Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Am wichtigsten / Most important
Allgemein / General
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
Houthis
Friedensgespräche / Peace talks
Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
USA
Großbritannien / Great Britain
Ägypten
Italien
Kanada / Canada
Pakistan
Terrorismus / Terrorism
Propaganda
Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
Drohnenkrieg / Drone war
Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
PH = Pro-Houthi
PS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Am wichtigsten / Most important
15.1.2016 – Zenith (** B C P)
Das Jemen-Fiasko
Der Intervention im Jemen liegen dieselben Fehler zugrunde, die die Grundfesten Saudi-Arabiens erschüttern, aber auch die anderen Golf-Monarchien gefährden: Allen voran eine gefährlich undifferenzierte Sicht auf schiitische Gruppierungen.
Der Grund, warum die Golfstaaten unter der Führung der Saudis im Jemen intervenierten, beruhte von Anfang an auf einer falschen Einschätzung der Lage. Die von der Hizbullah abgeschauten Massenveranstaltungen und Propagandaslogans und die schiitische Konfession der Houthis – wenn auch nicht der Zwölfer-Schia, sondern der nur im Jemen zu findenden Zaidiya –, waren aus Sicht der Saudis Beweis genug, um die Houthis als iranische Zelle auszumachen, die den Jemen durch ihre Übernahme des jemenitischen Staatsapparates Mitte 2015 zu Aufmarschregion und Einflussgebiet des Iran machen würden.
Um die eigentlichen Ursachen und Wirkmechanismen des Jemenkrieges zu verstehen, muss man bis ins Jahr 2011 zurückgehen, besser noch bis 1990, dem Jahr der Wiedervereinigung des Nord- und Südjemens. Die Trennung in zwei separate Staaten mit unterschiedlichen Staats- und Regierungssystemen trug dazu bei, dass auch 25 Jahre nach der Vereinigung die Gräben zwischen beiden Landesteilen groß sind – im Übrigen noch immer größer als die konfessionellen Gräben.
Die Beweggründe für die Intervention im Jemen beruhen also nicht nur auf einer falschen Einschätzung der Lage. Sie sind auch Ausdruck der Schwäche der Golfstaaten, die bis dahin noch nie einen eigenen Krieg geführt hatten, sondern sich auf das Militär westlicher Staaten verließen. Seit dem Nuklearabkommen mit dem Iran fühlen sich die Golfstaaten von ihren früheren Schutzmächten betrogen und agieren zunehmend unilateral. Der Jemenkrieg ist also auch Ausdruck dieser neuen, veränderten Rolle und dient zum Teil auch als Weg, die massiv hochgerüsteten Armeen der Golfstaaten zu testen und militärische Erfahrung zu sammeln.
[Es] wurde sehr schnell deutlich, dass die anfänglichen Erfolge der Rückeroberung Adens nicht darauf zurückzuführen war, dass die Hadi-treuen Truppen gewonnen hatten, sondern vor allem der separatistischen Bewegung zu verdanken war, die der Regierung Hadi langfristig feindselig gegenübersteht und mit Hadi nur ein Zweckbündnis eingegangen war.
Die Vielzahl verschiedener, miteinander fundamental widerstreitender Interessengruppen auf beiden Seiten macht eine politische Lösung äußerst kompliziert
De facto also destabilisiert die auf falschen Vorannahmen beruhende Intervention das Land und bürdet den militärisch unerfahrenen und innenpolitisch unter Druck stehenden Golfstaaten einen nahezu unlösbaren Konflikt auf.
Die Angst vor schiitischer Agitation jeglicher Art führt die Golfstaaten also dazu, politisch äußerst unkluge Entscheidungen zu treffen.
Insofern ist der Jemenkrieg sowohl Ausdruck eines Misstrauens der Golfstaaten gegenüber dem Westen seit dem Nuklearabkommen als auch daraus folgend einer extremen Unsicherheit der Monarchen, das zu erratischem und kurzfristig ausgelegtem Handeln führt. Die Folgen dieses Handelns haben sich im Kontaktabbruch zwischen Iran und den meisten Golfstaaten bereits angekündigt, gehen aber weit darüber hinaus – von Manuel Störmer
http://www.zenithonline.de/deutsch/politik/a/artikel/das-jemen-fiasko-004470/
15.1.2016 – Antiwar (*** B P)
US Foreign Policy Discussions Need a Colossal Dose of Humility
The title of an article posted yesterday at Foreign Policy blares that “The Saudi-Iran War is America’s Fault”. Hmm, yes, probably so, given the endless flow of money and weapons the US has gifted to Saudi Arabia over the decades, as well as the endless provocations directed at Iran. Washington is looking for any reason to launch an attack against the Islamic Republic, or have an ally do the dirty work. The political class would love a war between the two, because it could then pile in behind the Saudis, handing out the latest in Military/Industrial Complex war toys to the Saudis to use on Iranian civilians. US intel and strategy would be provided gratuitously to the Saudis, in the same way they’ve given aid to the Desert Kingdom in their assault on Yemen’s civilians, but orders of magnitude greater.
Kim Ghattas, author of the Foreign Policy piece, writes under the impression that not only is it our responsibility to clean up a situation that we created, but that it is possible to successfully micromanage dealings between states and somehow achieve something other than the utter chaos that US foreign policy has unleashed across the Middle East.
The US government should, and does, have better things to do than insert itself into every far-off conflict or “rivalry”. Dipping our fingers into affairs of foreign governments that subsequently go south does give the impression that we have a responsibility to fix it, which is a good reason to not intervene in the first place.
US foreign policy has been a series of ad-hoc interventions for a while now, each subsequent intervention sold as repairing whatever collateral damage was inflicted during the previous intervention.
Untangling the mare’s nest of interventions that the US committed over the years should be done, because it’s important to fully understand the folly of our foreign policy, so as to not make the same mistake in the future. But to draw from this knowledge that we didn’t intervene enough, or that there is something that we could possibly do fix the chaos, is the height of arrogance. It’s the same hubris that set in motion the interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, and elsewhere, a hubris that will never admit that doing nothing is a better option than “doing something”. “We” shouldn’t “do something” about every conflict that flares up across the Middle East. To “do something” means to “do something with bombs, bullets, and military occupation”. It means to put our stamp of approval on a situation that we have no business being a part of, and when it spirals into a bloodbath, we’re expected to fix it.
What’s needed is a large dose of humility when speaking of the ability of the US to successfully intervene in foreign affairs, especially in the face of such obvious failures as Libya and Iraq. A realization that certain problems have no solution, that certain situations cannot be reversed. A foreign policy of saving face is a recipe for disaster – by Shane Smith
http://original.antiwar.com/shane_smith/2016/01/15/us-foreign-policy-discussions-need-a-colossal-dose-of-humility/ = http://www.darkpolitricks.com/2016/01/us-foreign-policy-discussions-need-a-colossal-dose-of-humility/
Comment by Judith Brown:
Very thoughtful piece on USA interventions in the Middle East quoting a Russian proverb - it's very easy to make an aquarium into fish soup, but not so easy to turn fish soup into an aquarium. So true.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154036829713641
15.1.2016 – Huffington Post (*** B P)
The Obama Administration Should Be Found Guilty of War Crimes in Yemen
For months, those who bother to care about Yemen -- one of the poorest countries on earth -- have been criticizing President Obama for aiding and abetting the Saudi Coalition assault on that country. As Foreign Policy reported back in October, Obama was already being accused of committing War Crimes through his logistical assistance to the brutal Saudi air offensive against Yemen.
Yet, undeterred, Obama doubled down on his crimes in November by approving the sale of $1.29 billion in smart bombs to Saudi Arabia -- a sale which, among other things, is intended to replenish Saudi Arabia's arsenal in attacking Yemen.
Of course, as always, the U.S. mainstream media, which is in the most sorry state I have ever witnessed it, has been ready to lend a hand to Obama's crimes by (1) barely reporting on Yemen; and (2) reporting Yemen as a more or less equal battle between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition. To be clear, this is not a an equal fight, for it is the Saudis who are inflicting the disproportionate share of civilian casualties through a U.S.-backed air campaign against a country with no air defenses.
Yes, the Obama Administration is knowingly aiding and abetting the Saudis in murdering millions in Yemen. This is a fact. And, it is a fact which is quite ironic given that the current Obama-appointed U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. is Samantha Power -- an individual who came to prominence through her Pulitzer-winning book which condemned the West's failure to respond to genocide throughout the world. In the case of Yemen, however, the genocide is not happening due to the mere omissions of the West, and in particular the U.S. -- rather, it is taking place with the active support of the U.S., including Power's own intervention at the U.N. which prevented any independent investigation of the Saudi crimes in Yemen.
In other words, the Obama team, including Samantha Power herself, have become exactly what Power herself once condemned -- co-conspirators in genocide
And again, the U.S. media bears great responsibility in all of this as well, for it is not true that the world has somehow "forgotten" about Yemen. Rather, the world has been shielded from the realities in Yemen by a media which has now become a mere mouthpiece for the U.S. State Department. Tragically, it is the poorest of the poor in Yemen who are paying the price for the immoral foreign policy of the White House and its compliant press – by Dan Kovalik
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-kovalik/obama-adminstration-guilt_b_8916380.html
15.1.2016 – The Guardian (** B K P)
British and US military 'in command room' for Saudi strikes on Yemen
Saudi Arabian foreign minister also reveals UK and American officials have access to lists of targets, but do not choose them
British and American military officials are in the command and control centre for Saudi airstrikes on Yemen, and have access to lists of targets, although they do not play any role in choosing them, the Saudi Arabian foreign minister has said.
The UK government has been put on notice that it is in breach of international lawfor allowing the export of British-made missiles and military equipment to Saudi Arabia that might have been used to kill civilians.
The Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said his country had nothing to hide. A host of foreign officials have been posted to the Yemen command and control centre, he said, have been able to scrutinise its air campaign, and were satisfied by its safeguards.
“We have British officials and American officials and officials from other countries in our command and control centre. They know what the target list is and they have a sense of what it is that we are doing and what we are not doing,” he told journalists in London after meeting British ministers and US secretary of state, John Kerry.
The foreign military officers did not play any role in choosing targets, Jubeir said. “We pick the targets, they don’t. I don’t know technically exactly what part of the process they are in, but I do know they are aware of the target lists.”
“The idea is that it should be transparent, we don’t want people to say ‘what are you doing,” Jubeir said. “We have nothing to hide.”
He also said that Saudi Arabia used smart bombs for precision targeting, assessed the aftermath of every strike and corrected any flaws in its process. “The notion that we are bombing civilians indiscriminately is a) not born out by the facts and b) is not fair,” he said.
Jubeir said Saudi Arabia’s partners were satisfied their checks to protect civilians were sufficient, pointing to recent comments by his British counterpart, Philip Hammond, who this week told parliament that British officers were working with the Saudi military to make sure they did not violate international humanitarian law.
Jennifer Gibson, from the anti-death penalty charity Reprieve, said: “It is shocking to discover that our government has embroiled British personnel in the targeting process that is creating this mayhem. More disturbingly, we’re learning about the UK’s involvement not from the our government, but from the Saudi authorities who now appear to be more transparent than their British counterparts.
“Crucial questions remain unanswered: whose command are British personnel in the Saudi operations centre under – British or Saudi? Are they ‘embedded’ personnel referred to in the defence secretary’s vague December statement, which stated that 94 British personnel were embedded in ‘coalition HQs?’ And what part have ministers played in signing off their activities? The British public has a right to know.” – by Emma Graham-Harrison
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/15/british-us-military-in-command-room-saudi-strikes-yemen
Comment: In other words the responsibility of war crimes by the "Saudi led" coalition is jointly shared. That is nice to know.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/822619271108212/permalink/944721205564684/
Comment:
Even if Americans and Britains only “are aware of the target lists”, as Jubeir says: That means that since a few days after the aerial war has started they are aware either of a) the Saudis on purpose bomb civilian targets, or b) if the really would choose military targets but always are hitting civilian ones, that they must be bumberers who just will bomb a country into ruins for just no military effect. Thus, you would have expected, that within a few days after March 26 already, the US and Britain should have intervened to cause the Saudis to stop this war. Well, they did not as we know; that means that, with exactly knowing what happened, the US and Britain further supported this war by all means – political, arms supply, staff – up to the present day. And a politician like Hammond, who ranted of human rights standards which would be cared about in this aerial war, must have been well informed of all this targeting and were telling us lies from the first days onwards. The fact that Jubeir is lying when he speaks of the effects of this bombing: “The notion that we are bombing civilians indiscriminately is a) not born out by the facts and b) is not fair,”, nobody will be astonished about that. That westerners are not any better, is a fact many of us still have to learn.
15.1.2016 – The Telegraph (** B K P)
UK military 'working alongside' Saudi bomb targeters in Yemen war
Saudi foreign minister confirms claims that British military advisers are in operation room of heavily criticised bombing campaign
British military advisers are in control rooms assisting the Saudi-led coalition staging bombing raids across Yemen that have killed thousands of civilians, the Saudi foreign minister and the Ministry of Defence have confirmed.
The admission that British officers were working alongside Saudi and other coalition colleagues in the campaign’s operations rooms came in a briefing to The Telegraph and other journalists by the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir.
“We asked a number of allied countries to come and be part of the control centre,” he said. “I know they are aware of the target lists.”
The Ministry of Defence said that the military officials were not directly choosing targets or typing in codes for the Saudi “smart bombs” but confirmed that they were training their counterparts in doing so.
“We support Saudi forces through long-standing, pre-existing arrangements,” a spokesman said, adding that the purpose of training was to ensure “best practice” and compliance with international humanitarian law.
In his briefing, Mr Jubeir also defended Saudi Arabia on its human rights records and over its current confrontation with Iran. – by Richard Spencer
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/12102089/UK-military-working-alongside-Saudi-bomb-targeters-in-Yemen-war.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter = http://www.politicoscope.com/yemen-british-military-working-alongside-saudi-bomb-targeters-in-yemen-war/
15.1.2016 – Reprieve (** B K P)
Govt must clarify whether UK personnel are under Saudi orders
The Saudi minister’s revelations go further than previous British Government statements, which have said that nearly 100 UK personnel are embedded in ‘Coalition HQs’ but have failed to specify which coalitions those are. It now appears that the Written Statement published by the Defence Secretary in December last year may have been referring to UK personnel embedded with the Saudi coalition, but did not make this clear at the time.
Whether or not the British personnel in the Saudi centre are ‘embedded’ is significant because the UK Government has previously stated that such personnel fall under the control of the ‘host nation’ – in this case, the Saudis. In a July 2015 statement to Parliament, Michael Fallon said that “Embedded UK personnel operate as if they were the host nation’s personnel, under that nation’s chain of command, but remain subject to UK domestic, international and Host Nation law.” Therefore, there are concerns that the UK personnel in the centre could be under the command of the Saudi authorities.
Commenting, Jennifer Gibson, staff attorney at Reprieve:
“The Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen has killed thousands of civilians, hitting Medicins Sans Frontieres clinics, a school for the blind and a wedding hall.’
“It is shocking to discover that our Government has embroiled British personnel in the targeting process that is creating this mayhem. More disturbingly, we’re learning about the UK’s involvement not from the our Government, but from the Saudi authorities who now appear to be more transparent than their British counterparts.
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/govt-must-clarify-whether-uk-personnel-are-under-saudi-orders/
15.1.2016 – Middle East Eye (** B K P)
US-made cluster bombs kill civilians in Yemen - but who answers for it?
Amid Saudi bombing campaign, civil society must make use of US domestic law and international norms to seek a ban on cluster bombs
Human Rights Watch recently reported that further evidence on the use of cluster bombs had been uncovered on Al Zira’a Street in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
Residents found pockmarks from the tiny bomblets released from these deadly devices along the street in homes, on their vehicles and even at the local kindergarten.
The bomb in question, which was dropped by the Saudi-led coalition in their campaign of air raids, recovered in the area revealed markings that lead it back to a US factory in Tennessee .
The facts above are damning but for the complexities and futility of international law, most likely no one will be called to account.
The US’s liability is evident on two grounds. Firstly, it is a party to the conflict by providing intelligence and it is providing arms to a state that is potentially responsible for grave human rights abuses.
Secondly, the US is providing arms as a so-called "legal" transfer to a state that is liable for human rights abuses.
However, without any planes in the air or boots on the ground, will the legal apparatus in place bring the US to account?
The International Law Commission has been clear on this and has deemed a state responsible for a wrongful act by aiding another state in that act when they know the circumstances of that act. They have had no problem in applying this to state arms transfers and this rationale has been transferred to the Arms Trade Treaty of which the US is a party and signatory.
Notwithstanding international law, the US is contravening its own domestic law. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and its amendment include section 620M states:
"No assistance shall be furnished ... to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of State has credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights."
When there are internationally binding treaties and conventions as well as national legislation, the foundation is there to compel the US to halt sales or face repercussions.
However, strong precedent shows that neither will happen. The US is one of the permanent members of the Security Council that will veto all major decisions relating to a UN investigation, which is necessary to establish whether human rights abuses have taken place, despite there being prima facie evidence of such crimes. Saudi Arabia is also chairing the Human Rights Council, which has already stalled efforts to launch an investigation.
When the US is one of the largest exporters of arms and Saudi Arabia is of one its largest importers, there will be a strong counter operation against advocacy efforts in establishing any inquiry, which would almost inevitably harm the longstanding bi-lateral relationship with Saudi Arabia.
The problem does not appear to be the law. Rather, it’s the mechanism by which these laws are enforced. What is required is the ongoing cry of civil society to demand action on cluster weapons. This could expose congressional shortcomings, outdated UN practices and put pressure for more states, including the US, to ban cluster munitions completely just as it succeeded to do in its global campaign to ban landmines – by Sophia Akram
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/us-role-yemen-can-third-party-war-crimes-see-justice-784155874
Allgemein / General
16.1.2016 – NZZ
Krieg in Jemen: Ein Blutbad, für das keiner haftet
In Jemen sterben täglich Zivilisten in einem Krieg, den keine Seite gewinnen kann. Sie zahlen den Preis für den saudisch-iranischen Machtkampf, weil er sich in ihrem Land einfach austragen lässt.
Kommentar: Überblicksartikel, der sich bemüht, die Schuld auf beide Seiten gleichmäßig zu verteilen, was aber an den Realitäten vorbeigeht. Als Folge dieser Tendenz wird dann der Jemenkrieg (auch einmal wieder) zu einem Schauplatz des saudisch-iranischen Konflikts erklärt. Wer mehr über den Jemenkrieg gelesen hat, weiß, dass es sich hierbei um eine stark verzerrende Simplifizierung handelt.
16.1.2016 – Netzfrauen
Im Jemen läuft eine Katastrophe ab, die Saudi-Arabien mitzuverantworten hat
Krieg ist furchtbar, aber das allerletzte ist es, wenn darin auch noch Krankenhäuser und medizinische Einrichtungen bombardiert werden, obwohl deren Koordinaten allen Kriegsparteien bekannt sind. Genau das passiert im Jemen, auch durch die saudische Luftwaffe.
In Jemen sterben täglich Zivilisten in einem Krieg, den keine Seite gewinnen kann. Die Zivilisten zahlen den Preis für den saudisch-iranischen Machtkampf.
https://netzfrauen.org/2016/01/16/36757/
Kommentar: Überblicksartikel – nicht tendenziös wie der vorige, aber auch hier ist man der verzerrten Wahrnehmung als Teil des saudisch-iranischen Machtkampfs aufgesessen.
15. (16.)1.2016 – The Economist (* B K P)
Getting closer
No end in sight for Saudi Arabia’s southern adventure
Saudi artillery rhythmically thumps suspected rebel positions. But it has not prevented them from regularly rocketing Najran and other border towns, killing 80 people, 25 of them in Najran.
For all the bluster of Saudi generals who vow to lead their troops into Sana’a if necessary, the campaign now has more limited goals, says the confidant. Saudi Arabia wants to send Iran and its regional clients a message that it will resist their regional push.
The costs for Saudi Arabia are mounting. Eroding his plans for cutting the budget deficit, Muhammad bin Salman is reinforcing his forces inside Yemen. Yemeni refugees, too, have been spilling into the kingdom, to the tune of over half a million. Cross-border smuggling and infiltration, perhaps of Houthi fighters, says a Saudi officer, is higher than ever.
Comment by Judith Brown: There are very few articles in the western media on the inroads made by the Yemen army loyal to Saleh and the Houthis, into the southwest corner of Saudi Arabia - not that any part of the Saudi Yemen conflict is very high on any Western media outlet. This article - in a rather right wing magazine - is rather honest in describing the Saudi's inability to withstand pressure from Yemeni fighters - and its inability to hold them back or make decisions as to what to do next. This border was secure until the Saudis started to attack Yemen - and I gather that several countries have provided troops and mercenaries in an attempt to withstand the Yemeni attacks.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154033687733641
15.1.2016 – USAID
Yemen Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #4 Fiscal Year (FY) 2016
HIGHLIGHTS
Airstrikes and clashes intensify following end of ceasefire; civilians increasingly affected
Next round of peace talks postponed, UN anticipates negotiations to resume in late January
Commercial food imports continue to increase, although food remains scarce and expensive in acutely conflictaffected governorates
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-complex-emergency-fact-sheet-4-fiscal-year-fy-2016 and in full http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/01.15.16%20-%20USG%20Yemen%20Complex%20Emergency%20Fact%20Sheet%20%234.pdf
Comment: be aware that USAID giving itself the appearance of an aid agency, actually it is an organization for supporting US foreign policy in achieving regime changes in various countries.
14.1.2015 – Southfront (A K P)
International Military Review – Yemen, Jan.14, 2016
Overview on the events of the last two days
http://southfront.org/international-military-review-yemen-jan-14-2016/ = http://newzsentinel.com/international-military-review-yemen-jan-14-2016/
14.1.2016 – Beforeitsnews
Yemen update 1/14/2016..10 million Yemeni children victims of Saudi war
Films on various news and article by Thierry Meyssan already presented before
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
16.1.2016 – Yemen Real News (A H)
Unmatched Resilience and Strength- This is Yemen
Today we want to share a little bit of our suffering as students seeking an education under the brutal war our country is going through.
Our school year was disrupted by the sudden bombing of our country and the unprecedented attack on our people.
We have had to prepare for our exams without any electricity since the coalition had bombed our electricity plants leaving our cities plunged in total darkness for ten months now. We had no fuel to power our generators due to the shortage of fuel in our market as a direct result of the coalition's illegal blockade on our country.
We have had to sit for our ministry level exams under continuous, teeth rattling airstrikes yet we were determined to finish high school.
https://www.facebook.com/yemen.crisis/posts/553069161525991
?2016 – Taiz News (A H K PS)
Tragic humanitarian situation in Taiz due to Houthi Shelling a...
Horrible and unbelievable situation in Taiz city - south of Yemen due to Houthi / Saleh suffocating Siege imposed by those coup militia. #Yemen
Appealing the World to assume its moral responsibility and according to international laws and conventions.
https://www.facebook.com/taizncitynews/videos/1073151646052687/?fref=nf
Comment: The situation in Taiz is difficult with the ground war and aerial bombardment and I have sympathy with their plight - but Taiz people are now getting food into the city across mountain passes - thanks to a magnificent community effort - and there was apparently 40 tons of food air dropped by KSA to 200,000 civilians living in Taiz recently. I know there are areas in Yemen where people are literally starving with no access to food or equipment to make these sorts of videos - such as the much bombed city of Saada. In terms of the humanitarian situation I think Taiz is one of the better off places in Yemen at this moment - which does not mean Taiz is well supplied, but that most of Yemen is worse under the Saudi blockade - assisted by UK USA and French navies. I note when I see pictures of Taiz children injured in hospitals frequently posted by Taizi human rights groups that these children are fortunately well fed and the hospitals are still functioning though sadly without some supplies such as oxygen - this is deplorable yet even worse 58% of Yemenis have NO access to hospitals or medical care at this moment in time.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087475604738263
5.11.2015 – Magdalene ( * B H)
Why I Do What I Do: A Doctor’s Experience in Conflict-torn Yemen
My recent assignment in Yemen took place in the worst year I have seen in the country. I saw the country plunged deeper into chaos during the four months. The war between the Houthi rebels and the Southern Resistance forces supported by the Saudi-led coalition has taken a heavy toll on the Yemeni population in all aspects of their lives, including healthcare. The suffering was taken to the next level.
As the main hospital in Aden, being close to the front line, had closed down, the MSF hospital in the city was very busy providing lifesaving care. It was the largest facility, receiving most of the injured amongst the four hospitals still functioning amid the war. That kept all of the staff, international and Yemeni alike, driven in spite of the insecurities and daily risks to our lives.
I was one of the members of the first team that brought humanitarian and medical aid to Aden by boat during the height of the conflict.
The MSF team in Aden has tripled its surgical procedures from 300 as of April to over 900 as of July.
Most of the time during my duty I had to set aside my emotions. Yemenis need OUR help. They live day by day without food, fuel, electricity and water. The medical needs of the civilians and the fact that ours is the only hospital fully functioning in Aden during the war kept my team going – by Karina Marie Aguilar
Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
14.1.2016 – Iran German Radio (A K)
Saudi-arabische Bomber haben antiken Tempel Sarwah in Jemen zerstört
Heute haben saudi-arabische Bomber den antiken Tempel Sarwah in der jemenitischen Provinz Maarib zweimal bombardiert, große Teile vom Gebäude und Säulen wurden zerstört.
Laut offizieller Nachrichtenagentur SABA wurden bei den Angriffen auch zahlreiche Geschäfte der Bürger schwer beschädigt
15.1.2016 – Gaseem Alshawee
The Saudi-led aggression warplanes continued attacks the archaeological and historical monuments that Yemenis have inherited it from the former civilizations for centuries, however , on Thursday, Jan 14, 2016, the jet fighters carried out two airstrikes which hit the thron and temple of the sheba Queen " Biblical " on Serwah district of Marib province, eastern the yemeni capital Sana'a, resulted in sever demolish on the large parts of the building and columns, as well the collectibles of the ancient temple.
"Thron of Bilqis" is consider one of the most prominent and historical monument in Yemen.
The thron of Bilqis belongs to the middle of the seventh century BC, and other says that it was built in the region of Queen Bilqis that kingdom ruled Sheba in the tenth century BC, remained buried under the sand until the year 1988, when foreign unveiled archaeological mission uncovered this treasure archaeological exquisite beauty.
https://www.facebook.com/gaseem.alshawee/posts/1833668040193501 = https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087453794740444
Comment: Please take a moment to read detail of this senseless destruction of recently restored archaeological site in Yemen; what purpose does this have in restoring stability to KSA, defending its borders or reducing 'terrorist' activity such as AQ or the advance of the Houthi militias in Yemen.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087453794740444
Houthis
16.1.2016 – Human Rights Watch * A P)
Yemen: 3 Months Since Houthis ‘Disappear’ Protesters
Ex-Detainees Describe Mass Arrests, Torture in Ibb
Yemen’s Houthi authorities should immediately provide information about two protesters forcibly disappeared since mass arrests in the city of Ibb on October 12, 2015. Ameen al-Shafaq and Antar al-Mubarizy should be immediately released unless the authorities provide a lawful basis for holding them.
The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, should also compensate protesters who were tortured or ill-treated while in detention and appropriately punish those responsible.
“The Houthis should understand that exercising authority means respecting the human rights of those under their control,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director. “They should produce the two protesters who were ‘disappeared’ and compensate the others who were tortured.”
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/01/16/yemen-3-months-houthis-disappear-protesters
Friedensgespräche / Peace talks
15.1.2016 – Alwaght (A P)
Yemen Peace Talks in Limbo , Ansarullah Blames Saudi Regime
The UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh left Sanaa on Thursday, after visiting the country for a few days in an effort to hold new round of talks between the Yemeni warring parties.
“No date was determined for holding the coming consultations,” Ould Cheikh said in a statement to media before departing Sanaa International Airport.
However, he described his talks with the political parties in Sanaa as positive in their most, confirming keenness to implement all the outputs of the negotiations held last December in Switzerland.
The UN envoy asserted that he would continue the consultations with Ansarullah and the General Peoples’ Congress (GPC) in order to reach additional steps regarding confidence-building in prelude for the next negotiations.
It was agreed, during the visit, on sending a delegation from the United Nations headed by the humanitarian coordinator to visit Taiz province and a number of the afflicted provinces in order to provide aid and deliver them to the affected people in those provinces, he said.
http://alwaght.com/en/News/36266/Yemen-Peace-Talks-in-Limbo-,-Ansarullah-Blames-Saudi-Regime
15.1.2016 – Al Araby (A P)
Two Saudi teachers home after release by Yemen rebels
Two Saudi Arabian religious teachers have arrived home after their release from more than nine months' detention by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
15.1.2016 – Reuters (A P)
Yemen's Houthis free detained minister to aid talks - UN envoy
Yemen's Houthi movement released a detained minister and four activists on Thursday, United Nations envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said, in a move aimed at bolstering peace talks to end over nine months of war.
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKCN0US26G20160114 = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/yemen-s-houthis-free-deta/2427332.html
14.1.2016 – AFP (A P)
UN peace envoy leaves Yemen empty handed
The UN envoy to Yemen left the rebel-held capital empty handed Thursday after a mission aimed at reaching an agreement for talks between the insurgents and the government.
"We have not set a new date for the next round of talks," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told reporters at Sanaa airport before departing the conflict-riven country.
http://news.yahoo.com/un-peace-envoy-leaves-yemen-empty-handed-172504491.html
Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
16.1.2016 – Breitbart (B P)
World View: Mideast Trends: Sunni-Shia Countries Align Along Predicted Lines
I want to extract one paragraph from the analyst report on Saudi Arabia quoted at the end of this article:
As the Shiite-Sunni contest builds up, Riyadh [Saudi Arabia] sees the two main world powers, America and Russia, tilting towards the Shiite bloc of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hizballah versus the Saudi-led lineup of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan.
This is exactly the alignment that I’ve been predicting for years, based on Generational Dynamics analyses, long before it seemed possible. As I’ve described dozens of times, in the coming Clash of Civilizations world war, the “allies” will be the United States, India, Russia and Iran, while the “axis” will be China, Pakistan, and the Sunni Muslim countries. Quite honestly, I’m as astonished as anyone is when the generational theory analysis and predictions turn out to be true time after time after time.
I’m going to take this fortuitous opportunity to give some advice to all the people who have expressed contempt and scorn every time I’ve made one of these predictions, though they themselves couldn’t predict their way out of a paper bag – by John J. Xenakis
Comment: An interesting debate here - probablyworth a read if you are interested in how and why power countries might (or might not) align in the future.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154038144583641
16.1.2016 – The Global Mail (* B P)
Vali Nasr: ‘We shouldn’t give the Saudis a blank cheque’
In this series, Rudyard Griffiths, chair of the Munk Debates, Canada’s leading public-affairs forum, discusses evolving issues with top analysts and policy-makers
What drives the worsening relations between Saudis and Iran?
How do these heightened tensions affect the war against Islamic State?
Is there a risk of an outright war between Saudi Arabia and Iran?
Why does the United States continue to support Saudi Arabia?
What diplomatic reset for the West could address the problem?
16.1.2016 – Livemint from PTI (A P)
Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan army chief to visit Iran, Saudi Arabia to ease tensions
PM Sharif will depart on Monday for Riyadh, together with army chief General Raheel Sharif, where they will meet with Saudi King Salman
On this visit, see also http://nation.com.pk/columns/17-Jan-2016/who-is-the-qazi
16.1.2016 – Reuters (A P)
UPDATE 1-China's Xi to visit Saudi, Iran in new diplomacy push
Chinese President Xi Jinping will make an unusual visit next week to Saudi Arabia and Iran, who are locked in a bitter dispute, in what could be a bid by Beijing to act as an "honest broker" as it seeks a greater regional diplomatic role.
While relying on the region for oil supplies, China has tended to leave Middle Eastern diplomacy to the other four permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - the United States, Britain, France and Russia – by Michael Martina
http://www.reuters.com/article/china-mideast-idUSL3N14Z3RC
15.1.2016 – Sky News (A P)
Saudi Warning Over End Of Iran Sanctions
The Saudi Arabian foreign minister says that the release of billions of dollars of Iran's wealth should "worry everybody".
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has used a trip to London to robustly defend his country's more assertive role in the world, despite concerns it could escalate tensions with Iran – by Dominic Waghorn
http://news.sky.com/story/1623006/saudi-warning-over-end-of-iran-sanctions
14.1.2016 – Vice News (A B P)
We Asked an Expert What Would Happen if Saudi Arabia and Iran Went to War
Brian Mc Manus asks Michael Knights
http://www.vice.com/read/what-happens-if-saudia-arabia-and-iran-go-to-war
13.1.2016 – Lobelog (** B P)
Saudi Arabia and Iran: Is War Imminent?
No, war is not imminent between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia’s ad hoc warlike posturing against Iran and continued war in Yemen, however, will exacerbate regional tensions and deepen the misery of Arab peoples. The Saudi execution early this month of Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr is not about Iran or the Saudi-Iranian power struggle and regional influence in the Persian Gulf. Nor is it about Saudi fears of an ascending “Persian Empire” to the east.
By illegally arresting, convicting, and executing al-Nimr, Saudi Arabia is sending a clear message that it intends to silence the voices of Arab pro-democracy dissidents. With the beheading of a prominent Saudi reformist, the Al Saud regime, especially the impetuous, de facto all-powerful young leader, Muhammad bin Salman, is telling Arab publics that celebrating the upcoming fifth anniversary of the Arab Spring will be futile and that the deposing of despots has left chaos and destruction in its wake. The Saudi-led counterrevolution will not tolerate demands for regime change, no matter how odious the regime might be.
Saudi Arabia’s egregious and mounting human rights violations and intolerance of all dissent—whether liberal, secular, or Islamist—are a reaffirmation of the Saudi ruling family’s visceral dislike of the democratic ideals and activists of the Arab Spring.
The rudderless and destructive war in Yemen and the hollow propaganda campaign against Iran are designed to cover the Kingdom’s bloodthirsty dictatorship at home and the serious power struggle within the Saudi royals.
Saudi Arabia’s war has failed to achieve any of the publicly stated objectives in Yemen. Despite the support the Saudi military has received—in weapons, troops, logistics, and intelligence—from the so-called Sunni coalition and some foreign countries, the war is faltering, albeit causing more mayhem and destruction.
If the Saudi regime could not prosecute a war next door despite its overwhelming military advantage over the Houthi rebels, waging a war against Iran would be disastrous.
It’s ironic that some of the same Washington neocons who advocated “liberating” Iraq from Saddam in 2003, supposedly in the name of eradicating tyranny from Arab lands, are now deriding the ideals of the Arab Spring. They are now supporting autocratic regimes in Riyadh, Cairo, Manama, and elsewhere in the defense of domestic stability and security.
What is even more central to the Saudi-Iranian spat over the execution is Saudi Arabia’s desire to replace Egypt as the anointed leader of the Arab world. Again, these aspirations have nothing to do with Iran, but they have everything to do with convincing Arabs that the leadership of the Arab world now belongs to Saudi Arabia.
Yet, despite Egypt’s misfortunes, the Saudi aspiration to lead the Arab world is at best a pipe dream. The power struggle within the ruling family, the dwindling economy, the war in Yemen, the growing disgruntlement of the Saudi urban Sunni elites, and the gathering terrorist threat make Saudi Arabia more precarious and therefore less qualified or capable to lead the Arab world - by Emile Nakhleh
http://lobelog.com/saudi-arabia-and-iran-is-war-imminent/
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
15.1.2016 – RT (B P)
ExxonMobil and CIA carry out global "Walmart scheme" to manipulate oil prices and destabilize Russia
Journalist and political analyst Caleb Maupin says that Saudi Arabia is deliberately manipulating oil prices to create a political crisis in Russia, Venezuela, and Iran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BBVOiAQUs8&sns=fb
Comment: This has been my consistent view - the statements that Saudi lowered the oil price to stop the fracking programme in USA was always rubbish because Saudi has no foreign or business policy independent of American policies. I always knew it was anti-Russia and Iran - and as this item says also Venezuela. I think it is difficult for Saudi to raise oil prices easily now - although if the ISIS oil is stopped (that's easy with political will as Russia is demonstrating now) that would help. But the many economic problems of the world means that if oil prices are raised anything more than a few percentage points it will hurt the fragile economy in much of the world - including Europe.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087512861401204
16.1.2016 – The Economist (B K PS)
A visit to "Death Intersection"
Saudi Arabia insists it is winning the war against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Someone should tell the rebels
Comment: Film on the effects of the war in Saudi Arabian Najran province. What is the reason for this, is not shown. The last sentence: Irony or meant sincere?
15.1.2016 – Southfront (** B K)
MILITARY ANALYSIS: SAUDI ARABIA’S ARMED FORCES
If numbers were all that mattered in terms of military effectiveness, the Saudis should not have had any problems in Yemen. The Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) number some 75 thousand soldiers organized into 9 armored and mechanized brigades plus support units, with a total of about 600 MBTs (including 200 M1 Abrams-family tanks), nearly 800 IFVs (half of which are US M2 Bradley vehicles), supported by hundreds of towed and self-propelled artillery pieces. The Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) numbers an additional 100 thousand troops organized into 9 or 10 brigades which are however predominantly equipped with light armored vehicles. The Saudi military potential is rounded out by its powerful navy with numerous frigates and corvettes, and also the air force with 7 squadrons of F-15 fighters, 3 squadrons of Tornado strike aircraft, and 2 squadrons of Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighters. It is an extremely impressive force that would be the envy of many a European power, not to mention regional Middle Eastern ones. What these numbers fail to convey is that Saudi Arabia has never been tested by war. Even its participation in the Operation Desert Shield/Storm was largely token in nature, which led international defense experts to speculate that perhaps not all is well with the Saudi defense establishment. But it took the war in Yemen to reveal the full scale of these problems.
There are 233,500 active servicemen in Saudi’s military: Army 75,000; Navy 13,500; Air Force 20,000; Air Defense 16,000; Industrial Security Force 9,000; National Guard 100,000 and Paramilitary 15,500.
Despite this modernized and large arsenal, the military capabilities of Saudi Arabia are not that impressive. The conflict in Yemen is testing those capabilities and the leader of the newly appointed Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, who pushed the idea of military intervention in Yemen. Although the intervention may seem as a rapid action which can pull the Saudis into an unprepared conflict, the regime was well-aware and had plans for it back in 2012 when they bought large amounts of military equipment and supplies from the US. This deal between Saudi Arabia and the US is worth over 60 billion dollars in full-life costs over the next 15-20 years, the deal includes 84 F-15SA combat aircraft, 190 helicopters, more than 12,000 missiles and 15,000 bombs and many upgrades in the Saudis Air Force. Signing this deal, Saudi Arabia is clearly marking its territory on the Arabian Peninsula and sending an open message to Iran that the proxy wars which are raging across the Middle East will continue in the future – by Igor Pejic
http://southfront.org/military-analysis-saudi-arabia/
Comment: Very specified and worth reading.
14.1.2016 – Huffington Post (B P)
Saudi Arabia's Shrewd Gamble
The Saudi government has taken a shrewd gamble. It is betting that the combination of its high stakes approach to market share, its take no prisoners approach to the Shi'ia question within its borders, its bold action in Yemen, and fighting proxy wars in neighboring stakes will be enough to keep the plethora of wolves at its doorstep at bay. It may well be right, because few countries in the world have the financial resources to put all these pieces in play at the same time and sustain the effort.
The House of Saud is now all in. For it, the issue is survival, and on that basis, it is betting that the combination of its actions will ensure that it will endure for decades to come. There is a better than even chance they will be right – by Daniel Wagner
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-wagner/saudi-arabias-shrewd-gamb_b_8977854.html
14.1.2016 – Mondoweiss ( A B P)
Palestinian poet and artist Ashraf Fayadh sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia (Updated)
The Palestinian artist, curator, and poet Ashraf Fayadh, 35, has been sentenced to death by beheading. Saudi Arabian authorities have declared his crime as “apostasy,” or abandoning one’s religion—in this case, renouncing Islam. Several other charges were also leveled against Fayadh, including allegedly photographing women and storing their pictures on his phone, a violation of the country’s Anti-Cyber Crime Law. He pleaded his innocence to all the charges. Amnesty International UK states that, “Throughout this whole process, Ashraf was denied access to a lawyer—a clear violation of international human rights law, as well as Saudi Arabia’s national laws.”
http://mondoweiss.net/2016/01/palestinian-scheduled-execution
14.1.2016 – Voltairenet (* B P)
Scheich al-Nimrs Tod bringt das Saudi-Regime ins Wanken
Die saudische Monarchie ist heute eine anachronistische Diktatur: Sie ist Eigentümerin des Landes, so wie einst Leopold II., der König von Belgien, persönlicher Eigentümer des Kongo war. Mit Sicherheit fühlt dieses Regime sich bedroht und hält sich nur durch Terror aufrecht. Die Hinrichtung des schiitischen Scheichs al-Nimr wird allerdings wahrscheinlich die umgekehrte Wirkung haben. Von nun an ist der Iran bereit, eine schiitische Revolte gegen den wahhabitischen Staat zu unterstützen – von André Chamy
http://www.voltairenet.org/article189893.html
05.2014 – Harvard Kennedy School (* B P)
A Saudi Arabian Defense Doctrine:
Mapping the expanded force structure the Kingdom needs to lead the Arab world, stabilize the region, and meet its global responsibilities
This study posits what a Saudi Defense Doctrine (SDD) could offer to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as it navigates its new position as the regional Arab leader and a world power. The suggested military posture is based on the philosophical underpinnings of the German Schlieffen Plan of World War I and its theoretical scenario that allowed the contemporaneous German Empire to fight a war on two opposite fronts simultaneously. This SDD predicts that KSA might find itself in such a situation over the medium to long term. Thus, KSA’s military development should prioritize a deployment strategy across its large territory to address two potential concurrent conflicts and protect the homeland as it simultaneously safeguards strategic allies. In order to execute such a strategy, it is necessary to map out a plan for KSA’s military development and enhancement. This assessment, presented solely as my own opinion as a scholar of strategic affairs, is an exercise in what could become years from now a white paper on strategic doctrine for KSA. It should in no way be construed as an official government paper, nor interpreted as the official opinion of the Saudi government or any of its affiliated agencies – by Nawaf Obaid
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/Saudi%20Strategic%20Doctrine%20-%20web.pdf
Comment: This amazing document is Saudi Arabia's defence review for 2014. Two clear facts emerge demonstrating that KSA is no longer meeting its key defence aims; its first and second goals. Goal 1 is to secure its borders; although the KSA borders had not been violated before this war except for a short period when KSA attacked Houthi militias in Yemen in 2009, since the start of the war Yemeni forces loyal to ex-president Saleh and Houthi militias have crossed the border with both ground forces and ground to ground missiles, making significant inroads into the provinces of Jizan, Najran and Asir in the southwest corner of KSA. Goal 2 is to eliminate terrorism and here it points to its biggest threat as AQAP - which has grown substantially since the start of the war and is now controlling much of the Eastern section of Yemen, including the port city of Mukalla, and parts of the port of Aden. The Yemen war appears to have demonstrated that at this moment in time KSA is unable to meet its strategic defence objectives, even with considerable assistance from its allies, and with defence spending on arms, munitions and mercenary forces at a level that is threatening the economic and social stability of the Saudi nation.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087064491446041
9.3.2015 – The Guardian (* A P)
Saudi Arabia becomes world's biggest arms importer
Analysts say the middle eastern kingdom overtook India, and along with the United Arab Emirates it imported more defence supplies than all of Europe.
Saudi Arabia overtook India in 2014 as the world’s biggest importer of defence equipment, fuelled by tensions in the Middle East, according to a study published Sunday by respected analysts IHS Jane’s.
Global defence trade currently stands at $64.4bn, said the report from the London-based defence specialists.
Saudi Arabian imports increased by 54% over the past year and the study predicts that one out of every seven dollars spent on defence exports in 2015 will be spent by the Middle East kingdom.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/09/saudi-arabia-becomes-worlds-biggest-arms-importer
USA
Siehe auch „Am wichtigsten“ / See also „Most important“
15.1.2016 – The Intercept (A P)
John Kasich, in Rare Break From GOP Liturgy, Offers Mild Criticism of Saudi Arabia
https://theintercept.com/2016/01/15/john-kasich-saudi-arabia/
14.1.2016 – Mondoweiss (* B P)
A Response to Ben Norton on silence over war in Yemen
the moral case for why we are uniquely responsible for the actions of Saudi Arabia in Yemen, as opposed to the actions of Assad in Syria, is clear. At the beginning of President Obama’s first term, the US concluded a multi-billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia; the largest arms deal in history. The US sold Saudi Arabia an additional billion dollars in arms and ammunition this November, which should be viewed as a “replenishment” of Saudi capabilities, which will allow the regime to continue to transform Yemen into rubble.
The destruction of Yemen is currently a consequence of US policy. There is no need to debate whether or not we should send in troops or limit our actions to a bombing campaign. There is no need to debate how to pass a UN Security Council resolution that is amenable to all veto-members of the UNSC. Curtailing Saudi crimes is simple: stop what we are doing. Stop assisting Saudi Arabia by providing intelligence that allows it to carry out its airstrikes. Stop arming Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Gulf. Stop participating in the blockade of Yemen. As citizens of the US, with some measure of freedom of expression and access to relatively uncensored news media, we have an ability to alter state policy in a way other populations do not. We have more opportunities and more tools to alter US policy towards Israel and Yemen than altering the policies of Assad or Russia, as ineffective US sanctions have shown. Therefore, even if we believe that ethical obligations extend uniformly beyond borders (which again, I do), there is a pragmatic case for addressing US-sponsored atrocities rather than those carried out independently by other actors.
Western-based pro-Palestinian solidarity activists should issue stronger condemnations of the US-sponsored Saudi bombing of Yemen. Intra-Muslim community politics and the liberalizing of Palestinian cause must be overcome. When critics inevitably respond, “What about Syria?” (by which they mean the Assad regime) pro-Palestinian activists should be prepared to point out unique Western complicity in the case of both Palestine and Yemen and the unique position of the Western-based activists to put an end to these crimes. Assad is a criminal and a murderer. Hezbollah has shown itself to be an unprincipled sectarian militant group willing to starve children to death. However, the bombs dropped by both Israel in Palestine and by Saudi Arabia in Yemen (literally) have our names on them. The resulting blood is on our hands – by Evan W. Sandlin
http://mondoweiss.net/2016/01/response-norton-silence
Comment: Also worth reading the comments to this article.
13.1.2016 – The Guardian (* A P)
Collapse of a peace presidency: Obama's speech highlights foreign policy failures
President’s final State of the Union serves as an epitaph for a tenure that began with a promise to halt the Iraq war but ended with capitulation to the status quo
As a wartime president, he has resembled his hated predecessor George W Bush, in execution if not design. He will leave office as Bush did: passing on to his successor two wars.
The clearest signal Obama has sent to accommodate Saudi Arabia has sacrificed Yemen. The Yemen war received no mention in the State of the Union [speech].
“When they think of America,” Muslimi testified about a method of war championed by a president with a Nobel peace prize, “they think of the terror they feel from the drones that hover over their heads, ready to fire missiles at any time.” – by Spencer Ackerman
Großbritannien / Great Britain
Siehe auch „Am wichtigsten“ / See also „Most important“
16.1.2016 – Doctors Without Borders (B P)
MSF comment on British involvement in Saudi airstrikes on Yemen
Vickie Hawkins, executive director of MSF UK, said:
“Whilst we do not yet know who was responsible for this latest attack, it is outrageous for UK politicians to try to explain recent events away by saying that there have been no ‘deliberate’ breaches of international humanitarian law. The UK government must make clear its commitment to these rules of war by supporting full and transparent investigations of any possible breaches of IHL that take place.”
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/msf-comment-british-involvement-saudi-airstrikes-yemen
15.1.2016 – Greenpeace (* B P)
Data: How guns and oil dominate UK-Saudi Arabia relationship
The UK sold more weapons to Saudi Arabia than any other country last year and imported £900 million worth of oil from the country, as the Gulf state continued to attract global condemnation for its human rights record.
Official figures from HM Revenue and Customs show that 83% of all arms exports from the UK in 2015 went to Saudi Arabia. From January to October 2015 (the most recent date available) arms exports to the Kingdom came to £872m. By comparison, in the same period, the UK’s next biggest customer for arms and munitions, the United States, imported materials worth a little over £120m.
Our data is based on UK trade info tables and may exclude some categories of weapons or defence spending – see methodology below.
The data also shows that the UK imports more oil & oil products from Saudi Arabia than any other country in the Middle East.
The section of the UK government’s website that deals with Saudi Arabia describes the “long-standing relationship between the UK and Saudi Arabia. We build on the bilateral relationship between our two governments and peoples, especially in the areas of trade and investment, education, culture, energy and climate security, and defence.” – by Joe Sandler Clarke
15.1.2016 – The Global Lawyer (A P)
Leigh Day: Britain's sale of arms to Saudi Arabia violates international law
Law firm Leigh Day has accused the British government of violating international law by enabling the export of British-made arms to Saudi Arabia, which may have been used to kill civilians.
Comment: Yemen is bleeding from wounds; the knife is British - the knifeman is Saudi.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087687431383747
9.11.2014 – The Telegraph (A P)
Tony Blair 'signed secret contract with Saudi oil company worth £41,000 a month'
Former prime minister reportedly agreed to help PetroSaudi through his company Tony Blair Associates (TBA) in November 2010
Ägypten / Egypt
15.1.2016 – Iran German Radio (A K)
Ägypten verlängert die militärische Zusammenarbeit mit Saudi-Arabien in Jemen um ein Jahr
http://german.irib.ir/nachrichten/politik/item/296047
Italien / Italy
16.1.2016 – Cagliari Globalist (* A K P)
Da Elmas, nuove bombe destinate all'Arabia Saudita
Un nuovo carico di morte nel cuore della notte
Un nuovo carico di morte, questa volta più furtivo delle altre, è partito nel cuore della notte dall'aeroporto civile di Elmas. E' ancora una volta il cargo della morte della compagnia SilkWay dell'Arzebaijan a caricare centinaia di bombe dirette al regime dell'Arabia Saudita. Tutto questo nonostante la gravissima tensione in quell'area geografica e nonostante il rischio imminente di uno scontro senza precedenti tra il regine saudita e quello iraniano. L'ennesimo carico di morte è partito in modo più furtivo del solito.
http://cagliari.globalist.it/Detail_News_Display?ID=125085
Kommentar: Und wieder: Erneut Bomben von Italien an die Saudis geliefert.
Kanada / Canada
16.1.2016 – Amnesty International (A P)
Joint letter to Ministers Dion and Freeland about arms sales to Saudi Arabia
We are writing with respect to Amnesty International and Project Ploughshares’ ongoing concerns about the multi-billion dollar sale to Saudi Arabia of light armoured vehicles manufactured in Canada. In particular we are reiterating our recommendation that a current, thorough human rights assessment of this deal be conducted and that the results of that assessment be released publicly.
Amnesty International has therefore called on governments to immediately suspend arms transfers and military support to Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners which could be used to commit or facilitate further serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Yemen.
Amnesty International and Project Ploughshares urge, therefore, that the Canadian government:
conduct a current, thorough human rights assessment of the sale to Saudi Arabia of light armoured vehicles manufactured in Canada;
publish the criteria used in carrying out the human rights assessment; and
publicly release the results of the human rights assessment.
http://www.amnesty.ca/news/joint-letter-ministers-st%C3%A9phane-dion-chrystia-freeland-0
Pakistan
15.1.2016 – Express Tribune (* B P)
Don’t snub the Saudis
Estimates suggest that over 1.5 million Pakistanis live in Saudi Arabia, who, according to the State Bank of Pakistan, sent remittances of almost $5.6 billion in 2014. An additional $4.2 billion in remittances flowed in from the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and a close ally of Saudi Arabia. Other countries from the GCC provided an additional inflow of $2.1 billion during the same period.
A rupture in Pakistan’s relationship will impact the ease with which migrants from Pakistan are able to find work in Saudi Arabia and the GCC, and can potentially lead to an inflow of hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers into the country.
Regional and geopolitical realities further constrain Pakistan’s foreign policy options. Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Pakistan has had distant ties with Iran.
Finally, the domestic situation within Pakistan limits its room for manoeuvre.
The government has made the right decision by not committing troops in the Saudi-led alliance, while agreeing on counterterrorism cooperation – by Uzair M. Younus
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1028213/dont-snub-the-saudis/
Comment: This interesting article gives a lot of background to the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Pakistan is caught in a double bind - a lose-lose. The KSA economy is faltering and the workers remittances and KSA aid to Pakistan will inevitably lower if the war in Yemen continues. But it needs to keep on good terms with its benefactor, even though the majority of Pakistanis are Sufi or Shia.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087471118072045
6.1.2016 – Humanity ( B P)
Pakistan is not Senegal
The political scene is clearly divided in two sides , Ppp , Mqm are against the Pakistan role in gulf war . The prime minister nawaz Sharif himself enjoy very good relationship with the king,s family .
Pakistan is a multiple ideological Islamic country . we have very large shia population minority and overwhelming sufi sunni majority . The Wahhabi or saudia type of salfi are not more then 9% of the total population , so ideological support for saudia is not good .
we have seen the sectarian violence and can't afford this saudia - iran created salfi shia drama in Pakistan .
https://www.facebook.com/1653739964842491/photos/a.1676942129188941.1073741830.1653739964842491/1710366462513174/?type=3&fref=nf = https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087467598072397
Comment: Another article from Pakistan with the same points as raised in an article in the Pakistan press. Pakistan is against what is happening in Yemen but needs Saudi support. The irony is that Pakistani remittances will reduce if the Saudi war goes on as the economy is KSA is already starting to struggle in this disgusting war that is not helping anyone or any place.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087467598072397
Terrorismus / Terrorism
15.1.2016 – Matt Lieberman (B)
What is Wahhabism? (Film)
What do ISIS and Saudi Arabia have in common?
https://www.facebook.com/NotoWahabism/videos/822760554519195/
15.1.2016 – AFP (A T)
Key oil pipeline blown up in Yemen's Aden
A key pipeline linking a refinery and an oil terminal in Yemen's second city of Aden has been severely damaged in a suspected jihadist attack, officials said Friday.
The blast did not damage the refinery's storage tanks, located in western Aden, and there were no casualties, the official added.
A security source said that an explosive device detonated by unknown assailants hit the line around 500 metres (yards) from the refinery and three kilometres from the oil terminal.
A brief firefight broke out in the wake of the blast between refinery guards and gunmen, who fled the scene in two vehicles, according to witnesses.
A security official said that either the Islamic State group or Yemen's Al-Qaeda branch could have been behind the attack.
http://www.france24.com/en/20160115-key-oil-pipeline-blown-yemens-aden
15.1.2016 – AP (A T)
Blast Sparks Fire Erupts in Major Oil Pipeline in Yemen
A Yemeni government spokesman says a blast hit pipelines connecting oil storage tanks with the refinery in the city of Aden, causing a huge fire.
Naser Shayef, spokesman for the nation's refineries administration, told The Associated Press that the explosion took place at 1:00 a.m. and sent thick smoke billowing over the city. Fire fighters put the fire out two hours later and only two oil pipelines were sabotaged, he said.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/blast-sparks-fire-erupts-major-oil-pipeline-yemen-36308092 see also at http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=249852&frid=23&seccatid=31&cid=23&fromval=1 and images: https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/687961867034202112/photo/1
14.1.2016 – Critical Threats (* A T)
2016 Yemen Crisis Situation Report: January 14
The ongoing Yemen conflict continues to allow AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ) to extend its influence in Yemen through military action and media campaigns, while also taking on a governing role in an ever-expanding area in Yemen’s southeast. AQAP will develop an increasingly resilient safe haven in the region.
AQAP may be moving resources from it sanctuary in al Mukalla, Hadramawt, to support current efforts along the frontline, possibly in al Bayda, or to open a new front, possibly in Wadi Hadramawt.
Ansar al Sharia, AQAP’s insurgent arm, continues to support anti-al Houthi groups along the frontline of Yemen’s conflict.
AQAP is reconstituting within its former safe havens in Abyan governorate.
Recent AQAP media releases highlight AQAP’s preeminence in the global Salafi-jihadi community – by James Towey
http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/yemen-crisis-situation-reports-january-14-2016
Propaganda
16.1.2016 – Aljazeera (A P)
Is Saudi Arabia guilty of war crimes in Yemen?
In this web extra, Jamal Khashoggi says Saudi Arabia is intervening in Yemen "to save it from dictatorship".
Last week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that the Saudi-led coalition's use of cluster bombs in Yemen "may amount to war crimes".
When questioned about the UN chief's warning, former adviser to the Saudi royal family Jamal Khashoggi tells Mehdi Hasan, "we are supporting the people of Yemen to save them from dictatorship".
Comment: That is just foolish.
Comment by Judith Brown: Well folks this is the time for your morning laugh. Saudi Arabia is against dictatorships. It's official. Their spokesman says so in this AJ video clip where a spokesman says with a completely straight face that the Saudi war on Yemen is to save it from dictatorship. So - if you wondered why all these children are being killed, houses, roads, factories, farms, antiquities, roads, bridges, ports, schools, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies are being destroyed and its blockade causing illness and death - by a country that beheads its own dissenters - now you know!!!! Have a look and a good laugh. You need one after all this bad news.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154039555903641
Saudischer Luftkrieg / Saudi aerial war
16.1.2016 – Sputnik News (A K)
Saudi-Led Coalition Airstrike Hits Pharmaceutical Factory in Yemen
The Saudi-led coalition carried out an airstrike on a pharmaceutical plant to the south of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, a source in the security forces told Sputnik on Saturday.
SANAA (Sputnik) — The airstrike caused no injuries among the workers as it was carried out when the factory was closed, according to the source.
"Aircraft of the Arab coalition destroyed a pharmaceutical factory near Dabr Khaira [some 10 miles to the south of Sanaa]," the source said.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160116/1033258707/saudi-coalition-factory-yemen.html
16.1.2016 – Iran English Radio (A K PH)
Saudi warplanes kill 30 in NW Yemen
The fatalities came on Saturday during an air raid on residential buildings in the Dhahian district in the Sa'ada province.
Earlier in the day, Saudi warplanes carried out nine offensives against two places in the southwestern Ta'izz province's capital of the same name, the local al-Masira TV reported.
http://english.irib.ir/news/world/west-asia/item/221490-saudi-warplanes-kill-30-in-nw-yemen = http://en.abna24.com/service/middle-east-west-asia/archive/2016/01/16/730735/story.html
Comment: Sputnik News reports what Saudi propaganda is making of that:
16.1.2016 - Sputnik News (A K)
Saudi Coalition Airstrike Kills at Least 30 Houthis in Yemen
A Saudi-led coalition airstrike killed at least 30 Houthi fighters in northwestern Yemen, local media reported Saturday.
“Alliance bombing of Dhahyan in the Saada province killed 30 Houthi militants,” the Al Arabiya network tweeted, without citing sources or providing further details.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160116/1033243651/saudi-airstrike-houthis-yemen.html
Comment: photos and films (18 +, Graphic): https://twitter.com/shabbirghewalla/status/688513593189486592 and https://twitter.com/AggressionY/status/688459121100767232 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgrGF4TQkkQ
16.1.2016 – ORF (A K)
Jemen: Krankenhäuser werden zur Zielscheibe (Audio)
Im Krieg in Jemen werden Spitäler immer wieder angegriffen und medizinischer Nachschub für belagerte Orte blockiert. Die Organisation Ärzte ohne Grenze berichtet aus Sanaa, dass die saudische Militärkoalition mit Angriffen auf medizinische Einrichtungen internationales Recht bricht.
http://oe1.orf.at/artikel/429467
16.1.2016 – NTV (A K)
Vorwürfe gegen Saudi-Arabien: Amnesty will Streubombeneinsatz belegen
Amnesty International hat nach eigenen Angaben Beweise dafür, dass die arabische Militärkoalition bei Angriffen auf Sanaa Streubomben eingesetzt hat. Die Menschenrechtsorganisation erklärte, es gehe um einen Angriff des von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Bündnisses am 6. Januar auf das Viertel Muin im Westen der jemenitischen Hauptstadt. Dabei seien Streubomben aus US-Produktion abgeworfen worden. Ein Jugendlicher sei getötet und mindestens sechs Zivilisten verletzt worden.
Amnesty gab an, mehrere Einwohner, Angehörige der Opfer, Mitglieder der Sicherheitskräfte und Fotografen befragt zu haben.
http://www.n-tv.de/politik/Amnesty-will-Streubombeneinsatz-belegen-article16782891.html
16.1.2016 – Amnesty Intermational (** A K)
Yemen: New evidence challenges coalition’s denial it used cluster munitions in recent attack
Evidence gathered by Amnesty International appears to confirm reports that the Saudi Arabia-led coalition forces dropped US-manufactured cluster munitions on the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, on 6 January 2016. The attack killed a 16-year-old boy and wounded at least six other civilians, and scattered submunitions in at least four different residential neighbourhoods. Amnesty International is calling on the coalition to immediately stop using cluster munitions, which are inherently indiscriminate weapons and are internationally banned.
Amnesty International reviewed photographs taken on 6 and 7 January in Sana’a that showed remnants of cluster munitions, including spherical submunitions, and parts of the bomb or bombs that carried the submunitions.
Amnesty International identified the munitions as US-made BLU-63 anti-personnel/anti-materiel submunitions and components of a CBU-58 cluster bomb. Markings on the bomb remnants indicate that it was manufactured in 1978 at the Milan Army Ammunition Plant in the state of Tennessee in the USA.
Each air-dropped CBU-58 cluster bomb contains 650 submunitions. The USA transferred 1,000 CBU-58 bombs to Saudi Arabia sometime between 1970 and 1995.
Amnesty International has documented the use of three types of cluster bombs by the Saudi Arabia led coalition in Yemen since March 2015: a US-manufactured CBU-87, which dispenses 202 BLU- 97 submunitions; the more sophisticated US-manufactured CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon (carrying BLU-108 Sensor Fuzed submunitions); and a third variant that resembled the Brazilian manufactured ASTROS II, all of which were used in Sa’da in northern Yemen.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde31/3208/2016/en/ = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-new-evidence-challenges-coalition-s-denial-it-used-cluster-munitions-recent = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/MDE3132082016ENGLISH.pdf
16.1.2016 – Yemen News Today
This is important news - it is from the GPC the party of the ex-Presdient whom I have no time for personally. But nonetheless it says that a telephone signal transmitter has been damaged. It is really important for Yemenis to be able to communicate with each other in this war - they need to know if their relatives have survived blasts, they need to send out requests for money, they need to tell people they are in danger or injured. This is despicable and it will cost lives.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087466328072524 from https://www.facebook.com/MediaGPC/photos/a.433331923464462.1073741827.433329110131410/766603736803944/?type=3&theater
15.1.2016 – Sabanews (A K PH)
Saudi aggression bombes snack factory warehouse
http://www.sabanews.net/ar/news416117.htm
Comment: This is from Saba news, a Houthi news agency, of more destruction of food factories in Yemen - but I had direct confirmation of this from Yemen yesterday.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087464468072710
15.1.2016 – Alalam (A K PH)
VIDEO: Dozens Killed in Saudi Arabia Air Raids to Yemen’s Amran, Sanaa, Taiz
In the new round of attacks Saudi Warplanes have pounded new areas in Amran, Sanaa, and Taiz Killing Dozens civilians and destroying facilities .
According to residents, the attack was carried out on Wednesday, targeting an area near the village of Bilad al-Rus, around 40 km (25 miles) south of Sana’a.
The families displaced by the nine months of the Saudi war against Yemen had been taking shelter in the area, TNA reported.
Saudi warplanes also pounded the province of Amran, situated 53 kilometers (33 miles) northwest of the capital, with unconfirmed reports that several people were killed.
http://en.alalam.ir/news/1779331
Drohnenkrieg / Drone War
16.1.2016 – AP (A T)
US DRONE STRIKE KILLS 3 AL-QAIDA MILITANTS IN YEMEN
A U.S. drone strike killed three suspected al-Qaida militants in southern Yemen on Saturday, according to local tribesmen.
Believed to be the first drone strike this year in Yemen, it targeted the militants' vehicle while they were traveling in Shabwa province, the tribesmen said. […] It was not immediately possible to verify their account. U.S. officials rarely comment on the covert drone program – by Ahmed Al-Haj
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_YEMEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-01-15-04-09-59 and by AFP http://news.yahoo.com/3-qaeda-suspects-killed-yemen-drone-strike-093000853.html and by Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-drone-idUSKCN0UU0TI
Comment: The cost of war - both financially, environmentally, and in loss to humanity - is too high. Yet in Yemen we have such a complex situation. Saudi Arabia supports AQ in Hadramaut and fights alongside them in Aden. Meanwhile, its puppet Hadi goes back to Aden and gets into an armed struggle with them. USA is apparently on the same 'side' as Saudi and Hadi buy it uses drones to kill AQAP in Yemen, whilst Saudi s supporting and encouraging AQAP to hold Mukalla for them and Hadi is trying to get rid of them in Aden. Such a waste of money; such a waste of toxic chemicals that will stay in Yemen for maybe centuries; such a waste of life.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1087944251358065
24.11.2014 – Reprieve (** B K)
You Never Die Twice: 1,147 Dead in Drone Strikes Targeting Only 41
Each of us only lives once. It sometimes appears, however, that the covert US Kill List allows a man to die twice. Public reports suggest some men on the Kill List have ‘died’ as many as seven times.
The Kill List is a covert US programme that selects individual targets for assassination. The list is personally approved by President Obama and requires no public presentation of evidence or judicial oversight. Targets often die in covert drone strikes in foreign countries and are never notified of what they are accused to have done.
Information on the Kill List and drone strikes is limited to media reporting and anonymous leaks by US, Pakistani and Yemeni officials. Nevertheless, by sifting this information, we found 41 names of men who seemed to have achieved the impossible: to have ‘died,’ in public reporting, not just once, not just twice, but again and again. Reports indicate that each assassination target ‘died’ on average more than three times before their actual death.
This raises a stark question. With each failed attempt to assassinate a man on the Kill List, who filled the body bag in his place? In fact, it is more accurate to say ‘body bags’: many other lives are sacrificed in the effort to erase a name from the Kill List. In one case, it took seven drone strikes before the US killed its target. In those strikes, as many as 164 people died, including 11 children.
In total, as many as 1,147 people may have been killed during attempts to kill 41 men, accounting for a quarter of all possible drone strike casualties in Pakistan and Yemen. In Yemen, strikes against just 17 targets accounted for almost half of all confirmed civilian casualties. Yet evidence suggests that at least four of these 17 men are still alive. Similarly, in Pakistan, 221 people, including 103 children, have been killed in attempts to kill four men, three of whom are still alive and a fourth of whom died from natural causes.
http://www.reprieve.org/uploads/2/6/3/3/26338131/2014_11_24_pub_you_never_die_twice_-_multiple_kills_in_the_us_drone_program.pdf and summary also http://www.libertyclick.org/1147-dead-in-drone-strikes-targeting-only-41/
Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
16.1.2016 – Fars News (A K PH)
Yemen: Popular Forces Inflict More Casualties on Saudi Mercenaries, Marines
"25 forces loyal to Mansour Hadi who sought to advance in al-Zahra region, al-Bayda province, were killed in clashes against the Yemeni army and popular committees' forces," a military source said on Tuesday.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941026000320
15.1.2016 – Saba News (A K PH)
Dozens of Riyadh's mercenaries killed in Jawf
The mercenaries died by tens of rockets launched by the missile force of the army and popular committees at the government compound in al-Hazem district.
http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/content/yemen-military-reports-dozens-saudi-backed-soldiers-killed-jawf-province see also http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941027000800
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-86: / Yemen Press reader 1-86:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
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