Liebe deutschsprachige Leser(innen), dieses mal ist es vielleicht besonders krass: Würde man sich mur ais deutschsprachigen Quellen informieren können, würde man kaum ein bruchstückhaftes Bild über den Jemen bekommen. Fast die gesamte Information, vor allem wenn es um ausführlichere Hintergrunsberichte geht, sind ganz überwiegend in Englisch.
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Am wichtigsten / Most important
Allgemein / General
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
UNO / UN
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
Vereinigte Arabische Emirate / United Arab Emirates
USA
Eritrea
Propaganda
Söldner / Mercenaries
Verkehr / Traffic
Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Am wichtigsten / Most important
23.12.2015 – The Property Gazette
‘All We Could Find Were Body Parts’: America’s Role in Yemen’s Civilian Carnage
Since October 2010, the US has sold Saudi Arabia more than $90 billion in aircraft, defense systems, bombs, missiles, and other weapons. When war broke out in Yemen, it began to expedite shipments. American arms manufacturers have also sold billions of dollars’ worth of material to other Gulf coalition members, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Both the Saudis and UAE have purchased controversial cluster munitions — banned by more than 100 countries — that have been used in the current conflict.
Since the airstrikes started on March 25, the US has provided the coalition with vital air-refueling sorties, search-and-rescue support, and help with logistics and intelligence — the centerpiece of which is a Saudi-based “Joint Combined Planning Cell” staffed with American personnel who interact daily with the Saudi military. This support involves what the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) terms “targeting assistance.”
But proving that the US has abetted war crimes or violations of international humanitarian law — or even obtaining the information to make a judgment about potential American responsibility — is difficult. From the start, the US has insulated itself from the fallout of a bloody intervention that it has helped sustain. Behind the scenes and in select public statements, American officials have urged the Saudis to be more careful, but there is no indication that the Obama administration has in any way adjusted its assistance in light of the continuing civilian toll.
On October 2, alluding to the Wahija wedding strike, the White House’s National Security Council said that the administration was “deeply concerned” about civilian casualties and called on “all sides of the conflict in Yemen to do their utmost to avoid harm to civilians.”
“We call for an investigation into these reported civilian casualties and for the findings to be reported publicly,” said NSC spokesman Ned Price, though he emphasized that the US “has no role in targeting decisions made by the coalition in Yemen.”
But the language used in that statement is potentially misleading according to Sarah Knuckey, director of Columbia University Law School’s Human Rights Clinic.
“When I saw the statement, it struck me as carefully crafted but opaque,” she said. “When you first read it, it seems to say that the US is not involved in strikes — and that’s how some people interpreted it — but reading it as a lawyer the statement is actually quite ambiguous. It leaves open that the US could be providing intelligence, even if it’s not ‘deciding’ on targets.”
For more than three months, VICE News has requested comment and information from multiple officials at the White House, CENTCOM, and the Pentagon about the extent of US involvement with the coalition, and what steps the US is taking to prevent civilian casualties.
“There is a clear distinction between logistical and intelligence support, which we have provided, and taking part in targeting decisions, which we do not,” said a senior White House official who did not wish to be identified when asked about the NSC’s statement. “We have provided logistical and intelligence support in part to facilitate accurate and precise coalition operations in an effort to minimize civilian casualties.”
But it is unclear how this support works to minimize casualties, if it does at all. The White House would not clarify what information the US provides to the Saudis in order to avoid such casualties, and referred VICE News to the Pentagon.
“Ultimately, it is the KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] that makes the final decision on targeting,” said Major Roger Cabiness, a Pentagon spokesman. “We will continue to be vocal and adamant on the importance of precise targeting and the importance of thoroughly investigating all credible allegations of civilian casualties.”
Lieutenant Commander Kyle Rains, a spokesman for CENTCOM, which has authority over all US operations in the Middle East, responded similarly, instructing VICE News to “contact the Saudi government for information on the tracking of civilian casualties.” But the Saudi government has provided no reliable data.
Neither the Pentagon nor CENTCOM answered when asked if the US military is in any way reviewing the toll on civilians inflicted by coalition airstrikes that it is supporting, or crafting measures to mitigate such casualties. Other sources in the US government said that measures employed by the military in other conflicts to prevent such casualties, such as civilian harm tracking, have not been explicitly coupled with American assistance for the Gulf coalition.
“I think what we are seeing in Yemen makes clear that the US needs to be deliberate in its efforts on civilian harm mitigation,” said a US official with intimate knowledge of American support for the Saudi-led coalition. “To this point, it has not been part of the approach.”
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the program’s sensitive nature, added that the view within the Pentagon and among those who are coordinating support for the Saudi intervention in Yemen is that offering superior intelligence and targeting capabilities will decrease civilian casualties.
“One way to have settled who provided the targeting for the catastrophic attack on the wedding would have been an international inquiry, but sadly the US did not lift a finger to make that happen,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
While CENTCOM officials insist that the American assistance program is “primarily an advisory one,” experts counter that the coalition would have immense difficulty operating politically and militarily in its absence.
“Without US in-air refueling, combat search-and-rescue, a steady and expedited flow of weapons and ammunition, and contractor logistical support, the air campaign couldn’t happen,” said Micah Zenko, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who has been closely studying the intervention.
Chis Jenks, a professor of international law at Southern Methodist University and a 20-year veteran of the US armed forces, said that while the US is not officially a member of the Saudi-led coalition, it is difficult to overestimate how essential it is to the campaign.
“The number of countries that are capable of aerial refueling is amazingly few,” he said. “Even among our NATO allies, they rely on the US. The US remains uniquely equipped to provide logistical support and a wide range of kinds and types of intelligence, including signals intelligence on radio, cell and other forms of communication, and satellite imagery products.”
Jenks, who helped train the Yemeni army during Saleh’s presidency, said coalitions like the one operating in Yemen are constructed in a way that protects members and countries like the US, which occupy a sort of grey area.
“The White House may well be able to claim that the US is not making targeting decisions or launching airstrikes, and that it doesn’t control the military forces of other countries which are — so as a matter of law, the US is not obligated to conduct an investigation into allegations of civilian casualties,” he said. “It seems now that there is a tendency within coalition operations to not acknowledge which countries in the coalition are taking what action. Coalition operations are providing an effective way to deflect media inquiries and concerns about civilian casualties.”
A Yemen-based human rights official said that the US is driven to provide support in order to placate the Saudis after their opposition to the nuclear deal that the US and other world powers reached with Tehran this summer.
“It comes down to the Iran nuclear deal, and this is the price to be paid, the pound of flesh. [...] The Saudis get to do whatever they want to do in Yemen.” – by Samuel Oakford
Comment: Really a great article worth to be read in full at the original site (there also a description of one of the worst saudi air raids), clearly showing how much the US is involved in the Yemen war.
22.12.2015 – Vice News
UN Says the US-backed Saudi Campaign in Yemen Has Disproportionately Targeted Civilians
The article gives a good overview on the statement of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Yemen (see below at “UNO / UN”) and the failing peace negotiations, finally throws light on the role of the US:
US ambassador Samantha Power, who presided over the meeting as council president for November, said its member states were "united on Yemen." But what there is to unite on remains unclear.
For the US, and Power, the war and their initially blanket support of the Saudi coalition has in recent months come under heavy criticism from human rights groups. Not a month goes by without reports from the likes of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International implicating the US, as well as the UK, in arms sales to the Saudis -— and in the case of Washington, directly offering services to Riyadh without which the coalition would likely falter. Saudi strikes, say both groups, have been directly tied to hundreds of civilian deaths, and could constitute war crimes.
On Tuesday, Power reiterated that the US continues to "urge the Saudi-led coalition to ensure lawful and discriminate targeting and to thoroughly investigate all credible allegations of civilian casualties, and make adjustment as needed to avoid such incidents."
Yet the Saudis rarely if ever address reports of civilian casualties, and at times offer perplexing and contradictory versions of where and when their aircraft are operating. Last month, Human Rights Watch named the US as party to the conflict, an important step that would require Washington to investigate airstrikes that it played a role in. The US, however, continues to refer questions about civilian casualties to the Saudis, who remain mum.
All this makes for an awkward spectacle at the UN, where Power was able to conclude her remarks on Tuesday by saying "the parties have a chance to end the conflict, and the United States joins the other members of this Security Council in urging them to do so," — evidently not considering her own government's role in the war – by Samuel Oakford
Comment: More details see below at: UNO / UN
01.01.2004 – Foreign Affairs
The Saudi Paradox
The Saudi monarchy functions as the intermediary between two distinct political communities: a Westernized elite that looks to Europe and the United States as models of political development, and a Wahhabi religious establishment that holds up its interpretation of Islam's golden age as a guide. The clerics consider any plan that gives a voice to non-Wahhabis as idolatrous.
The two camps divide over a single question: whether the state should reduce the power of the religious establishment. On the right side of the political spectrum, the clerics and Nayef take their stand on the principle of Tawhid, or "monotheism," as defined by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the eponymous founder of Wahhabism.
Tawhid is closely connected to jihad, the struggle -- sometimes by force of arms, sometimes by stern persuasion -- against idolatry. In the minds of the clerics, stomping out pagan cultural and political practices at home and supporting war against Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq are two sides of the same coin. Jihad against idolatry, the clerics never tire of repeating, is eternal, "lasting until Judgment Day," when true monotheism will destroy polytheism once and for all.
The chief difference between the ways al Qaeda and the Saudi religious establishment define their primary foes is that the former includes the Saudi royal family as part of the problem whereas the latter does not. This divergence is not insignificant, but it does not preclude limited or tacit cooperation on some issues. Although some in the Saudi regime are indeed bin Laden's enemies, others are his de facto allies.
It is often claimed that the recent growth of anti-Americanism in the Middle East has been due to U.S. policies themselves. The fact that the suicide bombing of an American compound in Riyadh turned into a crackdown on Saudi reformers and that the bombings continued even after the announcement of a U.S. troop withdrawal, however, should give us pause. These events strongly suggest that the jihad against the United States is actually a continuation of domestic politics by other means. The Saudi religious classes and al-Qaeda use it to discredit their indigenous enemies, who, given half a chance, would topple the clerics from power.
Radical Sunni Islamists hate Shi`ites more than any other group, including Jews and Christians. Al-Qaeda's basic credo minces no words on the subject: "We believe that the Shi`ite heretics are a sect of idolatry and apostasy, and that they are the most evil creatures under the heavens." For its part, the Saudi Wahhabi religious establishment expresses similar views. The fatwas, sermons, and statements of established Saudi clerics uniformly denounce Shi`ite belief and practice.
This sectarian hatred that the clerics preach bears directly on the United States. Projecting their domestic struggle onto the external world, Saudi hard-liners are now arguing that the Shi`ite minority in Saudi Arabia is conspiring with the United States in its war to destroy Islam.
All this might sound like the product of an addled brain, but it is not as detached from political reality as it seems. The Saudi clerics and al Qaeda base their political analysis of the Shi`ites on two assumptions: that Wahhabism is true Islam and that it must have a monopoly over state policy.
Changing the situation will be difficult, because the United States has limited means of muting the anti-Shi`ism and anti-Americanism that the clerics espouse. Getting Riyadh to divorce itself from radical Wahhabism will be as great a task as getting the Soviet Union to renounce communism.
Wahhabism is the foundation of an entire political system, and everyone with a stake in the status quo can be expected to rally around it when push comes to shove.
The United States has no choice but to press hard for democratic reforms. But the very attempt to create a more liberal political order will set off new disputes, which will inevitably generate anti-American feelings. Saudi Arabia is in turmoil, and -- like it or not -- the United States is deeply involved. As Washington struggles to rebuild Iraq it will thus find, once again, that its closest Arab ally is also one of its most bitter enemies – by Michael Scott Doran
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/saudi-arabia/2004-01-01/saudi-paradox
Commentary: Even if already 12 years old, this article still deserves reading in full (quite long, here only a few excerpts). It reveals a lot of inside view into Saudi politics and society. And thus, it shows what is behind Saudi attitudes to Iran and to Yemen’s Houthis – and how absolutely crazy or unscrupulous a government as those in US and UK must be to support such a regime in leading a war and destroying a country – just for own superficial and momentary geopolitical advantages.
Allgemein / General
23.12.2015 – IRIN
2015: YEMEN'S HORRIBLE YEAR
2015 was a disastrous year for Yemen.
Already the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, the rise of the Houthi insurgency and Saudi Arabian-led airstrikes intended to oust them from power led to a full-blown humanitarian disaster. And then in November, coastal regions were hit by the most powerful storm in decades, causing displacement and flooding. The UN estimates that by the end of the year, 21.1 million people – 82 percent of the population – were in need of some sort of humanitarian assistance.
Here's a look back at Yemen's awful year, with links to our coverage of the unfolding crisis, especially its impact on civilians:
Timeline directly linked to many articles from over the year
http://newirin.irinnews.org/yemens-horrible-year
22.12.2015 – Public Radio International
Are US, UK making a humanitarian crisis worse in Yemen?
Bad as conditions are in Syria, they are worse in Yemen. Most Yemenis must ration their water and pay exorbitant prices for cooking fuel. Some Yemenis have no food to cook. Twenty-one million Yemenis need humanitarian assistance. And few Yemenis have been untouched by the violence that has swept the country since March.
Regrettably, Washington’s support of the nine-month-long bombing campaign and naval blockade by Saudi Arabia has left the US vulnerable to criticism.
In the UK, there’s a growing clamor for Britain, the Saudis’ other main weapons supplier, to stop supporting the Saudi assault on Yemen.
“There seems to be, across the board, heads being buried in the sand over this, and a complete denial that there is enough evidence – or any evidence – of international humanitarian law being breached or the potential of British involvement in any war crimes," says Iona Craig, who spent five of the last nine months reporting in Yemen. Now she is in the UK, seeing the Yemen war from an outside perspective. And it’s not a pretty view.
Public concern over Western involvement in the Saudi air assault and coastal blockade has been muted. “With what else is going on in the Middle East, with the migrant crisis, with the war in Syria, with Islamic State, it’s all up much higher the news agenda than Yemen is ever going to be,” Craig says.
Craig, like many observers, is not optimistic about what Yemen will look like should the warring parties find a way to stop their war. A future Yemen might resemble Aden, the southern port city where the Saudi- and US-backed government of Yemeni president Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi has declared victory.
Craig notes that since Houthi forces were driven out of Aden this fall, security there has yet to be established.
“You've got assassinations on a regular basis,” says Craig. “You've got criminal gangs, you've got carjackings. You've got Islamic State, you've got Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. So if that's a reflection of what the rest of the country is going to look like once the war is over, then it's not looking great at the moment.” – by Stephen Snyder
http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-12-22/are-us-uk-making-humanitarian-crisis-worse-yemen
19.12.2015 – Going Underground RT
John Pilger on Wars of the Future and Past
Afshin Rattansi goes underground with John Pilger on 2016. Award winning Journalist and film maker, John Pilger talks about media silence on Yemen, media attacks on Corbyn and the importance of the Spanish election. Plus what to expect from the Chilcot report.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQkhMlyk4SE
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
23.12.2015 - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Yemen: Humanitarian Dashboard (as of 30 November 2015)
SITUATION OVERVIEW: Ongoing conflict is devastating Yemen. Humanitarian partners now estimate that 21.2 million people – or 82 per cent of the population – require some kind of humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs or protect their fundamental rights. The severity of needs among vulnerable people has also intensified across sectors as a political solution continues to be absent and abuses continue to occur in the context of widespread insecurity and in disregard of international humanitarian law and human rights law. Compounding this reality, in November, two cyclones battered the Island of Socotra and Yemen's southern coastline, increasing the suffering of men, women, and children in Yemen's southern region. Despite the challenges, humanitarian have continued to deliver much needed assistance and to reach people in need, across the entire country.
Information from the Food Security and Agriculture and Protection clusters is missing due to on-going response data analysis. The December dashboard will include the missing information.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-dashboard-30-november-2015 and in full: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/OCHA%20Yemen%20humanitarian%20dashboard%202015%2011.pdf
23.12.2015 – Doctors Without Borders
Yemen: Crisis update – 23 December 2015
Overview
20,539 war wounded treated since March 19th by MSF teams
More than790 tonnes of medical supplies have been sent by MSF so far.
It remains extremely difficult to move within the country to assess the needs and deploy assistance, due to fighting and airstrikes.
MSF is “managing” 11 Hospital/health centres, we also support regularly 18 health centers (HC), and provide urgent support to other HC to respond to specific needs or emergencies.
MSF tented clinic in Houban, Taiz governorate was bombed by Saudi-led coalition on December, 2nd, that resulted the killing of one person and injured 8 other civilians.
MSF facility in Haydan, Saada governorate was bombed on Oct. 26th. The Haydan hospital was the only remaining operational facility in the district, covering a population of nearly 20,000 people MSF is running another health facility in Saada governorate, the Al-Jumhori hospital in the main city of Sa’ada.
MSF trucks are still unable to to deliver essential medical aid to two hospitals in a besieged enclave of the city of Taiz, in southern Yemen even after two months of negotiations with Houthis. The situation in Taiz is still tense with airstrikes, snipers and ground fighting between Houthis and Taiz resistance is being heavier than ever. News says that the Saudi-led coalition is deploying ground troops to Taiz to control it.
Large civilian populations remain in towns and villages in Taiz where fighting is tense. Out of 20 major medical infrastructures in Taiz governorate, 14 are closed and the remaining hospitals are overloaded. Out of eight urban women and children health centres, six are totally closed and only one is functional but not running fully because of the lack of fuel. MSF started a project a new mother and child in one of the hospital, after we transferred a regular building into a hospital that contains; OPD/Emergency room, Reproductive Health activities and Nutrition, gradually increasing activities.
Large civilian populations also remain in towns in Saada and north Amran governorates, near the Saudi border. Many health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, medical staff has fled, and transport is extremely challenging due to high fuel prices and insecurity on the roads.
MSF Emergency surgical hospital in Aden is still treating victims of violence: war wounded referred from the frontline north of Aden, patients wounded during clashes among armed groups or in violent crimes and received 80 landmines & UXO victims since the second week of August until late November.
A fuel blockade is still crippling the country. It’s worth mentioning that fuel is 24/7 available in the black market. The standard price for 20 litres of fuel is 3000YR but its price in the black market varies between 9000YR and 15000YR. Huge strain on the general population for moving anywhere, increase in food costs throughout the country, huge increase in water costs, and hospitals have inadequate provision of diesel to keep their generators running. Sana’a remains without city power consistently since early April. Populations who do not live in direct proximity to health structures & have no longer any means of transport to access healthcare.
Project update: Total of 2,102 staff working in the country: 97 international staff and 2,005 Yemeni staff. In Yemen, MSF is working in Aden, Al-Dhale’, Taiz, Saada, Amran, Hajjah, Ibb and Sana’a governorates.
Regional reports for Aden, Amran, Saada, Hajjah, Sanaa, Al-Dhale, Taiz, Ibb. Hadramaut
MENTAL HEALTH ACTIVITIES: In November, MSF started mental health activities in Abs, Saada and Sanaa - Al Jamhoory hospital. The Mental Health activities provided individual and group sessions. 205 people attended individual counselling sessions and 2610 people in psychological and social education group’s sessions.
HIV PROJECT: Since 2010, a project to provide support to HIV+ patients has running in several locations across the country. In March 2015, the project launched a contingency plan to provide ARV drugs, services and psychological support to patients in the whole country. By the end of August 1,327 HIV patients have received ARV, 775 patients received drugs for opportunistic infections, 650 patients received laboratory reagents, and 300 patients have received mental health support.
http://www.msf.org/article/yemen-crisis-update-%E2%80%93-23-december-2015
23.12.2015 – Al Jazeera
In Yemen's besieged city of Taiz, peace is the priority
Many residents of the city are in dire need of basic goods, but what they most want is an end to the fighting.
Abdul Kareem Shamsan, the head of the Coalition of Humanitarian Relief in Taiz, told Al Jazeera that Taiz residents want a ceasefire to be implemented first, but it is counterintuitive to provide the besieged residents with aid before the battles stop.
"The ceasefire was not respected by the warring factions in Taiz, and UN humanitarian aid did not get to the besieged areas in Taiz city. [But] it arrived to the al-Hawban area in Taiz which is under the control of the Houthi rebels and there are hardly any clashes there," Shamsan added.
He stated that all humanitarian aid arriving in Taiz fell into the hands of the Houthi fighters in al-Hawban, contrary to a December 15 statement by the humanitarian coordinator of the UN office in Yemen, which said that aid had arrived in hard-to-reach areas such as Taiz.
Some organisations within Taiz are able to buy humanitarian aid from traders in al-Hawban district or Taiz and distribute it to residents, as the traders can bring the goods using unpaved roads.
Monther al-Adimi, a project officer at Islamic Relief, told Al Jazeera that the charitable organisation has been working in Taiz since fighting began there in April.
"We cannot bring the goods to the besieged city, but we enter the city and buy the basic goods from the local market in Taiz city, and then distribute them to the beneficiaries," he explained.
Adimi said that in the next week, Islamic Relief will distribute 500 food baskets to families in Taiz. Each contains 50kg of flour, 10kg of sugar, 10kg of rice, four litres of cooking oil and 15 cans of beans.
He added that Islamic Relief also built water towers in Taiz in October to address water shortages in the city.
Moa'ath Al-Yaseri - a leader in the Popular Resistance movement, which fights against the Houthis - said the Houthis did not stop targeting Taiz during the ceasefire.
"We know that the residents are looking for a ceasefire, and we wanted them to have a break from the war, but we could not do this as the Houthi fighters did not stop the battle for a single day," he said.
Yaseri claimed that the Houthi fighters violated the ceasefire because there are no international observers inside Taiz.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/12/yemen-besieged-city-taiz-peace-priority-151222081554735.html
?12.2015 – ACTED
Yemen: Poor WASH conditions in Hodeidah health facilities
No connection to running water and no functional toilets – this is the situation ACTED field teams encountered during their assessment of health facilities in two districts of Hodeidah Governorate. This means, for example, that health workers have no way of washing their hands before coming into contact with patients. The importance of running water and functioning toilets in health facilities – normally the epitomes of hygiene – cannot be overstressed. ACTED is to rehabilitate these crucial amenities in selected facilities and help them achieve their purpose: keeping communities healthy.
This project is supported by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department.
http://www.acted.org/en/yemen-poor-wash-conditions-hodeidah-health-facilities
UNO / UN
23.11.2015 – UN Security Council
The commentary ahead, if you do not want to waste your time: this is a lot of hot air. The statement of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, that the bulk of civilian victims is due to the Saudi coalition air raids is mentoned by no word.
Security Council Press Statement on Situation in Yemen
The members of the Security Council welcomed the participation of Yemeni parties in peace consultations from 15 to 20 December 2015, held under the auspices of the United Nations. They expressed their appreciation and reiterated their full support for the efforts of the United Nations and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen.
The members of the Security Council recalled Security Council resolutions 2014 (2011), 2051 (2012), 2140 (2014), 2201 (2015) and 2216 (2015), emphasizing the need for a peaceful, orderly, inclusive and Yemeni-led transition process. The members of the Security Council reiterated their demand for the full implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, and reiterated their call from resolution 2216 (2015) on all Yemeni parties to resume and accelerate United Nations-brokered inclusive political consultations.
The members of the Security Council commended the parties and the Special Envoy for a productive round of talks, which provided a foundation for the next phases of the peace process. They welcomed the agreement of the parties to a cessation of hostilities, expressed deep concern at the number of violations of the cessation of hostilities committed during the talks, and emphasised that the cessation of hostilities and compliance with related Security Council resolutions should lead to a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. In this regard, the members of the Security Council welcomed the commitment of the parties to continue the work of the Coordination and De-escalation Committee established at the talks in order to proactively reduce the number of violations, and urged all parties to adhere to the cessation of hostilities and to exercise maximum restraint if violations or reports of violations emerge.
The members of the Security Council welcomed the commitment of the parties at the talks to ensure safe, rapid and unhindered access for humanitarian aid delivery to all affected governorates, including in particular Taiz, and called on the parties to respect this commitment in the future. They encouraged the parties to urgently finalize agreements on the release of all non-combatant and arbitrary detainees, and to finalize agreement on a package of confidence-building measures.
The members of the Security Council noted with appreciation the progress made during the talks towards a framework for negotiations based firmly on resolution 2216 (2015) and other relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, capable of leading to an end to the conflict. In this respect, the members of the Security Council called on all Member States to support the commitment of the Yemeni parties to the political dialogue.
The members of the Security Council urged the Yemeni parties to fulfil commitments made during the talks and welcomed their commitment to a new round of talks in mid-January 2016, building on the progress that has been achieved so far. They reaffirmed their call on Yemeni parties to engage without preconditions and in good faith, including by resolving their differences through dialogue and consultations, rejecting acts of violence to achieve political goals, and refraining from provocation and all unilateral actions to undermine the political transition. The members of the Security Council strongly condemned all violence, attempts or threats to use violence to intimidate those participating in United Nations-brokered consultations and emphasized that such action is unacceptable.
The members of the Security Council emphasized that the United Nations-brokered inclusive political dialogue must be a Yemeni-led process, with the intention of brokering a consensus-based political solution to Yemen’s crisis, in accordance with the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its Implementation Mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive National Dialogue Conference and relevant Security Council resolutions.
The members of the Security Council expressed their support and appreciation for the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, who will continue to engage with all Yemeni stakeholders to take steps towards a durable ceasefire and a mechanism for the withdrawal of forces, relinquishment of all additional arms seized from military and security institutions, release of political prisoners and the resumption of an inclusive political transition process in accordance with Security Council resolution 2216 (2015). The members of the Council recognized the importance of United Nations ceasefire monitoring capacity to support the process.
The members of the Security Council expressed deep concern about the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, which continues to worsen. The members of the Security Council recognized that over 80 per cent of the population — 21 million people — require some form of humanitarian assistance and emphasized that the civilian impact of the conflict has been devastating, particularly for children and the 2.5 million internally displaced persons. The members of the Security Council expressed particular concern at the food security situation, with over 7 million people suffering severe food insecurity and a doubling in the number of children under five who are acutely malnourished. They recognized that functioning markets inside Yemen are essential to address the situation, as humanitarian assistance alone cannot overcome a humanitarian crisis of this scale.
The members of the Security Council noted that the humanitarian appeal for 2015 has been 52 per cent funded and urged the international community to contribute to the humanitarian appeal for 2016.
The members of the Security Council urged all parties to fulfil their commitments to facilitate the delivery of commercial goods, humanitarian assistance and fuel for civilian purposes to all parts of Yemen, as well as urgent measures to further ensure rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. They also stressed the urgent need for commercially shipped food, medicine, fuel and other vital supplies to continue to enter Yemen through all of Yemen’s ports without delay as a humanitarian imperative because of the heavy dependence of Yemen and its people on imported food and fuel. In that regard, they urged all parties to work with the new United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism. The members of the Security Council called upon all sides to comply with international humanitarian law, including to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects, to end the recruitment and use of children in violation of applicable international law, and to urgently work with the United Nations and humanitarian aid organizations to bring assistance to those in need throughout the country.
The members of the Security Council reiterated their strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen.
http://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sc12184.doc.htm = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/security-council-press-statement-situation-yemen-2 and abridged: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52897#.VnsA0vnhCUl
22.12.2015 – Human Rights Watch
Dispatches: Special UN Treatment for Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen?
Today, senior United Nations human rights and humanitarian officials are briefing the Security Council on the devastating toll the armed conflict in Yemen is taking on civilians. As Council member countries reflect on an effective response, they should examine their own motivations.
Yet the Council has reserved virtually all of its criticism for Houthi forces, which have used indiscriminate weapons and landmines that have harmed civilians, while remaining almost silent on coalition abuses. And though the Council has called on all parties to comply with their human rights obligations, and promised to impose sanctions on those who fail to do so, in practice it has only applied sanctions to Houthi leaders and supporters. This will only embolden coalition members to continue their abuses.
Saudi Arabia and other coalition members have shown no serious interest in investigating unlawful coalition strikes that may amount to war crimes, as is their obligation under the laws of war. In October at the Human Rights Council, Saudi Arabia campaigned successfully to derail a proposal for an international inquiry into violations by all sides. This maneuver to sidestep international scrutiny may echo in the Security Council chamber.
Why is the coalition given a free pass? One possibility: follow the money. In April, Saudi Arabia announced it would meet the UN’s entire appeal for US$274 million in emergency funding for Yemen. In reality, Saudi Arabia has disbursed little of what it promised, and made the remainder difficult to obtain. Condemning the coalition could jeopardize vital assistance now dangling in front of the UN. That might explain why, in October, the UN’s humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien held an unusual joint press conference alongside the Saudi ambassador to the UN, recognizing the Kingdom’s support.
The Security Council has a choice. It can remind coalition members that international law applies across the board, and that every official responsible for human rights abuses in Yemen is vulnerable to sanctions. Or, it can remain silent and partisan, proving to people in Yemen who lost a mother, brother, or child to unlawful coalition airstrikes that the Council is content to turn a blind eye – by Amy Herrmann
https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/22/dispatches-special-un-treatment-saudi-led-coalition-yemen
Comment: She certainly is absolutely right. Anyway, the Security Council must have been aware of this since the beginning of Saudi air raids on March 26. Nevertheless, on April 14, the Council had adopted Resolution 2216, which only blames the Houthis, thus giving Saudi air raids a free pass. This resolution has given to the Saudis, their puppet Hadi government and their allies also a free pass to block all efforts for a peace agreement over many months – insisting in the application of this resolution which would have meant that the Houthis would have been obliged to surrender, while the Saudis would have been obliged to just nothing. And it had been the US (and their allies in the Security Council) who implemented this resolution in absolute favour of the Saudis – with Russia and China seeming to have been without any interest in Yemen and thus allowing the US do what they wanted.
22.12.2015 – NZZ und andere Medien von Reuters
Uno kritisiert Saudi-Arabiens Militäreinsatz
Die Vereinten Nationen haben angesichts zahlreicher getöteter Zivilisten Saudi-Arabiens Militäreinsatz im Jemen kritisiert. Die heftigen Bombardements in zivilen Gegenden seien äusserst besorgniserregend, hiess es am Dienstag vor dem Uno-Sicherheitsrat. Selbst Krankenhäuser und Schulen seien zerstört worden. Alle Konfliktparteien seien verantwortlich, aber überwiegend seien der Grund wohl Luftangriffe der Militärkoalition unter Saudi-Arabiens Führung.
http://www.nzz.ch/international/uno-kritisiert-saudi-arabiens-militaereinsatz-1.18667411 = http://derstandard.at/2000027983703/UN-kritisieren-Saudi-Arabiens-Militaereinsatz-im-Jemen
22.12.2015 – Euronews (mit Film)
UN kritisieren Saudi Arabiens Militäreinsatz im Jemen
Der UN Hochkommissar für Menschenrechte Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein kritisiert die Kriegsführung der saudischen Koalition. Währenddessen gehen nach den gescheiterten Friedensgesprächen die saudischen Luftangriffe imJemen weiter.
Der UN Hochkomissar für Menschenrechte al Hussein sagte heute, dass “die massiven Bombardierungen, sei es aus der Luft,sei es vom Boden aus so massive Schäden bei der zivilen Infrastruktur verursacht. Und obwohl beide Seiten verantwortlich sind, die größten Schäden – besonders bei Krankenhäusern oder Schulen – richten die Luftangriffe der Koalition an.”
http://de.euronews.com/2015/12/22/un-kritisieren-saudi-arabiens-militaereinsatz-im-jemen/
22.12.2015 – Channel News Asia from Reuters
UN blames Saudi-led coalition for most attacks on Yemeni civilians
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that a Saudi-led coalition's military campaign in Yemen appeared to be responsible for a "disproportionate amount" of attacks on civilian areas.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that a Saudi-led coalition's military campaign in Yemen appeared to be responsible for a "disproportionate amount" of attacks on civilian areas.
Speaking at the council's first public meeting on Yemen since the Saudi-led bombing campaign began nine months ago, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said he had "observed with extreme concern" heavy shelling from the ground and air in areas of Yemen with a high concentration of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools.
He said all parties to the conflict were responsible, "although a disproportionate amount appeared to be the result of air strikes carried out by coalition forces."
"I further call on the council to do everything within its power to help restrain the use of force by all parties and to urge all sides to abide by the basic principles of international humanitarian law," Zeid said.
"The potential ramifications of a failed state in Yemen would almost inevitably create safe havens for radical and confessional groups such as the so-called (Islamic State)," Zeid told the 15-member council.
"This, in turn, could expand the conflict beyond Yemen's borders, potentially shattering regional stability," he said.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/un-blames-saudi-led-coali/2370752.html
Comment: Yet the security council meeting today failed to come up with a resolution to forcefully end the Saudi aggression on Yemen.
Cut come on UN, doesn't that mean your UNSC resolutions might have blamed the wrong side?
https://www.facebook.com/yemen.crisis/posts/543170705849170 and https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1076594035826420
Added to comment: What really tells everything about this “Security Council”. The facts told by Zeid are known since 9 months.
22.12.2015 – UN News Centre
With parties ‘deeply divided over path to peace,’ Yemen faces Balkanization, Security Council warned
The Security Council must act now to end the fighting in Yemen or face the irreversible Balkanization of the country, creating safe havens for terrorists and potentially shattering regional stability, the United Nations human rights chief warned today.
“I urgently call on the Council to expedite and intensify diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire and help create a framework for negotiating a comprehensive and sustainable peace,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein told the 15-member body, stressing that life has become untenable for the vast majority of Yemenis, with at least 21 million people, 80 per cent of the population, reliant on some measure of humanitarian aid.
“Failure to act decisively does not only spell misery for the millions of vulnerable people in Yemen today. It would inevitably push the country into an irreversible process of Balkanization, the consequences of which would lie outside of anyone’s control.
“The potential ramifications of a failed state in Yemen would almost inevitably create safe havens for radical and confessional groups such as the so-called ISIS (or ISIL, Islamic State in Syria and the Levant). This, in turn, could expand the conflict beyond Yemen’s borders, potentially shattering regional stability.”
Mr. Zeid said he was encouraged by recent UN-brokered peace talks in Switzerland, but these were adjourned on Sunday for a month in the face of numerous ceasefire violations to allow for bi-lateral in-country and regional consultations to achieve a proper cessation of hostilities.
“I have observed with extreme concern the continuation of heavy shelling from the ground and the air in areas with high a concentration of civilians as well as the perpetuation of the destruction of civilian infrastructure – in particular hospitals and schools – by all parties to the conflict, although a disproportionate amount appeared to be the result of airstrikes carried out by Coalition Forces,” Mr. Zeid said.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who facilitated the talks in Switzerland, told the Council that although the meetings did not end the fighting “as we all had hoped,” they did see constructive talks between the Government and its opponents, providing a solid foundation for a resumption in the near future.
“The talks came during a very bleak period for Yemen and amidst a worsening security situation,” he said, citing hundreds of civilian deaths, the catastrophic state of Yemen's health care system, cross-border attacks in the north with heavy weaponry, air and artillery attacks on the central city of Taiz, and a security vacuum leading to a dangerous expansion of extremist groups, particularly in the south where Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has consolidated its presence.
But he noted that the sides agreed to set up a Coordination and De-escalation Committee of military advisors from the two delegations and UN experts to minimize ceasefire violations, and that this work will continue over the coming months, commending the progress made so far.
“The talks revealed deep divisions between the two sides on the path to peace and the shape of a future agreement. Trust between the parties remains weak,” he declared. “The commitment of the delegations, especially the chairs, in the end proved stronger than these divisions.
“By the end of the talks, the delegations have agreed to meet again next month using a common framework which will help them map out a clear and effective path to peace, towards a negotiated and inclusive political transition.”
In her briefing to the Council, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kyung-wha Kang detailed the “appalling” conditions faced by Yemenis, with some 7.6 million requiring emergency food aid to survive, and at least two million malnourished, including 320,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition, a two-fold increase since March.
At least 1.8 million children have had to drop out of classes, adding to the 1.6 million who were already out of school before the crisis began. Over 170 schools have been destroyed, and more than 600 damaged. At least 58 schools have been occupied by armed groups, nearly all of them in Taiz Governorate; another 238 are hosting people displaced by the violence.
Some 14 million people lack adequate access to health-care assistance, and relentless airstrikes, shelling and violence continue to force families from their homes, with over 2.5 million internally displaced – an eight-fold increase since the start of the conflict.
“Despite a challenging and dangerous environment, humanitarian organizations on the ground are responding with life-saving assistance,” Ms. Kang declared. “Four million people have been provided access to emergency water and sanitation through water trucking and provision of fuel.
“Since April, monthly food distributions have been steadily expanding, with 1.9 million people reached in November and 3 million people planned for December. By February, five million people should be receiving food assistance each month across the country,” she added.
“UN agencies and partners will continue to scale up our assistance to save lives. However, only a political settlement can end the immense suffering facing more than 20 million men, women and children in Yemen today.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52887#.VnpXnTvSmUl
Comment: Great! So the UN acknowledges that the Saudi-led coalition has not "helped" Yemen in any way but has infact made the situation far-worse.... why then do we not see an outright straight-forward condemnation against the coalition's actions in Yemen and a decision in support of ending the Saudi aggression NOW?!
https://www.facebook.com/yemen.crisis/posts/544291129070461
22.12.2015 – United Nations Human Rights
Statement by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to the United Nations Security Council
I am encouraged by the recent efforts exerted by the parties in the conflict, with the support of the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, aimed at reaching a peaceful solution. The preceding intensification of the conflict in Yemen resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of civilian casualties and an aggravation of the already dire humanitarian situation. It also continues to undermine prospects for peace.
Conditions of life have become untenable for the vast majority of people in Yemen. The combined impact of violence and artificial impediments to the delivery of humanitarian assistance has proved disastrous. At least 21 million people, 80% of the population, are currently reliant on some measure of humanitarian assistance, while approximately half the population is suffering from malnutrition.
Furthermore, the findings of my Office indicate that there continues to be an intensification of existing patterns of violations, including – amongst others - the violation of the right to life, destruction of civilian objects and infrastructure and illegal detention, at the hands of all parties to the conflict. As the violence continues to intensify, the number of civilian casualties across the country continues to rise. According to the information gathered by my Office in Yemen, over 2,700 civilians have been killed and more than 5,300 injured since the start of the conflict. My office has also documented dozens of cases of alleged illegal detention, primarily at the hands of the Popular Committees.
Sadly, it is the children who are bearing the brunt of the conflict in Yemen. There has been a steady increase in the number of children killed and injured. This year alone, over 600 children have been killed and more than 900 have suffered serious injury. This is a fivefold increase compared with the entire year of 2014.
In September, I presented a report on the situation of human rights in Yemen before the 30th session of the Human Rights Council. The report addressed credible allegations of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law as gathered by my office. The report also presented the Human Rights Council with a number of recommendations, principal amongst which is a call for an international investigation into credible allegations of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law and accountability for the perpetrators.
The Government of Yemen had earlier announced its intention to create a national commission of investigation, which I welcomed. The Human Rights Council subsequently adopted resolution 30/18 which calls on my Office to provide technical assistance to a national commission of inquiry and to report back to the Council on the situation of human rights in Yemen at its 33rd session. The recruiting and deployment of new staff members to support follow up on the Human Rights Council resolution are currently pending approval by the Fifth Committee.
I have observed with extreme concern the continuation of heavy shelling from the ground and the air in areas with high a concentration of civilians as well as the perpetuation of the destruction of civilian infrastructure - in particular hospitals and schools - by all parties to the conflict, although a disproportionate amount appeared to be the result of airstrikes carried out by Coalition Forces
My Office will continue to document credible allegations of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the context of Yemen, and will continue to call upon all parties involved to abide by, and commit themselves to, the protection of civilians and hold those responsible for serious violations of international law to account. In that regard, I also strongly encourage the Government of Yemen to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court or urgently accept its jurisdiction.
I further call on the Council to do everything within its powers to help restrain the use of force by all parties and to urge all sides to abide by the basic principles of international humanitarian law, including by immediately removing all impediments to humanitarian assistance and fully cooperate with the Humanitarian Response Team.
Madame President.
Unless Yemen and the world urgently rise to meet the extraordinary challenges presented by this situation, the consequences could be even more catastrophic.
To that end, I urgently call on the Council to expedite and intensify diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire and help create a framework for negotiating a comprehensive and sustainable peace in Yemen. Any military solution that falls outside of the context of a negotiated agreement may - in the short term – bring about an immediate strategic advantage to one side or another. Nonetheless, it will inevitably render Yemen and its neighbours less stable and secure over the longer term.
Failure to act decisively does not only spell misery for the millions of vulnerable people in Yemen today. It would inevitably push the country into an irreversible process of Balkanization, the consequences of which would lie outside of anyone’s control. The potential ramifications of a failed state in Yemen would almost inevitably create safe havens for radical and confessional groups such as the so-called ISIS. This, in turn, could expand the conflict beyond Yemen’s borders, potentially shattering regional stability.
Finally, in the light of the enormity of this crisis – it is imperative that relevant stakeholders put aside their political and ideological differences in order to achieve our common goal to re-establish some measure of security and stability in Yemen.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16917&LangID=E
22.12.2015 – US Government
Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Yemen
Ambassador Samantha Power
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
http://usun.state.gov/remarks/7072
Kommentar: Wer es nachlesen will, mag es tun. Schöne Worte der Vertreterin einer Nation, die diesen Krieg und diese Katastrophe erst möglich gemacht hat und nun als Friedensbringer und Menschenfreund auftreten will. Hierzu siehe Daniel Larison auf The American Conservative, und Somini Sengupta in der New York Times unten unter USA.
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
22.12.2015 – Telepolis
"Die Ausbreitung des saudischen Einflusses wird verheerende Folgen nach sich ziehen"
Begegnungen mit Peter Scholl-Latour
Es sei höchst suspekt, dass so viele amerikanische Nahost-Experten über ausgezeichnete Kenntnisse des Orients verfügen, aber deren Mahnungen und Warnungen am Potomac unerhört verhallen, fuhr Scholl-Latour fort.
Laut Scholl-Latour an diesem Nachmittag während unseres Gespräches an der Hotel-Bar war das Jahr 1979 durch drei Ereignisse geprägt, die den gesamten Nahen-und Mittleren Osten nachhaltig verändern sollten. Zum einen die Revolution im Iran durch Ayathollah Khomeini, dessen Ausstrahlungskraft doch auf die Schiiten begrenzt blieb, im Irak, Libanon und Afghanistan. Dann der Einmarsch der Roten Armee in Afghanistan. Schließlich der Aufruhr in Saudi-Arabien, der im November jenes Jahres in der Erstürmung der heiligen Stätten von Mekka gipfelte, welche von einigen Fanatikern besetzt wurden, die sich gegen die Prunksucht der saudischen Herrscher aufgelehnt hatten. Diese Revolte war keineswegs schiitisch oder gar marxistisch motiviert, so Scholl-Latour, sondern wurde von einem 27-jährigen Zeloten angeführt, einem gewissen Mohammed el-Qahtani, der zu den Dogmen des Früh-Islams zurückfinden wollte.
Mohammed el-Qahtani war ein Saudi, kein Ausländer, der eine Menge von Menschen um sich scharte, alles sunnitische Araber. Heute würde man diesen Aufstand als salafistisch definieren. Was Scholl-Latour nachträglich am meisten an diesem Ereignis verwunderte, war die Tatsache, dass die saudische Armee nicht in der Lage war, diesen Widerstand zu brechen, weshalb sich Riad verzweifelt an Frankreich wandte und um den Einsatz der Antiterror-Spezialisten der GIGN bettelte.
Seit jenen Tagen, so dozierte Scholl-Latour, war eine stärkere Hinwendung des Hauses El Saud zu einer fundamentalistischeren Interpretation der islamischen Gesetzgebung zu beobachten. Die fanatische wahhabitische Rechtsprechung führte zu einer beklemmenden Intoleranz, welche sogar die Taliban in Afghanistan inspiriert haben dürfte. Die Einnahmen, welche den Saudis aufgrund ihres Petroleumreichtums zur Verfügung stehen, werden in den Dienst einer weltweiten Missionierung gestellt, welche den Charakter des Islams weltweit zum negativen verändert hat, argumentierte er.
Man orientiert sich dabei an den Jüngern des Koranpredigers, Ab del-Wahhab aus dem achtzehnten Jahrhundert, dessen Sippe der Saud in der Wüstenregion Nedjd zu den Verkündern einer überspannten islamischen Botschaft wurde. In deren Namen wird heute Hass geschürt, von Bosnien bis Indonesien, der Bau unzähliger Moscheen vorangetrieben, um dem Heiligen Krieg weltweit ein solides Fundament zu verleihen – von Ramon Schack
http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/46/46941/1.html
01.01.2004 – Foreign Affairs
The Saudi Paradox
More details see above at “Most important”
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/saudi-arabia/2004-01-01/saudi-paradox
Vereinigte Arabische Emirate / United Arab Emirates
23.12.2015 – Middle East Eye
'Ally with the Muslim Brotherhood'
According to one Gulf official, the UAE should build more pragmatic alliances on the ground in Yemen, if they want the war to end soon.
The official, who spoke to MEE on condition of anonymity, said that the war could be over “in two to three weeks” if the Emiratis agreed to ally with Islah, the Muslim Brotherhood affiliate in Yemen.
“But they won’t because they have this problem with the Muslim Brotherhood,” the official said.
The UAE has led a region-wide assault on the Muslim Brotherhood, including labelling the group as terrorists domestically and supporting the Egyptian army in overthrowing Egypt's first elected president Mohamed Morsi, who is a Brotherhood leader.
Abu Dhabi has refused to work with Islah, and Emirati officials have blamed the Brotherhood for the failure to drive Houthi rebels out of areas including Taiz province.
Emirati disdain for the Brotherhood has gone so far that Abu Dhabi is said to have aided and abetted the Houthis' takeover of Yemeni capital Sanaa in September last year, in order to undermine the role played by Islah in the country's governance, senior sources told Middle East Eye at the time. Now, 15 months later, the Emiratis are mired in a battle to push back the Houthis, but are wary of empowering their Brotherhood foe.
The Gulf official said: “It is time for the UAE to prioritise the lives of Yemenis and ally with Islah. Their men are being killed by the Houthis and there is a clear way to end this.” – by Rori Donaghy
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mercenaries-charge-uae-forces-fighting-yemen-764309832
USA
23.12.2015 – Der Standard
Jemen: Vier mutmaßliche Islamisten bei Drohnenangriff getötet
Bei einem Drohnenangriff im Jemen sind vier mutmaßliche Kämpfer der Islamistengruppe Al-Kaida getötet worden. Das Fahrzeug der Männer sei am Dienstagabend an der Grenze zwischen den Provinzen Baida und Shabwa bombardiert worden, sagte ein Vertreter der jemenitischen Sicherheitskräfte. Die USA sind das einzige Land, das Kampfdrohnen im Jemen einsetzt.
http://derstandard.at/2000028000333/Jemen-Vier-mutmassliche-Islamisten-bei-Drohnenangriff-getoetet
Kommentar: „mutmaßliche“: So heißt es immer. In einem großen Teil der Fälle haben die Getöteten aber überhaupt nichts mit Al Kaida zu tun.
22.12.2015 – Reuters
Drone strike kills four suspected Al Qaeda militants in Yemen
A U.S. drone strike killed four suspected Al Qaeda militants in central Yemen on Tuesday, tribal sources told Reuters, in the first such attack since September.
The drone attack took place against the background of Yemen's wider conflict involving Houthi militiamen and groups loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against forces supporting exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has sought to exploit.
The drone strike targeted the men's car as they drove through Nata district on the road linking Bayda and Shabwa provinces, destroying the vehicle and leaving four charred bodies inside, the sources said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-security-drone-idUSL8N14B3EY20151222
22.12.2015 – The American Conservative
The Administration’s Crocodile Tears Over Yemen
The Obama administration’s crocodile tears over Yemen are impossible to take seriously:
[Tweet by Samantha Power, US ambassador to the UN]: The Obama administration’s crocodile tears over Yemen are impossible to take seriously: Grim briefing on #Yemen today. Yemen's future on the line: over 700 schools destroyed/damaged; 2x increase in malnourished kids in just 9mo
Statement by Samantha Power in the Security Council: http://usun.state.gov/remarks/7072
As I noted in a response to this, all of these things have been enabled and supported by the Obama administration. Washington’s concern for “Yemen’s future” has not been much in evidence for the last nine months. Instead, the administration has armed and fueled the Saudi-led coalition’s planes, helped the Saudis to cover up their likely war crimes at the U.N., and stood by while the coalition blockaded an entire country to the point of famine. As it has done since March, the administration feigns concern over the disaster caused by the war that they have actively supported. U.S. officials have avoided criticizing the coalition’s campaign in public, and there is not much reason to believe that there has been much pressure on Riyadh in private to scale back or halt the campaign. Power isn’t likely to publicize that the U.N. holds the Saudi-led coalition responsible for causing a “disproportionate” share of the civilian casualties in the last nine months, since the U.S. is partly responsible for causing those deaths. If the administration were interested in responding seriously to the grim news coming out of Yemen, it would cut off its support for the war and apply as much pressure as it could to get the blockade lifted, but it isn’t going to do any of that – by Daniel Larison
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-administrations-crocodile-tears-over-yemen/
22.12.2015 – New York Times
All that [the statement given in the UN Security Council that the greatest part of civilian victims in Yemen is due to Saudi coalition air raids] has placed the United States in an awkward diplomatic tangle. But the fact that American officials invited Mr. al-Hussein to brief the Council on Tuesday was an indication that cracks in the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia are beginning to show.
Indeed, in her public comments, the American ambassador, Samantha Power, urged Saudi officials to look into episodes in which civilian sites had been hit and to take precautions to avoid them in the future.
On Monday, Ms. Power said that American officials had privately urged the Saudis to abide by international humanitarian law governing conflicts. “Those conversations have happened at really every level with the Saudi government,” she said.
Despite those conversations, the Obama administration has not blocked a $129 million [that is not true; it is 1,29 billion Dollars!!] weapons deal with Saudi Arabia. It has also not suggested that it would withdraw its support for the Saudi-led operations, nor said that it would conduct its own investigations into military airstrikes that might amount to serious crimes.
Part of the difficulty in dealing with Saudi Arabia is its role as the Sunni Arab powerhouse of the Middle East. The United States must address Saudi interests in the region as it seeks to develop ties with Iran, and Saudi Arabia’s cooperation is vital to ending the war in Syria.
But increasingly, the war in Yemen is turning into a political liability for the United States, and Tuesday’s meeting in the Council was seen by many as evidence of the Obama administration’s frustrations. Political talks, mediated by the United Nations, produced little last week, and a promised cease-fire broke down.
“The United States wants this conflict wrapped up sooner rather than later, and is frustrated by repeated violations of the cease-fire, including by the Saudi-led coalition,” said Stewart M. Patrick, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Having supplied many of the weapons that the Saudi coalition is using against their targets, the United States is clearly worried about being linked to the resulting atrocities and deteriorating humanitarian situation.”
Holding the warring parties to account is likely to be difficult. That would require establishing who had command responsibility for ordering a strike on a known civilian site. Moreover, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United States are not subject to the authority of the International Criminal Court – by Somini Sengupta
Comment: Why Saudi cooperation should be needed to end the war in Syria?? Saudi Arabia is one of the states that fires this war most. The best would be, if the Saudis could be forced to keep totally out of Syria.
22.12.2015 – RT
Bombadiert Agrabah!
Bei einer Wahlumfrage taten sich nun neue Untiefen im Allgemeinwissen der US-Amerikaner auf.
Das den Demokraten nahestehende Public Policy Polling-Institut erkundigte sich nach den Einstellungen republikanischer Wähler. Die sollen demnächst mittels Vorwahlen ihren Kandidaten für das Präsidentenamt bestimmen.
Zum Thema Außenpolitik interessierten sich die demokratischen Meinungsspione auch für die generelle Gewaltbereitschaft der republikanischen Wähler. Anscheinend konnten sich die Demoskopen jedoch auf kein konkretes Fallbeispiel einigen. Und das, obwohl mit Syrien, Sudan und Libyen aktuell genug muslimisch geprägte Länder für Bombenangriffe zur Verfügung stehen. Also fragten sie nach einem Land, das sicher jeder kennt: Agrabah.
Alles, was dazu zu wissen ist, steht in einem Wiki. Den hat das Unternehmen Disney angelegt, um hartnäckigen Fans detaillierte Informationen über die von ihnen geschaffene Fantasiewelt mitzugeben. Demnach handelt es sich um ein Land in Arabien, und zwar in der Nähe des Flusses Jordan. Es wird von einem Sultan regiert und verfügt über einen beeindruckenden Palast. Es wird regelmäßig von seinen berühmtesten Bewohnern Alladin, Prinzessin Jasmine und ihren Freunden vor dem Untergang gerettet.
Damit dürfte in Zukunft Schluss sein. Eine aktive Mehrheit der republikanischen Wähler sprach sich nun dafür aus, Agrabah von der US-Luftwaffe bombardieren zu lassen. Da kann dieser Alladin mit seiner Lampe fuchteln, bis er umfällt. Insgesamt stimmten 30 Prozent der Fans republikanischer Außenpolitik dafür, den romantischen Wüstenfleck auszuradieren. Gegen diese unilaterale Gewaltmaßnahme sprachen sich nur 13 Prozent aus. Weitere 57 Prozent waren sich bei dieser schweren Entscheidung unsicher.
https://deutsch.rt.com/gesellschaft/36063-bombadiert-agrabah/
Kommentar: Extrem! Völlig unbekanntes Land, aber arabisch, keine Ahnung was da los ist, aber Bomben drauf! That’s America, stupid.
8.12.2015 – Lobelog
Is the U.S. Facilitating the Use of Mercenaries in Yemen?
The recent New York Times report that the United Arab Emirates is paying, arming, and training retired soldiers from Colombia and other Latin American countries to fight in Yemen marks a troubling turning point in the evolution of the current generation of Mideast wars. The use of mercenaries to fight battles that a country’s own citizens are loathe to engage in lifts yet another barrier to the prosecution and escalation of wars in the region.
One question for Congress and the Obama administration is whether U.S. arms and training programs have helped to facilitate these rogue activities. All of the parties to the transaction—including ex-Colombian, Panamanian, Chilean, and Salvadoran soldiers—come from countries that have received extensive U.S. military training programs for decades.
According to data compiled by the Security Assistance Monitor (SAM), during the Obama years alone, the United States has trained a total of 30,000 military personnel from the four countries represented in the UAE’s mercenary force, with over two-thirds coming from Colombia. It would be useful to know how many of those 30,000 have sold their skills to the UAE to fight alongside their troops in Yemen. For example, the United States trained Oscar Garcia Batte, who runs the company that recruits ex-Colombian soldiers for the UAE. Batte is now fighting with the first Colombian unit to deploy to Yemen alongside UAE troops.
The military of the United Arab Emirates, which is training the Latin American mercenary force, has also received training from the United States. U.S. personnel have trained over 4,000 Emirati troops since 2009. In addition, many of the weapons the mercenary force is being trained to use, including M-16 rifles, grenade launchers, night vision devices, and armored vehicles, have most likely come from the United States, given Washington’s central role in supplying the UAE’s military.
How U.S. military training is ultimately used should be taken into account in deciding how extensive these training programs should be, and what countries should be recipients. The Leahy law, sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), prohibits U.S. assistance to units of foreign militaries when there is credible evidence that they have engaged in major human rights abuses. But these restrictions have a limited impact on the sheer numbers of foreign troops trained by the United States. Statistics compiled by the Security Assistance monitor show that 168 countries have received military training from the United States since 2009 – by William D. Hartung
William D. Hartung is the director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy and a senior adviser to the Security Assistance Monitor.
http://lobelog.com/is-the-u-s-facilitating-the-use-of-mercenaries-in-yemen/
Comment: Interesting article worth reading in full on the original site. The article makes clear how much more the US in involved in a war like the Yemen war (and others as well), if you take into account what the author reveals here.
Eritrea
23.12.2015 – APA
Eritrea joins Yemen conflict on S/Arabia's side
Eritrea has announced it is joining the so-called Islamic alliance to tackle global terrorism by sending troops to bolster Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In an announcement by the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs seen by APA on Wednesday, the government in Asmara said it had reached an agreement with Riyadh to contribute militarily to the offensive in exchange for a hefty economic aid package.
For the past fifteen years Eritrea has been regarded by the outside world as a reclusive state with serious economic challenges which are partly blamed for a steady exodus of Eritreans from the country.
The Foreign Affairs ministry in Asmara expressed Eritrea's readiness to join the regional military alliance against what it called agents of terror in Yemen and would be doing so "without reservations".
However, the government in Asmara has not indicated when it would be deploying troops to join the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.
The announcement in Asmara came at the end of President Isaias Afewerki's recent trip to Saudi Arabia where he held a closed-door meeting with King Salman Bin Abdelaziz, the subject of which was not disclosed.
However, sources in Asmara have intimated to APA that Eritrea's impending military involvement in Yemen follows the Saudi King's expressed commitment to assist the largely reclusive country with what they described as huge financial aid.
http://www.apanews.net/news/en/article.php?id=841942
Kommentar: Noch ein schönes demokratisches Musterland, das sich von den Saudis für die Teilnahme am Jemenkrieg kaufen last. Und ein Land, das seine Bürger in einen langen Militärdienst presst – nun wohl auch mit der Möglichkeit eines tödlichen Endes. Gefragt, ob sie wirklich im Jemen sterben wollen, werden die eritreischen Jemenkämpfer kaum werden.
Propaganda
23.12.2015 – The National UAE
The threat of ISIL unites the fight in Yemen, Libya and Syria
http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/the-threat-of-isil-unites-the-fight-in-yemen-libya-and-syria
Schon die Überschrift ist reine Propaganda: Der Kampf der saudischen Koalition im Jemen hat nichts mit dem IS zu tun – im Gegenteil, er hat den IS fast ganz ungeschoren gelassen und ihm ermöglicht, sich im Jemen weiter auszubreiten.
22.12.2015 – Almasirah TV
Al Kaida fighting at Taiz and how it is showen by Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya (Film, Arabic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ywptHH6S2w
22.12.2015 – Gulf News
UAE-Saudi alliance gives Arab world hope
The coalition in Yemen is right to follow a pan-Arab agenda of backing legitimate governments
Decisive and unified Arab action is preventing a serious situation in Yemen from getting much worse. The key to this action is the UAE’s close alliance with Saudi Arabia, which is a natural part of the UAE’s backing of pan-Arab action to support people’s rights, justice and the people’s legitimate aspirations for security, stability and development.
This week His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, made an important statement when meeting leaders of the Yemeni National Resistance, during which he reiterated the unwavering stance of the UAE in support of the Yemeni people, their national will and their legitimate government.
Shaikh Mohammad also described the stance of Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz as a historic development in that “a pan-Arab national agenda is capable of countering the challenges in the region, in contrast to the private and limited agendas that are responsible for many setbacks and for the surrounding disintegration that threatens our future as much as it does the future of our children.”
The successful regional response to the crisis in Yemen has shown both Arab governments and the world powers watching the situation in the Arab world that such a regional force can take effective action and seek a solution without recourse to a superpower.
Another important strand of Shaikh Mohammad’s statement was his praise for the strength of UAE-Saudi relations as part of the Arab Coalition in Yemen and he described the cooperation between the two countries as a “source of light that guides us all to serve the interests of the Arab World as the Arab World faces difficult challenges that spare none of us and could very well face the coming generations if we do not have a unified stance.”
The UAE is helping to lead the Arab counter-attack on the forces that want to destroy nation states and take advantage of the subsequent chaos.
http://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/uae-saudi-alliance-gives-arab-world-hope-1.1642114
Comment: Well, it appears that destroying a country and massacring or starving the inhabitants gives Arab countries hope - sounds like double dutch to me.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1076592155826608
Kommentar: Eine bessere Satire könnte man gar nicht schreiben. Es geht schon mit der Überschrift los: „UAE-Saudi alliance gives Arab world hope“. Hoffnung schenken durch Dauer-Bombardement. Ach ja. Erster Satz: „The coalition in Yemen is right to follow a pan-Arab agenda of backing legitimate governments”. Ja super, Freunde, macht das doch mal in Syrien. Der legitime Präsident heißt Assad und wäre euch sicher sehr dankbar. Nächster Satz: „Decisive and unified Arab action is preventing a serious situation in Yemen from getting much worse.” Wie man das ausgerechnet durch Bombenangriffe mit Massenmord und massenhafter Zerstörung erreichen will, wird wohl ein ewiges Geheimnis von Saudi und Co. bleiben. Ich würde dieses Vorgehen im Allgemeinen nicht empfehlen. Bei der nächsten Massenpanik in Mekka (wirklich eine „serious situation“) gleich bombardieren, damit die Situation nicht weiter eskaliert – na ich weiß nicht. Lieber nicht. Das Vorgehen der saudischen „Koalition“ wäre eine „action to support people’s rights, justice and the people’s legitimate aspirations for security, stability and development”. Also, die Bombenangiffe, die Tausende getötet und das halbe Land in Schutt und Asche gelegt haben, sollen tatsächlich „support people’s rights, justice and the people’s legitimate aspirations for security, stability and development”. Solchen Irrsinn haben nicht einmal die schlimmsten Kriegsverbrecher im 2. Weltkrieg behauptet. Das war erst der erste Absatz, liebe Leser(innen). Aber das reicht ja wohl.
22.12.2015 – Emirates 24 7
Yemeni rebels hide arms at diplomatic missions
Yemeni rebels hide arms at diplomatic missions
Move came after they were targeted by coalition jets
Yemen’s coup rebels are hiding their weapons at diplomatic missions and houses of foreign diplomats in Sanaa after most of those diplomats left the capital because of the war, a UAE newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The Arabic language daily Albayan quoted residents in the rebel-controlled Sanaa as saying they saw armored vehicles and trucks carrying arms and ammunition entering diplomatic compounds in the capital after they were evacuated and shut.
“Witnesses said they saw many trucks and armored vehicles going into diplomatic missions to hide the weapons there,” it said.
It said the move by the Iranian-backed Houthis and forces loyal to deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh came after their military positions were targeted by the Arab coalition warplanes as part of a military campaign to quell the coup and restore legitimacy.
It quoted residents as saying the armored vehicles stayed inside those compounds while the trucks left empty after unloading the weapons.
“One resident said he saw some trucks unloading their shipments inside the houses of foreign diplomats who left the country,” it said.
Most ambassadors and other foreign diplomats in Yemen shut their missions and left the country following the Iranian-backed coup last year.
Kommentar: Es scheint wohl eher so, dass hiermit entweder nachträglich bereits erfolgte Bombardierungen von Stadtgebieten gerechtfertigt oder zukünftige propagandistisch vorbereitet werden sollen. Aha, nicht nur ich sehr das so: Rachy Colly: What does this mean? Is it a pretext for Saudi aggression to bombard diplomatic missions?
Söldner / Mercenaries
23.12.2015 – Middle East Eye
Revealed: The mercenaries commanding UAE forces in Yemen
The UAE has brought in experienced foreign military officers to command an elite force reporting to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed
An Australian citizen is the commander of an elite UAE military force deployed in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition, which human rights groups accuse of war crimes.
Mike Hindmarsh, 59, is a former senior Australian army officer who is publicly listed as commander of the UAE’s Presidential Guard.
The Presidential Guard is a unit of marines, reconnaissance, aviation, special forces and mechanised brigades, according to the US State Department website.
Hindmarsh oversaw the guard’s formation in early 2010 shortly after he took up his estimated $500,000-a-year, tax-free job in Abu Dhabi, where he reports directly to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
The Presidential Guard has been lauded for playing a key role in the Saudi-led coalition seeking to reinstall the exiled Yemeni government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Presidential Guard troops have been in Yemen since 4 May, and were reported to have played a key role in the recapturing of port city Aden by local Hadi-allied forces on 17 July.
The best trained and equipped coalition troops are likely to be those from the UAE Presidential Guard, which was the only Arab force to undertake full military operations in Afghanistan, where they fought alongside American soldiers.
A defence website has estimated that there are around 5,000 soldiers in the Presidential Guard.
It was announced in 2014 that the UAE was to pay the US Marines $150mn to train the guards. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed was reported to have ordered the force to be instilled with a “warrior ethos”.
Overseeing the development of this elite force has been Hindmarsh, who had a distinguished career in the Australian army before moving to Abu Dhabi.
It would appear that the UAE has followed the principle of bringing in experience to develop the Presidential Guard, as a quick search through LinkedIn throws up numerous results of experienced soldiers - mainly from Australia - who occupy senior roles in the elite force.
Among those working in Abu Dhabi is …
It is not known how many Australians work for the UAE army; however, local media reported at the time of Hindmarsh's appointment that there were "dozens" working in "leadership, training and mentoring roles".
While Australians appear to dominate the foreign contingent of commanders in the Presidential Guard, there are other nationalities who are advising and training the force.
Dizzy Dawson, a former manager at the UK’s Ministry of Defence and an ex-Royal Marine officer, is a senior security adviser to the guard; and American Robert B. Cross Sr headed up the UAE Presidential Guard Institute as part of the US Marine Corps training programme.
While the Colombian and Australian mercenaries remain largely behind the scenes, the UAE Presidential Guard is far from secretive, at least in its recruitment strategies.
The guard has been promoted as a symbol of national strength, rooted in pride at how strong the UAE has become since its establishment in 1971 – by Rori Donaghy
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mercenaries-charge-uae-forces-fighting-yemen-764309832
Verkehr / Traffic
21.12.2015 – Logistics Cluster
Yemen situation update, December 21
Mit Karte / with Map: http://www.logcluster.org/document/situation-update-yemen-21-december-2015
Terrorismus / Terrorism
23.12.2015 – The Long War Journal
The Islamic State’s “province” in Yemen has encountered a setback in the past two weeks. More than one dozen senior leaders, along with scores of fighters, have openly rebelled against the group’s governor (wali) for what they claim are serious violations of sharia, or Islamic law.
Seventy members of the Islamic State’s Yemeni branch announced their “defection” from the Islamic State’s wali in a letter published online on Dec. 15. The Long War Journal has obtained a translation of the letter, entitled “A Statement of Defection from the Wali of Yemen.”
While the renegade commanders and fighters said they no longer view the governor of Yemen Province as their emir, they first and foremost reaffirmed their allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the self-declared “caliph” of the Islamic State.
“We, the soldiers of the Islamic State in Yemen, the undersigned, do hereby declare our pledge to the caliph of the Muslims, Ibrahim Ibn Awad al Hussayni al Qurayshi [the formal name for Abu Bakr al Baghdadi], and once again renew our pledge to the caliph in all matters, except in those matters in which we observe clear apostasy,” the dissenters wrote.
The authors then accused the governor and his “inner circle” of committing “excesses and violations against sharia,” adding that the Islamic State’s home office has not resolved the problems.
The Islamic State’s central governing body quickly responded to the letter from the dissenters in Yemen. On Dec. 19, Abu Ubaydah Abd al Hakim, a “Member of the Shura Council of the Caliphate,” issued a scathing response.
The rift within the Islamic State’s Yemen province appears to be significant. While the size of the Yemen-based contingent is not publicly known, some estimates indicate that it has several hundred fighters in its ranks. Therefore, the defection of 15 senior leaders and 55 fighters is no small fissure – by Bill Rogio and Thomas Jocselyn
23.12.2015 – Reuters
Gunmen kill resistance colonel in Yemen's Aden
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a colonel in Yemen's southern resistance in Aden on Tuesday night, a local official said, the latest in a string of assassinations in the city often carried out by Islamist militants.
The gunmen opened fire on a car containing resistance leader Jalal al-Awbali in the Dar Saad district of northern Aden, killing him immediately, the official said.
Insecurity in Aden, the biggest prize yet won by Hadi in Yemen's nine-month civil war, threatens to undermine the campaign waged on his behalf against the Houthis and army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
22.12.2015 – Hussain Bukhaiti
#AQAP released new film of their training&fights against #Houthi in #Taiz #Yemen
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/678964667755139072
15.6.2015 – Vocativ
Al-Qaeda In Yemen's Latest Target: Drums
AQAP militants raid Sufi mosques in Yemen, destroying drums used in Sufi rituals
Al-Qaeda militants, who have capitalized on Yemen’s current violence to seize strategic coastal towns, have destroyed buildings belonging to Sufi Muslims in the area, along with the drums they use in their rituals.
Sufis, who follow a mystical strand of Islam, are known across the world for their whirling dances and stamping chants. But they are also considered by conservative Muslims to be heretics because of their traditions, which include music. Al-Qaeda adheres to an extreme code of Islam in which music and all kinds of dancing are banned. When the group took over the province of Hadramout earlier this year, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula sought to crack down on other aspects of Yemeni daily life, prohibiting the sale and consumption of qat, a narcotic leaf that Yemenis consider part of their daily diet.
Activists group based in the city of Mukallah in the heart of Hadramout, reported Sunday evening that AQAP members had raided a Sufi mosque in the city. Following the raid, local residents and activist groups on social media started posting photos of the destroyed drums – by Gilad Shiloach
http://www.vocativ.com/news/201803/al-qaeda-in-yemens-latest-target-drums/
Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
23.12.2015 – Saba Net
Saudi strikes kill, injure dozen of citizens in Sa’ada
An entire family was killed on Wednesday due to the Saudi aggression warplanes bombardment on a house of a citizen in Kitaf district in Sa’ada province. A security official in the province explained to Saba that the aggression war jets bombed the home of the citizen Abdul-Karim Hamood al-Ezzi in al-Khaneq Amlah village in Kitaf district, which led to the killing of all members of his family. The Saudi aggression also targeted a house in al-Safra’a district, killing and injuring 11 citizens, including women and children, the official added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news413689.htm
23.12.2015 – Albawaba
Yemen government forces close to Sanaa
Yemeni legitimate government forces edged closer to Sanaa on Tuesday and were within just around 60 km from the capital after seizing key positions held by the Iranian-backed coup rebels, reports from Yemen said on Wednesday.
After heavy clashes with the insurgents, the army and the national resistance occupied Nahm area, nearly 60 km from Sanaa in North Yemen , the report said.
“The army and resistance fighters have reached 60 km from Sanaa, their closest point to the capital since it was seized by the rebels in September last year,” Sky News Arabia said, quoting military sources in Yemen.
Yemen’s news website Masdar Online said the army and resistance have made major achievements on the Sanaa front over the past few weeks with the support of the Arab coalition warplanes. It said large government forces and resistance men were now deployed around Sanaa ready to advance in case the peace process collapses.
http://en.albawabhnews.com/73241
23.12.2015 – The National UAE
Yemen loyalists gain ground in Hajjah province
Yemen’s pro-government forces on Tuesday seized key ground in Hajjah province from Houthi rebels near the insurgents’ stronghold in Saada.
The gains came as Saudi Arabia shot down another ballistic missile fired from Yemen.
The missile, fired late on Monday night, was intercepted on a trajectory towards the Saudi city of Jizan. The Houthis said the missile was aimed at oil installations in the south of the kingdom.
The Shibh Al Himrayah and Shibh Al Hosia areas in the Haradh district of Hajjah were captured by highly trained Yemeni troops who entered the country from Saudi Arabia last week.
“There are many loyalists to... Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthis in Hajjah, and for this reason the pro-government forces could not advance easily ... but this advance made the Houthis supporters fear the pro-government forces, as they believe they could take over the whole province,” said Ahmed Qataran, a journalist in Hajjah.
http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/yemen-loyalists-gain-ground-in-hajjah-province
Kommentar: So sieht der von Präsident Hadi verlängerte „Waffenstillstand“ aus.
22.12.2015 – Fars News
EXCLUSIVE: 207 More Saudi-Led Troops Killed in Yemen Ballistic Missile Attack
The Saudi-led Coalition Forces suffered another devastating blow when two Qaher-I ballistic missiles hit their military bases in the province of Ma'rib and the border region of Tawwal on Tuesday, and killed over 200 troops, including Saudi, UAE, British and US officers.
"A Qaher-I ballistic missile of Yemen struck al-Safer military base in Ma'rib province, killing over 137 Saudi-led aggressors, including a large number of Saudi and Sudanese troops, five UAE officers, head of the operations room (in Safer military base) and foreign military experts who seemed to be American and British," a Yemeni source told FNA on Tuesday.
The source noted that bodies of the Saudi-led troops killed in Al-Safer region were completely burnt.
He added that another Yemeni missile targeted Saudi Arabia's Tawwal military base in the border region in Jizan province, killing at least 70 Saudi-led troops and injuring over 100 others.
The ballistic missiles that have recently come into service in Yemen's army have claimed a heavy toll on the Saudi side of the war. Only in the last one week, around 550 Saudi-led troops have been killed by these ballistic missiles.
Military sources announced on Tuesday that the Yemeni army and the popular forces pounded targets in Al-Khuba region in Saudi Arabia's Southern Jizan province with hundreds of home-made missiles and rockets.
"The Yemeni forces have attacked Al-Khuba region with Over 700 rockets and missiles," the Arabic-language media outlets quoted an unnamed military source as saying.
Al-Alam news outlet said the attacks were done in the last two days.
The source said that the military operations in Al-Khuba region were the first of a series of strategic steps to confront the joint aggressions by Saudi Arabia and the UAE and their coalition and the continued violation of the seven-day-long fragile ceasefire that has been trampled by tens of Saudi airstrikes.
On Monday, the Yemeni army and popular forces targeted Saudi Arabia's Aramco Oil Company in Jizan with Qaher-I ballistic missiles.
"The (Qaher-I) missile precisely hit Aramco oil company on Monday night," Yemeni Army Spokesman Brigadier General Sharaf Luqman said on Tuesday.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941001001421
Kommentar: Was ist dran? Sind die Zahlen übertrieben? Die zitierte Behauptung von General Luqman, eine Rakete habe die Aramco Oil Company getroffen, wird durch eine Meldung der Firma selbst sehr zweifelhaft.
22.12.2015 – News CH
Arabien droht Huthi-Rebellen mit Vergeltung
Im Jemen hat die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Militärkoalition den Huthi-Rebellen mit Vergeltung gedroht. Die Armee hatte am Montag eine auf die Grenzstadt Dschasan abgefeuerte Rakete abgefangen.
Die «Fortsetzung der Absurditäten der Huthi-Milizen» werde die Koalition zwingen, «scharfe Massnahmen zu ergreifen, um sie von solchen Taten abzuschrecken», berichtete die amtliche saudiarabische Nachrichtenagentur SPA am Dienstag.
Seit Freitag wurden fünf Raketen vom Jemen aus nach Saudi-Arabien abgefeuert. Dabei wurden drei Menschen getötet. Die Agentur Saba, die von den Huthi-Rebellen kontrolliert wird, begründete dies mit Verstössen gegen die Waffenruhe.
http://www.news.ch/Arabien+droht+Huthi+Rebellen+mit+Vergeltung/683148/detail.htm = http://www.blick.ch/news/ausland/jemen-arabische-militaerkoalition-droht-huthi-rebellen-mit-vergeltung-id4486695.html = http://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/nachrichten/international/international-sda/Arabische-Koalition-verschaerft-Ton-im-Jemen;art46446,652886
22.12.2015 – AFP
Saudi warns of reprisals after new Yemen missile
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen threatened severe reprisals against rebels in the neighbouring country, after they fired a fourth ballistic missile in as many days towards Saudi territory.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen threatened severe reprisals against rebels in the neighbouring country, after they fired a fourth ballistic missile in as many days towards Saudi territory.
Official media said Saudi Arabia intercepted a rocket fired towards the border city of Jazan late on Monday and then destroyed the missile launcher in Yemen.
The kingdom has deployed Patriot missile batteries designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles.
Air defences shot down another missile fired towards Jazan on Monday morning.
On Friday, the coalition said a ballistic missile had been intercepted and that a second missile struck a desert area east of Najran city.
Those attacks came after a local source reported that on September 13 another missile struck a desert area of the kingdom's south, causing no damage.
Three civilians, two of them from India, died on Saturday when shellfire from Yemen struck the border city of Najran.
All these attacks, as well as fighting on the ground in Yemen, came despite a seven-day ceasefire in conjunction with peace talks in Switzerland.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/saudi-warns-of-reprisals/2369232.html
Kommentar: Eine Meldung, an der nichts falsch ist – diese Raketen wurden auf saudisches Gebiet abgefeuert – und die doch massiv Propaganda transportiert: Die noch weit massiveren Verstöße der anderen Seite gegen den Waffenstillstand werden nicht einmal erwähnt.
22.12.2015 – Der Standard
Erneut mindestens 13 Tote bei Luftangriffen im Jemen
Bei weiteren Luftangriffen im Jemen sind in der Nacht zum Dienstag mindestens 13 Houthi-Aufständische getötet worden. Nach Angaben aus Militärkreisen flog die arabische Militärkoalition zahlreiche Angriffe auf die Provinz Daleh. –
http://derstandard.at/2000027979832/Erneut-mindestens-13-Tote-bei-Luftangriffen-im-Jemen
22.12.2015 – Muhit El-Yemen
Airstrikes kill 13 Houthi militants in Dhale
At least 13 Houthis fighters were killed in airstrikes on the northern province of Dhale overnight, military sources said.
The bloodshed continues in Yemen despite an extended ceasefire that was supposed to come into force overnight, according to military sources.
Foreign Minister Abdulmalek Al-Mikhlafi said late Monday that President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi had decided to prolong the week-long ceasefire for another seven days in a bid to resolve the conflict.
Fighting between the Houthis and pro-government force continues unstoppable in several areas of the country including Marib and Taiz, leaving mounting numbers of deaths and injuries from both sides.
http://muhitelyemen.net/en/local/news/2247.html See also https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/officials-saudi-led-air-raids-kill-at-least-20-in-yemen/2015/12/22/2c0f42a4-a8c1-11e5-b596-113f59ee069a_story.html
22.12.2015 – Reuters
Saudis say shoot down Yemeni missile aimed at oil installations
Saudi air defence systems shot down a ballistic missile fired from Yemen, state media reported, which the Yemeni army said it had aimed at oil installations in the south of the kingdom.
The missile, fired late on Monday night, was intercepted on a trajectory towards the Saudi city of Jizan, Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA quoted a coalition spokesman as saying.
Quoting a Yemeni army spokesman, Yemen's Houthi-run Saba news agency said the missile was directed at the Saudi Aramco oil company's compound in Jizan and had "hit its target accurately".
A source in Jizan said there was no sign of any attack in Jizan Economic City, where a refinery and oil terminal are under construction, some 80 km (50 miles) north of the city of Jizan and about 150 km from the border with Yemen.
Saudi Aramco said all its facilities in the area were "in safe and normal operations".
The Houthis said the Yemeni army loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh has fired six ballistic missiles in the past two days towards Saudi Arabia and areas in Yemen held by the Saudi-led coalition.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-saudi-aramco-idUKKBN0U50GT20151222
21.12.2015 – Anti War
Pro-Saudi Forces Advance Into Yemen Capital’s Province
Houthi General Vows Attacks on Saudi Military Targets
Continuing to amass gains amid a week-long ceasefire, pro-Saudi forces have seized a pair of mountains in the northeastern portion of Yemen’s Sanaa Province, putting them only about 60 km away from the nation’s capital city.
The advance came amid heavily fighting along the Yemen-Saudi border over the past week, with both sides bringing a growing amount of armored vehicles into the battle. Ultimately, neither side won a decisive victory, but the pro-Saudi forces have advanced into some new territory.
The pro-Saudi forces have, however, definitely gained overall on the “ceasefire” fighting, capturing multiple cities in the past week including the city of al-Hazm in the northwest. The Shi’ite Houthis are threatening more retaliation against targets inside Saudi Arabia – by Jason Ditz
http://news.antiwar.com/2015/12/21/pro-saudi-forces-advance-into-yemen-capitals-province/
Journalistische Fehlleistung von “Bild”
22.12.2015 – Bild
Jemen: Präsident offenbar zu Rücktritt bereit
Kommentar: Der abgebildete Präsident (Saleh) ist 2012 zurückgetreten.
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-73: / Yemen Press reader 1-73:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
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