... Wie jemenitische Eltern versuchen, ihre Kinder in der Schule zu halten – Sokotra, die unbekannte Insel (Film) – und mehr
March 10, 2022: Saudi air raids against Yemen, February 2022 – Houthis undermining womens’ rights – Houthis reaping public revenues – Barriers to southern Yemeni political aspirations – How Yemeni parents try to keep their kids in school – Socotra, the unknown island (film, in German) – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-793b-yemen-war-mosaic-793b
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Söldner / Mercenaries
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13d Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
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
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
(* B H K P)
Jemen: Krieg und kein Ende in Aussicht
Immer heftigere Gefechte, Bombenangriffe und eine der schwersten humanitären Katastrophen der Welt: Und doch findet der Jemenkrieg in der westlichen Öffentlichkeit kaum Beachtung. Wer kämpft hier gegen wen und wieso?
Wird der Krieg auf dem Schlachtfeld entschieden?
Die größten Verlierer: Die Zivilbevölkerung
Welche Auswege könnte es geben?
https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/jemen-krieg-huthi-katastrophe-100.html
(B H)
Photos: Over 2 million children are internally displaced, many suffer from multiple displacements along active conflict lines, placing their lives and wellbeing at risk.
https://twitter.com/UNICEF_Yemen/status/1501543333897785355
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K)
YEMEN DATA PROJECT AIR RAIDS SUMMARY MARCH 2022
Saudi Air War: Yemen Under Longest Period of Heavy Bombing in Four Years
Air raids continue at high rate with civilian casualties almost three times above 2020/2021 average
The Saudi coalition carried out at least 200 air raids and up to 716 individual airstrikes in Yemen in February, continuing the high rate of bombing seen since the end of October 2021 and representing the longest period of heavy bombing since 2018.
Civilian casualties in February were down significantly to 15 from the notable high of 426 in January. Despite the reduction, 15 civilian casualties is still almost three times above the monthly average (of 5.6) seen in the 12 months before the dissolution of UN Human Rights Council monitoring at the end of October last year. Since the end of the mandate of the UN's GEE war crimes investigations, Yemen Data Project has recorded at least 200 air raids every month, including the 401 high in January. The last four months has been the most sustained period of heavy bombing (at least 200 air raids per month) since the third quarter of 2018, indicating a new trend of consistent, higher rates of air raids being carried out by the Saudi coalition.
Bombings Focus on Hajja
The geographical focus of Saudi-led bombings in February saw a switch to Hajja governorate. Hajja witnessed the highest monthly rate (51) of air raids in the governorate since March 2018. All 15 civilian casualties in the month occurred in two air raids. At least two civilians were killed - one woman and one child - when a civilian house was bombed on 20 February in Abs district of Hajja, a further 10 civilians were injured including two women and two children. On 14 February the Saudi-led coalition bombed a water drill in Al-Matmmah district of Al-Jawf, killing and injuring at least three civilians.
Air raid rates in the capital remained relatively high. Bombing rates in the city had not exceed 15 in a single month from December 2017 until November 2021. In February, YDP recorded 20 bombings in the capital governorate of Amanat Al-Asimah, marking the first time since 2016 that Sana'a city has seen three consecutive months with high (at least 20 air raids per month) levels of bombings.
Meanwhile, in Marib, air raid numbers reduced by more than 60% month-on-month to 52 from the January high of 145. Similarly, the governorates of Shabwa and Al-Bayda saw a notable drop off in numbers, reflecting the lack of military push-back by pro-Houthi ground forces to territorial losses in Shabwa in January. No air raids were recorded in Shabwa in February following the record high of 48 bombings in the governorate the previous month. In Al-Bayda, air raids reduced to 5 from the high of 34 in January.
In February, 11% of bombings hit civilian targets** and 18.5% hit military targets. In 70.5% of air raids in February the target could not be identified. Of the 59 air raids where the target could be identified, 63% were military, 37% of identifiable targets were civilian.
Of the 59 air raids where the target was identified in February 2022
9 hit residential areas, killing 2 civilians and injuring 10.
37 hit military targets.
5 hit communication sites.
5 hit farms.
1 hit transport infrastructure - Sana'a airport.
1 hit a private business - a water drill, killing 1 civilian and injuring 2.
1 hit a radio station in Sana'a.
Marib continues to be the most heavily bombed governorate countrywide, although air raid numbers reduced 64% month-on-month from 145 in January to 52 in February, the lowest monthly rate of bombings in the governorate since February last year. More than 51% of all air raids in the month hit the two governorates of Marib and Hajja.
Hajja saw the heaviest month of bombing in the governorate since March 2018. The border district of Harad was the most heavily bombed district countrywide in February with 30 air raids recorded. Although Marib and Hajja were the most heavily bombed governorates in the month, Khab Wa Al-Sha'af in Al-Jawf was the second most heavily bombed district countrywide in February with 20 air raids recorded. A quarter of all air raids countrywide in February hit the two districts of Harad in Hajja and Khab Wa Al-Sha'af in Al-Jawf.
https://mailchi.mp/d576c7c19a64/march2022-yemen-data-project-update-13473433
(** B H P)
Ansar Allah (Houthi) Group Practices Gravely Undermine Women’s Rights
The Iranian-backed Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis) has gravely undermined the rights of women and girls in areas under its control, Mwatana for Human Rights said. Ansar Allah (Houthis) should immediately end the targeting of women and particularly their presence in public space.
Ansar Allah has significantly harassed women traveling without a mahram, expelled and prevented women from work, imposed gender segregation in some universities, demanded women dress a certain way, and endangered women by preventing access to reproductive healthcare in some areas under its control. Ansar Allah has also fanned the flames of misogyny in areas under its control through different platforms.
Some Ansar Allah officials have sought to blame incidents targeting women or restricting women’s rights as the actions of individual members of the group. But, given the frequency with which Ansar Allah members have targeted and harassed women, the complete impunity for Ansar Allah members involved in doing so, the breadth of restrictions imposed on women, and that some of these restrictions are a result of official Ansar Allah policy, responsibility lies with the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group.
“Ansar Allah’s dangerous and disgraceful efforts to restrict women’s rights undermines the gains Yemeni women worked for decades to make, and undermines their presence in public space,” Radhya Al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, said. “Ansar Allah should stop this ideological targeting of women, Yemeni women don’t need guards of virtue; they need their rights respected, and accountability for all those who violate them.”
Women and their families face social stigma for openly discussing harassment and abuse that women face. Often, after abuse, women themselves are blamed. Mwatana has not included identifying details for any of those interviewed. This statement provides a snapshot of the ways in which Ansar Allah has undermined women’s rights in areas under its control. It does not provide an exhaustive accounting.
Ansar Allah harasses women traveling without a mahram
Yemeni law does not require that women travel with a mahram, but, for the past few years, Ansar Allah officials and Ansar Allah gunmen have frequently scrutinized and questioned women traveling alone. Ansar Allah members have told women they should only travel with a mahram (male relative), and demanded men traveling with women prove they are related to the woman, for example, by showing the couple’s marriage certificate, or identification cards, if the man and woman are otherwise related.
In 2021, Ansar Allah stepped up restrictions on women traveling.
Recently the most prominent incidents are taking place in Naqil Yaslah checkpoint about 40 kilometers south of Sana’a. stepping up restrictions on women traveling, confiscating their passports in some cases. Mwatana for Human Rights documented a number of these incidents.
At around 11:00 p.m. in November 2021, after a long journey form a southern governorate, four women reached the “Naqil Yslah” checkpoint. Ansar Allah group’s “Houthis” gunmen stopped the car until 5:00 a.m. They exposed the women to verbal harassment, accusations because they were traveling without a mahram. A woman of the four said:
“They referred to us as a “prostitution cell .” They were seven armed men who verbally harassed us, put us under terrible psychological pressure for six hours, took our passports, prevented us from getting out of the car, and searched our phones, computers and bags. Was moments of Hell.”
According to the women interviewed: “where is the mahram?” was among other questions addressed to them.
Ansar Allah only allowed them to leave after signing pledges that they would never travel without a mahram again. The women were threatened with imprisonment at the Security and Intelligence Bureau if they leave Sana’a again without a mahram.
Another documented incident was in the middle of the day in mid-January 2021. Ansar Allah gunmen stopped a 30-year-old woman for several hours at a checkpoint near Hajjah city, about 123 kilometers northwest of the capital, Sanaa. The Ansar Allah gunmen told the woman they stopped her because she was traveling without a mahram. They used offensive language and threatened her. She said:
The gunmen were looking at me as if they had caught me in an indecent act… I was insulted and verbally abused. The officer even asked if I was still a virgin?! He also threatened me with imprisonment and disciplining.
Ansar Allah only allowed her to leave after one of her relatives “maharam” came from another governorate and signed a pledge that his relative would never travel without a mahram again.
In a two-day period, Mwatana for Human Rights recorded 10 similar incidents in Hajjah governorate.
Ansar Allah members told some of the women that they stopped that they were implementing orders they had received from higher up in Ansar Allah that prohibited women from traveling without a mahram. Especially with the cars belong to organizations.
Another circular issued in September 2021, states: “It not allowed for a woman to use transportation means without a mahram. This order is applied in the city of Hajjah, those who violated them will be fined 200,000 riyals (approximately 330 US dollars) and a cow.”
Ansar Allah’s restrictions on women’s movement, and harassment of women when doing so, has affected women’s ability to move freely, to participate in public and private life, and to work—many of the cases Mwatana observed involved women traveling for work. Some women told Mwatana that they have limited their movement in order to avoid harassment.
Ansar Allah endangers women by preventing access to reproductive health care
Ansar Allah has prevented and impeded women’s access to reproductive health care in many areas under its control
In early 2017, Ansar Allah began impeding access to contraceptives in Saada governorate, in northern Yemen, and firmly under the group’s control, by banning contraceptive injections in some health facilities. In late 2019, Ansar Allah expanded the ban on contraceptive injections to other health facilities in the governorate. In early 2020, Ansar Allah suspended reproductive health activities in four districts in Saada, depriving residents of reproductive health services, including counseling on family planning methods. In mid-2020, Ansar Allah intensified restrictions on the sale and circulation of contraceptives and other methods used for family planning, including birth control pills and condoms, in all government health facilities, private clinics and pharmacies in Saada governorate. At the end of 2020, Ansar Allah banned IUDs (intrauterine devices) in Saada governorate. A man from Saada told Mwatana, “Obtaining contraceptives happens in secret and at great risk.”
In May 2020, the Ansar Allah-controlled ministry of public health and population in ‘Amran governorate issued a circular, of which Mwatana has a copy, to health centers in the governorate restricting women’s access to contraceptives. The circular, among other requirements, directed health centers to only provide women contraceptives in the presence and with the consent of their husbands. A 35-year-old cleaning woman said, “I had three miscarriages in the past six months because my husband refused to provide me with contraception.” The woman explained she had miscarriages a few weeks into each of her three pregnancies.
On January 24, 2021, the Ansar Allah-controlled ministry of public health and population in Hajjah governorate issued a decision on “family planning methods.” The decision required health centers and pharmacies in Hajjah governorate not to provide any method of family planning to women unless they had a prescription, the presence and consent of their husbands, and had shown the facility their marriage certificate. Ansar Allah said the decision was needed to preserve the “religious identity.” A 37-year-old homemaker in Hajjah governorate said,
I came to the health center to pick up my contraceptive pills. They refused to give them to me and asked me to bring my husband so he can give his approval. This is a significant burden.
In January 2021, Ansar Allah ordered health workers to stop using an illustrated guidebook that was used in counseling sessions to help explain various family planning methods. Ansar Allah said the guidebook “opposed the religious identity.”
Under international law, women’s right to health includes women’s sexual and reproductive health, including access, without discrimination, to reproductive health care services, goods and facilities. Preventing or restricting women’s access to reproductive health—including by subjecting women’s access to birth control to approval by husbands or male relatives—can have an enormous impact on women’s physical and psychological health, and her ability to pursue work, education and broader cultural and societal participation. Ensuring a woman’s right to health implies respecting her ability to make decisions about her own body.
Ansar Allah expels and prevents women from work
In a blatant violation of women’s rights to work, the Houthi armed group in September 2021 issued a circular banning woman from working in relief organizations in Hajjah governorate.
Mwatana verified that the circular is implemented in districts of Kahlan Afar, Bani Al-Awam, Shaghadra, and Najra district of Hajjah governorate. The circular claimed that the ban aims to protect women from “sexual extortion”. Mwatana did not know if Ansar Allah had charged anyone or any organization or taken any measures related to sexual extortion.
Earlier, On Saturday, January 23, 2021, at about 6:30 pm, seven Ansar Allah gunmen stormed a restaurant in Sana’a, searched it, and expelled all the women working there. A witness said, “The gunmen said that reports indicated that the women working in the restaurant were wearing make-up and talking to the men!”
After storming the restaurant, the Ansar Allah gunmen took the restaurant’s manager and some of the male staff to a police station, where the manager was forced to pledge in writing that the restaurant would “not employ women in any branch of the restaurant.” Thirty women lost their jobs.
While the restaurant began to re-employ some of the waitresses in women’s only sections after about two weeks, some of the women lost their jobs permanently, Before the Ansar Allah raid, the restaurant had imposed additional measures on female staff, like requiring all female staff, including a couple of non-Muslim female staff at the restaurant, to wear a hijab while at work.
Ansar Allah’s expulsion of working women from their jobs in Sana’a had a chilling effect, with some employers indicating they’d now prefer not to hire women to avoid similar problems. A couple of months later, Mwatana documented another incident in which Ansar Allah banned a number of women from having jobs in Al-Hodeida governorate.
Ansar Allah imposes gender segregation in educational facilities, cafes and restaurants
Ansar Allah has increasingly imposed gender segregation in universities, cafes, and restaurants, particularly in the capital, Sana’a.
Universities and educational facilities
On August 8, 2020, the president of Sanaa University, who was appointed by Ansar Allah, issued a decision requiring that male and female students be separated during graduation ceremonies and projects at the university.
On Wednesday, September 30, 2020, Ansar Allah officials raided a rehearsal for a graduation ceremony at a private Yemeni university. The armed Ansar Allah men forced the female students to leave, claiming they were preventing “mixing.” A 28-year-old woman said:
When I saw the military crews and vehicles in the university’s yard, I did not expect that the reason for their raid would be to prevent mixing. The gunmen shouted at the female students, “Cover up… and leave immediately.”
The university held the graduation the next day, and the women attended, but the university changed the graduation’s timing from the evening to the daytime, and those who attended reported feeling nervous afraid during what was meant to be a celebration.
On Thursday, December 31, 2020, before the start of the graduation ceremony for students of the Faculty of Commerce at Sana’a University, armed Ansar Allah men entered the hall and stopped the celebration, again claiming they were doing this to prevent “mixing” of men and women. In addition to expelling the audience, the Ansar Allah men arrested some of the students who had objected to Ansar Allah’s stopping of the event.
Ansar Allah has also imposed or promoted gender segregation in other education facilities. In October 2020, Ansar Allah expelled three eighth grade girls that were studying in a private school in Amran governorate because they studied in the same classroom as boy students. The girls had to leave and attend a school farther away from their homes.
In January 2021, one of the oldest private English language teaching centers in Sanaa, began formal procedures to separate men and women in their classrooms. A 44-year-old teacher said, “This decision may lead to a decline in girls’ education indicators in the long run.” The teacher explained that the center might wait to start courses, or stop courses, if the required number of men and women did not enroll for each of the newly gender-segregated classes.
Ansar Allah has also tried to impose its view of how women should dress. In late 2020, Ansar Allah forced a number of public and private universities—including the Lebanese International University and the German University—to post circulars and posters with rules for how female students should dress.
Cafes, restaurants, and public places
Sana’a’s Old City is home to many popular places to visit, to drink tea or coffee, or to sit with friends and family members, for example near Al-Sa’ila or in the ancient cafés “Samsara”. These places have traditionally been frequented by men and women. Ansar Allah has issued directives forbidding women from many of these public places.
Some café and restaurant owners in Sana’a have also begun to enforce gender segregation, or to prevent the entry of men in some cases, to avoid Ansar Allah closing their businesses, or imposing fines. A number of halls and cafes have also stopped hosting cultural events, which were attended by men and women in past years.
Ansar Allah fans the flames of misogyny
Ansar Allah has adopted a militant view of women and women’s place, and fanned the flames of misogyny.
In areas controlled by Ansar Allah, a number of Friday sermons and post-prayer sermons in mosques have been filled with misogynistic speeches about women, including stereotyping women’s roles, like claiming women should be relegated to housework and childbearing, describing women as incomplete entities or humans, and objects that bring or carry evil and shame, and saying women’s rights are “evil” and “delay victory.”
More recently, there has been considerable preaching in mosques claiming family planning methods are used to implement “Western and hostile ideology”, that family planning must be confronted and prevented, and that family planning violates Islamic law.
Ansar Allah leaders have repeatedly sought to justify imposing restrictions on women’s rights as necessary to “preserve the religious identity.”
At various points, Ansar Allah members have even confiscated mannequins displaying women’s clothing in storefronts and windows, claiming they caused desire and contradicted the religious identity. For example, in 2018, Ansar Allah members covered the faces and bodies of women on billboards and the heads of mannequins on a street that sells wedding dresses. In 2021, Ansar Allah gunmen stormed shops and sidewalk salesmen on a street in Sana’a, confiscating dozens of mannequins.
After the COVID-19 pandemic began, Ansar Allah ordered beauty salons for women to close, but allowed barbershops for men to stay open.
Further restriction of women’s personal freedoms in Hajjah governorate in a circular, of which Mwatana has a copy. issued on September 21, 2021, includes orders to “prevent songs and night parties during women wedding ceremonies and specify a time for the wedding parties.” Additionally, songs, acoustics systems, and celebrations after sunset are prohibited whether the party is at home or at a wedding hall. Mwatana documented at least one incident in which two popular women singers were detained because they were performing at a wedding ceremony in Hajjah.
Ansar Allah said the circular was needed to “prevent intellectual invasion and, and not to allow the West to corrupt the morals of youth, especially females,”. It states: “Not allowing girls and women to have smart mobile phones, claiming that they “allow girls to browse immoral websites and corrupt their ethics. Moreover, any man whose wife, daughter, sister, or relative has a mobile phone, will be fined 200,000 Yemeni riyals, and a cow. “Mwatana verified that this circular is applied in the district of Kahlan Afar, Shaghadra, and some of the villages of Hjjah Almadina, such as Sharqi Abs, Bait Al-Hosn, Al-Marwa and Al-Rat`ah.
Also, the circular includes “preventing girls and women from wearing makeup for weddings and parties, banning the wearing of short outfits, tight Abaya, or short head coverings. Mwatana has verified that these orders are imposed in the city of Hajjah. Ansar Allah “Houthis” has recruited women employees in wedding halls, to check if the women are wearing make-up. They wipe the cosmetics off those who wear make-up and ask them to leave. Only women who wear Abayas and wear no make-up are allowed to participate in the party.
In light of practices that crudely perpetuate patriarchy and restrict women’s personal freedoms, Yemeni women are trapped in a long dark tunnel with a distorted understanding of its current and future consequences.
https://mwatana.org/en/undermine-women/
(** B E P)
A multi-armed economy: How Houthis reap massive public revenues without providing services
Following the relocation of CBY headquarters to Aden, the Houthis stopped paying the salaries of civil servants.
The internationally recognized government stated that it would take responsibility for the payment of government salaries if all of the governorates in the country agreed to deposit their revenues in the CBY’s Aden branch. The Houthi de facto government in Sana’a rejected this offer and began to form its own independent economy based on the public revenues in its areas of control.
Since then, about 1 million employees, including 135,000 teachers, in Houthi-controlled areas have received a partial month’s salary a few times per year, if at all.
Based on interviews with multiple government officials and economists familiar with this file, in addition to relevant local and international documents and investigations, Almasdar Online examined the development of the Houthi-run economy. The report highlights the revenue-generating bodies, whether official economic institutions that existed before the war, or newly-established ones, that the Houthis have used to accumulate massive sums of money in unfair and illegal ways.
Based on these findings, the report estimates the financial returns that the Houthi group has achieved while abandoning its obligations to
Government absence
The attempt to quantify Houthi revenues was extremely challenging due to the high levels of secrecy in Houthi-controlled sectors of the economy.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance for Revenue Affairs, Naji Jaber, told Almasdar Online that the internationally recognized government has no data about the amount of money that the Houthis receive from economic institutions under their control, despite the fact that the Houthis dominate many state institutions and vital economic sectors, which they have used, along with newly-created parallel economic tributaries, to finance their war efforts.
Al-Fawdaei pointed out that in addition to collecting the revenues of government-controlled institutions, the Houthis have confiscated the money and property of their political opponents, imposed an array of levies on the private sector by force to fund the war effort or support sectarian religious activities and fostered thriving black market or parallel economies.
The Houthi political elites who control various aspects of the war economy, such as humanitarian aid activities or the oil derivatives trade, have become the wealthiest members of society.
Tax and customs revenue
The Houthis have continued collecting a large portion of state tax revenues because their areas of control include most of the economic infrastructure and the majority of the country’s population.
Employees in financial institutions in Sana’a told Almasdar Online that the total amount of taxes that Houthis currently collect in their areas of control is more than twice what the internationally recognized government collected in all governorates before the war.
Based on conservative estimates by Almasdar Online sources and the UN panel of experts 2021 report on Yemen, the Houthis are thought to have collected about $1.8 billion, equivalent to more than 1 trillion YR, in taxes and customs in 2019. Instead of paying long overdue salaries and wages with these revenues, which amounted to about twice as much as 2014 salary and wage obligations, Houthi authorities spent a large part of the tax revenues on war operations.
Taiz governorate as a model
The main industrial and commercial activity in Yemen that remains under Houthi control is located in the Al-Hawban area of Taiz governorate. Factories and traders in Al-Hawban area pay more than 10 billion YR per month in taxes, according to a former official in the local tax authority.
An official in the Taiz branch of the CBY told Almaasdar Online that the salaries of employees in the civil, military and security sectors in Taiz governorate has amounted to nearly 10 billion YR in recent years. That means taxes collected by the Houthis from Taiz’s commercial and industrial sector are sufficient to pay the salaries of its employees on a monthly basis.
Customs revenue
An official document shows that the Houthis collected customs duties at the port of Hodeidah totalling nine billion YR in just one month in 2017. Estimates indicate that the revenues from customs at the same port subsequently doubled, with the increase of international aid shipments and fuel imports. In 2020, Hodeidah and Saleef ports received about 60 percent of the total food imports to Yemen, according to the UN.
In addition to goods arriving to Yemen through the Houthi-controlled ports of Hodeidah and Saleef on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, the group charges customs fees on goods that reach Houthi territory over land from government-held areas.
The collection of customs fees is not limited to imported goods. The Al-Rahda customs checkpoint in Taiz, for example, charges fees based on the amount of fuel inside a fuel trucks’ tanks.
Zakat revenue
In May 2018, the Houthis changed the name of the General Administration of Zakat Duties to the General Authority for Zakat and attached the body to the Houthi-run Supreme Political Council, which represents the highest political authority in the group.
The figure raised questions about how much zakat was actually collected, given that the Houthis are not known for investing considerable revenue sums back into development work.
At the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan in 2021, Houthi authorities launched a wide-scale zakat collection campaign targeting traders, companies, shops and private sector institutions. The Houthis deployed 6,200 community committees in areas under its control to collect zakat and prevent merchants from distributing in ways of their own choosing, as is customary.
In addition to campaigns targeting business owners and amending the khums zakat laws, Houthi authorities raised the individual zakat obligation, known as Zakat Al-Fitrah, from 100 YR to 550 YR, while raising the zakat of medium-sized and large corporations from 1,300 YR to about 25,000 YR, according to a report issued by the Center for Studies and Economic Media.
Telecom sector
The internet and communications sector is almost entirely in the hands of the Houthis, given that the main telecom companies are based in Sana’a. While the revenues generated from this sector are unclear due to the lack of transparency and the absence of official financial figures, the UN panel of experts report in 2021 states that telecommunications companies are the main source of revenue for the Houthis in Sana’a.
One of the only revenue figures cited by Houthi officials during the war came from a statement by Julidan Mahmoud Julidan, Minister of Communications in the government of the Houthi alliance former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who said in a press conference in Sana’a that mobile phone companies had paid 98 billion YR to his ministry between December 2016 and July 2017 (amounting to about $159 billion per year).
Houthi-collected telecom revenues come from several sources in the sector.
Civil Aviation Authority
The General Authority for Civil Aviation and Meteorology remains under the control of the Houthis, operating under the administration of the group from its headquarters in Sana’a, despite previous government directives to transfer the authority to Aden.
A source in the aviation body told Almasdar Online that international airlines regularly pay more than $3 million in monthly fees to pass through Yemeni airspace.
Endowment revenue
At the end of January 2021, the Houthis created the General Authority for Endowments to supervise endowment properties and investments. The new entity was independent of the existing Ministry of Endowments and Guidance, whose name they changed to the Ministry of Guidance, Hajj and Umrah Affairs.
Following the changes, the Houthis appointed a religious figure named Abdulmajid Abdulrahman al-Houthi, who is referred to as Al-Allamah or Islamic scholar in the group's media, as head of the newly-established General Authority for Endowments.
Abdulmajid Al-Houthi said that he was tasked with recovering endowment funds that had not been paid, of which registered endowments amount to more than 100 billion YR. He noted that there are also unregistered funds related to influential merchants who used endowment lands and resources for decades without paying for them.
Residents in Sana’a told Almasdar Online that endowments authority employees delivered notices to citizens who live in residential homes built on endowment lands asking them to pay the rents of the lands on which their homes are built as soon as possible. Prior to issuing the notices, the Houthis raised land rental rates. The sources added that some residents of the neighborhood were told to pay sums estimated in the hundreds of thousands of YR because they had stopped paying years ago, and that they could not pay the bills in light of the cessation of monthly salaries.
Real estate monopoly
Control of the economy in Houthi-held areas has been largely divided up among influential Houthi leaders close to the group’s leader, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi. Public tensions over control of the lucrative real estate market illustrate the competition between these figures for access to different parts of the economy.
The real estate market is one of the largest financial sectors in Yemen, generating huge revenues for the Houthis. In 2019, real estate transactions in Houthi-held areas were estimated at more than $2 billion, according to a report issued by the Center for Studies and Economic Media.
A source familiar with the issue said that Houthi control of land and real estate will enable the group to accumulate wealth by building suburbs to be distributed to loyalists and used in other strategic ways.
Humanitarian aid revenue
In December 2018, the UN World Food Program issued a statement accusing the Houthis of stealing food from the mouths of the hungry at a time when children were dying because they did not have enough food.
This rare public reprimand highlighted one of the most lucrative arms of the Houthi-controlled economy. Most international organizations have chosen to stay silent about Houthi exploitation of aid out of fear that it would result in reduced funding from international donors.
The Houthis’ manipulation of aid work goes far beyond diverting food shipments to the black market or front lines and tampering with the lists of aid beneficiaries to benefit Houthi loyalists. The group has tried to establish complete control over the management of operations, reflected in constant attempts to interfere in local and intertaional NGO staffing and directing the NGOs to work with specific companies or agents affiliated with the group.
In April 2018, the Houthis established the National Authority for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Recover (NAMCHA), before reforming it in November 2019 and changing the name to the the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (SCMCHA). The decisions transferred authority over lucrative humanitarian operations away from the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MOPIC).
Like other lucrative sectors of the economy, SCMCHA is overseen by a close affiliate of Abdulmalik Al-Houthi. Houthi leader Ahmed Hamed, who is also the director of the office of Al-Mashat, the head of the Supreme Political Council, heads the humanitarian oversight council.
Aid robbery
SCMCHA seeks to control all aspects of the work of aid organizations in Houthi-controlled areas. Examples include forcing humanitarian organizations to rely on SCMCHA-authorized organizations to carry out field surveys and collect data on which humanitarian assessments are based and beneficiary lists are created. As a result of this practice, the UN is unable to verify the data underpinning the oft-cited characterization of Yemen as the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”
In a previous investigation, Almasdar Online showed how the WFP’s largest food aid project in Yemen, about 60 percent of which is distributed through a local partner, the School Feeding and Humanitarian Relief Project of the Ministry of Education in Sana’a, was exploited to support Houthi fighting fronts or perpetuate black markets.
The Houthis have established numerous locally-affiliated organizations and forced international organizations to use them to distribute aid.
The judicial guard
In recent years, Houthi authorities have reformed the judicial system under the group’s control to confer formal legitimacy over the seizure of money, assets and real estate of the group's opponents, as well as to provide cover for money laundering operations.
Using a legal concept called “preventative detention,” the judicial guard has the authority to confiscate the assets and properties of any detained person and deal with them as if he is the owner.
The Houthis assigned Saleh Misfir Al-Shaer as the so-called judicial guard in order to control the money and property of anti-Houthi political leaders and strengthen the parallel, underground economy of the group.
Oil derivatives trading
The war has weakened Yemen’s fragile economy and fostered an underground economy in which parallel economic entities operate to finance the war.
The UN panel of experts reported that between May 2016 and July 2017 the Houthis earned up to $1.27 billion from distributing oil derivatives on the black market, and that the fuel was one of the Houthis' main sources of revenue.
From the beginning of its rise to power following the coup in late 2014, the Houthis established oil companies that are used as a cover for the investments of high-ranking Houthi leaders involved in importing and selling fuel. These include companies affiliated with the group’s spokesman, Abdulsalam Salah Falita, known as Mohammed Abdulsalam, who spends most of his time in Oman.
The 2019 report of the UN panel of experts indicated that Iran provided the Houthis with oil shipments worth $30 million per month.
In November 2021, a report issued by the Regain Yemen Initiative, which tracks funds looted by the Houthis, revealed the group’s establishment of about 30 oil companies affiliated with its top leaders who have exclusive powers to import through the ports of Hodeidah and Saleef.
The report indicated that the Houthis generate huge amounts of revenue from its trade in the fuel markets
Domestic gas sales
The Houthis have other revenue streams from which huge sums are generated, including domestic gas revenues – by Wafeeq Saleh
https://al-masdaronline.net/national/921
Main infographics: https://twitter.com/alkhatabyemen/status/1501661439060238336
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The Barriers to Southern Yemeni Political Aspirations Are Mainly in the South
As Yemen’s conflict rages on, the main obstacle to achieving southern Yemenis’ political aspirations has become rivalries among southern political groups. Here’s where the rivalries come from and how they shape southern Yemen today.
As Yemen’s conflict rages on, one of the principal challenges for the country has become the implementation of the political aspirations of southern Yemenis. The takeover in September 2014 of Sana’a by Ansar Allah, better known as the Houthi movement, and the military intervention of a Saudi-led Arab coalition in March 2015 to reverse Houthi advances, had a direct impact on developments in the south. Because of the war, Yemen’s southern governorates have seen an opportunity to redefine their relationship with the rest of the country. Their demands have ranged from securing greater autonomy in a united Yemen to outright secession and the restoration of a south Yemeni state, like the one that existed before the unification agreement of May 1990 that created a single Republic of Yemen.
While the tendency is to assume that the main obstacle to altering the status of the southern governorates is the fraught relationship between north and south, this is a misconception. The biggest problem that southern political groups face is the existence of rivalries among themselves. The militarization of these groups during the war, like the weakness of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, has given southerners the latitude to manage their own affairs and potentially implement their political aims. This was demonstrated most vividly by the establishment of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in 2017, with the backing of the United Arab Emirates. However, the rise of the STC, which seeks a clean break with the north, has also revealed the divisions among southern groups, as the council does not represent the views of all southerners, nor do many southern political actors approve of its agenda.
The STC’s rise took place amid the differing priorities of the members of the Saudi-led coalition. The United Arab Emirates supported the Southern Movement against the Hadi administration, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. The reason for this was that the UAE wanted to ensure that it could control Yemen’s maritime routes through the Gulf of Aden, which is critical for its trade. Having influence over the south, especially coastal areas, was necessary to advance this objective.
However, intra-south disagreements remain present within the STC’s leadership. These often reflect older rivalries that had existed in the PDRY’s Yemeni Socialist Party between leaders from Dhaleh and Lahj Governorates, on the one side, and Abyan and Shabwa Governorates, on the other. Today, the STC’s leadership tends to come from Dhaleh and Lahj, while Hadi’s supporters are concentrated in Shabwa and Abyan, the president’s home regions. Nevertheless, the STC controls large swathes of southern governorates, notably Aden, Dhaleh, Soctora, and even parts of Lahj and Abyan.
Although southern political actors have long relied on a narrative of northern dominance to describe the crisis the south faces, this no longer really applies. Currently, it is Yemen’s northern regions that are facing the brunt of war and that are weak within the Hadi-led government, while the south is in a stronger position than previously. That explains why the future of the south will be largely determined by the tensions among the region’s own political forces.
A prevailing view in the south is that the unification process of 1990 was not properly thought through.
The core reason for the recurring conflicts in the south is tied to the matter of representation among southern political organizations, which have vied to portray themselves as the most legitimate representatives of the southern cause. The conflict over representation is rooted in the south’s social and demographic composition and has revived undercurrents that were visible during the time Britain governed the region, the post-independence phase, and the period that followed unification. There are three primary factors that have fueled southern divisions.
The first is a historical legacy of fragmentation. The southern reality today cannot be separated from the period of British rule.
A second factor has been the conflict between center and periphery. This was manifested in the tensions between the NLF and FLOSY. The leadership of FLOSY was mostly made up of civilian figures from Aden who favored political means, such as protests, to achieve independence.2 In contrast, much of the leadership of the NLF hailed from rural areas and was at odds with FLOSY’s approach.
Beyond the urban-rural rivalry, there was also an intra-rural rivalry evident in the political and leadership structures of the PDRY and its Yemeni Socialist Party.
The third reason for the disagreements over representation of the south is related to the political preferences of certain southern regions. This has historical antecedents, tied to Britain’s attempt to unite its southern Yemeni allies into a Federation of South Arabia in April 1962. The authorities of the eastern areas of Hadramawt, Mahra, and parts of Shabwa refused to join the federation, preferring to be autonomous.
How the south’s relationship with northern Yemen will develop remains unknown, largely because there is no clarity as to the outcome of the country’s war. However, the conflict has only accentuated the rifts in southern Yemen, many of which are anchored in the past. Tensions between north and south were more pronounced when Saleh was in power, so that northern domination was the main driver of divergences, not divisions among southern groups. However, Hadi’s election focused attention on the differences between the president, a southerner, and southern groups, which sharply accentuated southern divisions. With the north paying a heavy price from the violence today, more than ever it is developments specific to the south itself that will determine that region’s future.
Conclusion
The divisions among southern political organizations should not detract from the fact that, in the past, southern demands were just. Yet political rivalries gave southern politicians, as well as political actors from outside the south—in northern Yemen or in regional countries—the latitude to exploit southern aims for their own ends.
This regrettable situation is why southerners must seek agreement among themselves over their relationship with the rest of Yemen. Any such effort must begin with a transparent dialogue. The south today is very different than the independent country that existed before 1990. This means that those who want to secede should be aware of the preferences of communities for whom autonomy makes more sense than reviving South Yemen. By reaching a common vision, southern political forces would be better able to guarantee stability for their region amid widespread instability and to ensure that they will be able to preserve their interests once the country’s conflict is over – by Ahmed Nagi
as PDF: https://carnegieendowment.org/files/Nagi_Southern_Yemen_final.pdf
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How Yemeni parents are banding together to keep their kids in school
‘Teachers’ living conditions have plummeted.’
Seven years into a deadly and devastating war, thousands of Yemeni parents are using what little they have left to fight for an untold victim of the country’s conflict: their childrens’ education.
Ahmed Mahdi, 50, is one of them. The father of three drives a taxi in Yemen’s Houthi rebel-held capital city of Sana’a. He was already struggling to make ends meet by 2016, a year into the conflict between the rebels and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by a Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates-led coalition.
That year, the government decamped from Sana’a to Aden and moved the central bank there too. After that, teachers at the public schools Mahdi’s three high-schoolers attended stopped receiving regular salaries, along with around 170,000 teachers and many more public servants in parts of the country controlled by the Houthis.
Many teachers had to abandon their classrooms: Some moved to parts of the country run by the government and where they would be paid; others took different jobs to make ends meet.
“A key devastating consequence of the ongoing war is the generations of innocent children left without schooling or education becoming easy targets for recruitment by the Houthis.”
But even as the conflict has raged – the last few months have seen a major escalation in airstrikes, shelling, and ground fighting – parents across Houthi-held provinces like Sana’a, Ibb, and Dhamar have banded together to slow down the exodus of teachers, working overtime to pay salaries out of their own pockets. If their children aren’t at school, some are concerned they will be more susceptible to recruitment as child soldiers – a longstanding problem in Yemen’s war. Others just want them to keep hitting the books.
“It’s very hard,” Mahdi told The New Humanitarian, referring to the payment of 6,000 Yemeni rials (around $11 according to the official exchange rate) he now makes to his childrens’ school in Sana’a. “The economic situation is really difficult.”
For Mahdi, the money is a major financial burden, given the fact that Yemen’s economy has effectively collapsed. But he hopes it is worth it. “I’ve had to double my shifts to provide for my family and also pay for the childrens’ education,” he said.
A community-based solution
It’s hard to know just how many parents are pitching in to pay public schools and teachers directly, as the initiatives are largely informal. But Yahya al-Yanaie, the spokesperson for the Yemeni Teachers’ Syndicate and an adviser to the Ministry of Education, estimates that around 49,000 teachers at 8,000 schools are receiving some sort of income from families desperate to salvage their children’s education.
It’s a limited fix: The UN estimates that around 8.1 million school-aged girls and boys in Yemen are “in need of education in emergencies support”. Kids may be unable to attend school regularly for a variety of reasons apart from the interruption of wages: When families are forced to run from conflict, as has happened to some four million people in Yemen, their schooling is often halted. Dire economic circumstances mean some parents feel they have no choice but to put their kids to work, and infrastructure is a problem too, with more than 2,500 schools destroyed, damaged, or being used for other purposes.
According to al-Yanaie, who works with the anti-Houthi government, “a key devastating consequence of the ongoing war is the generations of innocent children left without schooling or education becoming easy targets for recruitment by the Houthis.”
Human rights watchdogs have repeatedly documented the recruitment of children into fighting by the Houthis
Teachers in poverty
Khalid Mohsen agrees. The 40-year-old taught maths at a secondary school in rural Ibb until September 2016, when he stopped receiving his wages and was almost immediately thrown into poverty.
“Although it’s a fraction of what I was paid by the government each month, and it barely covers my family’s basic needs, I’ve returned to the classroom and live in austerity,” he said.
According to al-Yanaie, most teachers who are getting money from their communities have, like Mohsen, taken a massive pay cut. “Teachers’ living conditions have plummeted,” he said, explaining how their situations have been “exacerbated by spiking inflation rates and the downward spiral of currency devaluation”.
Chipping in for teachers’ salaries is already unaffordable for many Yemenis: In a country that has long been on the brink of famine because families can’t afford food, the majority of parents can’t give what little they have to schooling.
The small number of Yemenis who still have plenty in their bank accounts can likely afford private schooling. Then there are those who appear to be attending public schools based on their parents’ connections: The head teacher of a school in Sana'a, who requested anonymity because of safety concerns, said some families have used their connections with the Houthis to get out of paying their share.
Meanwhile, plenty of parents are stuck somewhere in the middle, doing what they can to get by and to keep their kids learning. However, some are worried they won’t be able to last for much longer. Sahar Mahioub, 38, is a mother of five children in Ibb. Her husband makes around 40,000 rials a month as a day labourer, but is expected to cough up 6,000 a month to keep two of his kids in secondary school.
“I’ve eliminated all unnecessary household spending and cut all frills to help him make these monthly payments,” said Mahioub. “We can’t not help our children achieve their dreams. My eldest wants to be an engineer. He works so hard for it. I just pray we manage to keep affording those payments.” – by Abdullah Ali
(** B C)
Film: Sokotra - Die unbekannte Insel am Horn von Afrika
Der Archipel Sokotra liegt am Horn von Afrika und ist seit 2008 UNESCO-Weltnaturerbe. Selbst Kenner der Region haben die Reise dorthin noch nicht geschafft, erzählen aber mit leuchtenden Augen, dass sie diese Insel unbedingt noch bereisen müssten. Das Eiland ist so untypisch wie malerisch. Es fällt heraus aus der Wahrnehmung des Nahen Ostens und der verheerenden Berichte aus dem Jemen im Besonderen.
Vor allem wegen seiner Naturschätze ist Sokotra zum UNESCO-Welterbe erklärt worden. Der Drachenbaum prägt die Hügel, eine einzigartige Vegetation. Eine grüne Insel, über der eine eigenartige Ruhe liegt, 400 Kilometer von der südlichen Küste des Jemen entfernt. Der Krieg ist fern. Tourismus hält die Wirtschaft am Laufen. Insbesondere die Reisenden aus den Emiraten kommen hierher, um Wassersport zu betreiben. Und kaufen das Land auf. Sie haben Geld, die Inselbewohner*innen nicht. Deshalb machen sich die Insulaner*innen Sorgen, sie haben das Gefühl, die Kontrolle über ihre Insel zu verlieren.
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
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COVID-19 Jemen: 7-Tage-Inzidenz | 10.03.2022
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COVID-19 Impfungen Jemen: vollständig geimpft (%) | 05.03.2022
(A H)
Covid-19 awareness program launched in Aden
http://en.adenpress.news/news/34647
(A H)
Four new COVID-19 cases reported in Socotra
In its statement, the committee also affirmed the recovery of three coronavirus patients in Hadramout. No death has been recorded.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/34640
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One new COVID-19 case, 84 recoveries reported
In its statement, the committee also affirmed the recovery of 84 coronavirus patients. No death has been recorded.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/34630
(A H)
3rd neonatal tetanus vaccination campaign kicks off
The third round of immunization against neonatal tetanus virus was launched in the temporary capital Aden today, implemented by the Ministry of Public Health and Population with the support of UNICEF.
The Director-General of the National Immunization Program at the ministry, Youssef Ahmed, told the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that the campaign, which will continue until the tenth of this month, targets 408,000 women from the age of 15 to 49 years
http://en.adenpress.news/news/34628
(B H)
The cholera outbreak in Yemen: Lessons learned and way forward
The Yemen cholera outbreak has been driven by years of conflict and has now become the largest in epidemiologically recorded history with more than 1.2 million cases since the beginning of the outbreak in April, 2017. In this report we review and discuss the cholera management strategies applied by the major international humanitarian health organizations present in Yemen. We find the response by the organizations examined to have been more focused on case management than on outbreak prevention. Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCVs) were not delivered until nearly 16 months into the outbreak.
(B H)
Malaria and dengue in Hodeidah city, Yemen: High proportion of febrile outpatients with dengue or malaria, but low proportion co-infected
This cross-sectional study included 355 febrile outpatients from Hodeidah city during the malaria transmission season (September 2018 –February 2019). Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected using a pre-designed, structured questionnaire. Malaria was confirmed using microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), while dengue was confirmed using RDTs.
Mono-infection with malaria or dengue can be detected among about one-third of febrile outpatients in Hodeidah, while almost 5.0% of cases can be co-infected
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0253556
cp2 Allgemein / General
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Interactive Map of Yemen War
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Yemen War Map Updates
[Site not available on March 10, 7:40 CET]
March 5: https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-5-2022-map-update/
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Westliche Vorurteile, Rassismus und Parteinahme gegenüber den Kriegsopfern im Jemen: Zusammenstellung von Berichten und Kommentaren
Western biases, racism and partisanship against victims of the Yemen War: Compilation of reports and comments
https://poorworld.net/Yemen/Western-bias.htm
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Audio: Where Is the War on Yemen Heading?
Maysaa Shuja al Deen and Yousef Munayyer discuss the current status of the war in Yemen, the regional and international dynamics affecting the conflict, and the impact of the Ukraine crisis on the war. Shuja al Deen is a senior researcher at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies. Munayyer is Non-resident Senior Fellow at Arab Center Washington DC.
https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/where-is-the-war-on-yemen-heading/
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YEMEN: ‘Women are completely absent from decision-making bodies; politically we don’t exist’
CIVICUS speaks about gender inequalities in Yemen and the role of Yemeni civil society in tackling them with Bilkis Abouosba, founder and chairperson of the Awam Foundation for Development and Culture, a civil society organisation (CSO) founded in 2008 to support women’s political participation. Bilkis Abouosba is former vice-chair of the Supreme National Authority for Combatting Corruption in Yemen.
What are the main women’s rights issues in Yemen? What would need to happen for them to be tackled effectively?
In my opinion, our biggest loss is in the area of political rights and participation in political decision-making processes and opinion formation. For the first time in 20 years, the current Yemeni government was formed with a total absence of women. Women’s exclusion has spread further across sectors, including in peacebuilding efforts.
Political negotiations between rival groups have been held without female representation. Only one woman took part in the last round of negotiations in Stockholm, which resulted in an agreement brokered by the United Nations (UN) between the Yemeni government and the Houthi group Ansar Allah.
But public opinion polls on the peace process have in fact included a small sample of Yemeni women, and since 2015 both UN Women and the office of the UN special envoy have created mechanisms for Yemeni women’s inclusion, such as the Yemeni Women’s Pact for Peace and Security (known as ‘Tawafuq’), a consultative mechanism consisting of a group of 50 women consultants, and a group established in 2018 comprising eight women, among them me, also aimed at channelling female voices to international society. However, neither the current nor former UN special envoys have made use of these groups to bridge gender gaps, as planned. Women are still not part of UN-supported peace negotiations.
Despite this, several feminist coalitions have been formed during the transition period
What would need to happen for gender inequality to reduce in Yemen?
International organisations can significantly help narrow the gender gap in Yemen by bringing Yemeni women to the negotiation table. As a result, women’s participation in the political process will grow in the post-conflict period.
(* B P)
A CONVERSATION ON FIGHTING DISINFORMATION IN YEMEN
Misinformation and disinformation are powerful tools used during conflict, muddying the waters and obscuring the distinction between truth and lies. Sidq Yemen is an independent online platform established in 2019 that specializes in fact checking viral Yemeni news stories and countering mis/disinformation. For the Yemen Policy Center, Hannah Porter (from DT Global) spoke with the head of communications at the Sidq Yemen team to discuss fake news in Yemen. Due to security concerns, the interviewee’s name is not included.
I want to start off by asking about the origins of Sidq Yemen. What were some of the experiences that led you and your team to establish this platform?
In August 2019, when we created Sidq Yemen, my Yemeni friends and I noticed that fake news was being widely circulated and there were no platforms to counter or expose it. Some of these fake news stories were harmful and seen to threaten societal peace.
What have been the biggest challenges that your team has faced since establishing this platform?
I believe the biggest challenge is the security risk for journalists generally and for investigative journalists or fact checkers in particular, since no party in Yemen likes those who expose their lies. In terms of investigations, one of the main challenges we face is that we don’t have enough access to high quality sources. There is more than one government in Yemen, so now we are dealing with [the reality of] SABA News Agency which is under the control of the Houthis, and SABA under control of President Hadi’s government. So, it’s complicated and it’s really challenging.
What about your biggest accomplishments? What are you and your team most proud of?
We are proud of the great confidence that our followers have given us…We’ve received dozens of messages from followers asking for clarifications or to talk about a [disinformation] topic because they trust us and they want us to post something about it.
Is there anything else you would like to add? Maybe some thoughts about disinformation related to Ukraine that we might see on social media?
Because my audience are Yemenis, I would like to advise Yemeni people to stop and think before sharing anything about Ukraine and Russia. We think it’s easy to just hit “share” or to post any piece of disinformation, but we might be harming people. People might be at risk because of a post on social media. Also, I know it’s a war now between Russia and Ukraine and everyone is interested, but we have enough in Yemen, and we don’t need more disinformation to spread on social media. So just stick to the Yemeni situation for now. Try to be as truthful as you can, and then keep reading the news about Ukraine and Russia, and don’t publish just anything.
https://www.yemenpolicy.org/a-conversation-on-fighting-disinformation-in-yemen/
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YEMENI WOMEN ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
https://ajahaf.com/international-women-day/
(A K P)
Western countries keep Yemen's war forgotten: Houthis
Western countries and groups keep Yemen's war forgotten and humanitarian situation worsening, the Houthi foreign minister said Saturday at meeting with the UNHCR new resident representative, amid urgent need for more relief aid.
It is for the interest of arms manufacturers in western countries to keep the 7-year-old war lingering in Yemen, Hisham Sharaf told Maya Amiratonga.
This war was planned to persist in this way, the Houthi FM added, according to the Sana'a-based Saba.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-29001.html
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Russia’s Use of Cluster Bombs Should Spur a Global Recommitment to Banning Them
But the reality is that when cluster bombs have been used, in practice, they are used against civilians. They kill indiscriminately. And when they fail to explode in the heat of battle, they kill civilians years later.
Russia’s use of the weapons is horrific, unjustifiable and inexcusable. The United States can and should do more to stigmatize and lessen the global use of cluster munitions, first and foremost by revoking Trump’s 2017 policy and then by joining the treaty that bans their use.
My comment: Not a single word on Yemen.
Remark, with photo: Here's a U.S. cluster bomb fired by the U.S. Navy into southern Yemen that killed 41 civilians including 21 children and 14 women. It was still killing children three years after it was dropped.
https://twitter.com/ionacraig/status/1501300551522439175
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The limits of Iran’s influence on Yemen’s Houthi rebels
While Iran engages in dialogue with regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the UAE, its ally in Yemen has increased attacks on them.
The question has arisen: Where does Iran – which over the past year has engaged with regional rivals – stand on the Houthi attacks on the UAE?
‘Axis of resistance’
Iran has said it supports the Houthis politically, but denies sending the group weapons.
Iran, which considers the Houthis part of an “axis of resistance” against Israel and the United States, holds sway over Lebanon’s Hezbollah, militias in Iraq, and the Syrian armed forces of President Bashar al-Assad.
However, the Houthis differ from Iran’s other partners, Stephen Zunes, professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco, told Al Jazeera.
“Unlike some allied militia in Iraq and Syria, the Houthis have never been an Iranian proxy. They have their own unique history, grievances and agenda,” said Zunes.
While the US and others have accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with rocket and drone technology that has allowed them to attack far beyond Yemen’s borders, it is unclear whether that is 100 percent accurate, analysts say.
“The vast majority of their weapons have been captured or purchased on the black market and are not of Iranian origin,” Zunes said.
Moreover, the Houthis are less tied to Tehran than Hezbollah members, and they are not under the Iranian command and control system and act largely autonomously, said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
“Over the years, Tehran has been able to deepen its relations with the Houthis. However, its influence over the group has always been limited. The Houthis welcome Iranian support, but they do not take orders from Tehran,” Parsi told Al Jazeera.
The war was the only reason Iran was able to gain influence in the first place, he added.
“Had the Saudis not invaded, Tehran would not even have been able to deepen its relations with the Yemeni group,” Parsi said.
“Contrary to the Saudi narrative, Iran’s relations with the Houthis are a very recent phenomenon and a direct consequence of the Saudi invasion of the country. Moreover, prior to 2010, the Saudis – who used to work closely with the Houthis – did not even refer to the group as Shia,” said Parsi.
‘Hardly Iranian puppets’
Iran’s relations with the UAE have improved after a dialogue process mediated by Iraq that also includes Saudi Arabia. Tehran and Abu Dhabi have continued their rapprochement despite the Gulf state’s recent move to enhance diplomatic relations with Israel.
It is therefore difficult to imagine that Tehran is directing Houthi attacks or even giving the green light. Iran has, at least publicly, advocated in favour of a diplomatic solution in Yemen.
“There are quite a few justifiable criticisms of the Houthis, but they are hardly Iranian puppets,” said Zunes. “Washington is using such labels largely to rationalise for US support of the genocidal bombing campaign by the Saudis and the UAE.”
Parsi suggested the influence of Tehran over the Houthis is only likely to decrease if the Saudis and Emiratis “end the war” – by Thomas O. Falk
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/8/the-limits-of-irans-influence-on-yemens-houthi-rebels
(* B K P)
Big picture series: Yemen ten years on – no real prospects for stability
The conflict between the Houthi rebel movement and forces loyal to the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi (2012-) is reverting to a stalemate in which neither side is likely to prevail militarily over the coming months.
Hostilities will continue over the coming year and pose significant security risks to organisations with assets, operations and personnel in Yemen. Threats will also stem from terrorism and unrest.
Houthi cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia will remain frequent over the coming year. Attacks against the UAE remain credible, though the likelihood is decreasing.
Further international sanctions against the Houthis will likely be introduced in the coming months, which would further raise the cost of operating in Yemen for businesses and humanitarian organisations.
Security risk
With no imminent prospects for peace talks, hostilities in Yemen will continue to pose security risks to businesses with assets, operations or personnel in the country. Oil and gas operations in Marib province will continue to face the greatest threat due to military operations there. In Shabwa province, the risk of disruption to oil and gas operations remains but has decreased since January, when the Houthis were rolled back from the province. In Hadhramaut province, oil operations will remain largely unaffected by the conflict, as hostilities are taking place 311 miles (500km) from the province’s main oil fields. Nonetheless, in January, one of the last international oil companies operating in Yemen announced it was suspending operations at facilities in Hadhramaut in light of the overall degradation of the security environment in Yemen over the past year.
Organisations in Yemen will also continue to face significant security threats that do not necessarily stem directly from fighting on the frontlines. In Houthi-controlled areas, including Sanaa, Saudi airstrikes will constitute a significant threat due to frequent collateral damage. In territory under nominal government control, especially in the southern and western provinces of Aden, Taiz, Hodeidah, frequent terrorism and unrest incidents will drive incidental security threats to civilian operations. The provinces least affected by insecurity will remain Shabwa (except the province’s north-western districts), Hadhramaut, and Mahra provinces, as well as the Socotra islands.
The Yemen conflict will also continue to spill over in neighbouring states.
https://www.controlrisks.com/our-thinking/insights/big-picture-series-yemen-ten-years-on
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How Yemen's war 'casts a shadow' over women and girls
Yemen's women and girls are bearing the brunt of a seven-year civil war that has robbed many of their freedoms and crippled state institutions, leaving them unable to seek help.
A strict interpretation of Islam is being enforced in Huthi rebel-controlled areas and mass displacement, with millions driven from their homes, often makes education and employment impossible.
AFP discussed their plight with Huda Ali Alawi, director of the Women's Research and Training Centre at Aden University, who has conducted a number of studies on gender-based violence:
How is the war affecting women?
Alawi said the war has "cast a shadow" over women in terms of their quality of life and education, with a massive increase in child marriage.
"There are a lot of cases of girls dropping out of school because of living hardships and displacement," she said.
"Many families have lost their sources of income, and girls' education was no longer a priority."
Studies have shown an increase in gender-based violence since war broke out, she said.
"But because society is conservative... survivors of violence are led to believe that it is for the better and in their benefit to remain silent."
Stigma has often been cited as an obstacle for girls and women in seeking help.
"The reality we are living today is not one (that reaches) the aspirations of the feminist movement, and Yemen has regressed in all aspects, and more so when it comes to women empowerment."
Why is there so little support?
The problem, Alawi said, centres on the political, social and religious institutions in the country, where the rebels have seized much of the north with government forces controlling the rest.
There is "no support or encouragement" by any leadership or political and academic institutions to help in programmes to empower women, she said.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220308-how-yemen-s-war-casts-a-shadow-over-women-and-girls = https://www.rfi.fr/en/middle-east/20220308-how-yemen-s-war-casts-a-shadow-over-women-and-girls = https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/03/how-yemens-war-casts-shadow-over-women-and-girls
(B K P)
Film: “The coverage of #Ukraine has taught the American people that we should be covering war. We need to apply that same attention to details to other conflicts like Afghanistan, the war in Syria, & war in Yemen."
https://twitter.com/TheDamageReport/status/1500682826190102537
(* B H P)
Russia-Ukraine conflict set to elevate the crisis in war-torn Yemen
With the world’s eyes and media focused on the crisis in Ukraine, the people of Yemen cannot afford to be ignored - now more than ever.
Now, as the crisis in Ukraine escalates, the situation in Yemen looks even bleaker.
UK cuts foreign funding
In July 2021, the UK government held a vote on the future of foreign aid and development. The majority of MPs voted to allow for an indefinite reduction of the UK’s overseas aid budget until a number of economic tests are met, rather than return to spending 0.7% of the country’s Gross National Income.
In response to the decision to approve a £4bn foreign aid cut, reports emerged that places in conflict zones like Yemen had begun witnessing the devastating impact of the cuts to overseas assistance, condemning hundreds of thousands to starvation.
‘Double standards’
Now, in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine, the UK has been accused of ‘double standards’ by rushing to help Ukraine against a foreign invader, while cutting aid to Yemen.
Britain’s implications with supplying the Saudi regime with weapons has also resurfaced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Amid heightened conflict and with the hunger crisis set to escalate because of the war in Ukraine, projects like the Emergency Crisis Response Project (ECRP), which is implemented on the ground by two Yemeni institutions, the Public Works Project (PWP) and the Social Fund for Development (SFD), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which works towards aiding recovery and resilience in Yemen, will be more critical than ever.
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(A K P)
Health sector in critical state for running out of fuel ; warnings of a humanitarian disaster : Report
The health sector is facing difficult conditions; it negatively affects the services provided to patients and puts their lives at risk of death due to the intransigence of the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression coalition and its continued detention of oil derivatives ships and the prevention of their entry into the port of Hodeida province.
Hospitals, health centers, and facilities rely entirely on oil derivatives to supply them with energy to operate medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic devices, ambulances and emergency vehicles, and transport doctors, paramedics, and health workers.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3178648.htm
(A K P)
Photo: Using fuel supplies as a weapon. Cars waiting in line at the gas station in Sanaa, Yemen (March, 9)
https://twitter.com/KawkabAlwaday/status/1501560462026104832
(A K P)
Water Scarcity Crisis Due to Lack of Fuel, US-Saudi-Emirati Siege Continues
The Director-General of the Local Corporation for Water and Sanitation in the Capital, Mohammed Al-Shami, confirmed, Tuesday, that the Yemeni people are witnessing the worst water scarcity crisis in seven years due to the siege of the US-Saudi aggression on fuel ship. Al-Shami explained that the Corporation is now unable to provide the minimum level of its services during the coming period due to the intensification of the fuel crisis.
He pointed out that the establishment's periodic pumping of water has reached dangerous limits,
(A K P)
Aggression delays emergency gasoline ship release
YPC's official spokesman Issam Al-Mutawakel said in a statement to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), that the aggression coalition, by delaying releasing the gasoline ship, "Caesar", is ignoring all calls to neutralize the humanitarian file and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3178369.htm
and also https://en.ypagency.net/255600/
(A P)
Humanitarian council of Yemen condemns continued Saudi blockade of the country
The Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Cooperation in Sana’a has condemned on Tuesday the US-Saudi-Emirati coalition’s escalation against the Yemeni people by tightening the blockade and preventing the entry of fuel and relief supplies to Hodeidah port
https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/03/09/humanitarian-council-of-yemen-condemns-continued-saudi-blockade-of-the-country/ = https://en.ypagency.net/255686/
(A P)
Jemeniten demonstrieren landesweit gegen saudisch-amerikanische Treibstoffblockade
In mehreren jemenitischen Städten und Provinzen fanden Massenproteste statt, um die von der von Saudi-Arabien geführten Koalition verhängte Blockade des vom Krieg zerrütteten Landes und die Beschlagnahme von Schiffen mit dringend benötigten Erdölprodukten zu verurteilen.
und
(A P)
Massenkundgebung in der Hauptstadt Sanaa zur Anprangerung die Blockade von Treibstoff
In der Hauptstadt Sanaa fand heute Nachmittag auf dem "Bab al-Jaman"-Platz eine Massenkundgebung statt, um die Blockade von Treibstoff unter dem Motto "Die Blockade von Treibstoff ist
https://www.saba.ye/de/news3178291.htm
(A P)
Yemenis Stage Nationwide Protest Rallies against Saudi-Led Fuel Blockade
Several Yemeni cities and provinces have witnessed large-scale protests over the Saudi-led coalition's siege of the war-torn country and the seizure of ships carrying essential petroleum products.
Protests were held in a number of provinces on Monday morning, including Sa'ada, Hajjah, Taizz, al-Jawf, Ibb, and al-Bayda, according to Yemen's al-Masirah television network.
and also https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220308-yemenis-protest-against-fuel-crisis-in-houthi-held-areas/
and by Yemeni sites: https://www.saba.ye/en/news3178292.htm
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3178284.htm
https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/03/07/millions-of-yemenis-hold-mass-rallies-condemning-continued-war-and-siege/ = https://en.ypagency.net/255533/
https://en.ypagency.net/255501/
Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nODl-keelTQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxi6EAoXQwM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT_lJokWeYw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZioSuQBLNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzhfbOjBqmo = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klEtde8bCYM
Photos: https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1500905233052020737
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1500874584752537602
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1500877118577815561
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1500877754098671618
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1500878224515022848
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1500905233052020737
(A K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Information Minister: US Behind Siege of Yemen, No Humanity Seen from West
Yemen’s information minister announced the United States is responsible for the crippling blockade on Yemen and slammed Western powers’ response to the suffering of Muslim nations for lacking humanity.
Speaking to Al-Masirah TV channel, Dhaifallah Al-Shami stressed that the policy of starving the Yemenis and besieging them will fail as they will not sit idly by.
“The siege of the Yemeni nation is an entirely American decision. Today, the Yemeni nation warns all the arrogant powers that it is moving towards its great options,” he said.
“Our nation does not accept to die of starvation and siege. It has many options to defeat the siege,” he added.
(* B K P)
Scramble for transport as Yemen fuel shortage worsens
People also struggle to reach markets and health centres. Twenty litres of petrol at fuel stations costs 9,500 rials ($16) and more than four times that on the parallel market.
Few people can afford this. Around 80% of Yemen's population needs assistance because of economic collapse in the seven-year war and a sea and air blockade by a Saudi-led coalition on areas held by the Houthis.
"The (fuel) crisis affects the whole population, from the ordinary to those on top. Neither officials nor dignitaries are excluded," civil servant Fawaz al-Sayaghi told Reuters.
Air and sea access to Yemen is controlled by the coalition that intervened in Yemen in early 2015 after the Iran-aligned Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa.
The alliance says the restrictions are needed to prevent arms smuggling, and accuses the Houthis of using ports for military purposes, charges the group denies.
Houthi officials said no fuel vessels have been allowed to berth at the country's main Hodeidah port since Jan. 3.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-fuel/scramble-for-transport-as-yemen-fuel-shortage-worsens-idUSKBN2L40GZ = https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/scramble-for-transport-as-yemen-fuel-shortage-worsens/47408424
(* B K P)
US-Saudi Aggression Provokes New Fuel, Gas Crisis in Free Zones as Military Option Failed
Two or three months ago, delegates from the so-called Quartet countries, America, Britain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, met to weigh the situation and events in Yemen and came up with an agreement that:
Keeping Yemen under the influence of the economic crisis and tightening the blockade to prevent entry of fuel and food obstruction for the largest possible time. In addition to other measures they intend to take that will double the deterioration of the economic situation, such as the deportation of a large number of Yemeni expatriates in Saudi Arabia.
Immediately after this meeting, the first step began, which is:
Creating the latest fuel crisis by stopping the sending of commercial oil that comes from the occupied areas in the south to the free zones, in addition to the continued detention of fuel ships authorized by the United Nations. In addition to that, the aggression also bargained with the Petroleum Company in Sana’a between allowing the entry of oil locomotives without the company purifying the polluted oil and setting an appropriate price for it, and allowing the price of 20 liters to be 24 thousand riyals (which locomotives are actually seized, not in Al-Jawf but in areas under Saudi-mercenaries control), or the crisis will continue and the noose will tighten further.
This step was accompanied by a huge media movement supporting it with the aim of inciting the people to power in Sana’a. So they fabricated a lie that the Petroleum Company was preventing the oil locomotives in Al-Jawf from entering Sana'a. They used an old video clip from Al-Sahat channel to confirm their story of a verbal altercation between Abdel Hafez Mujeeb and the former Petroleum Company spokesman Al-Shabati, who because of this intervention was changed and Essam Al-Mutawakel was appointed as a spokesman for the company nearly two years ago
They also fabricated an anonymous document submitted to the Leader of the Revolution Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi complaining that the Petroleum Company had caused the current crisis and that it prevented the entry of fuel into the free zones and sold it on the black market. They absolved the aggression of any siege and detention of fuel ships and attributed all this to the Petroleum Company, even though the enemy himself admitted it. In this document, they used the language of the opponents of aggression who are keen on the interests of the homeland and the citizen.
The second step:
Issuance of a Security Council resolution banning the supply of weapons “to all Houthi members” to use this decision as a pretext to tighten the siege more than before, even though the criminal coalition, since the beginning of its aggression and siege, has not seized a single piece of weapon on board all the fuel or food ships that it detained and impounded. Also, this step was accompanied by a large media movement to intimidate the people inside.
The third step:
Creating a crisis in domestic gas and adding a new dose to the gas cylinder price, bringing the price of one cylinder to 6000 riyals. As in the previous two steps, this step was accompanied by a large media movement to incite the people to power in Sana'a and accuse it of raising the price of gas and restricting the citizen. However, the speed of the reaction of the concerned authorities by issuing a statement explaining the cause of raising the price of gas and attaching this explanation to a document of the gas company in the mercenary authority directed to raise the price of a domestic gas cylinder thwarted their plan.
Conclusion
Yemen’s hurricanes on the state of the Emirates and the legendary battle in Haradh confirmed the enemy’s conviction that the military option is impossible to succeed and that the best solution is to tighten the economic noose and tighten the siege more and more, accompanied by intense media work to ignite a revolution from within the incubating environment of the Army and Popular Committees
(* A K P)
Yemen Experiencing Toughest Petroleum Products Crisis Since Saudi Aggression: YPC
A spokesman for the Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) says the Arab country is experiencing the toughest petroleum products crisis since the start of the Saudi aggression and siege nearly seven year ago.
The queues of cars waiting for fuel are “stretching more than three kilometers in front of [petrol] stations in various provinces” across the country, Essam al-Mutawakel told Yemen's al-Masirah television network on Wednesday.
He noted that the crisis could be resolved, if fuel ships were not blocked from entering Yemen via Hudaydah port.
Despite having undergone inspection and received UN clearance, the Yemen-bound fuel ships are being seized by the Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen and are transferred to Saudi Arabia’s Jizan port, al-Mutawakel explained.
“We always wonder about the benefit of granting the oil tankers UN permits, and [at the same time] the justifications of the acts of piracy committed by the aggression’s coalition against them in international waters,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the YPC said the Saudi-led coalition banned a fuel ship, which had received UN clearance, from entering Hudaydah port.
(B K P)
Film: Due to the unjust Saudi war and blockade on my country Yemen, and the detention of oil derivatives ships. Price of 20 liters of gasoline reached 70$ This is the disastrous consequences of the continuation of the unjust aggression & the shameful international silence
https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1500159575470841860
(A H K P)
Health officials warn against continuing fuel shortage in Sanaa
Several health officials warned against continuing fuel shortage in private and public hospitals in the capital and that would lead to stopping their medical services towards citizens.
Dr. Magda Al-Khatib, director of the Al-Sabaeen Hospital for Maternity and Childhood, explained Al-Sabeen Hospital was closed as a result of the fuel crisis, which might led to a death about 3,000 pregnant women and 400 to 500 children, who are be received by hospital nurseries per month.
He noted that the United Nations organizations permanently stopped fuel subsidies in 2022 year, which contributed to the intensification of the fuel crisis.
For his part, Dr. Mutahar Al-Marouni, Director General of the Health Office in the capital, Sanaa, said: There are 87 public and private hospitals in the capital, 529 public and private medical centers, as well as 7 oxygen factories, whose monthly need is more than 2 million liters of diesel.
https://en.ypagency.net/255398/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/03/06/continuing-fuel-crisis-in-yemeni-hospitals-projected-to-cause-death-of-3000-pregnant-women-and-500-children-per-month/
and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3178191.htm
(A K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Electricity Ministry holds United Nations responsible for stopping services
Ministry of Electricity and Energy in Sanaa condemned on Sunday the continued detention of oil derivatives ships by the US-backed Saudi-Emirati coalition and preventing their entry to Hodeida port.
In a press statement, Minister of Electricity Ahmed Al-Elaiy, held America and the coalition countries responsible for the aggravation of the humanitarian crisis as a result of the blockade imposed against oil ships, which have led to the cessation of service sectors.
https://en.ypagency.net/255455/
(A K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Water Ministry holds coalition responsible for stopping service projects
Ministry of Water and Environment in Sanaa held the US-backed Saudi-Emirati coalition responsible for stopping service projects as drinking water and sanitation services, as a result of the blockade and fuel crisis.
The ministry said in a statement that the coalition’s continued tightening of the blockade and preventing the entry of oil derivatives ships, would have catastrophic consequences for human health and the environment after the water and sanitation sector institutions are getting unable to provide minimal service.
https://en.ypagency.net/255436/
(A K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Human Rights: US-Saudi Aggression Tightens Siege Against the Yemeni People
The Acting Minister of Human Rights, Ali Al-Dailami, confirmed that the escalation of the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression is tightening the siege and piracy on fuel ships which is an evidence of their involvement in committing crimes of collective punishment against the Yemeni people.
He explained that the aggression countries' piracy on fuel ships is part of their plan to restrict Yemenis as a means pressure to achieve political aims. He pointed out that preventing the US-Saudi aggression from entering the ships of fuel, violates the divine laws, humanitarian laws, protocols and treaties, which emphasize the protection of civilians, which the countries of aggression have not paid any attention to over the past years.
"The siege falls within the crimes of violations committed by the countries of the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression in Yemen, which will have catastrophic effects, and the regimes causing and participating in these crimes will not escape accountability and punishment" Al-Dailami said.
(A K P)
US-Saudi Aggression Continues to Prevent Entry of Fuel
The Presidency of Parliament held meeting to face the catastrophic repercussions of preventing the fuel ships entry by the US-Saudi aggression.
Al-Rahi called on the UN to send a delegation to Yemen to examine the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from the aggression and siege, and to give the humanitarian issue in Yemen even some of the attention it gives to Ukraine.
The Presidency of Parliament held the US-Saudi aggression responsible for the aggravation of human suffering as a result of the blockade and piracy on fuel tankers, stressing the importance of opening Sana'a Int. airport and the port of Hodeidah as humanitarian outlets for tens of millions of our Yemeni people.
https://english.almasirah.net.ye/post/24492/US-Saudi-Aggression-Continues-to-Prevent-Entry-of-Fuel
(A K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Ministry of Health Spox: UN Is Partner in US-Saudi Crimes Against Yemeni People
Ministry of Health spokesman confirmed, on Saturday, that the United Nations is a partner in the crimes committed by the US-Saudi aggression against the Yemeni people. The spokesman, Dr. Anis Al-Asbahi, explained that the health sector needs more than 6 million liters of diesel to operate hospitals, oxygen factories, and other important logistics. He pointed out that the interruption of fuel will put many health sectors out of work, such as dialysis departments, children's incubators, and operations departments.
He indicated that 2,000 children need respirators, and their lives are threatened due to the prevention of the entry of fuel tankers. Dr. Al-Asbahi called on international organizations to play their humanitarian role and put pressure on the countrie
and also https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/03/05/yemeni-ministry-of-health-condemns-humanitarian-organisations-for-not-taking-up-responsibility/ = https://en.ypagency.net/255282/
(A K P)
[Hadi] Yemen government accuses Houthis of causing fuel crisis
Houthis prevent hundreds of fuel-laden tankers from reaching destinations, says information minister
The Yemeni government accused Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saturday of deliberately starting a fuel crisis to increase prices on the black market.
"Houthi militants prevent hundreds of fuel-laden tankers arriving by land from areas under the control of government forces from reaching their destinations,” Information Minister Muammar Al Eryani said in a statement.
Claiming the Houthis deliberately started the fuel crisis to increase prices on the black market they created in the capital, Sanaa, and other regions, he said they also systematically implemented hunger and poverty policies against the Yemeni people.
The Houthis sacrificed civilians for financial and political gains, he said.
The Houthis has not yet responded to the claims.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-government-accuses-houthis-of-causing-fuel-crisis/2525307
but the Houthi side states otherwise (and this sounds more realistic):
(A K P)
STC militia seizes fuel tankers in Lahj
The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) militias have seized fuel tankers designated for the province of Taiz, in Tor Al-Baha district of Lahj province, southern Yemen.
Informed sources reported that the STC militia in the Tor al-Baha area prevented, on Friday, the passage of “ambulatory” fuel tankers in Al-Hadid area, demanding drivers to pay exorbitant fees.
The STC militia is causing a stifling fuel crisis in several northern provinces due to the detention of tankers in various areas, and the prevention of their passage except those pay big sums of money.
https://en.ypagency.net/255294/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/03/05/uae-backed-mercenaries-seize-fuel-transports-across-yemen/
(B K P)
UNVIM Situation Analysis – February 2022
Food and Fuel Discharged in February 2022
▪ During the reporting month, there was an 18% increase in food discharged (367,347 t) compared to the 2021 monthly average (310,856 t) and a 26% increase compared to the monthly average since May 2016 (291,350 t).
▪ During the reporting month, there was a 14% increase in fuel discharged (50,762 t) compared to the 2021 monthly average (44,589 t) and a 61% decrease compared to the monthly average since May 2016 (129,755 t).
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unvim-situation-analysis-february-2022
UNVIM Operational Snapshot – February 2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unvim-operational-snapshot-february-2022
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B H)
Film: Kriegsauswirkungen im Jemen: Weizenpreise steigen stark an
https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/Y3JpZDovL2Rhc2Vyc3RlLmRlL3RhZ2Vzc2NoYXUyNC8wZGY4NTQwNy1hMDQ0LTQ3OWUtYjU5Yi1kYTE1NTA0NDIwOTkvMQ/ = https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-1000167.html
und
(* B H)
Film: Krieg in der Ukraine verschärft auch die Lage im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen
Kürzere Version: https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-1000169.html
und
(* B H)
Film: WIRTSCHAFT: Ukraine-Krieg treibt Weizenpreise im Jemen in die Höhe, Die Börse
https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/ts24/wirtschaft/video-1000199.html = https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/ts24/wirtschaft/video-1000275.html
(B H P)
JEOPARDY TO SAFETY
This photo essay portrays the journey of Yemeni women activists and human rights defenders, with the help of the Yemeni shadow network, from jeopardy to safety.
https://www.yemenpolicy.org/jeopardy-to-safety/
(B H)
Photo: Poor Yemenis in Razih have access to life-saving health services at Razih Rural Hospital #Saada rebuilt and equipped by SFD with support by @EUinYemen via @UNDPYemen
https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1500869140592144388
(B H)
Film: Portraits of a Feminist Energy Transition - The experience in Yemen
In the context of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) and when an energy transition is discussed that involves an unprecedented technical and technological change to move from one energy source to another and counteract the effects of climate change, civil society organizations, the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) and the Inter-American Association for the Defense of the Environment (AIDA), with the support of FES-Geneva, launch the second video of the series. Asia Almashreqi, Chairperson of SDF, tells the story of an empowered group of women in Yemen that are actively participating providing sustainable energy solutions to their communities, while creating income earning opportunities in the face of a humanitarian crisis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFRy33PTjBM&t=1s
(* B H)
Der Krieg treibt die Brotpreise. Und die Ärmsten auf die Strasse?
Russland und die Ukraine bestellen einen Viertel der jährlichen Weizen-Produktion. Was passiert, wenn in Importländern wie Ägypten, Libyen, Jemen oder Bangladesch die Brotpreise steigen?
Die Ernte der Ukraine ist offensichtlich in Gefahr – und jene Länder, die Kiew als Lieferanten haben, müssen sich Sorgen machen. Bangladesch bezieht 21 Prozent seines Weizens von dort, der Jemen 22 Prozent, Libyen 43 Prozent und Tunesien sowie der Libanon gar 50 Prozent – alles arme Staaten, die ohnehin schon mit Inflation und geringer Stabilität zu kämpfen haben. Was werden erhöhte Brotpreise dort anrichten?
Auch der Blick auf die grössten Importeure weltweit gibt es Sprengstoff: 10,6 Prozent des Weizens landen in Ägypten, 5,2 Prozent in Indonesien, 4,9 Prozent in die Türkei, 3,8 Prozent nach Italien und 3,7 Prozent in die Philippinen. In den bevölkerungsreichen Ländern Ägypten, Indonesien und den Philippinen wird die Preiserhöhung das Gros der Bevölkerung treffen.
Besonders der Nahe Osten und Nordafrika sind offenbar gefährdet.
(* B H)
Julia Falkner: "Die Freude einer Mutter bei der Geburt ist überall gleich"
Die Hebamme Julia Falkner ist für Ärzte ohne Grenzen aktuell im Jemen im Einsatz und weiß, dass die Probleme von Frauen auf der ganzen Welt gleich sind.
Julia Falkner: Meine Arbeit hier kann man nicht mit der Hebammentätigkeit vergleichen, die ich gewohnt bin. Zu uns kommen nicht nur Frauen, sondern gesamte Familien, weil sie sonst gar keinen Zugang zum Gesundheitssystem haben oder sich den Transport dorthin nicht leisten können. Es gibt beispielsweise für die gesamte Bevölkerung der Westküste außer uns keinen Zugang zur Geburtshilfe.
Kannst du konkret sagen, was das für die Frauen dort bedeutet?
Die meisten Frauen an der Westküste haben eine Hausgeburt, weil sie es sich nicht leisten können, ein Taxi zu rufen, das sie zu uns bringt. Das Problem ist dann aber, dass diese Geburt nicht von ausgebildeten Hebammen betreut wird, sondern zum Beispiel von Großmüttern. Die schwangeren Frauen kommen erst zu uns, wenn es zu großen Komplikationen kommt und sie seit Tagen in den Wehen liegen.
Was sind Sorgen, die Frauen im Jemen haben, an die wir nicht mal denken?
Es sind oft ganz banale Fragen wie: Wie komme ich an Menstruationsprodukte? Was mache ich, wenn ich meine Tage habe? Das sind Tabu-Themen, über die oft nicht geredet wird. In Krisengebieten werden die Bedürfnisse von Frauen ganz hinten angestellt und erst sehr spät adressiert. Die Frauen haben oft keinen Zugang zu Verhütungsmitteln. Wir bieten diese an, aber in vielen Ländern sind wir nicht vor Ort.
In welchen Punkten merkst du, dass diese Frauen dieselben Sorgen oder Wünsche haben wie wir?
Gerade in meinem beruflichen Kontext mit Schwangeren und Neugeborenen merke ich ganz oft, dass Mütter hier dieselben Sorgen um ihre Kinder haben wie in Österreich. Beispielsweise die Angst, wenn das Baby Fieber hat und sie nicht wissen, ob es ihm gut geht und wie sie ihm helfen können.
https://wienerin.at/julia-falkner-die-freude-einer-mutter-bei-der-geburt-ist-uberall-gleich
(B H)
Yemen WASH Needs Tracking System (WANTS) Al Mawasit District, Ta'iz Governorate, January - February 2022
The findings below are based on nine (n=9) common key informant (KI) interviews conducted across three communities in Al Mawasit district, Ta'iz governorate. The type of assessed localities were rural areas.
Yemen WASH Needs Tracking System (WANTS) As Silw District, Ta'iz Governorate, January - February 2022
(B H)
Yemen: Rapid Response Mechanism-First Line Response RRM Cumulative Report, Jan - Feb 2022
Yemen: Rapid Response Mechanism-First Line Response RRM Monthly Report, Feb 2022
(B H P)
EU official: Yemen 'one of most difficult countries' in world for women
Deputy Head of the European Union Mission to Yemen, Marion Lallis, said yesterday that Yemen is "one of the most difficult countries in the world for women", Anadolu reported.
On the eve of International Women's Day, Lallis said: "The participation of women and men is essential to achieving peace and sustainable development in the country", emphasising the EU's commitment to "empowering Yemeni women in all fields."
(B H)
His theatre destroyed, actor finds a new stage
Actor’s new role brings laughter, smiles and messages about health and safety to children living through the tragedy of war.
For many years, Osama considered the theater his second home, a place where he could embody different characters, share poetic words of wisdom and see the smiles and laughter on the faces of people in his community.
“Every time I appear on the stage and see the smiles of children, I feel satisfied,” says Osama, a gregarious talkative man whose passion for acting has provided some refuge from the scourge and heartaches of war.
But Osama’s ability to pursue this dream suffered a serious blow when his beloved theatre was bombed and reduced to a pile of rubble.
“My dreams were shattered,” says Osama, standing on the ruins of what was once a spacious, airy theatre, capable of holding hundreds of people. “My dreams were here in this very place,” he says, looking out of a field of broken bricks and stone. “Here, we used to bring smiles to people’s faces … before the war began.”
Most of the theatre pieces his company produced were comedies and dramas that brought happiness and laughter while also sharing purposeful messages.
After the theatre was bombed, with the accumulated pain and despair of war weighing on him, Osama started looking for a new role: something that would again bring him joy and help him to rebuild his sense of purpose. His journey led him to the doors of the Yemeni Red Crescent in Al Hudaydah.
Now Osama uses his gift for comedy and drama to educate people through interactive theatre sketches. The performances also convey important messages about how to stay healthy and safe in a context where war has shattered many of the basic food, water, health and sanitation systems that keep communities safe and well.
https://www.rcrcmagazine.org/2022/02/yemen-his-theatre-destroyed-actor-finds-a-new-stage/
Part of series: https://www.rcrcmagazine.org/series/faces-of-yemen/
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0rNFZiqSPs&t=1s
(B H)
Yemen Humanitarian Update - Issue 2 / February 2022
HIGHLIGHTS
Underfunding jeopardizes critical assistance programmes
New UN strategy addresses Yemen’s deteriorating economy
With enhanced coordination in 2021, aid agencies reach 11.6 million people with assistance a month
COVID-19 response update
CERF allocates $20 million to support the humanitarian response in Ma’rib
Humanitarian Coordinator visits several governorates
UNDERFUNDING JEOPARDIZES CRITICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES
Aid agencies made significant gains in 2021, reaching an average of 11.6 million people with life-saving assistance every month. With the funding received mid-year, aid agencies were able to resume full food rations to those in severe need, reaching 13 million people with aid every month, and scale up nutrition interventions. These efforts have helped roll back the threat of famine, sustain public health, and provide critical health services to 6.7 million people; they also ensured nutrition support for more than 9 million women, girls and boys. Aid agencies reached communities in all of Yemen’s 333 districts with education, shelter, clean water and protection support. However, this assistance must be sustained during 2022 to protect the fragile gains made thus far.
Lack of funding had forced aid agencies to close or dramatically reduce life-saving assistance programmes, with 28 out of the UN’s 43 major programmes already scaled back or closed by January 2022. As a result, millions are losing access to food, water, healthcare, protection and other life-saving assistance.
Going forward, US$806 million is required to sustain WFP food assistance and nutrition programmes over the next six months.Starting in March, 10.9 million people in need will be affected by cuts to food assistance, and WFP’s nutrition programmes would face cuts and would likely be suspended from May, affecting up to 2.5 million nursing mothers and children. Moreover, without $32 million in urgent funding to cover the next three months, UNICEF will be unable to continue treatment for children under 5 years old suffering from severe acute malnutrition, while preventative nutrition services for 880,000 children under 5 and 440,000 pregnant and lactating women will be put on hold. Additional support is urgently required to sustain other critical assistance programmes, such as water and sanitation services, which face closure in 15 cities across Yemen, affecting 4.6 million people, and shelter assistance for some 400,000 displaced people. The UN and aid partners have raised the alarm and are engaging donors to provide urgent support to sustain these life-saving programmes.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-update-issue-2-february-2022
(* B H)
Film: Malnutrition au Yémen : la vie de millions d’enfants menacée par la faim
Randa a trois ans, mais pèse à peine quatre kilogrammes. La fillette souffre de malnutrition aiguë et risque la mort, comme des millions d'autres enfants au Yémen, pays ravagé par plus de sept ans de guerre. L'ONU ne cesse de mettre en garde contre un risque de famine à grande échelle dans ce qu'elle considère comme l'une des pires catastrophes humanitaires au monde. Avec la chute de l'aide internationale, cette menace s'est accentuée au fil des derniers mois.
(B H)
Aden's Prosthetics Center Helps 352 People in February
Backed by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), during February 2022, the Prosthetics Center in Aden provided various medical services for 352 Yemenis who lost their limbs, the Saudi news agency reported.
Throughout the project, 1,125 services were provided to beneficiaries, 78% of them were males and 22% females. While 38% of the beneficiaries were among the displaced and 62% were residents.
The center’s services also included manufacturing, installing, and rehabilitating prosthetic limbs for 129 patients, including delivery, measurement, and maintenance of prosthetic limbs.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/34641
(* B H)
Yemen: Humanitarian Response Snapshot (December 2021)
In Yemen, there are some 20.7 million people in dire humanitarian need, who require some form of humanitarian assistance or protection. In 2021, the crisis in Yemen, which is primarily driven by conflict and an economic collapse, has been exacerbated by COVID-19, and heavy rains and flooding. In addition, a fuel crisis has increased needs, and persistent access challenges hinder effective aid operation. An alarming increase in food insecurity and acute malnutrition is forecasted by the year’s end. In parallel, the 2021 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) remains largely underfunded – as of December 2021, only US$2.86 billion of the $3.85 billion needed had been received.
In the twelve months of 2021, 208 humanitarian organizations continued to deliver aid to an average of 11.6 million people per month. While the number of people reached with assistance remained low across many clusters areas, partners continued to provide support to millions of people – an average of 11.1 million were reached each month with food assistance, over 4 million were reached with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, Health Cluster partner supported 557,104, and 1 million received nutrition treatment.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-response-snapshot-december-2021
(* B H)
Yemen: Organization Monthly Presence December 2021
In December 2021, 133 organizations implemented Humanitarian Response Plan activities in Yemen’s 333 districts. Eight UN agencies were active in 332 districts, 45 international NGOs in 253 districts, and 80 national NGOs in 318 districts. The highest number of organizations were from the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) – 60 worked in 325 districts. The Protection Cluster had 46 organizations active in 263 districts. In other large cluster areas, 39 Health Cluster partners implemented activities in 318 districts, 37 Nutrition partners implemented activities in 328 districts and 33 WASH partners in 167 districts.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-organization-monthly-presence-december-2021-enar
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(A H P)
African migrants in southern Yemen stage protest at UN building
Dozens of African migrants have condemned the United Nations’ neglect of their suffering resulting from their poor living conditions in the occupied southern Yemeni governorates
(A H P)
Film: #Ukraine️: Arab students and old persons (even Women) sleep in the open because they are prevented from fleeing the war because of the racial discrimination against them, as the Ukrainian forces prevent Non Ukrainians and Europeans. It’s awful act.
https://twitter.com/DrMahmoudRefaat/status/1500907711986376712
(A H)
Films: Angelina Jolie Visits Displaced Families In Yemen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ePXOYtR_s&t=1s
https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1500994708239048704
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC4Z9_qJ9G0
https://twitter.com/EremNews/status/1500532308948156418
https://twitter.com/alsyaaq/status/1500546758572576770
Photos: https://twitter.com/firas_alyafie/status/1500788685461245957
(B H)
Film: UNHCR @Refugees @UNHCRYemen Special Envoy #Angelina_Jolie arrives in #Aden on a humanitarian mission to the camps of #IDPs and refugees in #Yemen, on this occasion Mimi invites Angelina to review the conditions of the camps of IDPs in #Marib, who face many risks and violations.
https://twitter.com/maldhabyani/status/1500531639218319362
(* B H)
Trips of Death from Horn of Africa to Yemen
Thousands of Ethiopian refugees live on a piece of land in Aden's Khur Maksar. The majority were forcibly displaced by the Iran-backed Houthi militias, who burned down their Sanaa detention center, which housed some 900 migrants. The migrants were held at the prison for refusing to fight for the militias in the ongoing conflict.
The refugees in Khur Maksar rely on donations from the residents and they have offered to wash cars. They complain of the meager donations provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Conflict in Africa has pushed people to resume taking the trip of death from the continent across the Gulf of Aden to reach Yemen and eventually the Gulf countries. The illegal activity spiked in late 2021 after a notable dip.
Yemeni authorities have stressed that they were working with international organizations to combat human traffickers and smugglers.
The IOM in Yemen has said that in spite of the raging conflict there, the country is still a main crossing for migrants from the Horn of Africa. It registered the arrival of 27,693 migrants in Yemen in 2021. The main crossing points in Yemen are dotted along its southern coast in the provinces of Lahj, Shabwa, Hadhramaut and Taiz.
Migrants from Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia often risk death by riding in boats from their countries, seeking safer shores in Yemen. They begin their dangerous journey from Ethiopia, stopping in the port city of Obock in Djibouti before departing towards the Mandeb Strait and reaching the Lahj and Taiz shores.
A secondary route, crossing through Somalia, has emerged after patrols were intensified on the primary route between Djibouti and Yemen.
Migrants departing Somalia's Bosaso arrive on the coasts of Shabwa and Hadhramaut. The second route is longer but just as dangerous.
The majority of migrants are seeking safety in the Gulf countries, but often their journey - as observed by the IOM - ends in Yemen.
There, the migrants are the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of society. They are often exploited and abused. They live in dire conditions with limited access to the most basic services, such as shelter, food, water and healthcare.
Yemeni authorities have cracked down on human traffickers, who cooperate with smugglers in Africa to exploit the migrants and extort their families before being allowed to embark on their dangerous journey.
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3514081/trips-death-horn-africa-yemen
(B H)
Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, covering the period 22 February - 5 March 2022
UNHCR observed a drop in the internally displaced people's (IDP) attendance at community centres, most likely due to the increase in transportation prices associated with fuel shortages.
UNHCR has supported over 15,260 internally displaced families with cash assistance (mainly in multipurpose cash assistance and rental subsidies) so far in 2022 out of the initial1 planned target of 42,000 households. On 24 February 2022, UNHCR launched cash distribution in Sana'a hub. Some 8,830 IDP households are targeted by the first cash distribution batch of 2022, out of which 2,974 households received their cash assistance while the remaining are expected to receive it in the coming days. Another 3,447 families received cash assistance in Al-Dhale'e, Ibb, and Taizz governorates, 692 in Sa'adah and 2,355 in Al Jawf governorate.
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look ap 1, cp2a
(A P)
Information Minister: Yemeni People Will not Die Starving Due US-Saudi-Emirati Siege
Minister of Information Daifullah Al-Shami affirmed that the Yemeni people have given a clear message that they will not die of starvation and siege, and that they will move to confront the aggressor who is trying to kill them with siege and bombing.
He explained that the great mass rally yesterday confirmed the people's support for their leadership, and thwarted the enemy's attempt to show that our people are resentful of the Sana'a government, noting that the siege comes as a result of the inability of the US-Saudi aggression to achieve any military victory.
(A P)
PM: Women’s participation is key factor for development of societies and countries
The Prime Minister, Dr. Abdulaziz Saleh bin Habtoor, on Tuesday considered the participation of women in various fields of life as one of the main factors for the development of societies and countries.
During his participation in the women’s conference organized by the Ministry of Human Rights today on the occasion of International Women’s Day under the slogan “Women and men… one responsibility and one entity”, Dr. bin Habtoor explained that celebrating this day through this event and its axes gives it an additional advantage.
https://en.ypagency.net/255626/
My comment: LOL. This is ridiculous taking into account the Houthi oppression of women.
(A P)
An appeal court in Yemen upholds death sentence awarded to Kerala nurse
Nimisha Priya, who was working as a nurse in Yemen, was convicted on charges of murdering a Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017.
(A P)
The tribes of north Yemen have begun to rise up and announce their discontent toward the Houthi militia …refuse Houthi recruitment of their members into warfronts realizing that the Houthi militia are aggravating their living conditions … and plotting against their young generations./Almeethaq News website
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55029
(A P)
Photos: Anti-Houthi graffiti, like "Get out Houthis", and "#Yemen isn't part of #Iran", sprayed on walls in Houthi-held Sana'a for 1st time since their takeover of the capital in 2014. Houthis therefore launched arrest campaign in many neighborhoods of Sana'a, according to residents.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1500928562794217481
and
(A P)
Slogans on Sana'a walls scare Houthis. Does it usher in a coming revolution?. "Leave Houthis" is a slogan people have anonymously written on walls across Sana'a revealing increasing public wrath at how things have become in Sana'a as a result of the Houthi control./Almanarah Net website'
"Houthis are terrorists": Slogans and posts attacking the militia spread in the capital Sana'a today./Yemeni Post.
Houthis close main streets in Sana'a and other governorates /Yemeni Sport
Breaking News: High alert, gunmen, barricades and checkpoints in Sana'a/Almashehad Alkhaleeji.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55029
(A P)
Houthis carry a widespread campaign to rob households of their livestock in north Yemen's Mahweet governorate /Al-Rashad Press
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55029
(A P)
Houthi militia confiscate the house of a famous businessman in Dhamar "Abdusalam Al-Kohram"/Sawt Al-Yemen
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55029
(A P)
The household of Al-Mutawakkil (a branch of the Hashemite extended family to which Houthis belong) demand Abdulmalik Al-Houthi to hand over power to them as themselves being the "legitimate heirs" of the pre-1962 Mutawakkili kingdom/Voice of Yemen
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55029
(A K P)
Yemen Hurricane National Steadfastness, Painful Blow to US-Saudi Aggression
Yemen Hurricane campaign to mobilize and to be on high alert came to constitute a national necessity to confront the US-Saudi aggression against Yemeni people, which is now entering its eighth year. It aims at strengthening national steadfastness in the face of aggression and to supply the fighting fronts with men, money and weapons.
This national campaign, which will include all official, popular and elite levels, must be attended by all official and popular institutions. It is an important interaction to support the Army and Popular Committees to confront the aggression, strengthen the national alignment and support the stationed people on the fighting fronts.
The campaign, with its lofty goal of mobilizing society in all its categories to confront the aggression, confirms the importance of sensing national responsibility, uniting the national ranks, and strengthening the unity of the social fabric in the face of aggression and its tools.
and
(A K P)
Yemen Under US-Saudi Siege, Hurricane Operations Yemenis Choice
Words of solidarity with the people of Yemen and signs of human sympathy with the weakest faith are not found in newspapers, platforms, audio-visual means and websites. Disappointment and bitterness due to the scarcity of free attitudes in the Arab world and the world after deliberate political marginalization and orchestrated blackout.
In Yemen, a free people, suffers from a severe siege that prevents them from food, medicine and fuel. They are facing a fierce and brutal war, the impact of which is doubled by that shameful and suspicious silence with the complicity and involvement of the silent ones. Evidence of the bloody tragedy generates more majesty and glare for the steadfastness of a resistant people that refuses grievance, refuses to surrender, and makes sacrifices generously in defense of its dignity and freedom.
Depriving the people of Yemen of necessities pushes them to a strict response that crosses and drops virtual red lines. The harbinger of the air hurricane on the Saudi-Emirati oil installations lies here, unless the blockade on Yemen is lifted that is intended to suffocate and intimidate the Yemenis to break their will and subjugate them.
This is an option that derives its legitimacy from the justice of defending the existence of the Yemeni people against wars of extermination and starvation.
(* B P)
Repression of women on rise in rebel-held Yemen
Yemen has long been a deeply conservative society, but the Iran-backed Huthis are enforcing their austere brand of Islam with an iron fist, witnesses say.
Violations of women's rights in Huthi-controlled areas grew "more acute" last year, according to Yemeni non-governmental organisation Mwatana for Human Rights.
The clampdown on freedoms includes prohibiting the use of contraception and restricting women's right to work, it said.
"The situation is bad for women all over the country, but it is worse in the areas under Huthi control," Mwatana's Noria Sultan told AFP.
One resident in Sanaa, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said rebels used the smallest apparent infringement of their rules as an excuse to "beat, imprison and humiliate women".
In Balqees's case, rebel officials also objected to the women travelling without a male guardian -- which although not law in Yemen, is demanded by Huthi forces. "It used to be normal for women to travel," she said.
When Balqees said she planned to cross the front lines to travel to the government-controlled southern port of Aden, things turned worse.
"He said, 'God willing, you'll be going to hell'," she said.
Huthi forces seized their identification papers and ordered them back to Sanaa.
"I felt like I was being interrogated like a criminal," she said, adding the soldiers were staring and leering at them in an unpleasant manner.
"If there were proper institutions, we could have insisted on our rights, but there's no one to complain to," she added. "It's humiliating."
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220308-repression-of-women-on-rise-in-rebel-held-yemen = https://www.rfi.fr/en/middle-east/20220308-repression-of-women-on-rise-in-rebel-held-yemen
(A P)
Houthis Warn Israel, Touts Military Training
Yemen’s Houthi movement (also known as Ansarallah) recently published a military training video warning Israel of a potential response by the Iran-backed group if conflict with the Palestinians or Hezbollah were to erupt.
The publication shows Houthi militants performing various training exercises including hand-to-hand combat and weapons training on targets resembling the flag of Israel.
The publication included a threat subtitled in Hebrew warning Israel that it needed to consider the Yemeni people before it involved itself in any future confrontation with Hezbollah or the Palestinians.
Although not as impressive, the video is a near carbon copy of several publications by Hezbollah’s Radwan Force which were disseminated online over the last two years.
https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2022/03/houthis-warn-israel-touts-military-training.php
(A P)
Revolution Leader: Faith affiliation ideal choice for victory of nation
Revolution leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi affirmed the faith is affiliation an ideal choice to the victory of the nation and protect it from the conspiracies of its enemies.
In his speech on the occasion of the anniversary of the martyr leader, the revolution leader spoke of important options, ensuring the nation's freedom and independence.
The leader reiterated the need to continue to confront the aggression against Yemen, building on faith, persistence, and the continuation of the "Cyclone Yemen" campaign to warn against the aggression.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3178043.htm
(A P)
PM: “Yemen cyclone” in 8th year will be devastating to enemies
Prime Minister Dr. Abdulaziz bin Habtoor said on Sunday that the “Yemen Cyclone” in the eighth year of the aggression will be a hurricane that destroys the enemies who attack Yemen and its history, present, and future.
This came during his participation today in a ceremony organized by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and its affiliated institutions on the anniversary of the martyr leader (Sayyed Hussein Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi).
https://en.ypagency.net/255407/
(A P)
Sana'a hosts rally criticizing Houthi court for death sentences
Yemen's Association for Abductees Mothers on Thursday staged a rally in Sana'a to protest a ruling issued by a Houthi-run court that sentenced 13 people to death and imprisonment on a charge of "forming an armed gang" affiliated to the Saudi-led coalition.
Outside the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Yemeni mothers raised signs reading "We condemn death sentences and imprisonment against 13 abductees", and "We call for an end to political trials over war, and to capital sentences."
Mothers, wives and children of abductees were choked by the unexpected verdicts, the Association said in a release. "They expected rulings that would release them after years of imprisonment."
https://debriefer.net/en/news-28973.html = https://debriefer.net/en/news-28976.html
and also http://ama-ye.org/index.php?no=1849&ln=En
(A P)
UN muss Jemen nur „ein Viertel“ ihrer Aufmerksamkeit für Ukraine widmen
Das jemenitische Parlament hat die Vereinten Nationen aufgefordert, der humanitären Krise im kriegszerrütteten Jemen „auch ein Viertel“ der Aufmerksamkeit zu widmen, die sie der Ukraine geschenkt haben.
(A P)
Yemeni parliament: UN only needs to pay ‘a quarter’ of its attention to Ukraine to Yemen
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/05/678033/Sana%E2%80%99a-urges-UN-pay-some-attention-to-Yemen
(A P)
Huthi-Prediger: Bete zu Allah, dass Krieg in Osteuropa nicht endet
In den Moscheen der von den Huthis besetzten jemenitischen Gebieten werden Kriegs- und Untergangsfantasien verbreitet, die sich gegen die USA, aber auch gegen Europa wenden.
Am 25. Februar erklärte der Huthi-Gelehrte Hamdi Ziad in seiner Freitagspredigt in der jemenitischen Stadt Sa’ada, er bete zu Allah, der Krieg möge nicht nur auf Osteuropa beschränkt bleiben. In seiner vom Huthi-Sender Al-Eman TV übertragenen Predigt sagte Ziad die Zerstörung von Paris, London und Berlin voraus.
Allah werde die europäischen Länder in Zukunft nicht verschonen, so Ziad, selbst wenn ihnen jetzt der Krieg vielleicht noch erspart bliebe. Auch die NATO sehe ihrem Ende entgegen, gleichgültig, ob sie nun in die Kämpfe eingreife oder nicht, denn jene Länder, die an der Zerstörung des Jemen, Syriens, des Libanon, des Irak und Palästinas beteiligt waren, würden den Zorn Allahs zu spüren bekommen.
https://www.mena-watch.com/huthi-prediger-bete-zu-allah-dass-krieg-in-osteuropa-nicht-endet/
und auch https://www.mena-watch.com/mufti-der-huthi-im-jemen-ruft-zur-militarisierung-auf/
(A P)
Yemen Friday Sermon by Houthi Scholar Hamdi Ziad: We Ask Allah that the War in Europe Does Not Stop; Paris, London, Berlin Will Be Destroyed
In a Friday, February 25, 2022 sermon in Sa'ada, Yemen that was aired on Al-Eman TV (Houthis-Yemen), Houthi scholar Hamdi Ziad said that he prays to Allah that the war in Eastern Europe does not end. He said that the countries in Europe will not be spared by Allah in the future, even if they are spared from the war now, and he predicted that Paris, London, and Berlin will be destroyed. Ziad also said that the countries that took part in the destruction of Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine will feel the wrath of Allah. He added that NATO will meet its end whether it joins the fight or not.
Hamdi Ziad: "We ask Allah that the war in East Europe, on the Russian border, does not stop. We do so not because we support this side or the other. No. We are a proud and independent nation, and we do not support either side. We know that the central European countries that want the war with the Russians to remained confined to Eastern Europe...
"Even if they are spared by Allah now, they will not be spared in the future. Allah alone knows, but we will witness the destruction of Paris, London, and Berlin, and all those that took part in the destruction of Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine. We will see the destruction of all these cities.
(A P)
Under the influence of a senior militant (so-called Security Supervisor) Houthi militia-run court issues death sentence against a police station director and his soldiers in Sana'a/Ethraa
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-54990
(A P)
Houthis seize the properties of 42 civilian oppositionists, a human rights organization says/Khabar News Agency
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-54990
(A P)
Houthis wake up with the slogan "Leave Houthis" written on many walls in Sana'a city prompting the militia to deploy gunmen across Sana'a and staying on high alert. The graffiti indicate the possibility of eruption of a hungry people's revolution/Multiple websites
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-54990
(A P)
Mohammed Al-Houthi confirms keenness to promote university education
In the graduation ceremony of the first and second batches “Yemen Hurricane” from the September 21 University of Medical and Applied Sciences, and the inauguration of electronic systems and automatic linkage with the General Postal Authority, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi indicated that the university has become a grand scientific edifice that provides society with qualified and quality medical cadres.
https://en.ypagency.net/255339/
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp6 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-793b-yemen-war-mosaic-793b
Vorige / Previous:
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-792a / Yemen War Mosaic 1-792a:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
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