaterial nach Saudiarabien. Helvetische Mowag-Panzer mit saudischer Besatzung schlugen trotzdem den demokratischen Volksaufstand im benachbarten Bahrain nieder. Dann mobilisierte die inländische Waffenlobby, angeführt von der Rheinmetall Air Defence AG aus Zürich. Das Seco knickte ein und gestattete wieder Exporte nach Saudiarabien.
Bis zum jüngsten Positionswechsel: Nach den massiven saudischen Bombardements von Wohnvierteln in den jemenitischen Städten Aden und Sanaa sprach das Staatssekretariat ein neues Verbot aus. Trotzdem geht der Waffenexport weiter, weil sogenannte Nachlieferungen (Ersatzteile usw.) aufgrund bestehender Verträge erlaubt sind.
Die helvetischen Waffenschieber stehen auf der Liste der Lieferungen an Saudiarabien mit jährlich 120 Millionen Franken hinter den USA und Grossbritannien an dritter Stelle. Patrick Walder von Amnesty International sagt, Lieferungen von Schweizer Waffensystemen an «ein Land, das im Verdacht steht, im Jemen Kriegsverbrechen zu verüben» seien «ein Skandal». Amnesty hat recht – von Jean Ziegler
http://www.workzeitung.ch/tiki-view_articles.php?articleId=2540&topic=2
Propaganda
17.12.2015 – Middle East Online
Yemen’s Huthi rebels deliberately hampering Switzerland peace talks
Yemen peace talks are struggling in Switzerland after Iran-backed rebels’ refusal to free senior government officials.
Iran-backed Huthis are deliberately hampering UN-sponsored Yemeni peace talks in Switzerland in a bid to end nearly nine months of fighting that has killed over 5,800 people and displaced millions.
Peace talks began on Tuesday in Switzerland, but appear to be making no progress Huthi rebels rejected government demands to release senior officials, including Defence Minister Mahmoud al-Subaihi and Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's brother, Nasser.
Subaihi and Nasser Mansour Hadi, who was responsible for intelligence operations in the provinces of Aden, Lahej and Abyan, have been held by the Huthis since March.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=74423
Kommentar: Vorwürfe an die Huthis, sie würden die Friedensgespräche blockieren, weil sie zwei hochrangige Figuren der Gegenseite, die sie gefangen halten, nicht freilassen – wohl doch etwas abwegig. Warum sollten sie sie freilassen? Was bietet die Gegenseite dafür? Interessant der gedankliche Ansatz: Wenn die Gegenseite unseren Wünschen nicht entspricht, behindert sie die Friedengespräche. In solchen Friedengesprächen wird es ständig Meinungsverschiedenheiten geben, sonst hätte man ja auch kaum Krieg geführt. Das Ganze wird darum hier unter Propaganda abgebucht. Der Artikel geht so weiter, Vorwürfe an die Huthis, sie hätten den Waffenstillstand gebrochen. Dass das beide Seiten gleichermaßen tun: egal.
Flüchtlinge / Refugees
17.12.2015 – Huffington Post
Eritrea and Yemen Highlight Variance in Refugee Motivations and Solutions
Conditions in Eritrea are just that bad. But Yemeni refugees may soon outnumber Eritrean ones, for different reasons, calling for distinct approaches to each refugee crisis.
Yemen's internally displaced population has quickly expanded from a few hundred thousand to 1.5 million. Some say that the war in five months has left Yemen looking like Syria after five years. So far, about 100,000 people have fled the country, 60,000 of which are East Africans returning home. Much poorer and further south than Syria, Yemenis have been largely unable to join Syrians on their passage to Europe. But dangerous routes out of Eritrea may soon expand to accommodate millions of Yemenis with nowhere else to turn.
Yemen has undeniably become a war zone; its refugees are fleeing to save their lives and their futures, with a different kind of mortal urgency than that which spurs Eritrean refugees (who, in the words of one UN spokesman, are "voting with their feet"). Both groups seek and deserve safe haven, but for different geopolitical reasons: while Yemeni refugees should be welcomed in order to minimize human tragedy while the war travels its rickety course of violence and diplomatic setbacks, Eritrean refugees should be welcomed in order to strengthen international opposition to the Eritrean regime and politically embolden its diaspora – by Kerry Marttin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kerry-martin/eritrea-and-yemen-highlig_b_8820310.html
Terrorismus / Terrorism
16.12.2015 – NJ.com
N.J. man held in Yemen as terrorist gets 10 years for killing guard
A 32-year-old New Jersey man once suspected by officials in Yemen of being a member of al Qaeda was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for killing a security guard while imprisoned there, reports say.
Sharif Mobley shot the guard in March 2010 when the man left his gun unattended as he prepared to pray, according to DailyMail.com.
Mobley was at the Yemeni hospital after being shot in the leg when he was being one of 11 terror suspects rounded up by masked men, according to Guardian.com.
Though the terror charges were later dropped, Mobley has been held in a prison and later a military base in the war-torn nation since being captured after the shooting. He could have received the death penalty.
The father of three moved to Yemen around 2008 to strengthen his Muslim faith, according to Reuters. He has repeatedly denied being an al Qaeda militant and has not been accused by authorities in the U.S. or Yemen of attempting to make a bomb or attack a nuclear plant.
17.12.2015 – Business Insider
ISIS is steadily gaining strength in another Middle Eastern country while everyone looks the other way
(see above at “Most important”)
http://www.businessinsider.de/isis-in-yemen-2015-12?r=US&IR=T
17.12.2015 - Near Eastern Outlook
ISIS’ Financial Sources
Information published recently by The Independent has revealed that the ISIS terrorist group operating in Iraq and Syria receive substantial funds through a “sophisticated money laundering scheme”. These funds are partly generated by shady transactions carried out in the south of the UK with banking services provided on the phone and the import of cars from England to Africa.
On October 16 this year, The Financial Times told the world about their investigations into ISIS’ financial sources, noting that after more than one year and 10.5 thousand airstrikes since the beginning of the West’s anti-terrorist campaign, the result has been the complete failure of US efforts to undermine the financial income of the terrorist group.
There are many different testimonies regarding the sources of ISIS financing. According to experts, despite the fact that ISIS positions itself as a political and religious organization, in fact, it functions as a criminal organization, and its main sources of income comprise tribute, smuggling, illegal oil sales and other types of crime. It is also mentioned that in Iraq and Syria the organization resorts to bank robberies, kidnapping and extortion after taking hostages as sources of income.
On February 18, 2015, Mohammed al-Hakim, the representative of Iraq to the United Nations, said that the “Islamic State” has been killing people to sell their organs. According to him, in the mass graves of ISIS victims, bodies of people have been found with signs of surgery. These people were missing kidneys and other internal organs.
ISIS also gains income from drug trafficking. According to Viktor Ivanov, the head of the Federal Drug Control Service in Russia, ISIS’ annual income from the transit of heroin from Afghanistan to Europe is up to one billion dollars.
However, most experts are now inclined to assume that the main source of ISIS’ income is smuggling oil and oil products from the occupied oil fields and refining capacities through Turkish, Kurdish and Jordanian intermediaries. They are sold at the cost 2-3 times lower than the global price. Every day, ISIS receives 3-3.5 million dollars into its budget. The ISIS’ oil business was established as a “National Oil Corporation.” Even warring Syrian rebels do not disdain to purchase ISIS products.
Lack of any radical steps and measures by the West and, above all, the United States to curb ISIS’ oil “business” through Turkey, Ukraine and several other states of the Middle East region, to a certain extent, can be explained by several factors - by Vladimir Odintsov
http://journal-neo.org/2015/11/03/isis-financial-sources/
16.12.2015 – RT
Trotz oder wegen Saudi-Arabien? "Islamischer Staat" etabliert sich immer mehr im Jemen (Film)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykxGxy_2pJo
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-68: / Yemen Press reader 1-68:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
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