Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Am wichtigsten / Most important
Allgemein / General
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Politischer Islam / Political Islam
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
USA
Großbritannien / Great Britain
EU
China
Söldner / Mercenaries
Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Flüchtlinge / Refugees
Terrorismus / Terrorism
Propaganda
Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
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
20.1.2016 – Telepolis (*** B Medien)
"Die Medien tragen demokratische Verantwortung"
Jörg Becker über die aktuelle Kriegsberichterstattung und die Ereignisse in Köln. Teil 1
In den Bürgerkriegen in Syrien und in der Ukraine ist zu beobachten, dass die bundesdeutschen Medien eine bestimmte Interpretation der Konflikte aus der Sicht der NATO mittragen, als neutral über die Kriegshandlungen aus einer umfassenderen Perspektive zu berichten. Ist dieser Vorwurf gleichfalls an die Medien anlässlich ihrer Berichterstattung über die Übergriffe in Köln zu richten? Ein Gespräch mit Jörg Becker, der dieser Tage das Buch Medien im Krieg – Krieg in den Medien veröffentlicht hat.
Die Öffentlichkeit wird über den Nahen Osten falsch und verzerrt informiert und natürlich werden ihr wesentliche Zusammenhänge nicht richtig vermittelt. Aktuell läuft in der Syrien- und Irakberichterstattung nahezu alles falsch, was man sich denken kann.
Wo gibt es Artikel darüber, dass der Krieg einer "Koalition gegen den Terror" gegen den "Islamischen Staat" völkerrechtswidrig ist, da er nicht vom UN-Sicherheitsrat genehmigt wurde und da es an die Länder dieser selbst ernannten Koalition kein militärisches Hilfeersuchen der syrischen Regierung nach der UN-Charta gibt und auch die Resolution des UN-Sicherheitsrats keinen Einsatz ausländischen Militärs in Syrien erlaubt? Wo gibt es demgegenüber journalistisches Material darüber, dass die Teilnahme der russischen Luftwaffe am syrischen Bürgerkrieg insofern völkerrechtskonform ist, da dieser Teilnahme ein Hilfeersuchen der syrischen Regierung zugrunde liegt, die notabene legitim im Amt ist?
Unklar bleibt in den deutschen Medien auch die saudische, katarische und türkische Unterstützung verschiedenartiger syrischer Rebellengruppen und des sogenannten Islamischen Staates. Genauso unklar diskutieren deutsche Medien die Kurdenfrage, den Abschuss des russischen Flugzeugs durch die türkische Luftwaffe oder die Frage danach, wer weltweit eigentlich das Erdöl transportiert, liefert und einkauft, das der sogenannte Islamische Staat auf seinem Gebiet fördert. Gleichermaßen unklar bleiben auch exakte Angaben über den internationalen Waffenhandel in diesem Raum. Einem deutschen Medienrezipienten bleibt der Hauptkonflikt verborgen.
Von Samuel Huntingtons Buch über den Kampf der Kulturen völlig verblendet, hat der Westen die Kriege und Bürgerkriege im Nahen Osten zu einem Kampf Westen versus Orient, Fortschritt versus Rückschritt, Moderne versus Mittelalter oder sogar Christentum versus Islam hochstilisiert. Furchtbar! Und spiegelbildlich sahen und sieht das der sogenannte Islamische Staat genauso. Doch das ist alles völlig falsch.
Der Hauptkonflikt kennt zwei sich überkreuzende Achsen. Auf der einen Achse geht es um die Hegemonial- und geopolitischen Machtinteressen der USA angesichts ihres relativen Machtverlustes gegenüber China und Russland im zentralasiatischen und nahöstlichen Raum.
Auf einer zweiten Achse geht es um einen innerislamischen Konflikt zwischen Sunniten (Saudi Arabien) und Schiiten (Iran) und deren Stellvertreterkriege in Bahrain, Jemen, Syrien und im Irak und im Libanon. Diesen Konflikt wiederum instrumentalisieren die USA für ihre Hegemonialpolitik, sinnfällig geworden 1979 beim Wechsel ihres Nahost-Hauptverbündeten vom schiitischen Iran zum sunnitischen Saudi Arabien.
Die Kriegsberichterstattung wird inzwischen von im Hintergrund der Medien arbeitenden PR-Agenturen dominiert.
Der Anteil der Lügen bei der Kriegsberichterstattung ist deutlich höher als bei der Berichterstattung über normale Ereignisse. Ein jüngstes Beispiel betrifft die von den Medien im August 2013 verbreitete Geschichte vom Giftgaseinsatz in Syrien durch die Assad-Regierung. Wie der investigative US-Journalist Seymour Hersh schon am 8. Dezember 2013 nachweisen konnte und wie es für die deutschen Leser zur Zeit gerade Norman Paech nachzeichnet, hat es sich auch hier um eine dreiste US-Kriegseintrittslüge gehandelt.
Ich mache mal den Vorschlag, bei künftigen Kriegen folgenden Begriffen der Berichterstattung grundsätzlich nicht mehr zu glauben: Völkermord, ethnische Säuberungen, Massenvergewaltigungen, Geheimwaffen, Fotos von kleinen und leidenden Kindern, besonders Mädchen.
Wie werden Leute, die zu diesen Kriegen eine kritische Position einnehmen von den Medien behandelt?
Jörg Becker: Da gibt es folgende Möglichkeiten. Man zensiert sie oder manipuliert übel, wie bei mir, den O-Ton bei Radio- und TV-Interviews. Man wird zu einer Podiumsdiskussion als Alibi-Kritiker eingeladen, nur damit eine kritische Position lächerlich gemacht werden kann. Man wird als Spinner, Verleumder oder Verschwörungstheoretiker abgekanzelt. Oder man wird in der Öffentlichkeit so stark geschnitten, dass man eben nicht mehr wahrgenommen wird.
Manchen dieser Mechanismen setzte ich mich nicht mehr aus. Einer Reihe von ARD-Sendern oder Zeitungen gebe ich seit langem keine Interviews mehr. Und berühmte, aber kritische Politiker und Journalisten wie Sonia Mikich, Volker Bräutigam, Albrecht Müller, Jürgen Todenhöfer, Gabriele Krone-Schmalz, Willy Wimmer oder Peter Gauweiler werden in den alltäglich dümmlichen Talkshows von ARD und ZDF geschnitten – Reinhard Jellen interviewt Jörg Becker,
http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/47/47171/1.html
Kommentar: Im größten Teil des Artikels geht es um die Kriegsberichterstattung mit Fokus auf dem Nahen Osten und der Ukraine. Sehr gewinnbringend zu lesen! Hier Beckers Internetseite. Beckers Ausführungen zu den Ereignissen in Köln erscheinen mir dagegen recht schwach.
Zu dem von Becker konstatierten Niedergang der Medien bzw. der sog. „Leitmedien“ oder „Mainstreammedien“ (der Begriff „Qualitätsmedien“ dürfte sich wohl erledigt haben) passt auch der rasante Vertrauensverlust der Öffentlichkeit fast weltweit, wie eine groß abgelegte Umfrage ergab:
19.1.2016 – Frankfurter Allgemeine (** B P)
Weltweite Umfrage Politiker und Eliten haben das Vertrauen verspielt
Weltweit herrscht Politikverdruss. Auch anderen Eliten misstrauen die Menschen massiv, wie eine weltweite Umfrage belegt. Wer sich gut informiert, vertraut den Medien mehr.
Auf der ganzen Welt wird das Misstrauen der allgemeinen Bevölkerung gegenüber den besser ausgebildeten und gut verdienenden Schichten immer größer. Die Eliten führen nicht mehr. Auch das Informationsverhalten der entsprechenden Gruppen fällt immer weiter auseinander. Die Welt bekommt ein Verständnisproblem.
Für das „Trust Barometer“ hat die weltweit tätige PR-Agentur Edelman mehr als 33.000 Menschen in 28 Ländern der Welt zwischen Oktober und November des vergangenen Jahres befragt. Das Ergebnis ist eindeutig: Das Vertrauen in die deutsche Politik ist in der informierten Bevölkerung um 5 Prozentpunkte gesunken. Eine ähnliche Dynamik nach unten hat es sonst nur in Ländern wie Indien, den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten und Polen gegeben.
Kommentar von Jens Berger: Das Ergebnis ist interessant, aber wenig überraschend. Toll ist diese Passage aus dem FAZ-Artikel:
„Stimmt die Beobachtung mit der Realität überein, sind die erwirtschafteten Gewinne überproportional häufig in den Händen der besserverdienenden Elite gelandet“
Ei der Daus! Merkt FAZ-Redakteur Knop jetzt tatsächlich, was sein leider viel zu früh verstorbener Herausgeber Frank Schirrmacher bereits 2011 „begann zu glauben“ und der Rest der Nicht-FAZ-Welt noch länger weiß. Naiv komisch auch der Folgesatz im Artikel:
„Diese Entwicklung dürfte der Diskussion darüber, wohin künftig die Automatisierungsdividenden aus der Digitalisierung der Wirtschaft fließen, neue Nahrung geben.“
Diese Diskussion ist schon lange im vollen Gange. Da fragt man sich wirklich, in welchem Kokon so ein FAZ-Redakteur das Jahr verbringt.
http://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=30385#h01
Kommentar von mir: Die FAZ ist doch ein „Qualitätsmedium“, was erwarten Sie da, Herr Berger? Und auch noch: Das mit dem Vertrauen in die Medien redet sich die FAZ schön. Denn sie vermeidet bewusst (?) die Differenzierung in die klassischen „Leitmedien“ (zu denen sie selbst gehört) und alternative Medien. Und da ergibt sich zumindest für Deutschland ein für FAZ und Co. unerfreuliches Bild:
19.1.2016 – Meedia (* B P)
Edelman-Trustbarometer: Klassische Medien verlieren an Vertrauen, Online-Medien legen zu
Das Misstrauen gegen die klassischen Medien schreitet in Deutschland immer weiter voran. Zu diesem Ergebnis kommt das jährliche Trustbarometer von Edelman. Die PR-Profis beobachten einen massiven Vertrauensverlust bei Zeitungen und TV-Sendern. Dagegen konnten die Online-Medien in Fragen Reputation erheblich zulegen.
Und hier auch noch die Seite von Edelman:
19.1.2016 – Edelman (deutsch) (** B P)
Edelman Trust Barometer 2015
Die Deutschen haben Angst vor Innovationen – Vertrauen in Wirtschaft, NGOs und Medien schwindet
Innovationsgeschwindigkeit als zu schnell empfunden
Unternehmen, NGOs und Medien verlieren Vertrauen
Deutsche Regierung gewinnt an Glaubwürdigkeit
Unternehmen müssen Vorteile von Innovationen erklären
Hohe Glaubwürdigkeit einer Branche bedeutet nicht automatisch hohes Vertrauen in Produkte oder Dienstleitungen
Traditionelle Medien verlieren Vertrauen – junge Generation verlässt sich auf eigene Recherchen
In Deutschland haben traditionellen Medien wie Zeitungen und Zeitschriften sowie Fernseh- und Rundfunksender deutlich an Vertrauen eingebüßt. Nur noch 66 Prozent der Befragten halten diese Medien für glaubwürdig, elf Prozentpunkte weniger als noch ein Jahr zuvor. Dennoch wird traditionellen Medien hierzulande weiter das größte Vertrauen entgegengebracht, wenn es um Nachrichten und allgemeine Informationen geht. Erst mit deutlichem Abstand folgen Internet-Suchmaschinen (47 Prozent), Hybrid-Medien wie Blogs oder Nachrichten-Websites (36 Prozent) sowie soziale Medien (31 Prozent) und unternehmenseigene Publikationen (30 Prozent).
Dieses Ergebnis steht in einem deutlichen Gegensatz zur internationalen Entwicklung. Weltweit haben Internet-Suchmaschinen (64 Prozent) in diesem Jahr zum ersten Mal die traditionellen Medien (62 Prozent) als glaubwürdigste Quelle abgelöst. Auch soziale Medien und Unternehmenspublikationen gewannen deutlich an Vertrauen (jeweils plus drei Prozentpunkte auf 48 bzw. 47 Prozent).
Nutzer bis Mitte 30 verlassen sich heute weltweit weitgehend auf Suchmaschinen (72 Prozent), gefolgt von traditionellen Medien und Hybrid-Medien (64 bzw. 63 Prozent) sowie Social Media (59 Prozent). Nicht zu vernachlässigen ist in dieser Generation die Bedeutung von Unternehmensmedien. Den Informationen auf einer Unternehmenswebsite oder im Corporate Magazin vertrauen immerhin 57 Prozent der Generation Y.
Während traditionelle Medien in Deutschland nach wie vor noch hohes Vertrauen genießen, halten nur 45 Prozent der Befragten Journalisten für glaubwürdig. Wenn es um aktuelle Informationen geht, setzen die Menschen inzwischen auf andere Quellen: Freunde und Familie sowie Wissenschaftler gelten als besonders vertrauenswürdig (67 bzw. 60 Prozent). Für nur sehr bedingt glaubwürdig halten die Menschen in Deutschland Prominente (22 Prozent) und Vorstandschefs (27 Prozent).
Kommentar: Dieser Vertrauensverlust sollte niemanden überraschen. Was Jörg Becker in dem oben zitierten Beitrag so präzise auf den Punkt gebracht hat, ist ja eigentlich nicht neu. Um diesen Trend zu ändern, müsste es schon eine völlige Änderung bei unseren „Leitmedien“ geben. Und die ist derzeit völlig ausgeschlossen – lieber weiter treu zur Fahne der Neoliberalen und der westlichen Machtpolitik bis in den eigenen Untergang. – Was auch mal wieder auffällt: Die deutschen Medien beschweigen diese für sie so unangenehme Umfrage fast alle. Außer den zitierten Artikeln von FAZ als einzigem selbsternannten „Qualitätsmedium“ (höhn, höhn) und Meedia gibt es noch das PR-Journal, Jens Berger kommentiert kritisch auf den Nachdenkseiten (siehe oben zum FAZ-Artikel), und das war es dann beim Googeln…
Und hier noch die internationale Untersuchung:
19.1.2016 – Edelman (** B P)
2016 Edelman TRUST BAROMETER - Global Results.
Um mehr zu sehen, die Felder rechts anklicken / For seeing more, click to the squares on the right side!
http://de.slideshare.net/EdelmanInsights/2016-edelman-trust-barometer-global-results
21.1.2016 – Aljazeera (** B P)
Analysis: How can war-torn Yemen find peace?
The country needs a dealer who can "redistribute the cards" and convince the various players to invest in peace.
Why did the recent peace talks fail to generate a solution? The main reason is that when all sides, both inside Yemen and externally, opted to go to war, they really did not have to. Historically, Saudi Arabia's influence in Yemen has been more powerful than that of the country's own rulers.
The Arab coalition did not try diplomacy before going to war in Yemen - a war that has less to do with Yemen than with regional geopolitical rivalries.
The latest round of peace talks failed because many of those involved do not know what they want out of the UN-mediated process, and because they do not believe it is in their immediate interests to have peace. After nearly a year of war in Yemen, the cycle of business, economy and power now revolves around one main thing: war. Should the fighting suddenly end, many players from both sides would stand to lose.
Understanding these possible winners and losers is key to future negotiations. The end of the war would result in four clear losers: the Houthis, armed groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Saleh and incumbent President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Each of these parties has a motive to impede the peace process.
Lastly, Hadi's mismanagement of the country was a key reason behind the current conflict - and the president surely realises that his allies, even more than his enemies, want him to step aside for any peace framework to succeed.
Consequently, he has taken every possible step to drag out the conflict. Empowering his cabinet and his vice president at his expense will be key to the success of any lasting peace deal.
In addition, for Yemen to achieve peace, the Arab coalition must understand that it cannot win militarily, despite the billions of dollars in expenses already poured into the war.
What Yemen needs now is a dealer who can "redistribute the cards" and convince the various players to invest in peace.
The UN tried this, but its approach has been weak and too easily mired in technicalities..
Regionally, the West can play a role in ending the conflict in Yemen by pushing for reconciliation between Saudi and Iran, and by halting their arms deals in the region. They cannot believably call for peace in Yemen while turning a blind eye to the destruction being wrought with their weapons, now in the hands of their regional clients – by Farea Al-Muslimi
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/analysis-war-torn-yemen-find-peace-160112071115870.html
Comment: This is the absolute key - funding the right mediator. UN has proved itself quite incapable of being anything other than a quisling to Saudi Arabia in this war, and although there has been good work by UNICEF and the envoy has personally worked hard to bring the sides together, he has no power invested in him. Although there are some international moves to bridge the gap between Saudi and Iran which might help Saudi to save face, Iran is doing little in Yemen but using it as a bargaining chip. And as Saudi is clearly not winning despite gambling its coffers on trying to defeat poor and weak Yemen, it can hardly pull back and call this adventure a success. And Hadi - Yemen just doesn't want him, despite the international community saying they want to restore him to power - which he doesn't actually have - he was an interim president whose term had expired.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1089913857827771
Allgemein / General
21.1.2016 – Iran English Radio (A K)
Saudi Arabia has killed 8,278 people in Yemen: Group
According to Press TV, the Yemeni Civilian Association announced in a report on Wednesday that the ongoing Saudi attacks have claimed the lives of 8,278 people, including 2,236 children, and left 16,015 others injured.
The report comes in the wake of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warning about the dire situation of Yemeni patients amid Saudi attacks on hospitals.
Comment: Such figures always are difficult. Certainly, there are much more victims of this war.
20.1.2016 – Critical Threats (* A K P)
2016 Yemen Crisis Situation Report: January 2016
Recent statements from Yemen’s vice president and a prominent cleric affiliated with the al Houthi movement show increasing signs of entrenchment by the warring parties, particularly a growing undertone of sectarianism.
Rhetoric from high-ranking individuals on both sides of Yemen’s war has become increasingly bellicose and casts the conflict in an increasingly sectarian light. Prominent Zaydi Shia cleric Mohammed Mohammed al Mata’a issued a fatwa on January 14 calling for jihad against President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his supporters, describing them as “infidels.” Meanwhile, Yemeni Vice President Khaled Bahah held a press conference in Abu Dhabi on the anniversary of Yemen’s coup. Bahah reiterated his hope that the Yemeni government would return to Sana’a “peacefully… through political consultations,” but then cast unprecedentedly bellicose accusations at Iran and the al Houthis, saying that Iran must “give up the culture of violence” and describing the al Houthis as worse than AQAP or the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS).
The Hadi government’s inability to secure Aden city exemplifies the challenges that lay ahead. ocal militant groups, including AQAP, ISIS, secessionists, and others, continue to operate in the city and will attempt to prevent the central government’s reconstitution.
Coalition forces and U.S. counterterrorism operations may be increasing pressure on AQAP, which has operated with relative impunity in Yemen since the outbreak of the conflict last year.Reports indicate that coalition warships entered al Mukalla port on January 19 and ordered all unregistered ships to leave the port. AQAP controls al Mukalla and benefits from the ability to move resources through the port. The coalition’s presence may signal intent to contest AQAP’s control of Hadramawt’s capital city.
The Saudi-led coalition remains focused on degrading the al Houthi-Saleh coalition’s strength in order to re-establish a pro-Saudi central Yemeni government in Sana’a. The coalitionlaunched numerous airstrikes on al Houthi-Saleh targets in and around Sana’a city .
Yemen’s increasingly sectarian conflict will continue to produce conditions conducive to AQAP’s expansion as long as its territory remains uncontested. The group will probably reconstitute its safe haven Jaar and Zinjibar in Abyan, conduct anti-al Houthi operations in al Bayda and Shabwah, and maintain its base in al Mukalla in the absence of effective opposition from the Hadi government or its coalition backers – by James Towey
http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/yemen-crisis-situation-reports-january-20-2016
20.1.2016 – RT (* B K)
Resistance in Yemen: Courage, compassion and a lot of heart
In the throes of a murderous onslaught against its people, against its sovereignty, and against its right to political self-determination, Yemen has somehow managed to withstand the fury of the Saudi-military coalition; the underdog in a conflict which should have long wiped out all resistance.
The most under-reported war of this past decade, Yemen has quite literally slipped through the cracks, ignored, abandoned and shunned for its fight has been against Wahhabi Saudi Arabia’s imperialistic agenda, a nation made exceptional on account of its friendship with the United States of America.
Haytham Ali Mohammed, a journalist turned social activist and human rights defender explained how most Yemenis have gone into survival mode over the past 10 months. “Those communities in the highlands (northern Yemen) have gone back to the old ways. Many tribal leaders decided to fall back on tradition to see their people through, and this has led to the reopening of old trade routes in the mountains, and prompted alternative economies to be revived. It is by no mean flourishing… but people are somehow managing,” he told me over the phone.
Divided by political loyalties - the resistance in the North and Saudi collaborators in the South - Yemen has witnessed the rise of an interesting breed of individuals: blockade runners.
Since certain areas in Southern Yemen have benefited from the largess of Riyadh, Qatar and other regional powers, many in the North have been keen to act as a bridge in between the two zones, to offer those who have so little reprieve.
Quietly, the resistance established a relay network across Yemen, allowing food staples and medicine to be caravanned across political lines - a new form of humanitarian resistance – by Catherine Shakdam
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/329536-yemen-war-saudi-resistance/
Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
21.1.2016 – UNCHR (* A H)
Yemen: Monthly Factsheet, December 2015
In 2015, Yemen received 92,446 new arrivals on Yemen’s Arabian and Red Sea coasts (82,268 Ethiopians, 10,162 Somalis, and 16 of other nationalities). Over two thirds arrived after the conflict in the country escalated in March. New arrivals are often misinformed about the severity of the conflict, believe that the situation has become relatively calm in some of the southern governorates, or are following rumours of improved access into neighbouring Gulf countries. New arrivals make the perilous journey usually on rickety, overcrowded smugglers’ boats risking their lives at sea. They land dehydrated, in shock and in need of basic assistance, and further face the risk of abduction, exploitation and insecurity within Yemen.
Due to the ongoing conflict, new arrivals face movement restrictions in Yemen, and there have been reports of some being caught in the conflict and killed. There are now fewer income opportunities in Yemen and available services which render these newly arriving refugees and migrants increasingly vulnerable. This situation has been compounded by continued activities of organised gangs and smugglers. New arrivals have sought the shores of the Arabian Sea rather than the Red Sea, as the conflict has been raging at the latter but has subsided at the former; this is a clear reversal of the trend in previous years.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-monthly-factsheet-december-2015-enar and in full http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/UNHCR%20Yemen%20factsheet%20Dec%202015.pdf
20.1.2016 – Ärzte ohne Grenzen (* A H K)
Jemen: Hilfsgüter erreichen Krankenhäuser in Taiz
„Wir sind sehr froh darüber, dass wir es endlich geschafft haben, medizinisches Material in die Krankenhäuser dieser belagerten Region zu bringen, wo viele Patienten mit Kriegsverletzungen eingeliefert werden”, so Karline Kleijer, die unsere Nothilfe im Jemen leitet. „Es geht hier um essentielle medizinische Güter – darunterAntibiotika, Narkosemittel, Transfusionen, Fäden für Wundnähte oder Thoraxdrainagen. Nur mit diesem Material können lebensrettende Operationen durchgeführt werden.“
Für die jemenitische Bevölkerung, die in diesem dicht besiedelten Belagerungsgebiet lebt, wird es außerdem immer schwieriger, an Nahrung, Trinkwasser und Treibstoff zu kommen. Die Preise von essentiellen Gütern sind dramatisch gestiegen: „Ein großer Teil der Menschen hier in Taiz wurden innerhalb ihrer Stadt vertrieben“, erklärt Kleijer. „Sie kämpfen tagtäglich um ihr Leben, kämpfen um ausreichend Essen und Wasser – weil grundlegende Bedarfsgüter massiv teurer wurden und die Unsicherheit weiter anhält.“
Tagtäglich wird Taiz von Luftangriffen getroffen, und die Bevölkerung lebt mit der Angst vor Heckenschützen, Querschlägern und Mörsergranaten, die willkürlich von beiden Kampfgruppen eingesetzt werden. Für Verletzte ist es aufgrund der Kämpfe schwierig, Kliniken und Krankenhäuser zu erreichen. Auch ist es problematisch, Frontlinien zu überqueren, und es gibt wegen des Mangels an Treibstoff kaum Transportmöglichkeiten. Früher gab es in Taiz 20 Spitäler für die rund 600.000 EinwohnerInnen; heute sind nur mehr sechs davon funktionsfähig, und auch diese nur mehr eingeschränkt.
Darüber hinaus werden medizinische Einrichtungen in Taiz und anderen Teilen des Landes bei Luftangriffen und Bombardements anvisiert oder getroffen.
https://www.aerzte-ohne-grenzen.at/article/jemen-hilfsgueter-erreichen-krankenhaeuser-taiz
19.1.2016 – Doctors Without Borders (** B K)
Bombing hospitals and schools cannot become the new normal
Health facilities have come under attack in Yemen and Syria. If these attacks were intentional, or the result of errors, they deserve our outrage.
I will not comment on the efficiency of the UK’s military technical support in hitting the right targets, or ask why – with the benefit of such support – hospitals, schools, markets and all sorts of places where civilians congregate are still routinely being bombed in Yemen.
But I will highlight two reasons why I find these claims offensive and irresponsible.
First, because Hammond’s implication is that bombing a hospital in error is an acceptable consequence of war. After suffering three attacks in Yemen in as many months, this is a position we simply cannot accept. If these attacks were intentional, they deserve our outrage. If three attacks in three months were the result of errors, it is just as outrageous.
Secondly, there is a risk that “errors” in war situations will become normalised – just as “collateral damage” has been normalised in people’s minds since the first Gulf war. This would provide the perfect alibi for armies to shrug off accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. It perpetuates impunity.
Today, as you read this, sophisticated military weapons are being – purposely or mistakenly – aimed at hospitals and clinics. With total impunity, essential medical services are being destroyed as a military strategy, both by national armies and by international coalitions, in Afghanistan, in Syria and in Yemen. And ultimately the people that this hurts the most are patients who no longer have access to healthcare.
Dozens of health facilities have come under attack in Yemen and Syria in the past four months. This cannot become the new normal. This cannot become an acceptable trend to which the world resigns itself. Please join us in our indignation and ask your leaders to stop bombing hospitals – by Vickie Hawkins, executive director of MSF UK
20.1.2016 – Sultana on Twitter (A H)
Please investigate this: @UNICEF_Yemen aid to #Taiz is being sold by resistance !!!
https://twitter.com/SultanetZman/status/689941472041377793 also (Arabic) https://twitter.com/JosephJo1221/status/690234577307197442
19.1.2016 – Yemen News Today (A H)
I am told by someone from North Yemen that these are photographs of weapons dropped onto Taiz by Saudi Arabia, who claimed that is was humanitarian aid. I don't have any supporting evidence.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1089055147913642
19.1.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A K)
Yemeni minister: UN failed to provide relief to Taiz
All UN efforts to provide relief to Taiz have failed, Alkhaleejonline.com reported Yemen’s Local Affairs Minister Abdel Raqib Fatah saying yesterday.
“All efforts done by the UN organisations to provide aid to the Governorate of Taiz have failed so far,” Fatah said in a press conference held in Riyadh. He noted that only the King Salman Centre for Relief and Work has been able to drop some aid from the air.
Fatah, who heads the Relief Committee, added: “The World Food Programme and the International Organisation for Migration sent 100 truckloads of food aid and they were blocked by the Houthi and Saleh militias in Al-Hoban and Bier Basha in Taiz.”
Comment: The situation in Taiz is complex - there is aid provided to a nearby town and it is being carried in on foot by the Taiz people across the mountains. There is undoubtedly a siege but there is also a much more severe blockade and humanitarian crisis by Saudi Arabia to the north and northwest of Yemen. Saudi Arabia claimed last week that it air dropped 40 tons of food aid to the 200,000 people reported to be remaining in Taiz. I also note that the opposition to the Houthis frequently post photos of injured people in hospital without medical supplies. I note that so far on each of these pictures there are no pictures of severely malnourished children such I have seen from Sabaen hospital in Sanaa. There is a competition of victimhood in Yemen from the 'sides' that oppose each other and each side fails to acknowledge the serious situation of 'the Other'. Few from the north accept Taiz has a problem, and few from Taiz believe that things are worse in cities like Saada - although Taiz does undoubtedly have the most serious ground war. It would be possible for the remaining population to leave Taiz via mountain tracks - most have already gone - but these last few hundred prefer to stay in their home city - I understand that. The people of Taiz are more likely to get the ears of the world because they are supporting Saudi Arabia - whereas those who oppose Saudi Arabia (and many of them oppose the Houthis too) - are often less educated and in the case of Saada with so few facilities that using mobile phones to get messages out is more difficult - and they are silenced by the Saudi hegemony on the region. Of course I am terribly concerned for the Taizi people - and for all of those in the north too.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1089022971250193
20.1.2016 – UNOCHA (A H)
Yemen: Nutrition Cluster (Infographs)
https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/system/files/documents/files/yemen_nut_20160120.pdf
19.1.2016 – UNOCHA (A H)
Yemen: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster as of December 2015 (Infographs)
https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/system/files/documents/files/yemen_wsh_20160120_0.pdf
19.1.2016 – UNOCHA (A H)
Yemen: Multi-Sector for Refugees and Migrants as of December 2016 (Infographs)
https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/system/files/documents/files/yemen_ram_20160120.pdf
18.1.2016 – UNOCHA (A H)
Yemen: Snapshot on Shipping, Food and Fuel Imports for December 2015 (Infographs)
During December, the number of ships berthing, as well as the volume of food and fuel imports into Yemen decreased compared to November. The increased availability of both food and fuel seen in the markets is due to the increased imports from November which continues to affect market prices. Commercial food imports decreased by 19 per cent compared to November. Increased availability of food and some local production of cereals has caused the average price of a kilo of wheat flour in Yemen markets to decrease by 25 per cent, from YER 210/kg to YER 156/kg, which is just 14 per cent higher than pre-crisis price of YER137/kg. Fuel imports in December dropped by 83 per cent over the previous month, from 483,646 MT* in November to only 82,699 MT in December. December imports represent just 15 per cent of the estimated monthly needs. Despite the reduction of fuel imports, fuel was widely available at both official and parallel markets around Yemen. Average fuel prices have dropped by 45 per cent since November, but remain 91 per cent higher than pre-crisis levels. All ships waiting at anchorage and pre-anchorage from prior months were able to enter Yemeni ports during December. The overall number of ships berthing during the month decreased by 18 per cent from November, with 61 ships berthing during December. The number of new ships at anchorage during December also decreased by 51 per cent, from 86 in November to 42 in December. https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/system/files/documents/files/shipment_snapshot_14012016_v.8.pdf
Comment: That shows that the situation is getting worse and worse…
Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
19.1.1016 – News of Yemen (A K)
#Saudi UAE led coalition strikes damaged part of Queen of Sheba temple in Marib #Yemen (with photos)
Historical monuments in Sirwah west Marib province, have been severely damaged by Saudi led coalition airstrikes.
Saudi air raids damaged parts of Queen of Sheba Palace, as well as another direct blow to the temple also damage the main pillars inside the temple. Some of the large stones that contains writing in the Old Line Sabaean were also damaged.
Eyewitness have said that some of the damage was caused by Saudi backed force constant shelling in Sirwah area of Marib province.
Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi government
20.1.2016 – ABNA
Most dangerous al-Qaeda commander killed in Yemen
prominent Al-Qaeda emir (commander) has been reportedly killed in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa after a fierce battle with the Yemeni Security Forces under the command of Brigadier General Fouad Al-Imad.
According to the Yemeni Army, Imad Ahmad Mohammad Shash was killed alongside a number of his fighters during a skirmish outside the house of Brigadier General Imad’s house.
Shash was the self-proclaimed “Al-Qaeda emir of Sanaa” before he was killed by the Yemeni security forces on Wednesday morning.
http://en.abna24.com/service/middle-east-west-asia/archive/2016/01/20/731271/story.html
20.1.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A K P PS)
Yemeni PM says popular resistance fighters to join army
Members of the popular resistance will join the Yemeni army in the fight against Houthi militias and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Prime Minister Khaled Bahah revealed yesterday.
Comment by Judith Brown: The problem has been twofold here. First the resistance was asked to join the army after the Houthi-Saleh alliance were driven from Aden but nary little effort was made by Hadi to recruit them. Secondly many of those in Aden see themselves as part of an independent South Yemen (or even Southern Arabia) and won't join Yemeni forces. So this may be a pipe dream - or it may be a new reality. I also heard a few days ago that some of Al Hirak [South Yemen separatists] were joining to fight with the Houthies against Hadi and the pro Saudi militias and mercenaries. As in earlier articles, the wording might be confusing. The Yemen army split and most stayed with the Houthis so there are now two Yemen armies that oppose each other and these recruits are for the new Saudi led army, and the popular resistance here is the southern resistance movement - the Houthis also refer to popular resistance and they mean those that are opposed to Hadi. Confusing.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154046446423641
19.1.2016 – AFP (A P)
Yemen PM says confronting jihadists 'inevitable'
Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah said on Tuesday that confronting jihadists in government-controlled regions of the war-torn country was inevitable in the future.
Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group are both active in Yemen, but so far the Yemeni government and its allies have concentrated on battling Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels.
Eliminating the extremism of the jihadist groups will not be resolved though dialogue, Bahah told reporters in Abu Dhabi.
"A confrontation is inevitable, whether it takes place today or tomorrow," he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/yemen-pm-says-confronting-jihadists-inevitable-185306191.html
Comment: The Saudis did not fight the jihadists at all. A lot of Al Kaida fighters even were welcomed by the Saudi and Hadi government side to fight with them against the Houthis.
UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
21.1.2016 – Reuters (* B P)
Saudi-Iran dispute jeopardizes Yemen peace talks
Overview of events; dealing longer with the political arguments especially of the Saudi side – BY YARA BAYOUMY AND MOHAMMED GHOBARI
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-saudi-yemen-idUSKCN0UZ22I
19.1.2016 – UNO (A P)
Jemen: Ban Ki-moon fordert Waffenstillstand
UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki-moon fordert die Regierung sowie alle Parteien im Jemen auf, einen sofortigen und dauerhaften Waffenstillstand einzuhalten. Außerdem gelte es, eine rasche Wiederaufnahme der bereits verzögerten, Friedensgespräche zu ermöglichen
http://www.unric.org/de/uno-schlagzeilen/27697-jemen-ban-ki-moon-fordert-waffenstillstand
Kommentar: Die UNO und ihr Genetralsekretät machen im Jemenkrieg eine ausgesprochen jämmerliche Figur. Der UN-Sicherheitsrat hat im April 2015 mit der Resolution 2216 völlig einseitig gegen die Huthis und damit zugunsten der Saudis und ihres gesamten Luftkriegs Stellung bezogen. Daran hat sich bis heute nichts geändert. Die UN erweist sich damit als völlig blind für die weitgehende Zerstörung eines ganzen Landes. Solange der Sicherheitsrat nicht in einer eindeutigen Resolution auch das sofortige Ende des Luftkriegs verlangt, ist alles, was Herrn Ban so äußert, nicht mehr al heiße Luft und PR.
Politischer Islam / Political Islam
20.1.2016 – PJ Media / Counterjihad Report (** B P)
We’ve Got It Wrong: ISIS Is Not the Main Problem in the Middle East
Seen from close up, the Islamic State is very obviously only a part,and not necessarily the main part, of a much larger problem. When talking both with those fighting with ISIS and with those who sympathize with it in the region, this observation stands out as a stark difference in perception between the Middle Eastern view of ISIS and the view of it presented in Western media. The latter tends to present ISIS as a strange and unique development, a dreadfully evil organization of unclear origins, which is the natural enemy of all mainstream forces in the Middle East.
From closer up, the situation looks rather different.
ISIS has the same ideological roots and similar practices as other Salafi jihadi organizations active in the Syrian arena. ISIS treats non-Muslims brutally in the areas it controls, and adheres to a rigid and fanatical ideology based on a literalist interpretation and application of religious texts. But this description also applies to Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda franchise in Syria.
ISIS is not a unique organization; rather, it exists at one of the most extreme points along a continuum of movements committed to Sunni political Islam.
Meanwhile, the inchoate mass of Sunni Islamist groups — of which ISIS constitutes a single component — is engaged in a region-wide struggle with a much more centralized bloc of states and movements organized around the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is committed to a Shia version of political Islam.
The Middle East — in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and to a lesser extent Lebanon, all along the sectarian faultline of the region — is witnessing a clash between rival models of political Islam, of which ISIS is but a single manifestation.
The local players find sponsorship and support from powerful regional states, themselves committed to various different versions of political Islam: Iran for the Shias; Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Muslim Brotherhood-supporting Qatar for the Sunnis.
The long awakening of political Islam as the dominant form of popular politics in the Middle East started decades ago. But the eclipse of the political order in the region, and of the nationalist dictatorships in Iraq, Syria, Egypt (temporarily), Tunisia, and Yemen in recent years, has brought it to a new level of intensity – by Jonathan Spyer
https://pjmedia.com/homeland-security/2016/01/19/weve-got-it-wrong-isis-is-not-the-main-problem-in-the-middle-east/?singlepage=true = http://counterjihadreport.com/2016/01/20/weve-got-it-wrong-isis-is-not-the-main-problem-in-the-middle-east/
Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
20.1.2016 – The Guardian (* B P)
Saudi king's son drives reforms and war in a year of anxiety and change
Not everyone is persuaded by the brave new vibe emanating from Riyadh’s palaces since King Salman came to the throne. In the first in a series on Saudi Arabia, we look at the relationship between its rulers and its people
in recent months it is Bin Salman – defence minister as well as economic supremo – who has been making headlines: leading the Yemen campaign and initiating reforms to cope with a budget deficit and the end of the oil age and, some suggest, the autocratic rentier state it sustained.
Efficiency, innovation and independence are the watchwords of a carefully managed public relations campaign that slips easily into sycophancy in Saudi media coverage.
Saudis speculate quietly that King Salman may eventually abdicate in favour of his son and bypass Bin Nayef, who has no sons of his own.
Saudis speculate quietly that King Salman may eventually abdicate in favour of his son and bypass Bin Nayef, who has no sons of his own – by Ian Black
19.1.2016 – Fanack Chronicle (* B K)
Saudi Arabia’s War in Yemen: Purchasing Power Does Not Equal Military Power
What was proclaimed as a quick and decisive show of military superiority has turned into a show of weakness.
Why? Not because the Saudi army is underequipped or underfunded: in 2015 alone, Saudi Arabia has spent almost USD 50 billion on military equipment, ranking among the top five military spenders worldwide. And it is not planning to slow down on spending, despite low oil prices.
Nor is it not for lack of manpower. The Saudi army has about 250,000 active-duty military personnel, from a population of about 20 million Saudi citizens. In comparison, the Netherlands, with a population of roughly 17 million, has about 43,000 active-duty army personnel.
The problem, according to military analysts such as Norvell De Atkine, is that Arab armies are not good at conventional warfare. He notes a culture of mistrust, class and sectarian divisions, paranoia, avoidance of competition, lack of information-sharing, and an unwillingness on all levels to take responsibility for mistakes and failures.
Yemeni situation. On the one side, there is a well equipped but non-functioning and questionably motivated conventional army. On the other, there is a less well equipped but still heavily armed, ragtag group of highly motivated men, who know the alleys of their cities and the goat trails of their mountains.
Fighting an unconventional army with a conventional one is difficult if not impossible, even with a well trained and organized conventional army: recall Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. What the Saudis are trying to do in Yemen is even more difficult—fighting an unconventional army with a mediocre conventional one.
https://chronicle.fanack.com/saudi-arabia/governance/saudi-arabias-war-in-yemen/
19.1.2016 – The National Interest (** B P)
Is Saudi Arabia the Next Syria?
In addition to internal pressure due to widespread unemployment, a massive immigrant population and falling oil prices, Saudi Arabia faces multiple challenges from external sources as well.
But why Saudi Arabia specifically? The foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq come from all over the world – Libya is currently a bastion of ISIS support, as are multiple other locations throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Why would Saudi Arabia suffer the brunt of a relocation?
Saudi Arabia has the potential to be a unifying enemy, with enough ties to the West to fuel radical censure but without the stability of most Western countries to counter an insurgency movement. It provides a platform for recruitment with its youthful population and high unemployment, and at the same time allows for foreign outreach through its massive immigrant population. The Saudi government itself is stretched thin operating in Yemen and contributing military resources to Syria, all while suffering blows to its economy from dropping oil prices. The royal family is caught between a rock and a hard place, risking censure from radical conservatives if it modernizes and popular discontent if it pushes more stringent Wahhabism on its population. Critically, Saudi Arabia is home to two of the most holy sites of Islamic culture, Mecca and Medina, which makes it a natural rallying point. All of these factors make Saudi Arabia an ideal location for insurgency, and suggest that Saudi Arabia will suffer the consequences when ISIS’s power is depleted and its fighters scatter beyond Iraq and Syria – by Schuyler Moore
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/saudi-arabia-the-next-syria-14959?page=2 = http://russia-insider.com/en/saudi-arabia-next-syria/ri12316
9.3.2015 – Conflict Studies (B P)
Saudi Princess Sahar bint Abdullah wants her freedom and rights
In addition to having a mother who “got away,” these daughters, Sahar, Maha, Hala and Jawaher Al Saud, now in their late 30s and early 40s, dared speak out for women’s rights. Their punishment has been extreme and long-lasting.
For 13 years, the unmarried princesses have been confined in pairs, isolated from outside contact — beaten, drugged, deprived of food and water for periods of time, slowly starved, subjected to heat without air-conditioning in the desert clime.
According to their mother’s account, and to a video that Sahar and Jawaher smuggled out, the princesses claim that their “half-brothers beat them with sticks” and “yell at us and tell us we will die here.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stLCgamYxr4&sns=fb
Comment: This woman is one of four sisters imprisoned for many years by their father King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia who died last year, because they were seen as subversive. It was hoped that when their father died they might be released but this has not happened. Now they are speaking out in support of Nimr Al Nimr who was recently executed - a very brave thing to do.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1089084074577416
USA
21.1.2015 – The American Conservative ( * A P)
Trump’s Yemen Babble
Before Palin endorsed him, Trump was on stage babbling about Iran and Yemen (starting at around 16:40).
This is nonsense, and it shows just how little Trump knows about foreign policy. Iran isn’t “going” into Yemen at all. This is a crude, simplified version of official Saudi interventionist propaganda, which has grossly exaggerated the extent of Iran’s influence and involvement in Yemen for most of the last year. Far from “going into Yemen,” Iran’s government reportedly warned the Houthis against taking the capital back in 2014, and the Houthis ignored them and took the city. That should make clear how little control and influence Iran had and still has in that country. While some of his supporters believe they see evidence of good foreign policy judgment in some of Trump’s positions, this reminds us that he is more often misinformed or simply clueless about these issues.
As ridiculous and ignorant as these statements are, it’s worth noting that Trump’s “analysis” here is not all that different from Iran hawks’ alarmist claims that Iran is “on the march.” This isn’t true, and it conceals the reality that Iran has been steadily losing influence in the region for years, but it helps critics of the nuclear deal to promote the idea that Iran is now on track to dominate the region. Trump loves to denounce the deal, and so he has bought into hysterical and unfounded claims that Iran is taking over the region. He is actively promoting false and misleading claims about a conflict in Yemen that already receives far too little coverage. In addition to showing why he can’t be trusted on foreign policy, Trump is making it that much easier for the Obama administration to avoid criticism and accountability for enabling the war on Yemen. Trump’s regurgitation of pro-Saudi talking points about their war lets Obama off the hook for one of the worst foreign policy blunders of his presidency – by Daniel Larison
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/trumps-yemen-babble/
19.1.2015 – The American Conservative (* A P)
The Lousy Case for “Standing By” the Saudis
The “pro-Saudi” argument isn’t that the Saudis are actually valuable or helpful to the U.S. (they aren’t), but that they would be even more of a menace if they weren’t our client. That’s very debatable, especially when the price of “holding them close” is implicating the U.S. in an atrocious and unnecessary war in Yemen and committing the U.S. to overthrow the government in Syria. Stephens describes a more aggressive attempt to overthrow of the Assad regime as “the place to start” in improving the relationship with Riyadh. That means that in order to placate the Saudis the U.S. would subordinate our policy goals to theirs and assume costs and risks in order to achieve what the Saudis want. That has nothing to do with making the U.S. safer or the region more secure, and it would instead make the region’s upheavals worse. Whatever sense the U.S.-Saudi relationship may have once made, it no longer does now that the Saudis are dedicated to fomenting rebellion in the region and devastating their neighbors with reckless military action. The U.S. should not be abetting them in their destructive policies, and that is what a close relationship with them now seems to require.
I should say a few things about Yemen here. Stephens repeatedly refers to the Houthis in Yemen as Iran’s “proxies,” which is a gross distortion of the situation and an echo of Saudi propaganda. Not only is this false, but it wouldn’t justify what the Saudis and their allies have been doing with U.S. help even if it were true. The administration does have itself to blame for the Saudi-led war on Yemen, because it has reliably supported it and refused to criticize it for the last ten months – by Daniel Larison
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-lousy-case-for-standing-by-the-saudis/
19.1.2016 – Al Araby (* B P)
Is the US liable for war crimes in Yemen?
Washington is condemning Moscow for harm caused to Syria's civilians, while itself being complicit in similar acts in Yemen. Washington's complicity comes from its military support, by way of intelligence provision and weapons transfers, which enables the kingdom to execute its campaign of air raids.
If an independent investigation were to find the Saudi coalition guilty of war crimes, the US would be responsible for supplying the arms to commit those war crimes. Washington officials can be in no doubt as to what the weapons are being used for, or at the very least, are not taking steps to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.
Washington's standpoint is that if the US isn't leading the fight, then they have no place to tell allies when and where to use cluster munitions. Using Saudi Arabia in this regard is beneficial to their war business, encouraging allies to fight doorstep battles while profiting from arms sales.
This is folly, and the Obama administration should be aware that its provision of arms in blatant disregard for non-combatant human life implicates them as an actual party to the conflict through military support.
The international regard for humanitarian law in recent years has been abysmal, and the number of civilian casualties and the subsequent refugee crisis has given evidence of this.
Careless regard for human life cannot be dismissed by proxy, and not only should arms trades be suspended but active diplomatic pressure needs to be exerted on Saudi Arabia and the US to halt activity that breaks international humanitarian law – by Sophia Akram
http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2016/1/19/is-the-us-liable-for-war-crimes-in-yemen
20.4.2015 – Politifact (B P)
Hillary Clinton took money from the kings of four countries, GOP chief Reince Priebus says
Großbritannien / Great Britain
20.1.2016 – New Statesman (** B P)
Britain doesn't just sell arms to dictatorships - it sells our silence, as well
Britain’s arms trade is undermining the humanitarian efforts of its Department of International Development.
The question is, to what extent are David Cameron and the Conservative government morally and legally complicit?
And while Saudi Arabia pulls the trigger, it is Britain which ever-faithfully reloads and replaces its weapons.
Since March 1 2015, we have granted over 100 requests for military equipment, suspending only a handful. In the first three months of the war alone, UK business made £1.7 billion in turnover by selling arms to the House of Saud - £400 million more than the total global aid given to Yemen since the start of the war.
Britain’s arms trade is undermining the humanitarian efforts of its Department of International Development (DFID), which gives £106m a year (2015/2016) in aid to Yemen.
Some argue that, when compared to the billions made from selling arms to the aggressors, our aid to the Yemini people is a drop in the bucket, no better than blood money.
I use the word “crime” advisedly. In a legal opinion commissioned by Amnesty UK, Professor Philippe Sands QC said that Britain is in breach of its own Export Control Act 2002, the EU Common Position and its international obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) for selling arms to a state at risk of violating international law or committing human rights abuses.
It is shocking that Britain cannot even adhere to its own arms export law - even though the consolidated rules to which the law refers were already weakened in March 2014. In a move criticized by a former Tory defence minister, the government watered down official advice to suspend arms exports at risk of being used for internal repression.
When the arms industry’s own workers lobby the state for a treaty which is then routinely broken by that state, the government cannot claim, as it does, that we must sell arms to war criminals because British jobs depend on it. British workers do not want the arms sold in their name if they are used to break humanitarian law. It is not workers but the government that is determined to sell arms come what may, fueling and legitimizing human rights abuses across the world in the process.
When Saudi Arabia, Israel, Bahrain or Egypt buy our arms, they also buy our silence on their human rights abuses.
We must have the moral courage to end this silence – by Diane Abbott
20.1.2016 – The Independent (*B K P)
British arms companies ramp up bomb sales to Saudi Arabia by 100 times despite air strikes on civilians
ritish arms companies have cashed-in on Saudi Arabia’s military campaign in Yemen by ramping up arms sales to the country’s autocratic government by over a hundred times, new figures show.
Sales of British bombs and missiles to the Saudi Arabia surged to over £1bn just three months last year, according to an official record of arms export licences quietly released by the Government this week.
The sales, up from just £9m in the preceding three-month period, have occurred while the oil-rich autocracy conducts a military campaign in its neighbour’s territory, where the United Nations has said a “humanitarian catastrophe” is unfolding.
The exact figure for British arms export licences from July to September 2015 was £1,066,216,510 in so-called “ML4” export licences, which relate to bombs, missiles, rockets, and components of those items.
The arms are exported with the consent of ministers, who must sign off all licences for weapons.
The exact figure for British arms export licences from July to September 2015 was £1,066,216,510 in so-called “ML4” export licences, which relate to bombs, missiles, rockets, and components of those items.
The arms are exported with the consent of ministers, who must sign off all licences for weapons.
In November foreign secretary Phillip Hammond said he wanted to sell even more munitions to Saudi Arabia.
“We’d always like to do more business, more British exports, more British jobs and in this case very high end engineering jobs protected and created by our diplomacy abroad,” he told the BBC’s Newsnight programme when asked about the issue.”
He admitted that the weapons were being used in Yemen but said that Saudis “deny there have been any breaches of international humanitarian law”. – by Jon Stone
Comment: This article is a detailed roundup of this matter, which already has been treated in many articles presented here. It is scandalous, Britain vlearly playing an important part in killing and destroying another country.See also at http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160120/1033438106/uk-saudi-arms-yemen.html
Comment by Judith Brown: How can this be? Early in the war when Philip Hammond was interviewed about the loss of life due to sales of British weapons and munitions he said words to the effect, well this is war and that's what bombs are designed to do.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154046464753641
20.1.2016 – The National Scot (* A P)
‘Britain taken to Yemen war without approval’ - David Cameron challenged during Prime Minister's Questions
AVID Cameron was challenged yesterday to admit that Britain is “effectively taking part in a war in Yemen” without any parliamentary approval.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, SNP Westminster group leader Angus Robertson asked what the UK Government was doing “to support peace in Yemen”. Cameron replied to say the Government was doing everything it could to encourage all sides in the conflict to get round the negotiating table.
“We have got to make sure that both Sunni and Shi’a are properly represented in that country,” Cameron said.“ That is the only way that we will meet our key national interest, which is to back a government in Yemen who will drive the terrorists, including al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula out of Yemen, because they have been, and are, a direct threat to the citizens of Britain.”
Robertson then said that “thousands of civilians” in Yemen had died, and some of those had been been killed by the Saudi air force, “who have done that using British-built planes with pilots who are trained by British instructors, and who are dropping British-made bombs and are co-ordinated by the Saudis in the presence of British military advisers”.
“Is it not time for the prime minister to admit that Britain is effectively taking part in a war in Yemen that is costing thousands of civilian lives, and that he has not sought parliamentary approval to do that?” Robertson asked.
The Prime Minister said the SNP leader had “started in a serious place but then seriously wandered off”.
“Just to be absolutely clear about our role, we are not a member of a Saudi-led coalition. British military personnel are not directly involved in the Saudi-led coalition’s operations. Personnel are not involved in carrying out strikes, directing or conducting operations in Yemen, or selecting targets and we are not involved in the Saudi targeting decision-making process.
“But do we provide training and advice and help in order to make sure that countries actually obey the norms of humanitarian law? Yes, we do.”
Comment: The hypocrisy of this Prime Minister is even getting boring – that it is, but I do not want to say that because as long as it provides killing and destruction you never will be able to call it “boring”.
20.1.2016 – The Independent (* A P)
David Cameron accused of silently taking Britain into Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen
Angus Robertson, the Scottish National Party’s leader at Westminster, said the Prime Minister should admit to British involvement in Saudi Arabia’s invasion of Yemen – where the UK is providing arms, training and advice.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/david-cameron-accused-of-silently-taking-britain-into-saudi-arabia-s-brutal-war-in-yemen-a6822811.html see on TV https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/689785301817016320 On the same subject also https://leftfootforward.org/2016/01/yemen-should-be-the-final-straw-for-opponents-of-uk-saudi-ties/ there a remark on the hypocrisy of Cameeron and Cronies:
It is worth pointing out that David Cameron and the right wing press make much of Jeremy Corbyn’s association with the likes of Hamas, yet turn a blind eye to the Conservatives’ friendship with – and actual, measurable support of – a regime which is at least as bad, and far, far more powerful. (In October theTelegraph published a front-page article by the Saudi ambassador accusing Corbyn of a ‘lack of respect’ for urging the UK to drop its prison deal with the kingdom.)
20.1.2016 – The Guardian (* B P)
Human rights groups condemn steep rise in UK arms sales to Saudis
More than £1bn worth of bombs, missiles and rockets sold in three-month period that saw surge in airstrikes on Yemen
The extraordinary increase in sales, which coincided with a surge of airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition on Houthi rebels in Yemen, was condemned by Saferworld, which campaigns against arms sales to repressive regimes.
“All of these are for air force end use, with the components for air-to-surface rockets for training purposes,” a Saferworld spokesperson said.
“The day after the prime minister [David Cameron] claimed to be ‘trying to encourage a political process in Yemen’ and declared ‘there is no military solution in Yemen’, official figures reveal that in just the three months July to September, the government approved the sale of over £1bn worth of bombs for the use of the Royal Saudi Air Force.
“This is the same air force that has bombed hospitals, schools, markets, grain warehouses, ports and a displaced persons camp and helped to turn Yemen into a living nightmare. That’s a 100-fold increase over the previous three months.” – by Owen Bowcott
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/19/human-rights-groups-condemn-steep-rise-in-uk-arms-sales-to-saudis and similar at http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/uk-saudi-arabia-ties-britain-sold-1bn-worth-arms-riyadh-yemen-conflict-spiked-1538900
19.1.2016 – The Guardian (B P)
UK arms sold to Saudi Arabia may breach international law in Yemen, Labour says
Hilary Benn calls for revival of Commons committee on arms controls to examine licences for weapons used by Riyadh
EU
20.1.2016 – Europaparlament (A P)
Video: Humanitäre Lage in Jemen (Aussprache)
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/de/plenary/video?debate=1453302168441
20.1.2016 – European External Action Service (EEAS) (A P)
Humanitarian situation in Saudi Arabia - Closing Statement by Federica Mogherini at EP Plenary session
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGOQL1wmgA0
20.1.2016 – Marietje Schaake (* A P)
Plenary speech on the humanitarian situation in Yemen
Madam President, the people in Yemen are slowly dying of hunger and disease and they are wiped out by bombings by the coalition that is ‘Saudi-led’, but it is followed by the US and the UK. Prime Minister Cameron this week said: ‘We are trying to do everything we can to make sure that the work done by Saudi Arabia is properly targeted’. Well, obviously this is not working. It is a disgrace that your proposals – and by this I mean those of the Dutch Government, to have an inquiry into the war crimes perpetrated in Yemen through the UN – were actively boycotted by Saudi Arabia, and also that France and the UK did not support the Netherlands. The EU, if it wants to be strong, needs a common position.
In the Committee on Foreign Affairs you spoke of exporting stability which I believe is a noble goal, but it should start by the EU seeking to end the export of weapons to Saudi Arabia. I would like to ask you whether you are willing to work towards an embargo in the Council, at least of bombs, fighter jets and combat helicopters, and whether you are willing to pressure anyone who may be using cluster bombs, which are disproportionate and are allegedly used in Yemen.
I want to ask whether you agree that the violence in Yemen underlines the need for the EU to review its relationship with Saudi Arabia and actually make it more even-handed with the relationship we have with the Islamic Republic of Iran. After the nuclear deal, there is room to engage that country also with regard to ending the violence in Yemen. Iran, like Saudi Arabia, must be pushed to be a part of the solution and end the violence in the Middle East.
Lastly, the blockades of sea, land and air have hampered humanitarian aid delivery which is so desperately needed and this hampering kills people, according to Doctors Without Borders, who also claim that people have stopped coming to hospitals because they believe these have been targeted in a worrying pattern.
And question by Charles Tannock (ECR) blue-card question – You specifically mentioned the United Kingdom, as I gather, trying to veto or prevent an investigation proposed by Holland into war crimes in the Yemen. Do you have any direct evidence to suggest that Saudi Arabia has deliberately targeted hospitals or schools? There are reports, but if your government has got such evidence, why does it not go public about it? Because clearly that is a very serious accusation, and I would be ashamed to think that the United Kingdom would try and protect such a thing.
http://www.marietjeschaake.eu/2016/01/plenary-speech-on-the-humanitarian-situation-in-yemen/
Comment: Worlds I think which are seldom to be heard in the European parliament. Absurd the question by Tannock: Cameron and his conservatives also in the European parliament play the crazy came of just doing so whether there would not be an evidence of all these Saudi war crimes: “Yes, we would care, if we had, please give us, etc.” Well, there is plenty of evidence, they just look into the other direction not to see it, ask this question again and again and in the meantime deliver more arms to Saudi Arabia. This game they already are playing for a long time. Thus, they more and more are resembling those who claim that earth is flat. They claim and claim, but earth will not flatten by that anyway.
China
20.1.2016 – Reuters (A P)
China offers support for Yemen government as Xi visits Saudi Arabia
China has signaled its support for Yemen's government, which is fighting an Iran-allied militia, on the first day of a visit to Saudi Arabia by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will also be heading to Tehran later in the week.
Saudi Arabia and China said in a statement on Wednesday that the two countries affirmed their support for the unity, independence and sovereignty of Yemen. The statement was released by China's Foreign Ministry after Xi met Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh on Tuesday.
All social, religious and political groups in Yemen should maintain their national solidarity and avoid any decisions that may cause social disruption and chaos, it said.
"Both sides stressed support for the legitimate regime of Yemen," the statement said.
Saudi Arabia and China said in a statement on Wednesday that the two countries affirmed their support for the unity, independence and sovereignty of Yemen. The statement was released by China's Foreign Ministry after Xi met Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh on Tuesday.
All social, religious and political groups in Yemen should maintain their national solidarity and avoid any decisions that may cause social disruption and chaos, it said.
"Both sides stressed support for the legitimate regime of Yemen," the statement said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-china-yemen-idUSKCN0UY0C1
Comment: Also Chinese can make speech bubbles. If China who is new appearing on stage sides with one side in this conflict, it at once can forget any role as an intermediary in this conflict.
20.1.2016 – Breitbart (A P)
In Saudi Arabia, Chinese President Supports Yemen Government Against Houthis
The Chinese government issued a joint statement with officials of Saudi Arabia in support of the Sunni government of Yemen under President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, days before President Xi Jinping is set to visit Iran, the main international support of the Shiite Houthi rebels.
“Both sides stressed support for the legitimate regime of Yemen,” the statement, released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, read, detailing the meeting between Xi and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh Tuesday.
China’s remarks on the Yemen civil war may potentially tip a scale Beijing has been delicately trying to balance for years as it attempts to maintain friendly relations with both Iran and Saudi Arabia. Asked about the remarks on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei emphasized China’s will to see peace in the region, so as to foster more reliable economic ties.
Analysts for The Diplomat suggest that China may have expressed support for the Yemeni government over the Houthis both to ingratiate itself with Saudi Arabia and to remain consistent in supporting “stable” regimes over rebellion, having to quell its share of separatism in western Xinjiang province, Taiwan, and Hong Kong itself. “Defaulting to support for an existing government against a rebellion is simply China’s modus operandi, based on its strong preference for stability as well as its own fear of domestic opposition,”The Diplomat notes; “Second, and most crucially, China did not express support for Saudi Arabia’s use of force against the rebels; in fact, the joint statement went on to say that all sides in Yemen should avoid making decisions that increase chaos and further fracture the state.”
It also adds to China’s attempts to court growing credibility as a player in Middle Eastern violent struggles.
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/01/20/china-offers-support-to-yemen/ and read the linked “The Siplomat” also at: http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/the-elephant-in-the-room-during-xis-trip-to-saudi-arabia-iran/
Comment: Now this is a new position - although China voted for UNSC resolution 2216 but it has been a behind the scenes influence on Pakistan giving it money to not join the war in Yemen. There were reports of Saudi phone calls to China recently and now this visit - it seems as if China is now one of the WW3 members attacking Yemen. Watch this space - it might just be rhetoric or it might want to be part of the sales machine selling nasty weapons and munitions. Now we await the Iran visit with renewed interest.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1089626321189858
Söldner / Mercenaries
21.1.2016 – Khaama Press (A P)
Afghan youths recruited for Yemen war from Saudi Arabia
Distressing reports have emerged regarding the recruitment of Afghan youths from Saudi Arabia to fight in the ongoing war in Yemen.
The Afghan youths are mainly recruited to fight against the Houthi rebels amid ongoing campaign by Saudi-led coalition, according to BBC Persian findings.
The revelation was made after conducting interviews with the family members of the Afghan youths who have gone missing after visiting Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage.
Their family members however have said it is yet not clear who are deploying the youths to Yemen.
A man whose relative has been deployed to Yemen two months ago told BBC Persian that six to seven members of his family have left for Yemen after visiting Saudi Arabia for Umra Hajj pilgrimage.
The man identified as Ahmadeen further added that 40 to 45 people from the close villages and the youths are mainly participating in the war in Yemen to defend from Mecca holy city.
This comes as reports emerged late in the month of August last year suggesting at least 3,500 Afghans are fighting in Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad.
http://www.khaama.com/afghan-youths-recruited-for-yemen-war-from-saudi-arabia-0027
Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
21.1.2016 – Der Standard (** B K P)
Bulgarische Nahrung für den Krieg in Syrien
Saudi-Arabien, dDie Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate und die USA haben Millionen Dollar in die bulgarische Waffenproduktion investiert. Das Ziel der Transaktionen: Der Krieg in Syrien sollte Munition bekommen
Laut dem jährlichen bulgarischen Rüstungsexportbericht (siehe Grafik), der im August 2015 – unter weitgehender Nichtbeachtung der Medien – veröffentlicht wurde, hat die Regierung 2014 den Verkauf von Waffen und militärischer Ausrüstung im Wert von über 85 Millionen Euro an Saudi-Arabien bewilligt. Von der bulgarischen Regierung erfuhr BIRN, das am Balkan tätige Investigative Reporting Network, dass in diesem Jahr auch der Verkauf von Waffen an die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE) genehmigt wurde. Bulgarien produziert und lagert in erster Linie Waffen sowjetischer Bauart. Laut Analysten ist es unwahrscheinlich, dass Saudi-Arabien oder die VAE diese für ihre eigenen Streitkräfte erwerben, da sie selbst moderne westliche Waffen verwenden. Es sei deshalb, so die Experten, wesentlich plausibler, dass sie das Kriegsmaterial für lokale Truppen, die sie in Syrien und im Jemen unterstützen, gekauft hätten, wo Waffen sowjetischer Bauart weitverbreitet sind.
Ein ehemaliger bulgarischer Militäroffizier mit guten Verbindungen erzählte, dass die saudischen Anschaffungen in den von den Planespottern gesichteten Flugzeugen transportiert worden und für syrische Oppositionsgruppen bestimmt waren. 2014 kauften auch die USA im Rahmen eines mittlerweile eingestellten 500-Millionen-Dollar-Programms Waffen aus Bulgarien für die Ausbildung und Ausrüstung syrischer Oppositionsstreitkräfte. - derstandard.at/2000029328805/Bulgarische-Nahrung-fuer-den-Krieg-in-Syrien
Einige der nach Saudi-Arabien transportierten Waffen könnten auch im Jemen gelandet sein. Saudi-Arabien begann seine Militärintervention im Jemen Ende März, um die gegenüber dem im Exil lebenden Präsidenten Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi loyalen Truppen zu unterstützen. Im Gegensatz zu Saudi-Arabien hatten die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate bereits in jüngerer Vergangenheit Waffen von Bulgarien gekauft. Laut einer von WikiLeaks veröffentlichten diplomatischen Depesche der US-amerikanischen Botschaft in Sofia haben die Emirate 2010 den Kauf von zehntausenden Sturmgewehren, 100.000 hochexplosiven Ladungen, Panzerabwehrwaffen und Munition für die damalige Regierung im Jemen finanziert. In der Depesche hieß es außerdem, dass Bulgarien die US-Botschaft bei potenziell umstrittenen Waffengeschäften zurate ziehe. Die Botschaft verweigerte auf Anfrage des Recherchenetzwerks BIRN die Auskunft darüber, ob sie Kenntnis darüber habe, ob andere Länder bulgarische Waffen für den Einsatz in Syrien kauften – von Mariya Petkova
http://derstandard.at/2000029328805/Bulgarische-Nahrung-fuer-den-Krieg-in-Syrien
Flüchtlinge / Refugees
19.1.2016 – UNCHR (* B H)
UNHCR warns against perilous Horn of Africa sea crossings
Despite the ongoing conflict in Yemen, thousands of Ethiopians and Somalis are continuing to make a perilous sea crossing, which has already claimed at least three dozen lives this year, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has warned.
Latest data on sea arrivals shows that 92,446 people arrived in Yemen by boat in 2015, one of the highest annual totals recorded over the past decade. A full two thirds arrived since March 2015 when the conflict began.
With 95 deaths reported, 2015 is the second deadliest year recorded to date. In view of this, and the loss of 36 lives in an incident on 8 January this year, UNHCR is today reiterating its warning to people contemplating the crossing over the dangers of this journey.
"The overall figures are disturbing," UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told reporters at a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday (January 19). "People continue to arrive despite unprecedented escalated internal conflict in Yemen and tragically more people continue to lose their lives trying to cross the sea in overcrowded, unseaworthy boats," he added.
UNHCR began systematic recording of arrivals in Yemen in 2006. To date, only 2011 (103,154) and 2012 (107,532) have seen higher arrivals of Ethiopians and Somalis in Yemen than there were in 2015. Almost 90 per cent (82,268) of last year's arrivals were from Ethiopia.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unhcr-warns-against-perilous-horn-africa-sea-crossings see also shorter at http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/despite-civil-war-somali-and-ethiopian-refugees-flock-yemen-437262371
Terrorismus / Terrorism
21.1.2016 – South Front at Global research (A T)
Militarization in Yemen. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Mobilizes
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) mobilized tanks and other heavy weaponry from military bases in al Mukalla, Hadramawt, to other fronts in Yemen. It could indicate a possible launch of a renewed campaign in al Bayda or southern Yemen or of a new campaign contesting control in Wadi Hadramawt. The group moved resources northward along the road that runs east of al Mukalla through the Abdullah Gharib pass, which leads to a juncture at al Adwas, where there is also a military base. AQAP may either divert resources westward to Shabwah governorate or continue northward into Wadi Hadramawt.
Ansar al Sharia, AQAP’s insurgent arm, continues to support the Saudi-led coalition. The group have been credited for 11 attacks on the Houti alliance targets in al Bayda and Ibb governorates since January 7.
According to the reports, the Director of Logistics for the Yemeni Army has been assassinated in the Sana’a on Sunday. Colonel Mohammad Radwan was reported dead after unknown gunmen opened fire on his convoy inside the Yemeni capital of Sana’a.
21.1.2016 – Aljazeera (A T)
Al Jazeera team in Yemen missing in Taiz
Reporter Hamdi al-Bokari and his crew of two, last seen on Monday, are believed to have been kidnapped, network says.
Al Jazeera Media Network has called for the immediate release of an Al Jazeera Arabic news team who are believed to have been kidnapped in the city of Taiz in southern Yemen.
Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent, Hamdi Al-Bokari and his crew, Abdulaziz Al-Sabri and Moneer Al-Sabai, were last seen on Monday night.
Commenting on the feared abduction of the Al Jazeera three, Dr Mostefa Souag, acting Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network said: "We call on the immediate release of our colleagues Hamdi Al-Bokari, Abdulaziz Al-Sabri and Moneer Al-Sabai.
"They were covering events in the besieged city of Taiz reporting on the human cost to the conflict. Our colleagues were simply doing their job of reporting the story and informing the world on what is taking place in Yemen.
"Al Jazeera holds their abductors responsible for their safety and security," Souag added.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/al-jazeera-journalist-missing-yemen-taiz-160121121029490.html
20.1.2016 –Aranews (A T)
Top ISIS leaders leave Iraq’s Nineveh, heading to Yemen and Libya
Amid intensifying airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition on the positions of jihadis in Iraq’s northwestern province of Nineveh, radical group of the Islamic State (ISIS) has transferred a number of it top militant commanders to Libya and Yemen.
“More than 20 leading members of the group have headed to ISIS strongholds in Yemen and Libya,” said al-Zarari, quoting an ISIS official in Mosul city.
“The group is trying to avoid the loss of more prominent leaders in the raids of the western coalition,” the source reported.
http://aranews.net/2016/01/17757/
Propaganda
21.1.2016 – Ahram (A P)
INTERVIEW: Yemen stands at a 'crossroads'
Yemeni political analyst and journalist Abdel Aziz Al-Majidi argues from Taiz that a military solution is the best option for Yemen and for the region
Comment: A strange piece of repeating all known aspects of Hadi and Saudi propaganda. Claiming a military solution as being the best option for Yemen already tells a lot about this “analyst”.
20.1.2016 – WAM (A P)
Bahah: government stands for peace, Houthis spend $7 billion on wars
Vice President and Prime Minister Khalid Bahah said on Tuesday the government is doing its best to restore stability and establish permanent peace in Yemen.
The government always stands for peace and is keen on making all peace efforts a success, he said.
"I say to the coup planners: read the history well to know what the fate of those who stand against their people was," he said at a press conference in Abu Dhabi.
Among his remarks, Bahah said the Houthi group and former president have tampered with the financial system of Yemen since they seized power and the capital Sanaa in late 2014.
"The Houthis and former president have spent around $7 billion from the public funds for their absurd wars against the civilians," he said.
"The government is facing extraneous terrorism in various forms in the provinces retaken from the Houthis," he said, pointing out that militant groups have been standing as roadblocks to rebuilding these provinces.
With support from the Saudi-led coalition, the government forces have retaken most of the southern regions.
The Arab coalition launched a bombing campaign in late March in order to restore the legitimacy of the Yemeni government.
http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=8377&MainCat=3 see also at http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/1/20/houthi-rebels-steal-3-billion-from-yemens-central-bank
Comment: This really is a quite foolish propaganda. Why his government should stand for peace, as he claims, looking at the Saudi aerial war, who shall understand this? On which market the Houthis shall have bought weapons for 7 billions $? This is a funny allegation, looking at Saudi Arabia being the world’s largest importer of weapons. The Houthis tampered the financial system? They certainly do not have any ideas on a financial system – anyway, war is the best way to tamper any country’s financial system, and who is fueling this war in Yemen? Terrorism in the provinces retaken from the Houthis? Well, by this Bahah even blames the Houthis for the success of jihadists, even if the Houthis always were those who fought the jihadists most. Remember, Hadramaut where the Houthis never had been is the greatest stronghold of Al Qaida in Yemen. And, Al Qaida fighters were the Saudis’ good allies in fighting the Houthis – now, the Houthis ousted from the South, these Al Qaida fightres just do their own business and do not dance to the tune of Hadi, Bahah and Co., so what? He cannot blame the Houthis for this. And, last sentence: “a bombing campaign in order to restore the legitimacy”. Be honest, that is a contradiction in itself.
To this speech also refer the two following articles:
19.1.2016 – The National UAE (A P)
Houthi rebels take $3bn from Yemen central bank
Houthi rebels and forces loyal to deposed former president Ali Saleh removed nearly US$3 billion, more than Dh11bn, from Yemen’s central bank last year, the country’s prime minister said on Tuesday.
Rebel interference with Yemen’s financial system had reduced its foreign currency reserves from $5.2bn to $2.3bn, Khaled Bahah said. Nevertheless, the legitimate government has set aside US$93 million to rebuild infrastructure devastated by the Houthi rebellion.
After “achieving many victories in the past year, the government will focus on the economic side, by returning the main services such as health, education, water and electricity, roads and others”, Mr Bahah said.
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/houthi-rebels-take-3bn-from-yemen-central-bank
Comment: The story of the Houthis taking money from the National Bank’s foreign currency would be interesting to get more information on. Anyway, what the Houthis could have bought from this money when there is a blockade of the country? Bahah further on is speaking of funds his government has reserved: “to rebuild infrastructure devastated by the Houthi rebellion”. Really, if so, the country will stay in ruins; much more has been ruined by Saudi air raids, and Bahah does not think to rebuild that? And more: His government will focus on “returning the main services such as health, education, water and electricity”. Well, why do you speak of “returning” when your government is allied to forces which are eager to destroy exactly all that on a great scale??
20.1.2016 – The Gulf Time (A P)
Yemen ‘marshal plan’ heralds new beginning
Yemen’s Vice-President and Prime Minister’s call for chalking out a marshal plan and roadmap for the future of Yemen, heralds a new beginning for Yemen, as war is approaching its final phase.
According to Khalid Bahah, the new vision will be drawn by the people of Yemen, with participation from the GCC states and the Arab League.
“Great efforts are needed to integrate and rehabilitate the country, and we all in Yemen and in neighbouring nations should work out a joint vision,” Bahah told a press conference in Abu Dhabi.
He rightfully put it when he said Yemen has to be rehabilitated first before it gets integrated into the GCC.
Highlighting the huge damage inflicted by the rebels, Bahah said the Yemen’s per capita income fell to $500 from $900, whereas the average per capita income in the region is $5,000.
The active role of the Arab coalition, led by Saudi Arabia to back Yemen’s legitimate government is decisive as it stopped Iran from devouring the country. Therefore, the GCC states should continue efforts to see the impoverish state stands on its feet in terms of security, stability and economy.
This was recongised by Bahah when he noted, “Yemen passes through a critical moment and should not be left alone to face the challenge posed by the Houthi militias and the ousted president Ali Saleh’s group, who kill civilians with impunity, murder Yemeni officials and carry out subversive activities, with the aim to destroy the state’s infrastructure.”
He strongly believes the GCC states have what it takes to
restore the security and stability and build Yemen’s economy.
http://gulftimes.ae/yemen-marshal-plan-heralds-new-beginning/
Comment: This part of his speech given here also is rather funny. Well, the per capita income dropped – by the “huge damage inflicted by the rebels”. Well, most of the country’s economy was ravaged by the Saudi aerial war, precisely targeting all economic structures from farms to factories to roads and bridges to gas stations and and and. Off course, playing the Iran propaganda card should not miss and does not. Thus, who seeks to” destroy the state’s infrastructure”? Who does his very best to “kill civilians with impunity”? It is always the same with this insane propaganda.
Saudischer Luftkrieg / Saudi aerial war
21.1.2016 – Ärzte ohne Grenzen (* A K)
Jemen: Mindestens zehn Kinder und eine Lehrkraft auf dem Schulweg getötet
Bei einem Angriff in der jemenitischen Stadt Taiz wurden am Dienstag, 19. Januar 2016, mindestens zehn Kinder und eine Lehrkraft getötet und drei weitere Kinder verletzt. Die Schulgruppe war offenbar auf dem Nachhauseweg, als sie von einem Luftschlag getroffen wurde. Das Team von Ärzte ohne Grenzen in Taiz behandelte zwei der verletzten Kinder. Lesen Sie hier den Augenzeugenbericht von Michele Trainiti, unserem Projektkoordinator in Taiz:
“Wir erreichten am Dienstag die Gegend Al Hurair im Viertel Al Houban in Taiz, nachdem wir von einer Kontaktperson einen Anruf erhalten hatten. Man sagte uns, bei einem Luftschlag seien Kinder und eine Lehrkraft getroffen worden und bat uns um Hilfe bei der Versorgung der Verwundeten.
Wir eilten zum Unglücksort nahe der Frontlinie, um den Verletzten zu helfen. Die Mütter zweier verwundeter Mädchen und weitere Augenzeugen berichteten, dass bei einem Luftangriff, der vermutlich einem Panzer in Al Houban gegolten habe, zehn Kinder und eine Lehrkraft getötet und drei Menschen verletzt worden seien. Anscheinend waren die Kinder auf dem Weg von der Schule nach Hause als der Angriff begann.
Eine Mutter berichtet: ‘Die Kinder liefen auf dem Heimweg an einem Panzer vorbei. Dann hörten sie das heulende Geräusch einer Bombe. Es gab eine starke Explosion, und die Kinder wurden in die Luft geschleudert. Meine Tochter Aisha kann sich nicht erinnern, was danach geschah.’
In Al Hurair kommt es immer wieder zu schweren Gefechten. Als wir ankamen, sahen wir, dass das Gelände unbebaut ist. Da war nur der brennende Panzer und überall lagen verbrannte Schulhefte und Papierfetzen. Anwohner sagten uns, man habe die verwundeten Kinder zur Klinik in Al Rufai gebracht.
Ein weiteres trauriges Beispiel für das Leiden Unschuldiger in einem rücksichtslos geführten Krieg.“
21.1.2016 – Doctors Without Borders (* A K)
Yemen: At least 10 children killed and three wounded while walking back home from school in Taiz
“We arrived to Al Hurair area, in Al Houban quarter in Taiz town on Tuesday 19 January after receiving a call from a contact in the area, saying that an airstrike had affected children and a teacher and they need our support in treating the wounded people.”
“We rushed to the area, which was near the frontlines that surround Taiz city, to provide medical assistance to the wounded people. According to two mothers of the two wounded girls and some other bystanders, 10 children and one teacher died and three injured in the attack that was probably aimed at a military tank in Al Houban. Apparently the kids were walking back home from school when the airstrike took place.”
“One mother said, the children were coming back from school when they passed by a tank and they heard the whistle of a bomb coming. There was a big explosion and the kids were pushed up in the air. Aisha, my daughter can’t remember anything after that.”
“The area is a dangerous frontline with heavy and continuous clashes. When we arrived, we saw that it’s an empty land that has no constructions on it. We only saw a burning tank and few destroyed notebooks on the ground and papers everywhere. People in the area said the wounded children were transported to Al Rufai hospital.”
Another sad example of how civilians are caught in the middle of this ongoing indiscriminate war.
http://www.msf.org/article/yemen-least-10-children-killed-and-three-wounded-while-walking-back-home-school-taiz = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-least-10-children-killed-and-three-wounded-while-walking-back-home-school-taiz
21.1.2016 – Press TV Iran (B K PH)
US, Israeli, British warplanes pounding Yemen: Army official
Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom have been contributing to Saudi Arabia’s deadly war on Yemen by sending warplanes to bomb the impoverished nation, a Yemeni army official reveals.
Sharaf Luqman, a spokesman for the Yemeni army, said on Thursday that fighter jets belonging to the US, Britain and Israel have been directly bombing Yemen as Saudi pilots are unable to conduct sorties with modern warplanes over Yemen.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/01/21/446733/Yemen-US-Britain-Houthi-Daesh/ = http://en.abna24.com/service/middle-east-west-asia/archive/2016/01/21/731421/story.html
Comment: This is an Iranian news agency and this may well be propaganda - but there have been local reports of Israeli warships active in Bab Al Mandab in the past - and photographs from Yemen of US intelligence planes. So there may be a hint of truth in this report - but without collaborating evidence this needs to be taken with scepticism.
https://www.facebook.com/yemennewstodayenglish/posts/1089920301160460
21.1.2016 – Oil and Gas Year (A K)
Saudi-forces strike Yemeni oil facility
At least nine people were killed in a Saudi air strike on the Yemeni oil port Ras Isa on Thursday. The number of casualties is expected to rise.
The attacks targeted a specific facility located on the Red Sea that loaded refined products onto tanker trucks for domestic distribution, according to workers. Oil export facilities and a sugar refinery located close to the site remained undamaged.
The Ras Isa oil export terminal has been down since March of 2015. Shipments have halted since coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia entered a national conflict between Houthi rebels and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
http://www.theoilandgasyear.com/news/saudi-forces-strike-yemeni-oil-facility/ and see also http://www.konfrontasi.com/content/english/air-strikes-hit-yemeni-oil-storage-facilities
20.1.2016 – Alalam News (A K PH)
VIDEO: Saudi Fighter Jets Bombed Snack Factory in Yemen
An airstrike from the Saudi fighter jets in Yemen hit an athletics building and a factory that produced children's food stuffs in Sanaa.
http://en.alalam.ir/news/1781194
15.8.2009 – Almotar (C)
Yemen Defence refutes claims of Tehran radio on Saudi air force participation
An official source at the Yemeni Defence Ministry on Saturday refuted news reported by Tehran radio station over direct Saudi participation in the Yemeni military forces' air strikes launched against rebels in Saada to end destruction acts and attacks against citizens. The source said that this news is totally incorrect and baseless as a whole, affirming that Yemeni military forces are independent and competent to perform their responsibly and tasks and confront any attempt targeting security and stability of the country. The source expressed dissatisfaction with the Iranian media means publication of such false news which is no more than mere attempts to distract public attention from crimes and terror acts committed by Houthi rebels against citizens and public institutions.
http://almotamar.net/en/6563.htm
Comment: Already six years ago? At that time, Saleh still was president of Yemen.
Kriegsereignisse / Theater of war
20.1.2016 – Noto Wahabism (A K)
Saudi coalition abandoned Marib base & Safir airstrip after being targeted by Yemen ballistic missile (sat. Pics)
https://www.facebook.com/NotoWahabism/posts/824921407636443
20.1.2016 – Middle East Press (A K)
Spy Drone Shot Down In Yemen
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been brought down by Yemeni forces on Wednesday in country’s capital, Sana’a, Lebanon’s al-Manar television cited Yemeni sources.
http://middleeastpress.com/english/spy-drone-shot-down-in-yemen/
19.1.2016 – Sputnik News (K PH)
Ballistische Raketen verändern Kriegsverlauf in Jemen
Die von den jemenitischen Streitkräften eingesetzten ballistischen Raketen gegen die Ziele der arabischen Koalition mit Saudi-Arabien an der Spitze haben den Verlauf des Krieges im Jemen verändert, wie der Sprecher der jemenitischen Armee, Brigadegeneral Sharaf Luqman, gegenüber RIA Novosti sagte.
„Wir verwenden Raketenkomplexe ‚Totschka‘ aus sowjetischer Produktion mit hoher Präzision sowie modernisierte‚Scud‘-Systeme. Die Raketen haben in Saudi-Arabien ein tolles Ergebnis gezeigt“, so Luqman.
http://de.sputniknews.com/militar/20160119/307213203/jemen-koalition-saudi-arabien-raketen.html
Kommentar: Jemenitische Armee hier: Der mit den Huthis verbündete Teil. Von einem „tollen Ergebnis“ bei den Zerstörungen durch Artillerie zu reden sollte man sich doch besser verkneifen.
Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 1-88: / Yemen Press reader 1-88:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
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