Greuel in Aden
1.8.2015 – Vice News
The Siege of Aden
VICE News filmmaker Medyan Dairieh spent two weeks in Yemen's seaport city of Aden. Surrounded by Houthi militia rebels and under siege "from air, land, and sea," Adenis the focal point of the Yemeni Southern Resistance.
Amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis, enduring the chaos of near-constant shelling and menace of snipers, he films with refugees, local politicians, and a training camp teaching young Yemenis to continue fighting the Houthi forces.
Dairieh also visits the frontlines, where his group comes under incoming fire. The conflict is also taking its toll on innocent children and in a Médecins Sans Frontières hospital we witness the graphic cost of war.
https://news.vice.com/video/the-siege-of-aden mit Bericht https://news.vice.com/article/under-fire-inside-the-siege-of-aden
Allgemein
6.8.2015 – Foreign Policy in Focus
Saudi Arabia Adds Insult to Injury in Yemen
The Saudis are wreaking wholesale destruction in Yemen –b y Russ Wellen
http://fpif.org/saudi-arabia-adds-insult-to-injury-in-yemen/
5.8.2015 – UNO
UN envoy on Yemen presses on towards political solution with meetings in Cairo
The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen met with officials in Cairo as part of the ongoing efforts to reach a political solution to a conflict that has led to just over 1,900 civilian deaths since fighting erupted in March and caused almost 100,000 people to flee the country.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed met with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, with whom he exchanged views on the situation in Yemen and the peace process, UN spokesperson Ahmad Fawzi told reporters in Geneva.
http://www.un.org.za/un-envoy-on-yemen-presses-on-towards-political-solution-with-meetings-in-cairo/
5.8.2015 – Mother Jones
American Weapons and Support Are Fueling a Bloody Air War in Yemen
The United States is backing a Saudi-led campaign that's killed more than 1,600 civilians.
The United States maintains that it plays a noncombat advisory role in Yemen. Yet one day after the Saudi-led air campaign, dubbed Operation Decisive Storm, was launched on March 26, the Pentagon announced the expansion of its role by providing Saudi Arabia with bombs, aerial refueling, logistics support, and intelligence—including live feeds from surveillance flights "to help Saudi Arabia decide what and where to bomb." Additionally, the United States has equipped Saudi Arabia with billions of dollars worth of weaponry, including bombs and fighter jets.
So far, it is unknown who built or provided the bombs dropped on Mokha in July. "There are very few remnants left on the ground after these air strikes," making it difficult to accurately identify the weapons, says Ole Solvang, a senior emergencies researcher at HRW. (A State Department official confirms that the United States provided support in the July 24 attack, but did not provide details of the type of support.)
Saudi Arabia is currently the world's largest importer of American arms. According to the Congressional Research Service, Washington and Riyadh inked $90 billion in weapons sales between 2010 and 2014, including the transfer of fighter jets, attack helicopters, missile defense systems, armored vehicles, and missiles and bombs. A 2010 deal worth $29 billion included 84 new F-15SA jets, and thousands of bombs to be loaded onto them. In April, a State Department official told Defense News that the United States is "making every effort to expedite security assistance to [Saudi] coalition forces."
Just two days after HRW accused Saudi Arabia of human rights violations, two new arms deals between the Saudis and United States were announced. One was for $500 million worth of explosives, detonators, fuses, and guided missile systems. … The sale, US officials noted, would help "promote stability within the region."
Asked what preventative measures the United States is taking to mitigate potential casualties in Yemen, the official, who asked to remain unnamed, says, "Since the start of military operations in Yemen, we have called upon all sides to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, including by taking all feasible measures to minimize harm to civilians." … The Obama administration has downplayed concerns about civilian casualties from coalition bombing
The Obama administration has downplayed concerns about civilian casualties from coalition bombing
Meanwhile, the administration has been making new arms deals with coalition members, which include some the largest recipients of US weapons and security assistance. In late May, the Pentagon announced a new $1.9 billion arms deal to Saudi Arabia that included 10 MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopters, 38 Hellfire missiles, and 380 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System rockets. Not long afterwards, an arms deal was reached with the UAE for more than 1,000 guided bomb units for use in Yemen and against ISIS. Notably, that deal includes the sale of MK84 bombs, which contain more than 800 pounds of high explosive.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/saudi-arabia-yemen-civilian-casualties
5.8.2015 – Huffington Post
As War Ravages Yemen, Former President Has Never Left The Scene
Ali Abdullah Saleh speaks exclusively to HuffPost Arabi.
Yemen’s former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh says he is working to bring his successor and former deputy, President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, to trial at The Hague for his role in the deadly violence raging in Yemen. In an exclusive interview with HuffPost Arabi, which is translated into English and published in full below, Yemen's former president weighed in on his political future and the conflict currently ravaging his country.
aleh, who was forced to hand over the reins of power in 2012 after mass protests against his rule, threw his weight behind the Houthis, his former enemies, after their uprising gained momentum in 2014. Now, it appears the former autocratic leader is positioning himself to emerge even stronger from a crisis he helped create.
Notorious for his willingness to make deals with anyone, and sacrifice anything, for his own political survival, the former president used his influence among large pockets of the security forces to help the rebels overrun the capital, put Hadi under house arrest, and, after his escape, pursue Hadi to the southern port city of Aden.
As the rebels closed in, Hadi fled the country, prompting a coalition led by Saudi Arabia to launch airstrikes in March aiming to push back the Houthis and reinstall Hadi’s government.
Ever a master of expedient political alliances, Saleh told HuffPost Arabi that Hadi “betrayed” Yemen by asking for Saudi intervention, and calls his former ally Saudi Arabia a “ruthless murder machine” that is “no longer a friend.” – by Charlotte Alfred
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ali-abdullah-saleh-interview_55c21fa0e4b0138b0bf484da
5.8.2015 – Ashharq al Afsat
Yemen: Aden international airport could resume flights within days, says official
Yemen Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin says Iran now abandoning Houthis following nuclear deal
Plans are now in place to fully reopen Aden’s international airport in southern Yemen within days, an airport official told Asharq Al-Awsat. Abdul Raqib Al-Amri, the airport’s deputy general manager, said work was now ongoing to restart commercial flights to and from the airport. Two terminals at the airport were now being prepared to receive passengers and said 80 percent of the work needed had already been completed.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday, Yemen’s Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin said Iran’s relationship with the Shi’ite Houthis was now disintegrating. “The Iranians now have a real problem,” he said, since the nuclear agreement with world powers on July 14 in Vienna now puts pressure on Tehran to sever ties with the Houthis. The Houthis were now “viewed by Tehran as an undisciplined force due to their inability to fulfill the Iranian plan to take over the Yemeni state.”
Kommentar: Wenn man die Beziehung Irans zu den Huthis erst maßlos übertreibt, wie von saudischer seite stets geschehen, kann man jetzt auch noch etwas aus der eigenen Propaganda zaubern.
4.8.2015 – Junge Welt
Jemen: Einseitige Aggression
Ein Mandat der Vereinten Nationen gibt es für die saudische Militärintervention nicht einmal näherungsweise. Eine Aggression, gar ein Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit oder wenigstens ein ernsthaftes Diskussionsthema stellt sie nach Ansicht des UN-Sicherheitsrats trotzdem nicht dar. Dem vorherrschenden internationalen Verständnis von Recht und Legitimität zufolge darf jede Regierung, ob demokratisch gewählt oder selbsternannt, die Streitkräfte anderer Staaten ins Land rufen, um Krieg gegen Teile ihrer Bevölkerung zu führen. Den Sicherheitsrat geht das grundsätzlich nichts an.
Dementsprechend sind die in diesem Jahr verhängten Sanktionen und Strafmaßnahmen einseitig und ausschließlich gegen die schiitische Minderheit und gegen jene Teile des Militärs gerichtet, die den früheren Präsidenten Saleh unterstützen. Während Saudi-Arabien, die USA, die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate und andere Staaten ihre Verbündeten im jemenitischen Bürgerkrieg mit Militärgütern überschwemmen, hat der Sicherheitsrat gegen deren Gegner im April ein totales Waffenembargo verhängt. Die schiitische Ansarolla soll »sofort und bedingungslos« alle von ihren Streitkräften eingenommenen Gebiete, einschließlich der Hauptstadt Sanaa, räumen. Dass dann wahrscheinlich Al-Qaida und IS in das Vakuum nachrücken würden, scheint den Sicherheitsrat nicht beschäftigt zu haben. Wegen der Einseitigkeit des Waffenembargos enthielt sich Russland bei der Abstimmung.
https://www.jungewelt.de/2015/08-04/049.php
4.8.2015 – Business Insider
Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen is a tragic blunder
The leader of the Zaydi Houthi rebels, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, acknowledged the Saudis and their allies had retaken the southern port of Aden but said "the enemy threw all their weight to gain a limited achievement."
Abdul-Malek accused the Saudis and their ally, President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, of working with both Israel and the Islamic State to take Aden. He called for an internal Yemeni political solution to the war.
Former President Saleh, in an interview, went further and called Hadi a traitor for backing the Saudis – by Bruce Riedel
http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabias-war-in-yemen-is-a-tragic-blunder-2015-8?IR=T
4.8.2015 – The Week
It's a humanitarian disaster. But it also illustrates the increasingly obvious downsides to America's close relationship with Saudi Arabia. By not pushing the Saudis to back off, or even speaking out on their mistake, America is setting the stage for future disasters.
The Saudis insist that this is all part of a regional Sunni-Shiite rivalry, a response to Shiite-dominated Iran's longstanding support for the Houthis. While that may have been true in the past, Iran reportedly urged the Houthis not to make a bid for power, worrying it would be a distraction from Iran's nuclear negotiations with the U.S. and other world powers. At any rate, whatever support Iran has given the Houthis is nothing compared to the current Saudi intervention.
In many ways this mirrors the situation in Iraq. Yemen has been chronically unstable for years, beset by corrupt government, repeated armed uprisings, and the poisonous legacy of Western colonialism. Yet foreign intervention, supposedly to help "stabilize" the country, is doing little but dragging out the conflict while causing mass suffering and death.
Perhaps the most jarring result of the Saudi intervention is that it has been a major boon to the local branch of al Qaeda. It has been able to operate openly in eastern Yemen, and seized control of Yemen's fifth-largest city in April, freeing hundreds of prisoners and stealing millions in cash.
And that in turn raises the question: Just what benefit is the U.S. getting from its support of the Saudi regime? Back in the days when huge gobs of Saudi cash were fueling bin Laden's rise to power, the answer was obvious: oil. However, since the fracking revolution, U.S. imports of Saudi oil have declined by 50 percent. But we're still effectively allowing them to smash a Muslim nation, starve its population, and create a haven for al Qaeda in the process. Why? – by Ryan Cooper
http://theweek.com/articles/569783/enabling-terrible-mistake-yemen = https://lockerdome.com/7226133964010561/7912059937502484
4.8.2015 – Global Research
Yemen: US-Backed Saudi Coalition Recklessly Killing Civilians, US Mainstream Media Nowhere to Be Seen
As an organization committed to speaking out against reckless US militarism, this aggression against Yemen is a prime example of how the US perpetuates war without having soldiers on the ground or leading the charge. The mainstream media has also continually covered the ongoing violence of ISIS against civilians, ultimately helping the expanding breadth and power of US military involvement in the region. In the case of Yemen, however, US mainstream media is nowhere to be seen despite US involvement, the high civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis now plaguing the country.
This increased lack of regard for human life and an adoption of the rhetoric of the “War on Terror” by the Saudi coalition only serves to upend an already unstable region. As the US now wages proxy wars through support of allies like Saudi Arabia and the mainstream media continues to ignore this impending crisis, it is more important than ever to focus on how the US military industrial complex continues to impact civilians around the world. And we intend to keep up that conversation and pressure and we know you will be with there with us – by Iraq Veterans of War
3.8.2015 – Los Angeles Times
A cry from the heart in Yemen: 'We are a nation of bereaved'
In the last four months of devastating war in my country, and in my years as a journalist before this conflict began, I have seen and written about many terrible things. But nothing prepared me for this. On July 24, my uncle, my aunt and their five children – the oldest of them 16 and the youngest 5 – died in a barrage of airstrikes in the port city of Makha, in Taiz province, a bombardment that killed some 80 people in all. My aunt was six months pregnant with what would have been their sixth child.
All over Yemen there are people like me, who have suffered the loss of a loved one – or of a whole family dear to them. The air war that began on March 26, when a Saudi-led military coalition commenced its offensive against Shiite Muslim Houthi rebels and their allies, has killed more than 3,000 people, by the estimates of international groups. Many believe the real figure is much higher. So we are a nation of bereaved, trying to make sense of our overpowering grief – by Zaid Al-Alayaa
http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-yemen-nation-of-bereaved-20150802-story.html
2.8.2015 – National Interest
The Saudis’ Unconscionable War in Yemen
Saudi Arabia is tearing a nation apart and empowering Al Qaeda. So why is America onboard?
A nation with imperial ambitions is sowing chaos in the Middle East. Its tendrils have extended to another country’s civil war where, thanks to its terrorist-allied proxies on the ground, it could very well consume another regional capital. Its bombs seem to target civilians indiscriminately and have created a humanitarian crisis that the world community is struggling to alleviate.
This is usually when an interlude is scheduled so neoconservatives can make yelping noises about Iran. But in this case, the culprits aren’t Tehran and Bashar al Assad. The meddling nation is our good friend Saudi Arabia and the civil war in question is in Yemen.
Throughout all this, there’s one region of Yemen that’s been left almost entirely unmolested by the Saudis: Hadramawt Governorate, in the eastern hinterlands. There, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has set up shop with relatively little resistance, seizing the capital city of Al Mukalla and the local airport. It’s used Hadramawt as a base of operations from which to plan attacks on the Houthis and, presumably, given AQAP’s extensive terrorism résumé, the United States.
“The bombing has only achieved one thing,” one Yemeni told Vanessa Beeley, “and that is to further strengthen these extremist groups in Yemen.” Yet the Saudis seem remarkably untroubled by the flourishing Al Qaeda presence in their backyard—to the point that AQAP extremists have fought alongside Saudi-backed militants and the group’s black flag has been spotted on pickup trucks motoring around Aden. It’s eerily similar to Syria, where the Saudis have worked openly with the Al Qaeda–linked Nusra Front to challenge Assad.
As in Syria, Saudi Arabia’s impetus in Yemen is to counter Iran, which it believes is providing the Houthis with weapons and training. Tehran’s level of intimacy with the Shia Houthis remains murky, but what is known is that aversion to Iran has burrowed so deeply into the Saudi psyche as to border on paranoia.
The Saudis view Yemen as the latest battleground in their Sunni-Shia cold war with Iran. And America is onboard, addled by nightmares of a revived Persian Empire. Why has the Saudi campaign in Yemen not elicited the same condemnation as Bashar al-Assad’s killing of his people? One of the reasons is that Assad is tied to Iran and the Saudis are countering Iran. This bias, hardwired into American foreign policy, has led us to support a war that’s chopping apart civilians and empowering Al Qaeda. Writing for this website, I’m obligated to note: this is not in our national interest.
There’s a grand irony here that can’t be ignored. The Houthis militarized in 2004 in part because they came to believe that Saudi Wahhabis, who had come south ten years earlier to fight in Yemen’s previous civil war, were integrated too deeply into society while the impoverished Shia north was neglected. Today we’re trying to beat them back—with more Saudi meddling that’s inflicting more poverty – by Matt Purple
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-saudis%E2%80%99-unconscionable-war-yemen-13470
1.8.2015 – Open Democracy
Humanitarian pauses in Yemen?
n the past 126 days since the coalition bombing started and a little longer since the ground war has been in full force, three ‘humanitarian pauses’ have been announced. None of them had any significant impact on the ground, though the first saw a reduction in fighting allowing for more humanitarian aid convoys to travel in the country.
While control and checking of ships trying to bring basic supplies of food, medicines and fuel has been relaxed in recent weeks, ships landing are far fewer than needed, and are queuing in the Red Sea or waiting in Djibouti.
Meanwhile on 1 July, the UN system declared a ‘level 3 emergency response’ something it only does in extreme circumstances, reflecting the desperation of the situation, which is indeed shocking. Senior UN officials are exhausting the diplomatic vocabulary for disastrous situations, trying to find words which might on the one hand influence the fighting groups to respect international humanitarian law, and on the other persuade the international community to finance urgently needed basic assistance.
Taking the most basic needs: Yemen normally imports about 80% of its basic food supplies, particularly its main staples, wheat [90%] rice [100%] sugar [100%] tea [100%]. In the first 3 months of the war, the country imported only 25% of its food needs, while local production suffered from the massive fuel shortages which prevented transport of locally produced food to the areas where it is most needed as well as irrigation for vegetable cultivation.
While many initially wondered why the pause did not take effect since Hadi and the Saudis had agreed to it, the answer became evident on 13 July when the military stalemate was broken with the launch of the Golden Arrow offensive by combined naval Emirati forces with Yemeni landed troops and the continuation of Saudi strikes on Aden. Again one was left speculating about the relationship between events in Yemen and the Iranian nuclear talks as this breakthrough took place just the day after the signature of the Geneva agreement. While fighting in Aden continued for well over a week and, at the time of writing there are still Huthi/Saleh snipers in action, the airport was re-opened and by July 22, planes with military and humanitarian assistance started landing, despite the occasional Huthi/Saleh shelling from about 20km away. Some ministers have returned to Aden and the UN has sent many senior officials who returned with harrowing reports about the abysmal conditions and very heavy death toll prevailing in the ruins of what was once Yemen’s second city and an earlier capital.
While all this is going on there are some very slight hints of hope, mostly around a series of secret meetings taking place very quietly in a number of locations including Muscat, Cairo, Amman and Moscow. These have variously included senior Huthis, senior GPC members close to Saleh, representatives of Hadi, with Iranians, Americans and other diplomats. There have even been rumours [promptly denied] of meetings between Saleh representatives and US and UK diplomats. Certainly these are a long way from achieving results and in the case of the Huthis’ meetings in Muscat happened without Saleh’s say-so, something which he complained about publicly in interviews, and is yet another hint of the stresses in that alliance.
However it is far too early to hope for its breakdown as both sides need each other and share one common objective, preventing the establishment of a federal state and the return of forces supporting the GCC agreement and transition started in 2011, and which they interrupted by their coups de force from mid-2014 onwards – by Helen Lackner
https://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-awakening/helen-lackner/humanitarian-pauses-in-yemen
1.8.2015 – Sputnik News
US Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia Contributing to Conflict in Yemen
Experts claim that the United States’ weapons and logistical support for Saudi Arabia’s military campaign in Yemen signals that Washington is backing Riyadh’s goal to crush Houthi rebels despite UN calls for a political solution
“The Saudis want an extended war that leads to a Houthi defeat, and the United States is effectively backing that strategy with the arms deal,”
“The Saudis don’t want a political settlement; they want a Houthi surrender,”
“The new sale by the United States of $500 million of munitions to Saudi Arabia is yet another example of how America is actually an active combatant in the Saudi war on the people of Yemen,”
“Whether the US munitions are distributed by Riyadh for use by its Yemeni proxy forces or by the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] itself, the effect is similar: the United States is contributing actively to the deaths of more Yemenis
http://sputniknews.com/analysis/20150801/1025284413.html = http://www.blacklistednews.com/US_Arms_Sales_to_Saudi_Arabia_Contributing_to_Conflict_in_Yemen/45381/0/38/38/Y/M.html
30.7.2015 – Telepolis
USA: Neues Waffengeschäft mit Saudi-Arabien. Verhandelt wird der Verkauf von 600 Patriot-Raketen im Wert von 5, 4 Milliarden Dollar
Die Formulierung der Reuters-Meldung ist vorsichtig: Das amerikanische Außenministerium habe einem möglichen Waffenverkauf an Saudi-Arabien die Bewilligung erteilt. Der Deal selbst ist nicht gerade von Vorsicht geprägt.
Es geht um den Verkauf von Patriot-Raketen neuerer Bauart, mit Empfehlung des Herstellers: "Lockheed Martin unterstützt die US-Regierung und das saudi-arabische Königreich bei Gesprächen über einen möglichen Verkauf von zusätzlichen PAC-3-Raketen, um die saudische Flugabwehr zu modernisieren."
Saudi-Arabien hat Patriot-Raketen bereits im Jemen eingesetzt, um Scud-Raketen abzuschießen. Nun könnte man argumentieren, dass dies eine defensive Aktion sei, wie generell die militärische Einmischung Saudi-Arabiens im Jemen aus einer Verteidigungshaltung heraus geschieht: um der Machtpolitik Irans zu begegnen, da Iran die Huthi militärisch unterstützt.
Dies würde allerdings die aktive Rolle des Königreichs im jemenitischen Kriegsgeschehen reichlich herunterspielen, durch die Mitwirkung Saudi-Arabiens hat sich der Konflikt verschärft. Saudi-Arabien bildet im eigenen Land Kämpfer in Boot-Camps aus. Bombenangriffe der saudischen Luftwaffe auf Ziele im Jemen treffen auch, wie jüngst, Wohngebiete. Mit einer rein defensiven Rolle ist das alles nicht zu umschreiben.
Spekuliert wird, dass Saudi-Arabien 600 neue Patriotraketen - sowie Munition im Wert von einer halben Milliarde Dollar - erhält, weil die USA damit kompensieren, dass das iranische Raketenarsenal in der Wiener Atomvereinbarung nicht vorkommt. Mit solchen Kompensationsgeschäften wird dem Wettrüsten im Nahen Osten zugearbeitet.
Der Kongress hat das letzte Wort zum Verkauf der Raketen. Es ist davon auszugehen, dass die Mehrheit der Republikaner zustimmt. – von Thomas Pany
http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/45/45584/1.html
29.7.2015 – Linksnet
Nahost im 21. Jahrhundert: Kampf der Religionen?
Im Jahre fünf nach den arabischen Revolten sieht die arabische Welt erschreckend aus: Staaten wie Irak und Libyen sind zusammengebrochen, Jemen und Syrien und vielleicht auch Libanon auf dem Weg dahin. Eine nicht mehr überschaubare Zahl von Banden, die sich auf die Religion berufen, verbreiten Angst und Schrecken – bis in die Kanzleien des Westens. Die USA stehen nicht mehr an der vordersten Front der kaum mehr zählbaren bewaffneten Konflikte, die die Region wie ein Flächenbrand überziehen. Die Zeit nach der Arabellion wurde zum Kampfplatz der innerarabischen Rivalitäten unter Einschluss der Türkei.
Als mit dem realen Zusammenbruch des Sozialismus dem Westen dessen Feind und Feindbild zugleich abhanden gekommen waren, lieferte Huntingtons Clash of Civilizations die Blaupause für die Kriege der Zukunft – die Bedrohung des Westens durch den Islam, denn:„Islam has bloody borders.“ Die Attraktivität der Huntington’schen Thesen besteht darin, dass sie eine rationale Erklärung von Konflikten vermeiden und die Frage nach Interessen unterschlagen. Stattdessen werden sie als gewissermaßen schicksalhaft erklärt, wie der Verweis Huntingtons auf die Exemplarität der tektonischen Platten belegt
Lange vor Huntingtons wirkmächtiger Erfindung des Clash of Civilizations hatte Saudi-Arabien begonnen, die Religion als Instrument seiner Außenpolitik zu nutzen. …
Der Kampf gegen das herrschende, den USA willfährige Regime von Präsident Ali Abdullah Saleh war auch in Jemen zugleich ein Kampf gegen das soziale Elend und die krassen regionalen Disparitäten. Die sozialen Spannungen, die sich schon seit Jahren in Entführungen und Lösegeldforderungen (meist für den Aufbau von Schulen, Straßen und Krankenstationen) geäußert hatten, schlugen nun um in einen militärischen Konflikt, in dem Stammeskrieger der zaiditischen (schiitischen) Huthi aus dem bitterarmen Norden schließlich die Hauptstadt Sana besetzten und den amtierenden Präsidenten Abdu Mansur Hadi in die Flucht nach Saudi-Arabien schlugen. Gegen ihre früheren Verbündeten im Krieg gegen das nasseristische Ägypten führen die Saudis nun einen unbarmherzigen Bombenkrieg, unterstützt von einer aus zehn Staaten bestehenden Koalition, der sich außer den Mitgliedern des Golfkooperationsrats auch die Königreiche Jordanien und Marokko sowie Ägypten angeschlossen haben, das so für die saudische Unterstützung des Militärputsches bezahlt.
Die Zugehörigkeit der Huthis zur schiitischen Konfession ermöglicht es, diesen im Kern sozialen Konflikt auf die Ebene des Kampfes der Konfessionen zu heben, wurden seitens der Golfdespotien doch schon die Aufstände des Jahres 2011 in Bahrain als von Teheran instrumentalisiert dargestellt. Dies passte hervorragend in das damalige Bild von Freund und Feind: Iran war der große Böse, Assad und die Hizbullah seine regionalen Stellvertreter. Doch der Vormarsch des IS und der Zusammenbruch der irakischen Armee scheinen die Karten neu gemischt zu haben: Die USA scheinen im Iran einen neuen Verbündeten zu entdecken. Darauf deutet auch das plötzlich zustande gekommene Abkommen zwischen den USA und Teheran im Streit um das iranische Nuklearprogramm.
Auch wenn die USA sich nicht mehr direkt in die Kampfhandlungen einmischen, verfolgen sie in der Region weiterhin ihre eigenen geostrategischen Interessen: 50 % des weltweit mit Schiffen transportierten Öls kommen aus dem Roten Meer durch das Bab Mandab und aus dem Persischen Golf, wo sie die Straße von Hormuz durchqueren müssen. Zur Kontrolle dieses Seewegs haben die USA eine Reihe strategischer Basen aufgebaut, die von Djibouti am Horn von Afrika (das mit Frankreich geteilte Camp Lemonnier) über die zu Jemen gehörende Insel Socotra und die omanische Insel Masirah bis zur Insel Diego Garcia reichen: Damit kontrollieren sie den gesamten Indischen Ozean. Auf Socotra unterhalten die USA eine Marinebasis mit Einrichtungen für U-Boote, Nachrichtenkommandozentralen, einen Flughafen, auf dem sowohl Langstreckenbomber starten und landen können wie auch Stealth-Drohnen, die wohl hauptsächlich in Jemen und Somalia zum Einsatz kommen. Im März 2012 waren dort rd. 10.000 US-Soldaten stationiert.
Deutlich ist, dass Riad mit dem erbarmungslosen Bombenkrieg im Jemen das Signal zu setzen versucht, dass es die entscheidende Ordnungsmacht auf der Arabischen Halbinsel ist – und zugleich hegemonialer Gegenspieler des Iran. Der Wille zum Ausgleich mit dem Iran, den US-Präsident Barack Obama mit dem noch nicht ratifizierten Abkommen verbindet, hat bei den Saudis die Alarmglocken schrillen lassen.
Der Krieg der Saudis gegen die (schiitischen) Huthi, die als fünfte Kolonne des Iran eingestuft werden, bringt nunmehr eine Verkehrung der lokalen Fronten mit sich: Unter saudischer Kontrolle des Jemen werden die USA es schwerer haben, ihre gezielten Tötungen fortzusetzen, da al-Qaeda auf der Arabischen Halbinsel (AQAP) wieder – wie damals in Afghanistan – zum „natürlichen“ Alliierten der Saudis wird. Auch der der Küche der US-amerikanischen und saudischen (und türkischen?) Dienste entsprungene „Islamische Staat“ desselbsternannten „Kalifen“ Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi, der mit Sicherheit noch Verbindungen zu seinen einstigen Erfindern haben dürfte, könnte in einem solchen Kampf wieder zum freundlichen (sunnitischen) Partner werden.
Mit dem „Islamischen Staat“ tritt ein neuartiger, Staatlichkeit beanspruchender Akteur auf den Plan… – von Werner Ruf
http://www.linksnet.de/de/artikel/32541#sdfootnote1anc
Humanitäre Lage
5.8.2015 – Reuters
Diversion of aid ships in Yemen spreads fear of shortages
Residents in the Yemeni capital Sanaa are stocking up on rare food and fuel supplies after the government in exile decided to divert aid ships from the Houthi rebel-held north to loyalist areas farther south. Sources in Yemen's government confirmed the move, though there has been no official announcement, and Yemen's exiled information minister said on Tuesday that commercial flights would be diverted from the capital to the southern port of Aden.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/05/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN0QA2IA20150805
4.8.2015 – France 24
MSF doctor tells of ‘horror after horror’ in Yemen
A member of the medical aid organisation Doctors Without Borders has given a stark account of his experiences during a 10-week posting in the city of Aden in Yemen – a country torn apart by months of conflict.
In the midst of the bombings and shooting of the front line – just 400 metres from the MSF hospital in Aden – the full extent of the crisis dawned on him.
It was “horror after horror,” Goffeau told reporters as he gave an account of his experiences at MSF’s Paris headquarters Tuesday.
http://www.france24.com/en/20150804-yemen-msf-doctos-without-borders-aden
1.8.2015 – Spiegel Online
Krieg im Jemen: USA liefern Weizen für hungernde Bevölkerung
Jetzt haben die USA dringend benötigten Weizen in das von Kämpfen erschütterte Land transportiert. 35.800 Tonnen Weizen im Wert von 21 Millionen Dollar seien in das südarabische Land geliefert worden, teilte die US-Behörde für Internationale Entwicklung am Freitag mit.
Nach der Verarbeitung in Mehl reiche dies aus, um mehr als eine Million Menschen damit zwei Monate lang versorgen zu können. Verteilt werden soll es nach Angaben des US-Außenministeriums durch das Welternährungsprogramm der Vereinten Nationen (WFP).
Kommentar: Bei der Rolle, die die USA in diesem Konflikt spielen, fast reiner Zynismus
Kriegsereignisse
6.8.2015 – Freedom Outpost
Arab States Sent Thousands of Troops into Yemen for Major Showdown with Iran’s Allies
Read more at http://freedomoutpost.com/2015/08/arab-states-sent-thousands-of-troops-into-yemen-for-major-showdown-with-irans-allies/#b96OJG4PlO7LTxDA.99
Tthe situation is escalating. Conflict News reported that a significant development that is "actually occurring is far more remarkable, and strangely almost absent from the media headlines."
They reported "ships adorned with UAE flags arrived in Yemen's southern port city of Aden" which "began offloading armored vehicles. This started as small columns of vehicles, which could have conceivable been 'delivered' to the pro-government fighters, however has now ballooned into something completely different. Hundreds of vehicles including main battle tanks, APCs, AFVs and self-propelled artillery have landed in the city, and joined the fight against the mainly Shia Houthi militias."
The boots on the ground is estimated at 3,000 troops to aid in the fight against Iranian-backed Houthi forces.
Gulf-based geopolitical and military analyst Theodore Karasik said the throughput of Saudi-led coalition equipment from sea to land signals more ground offensives ahead to expand the coalition's gains in and around Aden.
"The equipment is an impressive mix of land force vehicles and support that is meant to give the pro-Hadi forces [loyal to Yemen's exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi] a sharp edge," he said – by Walid Shoebat
5.8.2015 – Voice of America
Saudi-led Coalition Gains Ground in Yemen
A large force of southern Yemeni resistance fighters, backed by Saudi-led coalition armored fighting vehicles, has reportedly pushed Houthi rebels and their allies out of three southern provinces, including the strategic al-Anad air base.
Arab media report that the 3,000 ground troops, including 1,500 from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and 1,500 trained Yemenis, along with battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, mark a notable escalation in the Saudi-led coalition's involvement in Yemen.
Amateur video showed southern militiamen, supported by the Saudi-led coalition, firing into the air to celebrate the capture of Houtha, the capital of the south Yemeni province of Lahej. Arab media report the coalition and its allies now control three southern provinces – by Edward Yeranian
http://www.voanews.com/content/saudi-led-coalition-gains-ground-in-yemen/2902545.html
5.8.2015 – Yahoo News
Officials: Pro-government troops take much of Yemen province
Yemen's pro-government forces have retaken most of the strategic province of Lahj, once the main southern enclave of Shiite rebels who control the country's capital and much of the north, officials and witnesses said Wednesday.
Pro-government forces have made a series of gains in recent weeks in southern Yemen with the help of a Saudi-led and U.S.-backed coalition that has been waging an air campaign against the Iran-allied rebels and allied military units since March.
The officials say the rebels, known as Houthis, appear to have lost most of their heavy weapons in a battle Monday to defend the key military base of al-Anad in Lahj – by Ahmed Al-Haj
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ali-abdullah-saleh-interview_55c21fa0e4b0138b0bf484da
5.8.2015 – Bild
Arabische Panzer greifen in Jemen-Konflikt ein
Vereinigte Arabische Emirate verstärken mit Bodenoffensive Kampf gegen Huthi-Rebellen. Aktuelle Fotos zeigen jetzt Dutzende moderne Kampfpanzer des französischen Typs Leclerc. Außerhalb Frankreichs gibt es nur einen Betreiber dieser Panzer: die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate. Von 1994 bis 1999 kaufte das arabische Land insgesamt 388 Exemplare. Auch andere fotografierte und gefilmte Militärfahrzeuge deuten auf einen Einsatz der Streitkräfte der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate hin. So zeigte das jemenitische Fernsehen die in Südafrika gefertigte Selbstfahrlafette „Denel G6“. Auch sie wurde vom Hersteller nur an Südafrika, den Oman und die Armee der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate geliefert. Schützenpanzer und minenresistente Fahrzeuge, die seit Anfang der Woche rund um die Hafenstadt Aden gefilmt wurden, entstammen ebenfalls den VAE-Streitkräften. Sämtliche Kriegsfahrzeuge tragen die taktischen Zeichen des arabischen Landes, das keine gemeinsame Grenze mit dem Jemen hat – von Julian Röpcke
5.8.2015 – South Front
Yemen Map of War, July 31 – August 5, 2015: The Saudi-Led Coalition Started a Land Operation
In the early August, the Saudi-led coalition officially invaded Yemen. At least 3000 coalition troops with military equipment deployed in Aden as part of the second offensive of “Operation Golden Arrow” to roll back the territory held by the al Houthi government. The Yemeni government has been deploying fighters in Aden and Taiz where Saudi-led forces are focused. Al Houthi-linked attacks along the border with Saudi Arabia have increased.
With map and events day by day
http://southfront.org/yemen-map-of-war-july-31-august-5/
4.8.2015 – Euronews
Jemen: Schwere Kämpfe um größte Militärbasis
Truppen des von Saudi-Arabien geführten Bündnisses im Jemen haben nach eigenen Angaben die größte Militärbasis im Süden des Landes von den Huthi-Rebellen zurückerobert.
Der Stützpunkt Al Anad war erst im März von den Rebellen eingenommen worden.
Der Rückeroberung Al Anads ging nach saudischen Angaben eine von Kampfflugzeugen unterstützte Großoffensive voraus.
Ein Armeesprecher erklärte, nur noch ein kleiner Teil des 40 Quadratkilometer großen militärischen Areals in der Nähe der Hafenstadt Aden sei in der Hand der Huthis.
http://de.euronews.com/2015/08/04/jemen-schwere-kaempfe-um-groesste-militaerbasis/
4.8.2015 – BBC
Yemen war: Does capture of air base mark a turning point?
The retaking of a key air base to the north of the southern city of Aden is a major strategic victory for the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthi-led insurgency.
Although it cannot be said with any certainty that these gains can be held, the taking of the base signifies an important victory for Yemeni President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi, and in particular his Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC ) backers who have been bogged down in a messy war which has lasted considerably longer than had been anticipated, and triggered a humanitarian catastrophe in the country.
Central to Western interests, al-Anad is extremely important for operations against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the most active regional branches of the militant group.
This is not good news for the Houthis. With increasing pressure from Gulf military forces, and populations in the south of the country that range from ambivalent to deeply hostile, their days in control of the country's south and central heartlands appear numbered.
Whilst it is too early to say that this is the "El Alamein" moment of the Yemen war, it certainly solidifies a permanent GCC foothold in the south of the country that looks unlikely to be removed by force.
This means that at any peace table the government of President Hadi will have bargaining chips, and not be negotiating from a position of debilitating weakness.
Quite how the Houthis will react to this is unclear, but they have not been averse to the idea of talks in the past. But as with Syria, battle lines determine the space for negotiations.
The question will be whether they can prevent momentum in the conflict from rapidly swinging against them.
If they cannot, then it is unlikely President Hadi will seriously enter any discussions until the Houthis are pushed right back into their northern territories – by Michael Stephens
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33778116
4.8.2015 – BBC
Yemen crisis: Houthi rebels 'driven from key al-Anad airbase'
Pro-government forces in Yemen have retaken the country's largest airbase in a battle with Houthi rebels, government officials say.
The reported deployment of tanks and other armoured vehicles from the United Arab Emirates, which have been seen unloading in Aden over recent days, represents the first major ground involvement by the Arab coalition ranged against the Houthi rebels.
It is a signal that the air campaign launched in March has its limits and it is a sign too that the Saudi-led coalition is willing now to become more engaged in the fighting. The reinforcements may already have had a hand in the recapture of al-Anad airbase: an important asset that could provide a launch-pad for more extensive operations against the rebels.
It is a significant but also risky step. Heavy armoured forces may not be best suited to this kind of struggle and there is always a danger they could become bogged down when facing more nimble opponents. The Arab coalition's military gamble also risks exacerbating regional tensions - Iran has given some support to the Houthi rebels. But it represents a demonstration that, in the wake of the US nuclear deal with Iran, Washington's Gulf allies are determined to do whatever they believe is necessary to ensure their security.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33772170
dazu http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/yemen-al-anad-base_55c0ae19e4b06f8bedb5d59d
4.8.2015 – Conflict News
The UAE Just Effectively Invaded Yemen
Around 3000 troops just landed in Aden largely under the world media’s radar
Over the last week, the entire momentum of the war in Yemen has shifted. While previously pro-government forces and the so-called Popular Resistance were trapped within the port city of Aden, now they are pushing the Houthis back in all directions.
Many have reported these advances as being led by pro-Government fighters, however this is only half the story. What is actually occurring is far more remarkable, and strangely almost absent from the media headlines.
Last week, and over the weekend, ships arrived at the Port of Aden and began offloading armoured vehicles. This started as small columns of vehicles, which could have conceivable been ‘delivered’ to the pro-government fighters, however has now ballooned into something completely different. Hundreds of vehicles including main battle tanks, APCs, AFVs and self propelled artillery have landed in the city, and joined the fight against the mainly Shia Houthi militias.
Given the huge numbers of vehicles involved, and it would seem that these must almost certainly be regular Emirati troops. Indeed this has been effectively confirmed by comments from coalition officials who have said that 3000 troops, made up of UAE regulars and foreign-trained Yemenis had made landfall in Aden. Effectively, an entire foreign armoured division has invaded Yemen, however it is politically convenient for the Saudi-led coalition (of which the UAE is a large partner) not to talk much about it.
With the entry of these troops into the fight, the fortunes of the pro-Government side have changed dramatically. Since recapturing Aden and its surroundings, the UAE troops supported by other militias have pushed north, attacking the strategic Al-Anad air base from several sides. After days of fighting, Houthi fighters surrendered just yesterday, leaving the pro-Government side in control of the country’s largest airbase.
Should the Saudi-led coalition and the UAE troops wish to attain complete regime change in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, they will need to send yet more troops to the country, with the risk that they will eventually been seen as occupying powers. An alternative prospect to this would be for the former government to set up its own state in the south of Yemen, and come to some sort of ceasefire agreement. It is likely that the events of the next few months will be instrumental in deciding which of these outcomes will eventuate – by Michael Cruickshank
http://www.conflict-news.com/the-uae-just-invaded-yemen/
dazu http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-08-04/dramatic-footage-saudi-tanks-invading-yemen
3.8.2015 – Deutsche Welle
Saudi Arabia stops airstrikes on Yemen
There is some hope of a political resolution in Yemen after Saudi Arabia announced it was putting an end to its air campaign. It said this was at the request of the Yemeni government and exiled president.
http://www.dw.com/en/saudi-arabia-stops-airstrikes-on-yemen/av-18397783
3.8.2015 – Handelsblatt
Huthi-Rebellen zu politischer Lösung bereit
In einer Fernsehansprache hat Abdelmalek al-Huthi, Anführer der schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen, seine Bereitschaft zu Verhandlungen im Jemen-Konflikt bekräftigt. Voraussetzung hierfür sei eine neutrale Vermittlerpartei. SanaaDer Anführer der Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen hat die Bereitschaft zu einer politischen Lösung des Konflikts bekräftigt. „Eine politische Lösung ist immer möglich“, sagte Abdelmalek al-Huthi in einer Ansprache, die in der Nacht zu Montag von seinem Fernsehsender Al-Massira übertragen wurde.
Al-Huthi wies am Montag die Darstellung Saudi-Arabiens zurück, dass die Intervention notwendig zur Sicherung der eigenen Grenze wäre. „Um eure Sicherheit zu gewährleisten, müsst ihr das Prinzip guter Nachbarschaft achten“, sagte al-Huthi. Mit ihren „Verbrechen“ würden die Saudi-Araber „eine Gefahr für den Jemen darstellen“.
1.8.2015 – Asharq al Awsat
Yemen: Plan in place to retake Sana’a from Houthis within 15 days, says senior pro-Hadi commander
Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi will launch an assault on the Houthi-controlled capital Sana’a within 15 days, according to a senior Yemeni military commander. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Brig. Gen. Abdullah Al-Subaihi, commander of the Popular Resistance units which liberated the southern city of Aden from the Houthis last month, said the plan will concentrate on besieging the Houthis in Sana’a after blocking their access to allied forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh—who has backed the Houthi insurgency.
1.8.2015 – Press TV Iran
Egypt has decided to extend its participation in the Saudi aggression against Yemen for another six months.
“The National Defense Council agreed to prolong the participation of its troops... for six months, or until the end of the combat mission,” the Office of the Egyptian Presidency said a statement on Saturday.
In May, Egyptian authorities renewed the combat mission in Yemen by three months.
The recent statement described the purpose of its mission in Yemen as being to “defend Egyptian and Arab national security.”
Previously, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo’s involvement in the Saudi aggression in Yemen was meant to secure navigation in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
Egyptian air force jets have been involved in the bombing campaign in Yemen since the first airstrikes
http://presstv.com/Detail/2015/08/01/422862/Yemen-Egypt-Saudi-Arabia-National-Defense-Council siehe auch http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2015/08/01/egypt-prolongs-role-saudi-led-yemen-coalition/30998873/
31.7.2015 – Yemen Post
Military progress could change reality in Yemen
Analysts said driving the militias of the Houthi and ex-president from Aden represented a shift in the Arab military intervention that will pave the way for restoring the legitimacy of the UN-backed government.
Abdulsalam Mohammed, head of the ABAAD studies and research center, said the victory in Aden was just the beginning for achieving all goals of the Saudi-military intervention.
"Breaking the balance of force in favor of the government forces is the coroner-stone for ending the Houthi coup and then guaranteeing better scenarios," he said.
"The operation will continue until the coalition guarantees there is no chance for militias to stay in charge of Yemen or play a key role in its future," Ghallab added.
On the other hand, analysts said any military progress will definitely help alleviate the aggravating humanitarian crisis.
http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=8125&MainCat=5
Houthi-Herrschaft
16.7.2015 – Yemen Post
Yemeni Journalists: Toughest Times Ever
Yemeni Journalists staged a sit-in a week ago, July 9, 2015, at the headquarters of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) in Sana’a in protest against the continuous violations of press freedoms and the illegal and unlawful acts by Houthi militia that targeted dozens of independent and opposing media outlets and journalists.
According to the Secretary General of the YJS Marwan Dammaj, eight journalists have been killed since the beginning of war in Yemen, 12 have been kidnapped and forcibly disappeared and over 300 journalists lost their jobs.
As Houthis advanced from Amran and took over Sana’a back in September 2014, they have harshly fought all sorts of freedoms. They have also committed serious violations of human rights and public freedoms. Freedom of speech was tightly restricted and political opponents were harshly targeted. However, the violations of human rights and freedom of expression and opinion by Houthi militia have markedly increased over the course of the last three months or so under a wide range of pretexts.
The violations ranged between kidnapping, detention and physical aggression, beatings, forced disappearance and this involved journalists working for local and international media outlets. Houthis have also stormed offices of independent media outlets, confiscated media devices including computers, cameras and other equipmen – by Moneer Al-Omari
http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=8110&MainCat=5
Politik der Saudis
4.8.2015 – Der Freitag
Zerstörung ohne Strategie
Jemen Nach über vier Monaten Bombardement bleibt das Ziel der Angreifer-Koalition unklar. Eine Exitoption ist bisher nicht zu erkennen, ein Desaster nicht auszuschließen.
Riad behauptet, bei ihnen handele es sich um Verbündete, gar “Proxies” (Stellvertreter) des Iran, und sieht sich von diesem “in die Zange genommen”. Doch auch wenn die Houthis als Zaiditen einer verwandten Strömung des Islam anhängen und damit ebenso wie der Iran in Opposition zum saudischen Wahhabismus stehen: Es handelt sich hier bestenfalls um ein theoretisches strategisches Bündnis und kein real wirksames, zumal es derzeit keinerlei praktische Möglichkeit für den Iran gibt, seine “Verbündeten” im Krieg zu unterstützen.
Die Kriegskoalition gibt als Ziele vor, die Houthis (und damit den iranischen Einfluss) zurückdrängen und den geflohenen Präsidenten, einen treuen Verbündeten Riads wie auch Washingtons, wieder einsetzen zu wollen. Wie dies in einem ihnen feindlich gesinnten Land durch einen reinen Luftkrieg gelingen soll, bleibt wohl das Geheimnis des Hauses Saud. Die manchmal ins Spiel gebrachte Möglichkeit, mit Bodentruppen einzumarschieren, dürfte angesichts der Erfahrungen der weitaus stärkeren US-Armee im Irak und in Afghanistan kaum ernsthaft erwogen werden: Mit über 26 Millionen besitzt der Jemen fast so viele Einwohner_innen wie Saudi-Arabien und eine für Besatzungstruppen höchst schwierige Geographie. In einem dann drohenden Guerillakrieg hätten diese keine Chance.
Somit bliebe nur die Alternative, das Land mittels verbündeter lokaler Kräfte zu berherrschen, zu denen nach aktuellem Stand der Kämpfe auch die von den USA seit 2002 bekämpfte AQAP zu gehören scheint. Das wäre de fakto die Wiederherstellung der Situation vor dem Houthi-Vormarsch, und es darf bezweifelt werden, dass dies angesichts der mutmaßlich zunehmenden Wut der Menschen auf die Golfdiktaturen für Stabilität sorgen könnte. Seit Mitte Juli kontrollieren jemenitische Verbündete der Saudis wieder die südliche Hafenstadt Aden und versuchen, weitere Gebiete zu erobern. Wenn es gelänge, Hadi dort als regionalen Statthalter einzusetzen, entspräche dies zwar nicht den ursprünglichen Kriegszielen der Angreifer, würde diesen aber einen einigermaßen gesichtswahrenden Ausweg eröffnen.
Aber geht es Riad überhaupt um erreichbare Teilziele? Oder hat es längst die Hoffnung aufgegeben, das Land wirksam kontrollieren zu können, und möchte nur noch verhindern, dass dieses sich unter iranischem Einfluss stabilisiert? Eine solche “Chaos-Strategie” könnte sowohl die bewusste Zerstörung der Infrastruktur als auch die direkte oder faktische Kooperation mit AQAP erklären, denn dann ginge es letztlich darum, einen dauerhaften Bürgerkrieg herbeizuführen und den Jemen auf absehbare Zeit unregierbar zu machen.
Ob das gelingen kann, ist unsicher, und angesichts der Gefahr der Ausbreitung des Krieges auf das eigene Staatsgebiet täte Riad gut daran, sich beizeiten eine valide Exitoption zurechtzulegen. Denn sonst läuft seine Koalition Gefahr, die schmerzhaften Erfahrungen der US-Armee der letzten fünfzehn Jahre zu wiederholen, und trotz turmhoher militärischer Überlegenheit am Ende als Verlierer vom Platz zu gehen. In einem heute bereits gesellschaftlich gespaltenen Land könnte es dann das letzte außenpolitische Abenteuer des Königshauses gewesen sein – von Smukster
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/smukster/zerstoerung-ohne-strategie
2.8.2015 – CNN Blogspot
Former U.S. Amb to Saudi Arabia, Robert Jordan, speaks with Fareed Zakaria about Saudi Arabia's new king and more
The following transcript is of an interview by host Fareed Zakaria with former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Robert Jordan. They discussed his thoughts on Saudi Arabia’s recent military actions, his description of the new Saudi Arabia king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and how he ended up as the U.S. Amb to Saudi Arabia.
Jordan on the motivation behind Saudi Arabia’s recent military actions: “They have not articulated a strategy. It does appear that they have - their strategy is to be against Iran at every turn and to presume that Iran's hand is behind every negative act, certainly in their eastern province in Bahrain and now in Yemen. We haven't seen what the political objective is of the adventure in Yemen, and I think this could really come back to haunt them.”
Politik der USA
1.8.2015 – ZDF – Mediathek
Drohnenkrieg – Krieg aus der Luft
"Gezielte Tötungen" durch Kampfdrohnen - gesteuert von Soldaten, die zehntausende Kilometer entfernt sitzen. Auch die Bundesrepublik plant, bewaffnete Drohnen zu beschaffen.
http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek#/beitrag/video/2454522/Drohnenkrieg---Tod-aus-der-Luft
30.7.2015 – Zeit online
Die Todesengel kommen wieder
In Afghanistan, dem am meisten von Drohnen bombardierten Land, nehmen die US-Angriffe wieder zu. Die Ziele sind mutmaßliche Terroristen, die Opfer allzu oft Zivilisten. Tatsächlich ist es nicht selten, dass die Identität von Drohnenopfern ungeklärt bleibt oder meist zugunsten der medialen Berichterstattung umgeschrieben wird. Einfach ausgedrückt: Um das Schwarz-Weiß-Konstrukt vom aufrechten Kampf gegen den bösen Terrorismus aufrechtzuerhalten, werden die Opfer oft und gern allesamt als "mutmaßliche Terroristen" deklariert. Diese Praxis scheint auch bei den renommiertesten Nachrichtenagenturen mittlerweile zum Alltag geworden zu sein. … warum pakistanische Medien immer wieder Opfer als "mutmaßliche Taliban-Kämpfer" oder "Terrorverdächtige" bezeichnen, ohne jeglichen Beweis dafür vorzulegen. Gespräche mit Kollegen aus der Hauptstadt Islamabad machten ihm klar: Offenbar genügen für sie schon ein Bart, etwas längere Haare und ein Turban, um ein Drohnenopfer als Terroristen zu identifizieren. Der Haken daran ist allerdings: Die genannten Merkmale treffen in dieser Region, sei es nun in Afghanistan oder Pakistan, auf nahezu alle Männer zu
Insgesamt geht man mittlerweile von mindestens 6.000 Drohnenopfern in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jemen, Somalia, Irak, den Philippinen, Libyen und Syrien aus, die absolute Mehrzahl davon Zivilisten. Laut dem TBIJ konnten beispielsweise lediglich zwölf Prozent der bekannten Drohnenopfer aus Pakistan als militante Kämpfer identifiziert werden. Nur vier Prozent aller Opfer konnten Al-Kaida zugeordnet werden. Genaue Zahlen über Afghanistan sind allerdings kaum vorhanden. – von Emran Feroz
http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2015-07/drohnen-opfer-afghanistan-umdenken-politik
13.12.2013 – Der Stern
US-Drohne feuert Rakete auf Hochzeitskonvoi
Ein irrtümlicher Raketenangriff hat im Jemen 15 Mitglieder einer Hochzeitsgesellschaft getötet. Die USA setzen oft Drohnen im Kampf gegen Al-Kaida ein - immer wieder sind Zivilisten unter den Opfern.
Kommentar: Schon älter, aber so etwas ist fast der Normalfall im Drohnenkrieg
Politik von Großbritannien
21.7.2015 – Vice News
UK Provided 11 Typhoon Jets to Saudi Arabia Months Before Yemen Airstrikes, Documents Show
The UK provided 11 Typhoon jets and "substantial support" to Saudi Arabia in 2014, ahead of the Gulf state's controversial bombing campaign in Yemen in March, recent documents have revealed.
The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) has previously declined to discuss the exact nature of munitions provided to Saudi Arabia. But an obscure report published by the UK government's Department for Business Innovation and Skills has revealed the extent of training, support, and weaponry sold to the Gulf state.
The disclosures will renew concerns about the precise level of British involvement in Saudi Arabia's bombing campaign in Yemen, which has killed at least 1,693 civilians since March 26, according to the United Nations Office for Human Rights. Yemen is currently facing a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the bombing campaign, which has the full backing of the UK government.
The MoD has repeatedly stated that it is not participating directly in the Saudi-led airstrikes; however, new disclosures reveal that British "liaison personnel" remain stationed at the Saudi and coalition air and maritime headquarters
Der deutsche Beitrag
12.6.2015 – Spiegel Online
Deutsche Gewehre im Jemen: Bundesregierung gibt Lücke bei Waffenexport-Kontrolle zu
Als Anfang April Bilder aus dem umkämpften Jemen im Fernsehen und auf News-Websites zu sehen waren, schauten Waffenexperten genau hin. Gezeigt wurden saudische Militärflugzeuge. Diese warfen kistenweise Waffen über dem Flughafen von Aden ab - als Unterstützung für Milizen, die gegen die Huthi-Rebellen kämpfen. Experten erkannten schnell, dass es sich um "heiße Ware" handelte: Sturmgewehre G3 des deutschen Herstellers Heckler & Koch. Seitdem fragen sich Abgeordnete, warum das deutsche Kriegsgerät in den Jemen kommen konnte. Zwar darf Saudi-Arabien seit dem Jahr 2008 das G3 und das G36 in Lizenz produzieren - allerdings nur für den Bedarf der eigenen Armee. Die Bundesregierung muss damit eine brisante Lücke bei der Kontrolle von deutschen Rüstungsexporten einräumen – von Matthias Gebauer
Al Qaida
6.8.2015 – ABC News
Al-Qaida Exploits Yemen Chaos to Seize 3 Towns
Yemen's al-Qaida branch has exploited the chaos in this embattled country to capture three towns near the southern port city of Aden, where pro-government forces have been advancing against Shiite rebels in recent weeks, officials said Thursday.
According to witnesses, al-Qaida's black banners were raised over buildings in the towns of Rabat, al-Lahoum and al-Masaabin. Security officials said the extremist group seized government buildings without a fight and turned them into military bases – by Ahmed Al Hay
5.8.21015 – The Telegraph
Al Qaeda in Yemen urges followers to carry out lone wolf attacks in West
"America is first" vows the terror organisation as it grows in strength amid Yemen chaos
Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen has released two new messages praising lone wolf attacks on Western targets and exhorting followers to carry out more, insisting "America is first".
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is the jihadist franchise's most active group. Western officials also see it as the most dangerous. It has grown in strength in recent years, masterminding attacks on Europe and America, and inspiring individuals outside of Yemen to do the same.
"We urge you to strike America in its own home and beyond," says a letter attributed to Ibrahim al-Asiri, who has headed the group since its former leader, Nasir al Wuhayshi, was killed in a US air strike earlier this year – by Louisa Loveluck
dazu http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/al-qaeda-yemen-calls-lone-wolf-attacks-u-s-article-1.2315273 und http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/al-qaeda-yemen-urge-followers-strike-america-1514271
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