Dies ist die Fortsetzung von Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 806, Teil 1 / This is the sequel of Yemen War Mosaic 806, part 1:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-806-yemen-war-mosaic-806
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 1 / In Italics: Look in part 1
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 Aden-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Aden government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
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
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13c 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
cp6 Südjemen und Aden-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Aden government
(A)
Attack leaves two militants loyal to STC killed in Shabwah
According to the sources, tribesmen from Al al-Haddar gunmen fired a hail of bullets at security guards in a school which being used as exam centre in Bayhan, west of the province.
https://en.ypagency.net/261091/
(A T)
Southern-forces-announce-the-killing-of-a-senior-aqap-leader-in-shabwa
(A P)
Yemeni army abides by truce, retains right to respond to breaches: defense minister
https://debriefer.net/en/news-29591.html
(A P)
Unprecedentedly, passengers light Aden airport lounges with their phones
Activists circulated on social media Tuesday a ridiculous picture from inside the halls of Aden International Airport.
Shocking scenes showed power outages at Yemen’s second largest airport, Aden International Airport, warning of an unprecedented disaster, especially since navigation, communications and runway lighting equipment are linked.
https://en.ypagency.net/261076/
(A T)
Fires devour palm plantations in Hadramout
Unidentified persons set fire to the palms farms and plantations in Hadramout province.
Residents of the area denounced the absence of civil defense forces and firefighting vehicles
https://en.ypagency.net/261027/
(A P)
STC militants block main streets in Aden
According to local sources in the city, dozens of the militants were deployed in the vicinity of the coalition-controlled Central Bank of Aden in the Crater area, preventing cars and citizens from passing towards the bank.
https://en.ypagency.net/261040/
(A P)
Efforts have failed to secure the release of the Taiz military intelligence department chief Brig. Abduh al-Buhayri who was kidnapped by the STC militia while en route to Aden to attend an official meeting, the spokesman of Taiz army said/ Bawabati
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55965
(A P)
Taiz protesters: Each time UN gives Houthis new gain and repeats to Taiz the same promise
Thousands of people organized in Yemen's central Taiz on Wednesday a massive protest at the exclusion of the city from an Arab-Houthi agreement to lift blockades in Yemen.
The protesters condemned the agreement and chanted slogans like "Oh [UN] envoy shame on You. Taiz Rejects the Siege" and "They have opened the Hodeidah Seaport for [Houthis] to smuggle [arms]."
"We are protesting at the successive UN-brokered deals that each time give Houthis a new gain and repeat to Taizis the same empty promise: of lifting the blockade," Adel Noman a protester said.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55964
(A P)
STC militias loot merchants’ merchandise in Lahj
https://en.ypagency.net/260914/
(A P)
Military commander, STC’s worst enemy arrives at Aden
Medially sources affirmed that the commander of “Aden battle” against STC on August 2019, and the commander of first brigade “Presidential Guards”, Sanad Al-Rahwa arrived at Al-Maashiq palace, coming from Shaqra city in Abyan province.
https://en.ypagency.net/260890/
(A P)
Popular campaign calls on UN to pressure coalition to open Al-Rayyan, Al-Ghaydah airports
Activists in the Yemeni southern provinces launched Monday a campaign on social media calling on the United Nations to pressure the Saudi-led coalition to open Al-Rayyan and Al-Ghaydah airports in Hadramout in Mahra provinces, eastern Yemen.
Activists described the continued closure of Al-Rayyan Airport in Hadramout by the UAE, which was turned it into a military base, as “insolence and lack of modesty.”
Abdullah Badbian, Legal Adviser – Head of Insaf Legal Club – Member of Amnesty International, said that the continued closure of Al-Rayyan Airport is “illogical and humanitarian, regardless of the reasons and justifications.”
https://en.ypagency.net/260952/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/05/17/yemeni-activists-demand-end-of-saudi-uae-blockade-on-al-rayyan-and-al-ghaydah-airports/
(B P)
On the ruins the Islah party, Saleh's men return to the fore with unlimited support from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the last trump card that the coalition is throwing after the killing of Saleh and his party losing the battle of Sanaa?! Will the next battle be more political than military, if we take into account the money, the popular base and the relations?!
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1525941905636397058
(A P)
Senior military leaders killed in Marib
About 2 senior military commanders loyal to the Saudi-led coalition forces were killed on Sunday in the city of Marib, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The sources in Marib affirmed that Brigadier General Abd Rabbo Al-Ahraq, the staff of the 159th Infantry Brigade of the coalition, and the commander of the Islah Party militia Harib Al-Qamish Front in Marib, Gibran Al-Mansouri, were killed due to the honor case.
Al-Mansouri and Al-Ahraq were killed after being tried to kidnap a girl from Harib al-Qaramish tribe in “Al-Huwaitna” area, south of the city, where the girl screamed and sought the help of her brothers who clashed with several commanders’ militants.
The clashes led to the killing of the two leaders, with several militants, and one of the girl’s brothers, as well as the injury of another brother of the girl.
https://en.ypagency.net/260810/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/05/15/two-saudi-backed-military-officers-killed-in-tribal-retaliation-attack/
and
(B P T)
The Islah Party and the last battle for survival in the south. Will the pro-Emirati wings succeed in uprooting the ancient party from its last strongholds in the south after its expulsion from #Shabwa? How was the burning Brigadier General "Al-Ahraq" in #Marib, which is subject to strict security measures? Will bin Aziz and Dhiyab bin Maili succeed in extricating the party from the last stronghold in northern #Yemen?!
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1525935208243113984
(A T)
Film: An explosion thought to be a car bomb rocked the Mualla district in the port city of #Aden , the interim seat of the intentionally-recognized government. #Yemen A video received from Aden
https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1525776838852763650
(A P)
The pro-coalition #Taiz military axis accused the Southern Transitional Council forces of kidnapping the head of the intelligence division in the axis, "Brigadier Abdo al-Buhairi" with his companions in the city of #Aden and taking him to an unknown destination, while he was on his way to attend a military meeting. Local sources said that "Brigadier General Al-Buhairi was kidnapped by forces affiliated with the pro-Emirati STC, Brigade 5 Security Belt, led by Saleh Al-Sayed, from the entrances to the city of #Aden.
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1525911983714885632
(B P)
#Aden is witnessing widespread insecurity, assassinations and liquidations among the armed factions loyal to the Saudi-led coalition. (photos)
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1525909555514953729
(A T)
Aden explosion: senior security official the target of car bomb
Brig Gen Saleh Ali Al Dharhani survives assassination attempt in southern Yemen
and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/35046
Films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y45721aGadc
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1525836335264813057
(* A K P)
Shabwa witnesses military tension between pro-UAE armed factions
Shabwa province, eastern Yemen, on Saturday witnessed a mutual military build-up between the armed factions loyal to the UAE.
This coincided with the escalation of tensions between the Southern Transitional Council (STC) militia on the one hand and the militants of Tariq Saleh and Shabwa governor militias on the other, in light of the efforts of each faction to control the oil sources in the province.
According to media sources, the STC militia has sent new military reinforcements to the outskirts of Ataq city, the capital of Shabwa, coming from Abyan province.
For their part, the so-called “Al-Amaliqa Brigades” and the militants of the so-called “Shabwa Defense Force” have reinforced their presence in the areas near the oil fields with dozens of military personnel.
Tribal sources said that hundreds of “Al-Amaliqa” members affiliated with the so-called joint forces led by Tariq Saleh arrived during the past hours to Markha district and the outskirts of Usailan district, where the oil wells are located.
The STC had earlier warned the governor of Shabwa, Awad al-Awlaqi, who is also loyal to the UAE, against facilitating the control of Tariq’s forces over the oil sources in the province, threatening to prevent them by force.
https://en.ypagency.net/260679/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/05/14/further-infighting-threatens-to-engulf-occupied-shabwah-province/
and
(* A P)
Infighting amongst various UAE-backed mercenaries increases as Tariq Saleh vows to march on Aden
Tariq Saleh, commander of the pro-UAE mercenary factions, has on Thursday sent new military forces to Aden in defiance of the UAE-Southern Transitional Council (STC), which threatened to arrest him and expel his forces.
According to local sources, a military convoy comprising of several armoured vehicles and military pickup vehicles arrived at Camp Tariq in Bir Ahmed at dawn.
The reinforcements came a day after the STC Chief of Staff, Moeen al-Megrahi, said in a news statement that his forces would not hesitate to arrest Tariq Saleh if he continues to deploy his forces in the city.
Al-Megrahi confirmed that the factions would manage to expel Saleh’s forces from Aden, noting that they arrested officers affiliated with Tariq Saleh who were trying to enter the city.
Earlier, Tariq Saleh’s forces launched a new campaign of arrests against members of the STC, in Shabwah province in southern Yemen, a few hours after the STC militias captured about 20 officers and soldiers loyal to the Riyadh-formed Presidential Council in the city of Aden.
(* B P)
UAE moves to separate Socotra from Yemen
Local sources revealed objectives of visit conducted by the minister of agriculture and fisheries loyal to Saudi-led coalition to the occupied island of Socotra, Yemen Press Agency reported, citing local source.
According to the source, the minister Salem Abdullah Al-Soqotri is seeking to activate the so-called “Dixam Agreement” and activate it under the direction of the Riyadh-backed Presidential Council to lease Socotra island to the UAE.
The sources confirmed that al-Soqotri carried out a campaign to collect the signatures of sheikhs and dignitaries on the island in coordination with the UAE intelligence representative Khalfan al-Mazroui, in addition to taking approval from government offices under the control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s militia.
The sources explained that he provided huge amounts of money to all those who agree to separate Socotra island from its Yemeni surroundings.
The sources attributed the raid on the house of Sheikh Saad Abdullah al-Farajhi last week in the district of Qulansiyah due to his positions in rejecting the removal of the Yemeni island from the motherland, and the removal of the flag of the Republic of Yemen from the house of Al-Farajhi.
https://en.ypagency.net/260742/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/05/15/saudi-led-authorities-planning-to-lease-socotra-island-to-uae/
(A P)
Yemeni LC declares 3-day mourning for Emirati President death
Yemen's Leadership Council (LC) on Friday declared 3-day mourning for the death of the Emirati President, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, who died earlier on Friday after long struggle with illness.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-29560.html
(A P)
Explosion hits oil pipeline in eastern Yemen
An oil pipeline in eastern Yemen was blown up and set on fire by unidentified gunmen for the second time in a month.
Local informed sources in the Yemeni province of Shabwah reported the incident on Friday night.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/186758/Explosion-hits-oil-pipeline-in-eastern-Yemen
and also https://en.ypagency.net/260708/
and
(A T)
For the second time in less than a month, unidentified vandalizers blew up yesterday a gas pipeline in Mifah district, Shabwa province.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1525535660261744642
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55927
(A P)
STC declares official mourning after death of UAE President
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35038
and also https://en-smanews.org/south-arabia/stc-mourns-sheikh-khalifa-bin-zayed-al-nahyan-uae-president/
(A P)
Film: Taiz condemns the killing of journalists and demands deterrent laws
Yemeni media professionals in Taiz condemned, in a sit-in, the killing of the Palestinian journalist and Al-Jazeera correspondent Shiree Abu Aqleh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faQEj2JMSL4
(A P)
STC Celebrates its 5th Foundation Anniversary
A special ceremony took place in the capital Aden on Thursday to mark the fifth anniversary of Aden's Historic Announcement (May 4th) and the foundation of the Southern Transitional Council (May 11th).
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35032
(* A P)
Al-#Mahra Tribes Warn Against Building New Base By Coalition
Prominent social leaders in Al-Mahra province, eastern #Yemen, warned on Thursday of the repercussions of the coalition’s start to establish a new military base in the province, which #Saudi Arabia aspires to be a gateway to export oil. The head of the sit-in committee in Al-#Mahra, Ali Al-Huraizi, said during an urgent meeting that the tribes of the province bordering the Sultanate of Oman will not allow the coalition to pass its agenda in violating the country’s sovereignty and robbing its wealth, indicating the tribes’ readiness to confront any new schemes. Al-Huraizi’s statement came with his disclosure that Saudi Arabia had started bringing dozens of locomotives loaded with building materials to Al-Ghaydah Airport, which is being used as a base by foreign forces. Al-Huraizi said that the plan calls for the establishment of a military base inside the airport.
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1524882350055776259
and
(* A P)
Illegal British bases still being constructed in eastern Yemen
The former Deputy Governor of Mahrah, Ali bin Salem al-Huraizi, who has opposed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’ presence in Mahrah, has revealed that British military bases are being built in the province.
Al-Huraizi explained that 18 tankers entered Al-Ghaydah Airport, which is under the control of British and American forces during the past days, stressing that the Riyadh-formed Presidential Council was established in order to pass the plans of the occupation.
He said, “Saudi Arabia continues to plot against Yemen, and whoever believes that any solution is in their hands is delusional.”
“The Yemenis know all the conspiracies and schemes hatched against their country by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and they will rise up against them,” he added.
At the committee meeting, he called on the Yemeni people to work towards the expulsion of all occupation forces.
(A T)
Armed attack targets residential building in Taiz
https://en.ypagency.net/260571/
(A E P)
UAE withdraws foreign currency from Aden
The UAE has withdrew foreign currencies from Aden city, south of Yemen, to Abu Dhabi.
Coalition-run local media reported on Thursday the transfer of large sums of money from the Central Bank of Aden to the UAE.
The process of transferring came within the framework of the agreement signed between Moeen Abdul Malik’s government and the coalition countries, which stipulated the opening of accounts in the name of the Central Bank in Abu Dhabi banks, in preparation for the withdrawal of the currencies from Aden.
The sources confirmed that about $2 million had been withdrawn from the central bank accounts in Aden, and deposited it in banks affiliated with the UAE government, under the allegations of commercial deals.
https://en.ypagency.net/260556/
(A P)
Southern Yemeni separatists abduct Red Cross personnel in Lahj
Militants loyal to the loyal to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) have kidnapped a crew of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Lahj province, southern Yemen.
(A P)
The U/a/E-aligned STC militia have been kidnapping northern Yemenis arriving in Aden (in search of work) and throwing them in the Beer Ahmed notorious jail where they are grievously assaulted and forced to confess that they are terrorist cells/Taiz News
The STC militia kidnap three civilians (members of the same family) as they were travelling back to Taiz/Bawabati.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55889
(A T)
Unidentified shooters kill security officer in Yemen's Aden: gov't official
http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2022-05/12/content_78213261.htm
(A K P)
Driver, gunman killed in Shabwa armed clashes
A bus driver and a militant were killed in fierce clashes erupted on Wednesday between armed factions loyal to UAE in Shabwa province, southeast of Yemen.
https://en.ypagency.net/260483/
(A E)
Domestic gas cylinder sold for 35,000 riyals on Socotra Island due to UAE occupation’s monopoly
The price of a Domestic gas cylinder hit high figures due to the UAE occupation monopoly of on the Yemen’s occupied island of Socotra, Yemen Press Agency reported, citing local sources.
According to the sources, Khalifa Foundation, the UAE intelligence arm in Socotra, has raised the price of domestic gas cylinder to 35,000 riyals for one cylinder.
The sources confirmed that raising the price of domestic gas after the UAE’s ADNOC station had sold a gallon capacity of 20 Liters for 24, 000 riyals, causing multiple crises on the island.
https://en.ypagency.net/260509/
(A P)
Shatara: STC was made for the people's will
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35029
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A P)
UN-Gesandter: Gespräche laufen jetzt, um den zweimonatigen Waffenstillstand im Jemen zu verlängern
Mit nur noch zwei Wochen in einem zweimonatigen Waffenstillstand im Jemen sagte der UN-Gesandte für das vom Krieg heimgesuchte Land am Dienstag, dass die Gespräche mit der Regierung und den Houthi-Rebellen gerade laufen und er das hofft Der Waffenstillstand wird verlängert.
Hans Grundberg war jedoch vorsichtig mit Prognosen. Er sagte, dass die Zustimmung zu einer Verlängerung von den Gesprächen abhängen würde, die er und sein Büro mit den Kriegsparteien führen.
„Während dieser letzten sechs Wochen haben wir erhebliche positive Auswirkungen auf das tägliche Leben vieler Jemeniten gesehen“, sagte er Reportern nach einem geschlossenen Briefing vor dem UN-Sic
Seit dem Waffenstillstand, sagte Grundberg, „sind die Kämpfe stark zurückgegangen, ohne Luftangriffe aus dem Jemen über seine Grenzen und keine bestätigten Luftangriffe im Jemen.“
„Die Frontlinien im Jemen haben sich deutlich beruhigt, und es gibt Berichte über einen zunehmenden humanitären Zugang, auch an einigen Frontlinien, die zuvor äußerst schwer zugänglich waren“, sagte er während der virtuellen Pressekonferenz.
„Wir sehen jedoch weiterhin besorgniserregende Berichte über anhaltende Kämpfe mit Vorfällen von zivilen Opfern, obwohl es insgesamt zu einem Rückgang kam“, sagte der UN-Gesandte und hob die Gewalt in der südlichen Provinz Dhale und der südlichen Stadt Taiz hervor, die teilweise von loyalen Streitkräften gehalten wird Regierung und wird seit Jahren von den Houthis blockiert.
Neben anderen erfreulichen Entwicklungen, sagte Grundberg, hob am Montag der erste kommerzielle Flug seit fast sechs Jahren vom Flughafen Sanaa in die jordanische Hauptstadt Amman ab, und ein weiterer Flug brachte die Jemeniten zurück. Ein zweiter Flug nach Amman ist für Mittwoch geplant.
„Dies hat so vielen Jemeniten Erleichterung gebracht, die zu lange mit der Reise gewartet haben, viele von ihnen aus dringenden medizinischen Gründen, um Geschäfts- und Bildungschancen zu verfolgen oder nach Jahren der Trennung wieder mit ihren Lieben zusammenzukommen“, sagte Grundberg. „Wir arbeiten mit allen Beteiligten zusammen, um die Regularisierung der Flüge zum und vom Flughafen Sanaa für die Dauer des Waffenstillstands sicherzustellen und dauerhafte Mechanismen zu finden, um ihn offen zu halten.“
Er sagte, die Freigabe von 11 Treibstoffschiffen durch die jemenitische Regierung zum Einlaufen in den Haupthafen des Landes, Hodeida, bedeute mehr Treibstofflieferungen als in den sechs Monaten vor dem Waffenstillstand. Der Jemen ist auf importierte Lebensmittel und Grundversorgung angewiesen, aber er sagte, dass die Treibstoffkrise, die den Zugang der Zivilbevölkerung zu grundlegenden Gütern und Dienstleistungen in Sanaa und den umliegenden Regionen bedroht hatte, seit dem Waffenstillstand „weitgehend abgeklungen“ sei.
Grundberg sagte, eine Priorität sei jetzt die Umsetzung der Verpflichtung des Waffenstillstandsabkommens zur Öffnung der Straßen in Taiz und anderen Gebieten des Jemen, was das Reisen erheblich erleichtern und das tägliche Leben, einschließlich des Wegs zur Arbeit, verbessern würde.
„Wir haben positive Rückmeldungen von den Parteien erhalten, um damit voranzukommen“, sagte er.
„Das Versprechen des Waffenstillstands an die Zivilbevölkerung war eines von mehr Sicherheit, einem besseren Zugang zu grundlegenden Gütern und Dienstleistungen und einer verbesserten Bewegungsfreiheit innerhalb, nach und aus dem Jemen“, sagte Grundberg. „Jemeniten können es sich nicht leisten, in den Zustand vor dem Waffenstillstand mit fortwährender militärischer Eskalation und politischem Stillstand zurückzukehren.“
Der UN-Sonderbeauftragte sagte, er arbeite nicht nur daran, den Waffenstillstand zu verlängern, sondern Gespräche über viele Themen einzuleiten, damit die Regierung, die Houthis und andere Jemeniten kritische Probleme angehen und eine politische Lösung des Krieges erreichen können.
(* A P)
Special Envoy’s remarks to the press following closed consultations with the Security Council
As you know, the parties to the conflict in Yemen agreed to enter into a two-months truce which started on April the 2nd this year. And during these past six weeks we have seen considerable positive impact on the daily lives of many Yemenis. Only a couple of months ago, many would have considered this unthinkable. I want to applaud the parties for taking the courageous steps of agreeing to this truce to prioritize alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people.
Allow me to explain where things stand regarding the implementation of the truce, before turning to the way forward.
First and most importantly, the truce is holding in military terms.
Second, the first commercial flight in almost six years took off from Sana’a International Airport and arrived in Jordan just yesterday.
We are working with all involved to ensure the regularization of flights to and from Sana’a airport for the duration of the Truce and to find durable mechanisms to keep it open. A second flight is now scheduled for tomorrow.
Third, The Government of Yemen has cleared 11 fuel ships to enter through Hudaydah port so far. This amounts to more fuel than during the six months prior to the truce. The fuel crisis that threatened civilians’ access to basic goods and services in Sana’a and surrounding governorates largely subsided.
Fourth, on the commitment to hold the meeting on opening roads in Taiz and other governorates, the Government of Yemen has appointed its focal points for a meeting under UN auspices as per terms of the truce. We intend to organize the meeting in Amman as soon as Ansar Allah appoints their representatives. This is a priority for me and for my Office.
The promise of the truce to civilians was one of more security, better access to basic goods and services, and improved freedom of movement within, to and from Yemen. Yemenis can’t afford to go back to the pre-truce state of perpetual military escalation and political stalemate. I continue to engage the parties to overcome outstanding challenges and to ensure the extension of the truce, which is set to expire in two weeks.
While the truce is a historic moment in and of itself, it consists of a set of temporary and exceptional measures that need to be underpinned by political process in order to be sustained.
Films: https://media.un.org/en/asset/k12/k12phqxy1t
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNSraTLHPEI
Media report: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-government-and-politics-united-nations-yemen-sanaa-0e5675e7bcf8455d7a90e879a982430d
and UNSC statement: https://usun.usmission.gov/un-security-council-press-elements-following-consultations-on-yemen-2/ and https://twitter.com/USUN/status/1526635798489079809
(* A P)
Houthis offer a new peace initiative to end the war in Taiz
A member of the Supreme Political Council in Sanaa, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, announced a peace initiative in the governorate of Taiz, southwest of Yemen, calling on pro-coalition parties to approve it to begin its implementation.
Al-Houthi said in a tweet yesterday that the initiative includes "ending the fighting", "and opening roads afterwards."
He added, "This is available if they agree to it, then in the morning we will take the first step, God willing."
and also https://en.ypagency.net/261028/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/05/17/mohammed-al-houthi-proposes-peace-initiative-for-taiz-province/
(A P)
Return of commercial flights from Yemeni capital after 6 years, an ‘important’ step
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, on Monday welcomed the resumption of commercial flights from the capital city’s main airport after six years, as a potential game changer for citizens needing lifesaving medical treatment.
Hans Grundberg noted that the first flight to leave the Houthi-controlled airport in Sana’a - since not long after fighting intensified between the rebel forces there and the Saudi-backed coalition supporting the internationally-recognized Government – had been a key part of the Truce agreement last month.
“I hope this provides some relief to the Yemenis who need to seek medical treatment abroad, pursue education and business opportunities, or reunite with loved ones,” Mr. Grundberg added.
“This should be a moment of coming together to do more, to start repairing what the war has broken, and to follow through on all the Truce commitments to build trust and move towards resuming a political process to sustainably end the conflict.”
Mr. Grundberg stressed that intense efforts are being exerted to support the parties in fulfilling all the commitments they made when the agreed to this Truce.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1118332
and
UN-envoy-for-yemen-concludes-visit-to-aden-the-capital
https://en-smanews.org/south-arabia/un-envoy-for-yemen-concludes-visit-to-aden-the-capital/
(A P)
Al-Ejri Holds Aggression responsible for obstructing Truce
Member of National Delegation, Abdulmalik Al-Ejri, held UN and the US-Saudi aggression responsible for obstructing the military and humanitarian truce, which is nearing its end.
In a statement to Almasirah, Al-Ejri said, that the aggression have not yet demonstrated seriousness towards peace, and they relish the suffering of Yemeni people.
He added that the approval of the truce agreement was to cut the way in front of the pretexts of aggression, which were alleging that salvation government.
He stated that the performance of the UN was disappointing. It was expected from UN that it would be unable to sponsor the truce until its implementation.
Al-Ejri explained that the US-Saudi aggression wants to stop military actions so that their countries are not bombed and then keep Yemen under the reality of the crisis in order to explode the situation from the inside.
He indicated that the bodies affiliated with the mercenaries of the aggression were formed by foreign powers, and they do not represent Yemeni people and have nothing to do with it.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186888.htm
(A P)
VP al-Eradah says PLC makes realizing comprehensive peace a priority
Vice President of the [Aden gov.] Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Sultan al-Eradah stated that the President and members of the PLC are seeking to achieve a comprehensive peace as a top priority to ensure stability for the country and bright future of the Yemeni people.
He voiced his comment as he met today with the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General to Yemen Hans Grundberg.
(* A P)
Yemen's warring sides reach deal on stalled Sana'a flights, officials say
Yemen's government has agreed to allow Houthi-issued passport holders to travel outside Yemen, three officials said on Thursday, removing a major obstacle that had stalled resumption of commercial flights from the capital, Sana'a under a truce deal, Reuters reports.
The two-month truce between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi group that runs the north went into effect on 2 April and has largely held. But resumption of select flights agreed under the UN-brokered deal did not proceed, risking derailing the first big breakthrough in peace efforts in years.
Yemen's internationally recognised government had insisted all passengers on a flight scheduled last month from Sana'a to Jordan carry government-issued passports in an apparent bid to prevent recognition of the Iran-aligned Houthis as the de facto authority in Sana'a, which they control.
The three Yemeni officials said that, following talks with UN special envoy, Hans Grundberg in Aden this week, the Saudi-backed authorities agreed to allow holders of Houthi-issued passports to board flights.
The first flight could operate as soon as next week, said the officials, who requested anonymity as the decision had not been made public.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/yemens-warring-sides-reach-deal-on-stalled-sanaa-flights-officials-say-idUSKCN2MY1JF = https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220512-yemens-warring-sides-reach-deal-on-stalled-sanaa-flights-officials-say/
and
(* A P)
Yemen takes step to allow flights from rebel-held capital: official
Yemen's government will permit citizens living in areas controlled by Huthi rebels to travel on Huthi-issued passports, an official told AFP, removing a barrier to long-awaited commercial flights out of the capital Sanaa.
The flights are one component of a renewable two-month truce that went into effect in early April, but they have been delayed as warring factions squabbled over which documents passengers should use.
The government has agreed "during the armistice period to allow the Yemeni people who were held hostage to the (Huthis) the opportunity to travel through Sanaa airport, with passports issued by Huthi-controlled areas," the Yemeni official said.
The government is "not responsible for any data contained" in the Huthi-issued documents, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity since they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Yemen's embassy in Washington said on Twitter that Yemeni authorities had accepted "a UN proposal to use (Huthis') docs on an interim basis & only during the #truce".
There was no immediate word Friday on when the first flight would take place, though the transport minister in Sanaa said the airport was ready.
and
(* A P)
UN Envoy Overcomes the Obstacle of Houthi Travel Documents from Sanaa
The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has succeeded in overcoming the obstacle of Houthi travel documents, which prevented the resumption of commercial flights from Sanaa airport, just two weeks before the two-month ceasefire ends.
The Envoy gained the legitimate government's approval to travel documents issued in Sanaa and the rest of the Houthi-controlled areas during the ceasefire, which will allow the resumption of flights from Sanaa airport.
According to an official statement, the government agreed to operate flights from Sanaa airport to Jordan during the settlement period to allow the Yemenis to travel with passports issued by Sanaa and other governorates.
Houthis insisted on adopting travel documents that were not recognized by the legitimate government, which prevented flights to the specified travel destinations.
The Yemeni government said that the approval came out of its total commitment to serving the people and alleviating their suffering caused by the Houthi militia coup in 2014, which rejected all political solutions.
and
(* A P)
[Aden] Yemen government says in a statement that it would allow commercial flights from Sana’a airport to #Amman for first time in 6 years with passengers carrying #Houthi-issued passports. It also said that passengers traveling with Houthi passports will be issued government passports from Yemen embassy in Jordan free of charge.
https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1524835422144188429
and
(* A P)
Houthi-issued passport holders allowed to travel
Yemen's internationally recognised government had insisted all passengers on a flight scheduled last month from Sanaa to Jordan carry government-issued passports in an apparent bid to prevent recognition of the Iran-aligned Houthis as the de facto authority in Sanaa, which they control.
The three Yemeni officials said that following talks with U.N. special envoy Hans Grundberg in Aden this week, the Saudi-backed authorities agreed to allow holders of Houthi-issued passports to board flights.
The first flight could operate as soon as next week, said the officials, who requested anonymity as the decision had not been made public.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35033
My comment: Imagine what a political BS this is and ask yourself why the Aden government is granted the opportunity to do this.
and
(A P)
[Sanaa gov.] Transport Minister reaffirms Sana 'a Intel's Airport readiness to receive flights
Minister of Transport, Abdulwahab Yahya Al-Durra, reaffirmed on Thursday the technical and professional operational readiness of Sana' a International Airport to receive all civil and commercial flights.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186628.htm
and
(A P)
[Sanaa gov.] Deputy FM: Doubling number of commercial flights restores confidence in truce agreement
He affirmed on Twitter that the expanding of the flights in the remainder of the truce period is an urgent humanitarian necessity to compensate for the flights that were obstructed during the past period.
https://en.ypagency.net/260601/
(A P)
[Sanaa] Parliament Condemns the Aggression’s Repudiation of Implementation Truce
Yemeni Parliament, headed by the Speaker of Parliament, Yahya Al-Ra’i, condemned the disavowal of the US-Saudi aggression and its mercenaries from implementing the temporary truce announced by the envoy of the Secretary-General of the UN.
and also https://en.ypagency.net/260523/
(A P)
Taiz persistent siege suggests useless truce: Yemeni gov't
The siege persistently imposed on Taiz suggests that the UN-brokered truce is useless and the Houthi group lacks willingness and credibility and keeps on reneging commitments to deals, the Yemeni foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Declared early last April, the 60-day truce represented for all the Yemenis a hope window towards sustainable peace that would end their suffering, FM Ahmed Bin Mubarak said.
One of the humanitarian truce's key priorities is to lift Taiz blockade and reopen the city's crossings, he added, as a humanitarian demand that cannot be delayed.
"With reneging their pledges, the Houthi militias prove they disrespect the UN-brokered truce"
https://debriefer.net/en/news-29540.html
(* A P)
Länder sagten 33 Millionen Dollar für Rettung von Öltanker im Jemen zu
Bei einer UN-Geberkonferenz zur Rettung des Öltankers "Safer" vor der Küste des Jemen, wo eine Umweltkatastrophe droht, ist etwa ein Viertel der benötigten Summe zusammengekommen. Die teilnehmenden Länder sagten 33 Millionen Dollar, etwa 31 Millionen Euro zu, wie die Vereinten Nationen und die Niederlande als Co-Gastgeber am Mittwochabend mitteilten. Damit seien dringend noch mehr Mittel nötig, um die Rettungsaktion zu beginnen und eine große Ölpest im Roten Meer zu vermeiden.
Bis auf das reiche Golfemirat Katar sagten ausschließlich europäische Länder Mittel zu, darunter Deutschland, die Schweiz und Frankreich. Die UN und die Niederlande wollen diesen Monat versuchen, weitere Gelder zu sammeln. Laut dem UN-Nothilfekoordinator für den Jemen, David Gressly, werden insgesamt 144 Millionen Dollar, rund 136 Mio Euro, benötigt. Die Konferenz sei ein "starker Start", sagte Gressly.
und
(* B P)
Schwimmende Zeitbombe: Vor Küste des Jemen droht eine Ölpest
Ein Tanker rostet vor sich hin - mit 1,1 Millionen Barrel Rohöl an Bord. Die Folgen einer Ölkatastrophe wären für Umwelt und Bevölkerung des Jemen verheerend. Die Vereinten Nationen versuchen, das Unglück abzuwenden.
Der Tanker wirkt gespenstisch. Verwahrlost schwimmt der 350 Meter lange Koloss vor der Küste des Jemen, Rost hat sich in den rotbraunen Stahl gefressen.
Im Inneren der «Safer»: 1,1 Millionen Barrel Rohöl und damit eine Menge, die das Rote Meer und seine Küsten bei einem Leck oder Unfall über Hunderte Kilometer mit schwarzem Schlick überziehen könnte. Mit einer Konferenz am Mittwoch versuchen die Vereinten Nationen im Wettlauf gegen die Zeit, eine drohende Umweltkatastrophe noch zu verhindern.
Inzwischen hat sich das 45 Jahre alte Schiff mit seiner Ladung in eine ökologische Zeitbombe verwandelt. Das «Risiko einer massiven Ölpest» stehe unmittelbar bevor, warnte der UN-Nothilfekoordinator für den Jemen, David Gressly. Er sagt eine «massive Katastrophe» für Umwelt und Menschen voraus.
80 Millionen Dollar (etwa 76 Mio Euro) wären nötig, um das Öl aus der «Safer» über mehrere Monate in ein anderes Schiff zu pumpen. Der alternde Tanker würde dann in eine Werft geschleppt und verkauft. Nach vielen Warnungen und Verzögerungen auch wegen des Konflikts kommt Bewegung in den Rettungsplan: Die Huthi-Rebellen, die nahe liegende Häfen seit ihrem Vormarsch im Jemen kontrollieren, stimmten dem UN-Vorschlag grundsätzlich zu.
Die Zeit drängt. Rost und die verschleppte Wartung könnten jederzeit zu Öllecks führen, oder das in den Tanks angesammelte Gas könnte sich entzünden und eine Explosion samt Großfeuer verursachen. Es würde dann etwa eine Woche dauern, bis der Ölteppich die Küsten erreicht. Die ohnehin leidende Fischerei, Lebensgrundlage für 1,7 Millionen Menschen, wäre vorerst am Ende, verdreckte Entsalzungsanlagen würden die Wasserversorgung gefährden. Die wichtigen Häfen Hudaida und Salif müssten wohl Monate schließen. Auch das wäre verheerend für das Land, das 90 Prozent seiner Lebensmittel importiert.
Säuberungsarbeiten nach solch einer Katastrophe mit Kosten von rund 20 Milliarden Dollar (18,9 Mrd Euro) könnte der Jemen sich niemals leisten. Ein Ölteppich bis hoch nach Saudi-Arabien und zur anderen Seite der Meerenge Bab al-Mandab könnte noch ganz andere Folgen haben: Die wichtige Schifffahrtsstrecke und Zufahrt zum Suezkanal müsste womöglich geschlossen werden. Für Logistik und Handel wäre es eine dramatische Neuauflage des Falls «Ever Given» - das Containerschiff, das tagelang den Suezkanal blockierte. Durch die Wasserstraße laufen täglich zwölf Prozent des weltweiten Handels.
https://www.stern.de/panorama/umwelt-schwimmende-zeitbombe--vor-kueste-des-jemen-droht-eine-oelpest-31849566.html = https://www.gmx.net/magazine/panorama/verrosteter-tanker-kueste-jemen-droht-oelpest-36855754
und auch https://www.n-tv.de/panorama/Vor-Jemens-Kueste-droht-eine-Olkatastrophe-article23325529.html
https://www.dw.com/de/vor-dem-jemen-droht-eine-%C3%B6lpest/a-61765048?maca=de-rss-de-top-1016-rdf
(* A P)
Yemen: $33 million pledged to address decaying oil tanker threat
Donors on Wednesday pledged $33 million towards a UN-coordinated plan to prevent an ageing oil tanker moored off the west Coast of Yemen from sparking a potential ecological and humanitarian disaster.
The FSO Safer, which is holding more than a million barrels of oil, has been described as a “time bomb” because it is at risk of causing a major spill, either from leaking, breaking apart or exploding.
The commitments were made at a pledging conference in The Hague, co-sponsored by the UN and the Netherlands, marking the start of efforts to raise the $144 million required for the plan.
“We are grateful to the donors that committed funding today at very short notice and look forward to receiving further commitments from those that have not yet pledged. When we have the funding, the work can begin,” said David Gressly, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen.
The FSO Safer was constructed in 1976 as an oil tanker and converted to a floating storage and offloading (FSO) facility a decade later.
At 376 metres long, it is among the largest oil tankers in the world. The crude oil it holds is four times the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez, the tanker that caused one of the greatest environmental disasters in the history of the United States.
The ship has been anchored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast for more than 30 years.
Production, offloading, and maintenance stopped in 2015 due to the war between a pro-Government Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi rebels.
The vessel is now beyond repair and at imminent risk of spilling oil, which would have far-reaching consequences.
Donors that signed pledges at the conference were the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Qatar, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
Some $40 million is now available for the UN-coordinated plan, which is supported by the parties to the conflict in Yemen and key stakeholders.
It calls for action on two tracks: installing a replacement vessel within 18 months, and a four-month emergency operation to transfer the oil from the decaying tanker to a safe temporary vessel.
The overall cost of $144 million includes $80 million, which is required for the emergency operation, ideally set to start in the second half of this month.
Auke Lootsma, Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Yemen, underscored the urgent need for funding.
“If we do not receive sufficient funding urgently, the weather window to transfer the oil will close,” he said. “By October, high winds and volatile currents make the operation more dangerous and increase the risk of the ship breaking up.”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117982
My comment: This is disappointing. Just compare this to the sum military interventions and presence actually cost – for the Red Sea, read https://aleteia.org/2022/05/11/war-in-yemen-largely-ignored-but-suffering-continues-for-many/ – and you see what really counts for the “West”.
Film by UN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIAZeRIjUw8
and
(A P)
Funds Needed to implement United Nations Plan for Preventing Potential Oil-Spill Disaster, Secretary-General Tells Pledging Event on ‘FSO Safer’
https://www.un.org/press/en/2022/sgsm21267.doc.htm
and
(A P)
Greenpeace: Countries must step up to fully fund US$80 million FSO Safer oil tanker rescue off Yemen
and
(A P)
U.S. Special Envoy Tim Lenderking’s Remarks Safer Pledging Conference Hosted by the UN and the Netherlands
My comment: Opening mouth and spending hot air for nothing. The US did not pledge any Cent.
and
(* A P)
UN raises $33M, far short of target to salvage Yemen tanker
The Houthis on Tuesday criticized the U.N. for allegedly “not presenting an operational plan” to maintain the tanker, more than two months since they signed the memorandum of understanding, a statement that could complicate U.N. efforts to raise funds.
U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, however, said they have been proceeding according to an agreed-upon plan. He said the U.N. was trying to urgently offload the oil “before the FSO Safer tanker breaks up.”
The pledges Wednesday all came from European countries and the wealthy Gulf nation of Qatar. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which lead a military coalition fighting the Houthis, did not announce pledges during the event.
https://apnews.com/article/environment-middle-east-yemen-red-sea-8fc78b599171b9b87faf98d02cb25f31
Film: https://twitter.com/LSchreinemacher/status/1524432916146700292
and
(A P)
Safer committee regrets UN’s failure to implement memorandum of understanding
The Supervisory Committee for the Implementation of the Urgent Maintenance Agreement and the Comprehensive Evaluation of Safer Floating Tank has expressed its disappointment due to the United Nations’ failure to implement the memorandum of understanding that was signed on March 5.
In a statement, the committee stated that the memorandum of understanding stipulated that the United Nations “will prepare an operational plan in accordance with the contents of the memorandum,” but the United Nations did not commit to this, and did not submit the plan despite the passage of more than two months since the signing of the memorandum.
It considered that any funds raised for the Maintenance Agreement, while the United Nations fails to implement the terms of the memorandum, would go into United Nations operational expenses as it has happened for the funds previously a
https://en.ypagency.net/260504/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/05/11/united-nations-fails-yet-again-in-ensuring-urgently-needed-repairs-to-safer-oil-reservoir/
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-29542.html
Full text: https://twitter.com/StephenProducer/status/1524130136345526272
and
(A P)
Oil offloading unit FSO Safer: Defusing the ticking time bomb off the coast of Yemen – success looks likely
(A P)
Grundberg concludes two-day visit to Aden
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, concluded today a two-day visit to Aden where he met with the President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Alimi, Yemeni Prime Minister, Maeen Abdulmalik, and member of the Presidential Leadership Council, Tareq Saleh.
Grundberg discussed the status of the truce and the tangible benefits it has delivered so far to Yemeni civilians, particularly the significant reduction in civilian casualties. Discussions also explored ways to overcome challenges particularly with regards to opening roads in Taiz and other governorates and resuming commercial flights from Sana’a airport.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35031
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(B P)
Amnesty International: Saudi Arabia Bans Activist's Family from Travelling
Saudi Arabia: New campaign highlights use of punitive travel bans targeting activists and their families
The Saudi Arabian authorities are using arbitrary travel bans as a tool to punish and control activists, writers and journalists by locking them inside the country, or, in the case of those living abroad, by preventing their families from travelling overseas, Amnesty International said today as it launches a new campaign.
The campaign, ‘#LetThemFly’, documents the cases of 30 Saudi Arabian human rights defenders who were sentenced to prison following grossly unfair trials, with travel bans coming into force as soon as they complete their sentences. It further documents 39 cases of relatives of activists who found themselves – by no official order or other forms of notification – also under travel bans, effectively forcibly separating families.
(A E P)
Saudi Arabia set for oil output capacity above 13 million bpd by 2027, says minister
Saudi Arabia is on track to lift oil production capacity by more than 1 million barrels per day to over 13 million barrels bpd by the end of 2026 or start of 2027, the energy minister said on Monday.
(A E P)
Ölkonzern Saudi Aramco verdient fast 40 Milliarden Dollar in drei Monaten
Der Ölkonzern Saudi Aramco hat dank der hohen Energiepreise seinen Gewinn im ersten Quartal stark gesteigert: Unter dem Strich standen 39,5 Milliarden Dollar (knapp 38 Milliarden Euro), ein Plus von 82 Prozent im Vergleich zum Vorjahr, wie das Unternehmen am Sonntag mitteilte.
(A P)
Saudi King Salman leaves hospital, says royal court
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz, 86, left hospital on Sunday following a colonoscopy last week, the royal court said in a statement on state media.
(A P)
Update: Saudi authorities execute three civilians, including Yemeni
Two Saudi nationals from the Shia-populated Qatif region and a Yemeni were executed on Saturday by Saudi authorities over trumped-up allegations of involvement in terrorist activities.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Saturday that the death sentences were carried out against the Yemeni, Mohammed Abdelbaset Al-Mualmi and Hussein Ali Al Abu-Abdullah and Mohammad Khedr al-Awami.
According to the statement, Al-Mualmi was executed for the charges of belonging to the “Houthis”, claiming that he received training in the use of weapons and explosives.
The ministry further claimed that the Saudi nationals “collaborated with terrorist groups, fomented unrest and insecurity in the country, possessed weapons, ammunition as well as rocket-propelled grenades and attempted to disrupt national security.”
https://en.ypagency.net/260717/
and by SPA: https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2353892 and https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2353911
and also https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1525872720994508800
and
(A P)
While journalist Anis Mansour @anesmansory quoted the family of the young Muhammad Al-Moalimi who was executed by Saudi, it denies the affiliation of its son to the Houthis and says that he is a member of the National Army in Marib. He moved to fight on the southern borders of the Kingdom and was arrested for 6 months from a relative’s house in Riyadh. His family didn't know anything about him after that, before they heard about his execution Today morning
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1525573152096632833
(* B H P)
Saudi authorities hide abuses in migrant centres amid wave of arrests
Ethiopians tell MEE they are being beaten, extorted, and left in putrid, overcrowded rooms as thousands of people are rounded up and deported from across the kingdom
Saudi authorities are concealing rampant abuses and pitiful conditions at migrant detention centres while continuing to arrest thousands of African and Yemeni migrants, Middle East Eye can reveal.
Ethiopian migrants awaiting deportation said Saudi authorities have conducted mass searches of the centres, confiscating phones and any devices that could be used to relay images of their suffering to the outside world.
The sources said the crackdown was an attempt to prevent their conditions from being broadcast to the world during Ramadan, which would risk criticism and uproar in the Muslim world during the holy month.
Police have also ordered people set for deportation to sign non-disclosure agreements forbidding them from talking to journalists about their experiences.
"They came in here looking for phones because they don't want the world to see images of our suffering here," said Semir, an Ethiopian migrant being held at a deportation centre in Riyadh. "When they would find a phone, they would beat up the owner with batons."
The number of Ethiopian detainees held at various migrant detention centres has swollen in recent months. In an attempt to ease the burden, Saudi authorities reached an agreement with Ethiopia in March to fly out at least 100,000 Ethiopians, many of whom were detained in waves of anti-migrant crackdowns last year.
Ethiopians held in the centres have told MEE that they are given little to eat and are held for months in putrid, overcrowded rooms.
"People are going mad here. There is little food and many of us haven't been outdoors in almost nine months," said Nebil, a detainee in Riyadh. "We used to get a piece of bread three times a day. Since Ramadan, we get it only once, at night."
However, mass arrests by Saudi authorities continue to target thousands more, with 15,000 migrants, almost all of them Ethiopians and Yemenis, detained in a single week in March alone.
As a result, detention centres aren't emptying, and the abuse persists, according to detainees.
"This place is disease-ridden. Everyone grows sick because they leave us to live and eat on a filthy floor with the stench of urine everywhere," one told MEE.
The statements by the migrants about the conditions at the detention centres appear to correspond with the assessment of staffers from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and other UN agencies supporting relief efforts at returnee reception centres in Ethiopia.
"In addition to injuries and illnesses suffered due to the hazardous journey, the IOM has observed that communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis and skin conditions are prevalent among returnees," said Yvonne Ndege, spokesperson for the agency's East and Horn of Africa office.
"Prolonged periods in overcrowded and unsanitary facilities may well be a contributing factor to this issue."
MEE spoke to nine inmates at the Riyadh deportation centre and the infamous al-Shumaisi prison near Mecca. Detainees used mobile phones with no internet connection that survived the pre-Ramadan purge.
"We have been left here to rot," said Ali, a migrant at al-Shumaisi centre. "Since they put me here, I've seen diplomats from Chad, Ghana, and Somalia come to enquire about their citizens. Nobody from the Ethiopian embassy has visited even though Ethiopians are the majority here."
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-migrant-centres-abuses-authorities-concealing
(A P)
'Whitewashing Crimes': Messi Draws Flak for Accepting Saudi Tourism Offer
Argentinian football star Lionel Messi has drawn flak after he was officially unveiled as a brand ambassador for the Saudi Tourism Authority, despite earlier warnings by human rights groups against getting involved with the country known for its abhorrent human rights record.
The footballer arrived in Jeddah on Monday, confirming the report that he had taken on the controversial role, posting a “sponsored by Visit Saudi” message on his Instagram page from a yacht in the Red Sea along with a caption that read: “Discovering the Red Sea in Saudi. #VisitSaudi.”
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
(A P)
Jamal Khashoggi's fiancee responds after golf legend Greg Norman downplays journalist's gruesome killing as a "mistake"
Greg Norman's brushing off of Jamal Khashoggi's killing as a "mistake" has been condemned by the fiancee of the late Washington Post columnist.
The former No. 1 golfer is leading a series of Saudi Arabia-funded tournaments in England and has come under criticism for his comments about Khashoggi's gruesome death on Oct. 2, 2018, at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
"Look, we've all made mistakes and you just want to learn by those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward," the 67-year-old Norman said Wednesday at an event to promote the tournaments.
The Australian noted "the good that the country is doing in changing its culture."
Cengiz told the Telegraph newspaper on Thursday that Norman's comments were "so hurtful."
"Would you say that if it was your loved one? How can we go forward when those who ordered the murder are still unpunished, and continue to try to buy back their legitimacy?" Cengiz said. "We should not fall for their wealth and lies, and lose our morals and common humanity. We should all be insisting on the truth and justice; only then can we look forward with hope and dignity."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/greg-norman-jamal-khashoggi-murder-mistake-finacee-responds/
and also https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jamal-khashoggi-hatice-cengiz-golf-greg-norman-saudi-arabia
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp9a
(* B P)
Emir’s funeral becomes Biden’s hoped-for reset with UAE
The high level delegation sent to Abu Dhabi in the wake of Sheikh Khalifa’s death shows where the administration’s priorities are.
On Monday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris led the highest-ranking American delegation to visit the UAE since President Biden took office. The group included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Climate Envoy John Kerry, and CIA Director Bill Burns. The seniority of the delegation speaks to the Biden administration’s desire to improve ties to the Emirates that have been uncharacteristically rocky since the end of the Trump administration during which bilateral relations flourished.
Cracks in the U.S.-Emirati relationship became increasingly visible when Emirati officials made little secret of their frustration with the alleged inadequacy of the American response to a Houthi drone attack on Abu Dhabi in mid-January
The Biden administration has repeatedly affirmed the importance of the U.S.-Emirati relationship in a manner that echoes their support for the U.S.-Saudi relationship despite the clear preference both Gulf states have demonstrated for Biden’s predecessor.
After initially voicing its devotion to promoting democracy and human rights in the Middle East, the Biden administration has instead decided to prioritize Washington’s commitment to the security of both the Saudis and Emiratis, notably by providing additional Patriot anti-missile systems to Riyadh in March and sending a naval Destroyer and fifth-generation fighter planes to help defend Abu Dhabi following the Houthi drone attack.
The seniority of the American officials dispatched to Abu Dhabi on Monday reflects the Biden administration’s view of the UAE as a critical partner and an opportunity to reset the relationship.
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/05/17/emirs-funeral-becomes-bidens-hoped-for-reset-with-uae/
My remark: Also look at cp12.
(A P)
Film by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
The world's worst humanitarian crisis today is in Yemen, where the Saudi/UAE coalition are bombing of civilian targets, including hospitals, schools & water treatment plants, and blockading Yemeni ports with American weapons and support.
https://twitter.com/RepRashida/status/1526587732583190529
(A P)
Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak Before Their Meeting
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good afternoon, everyone. It’s a pleasure to have the Foreign Minister of Yemen here with us today, someone very familiar to Washington, to the United States, having been ambassador here before. But it’s wonderful to welcome you to the State Department – welcome back to the State Department – especially in this moment, because this is a moment of genuine and important opportunity for Yemen and its people: after so many years of war, conflict, and suffering, an opportunity for peace that we hope all Yemenis will find a way to seize.
We very much welcome the government’s support for the truce, for the resumption now of commercial flights from Sana’a – first one yesterday to Amman; more to follow – and as well, the focus now of the Presidential Leadership Council on doing everything possible to support the needs of the Yemeni people despite the great challenges. We – United States strongly supports all of these efforts. We are with you in trying to move things forward and to take advantage of this moment.
So I think it’s a very good time for us to be able to share some thoughts on where we are, where we go, and to again, as I say, take advantage of the fact that after so many years there is an opening for a more durable peace, something that the United States will be a partner in and do what is necessary to help make it real. Mr. Minister, welcome.
and also: https://twitter.com/YemenEmbassy_DC/status/1526685823319646209
https://twitter.com/BinmubarakAhmed/status/1526686084758904833
and
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US State Dep.: Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Yemen Foreign Minister Bin Mubarak
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak and reiterated the United States’ commitment to support the end of the conflict in Yemen, and a stable, safe, and prosperous future for Yemenis.
Secretary Blinken discussed U.S. support for securing and building on the UN-negotiated truce to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire and an inclusive political process that empowers Yemenis to determine their own future. The Secretary specifically noted the importance of ensuring the freedom of movement of people and goods through contested areas, like the city of Taiz,
ecretary Blinken expressed U.S. support for the Presidential Leadership Council and called it a valuable opportunity for broader representation of Yemenis. He noted with appreciation the Council’s expressed commitment to peace efforts and to improving basic services and economic stability for millions of Yemenis.
https://www.state.gov/secretary-blinkens-meeting-with-yemen-foreign-minister-bin-mubarak/
and media report: https://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-saudi-usa-blinken-int/u-s-stresses-importance-of-freedom-of-movement-in-disputed-areas-of-yemen-idUSKCN2N329D = https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-05-17/u-s-stresses-importance-of-freedom-of-movement-in-disputed-areas-of-yemen
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Saudi vice defense minister meets NSA adviser Sullivan in Washington
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reaffirmed President Joe Biden's commitment to "help Saudi Arabia defend its territory" during a meeting with Saudi Vice Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud during a meeting on Tuesday, the White House said.
and also https://www.axios.com/2022/05/17/khalid-bin-salman-visit-white-house-saudi
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US vice president, top officials visit UAE to pay respects
Vice President Kamala Harris led a high-powered American delegation to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to pay respects to the federation’s late ruler and meet with the newly ascended president.
The trip marks the highest-level visit by Biden administration officials to oil-rich Abu Dhabi, a potent show of support as America tries to repair troubled relations with its partner amid the fast-changing geopolitical landscape precipitated by Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s powerful national security adviser, greeted Harris on the windswept tarmac. The delegation also included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA Director William Burns and climate envoy John Kerry, among others.
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CIA Chief Met Saudi Crown Prince Last Month in Push to Mend Ties
Mid-April visit yielded a ‘good conversation, better tone,’ says a U.S. official
Director William Burns made an unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia last month to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, U.S. and Saudi officials said, as the Biden administration pushes to repair ties with a key Middle East security partner.
The visit took place in mid-April in the coastal city of Jeddah
“It was a good conversation, better tone than prior U.S. government engagements,” one American official said of the top U.S. spy’s meeting with Prince Mohammed, who runs Saudi Arabia’s daily affairs on behalf of his 86-year-old father, King Salman.
Mr. Burns traveled to Saudi Arabia with the relationship between Washington and Riyadh at its lowest point in decades,
Kirsten Fontenrose, who oversaw Gulf affairs at the National Security Council under former President Donald Trump, said the White House is trying to identify an administration official whom the Saudis will listen to.
and
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Inside the Secret Meeting Between CIA Director and Saudi Crown Prince
In an unusual foray into diplomacy, William Burns pressed Mohammed bin Salman on oil production, prominent detainees, and the kingdom’s relationship with China.
LAST MONTH, as part of a regional tour, CIA Director William Burns quietly met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, a port city in western Saudi Arabia. The unusual meeting, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is the first known encounter between the United States’ top spy and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler — and, according to three sources familiar with the matter, the latest attempt by high-ranking U.S. officials to appeal to Saudi Arabia on oil amid rising U.S. gas prices. Also on the table, two of the sources told The Intercept, were Saudi weapons purchases from China.
President Joe Biden has so far refused to meet with MBS, as he is known, owing to the crown prince’s role in ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
A spokesperson for the CIA declined to comment on Burns’s travels. The Intercept’s sources — a U.S. intelligence official, two sources with ties to the U.S. intelligence community, a source close to members of the Saudi royal family, and a think tank official — interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
The meeting was also an opportunity to broach a subject of intense concern to Washington: Riyadh’s growing relationship with China. In addition to Burns’s ask on oil, the CIA director also requested that Saudi Arabia not pursue a purchase of arms from China, according to the two sources close to U.S. intelligence.
Burns also requested the release of numerous high-profile Saudi royals whom MBS has detained.
Relying on a CIA director to conduct high-level diplomatic engagement of this sort is extremely unusual, although it does offer at least one big advantage: discretion. Burns’s presence also served as a means of attempting to mend the fraught relationship between MBS and other top Biden administration officials.
Burns’s meeting with MBS was one of several with leaders in the region, including in Qatar, the UAE, and Oman, the source also said. (A prominent think tank official close to the Biden administration confirmed that Burns had been traveling throughout the Middle East.) Burns’s meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed echoed the theme of his meeting with MBS, urging him to stop warming up to China, specifically referring to the construction of a Chinese military base in the UAE. Last year, the Biden administration reportedly warned the UAE that China had been building a military facility at an Emirati port and that its construction could imperil their relations.
https://theintercept.com/2022/05/13/saudi-arabia-cia-secret-meeting-mohammed-bin-salman/
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Washington's claim: Saudi Arabia is determined to end the conflict in Yemen, but Iran is not
The US special envoy for Yemen, Timothy Linderking, said Saudi Arabia was determined to end the conflict in Yemen and rely on recent developments such as a ceasefire and the formation of a presidential council.
In an interview with Al-Hurra, Linderking said that for the first time since the start of the conflict in 2014, Yemen is facing an exceptional opportunity for peace.
He also claimed:
It seems that Iran's behavior to critique the conflict has not changed as it did before the ceasefire, and Iran is less determined than Saudi Arabia to end the conflict peacefully. Unfortunately, Iran intensified the conflict before the ceasefire, and now there is no change. Iran's behavior towards Yemen is not visible.
According to the Al-Khaleej Online website, Linderking also spoke about the possibility of re-inserting Ansarullah in the list of terrorist organizations:
We are closely monitoring the behavior of the parties, but our current focus is definitely on the ceasefire, and we hope that it will continue until June 2, after which the United States will consider extending the ceasefire and relying on it to achieve a permanent ceasefire.
My comment: And more of US propaganda BS.
(A P)
Jill Bidens Besuch in der Ukraine: Was bringt den Westen dazu, jemenitische Mütter nicht zu sehen
Menschenrechtsaktivisten stellen den jüngsten Besuch von Jill Biden in der Ukraine in Frage und fragen sich, warum die First Lady der Vereinigten Staaten anderen von Konflikten betroffenen Ländern wie dem Jemen nicht die gleiche Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt habe.
„Ich habe das Gefühl, dass dies ein weiterer rassistischer Akt der US-Regierung ist“, sagte Neda Saleh, eine jemenitische Aktivistin, und fügte hinzu: „Jemenitische Mütter sind dieselben wie andere Mütter, die von ausländischen Mächten angegriffen wurden.“
„Sie leiden alle unter dem Krieg und der Vertreibung ihrer Kinder. Es fühlt sich einfach sehr rassistisch und hinterhältig an“, wurde sie von der Nachrichtenagentur Middle East Eye zitiert.
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StateDept_NEA: AA/S Lempert met with @FaisalbinFarhan (Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) in Morocco to discuss progress in Yemen, including adherence to the two-month truce and Saudi Arabia’s generous humanitarian aid & economic support. They also discussed bilateral relations, Lebanon, and food security.
https://twitter.com/StateDept_NEA/status/1524523797235351552
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The CMF-153: Rebuilding US-GCC confidence through maritime security
Efforts to restore confidence between the U.S. and the Arab Gulf states took a first step with the recent formation of a new naval task force, known as the Combined Maritime Forces-153 (CMF-153), to improve maritime security in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden, including the hotspot of Yemen. Established in mid-April, the new task force intends to target weapons smuggling for Ansar Allah, as the Houthi militias are officially known, as well as human trafficking and the drug trade. Following the straining of relations between Washington and Gulf capitals, especially Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, the time is ripe for the U.S. and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to work together to address the opportunities and challenges presented by the current political landscape. First, the two-month national truce in Yemen and the appointment of an inclusive Presidential Council embody a trend of de-escalation that could contribute to the reconstruction of the Yemeni Coast Guard (YCG). Second, the Abraham Accords have created opportunities for strengthening maritime security in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as recently shown by unprecedented joint naval drills between Israel and the Gulf states. Given local security issues as well as growing rivalries at sea among regional and international players, securing the waterways surrounding the Arabian Peninsula is a pressing need that simply cannot be delayed.
Given the recent differences between the U.S. and the GCC, maritime security is a vital mutual interest that can help to revive the partnership. Both sides share the goal of securing the global trade routes running through the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden. Thus, both sides stand to gain from a collective security framework covering maritime security, regular energy supplies, and the provision of commodities, in an interplay of national interests and global security (what I have defined elsewhere as “pan-security”).
https://www.mei.edu/publications/cmf-153-rebuilding-us-gcc-confidence-through-maritime-security
My comment: This piece justifies US interference whre there cannot be any justification for.
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Gulf States led DC lobby blitz targeting Iran military wing as terrorists
Their ongoing influence is effective even today, as Biden remains reluctant to lift IRGC terror listing to make way for JCPOA renewal.
In 2019, the Trump administration took the controversial step of listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an ideological branch of the Iranian military, as a foreign terrorist organization. The designation, an apparent poison pill to block further diplomacy with Iran, has become a major obstacle in negotiations to revive the nuclear deal with Iran, which Trump abrogated in 2018.
Though the domestic political pressure on the Biden administration against delisting has been widely discussed — with fears of Republicans campaigning against the move and pro-Israel forces roundly opposing it — few have noted the effect and breadth of the campaign to place and keep the IRGC on the terror rolls.
Documents, including rafts of public disclosure filings and a hacked email from a Washington diplomat, reveal a highly active foreign influence operation over the past five years to blanket Washington with messages supporting confrontation with Iran and targeting the IRGC with sanctions and inclusion on the terrorist list.
Since at least 2015, a variety of communications consultants, law firms, and lobbyists working for foreign governments — primarily Iranian regional rivals Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain — produced a steady stream of tweets, talking points, press releases, and reports warning about the dangers of the IRGC and supporting the foreign terrorist organization, or FTO, designation.
“All you need to know about what a politicized cudgel the FTO list has become is seeing the UAE and Saudi Arabia — responsible for some of the most heinous terror against civilians in Yemen — lobbying to get the IRGC on the FTO and keep them listed,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the advocacy group Democracy for the Arab World Now. “We should not be allowing foreign government lobbyists to buy influence on important national security policies, like the FTO designation of a government we want to reach a critical nuclear deal with.”
The previously unreported hacked email sent by a UAE diplomat lays bare an attempt by a foreign interest to influence the U.S. government’s approach to the IRGC.
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/05/16/how-gulf-states-influenced-us-naming-iran-military-wing-a-terror-group/ = https://theintercept.com/2022/05/16/saudi-uae-iran-irgc-lobbying/
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
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Iran says no development in Tehran-Riyadh talks, MP says top envoys to meet
Iran's foreign ministry said on Tuesday there has been "no new development" since April in talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported, shortly after a lawmaker said top diplomats of the rival countries will meet soon.
(A P)
Iran: we serious in negotiations and we do not trust the enemy
Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator stressed on Sunday that although the Islamic republic is serious in the Vienna talks, it is determined not to trust “the enemy,” according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
https://en.ypagency.net/260871/
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Top negotiator in Vienna talks: Sanctioned countries seek Iran’s ‘sanctions nullifying knowledge’
(A P)
CENTCOM: Countering Iranian threat needs regional cooperation
The top US military general for the Middle East said in a recent interview that Iran was the “most destabilizing force” in the region, noting that countering this threat needed regional cooperation.
“I view Iran as the most destabilizing force in the Middle East. The United States’ position is that we will not allow a nuclear Iran. However, our concerns about Iran go beyond its nuclear capability,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Erik Kurilla told Al Arabiya during Tuesday’s interview in Saudi Arabia.
Gen. Kurilla pointed out Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for proxies and Iran-backed militias in the region as other concerns for the US. “The Iranian threat requires a firm effort from us and our security partners in the region,” he said. “CENTCOM is committed to that effort.”
Asked about his trip to Saudi Arabia, the US general said it was part of a “listening tour” and that he would be making several more trips back to the kingdom. He was in Egypt before heading to Saudi Arabia.
“This visit to the CENTCOM region… is largely an opportunity to glean insights from our partners here. In so doing, I’m looking for gaps, risks, and opportunities in security for our partners and for the region,” Gen. Kurilla said.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35035
My comment: This obviously is US “We rule the world” BS. The Middle East is far away from any US region and there is no “threat” – unless you would claim the whole world must be US-ruled.
(A K P)
Iran monitoring all enemy moves near maritime borders: IRGC Navy cmdr.
The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Navy says the Islamic Republic is fully monitoring all moves by enemies near Iran’s maritime borders and does not allow them to approach the country’s territorial waters.
“There is complete security on the country’s maritime borders and no danger is [currently] posed to them,” Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri said on Thursday.
“We proudly declare that our territorial waters are today clear of any enemy”
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/05/12/681950/Iran-IRGC-Navy-Tangsiri-water-borders-response
(A P)
Qatari emir in Iran offers support for reviving nuclear deal
Qatar’s emir met with Iranian leaders on Thursday, offering support for efforts to revive the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, even as talks on the tattered accord remain deadlocked.
“We believe that negotiation is the solution of the problem,” the official IRNA news agency quoted visiting Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as saying after meeting President Ebrahim Raisi. The two also discussed a range of other issues, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and the war in Yemen.
Raisi seized the opportunity to slam Western nations, insisting that their presence is not “providing security in the region” but “harming the security.” Iran sees the presence of U.S. forces in neighboring countries — on its doorstep — as a threat
https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-iran-tehran-qatar-034ef884ef771536262cd67445e2a32a
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Iran detains 2 Europeans; EU envoy in Tehran about nuke deal
Shortly before the European Union envoy met Iran’s nuclear negotiator in Tehran on Wednesday in a last-ditch attempt to salvage Iran’s atomic deal with world powers, the country’s Intelligence Ministry announced that authorities have detained two Europeans.
Photos surfaced of the EU coordinator of the nuclear talks, Enrique Mora, looking stern as he shook hands awkwardly with Iranian negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani, who beamed and waved.
The Intelligence Ministry gave scant details about the detained Europeans, saying only that they shared the same nationality, which was not identified, and sought to “take advantage” of the protests springing up in several Iranian provinces as laborers and teachers press for better wages.
https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-iran-european-union-e1d6a11539d4593fac316ddd99dcc85a
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
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‘UK is diverting money from starving people in Afghanistan and Yemen to deal with Ukraine’
Sir Mark Lowcock, who served as the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator until last year, hits out at British aid cuts and the UK’s decision to send asylum seekers to Rwanda in an interview with Rob Hastings.
Sir Mark Lowcock, the highest-ranking UK official at the UN between 2017 and 2021, was already deeply worried about how the Government has “slashed its budget” on helping victims of conflict and famine in some the world’s poorest countries last year, but he says the Ukraine war has made things worse.
“I’m really concerned that actually the biggest loss of life caused by this war could be a long way from Ukraine,” Sir Mark tells i in an exclusive interview. “Britain is diverting money from starving people in Afghanistan and Yemen to deal with the Ukraine crisis, and it’s completely the wrong thing to do. Food prices are going up, people can’t afford food, and the aid agencies helping them are having their resources cut… Britain is guiltier than anybody of that diversion.”
Speaking in a video call from his home near Hampton Court in south-west London, Lowcock makes many stark criticisms of British policies
https://inews.co.uk/news/long-reads/uk-aid-money-afghanistan-yemen-deal-with-ukraine-1627269
(A P)
Newcastle kit sharing Saudi colours would be sportswashing, Amnesty says
Leaked images suggest white and green away kit next season
Newcastle appoint chief executive of Saudi golf to their board
Newcastle United wearing the colours of Saudi Arabia’s national football side on their away shirt next season would be “clear evidence” of sportswashing by the Gulf regime, Amnesty International has said.
Leaked images were circulated online on Thursday night purporting to show Newcastle’s strips for the forthcoming season, the first full term under the majority ownership of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). Although photos showed the home colours remaining the traditional black and white, the away colours were white with a green trim, the same as the Saudi national team and a combination never worn by the Premier League side.
and older reports: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/oct/07/the-fiver-newcastle-united-saudi-arabia
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
Prozess gegen frühere Bundeswehrsoldaten wegen Bildung von Söldnertruppe ab Juni
Vor dem Oberlandesgericht Stuttgart soll am 9. Juni ein Prozess gegen zwei frühere Bundeswehrsoldaten beginnen. Laut der Anklage der Bundesanwaltschaft sollen die 52 und 60 Jahre alten Männer vor, versucht haben, eine Söldnertruppe aufzustellen, um damit völkerrechtswidrig im Bürgerkrieg im Jemen einzugreifen. Die Anklage lautet auf versuchte Bildung einer terroristischen Vereinigung.
Die beiden Männer sollen versucht haben, aus den Reihen früherer Angehöriger von Spezialkräften eine hundert bis 150 Mann starke Truppe zu bilden. Finanziert werden sollte das Vorhaben durch Dritte.
https://de.nachrichten.yahoo.com/prozess-gegen-fr%C3%BChere-bundeswehrsoldaten-wegen-090346942.html
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
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“The Gulf States and the Horn of Africa: Interests, Influence, and Instability” by Robert Mason and Simon Mabon: Book Review
Abu Dhabi continues to play a key military role in Yemen through limited troops on the ground and support for proxy groups in the south. Moreover, a UN Panel of Experts on Yemen has collected substantial evidence revealing that Iran is shipping weapons to the Houthis via coastal towns in northern Somalia.
The conflict in Yemen has certainly drawn renewed attention to the Horn of Africa region. As executive director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and Horn of Africa expert Alex de Waal puts it: “The war in Yemen sharpened and accelerated a process, already underway, whereby the political rivalries of the Middle East penetrated the Horn of Africa.”
The interconnectedness between Gulf countries and the Horn of Africa has become more intense in the last decade, but it is by no means new. Across centuries, continuous flows of people, goods, and cultural and religious influence have kept the regions connected. Although traditionally studied separately, there are now more powerful reasons than ever to approach Gulf countries and the Horn of Africa in conjunction.
This is exactly the task undertaken by an impressive array of scholars in “The Gulf States and the Horn of Africa: Interests, Influence, and Instability,”
“The Gulf States and the Horn of Africa” is structured in two parts, the first considerably longer than the second. In this first section, the authors approach Gulf-Horn of Africa interactions from the viewpoint of Gulf states.
(* B P)
"MbZ" ist jetzt auch offiziell mächtig
Der langjährige De-facto-Herrscher Mohammed bin Zayed wird neuer Präsident der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate. Nun steht der einflussreiche Schattenherrscher im Rampenlicht.
Hochrangige Vertreter der internationalen Politik reisten am vergangenen Wochenende in die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, um Mohammed bin Zayed, dem neuen und dritten Präsidenten, zu kondolieren - darunter Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Frankreichs Präsident Emmanuel Macron, Israels Präsident Isaac Herzog. Sein Vorgänger im Amt, Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, verstarb am vergangenen Freitag nach langjähriger Krankheit.
Am Samstag einigten sich die Herrscher der sieben Emirate auf dessen Halbbruder Mohammed, kurz MbZ genannt, als neuen Präsidenten. Der in Großbritannien ausgebildete Helikopterpilot war bereits vor dieser Entscheidung der mächtigste Mann im Land und einer der einflussreichsten Führer in der arabischen Welt. Seit 2014 gilt der 61-jährige Kronprinz von Abu Dhabi als De-facto-Herrscher in dem wohlhabenden Golfstaat, nachdem sein Bruder einen Schlaganfall hatte und kaum noch öffentlich auftrat. MbZ traf die wichtigsten außenpolitischen Entscheidungen, wie etwa den Eintritt in den saudisch-geführten Jemenkrieg 2015 oder die Aufnahme diplomatischer Beziehungen zu Israel 2020, das sogenannte Abraham-Abkommen.
(* A P)
World leaders descend on UAE to pay respects to late ruler
An array of presidents and prime ministers continued to descend on the United Arab Emirates Sunday from around the world to pay their respects to the federation’s late ruler. They also came to praise his successor, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan — a vivid sign of Abu Dhabi’s influence in Western and Arab capitals.
The first Western leader to jet to the oil-rich emirate was French President Emmanuel Macron. He met with Sheikh Mohammed to pay tribute to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the long-ailing ruler who died Friday at the age of 73 after years presiding over the country’s rapid transformation into a global business hub and regional power center.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived later Sunday to offer condolences, along with other leaders including Israel’s president after the two countries opened formal relations in 2020.
A high-profile American delegation led by Vice President Kamala Harris is due to visit the UAE on Monday
and
(* B P)
Analysis: Condolence calls from elite show UAE ruler’s power
Coming from around the globe, airplanes carrying world leaders have landed in the capital of the United Arab Emirates to offer condolences for the death of the country’s president — and acknowledge the influence of the man now fully in charge.
MbZ as he’s known has become a major influence in the wider Middle East, whether through his longtime relationship with the U.S. military, his opposition to Islamists or his autocratic country’s new ties with Israel.
Following the death of his half-brother, President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammed’s new reign comes with the opportunity to cement the rapid advance from villages to skyscrapers made by the UAE since its founding just over 50 years ago.
But it also comes as tough decisions loom for a nation mired in a deadlocked, bloody war in Yemen, facing choices on whether to embrace an America increasingly suspicious of its ties to China and Russia and concerned about an Iran whose nuclear program now races toward weapons-grade levels.
Even before becoming president, Sheikh Mohammed was believed to have been the country’s de facto leader since a 2014 stroke saw Sheikh Khalifa disappear from public view.
“MbZ is a leader not just in the UAE, but more broadly in the Middle East, where he is seen as a particularly dynamic member of the generation succeeding the geriatric cases who have dominated the region for decades,” a 2009 U.S. diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks said.
and
(* A P)
UAE’s long-ailing leader Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed dies at 73
The United Arab Emirates’ long-ailing ruler and president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, died Friday, the government announced in a brief statement. He was 73.
Sheikh Khalifa oversaw much of the country’s blistering economic growth and his name was immortalized on the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, after bailing out debt-crippled Dubai during its financial crisis over a decade ago.
However, after suffering a stroke and undergoing emergency surgery in 2014, a decade after becoming president, he ceased having any involvement in the day-to-day affairs of ruling the country.
and
(* A P)
The passing of Sh. Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the #UAE, formalizes transfer of power to MbZ. In power since 2004, KbZ suffered from a stroke in 2014 leading to his withdrawal from public life. No change in UAE policy expected. Eyes on MbZ choice for Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
https://twitter.com/bmalsaif/status/1525063916182769665
and
(* A P)
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan becomes UAE’s president
Rulers in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday unanimously appointed Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the autocratic nation’s president, signaling both unity and stability in this key energy-rich country that hosts Western militaries.
The ascension of Sheikh Mohammed, 61, had been expected after the death Friday of his half-brother and the UAE’s president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the age of 73. The transition of power marks only the third time this U.S.-allied nation of seven sheikhdoms has selected a president since becoming an independent nation in 1971.
Under Sheikh Mohammed, who has been the nation’s de facto leader since Sheikh Khalifa suffered a stroke in 2014, the UAE had tried to project power militarily across the wider region as it joined a Saudi-led war in Yemen.
(A P)
Excerpts from the speech delivered by EU Ambassador to Yemen Gabriel Munuera Viñals on Europe Day – Amman, 11 May 2022
I believe that in addition to a Yemeni-owned, Yemeni-centred UN-led peace process, such concrete achievements and solidarity can emerge and are actually emerging in Yemen, in the Arabian Peninsula and also in the broader Gulf region. Let us grasp and build on this momentum.
As the conflict enters its eighth year in Yemen, nearly 380,000 people have died since hostilities began. Thousands of civilians have lost their lives from hunger, diseases, and lack of drinking water, not to mention the millions who have been forced to leave their homes for IDPs camps. To all those people who have gone through the suffering of war, I wish today to express my deepest solidarity and to convey my firm resolution to contribute to bringing peace to Yemen. This is my core mandate, this is what I intend to do to the best of my abilities.
In spite of the very steep challenges on the quest for peace in Yemen, there are signs of hope, a window of opportunity at present that we must try to seize. The United Nations Special Envoy has succeeded in brokering a country-wide truce, which has been broadly holding since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. Just a few weeks ago, I was in Aden together with several colleagues to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new Presidential Leadership Council, and we could hear President Al Alimi stress the Council’s commitment to this truce and to the cause of peace.
To conclude, let me just stress that the EU and its Member States are truly united in their efforts to contribute to peace in Yemen, to alleviate the suffering of Yemenis and to support long-term recovery. Drawing on our common history but also on our differences, and our experience in managing these differences, we want to contribute to rebuilding a united, peaceful and prosperous Yemen.
My comment: Bla-bla. For the obvious role of the EU, llok at the report on Spanish arms deals in cp1.
(A P)
France opens case against Interpol president over Britons detained in UAE
French authorities have opened a case against Interpol president Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi of the United Arab Emirates over accusations of torture and arbitrary detention filed by two Britons who were detained in the country, a source close to the investigation said Wednesday.
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(* B K P)
The arms industry in Spain: the death we export
A program on the Spanish arms industry and the direct consequences on the population in Yemen
Spain is the fifth country that exports the most military material in the world and the Spanish war industry invoices more than 6,500 million annually. In the context of the war in Ukraine, few critical voices have been seen against the shipment of weapons, while Spain sells weapons to aggressor dictatorships that violate human rights, even from public companies. In this program we investigate the arms business in our country to talk about the death that we export (Audio; Spanish)
My remark: More on Spanish arms exports, look at cp1.
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
(C)
Photos: Wissen Sie, dass im Jemen der erste Wolkenkratzer von Shibam in Hadramawt gebaut wurde, oft als "Manhattan der Wüste" bezeichnet
Do you know that in Yemen have been built the world's first Skyscraper of Shibam in Hadramawt, often referred to as the "Manhattan of the Desert "
https://www.facebook.com/YACofCalifornia/posts/372029134953086
(C)
A Rasulid brass basin. Yemen, 14th/ 15th Century
https://www.bonhams.com/auction/27407/lot/48/a-rasulid-brass-basin-yemen-14th-15th-century/
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
(B E P)
Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY) - Special Update 05: Differences Between Mean and Median in IRG and DFA Areas with Exchange Rate and Transfer Amount
Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY) - Special Update 05: Differences Between Mean and Median in IRG and DFA Areas with Exchange Rate and Transfer Amount
(A E P)
Saudi extends 2018 deposit at Yemen [Aden] central bank, pays final installment
Saudi Arabia on Monday extended a deposit it gave the central bank of Yemen's internationally recognised government in 2018, and agreed to pay the final installment of the promised $2 billion, the central bank and Saudi ambassador to Yemen said.
(A E)
Planting seeds for the Future of Coffee in Yemen
We sponsored the planting of 100,000 trees during planting season and now those farmers need the tools and support to make the most of these new seedlings for the future.
http://www.themokhainstitute.org/campaigns/planting-seeds-for-the-future-of-coffee-in-yemen/
(B E H)
Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY) - Remittances Tracker (April 2022)
The ranking of the 3 origins of the remittances received, the first one is other part of Yemen, second Middle East (UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc), and the third is North America (USA, Canada, etc).
The ranking of the 3 destinations for remittances, the first one is other part of Yemen, second Middle East (UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc), and the third is North America (USA, Canada, etc).
Inflowing remittances percentage is increased, due to Ramadan holiday, as people outside the country send more money to support their families in this month.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cash-consortium-yemen-ccy-remittances-tracker-april-2022
and also https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cash-consortium-yemen-ccy-price-monitoring-tool-april-2022
and
(B E H)
Cash Consortium of Yemen - Flash Update 44: YER Exchange Rate Volatility April Week 2 & Week 3
The IRG vs DFA exchange rate variation currently stands at a 374 YER difference.
The exchange rate in both IRG & DFA areas continuing to appreciate from week to another.
The range between the maximum and minimum value of the exchange rate from Apr W2 to W3 shrank in the South from 222 to 180 YER
Cash Consortium of Yemen - Flash Update 43: YER Exchange Rate Volatility March Week 4 & April Week 1
The IRG vs DFA exchange rate variation currently stands at a 512 YER difference.
The exchange rate in IRG areas started to appreciate after the deppreciaton of the currencies purchasing power in March 2022. And in DFA areas, the exchange rate is below 600 for the first time in two years.
The range between the maximum and minimum value of the exchange rate from Mar W4 to Apr W1 expanded in the South from 43 to 440 YER, indicating instability across exchange shops in IRG areas, and the exchange rate in the North expanded from 3 to 67 YER indicating volatility across exchange shops in the areas of interests.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(A T)
#AlQaeda #Yemen: New martyr bio for Abu 'Abdallah al-San'ani reveals #drone havoc: Promoted to Bayda artillery chief after drone killed predecessor Further drone strike laid him up for months. Finally killed by fake #ISIS defector alongside 2 #AQAP bros handicapped by drones (images)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1525936174942113794
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Saudi Arabia: Release of Houthi prisoners aims to support peace efforts
Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian initiative of releasing 163 Houthi detainees who had participated in hostilities against the Kingdom came to support all the endeavors and efforts to bring peace and end the conflict in Yemen, the Saudi Cabinet said in its virtual session today chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35058
My comment: This was a propaganda fake story: nearly all of these men had been Yemeni expatriates working in Saudi Arabia the Saudis just wanted to get rid of.
(A P)
Houthis involved in terror acts to confuse political change: Yemen gov't
https://debriefer.net/en/news-29590.html
(A P)
Cartoon: Houthi Summer Centers
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1526266439946338306
(A P)
UAE spares no effort to support Yemen
The UAE was built on the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s lofty ideals of tolerance, peace, and stability.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan — the key adviser on security issues to his late father Sheikh Zayed — has been tirelessly working to achieve a more stable and peaceful Middle East.
The UAE’s new President has been maintaining cordial relations with world leaders since his eldest brother — Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan took ill in 2014. On Friday, Sheikh Khalifa passed away at the age of 73.
In his earlier role as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed continued to strengthen long-standing bilateral relations with other countries resulting in economic growth and prosperity.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35047
(A P)
Cartoons depicting how the Houthis use summer centers and schools in areas under their control to push children to join the battlefields.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1525545909630734338
(A P)
[Aden] Yemeni gov't: Houthis create fuel crisis, as 10 oil tankers arrived Hodeida
The Houthi group has created a new fuel crisis in Sana'a and other Yemeni provinces under its control, the Yemeni information minister said on Tuesday, nothing that 10 oil tankers have arrived at Hodeida port since the UN-brokered truce started on 2 April.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-29541.html
(A P)
More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors“ propaganda
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2354178
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2353976
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2353635
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2353630
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2353290
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
Fast keine Luftangriffe seit Beginn des Waffenstillstands.
Almost no air raids since the beginning of the truce.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Der Waffenstillstand hält überwiegend; beide Seiten werfen sich Verstöße vor.
The truce mostly holds; both sides accuse each other of violations.
(B K pS)
Yemen: Scale of landmine planting is stretching demining teams thin, says YEMAC
The Deputy Director of the Yemeni Executive Mine Action Centre (YEMAC) has warned that the scale and density of landmine planting is a fast-growing issue in Yemen, where demining teams are stretched thin and struggling to keep up with the workload.
(A K pH)
Aggression commits 121 violations of UN truce in past 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3187285.htm = https://www.saba.ye/en/news3187281.htm
(A K pS)
The spokesman of the Arab Coalition-backed Combined Forces says Houthis have launched new drone attacks in al-Barh area, west of Taiz, as part of the militia's continuous ceasefire breaches/Multiple websites
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55965
(A K P)
Increasing Yemeni appeals for "international" pressures on Houthis to surrender landmine maps
A large number of Yemeni officials and activists have renewed their calls for "international" pressures on the Houthi Shia militants to surrender to the government maps of the landmines they have indiscriminately planted in the country.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55966
and
(A K P)
We are announcing the launch of our campaign to demand the handover of landmine maps. In the framework of the current truce and confidence-building steps, the handing over of maps, should be included in any future agreements. Our official statement: (in image)
https://twitter.com/HandInTheMaps/status/1525878556668182532
(A K pS)
Southern forces shoot down Houthi drone in al-Dhale
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35053
(B K pH)
Coalition commits 4,352 violations of UN armistice in 44 days
https://en.ypagency.net/260943/
(A K pH)
Aggression forces commit 84 violations of humanitarian, military truce within 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3187118.htm
(A K pS)
Drone attack leaves civilian casualties in Yemen's Marib
Three Yemeni civilians have been injured in an attack with a bomb-laden drone on the northeastern governorate of Marib, Yemeni sources said Sunday, with fingers pointed at the Houthi group.
The Houthi group attacked a private house in Raghwan district, west Marib, with a drone leavening three civilian casualties including a child, the sources added.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-29580.html
(A K pS)
Yemen accuses Houthis of attacking oil-rich province despite truce
The Yemen government has accused the Houthi rebels of attacking the oil-rich province of Marib despite a two-month ceasefire brokered by the UN.
"The Houthis launched a sniper operation killing a member of the armed forces and injuring another on the northwestern front of Marib Province," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
(A K pS)
KSrelief's Masam Project Dismantles 1,201 Mines within a Week in Yemen
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Project (Masam) for clearing mines in Yemen, dismantled, during the second week of May 2022, a total of 1,201 mines planted by the Houthi militia across Yemen, including 35 antipersonnel mines, 649 anti-tank mines, 507 unexploded ordnance, and 10 explosive charges.
Since the beginning of May, as many as 2,199 mines have been dismantled, bringing the total number of the dismantled mines since the beginning of the “Masam” project to 338,092
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2354179
(B K pH)
Coalition forces carry out 4,268 violations of UN armistice in Yemen
The Saudi-led coalition forces have continued to violate the UN-sponsored humanitarian and military truce in Yemen, with 4,268 times for the past 43 days.
https://en.ypagency.net/260853/
(A K pH)
Aggression, mercenaries commit 98 violations of UN-brokered truce in 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186968.htm
(A K pH)
Citizen Injured by Saudi-mercenaries’ Bullet in Taiz
A citizen was wounded by a bullet of Saudi-mercenary sniper in the Al-Ta'iziyah district of Taiz Governorate
https://english.almasirah.net.ye/post/25843/Citizen-Injured-by-Saudi-mercenaries-Bullet-in-Taiz
and also https://en.ypagency.net/260775/
(B K pH)
Coalition commits 4,067 violations of UN armistice in Yemen in 41 days
https://en.ypagency.net/260676/
(A K pH)
Aggression forces commit 103 violations of humanitarian, military truce
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186838.htm
and also https://en.ypagency.net/260710/
(A K pS)
The fall of a shell fired by the Houthis from the Harzan area on the village of Al-Saila (Al-Maqbaba), killing and wounding an entire family: Mahmoud Hashem Mohamed Ali, 5 died Souad Ahmed Abdo Ali, 35 injured Hashem Muhammad Ali 40 injured Damn the so-called armistice (photos)
https://twitter.com/maheralabssi/status/1525157553289809922
and also https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1525541201084129280
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55926
and
(A K P)
A short while ago, the people of the village of Al-Saila in the fog #Taiz protested against the crime yesterday in which a child was killed and his parents were injured, until the time of the vigil, a mortar shell landed and its fragments prayed next to us, causing terror and panic to the people of the village and the media present. (photos9
https://twitter.com/maheralabssi/status/1525395082467106816
(B K pS)
al-dhalea-axis-media-houthi-militia-carried-out-634-violations-since-the-humanitarian-truce
(A K pH)
Aggression forces commit 108 violations of humanitarian-military truce over past 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186694.htm
and also https://en.ypagency.net/260639/
(A K)
[Aden] Gov't troops claim downing Iranian-made drone northeast Yemen
https://debriefer.net/en/news-29549.html
(* B K pS)
Yemen landmine project removing 'mind-boggling' number of deadly devices
This is a huge task as war-torn country has 'highest density of mines known to man in recent years'
Efforts are being made to de-mine Yemen, including by the Yemeni authorities and by the Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance (Masam), launched by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.
Since 2018, Masam has been removing mines (anti-personnel and anti-tank), improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance (UXO).
It is a huge task because, as Ousama Algosaibi, Masam’s managing director and programme manager, puts it, the number of explosive devices laid in Yemen is “mind-boggling”.
“I think Yemen has the highest density of IEDs and mines known to man in recent years,” he says.
“I don’t think there’s any country that has had this number [laid] ... in such a short period of time.”
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy previously reported that the Houthis have carried out “mass production and deployment” of landmines, laying them at locations including near the Saudi border, along the coast and around towns.
Mr Algosaibi says landmines have been found inside villages, on agricultural and grazing land, in children’s schools, and also on roads leading to villages.
“These are all civilian areas that are now very far from any active front,” he says.
“I don’t know and I don’t understand the reason they have planted those areas with mines and IEDs.
“What is the use of planting IEDs under the floor of a children’s school? It just doesn’t make sense. Or water supplies the villagers are using? Or some medical clinics?
“Houthis want to use that as, I don’t know, a terror tool against the local population, against the local civilians.”
The project — unusual for being supported by a party to the conflict, Saudi Arabia, which along with the UAE is fighting the Houthis — involves more than 500 people.
De-mining is carried out by 32 teams of Yemenis, who have been through comprehensive training even if, as is typical, they had previous de-mining experience.
The Houthis do not reveal where mines have been laid, so operatives often find out by speaking to locals during an initial non-technical survey (NTS).
Residents may pinpoint a location where a mine cost a relative a leg or killed an animal, and operatives can often then work out the line in which others were laid.
Metal detectors highlight the precise location of devices, which are typically collected and destroyed, hundreds at a time, in controlled explosions. IEDs and mines too dangerous to remove are blown up in situ.
Masam has cleared more than 32 million square metres and destroyed nearly 5,000 anti-personnel mines, almost 125,000 anti-tank mines, nearly 200,000 UXO, and close to 7,500 IEDs. This adds up to more than 335,000 items in total.
(B K)
Film: Widespread use of landmines in Yemen
Yasmine Daelman from Humanity & Inclusion's team in Yemen describes the catastrophic situation facing civilians in the country.
https://twitter.com/HI_UK/status/1524678669284909056
(A K pH)
Aggression commits 132 violations of armistice within 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186625.htm
and also https://en.ypagency.net/260589/
https://twitter.com/AlegnaCesho/status/1524861652096589824
(A K pS)
Several she-camels have been killed by Houthi landmines in Marib/Alsahwa Net
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55889
(A K pS)
Houthi sniper guns down young Taiz man
The sectarian militant gunned down Mazen Al-Mufti, 25, in Al-Sharaf area at Salah district" of Taiz on Tuesday afternoon, local sources have said.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55890
(A K pH)
Aggression forces commit 141 violations of armistice within 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186499.htm
(A K pH)
Marib witnesses renewed fierce confrontations
Coalition’s troops continued on Wednesday to violate the UN-declared truce in Marib province, local sources told Yemen Press Agency.
The sources said that coalition’s forces launched three infiltrations toward Sanaa forces sites in mountains of Al-Balq Al-Sharqi, while nine of their recruits were killed and 13 others injured.
https://en.ypagency.net/260459/
(A K pH)
Citizens Killed in Explosions of US-Saudi Aggression's Bomb Remnants
"Two citizens were killed within 24 hours in explosions of US-Saudi aggression's remnants in the province of Al-Baidah and Marib," the Executive Center for Mine Handling said in a statement.
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
Seit dem Abkommen von Stockholm vom 13. Dezember 2018 gibt es einen Waffenstillstand für Hodeidah. Zwar bleiben größere Offensiven aus, kleinere Gefechte gibt es aber laufend, und beide Seiten werfen sich ständig Verstöße gegen den Waffenstillstand vor.
Since the Stockholm Agreement of December 13, 2018, a ceasefire has been in place for Hodeidah. There are no major offensives, but smaller battles are ongoing and both sides constantly are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.
(A K pH)
Aggression forces commit 58 violations of Hodeida in the past 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3187263.htm
(A K pH)
Citizen Killed in Explosions of US-Saudi Aggression's Remnants in Hodeidah
and also https://en.ypagency.net/261034/
My remark: Or by a Houthi-laid landmine.
(A K pS)
The Houthi militia dig trenches and build fortifications in Hays-Aljarrahi of Hodeidah/Aden Alghad
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55965
(A K pH)
Aggression violates Hodeida ceasefire 50 times
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3187119.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression violates Hodeida ceasefire 58 times
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186967.htm
(A K pS)
A 13-year-old boy (Murad Beeshi) has lost his two legs in an explosion after he stepped on a Houthi landmine in in Hajjah province, the Yemeni Observatory on Landmines said Saturday/Bawabati
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-55925
(A K pH)
Aggression forces commit 62 violations of Hodeida truce over past 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186840.htm
(A K pS)
Houthis launch drone attacks south Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35043
(A K pH)
Aggression forces violate Sweden agreement on Hodeida 75 times
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186695.htm
and also https://en.ypagency.net/260636/
(A K pH)
Aggression forces commit 112 violations of Hodeida armistice in 24 hours
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186624.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression violates Hodeida truce 44 times
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3186503.htm
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
(A)
Iranian Navy Thwarts Pirate Attack in Gulf of Aden
The Iranian naval forces prevented pirates from hijacking one of the country’s trade vessels in the Gulf of Aden.
The Iranian Navy’s marines on board the 80th flotilla of warships received a mayday call from an Iranian trade vessels in the Gulf of Aden on Friday morning.
The Iranian trade ship had come under attack from unknown pirates.
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-805-yemen-war-mosaic-805
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-805 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-805:
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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