June 17, 2022. The truce in Yemen, facts and consequences – The difficult road to peace – The new Aden Presidential Council – The economic situation of Yemen – The US’ and Biden’s relationship to Saudi Arabia and the Yemen war – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-810b-yemen-war-mosaic-810b
Klassifizierung / Classification
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
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
cp12b Sudan
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
Klassifizierung / Classification
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*
(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
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
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The UN-Mediated Truce in Yemen: Impacts of the First Two Months
Despite a sharp increase in violence the week prior to the truce, the agreement has largely been considered a success, as acknowledged by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg (Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, 25 May 2022). Likewise, humanitarian organizations working across Yemen have applauded the humanitarian impacts of the truce, including improved access to aid for Yemenis (ReliefWeb, 31 May 2022). On 2 June, Grundberg announced that the parties had agreed to renew the truce for a further two months, extending it until 2 August (Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, 2 June 2022). This report explores the key developments in Yemen during the first two months of the truce.2
Key Trends
Both Saudi-led coalition airstrikes from fighter jets in Yemen and Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia stopped entirely. In the year leading up to the truce, ACLED records an average of more than 40 coalition airstrike events per week in Yemen,3 and an average of four Houthi drone and missile attacks per week in Saudi Arabia.
Shelling across the main frontlines increased significantly, becoming the main form of political violence in Yemen. During the first two months of the truce, shelling, artillery, and missile attack events accounted for 55% of all political violence events, compared to 19% in the two months preceding the truce.
While armed clashes between conflict parties remained at relatively high levels in April and May 2022, their lethality decreased considerably. The lethality of armed clashes was five times lower during the first two months of the truce than during the two months prior.
April and May 2022 saw the lowest levels of reported fatalities since January 2015, but civilians suffered disproportionately from political violence. Although reported fatalities from civilian targeting decreased by more than 50% from March to April, their share of the total reported fatalities increased by more than 50%.
https://acleddata.com/2022/06/14/the-un-mediated-truce-in-yemen-impacts-of-the-first-two-months/
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The Cease-Fire in Yemen Is Unambiguously Good News
The best thing the US can do now is refuse to side with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the Yemeni people.
While the initial ceasefire offered a tentative diplomatic opening for the Yemeni government and its Saudi-led allies to engage with the Houthi rebel movement that controls most of northern Yemen, Thursday’s extension must go further if it is to be successful. The parties will have to patch the lingering holes in the April agreement and take substantive steps to finally end this destructive war. Only a permanent cessation of hostilities can resolve the humanitarian crisis and bring desperately needed relief to the Yemeni people.
Save for the final provision, all of these terms were at least partly fulfilled. The ceasefire was honored despite reports of isolated violations.
The primary lingering issue is the status of Taiz, which is held by pro-government forces but effectively besieged by the rebels.
Assuming the ceasefire holds and the parties come to an agreement about Taiz, the next two months are an enormous opportunity to bring the war to a close. But several obstacles remain. The Yemeni government, unsettled by a Saudi-engineered upheaval shortly after the April ceasefire took effect, has yet to demonstrate the political will to negotiate a settlement to the war.
Thus far there’s no indication that the presidential council has played a significant role in the peace process. The new body cannot possibly have less independent legitimacy than Hadi, who served entirely at the Saudis’ behest, but the fact that it was created by the Saudis and the Emiratis strongly suggests that the council doesn’t have any more autonomy than Hadi. Is the presidential council meant to unite the various anti-Houthi factions in order to better support a peace deal, or in order to better coordinate the war effort? Although the renewed ceasefire does indicate a genuine Saudi and Emirati interest in terminating the war, this remains an open question.
One thing, though, is certain: the United States, which fancies itself a mediator in the Yemen conflict, has by its own actions (and inactions) sidelined itself in the peace process. The decision of three successive administrations to back the Saudi and Emirati war effort has stripped Washington of any credibility when engaging with the Houthis. And the Trump administration’s choice to scrap the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, exacerbated by the Biden administration’s inexplicable decision not to revive it, means that there are no diplomatic channels through which the United States could appeal to the Houthis’ Iranian backers to support negotiations.
The Biden administration’s ability to influence the Saudis and Emiratis, meanwhile, has been severely undercut by the Ukraine war and domestic political considerations
There is considerable reason to believe that Saudi and Emirati leaders signed onto the latest ceasefire — and dragged their Yemeni clients with them — because they no longer see the war as beneficial to their national interests. If the United States steps in and forcefully defends either or both states, it could change that calculation and encourage them to return to conflict — a devastating outcome for the Yemeni people.
At this point, the best thing the United States could do for Yemen is to leave well enough alone – by Derek Davison
https://jacobin.com/2022/06/ceasefire-yemen-saudi-arabia-uae-war-peace/
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Yemen and The 'Potholed' Road to Peace
But its early days yet. The two-month truce - meaning the cessation of fighting and the stopping of all offensive ground, aerial and maritime military operations, hitched up on 2 April and now extended till 2 August under UN auspices is a blessing in disguise. This is the first time the warring parties have been able to come thus far and agree to stop their deadly and bloody offensives with both sides willing to go the extra mile and give it a go.
Grundberg maybe succeeding however because of two factors:
First the warring parties - ousted government, Houthis, Saudis, Emirates, and different armed factions on the ground - fatigue has long set in and they have been looking for a way out despite their fighting in different parts of Yemen regardless of the Houthi control of Sanaa, the Yemeni capital.
Second, Grundberg, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who is taking a personal interest in the Yemen conflict and the Security Council led by the United States and the Biden administration, and this is despite the fact they are supplying the Saudis with weapons together with the French and British, have been working with regional states on the ground to push for a final peace settlement despite the hardships they faced.
It had been constant world and regional diplomacy staring from Washington to holding talks in Kuwait, Omanis behind-the-scenes with their shuttle diplomacy as well as the Jordanians, who has had a role in mediation in Yemen since the early 1990s when there was an eventual agreement to unite the country was after it had long been split into two: North Yemen and South Yemen. Now, with the truce, Amman is serving as a hub for the Houthis and members of the internationally-recognized government to produce and build a sustainable ceasefire that everyone hopes would lead to a permanent peaceful solution and the end of war.
There is a "softly-softly" approach that is being adopted by Grundberg and his team. At the start of the first truce from April onwards, two things were finally established and included the opening up of the Sanaa International Airport and the start of regular air-traffic with the first plane being from the Yemeni capital to Amman as of 16 May.
Somehow it fizzled out and now it looks as if its working by non-other the Grundberg who is himself a Swede. But there is still a long way to go for this young diplomat appears to be using the truce, which he himself affected to draw a "piece-meal strategy" to get the parties together to agree for a final peaceful solution. One is the opening up of the Sanaa Airport, the second is the opening of the Hodeidah Port to goods and other shipping made slowly and methodically through negotiations.
The third strategy deemed the most ambitious so far is to get the Houthis to lift their long-term siege of Taiz due to its strategic location in southwest Yemen.
However, this is not as easy as it is thought, one party wants the total siege lifted but the Houthis, as yet will only allow no more than few roads to be lifted with the argument between the two sides continuing till today. However, with the way things are going, it is expected the siege on Taiz will be lifted soon judging from the previous two actions that took a considerable amount of negotiations air traffic and the port opening before it actually happened – by Marwan Asmar
https://www.albawaba.com/opinion/yemen-and-potholed-road-peace%C2%A0-1479692
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Yemen truce brings relief but no path to lasting peace
Yemen's UN-sponsored truce is a priceless relief for civilians and a diplomatic success for the UN envoy for Yemen. But because the root causes remain unsolved, a permanent peace is still doubtful.
Accordingly, re-opening the roads in Taiz is still a disputable point, which may cause a sudden disruption of the truce.
Yaseen Al-Tamimi, a Yemeni political researcher and commentator, described the present military calm in Yemen as "a war that has stopped temporarily." He believes that the ceasefire had granted the Houthi group new gains. Since the start of the truce in April, fuel ships have kept arriving and offloading in Houthi-dominated ports in Hodeida, generating cash for the group.
"Houthis have guaranteed more revenues that will consolidate their military preparedness and cement their grip on most of the northern areas in Yemen," Tamimi said. Therefore, the cessation of fighting has been positive in the humanitarian aspect, but not necessarily on the long-term military level.
The Houthis fear this truce can be a trick, and they still rely on the military option to maintain their power. Houthis believe that their opponents use the ceasefire to rearrange themselves for another round of war.
Houthi-appointed defense minister Mohammed Al-Halimi said this week during a field visit to fighters in Al-Jawf province, "Everyone knows that the enemy, during the armistice, is rearranging the situation of its [groups] … but we say to the aggressors and their followers that what you are working on today will not be more than what you did during the past years, and its fate will be a dismal failure."
The diplomatic progress achieved in Yemen has not tackled the root causes of the conflict,
Nowadays, Taiz, a city besieged for seven years, awaits the end of its imprisonment. The public optimism about opening all routes is not high, and civilians are still skeptical about bringing the situation to normal.
Salman Mohammed, a resident in Taiz city, told Al-Monitor, "Taiz will see war if the truce fails, and both sides are prepared for another round of fighting." More Houthi armored vehicles arrived on June 6, he said.
"What is happening on the ground in Taiz is different from what is being said in the media," Mohammed added. "They report on peace progress, but in reality, the situation is still tense here,"
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/06/yemen-truce-brings-relief-no-path-lasting-peace
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Challenges to the Presidential Council.. Complications of Peace and War in Yemen
Conclusion
Obviously, establishing the Presidential Council is a first step to push Yemen to either of two options to end the long stalemate: the Houthis shall participate in the Presidential Council, or military escalation is the final resort. The Presidential Council believes that with the unification of forces, the Houthis will be weaker than before, while the Houthis are counting on the disparate composition of the membership of the Presidential Council, which could lead to its failure.
Apparently, the idea of getting President Hadi and Vice-President, Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar out of the way and setting up a presidential council is partly the outcome of negotiations between the Houthis and the Saudis, with Western blessings, in the Sultanate of Oman, which serves as facilitator and mediator. The Houthis had previously proposed the formation of a presidential council in the Kuwait consultations (2016) to replace President Hadi. This proposal was a main cause of the failure of those consultations as the internationally recognized government refused. The Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia seem to be pushing for peace. The final statement of the Riyadh consultations clarifies the delegates’ agreement on “the failure of military solutions.. and engaging in a political solution, sitting at the negotiating table to discuss all points of contention, and abandoning military solutions, starting with consolidating the current armistice and entering into peace talks under the auspices of the United Nations.”[50]
The success of the Presidential Council entails moving towards a new transitional period in Yemen, which may include the Houthis. However, the success of the Presidential Council in overcoming the challenges it faces hinges upon its members’ willingness to give priority to national interests, which must prevail over their own goals and interests. It is the last possible solution to end the war.
On the other hand, the Houthis have an infamous history of subjecting truces and dialogues to assess their interests, and to benefit from them militarily and financially, before in additional to the political gains. They are closely linked to status of Iran vis-à-vis the international community. Currently, Iran is undergoing a monotonous dialogue regarding the nuclear agreement, while internally it witnesses increasing popular discontent because of the deterioration of the economic conditions, which was exacerbated by international sanctions, and Tehran’s preoccupation with supporting armed rebellions outside its borders. Israeli attacks on its troops in Syria have increased, and several military leaders have been assassinated. These pressures may push Iran to direct its allies in the region to launch attacks to destabilize the region as a means of relieve pressures on their patron.
In Yemen, as much as they are trying to make political gains from the announced truce, the Houthis are preparing militarily on multiple fronts, especially borders with Saudi Arabia, Marib and Taiz. Their missile threats and drone attacks may be directed again at Aden and Shabw, as well as Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, to target both the political decision of, and economic support for, the Yemeni government. Hence, as much as the Presidential Council is keen to achieve its goals, in particular to achieve peace and end the war, it must prepare for imposing peace by military force. At least, it has to prepare for defending its entity that will disintegrate if the Houthis achieve any of their military goals such as controlling Marib, Taiz or Mocha, or even return to Shabwa, Lahj,, Al-Dhali’, or any area where there is a military force fighting it.
The failure or collapse and disintegration of the Presidential Council for any military reasons such as those that the Houthis are preparing for, or economic ones as a result of the food or energy crisis, will have disastrous consequences for the future of peace in Yemen. The alternative will be multiple militias and small-pocket wars that will portend a bleak future for Yemen and extinguish the spark of hope that Yemenis are trying to keep ignited.
https://abaadstudies.org/news-59903.html
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Yemen’s Post-Hybrid Balance: The New Presidential Council
The composition of the newly appointed Presidential Council emphasizes the role of informal leaders in Yemen’s institutions, thus pushing the country a step beyond hybridity.
This newly appointed Presidential Council reveals how the country is evolving. Combining officials from internationally recognized institutions and armed group leaders with ground legitimacy and territorial control maximizes hybridity. This is not a novel dynamic for Yemen, as the hybridization of formal and informal defense forces became normalized after the 2011 uprising and the start of the current conflict in late 2014. Now, however, with the appointment of the Presidential Council, there is top-down political recognition through the formal co-optation of the so-called hybrid sovereignties which rule over the territory in a de-facto manner. As a result, the composition of the Presidential Council, providing the same status to formal and informal players, emphasizes Yemen’s post-hybrid balance.
The new council will be more representative than Yemeni institutions in the past, and the council will not feature representation from any political party leaders. After seven years of war, Yemen’s primary national political parties, the General People’s Congress and Islah, have both fractured and transformed. Because of their historical weaknesses, they have failed to bring an end to the country’s years-long war. In addition, many traditional parties still seek the idea of a unified Yemen, while local leaders pursue greater regional autonomy and are directly or indirectly supported by armed groups.
Reflecting dynamics on the ground, the new council makes way for the rise of leaders, including both northerners and southerners, from groups with a military genealogy as well as from the local and governorate-level. As such, the biggest obstacle for Yemen will be the integration of competing micro-powers into a national and cohesive political landscape.
While the council is representative of many parties with a stake in the outcome of the country, it is not cohesive in a way that allows for effective decision-making. Rather, the Presidential Council reveals the country’s lingering fragmentation and sheds light on the failure of past coalition-building attempts in the anti-Houthi camp. Most previous efforts have failed because of overriding power rivalries and competing agendas, and this same fragmentation exists on the new council.
With so many internal contradictions, the council risks not being strong enough to reach an agreement with the Houthis.
Furthermore, and unfortunately, political disagreements among council members regarding territorial control and chains of command are not likely to disappear. Local rivalries are still alive, and many of the council’s members, like the powerful governors of Marib and Hadhramawt, have managed to forge de facto areas of control on the ground with military and economic networks that will prove difficult to integrate under a national framework. The regional backing issue is also crucial, adding another obstacle on the road to political cohesion.
As Yemen continues to forge a post-hybrid reality via the composition of this new council, the line between formal and informal forces and state and counter-state governance becomes increasingly indistinguishable, resulting in an even more ambiguous—and hard to govern—landscape. However, regardless of its effectiveness, the newly appointed council is a reliable snapshot of Yemen’s current power balance, as the country has turned into a variety of micro-states ruling portions of the Yemeni territory. In this context, while the Presidential Council offers Yemen a chance for inclusive negotiations, its members’ varied agendas could easily turn into a political obstacle on the road to stabilization – by Eleonora Ardemagni
https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/87301
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Yemen Economic Monitor, Spring 2022: Clearing Skies Over Yemen?
The first issue of the Yemen Economic Monitor (YEM) was launched on June 13th, 2022. The YEM is expected to be a regular publication prepared by the Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment (MTI) Global Practice of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. The Yemen Economic Monitors (YEMs) will consist of two chapters: the first one provides an update on recent economic developments and an outlook assessment, and the second chapter focuses on a special topic of relevance to the country's economic development. The YEMs are part of the World Bank's agenda to devote particular attention to Fragile Conflict, and Violence contexts (FCV), where poverty is rapidly growing, and hard-won development gains are retreating fast.
After seven devastating years of war, Yemen faces a profound economic crisis, threatening the government's ability to sustain vital public services. Yemen's economic output drastically declined in 2020, reflecting the compounded effects of the COVID19 pandemic on pre-existing factors of fragility. Annual GDP is projected to have declined by a further 2 percent in 2021, thus roughly falling to half its pre-conflict level. In addition to endemic violence and insecurity, multiple domestic and external shocks are driving these contractions, including weather events, the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, among others. In this context, extensive damage to vital infrastructure has severely disrupted essential services, and the conflict has disrupted the payment of civil-service salaries, undermining efforts to safeguard human capital and prevent the further deterioration of human development outcomes.
Soaring food prices, further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, have had a major impact on Yemen's economy and – dramatically – on an already dire food crisis. Over the last year, inflation was pushed by a combination of soaring global commodity prices, currency depreciation, and extraordinary shocks such as the war in Ukraine. As a net food importer, rising global commodity prices have been adversely affecting Yemen’s external balances, inflation, and international reserves levels. Recently, the war in Ukraine has led to an additional spike in the price of critical imports, such as wheat: the country's second-largest imported good after fuel (almost half of all Yemen's wheat imports come from Russia and Ukraine). On the domestic front, over the past year alone, currency depreciation contributed to a 20-30 percent increase in domestic food prices, and shocks to the global grain market could strain the budgets of humanitarian importers. Most dramatically, these dynamics have exacerbated an already dire food crisis.
As the conflict has dragged on, the Yemeni economy has developed more and more into a de facto dual economy, split between the IRG-controlled and DFA-controlled areas. With revenues falling far short of expenditure needs, in 2021, the IRG continued to monetize its fiscal deficit, eroding the purchasing power of the Yemeni rial. In 2021, high inflation caused public spending to contract in real terms even as it expanded in nominal terms. However, recent developments have bolstered the credibility of IRG monetary policy. The introduction of a foreign-exchange auction mechanism at the central bank in mid-November 2021, combined with the appointment of new central-bank management in December 2021, helped stabilize the exchange rate, which closed the year at YER 952 per US dollar, after peaking at roughly YER 1,725 per US dollar only a few days earlier, during the same month (on December 2nd). Meanwhile, de facto authorities (DFA) in Sanaa manage fiscal policy strictly on a cash basis, which has helped contain inflation in DFA-controlled areas, although still in the double digits.
Since April 2022, a number of critical developments increased the hope that a peace-building process may be within reach.
While a modest rebound in the GDP growth rate is expected in 2022, Yemen's economic prospects heavily depend on the evolution of the conflict and overall security conditions on the ground. On the downside, episodes of hostilities coupled with persistently high import prices could further undermine conditions for the private sector. On the upside, the aforementioned renewed hopes for peace, together with rising remittances, and the potential for increased hydrocarbon exports, could accelerate growth over the medium term.
This report focuses on the events up until April 10, 2022 and acknowledges the rapid evolution of significant developments in the following weeks of May-June 2022.
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Biden of Arabia
This is the third attempt to enact a War Powers Resolution to end US assistance to the Saudi-led military coalition which has been destroying Yemen for the past seven years. The Senate tabled an earlier WPR in March 2018. Congress passed a WPR for Yemen in 2019, but it was vetoed by President Trump.
My fear is that President Joe Biden will likewise veto the new WPR. The reason: oil. Prices at the fuel pump have soared since March 8 when Biden declared an embargo on Russian crude oil in response to Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
Despite Biden’s attempt to deflect US voters’ outrage onto “Putin’s price hike,” sky-high gas prices could sink Democrats’ already dim chances in the November midterms. So, Biden is off to Riyadh to plead with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, to open the taps further.
Or is he? As recently as June 2, the New York Times reported that, while the trip had not been officially confirmed, Biden was expected to travel to Saudi Arabia later this month.
If Biden does go to Saudi Arabia, and if MBS deigns to grant him an audience, Biden will have to eat a healthy helping of crow to atone for the many ways he has ticked off the crown prince.
Democratic values! Human rights! No more oil diplomacy! You could hear the thuds as swooning progressives hit the floor. And, for a while, it seemed like Biden was following through. In February 2021, now settled in the Oval Office, President Biden released a US intelligence report which placed responsibility on MBS for personally ordering Khashoggi’s assassination.
Today, Biden’s human-rights focused Saudi Arabian policy is in ruins. The Saudis have not paid the price for Khashoggi’s assassination. The Biden Administration has sanctioned a few Saudi officials, but MBS is not among them. US arms sales to the kingdom continue.
Despite his February 4, 2021 pledge, Biden has continued to provide Saudi Arabia with the assistance it needs to destroy Yemen.
There is one step left to make the reversal of Biden’s initial policy toward Saudi Arabia complete: Biden can veto the Yemen War Powers Resolution should it reach his desk. Maybe then, all Biden’s sins will be forgotten and MBS will come across with cheap oil for US consumers.
Peace in Sight?
On June 2, news came that a UN-brokered truce made in Yemen in April would be extended for another two months. Biden greeted the news with further truckling to the Saudis. In a statement, Biden said that “Saudi Arabia demonstrated courageous leadership by taking initiatives early on to endorse and implement terms of the UN-led truce.” Trita Parsi, founder and former president of the National Iranian American Council, now with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, responded that “Applauding MBS’ ‘courage’ for supporting a ceasefire in a war the Saudi Crown Prince himself started … speaks to Biden’s desperation to lower gas prices, as well as to our need to end this dependency on Saudi Arabia.” Parsi might have added that not only does Biden’s statement exonerate Saudi Arabia, it glosses over how the US has perpetuated the conflict.
Dr. Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute believes that introduction of the War Powers Resolution influenced the warring parties to extend the truce. If MBS believes that the US is about to pull the rug out from under him, he will be motivated to settle the conflict now in order to avoid embarrassment later. She may be right. Or MBS may be even more motivated to scuttle the WPR.
Biden is outrageously hypocritical to assail Russia’s (genuine) aggression in Ukraine, while he makes Saudi aggression in Yemen possible. Biden is right to denounce Russia’s war crimes, but is wrong to be silent about Saudi crimes, including air strikes on Yemeni civilian infrastructure which have brought Yemen to the brink of famine. One day, hopefully soon, the war in Yemen will end, but it will be no thanks to Joe Biden – by Charles Pierson
https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/06/10/biden-of-arabia/
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Western Media Insists Biden “Forced” Into Partnership With Saudi Arabia—Despite Decades of Uncritical, Unbroken U.S.-Saudi Alliance
The otherwise human rights-loving U.S., we were told this week, was compelled by circumstances into supporting the murderous dictatorship.
A feature of Serious U.S. foreign policy reportage is what we refer to on Citations Needed as “Stumbling Empire.” The U.S., western reporters casually tell us, is simply bumbling through world events without agency and, to the extent it does bad things, it does so not for self interest, ideology, or profit—but because it simply has no choice. It’s “dragged” into war, it “makes mistakes,” but ultimately acts with “good faith” and seeks to “spread democracy.” The opposite is true for Enemy States. When they commit similar human rights violations or go to war, it’s due to deliberate long-term plots of global conquest, clear moral choices, and cynical might-makes-right exercises of power.
An example of this media double standard was on full display this past week after news broke of an upcoming face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Saudi dictator Mohammed bin Salman. Numerous outlets insisted Biden was “forced” to cozy up to the journalist-slaying dictator “over oil prices.”
What’s particularly strange about this framing is that all of these articles contrive a meaningful change in policy, insisting Biden is doing a “U-turn” or a “180,” primarily noting mean things Biden said about Saudi Arabia on the e 2019 and 2020 primary campaign trail when he was trying to assuage progressives. But after Biden was elected in November 2020, to the extent he did anything to “cool” relations with Saudi Arabia, it was token and superficial at best.
The only concrete gesture these outlets can point to to back up this narrative that Biden had somehow turned on Saudi Arabia is the release of an assessment by the CIA that Saudi officials killed Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. But this public disclosure—as dozens of human rights groups noted at the time—came with no formal sanction on the monarch, or any real punishment at all. Soon after, the U.S. followed through—again, over the protests of activists and human rights groups—on a $650 million weapons sale to Saudi Arabia. And according to many analysts, Biden’s political and military support for the Saudis’ 6 year war on Yemen, made the conflict worse.
So what exactly is the change in relationship? What supposedly is different now from a year ago? What was Biden or the larger U.S. military apparatus “forced” to do exactly? The answer is nothing.
As Column contributor Sarah Lazare reported in March, the Biden White House has hired upwards of 28 people with financial ties to Saudi Arabia, or its close ally—the United Arab Emirates. This is not something an incoming administration does when they’re earnestly seeking to curb a regime’s influence and standing.
The U.S.-Saudi client state relationship has never changed in material terms, only occasional shifts in P.R. tone.
The narrative that the U.S. is “forced” into backing Saudi Arabia over gas prices is an ahistorical, power-serving, racist myth. The U.S. supports the dictatorship of Saudi Arabia because that’s exactly what the Saudi regime was set up by Western powers to do, and it’s why the alliance is maintained and defended—despite the occasional wrist slapping. The Saudi state kills Iranians and Iranian allies, helps maintain control over regional energy resources, and is an ally of Israel. Everything else is spin – by Adam Johnson
https://thecolumn.substack.com/p/western-media-insists-biden-forced?s=r
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Can Congress end US involvement in Yemen's war as WH strives to rekindle relations with Saudi Arabia?
"Yemen should not trust Biden. He still supports the Saudis, provides them weapons and little opposition to their war in Yemen," J Michael Springmann, former US diplomat to Saudi Arabia, told Al Mayadeen English.
"Biden to my knowledge still sends American commandos into Yemen and likely gives the Kingdom intelligence assistance even though that has supposedly stopped," he added.
"[Biden] doesn't really care about the Yemeni people," US retired Lt. Col. Bill Astore, ex-professor of history at the US Air Force Academy (USAF) told Al Mayadeen English. "He cares about maintaining good relations with the Saudis."
"US-Saudi relations are governed by the American need to keep oil flowing & use of the Kingdom as a stabilizing (!) force in the region," said Springmann, pointing out that the US fears "democratic movements in the region as well as those governments which may not toe the US political line."
State Department spokesman Ned Price told The Post that “Both [Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates] face significant threat to their territories,” noting that the Ansar Allah national resistance movement had launched hundreds of cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia in just the last year. “We are committed to continuing to strengthen those countries’ defenses,” Price said.
Springmann told Al Mayadeen English that "All Biden has to do is order the withdrawal of US forces in Yemen & end arms deals to the Saudis."
"Congress doesn’t need to be involved [in ending US involvement in the Yemen war]. Blocking Saudi travel to the US & refusal to send them spare military parts and ending trade with the Kingdom would end the war," Springmann added.
Scott Bennett, former State Department Counterterrorism Analyst and US Army Psychological Warfare Officer, said "none of Joe Biden’s attention is fixed on Yemen, nor is he willing to intervene against the Saudi Arabian Kingdom, out of fear that it will further drive Saudi Arabia into closer relations with Russia."
Asked if invoking the War Powers Resolution is an attempt from Democrats to cover Biden's scandal of not ending the war in Yemen as promised, Bennett said "the War Powers Resolution is the beginning of a power grab by democrats who are anticipating a severe loss in the mid-term elections."
"Therefore the Democrats are actively planning ways to initiate a Martial Law type takeover of the American election most likely using 'domestic terrorism' as an excuse," Bennett told Al Mayadeen English. "Essentially Yemen’s war has been forgotten by the Biden regime, out of political calculations that Saudi Arabia will further abandon the US dollar if Biden antagonizes them."
Bennett added that the US is "responsible for a large degree of the abuses and war crimes that Saudi Arabia has initiated against Yemen, and indeed an international criminal case would be warranted."
"The US government refuses to take responsibility for its own war crimes, so it certainly isn't going to admit to responsibility or culpability for Saudi crimes," retired Lt. Col. Bill Astore, ex-professor of history at the US Air Force Academy told Al Mayadeen English in an email interview.
According to Springmann, The War Powers Resolution/Act was designed to stop presidential misadventures by requiring the president to consult with Congress before committing American forces to combat.
"If the president does, he must consult with Congress within 48 hours. He then has 60 days to end the conflict and remove the soldiers," Springmann told Al Mayadeen English in a Skype interview.
"In the past, Congress has not opposed violations of the Resolution. Or if it has, it has failed. I see little chance of Congress demanding that Biden get out of Yemen & end support of any kind for the Saudis," added Springmann.
There are too many weapons makers scattered throughout congressional districts bringing jobs & political contributions, said Springmann.
"Moreover, the US media reports that the Ansar Allah are rebels backed by extremist Iran. The same media support Biden’s proxy war with Russia using the Ukraine," Springmann noted.
In time the US is sanctioning Russia for the war in Ukraine, the US is supporting fully Saudi aggression against Yemen.
"The US is sanctioning Russia because America wants to destroy Russia politically, economically, militarily & culturally," Springmann told Al Mayadeen English.
"The US won’t do this to the Saudis because it wants their support on the peninsula working with Israel & the GCC to 'keep order' and block Iranian influence. This includes Saudi help with dismembering Syria & keeping Iraq weak & divided," Springmann added.
"The US sees Russia as a rival and an enemy. The US sees Saudi Arabia as an ally and a friend," said US retired Lt. Col. Astore. "Put differently, the US economy owes much to the petrodollar and the Saudi appetite for expensive American-made weaponry." – by Naseh Shaker
https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/feature/can-congress-end-us-involvement-in-yemens-war-as-wh-strives = https://thatsenough.info/?p=14423
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(B H)
In March, UNICEF delivered 2,909,000 doses of trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) to 2,357,414 children under the age of 10, reaching 96 per cent of the target within 12 southern governorates
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unicef-yemen-humanitarian-situation-report-1-31-march-2022
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(A P)
Yemen International Forum 2022 Launches in Stockholm
The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies in cooperation with the Folke Bernadotte Academy launches the Yemen International Forum 2022 in Stockholm on Friday June 17, 2022, a platform for Yemenis to engage in in-depth conversations on the political situation, peace efforts and the economy.
With 200 participants, the forum brings together members of government, senior leaders from various Yemeni parties, politicians, activists, researchers, civil society leaders, diplomats and international mediators.
Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anne Linde and the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, will address the opening session.
Yemen International Forum 2022 Launches in Stockholm - Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/news/17968
(A P)
Sana’a Center and the Government of the Netherlands Sign Four-Year Partnership Agreement
The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies and the Government of the Netherlands signed a four-year strategic partnership project on June 9, titled “Supporting a Localized, Inclusive and Sustainable Peace in Yemen”.
The project aims to enhance localization of the peace process through advancing an inclusive, gendered and bottom-up approach that focuses on providing policy platforms to Yemenis, building local capacities and influencing decisions at the local, national and international levels, thus contributing to the UN-led peace process.
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/news/17919
(A K pH)
Dozens of coalition’s recruits return from Marib to Sanaa
Dozens of coalition’s recruits returned on Thursday from Marib to Sanaa province with their military equipment, special sources told Yemen Press Agency.
The sources said that 78 officers and recruits of coalition’s troops in Marib city, announced their defection from coalition’s forces and joined to Sanaa troops.
The sources declared that the returnees left the camp of ‘Sahn Al-Jin” area and arrived to Sanaa with their military equipment.
https://en.ypagency.net/264095/
(A P)
“Dixum Company” demands citizens in Socotra to pay electricity bills in UAE dirhams
https://en.ypagency.net/264116/
(* B P)
Yemen ceasefire holds amid report of talks between Saudis and Houthis and despite ongoing problems in Taiz
Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi movement (also known as Ansar Allah) have resumed direct talks to discuss security along the kingdom's border and future relations under any peace deal with Yemen, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, according to a report by Reuters news agency. The virtual talks between senior Saudi and Houthi officials were facilitated by Oman, both sources said, with one adding that there were also plans for a face-to-face meeting in Muscat if there is enough progress. Meanwhile, speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Yemen, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg welcomed the fact that the truce between the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government has held, but called for action to open road communications with the city of Taiz. [Overview]
https://www.commonspace.eu/node/11455
(* B P)
Yemen's truce: A shaky calm amid signs of renewed war
Indisputably, Hans Grundberg has a tough mission, and any positive outcome to his efforts could open a window to peace. Hitting a dead end, however, could ignite the flames of war in Yemen once again.
The failure or expiry of the latest truce, in line with a continued lack of reconciliation between rivals, could unleash a new cycle of war. Rival parties could even be enticed to resume fighting on an even greater scale than before.
Yahia Al-Rizami, the head of the Houthi delegation that participated in the UN-led-Jordan-hosted negotiations, confirmed in a press conference in Sanaa on June 8 that the failure to reach an agreement on opening roads to Taiz would push the conflict parties toward violence. "Instead of opening roads, we [the conflict parties] will open cemeteries," Rizami said.
The likelihood of a political solution is still dim, and this is reflected in the thinking and rhetoric of the different warring sides in Yemen. Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, the chief of the Houthi movement, said last week during a virtual speech to rallies in Taiz that he will continue moving forward until they reach a decisive triumph.
"Our priority at this stage is to confront the aggression given that the military threat [against us] continues and the enemies are preparing for an escalation in the next period."
While the Iran-backed Houthis are prepared for a new war chapter, the Yemeni government is fully aware that a political solution is distant.
Brigadier General Abdu Mujali, the spokesperson of the government-led armed forces, indicated in a recent interview with newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthi war preparations are in full swing.
Blame and accusations made by Yemen's warring sides continue and the armistice has not been sufficient to build trust between them. The truce has given civilians a respite from suffering, but has also given fighters extra time to prepare for a new battle.
Political observers are not alone in expressing doubt about the impact of the ongoing truce on long-term peace. Mediators, including UN and US envoys for Yemen, have also exhibited cautious optimism.
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/analysis/yemens-truce-shaky-calm-amid-signs-renewed-war
(* B P)
‘Nobody Wants to See This War End’
As Biden looks to make peace with the Saudis, critics fear the consequences for Yemen could be disastrous.
As President Joe Biden heads to Saudi Arabia next month to patch up ties with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, some Saudi critics and progressives in Biden’s own party are aghast. They had hoped that punishing Riyadh for its role in Yemen would be the first step in a broader reassessment of the United States’ decades-long partnership with the Saudis. Instead, Biden has made common cause with the Saudis on Yemen and now seems prepared to sacrifice his vow for a foreign policy shift in order to restore the relationship between the U.S. and its most powerful Middle Eastern ally.
Biden will bring a range of grievances with him to Saudi Arabia, from the kingdom’s reticence to increase oil production amid Ukraine’s war with Russia to its abysmal human rights record. But when it comes to Yemen, a conflict that once seemed certain to widen the rift between the two countries has brought them closer together.
This approach has horrified some foreign policy progressives, who believe Biden embraced their agenda — particularly on Yemen — on the campaign trail only to discard it once he reached the White House. Now, they perceive Biden’s planned meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed as proof that the White House is returning to its traditional bargain with Riyadh: The Saudis will ensure that oil flows to global markets, bringing down gas prices, and the United States will turn a blind eye to Saudi human rights abuses at home and abroad. And the primary victim from this trade could be innocent Yemenis.
“This administration made a lot of promises about putting human rights back on the agenda in a serious way, but thus far there’s been little change from previous years,” says Matt Duss, a foreign policy advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the leaders of the failed legislation to block the weapons sales to Riyadh. “Human rights is still mostly just treated as a cudgel to be used against U.S. adversaries, while U.S. partners get a pass for abuses, and rewarded with new weapons.”
For many in Aden, it can seem that the question of what is best for Yemen gets obscured by these debates about the future of the U.S.-Saudi partnership.
In a week of interviews, Yemenis mostly expressed their hopes for improvements to their day to day lives: the removal of checkpoints that harass families, the return of basic services like electricity and clean water, and an increase in stable, well-paying jobs. In the same breath, however, many also expressed cynicism about whether the current political order can achieve even those modest goals. They described their leaders as too corrupt, too dependent on foreigners, and too addicted to profiteering off the war to deliver even incremental progress.
All of this has occurred with Washington’s backing for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their local Yemeni allies. Three American presidents have now looked to Riyadh to resolve the catastrophe occurring in Yemen, so far with little success. As Biden makes nice with the Saudis next month, he will be forced to contend with that history as well as the fact that at this point, much of the Yemeni state has been hollowed out entirely.
“Nobody wants to see this war end,” says Basha Bashraheel, a Yemeni journalist. “And nobody thinks we have a government except the West, for some reason.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/06/16/biden-saudi-arabia-yemen-00039578
(A P)
As consultations falter; Abductees mothers: our sons freedom is inalienable, we are ready to hand in our lists to all parties.
Abductees’ Mothers Association demanded the Special Envoy and the international community to mount the necessary pressure upon the Stockholm Agreement’s parties, in order to fully and completely implement it.
In their rally this morning by the office of the United Nation’s Special Envoy, mothers said that the consultations held by the Yemeni Parties that signed Stockholm Agreement and under the auspices of the United Nations, continue to falter where lists were to be exchanged. Thus, civilians remained detained by different parties.
According to Abductees’ Mothers Association’s documented cases, there are, currently, 413 abducted civilians, including two women, held by Houthi armed group, 97 and a woman of whom are forcibly disappeared. Similarly, there are 18 detained civilians held by the security forces in Marib, and 5 forcibly disappeared civilians held by the Joint Forces at the western coast.
In their rally statement, mothers condemned stalling the consultations between Yemeni parties because of name lists, which did not justify the detention of abducted and arrested civilians, whose mothers and wives spent their times between prisons’ gates and officials’ offices, searching for abductees and requesting their safety.
http://ama-ye.org/?no=1892&ln=En
(? B K P)
The Houthis Still Have the Upper Hand in Yemen
A tenuous U.N. truce has provided relief to civilians but may only entrench a power imbalance in the country’s civil war.
The conflict’s toll on civilians has been catastrophic, deepening the world’s largest and worst humanitarian crisis. Indiscriminate shelling by the Houthis—including on camps of displaced persons—and Saudi-led coalition airstrikes remain the leading causes of civilian casualties since 2018. Deadlier still has been the conflict’s indirect impact on civilians: A U.N. Development Programme report found that of the estimated 377,000 deaths caused by the conflict as of the end of 2021, nearly 60 percent were caused by lack of access to food, water, or health care. Today, 2 out of 3 people in a country of 31 million rely on humanitarian assistance to meet their daily needs. Soaring food prices are also pushing Yemenis closer to starvation—42 percent of Yemen’s wheat comes from Ukraine, where a Russian blockade is preventing wheat products from being exported to global markets—while preventable diseases, such as cholera, dengue, malaria, and diphtheria, are spreading rapidly [paywalled]
(* A P)
Jemen [Sanaa-Regierung] droht saudische Ölanlagen anzugreifen, wenn Treibstoffschmuggel fortgesetzt wird
Mohammad Tahir Anam, ein Berater des Obersten Politischen Rates des Jemen, warnte die Kriegskoalition, dass die jemenitischen Behörden Saudi-Arabien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten (VAE) nicht erlauben würden, den von den Vereinten Nationen vermittelten verlängerten Waffenstillstand weiter zu verletzen und jemenitisches Öl und Gas zu plündern.
Der jemenitische Funktionär berichtete über einen starken Anstieg des Diebstahls von jemenitischem Öl und Gas sowie über die Beschlagnahme jemenitischer Schiffe vor der Küste der südlichen Provinz Shabwah des Landes.
„Wir werden saudische Unternehmen und Schiffe sowie ihre Öl- und Gasraffinerien ins Visier nehmen“, sagte Anam.
Darüber hinaus erteilte Mohammed Muftah, ein weiterer Berater des Obersten Politischen Rates des Jemen, der von Saudi-Arabien geführten Koalition eine strenge Warnung und erklärte, dass Tankschiffe, die jemenitisches Rohöl und Erdgas plündern, zum Ziel genommen werden.
(* A P)
Yemen Not to Let Saudi-Led Coalition Keep Plundering Its Oil, Gas: Official
Yemeni armed forces will launch retaliatory strikes against oil installations deep inside Saudi Arabia if the Riyadh-led coalition keeps on smuggling hauls of contraband crude oil and natural gas out of the country.
This is according to Mohammad Tahir Anam, an adviser to the Yemeni Supreme Political Council, who warned the alliance that Yemeni authorities would not allow Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to further violate the extended United Nations-brokered ceasefire and plunder Yemeni oil and gas.
The Yemeni official reported a sharp increase in the theft of Yemeni oil and gas in addition to the seizure of Yemeni vessels off the coast of the country’s southern province of Shabwah.
“We will be targeting Saudi companies and ships, along with their oil and gas refineries,” Anam said.
Moreover, Mohammed Muftah, another adviser to the Yemeni Supreme Political Council, gave the Saudi-led coalition a stern warning, stating that tanker ships that loot Yemeni crude oil and natural gas will be targeted.
(* B E H)
[Sanaa gov.] Customs authority: Yemen’s import bill for wheat crop exceeds $721 million
The customs authority’s data confirmed that Yemen’s import bill for wheat crops exceeds $721 million, raising a number of questions about the role of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in wheat production.
Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry, Abdullah Noma’an said in a statement to Al-Masirah TV, Sunday, that the wheat import bill can be gradually reduced by supporting the local product and providing the right ground for investment.
Noma’an stressed that a package of measures must be provided for a genuine national industry and promising agricultural activity, not wishes.
According to data from the Customs Department for Free Zones under the control of the National Salvation Government, more than two million tons of wheat were imported in 2019 at a cost of more than half a billion dollars, while 2021 saw a marked increase in import volumes of more than $700 million.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation attributed the high import bill to the volume of demand for wheat, limited domestic production and higher prices compared to abroad.
https://en.ypagency.net/263782/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/06/13/yemen-in-need-of-plan-to-reduce-wheat-import-costs/
(A P)
Egypt Says Committed to Supporting Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council
Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Dr. Rashad al-Alimi held talks in Cairo on Saturday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Egypt is the third stop of his tour of the region.
Talks with Sisi covered security in the southern Red Sea region, with the president underscoring his country's commitment to supporting the PLC on all levels.
Yemeni politicians stressed the strategic importance of the visit given the joint security files between Egypt and Yemen, the historic relations between them and Cairo's political weight in the region and world.
Addressing a joint press conference with Sisi, he said the militias want to take Yemen back to the time preceding that of the establishment of the national state. They want to take it back to a time when there was no equality, justice or the rule of law.
He added that talks with Sisi covered the latest efforts made by the PLC to improve living conditions in liberated Yemeni regions.
For his part, Sisi said he supports the PLC in reaching a fair and sustainable political solution to the crisis that secures Yemen's peace and stability.
He underlined Egypt's backing of Yemen that stems back to the historic relations the countries share.
(A P)
Yemen [Aden gov.] eyes donor conference to rebuild war-torn nation
The head of Yemen’s [Aden] Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, on Sunday called for holding a donor conference to rebuild the war-torn country.
"We seek to arrange an Arab and international meeting to rebuild Yemen in coordination with the Saudi-Emirati-led coalition and the Gulf Cooperation Council," Al-Alimi said in a speech at the Cairo-based Arab League.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-eyes-donor-conference-to-rebuild-war-torn-nation/2611865#
(*B E K)
Five Bln Dollars Needed to Rehabilitate Yemen’s Transport Sector, Ports and Airports
The financial needs for the recovery and reconstruction of the transport sector in Yemen range between $363-443 million over five years, an estimate that could reach $2.1-4.1 billion, to rebuild the country’s major ports and airports.
A recent Yemeni study said that the Houthi coup has caused significant loss in the transport sector, destroying roads, bridges, ports and airports. It added that 29 percent of the total road network within cities was severely damaged, and 511.1 km of roads were totally destroyed.
According to the study prepared by the Yemeni-based Center for Studies and Economic Media, at least 50 percent of the road network in the cities of Al-Hazm, Taiz, Saada and Marib was damaged.
My comment: By a Saudi news site. Just blaming the Houthis for this, not looking at the thousands of Saudi air raids which targeted roads, bridges and the transport sector, is ridiculous.
(A K P)
[Sanaa gov.] Yemeni Official: The Coalition Of The Aggression Violates The International Law By Recruiting Thousands Of Children
The [Sanaa gov.] governor of Abyan, Saleh Al-Junaidi, accused the countries of the US-Saudi aggression coalition of recruiting thousands of children from the province in flagrant violation of international law and international treaties that criminalize the recruitment and exploitation of children in military actions.
In a statement to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), Al-Junaidi confirmed that the mobilization of young people and children from the districts of Lawdar, Al-Mahfad, central regions, Al-Wadaya and other areas in the governorate to recruitment camps run by agents of the aggression and occupation amounts to a war crime in accordance with international humanitarian law.
https://www.ansarollah.com/archives/524718
My comment: This is rather odd as about 70 % of children recruited in Yemen had been recruited by the Houthi side.
(B P)
[Sanaa gov.] Ministry of Human Rights reveals collusion, duplication of international reports on Yemen, Palestine vs. Ukraine
The Ministry of Human Rights confirmed on Wednesday that the international reports described the Russian operation as an invasion, aggression and occupation, but in Yemen and Palestine, they changed the terminology and turned the occupation and the aggression into a conflict.
During a symposium held by the Ministry of Human Rights entitled (Collusion and duplication in international reports, Yemen – Palestine – Ukraine as a model), Prime Minister Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor explained that the Western system represented by France, Britain and the US was the one who designed the United Nations after the second war in its favor, and one of its fruits was the existence of the Zionist entity.”
“In the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, everything turned upside down and was dealt with differently from what is happening in Yemen, Palestine and other countries,” Bin Habtoor added.
https://en.ypagency.net/263405/
(*B E P)
Sanaa submits proposal to pay salaries of state employees
The [Sanaa] Central Bank’s Undersecretary for local banking operations in Sanaa, Ali Al-Shamahi on Thursday said: “It is possible to establish a temporary revenue fund and specify the participation rates of each party in it to pay the state employees’ salaries.”
Al-Shamahi pointed out that the entitlement to the salaries of state employees could be met if the other party removed its hand from oil, gas and ports revenues.
He stressed that the other party did not fulfill the Sweden agreement and repudiated the obligation to cover the salary gap, while the revenues collected by the Salvation Government are not sufficient.
The Minister of Finance in the Sanaa government, Dr. Rashid Abu Lahoum, confirmed that Sanaa has complied with the Sweden agreement and worked to open a special account for salaries, and all revenues of oil derivatives were deposited into it.
“Sanaa worked to disburse half of the salary to the state employees, albeit intermittently, from the amounts supplied to the salary account after the other party disavowed covering the salary entitlement gap,” Abu Lahoum said.
He pointed out that crude oil sales are currently estimated at $300 million per month, and these revenues cover the salary bill, not for this year, but for the next three years.
https://en.ypagency.net/263417/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/06/09/sanaa-central-bank-reveals-plan-to-ensure-payment-of-state-employees/
(B P)
In Yemen, a Renewed Cease-Fire Reflects Warring Parties’ Changing Priorities [subscribers only]
(B P)
Yemen Cease-Fire Extension Has Cascading Regional Impact
US envoy to Yemen sounds notes of cautious optimism that long-term deal can be struck
With a spotlight shining brightly on recent tensions and opportunities in the US-Saudi relationship, the State Department’s special envoy for Yemen was relatively effusive in his praise for Saudi Arabia’s role in the recently announced cease-fire extension in Yemen.
“This is the best opportunity Yemen has had for peace in several years. To move forward on the path to peace, the conflict parties must not only implement the terms of the current truce – including urgently opening roads to Taiz – they must agree to a permanent cease-fire and begin a comprehensive and inclusive political process that durably ends the war. So, we urge the parties to continue to choose peace over continued war, suffering and destruction,” said Lenderking.
Still, the Houthis are in perhaps their weakest position in some time, which is a major reason they agreed to a cease-fire and further negotiations.
“Early in 2022, coalition forces – particularly forces supported by the United Arab Emirates – were able to win some military victories on the ground in Marib and in the Shabwah Governorate. The Houthis believed they were making significant gains, but it stalled out,” said Feierstein.
Lenderking noted that while, ultimately, the Yemenis will need to make peace among themselves, the international community has played a critical role in moving the process forward, including those parties with divergent interests.
While Iran welcomed the new cease-fire extension, which is set to last through August 2, Lenderking was critical of Tehran’s role in serving as the Houthis’ benefactor.
In fact, Feierstein says, the Houthis’ desire to be a version of Hizbullah, another Iranian proxy that has wreaked havoc around the region while contributing to causing and exacerbating an economic and political paralysis at home, may ultimately lead to a lack of a durable agreement in Yemen.
https://themedialine.org/top-stories/yemen-cease-fire-extension-has-cascading-regional-impact/
My comment: Mostly propaganda blabla by US officials and not worth a read.
And more of that:
(B P)
Good news from Yemen! (Seriously.)
America’s special envoy for Yemen, TIM LENDERKING, has one of the toughest portfolios of any U.S. diplomat.
In a talk with our own NAHAL TOOSI this week, Lenderking sounded upbeat but cautious. He warned that the diplomacy is so delicate that current attempts in Congress to further pressure Saudi Arabia could derail it. And one of the most ominous notes he sounded is about a rotting oil tanker in the region.
Here are some highlights:
— The truces have come about due to an array of factors, Lenderking said, including sheer exhaustion among Yemenis, battlefield setbacks for the Houthis, and eagerness among Saudis to resolve the conflict. Oman has played a key role in facilitating talks as well.
Yes, it could all still fall apart, but “with each day in which the parties are adhering to the terms of the truce that they themselves publicly agreed to, it gets more difficult for any party to you know, to backtrack, or undo the work that they’ve done,” he said.
— The truce hints at a “rare moment of harmony” between rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, who have been fighting a proxy war in Yemen, Lenderking said.
“What we really need to see from the Iranians, though, is that they can live by the words that they have … publicized, and that is to say that they would not continue to provide lethal support to the Houthis, continue to smuggle weapons and individuals into Yemen through various means,” the special envoy said. “If there’s anything we would want to see from Iran, it’s a new approach to the conflict where they’re not pursuing a militaristic or a lethal track, but really supporting the changes that are afoot and a political process.”
— There is widespread, bipartisan frustration with Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen, especially its airstrikes that have killed many civilians. While the Biden administration has scaled back U.S. support of the Saudis in the war, some U.S. lawmakers are pushing a measure to end any U.S. activities that still could be viewed as supporting the Saudi fight, including maintaining aircraft.
Lenderking, however, stressed that the Saudis are partners of the United States, and that they’ve faced Houthi attacks.
(* B K pH)
Report: Remnants of coalition forbidden weapons is a nightmare threatens civilian lives in Yemen
Last April, the Executive Center for Mine Action announced that more than 3 million cluster munitions have been collected in 7 years in 15 governorates and 70 districts in the country.
The head of the Executive Center for Mine Action, Brigadier Ali Safra, stated that Yemenis are facing a catastrophe and a trio of cluster bombs of various types, and we have detected 15 types of them used in air raids only.
This came during an event on the occasion of the International Day for Awareness of the Risks of Mine and Cluster Bombs, which was held by the National Committee and the Executive Center for Mine Action.
Safra added that the size and scope of the pollution spread makes Yemen second after the Republic of Laos, despite the big difference if the weapons used in Yemen are compared.
He explained that during the month of March, 42 casualties were recorded in the Yemeni governorates, stressing that this is a very large number, indicating that about 220 victims have been in Hodeidah governorate since the withdrawal of mercenaries from it in November last year.
https://en.ypagency.net/263249/
My comment: By the Houthi side. They do not mention the many 100.000s of landmines laid by the Houthis.
(A P)
Vereinte Nationen wollen mit Crowdfunding Umweltkatastrophe abwenden
Mit Crowdfunding wollen die Vereinten Nationen eine drohende Umweltkatastrophe vor der Küste des Jemen abwenden. Der OCHA-Vertreter im Jemen, David Gressly, startete am Dienstag eine Spendenkampagne in der Hoffnung, von Privatpersonen fünf Millionen Dollar (4,8 Mio Euro) zusammenzubekommen. Das Geld soll zu der Rettungsaktion für den riesigen maroden Öltanker "Safer" beitragen. "Der Tanker kann jeden Moment zerbrechen oder explodieren", sagte ein OCHA-Sprecher in Genf.
An Bord des maroden Lagerschiffs "Safer" befinde sich fast viermal so viel Öl, wie 1989 vor Alaska aus dem auf Grund gelaufenen Tanker Exxon Valdez auslief, sagte der Sprecher.
und auch https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/uno-warnt-vor-oel-katastrophe-im-jemen-und-sammelt-spenden-102.html
Mein Kommentar: Einfach nur erbärmlich. Diese Meldung zeigt, was dem „Westen“ Umweltschutz tatsächlich wert ist. Nämlich nichts.
und
(A P)
Ölpest vor Jemen soll mit 10 Millionen Dollar verhindert werden
Es werden laut einer Schätzung des US-Koordinators für humanitäre Hilfe im Jemen David Gressly 144 Millionen Dollar benötigt. Dies, um das Öl von der «FSO Safer» auf ein anderes Schiff zu pumpen und es dort zu sichern. Nach Angaben von Umweltschützern wäre die Beseitigung einer Ölpest mit 20 Milliarden Dollar aber um ein Vielfaches teurer.
Laut UNO würden dadurch Ökosysteme zerstört und der Fischerei die Grundlage entzogen. Ausserdem müsste der wichtige Hafen Hodeida für sechs Monate geschlossen werden.
und Bericht zur FSO Safer: https://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/politik-ausland/safer-ankert-vor-dem-jemen-der-gefaehrlichste-tanker-der-welt-80420612.bild.html
(* A P)
UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen: $20 Million Urgently Needed to Prevent $20 Billion Cleanup from Catastrophic Oil Spill
During the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies’ latest Yemen Media Call, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen David Gressly said funding was urgently needed for a UN effort to avert a catastrophic oil spill in the Red Sea. In an unusual step by the UN to address the current funding shortfall, Gressly also announced the launching of a crowdfunding campaign aimed at expanding the potential funding pool beyond donor countries by allowing the general public to also contribute.
The FSO Safer is a decrepit, 45-year-old single-hulled oil tanker moored off of Yemen’s west coast with more than a million barrels of oil on board – four times more than was released by the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill. The FSO Safer, which acted as an oil export terminal, has received almost no maintenance since the ongoing Yemen conflict began eight years ago and has been described as a “floating bomb” because of the explosive gasses that have built up in the holding tanks.
Speaking during the June 13 Sana’a Center event, Gressly told journalists and others that the risk of a catastrophic oil spill would rise dramatically in the months to come, as rougher weather in the Red Sea in October and November would increase the likelihood of the ship breaking apart, as well as complicate any potential salvage operations.
Gressly said the UN and the Dutch government have developed a comprehensive plan, estimated to cost roughly $140 million, to address the threat. The first emergency phase involves transferring the oil off of the FSO Safer to a secure temporary vessel, while the second phase involves installing a permanent replacement for the oil terminal. The first phase of the plan requires $80 million to implement, said Gressly, of which the UN has to date raised only $60 million.
Gressly emphasized that the potential clean-up costs in the event of an oil spill could be as much as $20 billion. A spill could affect as many as 200,000 Yemenis working in the fishing industry, as well as countless others across the country due to Hudaydah port, one of Yemen’s busiest, becoming inaccessible for commercial and humanitarian cargo vessels. The impacts would spread far beyond Yemen, however, likely decimating the Red Sea’s marine ecosystem and washing up on shorelines around the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/news/17977
and
(A P)
US envoy urges funding for Yemen’s ‘ticking time bomb’
Envoy Tim Lenderking called on donor governments and the private sector to help prevent a dilapidated tanker in the Red Sea from spilling its cargo of oil.
The US special envoy for Yemen warned Tuesday of a looming environmental and humanitarian disaster if a United Nations plan to avert a major oil spill in the Red Sea isn’t fully funded.
Some 37 miles north of Yemen’s port city of Hodeida sits the FSO Safer, an aging offshore storage vessel that contains more than 1 million barrels of light crude oil — about four times the amount released in Alaska’s Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels haven’t carried out proper maintenance on the rusting ship since they seized it from the state-run oil company in 2015, and UN officials say the Safer is now beyond repair.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/06/us-envoy-urges-funding-yemens-ticking-time-bomb
and
(A P)
US pledges $10 million to prevent environmental disaster in Red Sea
http://en.adenpress.news/news/35178
My comment: This shows the preferences of US policy. While spending US$ 1.250 billion a year for military and “security” a year, US$ 10 million means 4 minutes of military/security spending.
and
(A P)
Saudi offers $10m to prevent Red Sea oil spill disaster off Yemen
and by SPA: https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2361665
My comment: How odd is this. The Saudi coast directly would be hurt by such an oil spill. Saudi Arabia spent US$ 200 million a day for its war against Yemen.
and
(A P)
Yemen: UN launches crowdfunding campaign to head off decaying oil tanker threat
A social media campaign launched on Monday by the United Nations aims to bring the world closer to preventing a decaying supertanker, anchored off Yemen, from causing an oil spill that could spell disaster for the region and beyond.
The goal is to raise funds to start the $80 million emergency operation to transfer oil from the FSO Safer to a temporary vessel.
The FSO Safer is moored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast and contains more than a million barrels of oil. The tanker is beyond repair, and the fear is that it could soon break apart or explode.
The UN is ready to implement the emergency rescue operation but is delayed because of insufficient funding for the transfer operation.
Some three-quarters of the money required has been received, following the announcement of a $10 million pledge by Saudi Arabia this week. The United States is also working towards a $10 million contribution.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, David Gressly, launched the crowdfunding campaign, which encourages people everywhere to contribute towards raising $5 million in individual donations by the end of this month so that work can start in July.
The transfer operation is part of a two-track plan, with an overall cost of $144 million, which also involves installing a replacement vessel for the FSO Safer.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1120302
and AFP report: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-10912425/UN-crowd-funds-prevent-oil-spill-disaster-Yemen.html
and film:
(A P)
YMC briefing with UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator David Gressly talked about FSO Safer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0-Vala-kDA
My comment: This is odd. The world – and the rich “West” in special – is not at all interested in environment.
(A P)
Yemeni ambassador reveals secrets of fundraising campaign for maintenance of Safer reservoir
A former Yemeni ambassador revealed on Sunday the secrets of the fundraising campaign to maintain the Safer Floating Tank, warning of a dangerous conspiracy.
The political analyst and Yemeni ambassador, Abdullah Salam al-Hakimi, warned, in a tweet on “Twitter”, of the claims to repair the Safer oil tank in Hodeida, and the intimidation of the environmental disaster that will result from its sinking, and the collection of global donations for it.
Al-Hakimi pointed out that the aim of collecting donations for the maintenance of the floating reservoir is to conspire to move it from one place to another, seize the reservoir and deprive Yemen of exporting oil through it in the event the Yemenis regain control of the oil fields in Marib.
https://en.ypagency.net/263763/
(* B P)
A FRAGILE TRUCE IN YEMEN
As lawmakers move to end US complicity in the Saudi-led war, warring parties take a stab at peace.
The two-month truce was relatively successful.
With news of the truce’s extension, hopes may grow that Yemen’s eight-year war could finally end.
But that is only likely if the United States maintains pressure on the Saudis. The warring parties have profited from the break-in hostilities to consolidate their military positions. If the fighting resumes, it’s expected to be even worse than the escalations in January 2022.
The forces commanded by the newly appointed Presidential Leadership Council reflect unprecedented unity among the anti-Houthi camp, and the Council, as well as their Saudi and Emirati backers, are likely itching to test their new strength. In addition, the Houthis appear poised to redouble their efforts to take the strategic city of Marib, as reports from Marib indicate that Houthi offensives continued despite the truce.
During negotiations for a cessation of hostilities over the port city of Hodeidah in 2018, US actions were crucial in influencing what happens in Yemen. Moreover, the near-simultaneous introduction of a new War Powers Resolution and the renewal of the truce demonstrate that US influence remains a crucial factor.
Members of the House and Senate must reassert their constitutional war authority and finally end US military support for a war that has helped kill nearly half a million civilians and driven millions more to the edge of famine. By doing so, they will hasten Saudi Arabia’s understanding that there is no military solution in Yemen and that the US military will no longer remain complicit in Yemen’s misery. It will also send a message to the White House that it must keep its promise to end the blind support for a regime intent on cracking down on dissidents at home and destroying Yemen.
While the United States can’t unilaterally bring about peace, it must use its leverage to persuade Saudi Arabia and its proxies to stay at the negotiating table to extend this truce and finally, end the Yemen war. Congress has an opportunity to do just that.
https://inkstickmedia.com/a-fragile-truce-in-yemen/
(? B P)
Ein Flugzeug, sehr viele Hoffnungen
Erstmals seit 2016 gibt es wieder direkte Linienflüge nach Sanaa. Es ist ein emotionaler Moment für viele Jemeniten – und vielleicht ein kleiner Schritt hin zum Frieden [im Abo]
(* B K P)
Saudi Arabia is losing the war in Yemen after seven years of mayhem and destruction
After seven years of human suffering and infrastructural destruction, Mohamad Bin Salman and the coalition he led into this war are negotiating with the Houthis. Houthis are emboldened by the truce, notwithstanding the fire power they have endured from the coalition. Bin Salman, on the other hand, enters this truce with a wounded ego and humiliation. Furthermore, his main allies with whom he started the war abandoned the war, adding financial strain to Saudi Arabia. In October 2019, the UAE announced it was pulling its last troops out Yemen. Qatar was forced to pull out of the war in 2017 when Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt led a land, sea and air blockade of the state of Qatar.
Iran certainly feels emboldened, and its foreign policy vindicated as it scores yet another goal. In the recent past, President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria, another ally of Iran, was admitted back to the normal global political arena, notwithstanding heinous crimes he committed and the use of chemical weapons against his people. In Lebanon, Iran also continues to enjoy popular support and dominate the politics there, through its proxy in that country, Hezbollah. Hezbollah is widely regarded as "a Muslim army against the oppressed people of Palestine" in an absence of credible fighting forces outside occupied Palestine.
The outcome of the war in Yemen is not what Bin Salman expected. Saudi Arabia finds itself with huge global public image problems, which were further complicated by the murder of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi was killed, and his body dismembered by the highly trained Saudi technical team linked to Mohammed Bin Salman. Bin Salman entered the war hoping to prove his critics wrong and to establish himself as a leader in global politics; he has failed to achieve that objective. Instead, the actions in Yemen have emboldened both Iran and the Houthis.
(B K P)
Saudi Arabia, Egypt lead regional naval drills in Red Sea
Military analysts say the naval military exercise held off the Jeddah coast show regional dedication the Red Sea's security.
A mixed naval exercise called “Red Wave 5” kicked off on May 29 off the Saudi Red Sea coast of Jeddah. Countries bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden including Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti and Yemen as well as observers from Somalia took part in the drill under the command of the Saudi Western Fleet and with the participation of the Saudi land, naval and air forces.
Commander of the Western Fleet Yahya bin Mohammed Al-Asiri was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency as saying that the exercise aims to strengthen military cooperation in the Red Sea between countries bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, to unify naval operations, exchange combat experience and increase combat readiness, with the aim of achieving maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, one of the most important international economic corridors.
The drills, which ended June 4, included several combat missions and exercises involving Apache helicopters.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/06/saudi-arabia-egypt-lead-regional-naval-drills-red-sea
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(A P)
Bin Habtoor Calls on UN to Open Sana'a Airport on Ongoing Basis as Human Right
[Sanaa gov.] Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtoor inspected the conditions of Sana'a International Airport and the efforts made by government agencies to fix the damage caused to it by the US-Saudi aggression.
He heard from the Director General of the Airport, Khaled Al-Shayef, an explanation of the efforts made by the various concerned parties to rehabilitate Sana'a International Airport.
He pointed out to the continued intransigence and procrastination of the US-Saudi aggression regarding granting flight permits, which causes great burdens on travelers, especially patients coming from long distances.
He called on the UN to work on continuously reopening the airport to commercial aviation as a human right, while obligating the US-Saudi aggression during this period to respect truce agreement and to adhere to the conduct of commercial flights to the airport.
(A P)
8th flight arrives at Sana'a International Airport from Jordan
https://saba.ye/en/news3191059.htm
and also https://en.ypagency.net/263991/
(A P)
Aggression coalition seizes new gasoline ship
The company's official spokesman Issam Al-Mutawakil explained to Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that the aggression coalition, in a new violation of the announced truce, seized the fuel ship "Fos Energy", which was carrying 30,148 tons of gasoline.
https://saba.ye/en/news3191156.htm
(A P)
YPC: Aggression coalition seizes new fuel ship
The Yemeni Petroleum Company (YPC) announced on Tuesday that a new oil ship was seized by the Saudi-led aggression coalition, as a new violation of the UN-brokered truce.
The company's spokesman Issam Al-Mutawakel said in a statement to Saba that the aggression coalition seized the ship "Princess Halima", which is carrying 23,920 tons of gasoline, and prevented it from reaching the port of Hodeida despite it was inspected and given entry permits by the United Nations.
https://saba.ye/en/news3190959.htm
(B H P)
Sanaa: Coalition obstructs flights to Egypt, deprives 16 000 patients from travel
Head of the Supreme Medical Committee in Sanaa, Dr. Mutahar Al-Darwish, on Saturday said that the Saudi-led coalition’s obstruction of flights through Sanaa airport is hampering the Committee plans regarding patient travel.
Dr. Al-Darwish explained in a press statement that after the extension of the UN truce, 1,600 patients, distributed on 16 flights, were scheduled to travel, noting that the coalition is obstructing flights to Cairo, which prevents patients from obtaining treatment.
For his part, Director General of Sanaa International Airport, Khaled Al-Shayef, said: “We have 24 flights under the armistice agreement, including 15 flights to and from Egypt that have not been implemented until today.”
https://en.ypagency.net/263634/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/06/12/saudi-led-invaders-still-hampering-yemeni-flights-to-cairo/
(A P)
Seventh flight departed from Sana'a International Airport to Jordan
https://saba.ye/en/news3190438.htm
(A P)
YPC announces arrival of two fuel ships at Hodeidah Port
Yemeni Petroleum Company (YPC) on Friday announced the arrival of two fuel vessels in the port of Hodeidah. The Sea Power vessel and Viviana carrying 60,526 tons of diesel and Mazut have arrived today in the port of Hodeidah
https://en.ypagency.net/263564/
(A P)
Coalition hinders Yemenia flight from Sanaa to Cairo
The new flight from Sanaa airport to Cairo has been postponed, Yemen Airways announced on Monday. Yemen Airways said in a statement that it would postpone the Sanaa flight to Cairo, Sana'a, on Wednesday (June 8th).
https://en.ypagency.net/263260/
(A P)
Al-Shayef: Saudi-led coalition takes control of time of flights in temperamental way
The Director of Sanaa International Airport, Khaled Al-Shayef, confirmed that the Saudi-led coalition forces are taking control over the flight schedules to and from Sana’a airport and announce them in temperamental way.
In a statement to Almasirah, Al-Shayef explained that Sana’a airport’s administration has fully prepared to schedule flights, but the coalition is control granting permits to them.
Al-Shayed pointed out that the aggression is not serious about organizing flights to Sana’a airport.
He said, “So far, 6 flights have been carried out to Jordan and one to Cairo, out of 25 flights that are supposed to be implemented within the two phases of the UN-sponsored truce.”
Al-Shayef added: “We fear that the coalition of aggression will adopt the same behavior in the first phase of the truce in delaying the implementation of flights.”
https://en.ypagency.net/263286/
(A P)
Al-Shayef: Aggression is not serious about organizing flights
The Director of Sana'a International Airport, Khaled Al-Shayef said the aggression is not serious about organizing flights to Sana'a airport.
(A P)
The Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) announced that the US-Saudi aggression continues to detain two new fuel ships.
The Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) announced that the US-Saudi aggression continues to detain two new fuel ships.
"The US-Saudi aggression released today the ship "Cornet", loaded with 20 thousand tons of gasoline and 9 thousand tons of diesel, in conjunction with its detention of two gasoline ships (Caesar and Sea Door) despite their inspection and obtaining entry permits from the UN," official spokesman for the company, Issam Al-Mutawakil, said.
It is noteworthy that the US-Saudi aggression seized the released ship "Cornet" on the twelfth of this month. The coalition of aggression continues its piracy, detaining fuel ships
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(B H)
Career pathways program to rehabilitate graduates concludes in Aden
hundred and nine students from the University of Aden, concluding the career pathways program in the southern port city of Aden. The programe was organized by EFE-Yemen in partnership with the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) and Alwaleed Philanthropies. The program, which covers the governorates of Aden, Abyan and Lahj, aims to enhance the trainees' abilities to search for a job and to keep up with labor market needs in different fields.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDGFmK-SZIU
(A H)
Aden hospitals receive dozens of fainting cases
In the past few hours, Aden hospitals have received dozens of cases of fainting, due to extreme heat in the province. Media sources said that the patients mostly consisted of elderly people and those who suffer from chronic
https://en.ypagency.net/263830/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/06/13/blackouts-hit-aden-making-the-debilitating-situation-of-its-people-even-worse/
(B H)
Yemen Humanitarian Update - Issue 5 / May 2022
Humanitarian space relatively improves following Truce but needs remain enormous
Truce brings a reduction in civilian casualties and displacement; ERW toll remains high
Displacement shatters lives
US$33 million pledged to address the FSO Safer threat; more funding still urgently needed
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-update-issue-5-may-2022
(B H)
Yemen: Health Cluster Achievements (April 2022)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-health-cluster-achievements-april-2022
(* B H)
The Socio-Economic Repercussions of the Russia-Ukraine War on Yemen - Analytic Paper (3), June 2022
Of greatest concern is the growing food insecurity levels in Yemen and the potential that some pockets in the country may slip into famine. As the world’s attention is shifted towards developing situation in Ukraine, apart from what is happening in Yemen now entering into its eighth year of conflict and war that brought a dire humanitarian situation to the country. During March 2022 Pledging Conference, Yemen received financial pledges of about 30% only out of the total humanitarian assistance required for 2022, i.e. less than the amount received during 2020 which witnessed the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. This is emphatically far short for addressing the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country, let alone recovery and economic growth needs. Without further action by the international community to raise funding, the humanitarian situation will become even worse, and likewise the suffering and frustration among people.
Living conditions in Yemen are expected to deteriorate considerably in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as food insecurity and malnutrition have already reached alarming levels. This is mainly due in part to deteriorated local food production and agricultural assets, and hiking food prices.
Considering the current situation in Yemen, the Russia-Ukraine war will undoubtedly trigger more severe effects on the poorest and most vulnerable groups. This is mainly due to the fact that Yemen imports 45% of its wheat needs from Russia and Ukraine, and that food commodities account for at least two-thirds of total household expenditure, which puts huge pressures on food insecurity and malnutrition levels, especially among children, with many families being forced to pawn their valuables to buy food, resulting in higher school dropout rates among the children from the poorest households.
This analytical paper explores the socio-economic implications of the Russia-Ukraine war on Yemen, with a particular focus on future trends and prospects; as well as the potential risks and impacts across the social and economic spheres in Yemen.
(B H P)
USAID: Yemen: USG Response to the Complex Emergency (Last Updated 06/10/22)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-usg-response-complex-emergency-last-updated-061022
Yemen - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #8, Fiscal Year (FY) 2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-complex-emergency-fact-sheet-8-fiscal-year-fy-2022
(B E H)
Joint Rapid Assessment of Markets (JRAM) Mawza & Dhubab market (Ta’iz), April 2022
IOM and REACH conducted a Joint Rapid Assessment of Markets (JRAM) in Mawza and Dhubab market in Ta’iz governorate in April 2022. The assessment draws on key informant interviews with retailers, wholesalers and consumers, with the objective to quickly map the markets’ functionality and availability of key items, and consumers’ accessibility to the market, its products, and cash.
Among the main factors depleting vendors’ capital were price inflation, risk of credit default by consumers, and a high demand for purchases on credit.
Currency depreciation was reported as the major contributor to the increase in consumer prices in the 60 days prior to data collection.
Since the onset of the conflict,1 the supply route to Mawza and Dhubab is characterised by road closures, bad road conditions, and check-points, causing long transportation time and that push up the prices of commodities. Lately, this effect is compounded by fuel shortages and high fuel prices.
Majority of vendor key informants (KIs) expect to keep goods available and business open.
A smaller portion of interviewed vendors are less optimistic about their the future of their business; this difference in was accredited to competition between the interviewed vendors.
According to the interviewed vendor KIs, monitored food and WASH items were widely available in the assessed markets; vendors reported no shortages of the monitored items, and indicated storing around 1 week of stock.
Whereas this indicates vendors’ resilience to pressures on capital and a challenging supply chain, it is uncertain whether vendors can sustain a wide and timely availability of goods if their capital reduces further or supply routes are restricted more.
Markets were accessible to consumers without obstacles or perceived lack of safety.
(B H)
Yemen Emergency Dashboard, May 2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-emergency-dashboard-may-2022
(B H)
UNICEF Yemen Humanitarian Situation Report: 1 - 31 March 2022
Highlights
UNICEF Yemen has a funding gap of $393.8 million required to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen in 2022.
The number of people requiring humanitarian assistance has increased from 20.7 million in 2021 to 23.4 million in 2022. Of these, 55 per cent are children.
17.4 million people need food assistance. This figure is expected to increase to 19 million between June 2022 and the end of the year.
Since the beginning of the year, a total of 965,058 children under five (479,223 male, 485,835 female) have been screened for malnutrition.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unicef-yemen-humanitarian-situation-report-1-31-march-2022
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(B H)
UN: Nearly 28,000 Migrants Arrive from Africa to Yemen in 2022
The United Nations has confirmed that at least 27,800 people have crossed from the Horn of Africa to war-torn Yemen in the first five months of 2022.
The International Organization for Migration of the United Nations said that the rise in arrivals is cause for alarm in a country now grappling with its eighth year of aggression.
Thousands of African migrants take the western coasts of Yemen, which are under the control of the “ UAE-backed Southern Transitional” militia, as transit areas to the occupied areas, where they are subject to various exploitation and violations.
and also https://en.ypagency.net/264120/
(B H)
UNHCR Yemen: IDP Protection Monitoring Update (1 Jan 2022 – 31 May 2022)
(B H)
CCCM Cluster Yemen: IDP Hosting Sites in Hadramawt, Amran, Sanaa prov. (Jan.-April 2022)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-idp-hosting-sites-hadramawt-march-2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-idp-hosting-sites-amran-january-2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cccm-cluster-yemen-idp-hosting-sites-sanaa-april-2022
(B H)
IOM Yemen: Rapid Displacement Tracking - Yemen IDP Dashboard Reporting Period: 5 to 11 June 2022
From 1 January to 11 June 2022, IOM Yemen DTM tracked 6,510 households (HH) (39,060 Individuals) who experienced displacement at least once.
Between 5 and 11 June 2022, IOM Yemen DTM tracked 144 households (864 individuals) displaced at least once. The majority of people moved into/within the following governorates and districts:
(B H)
Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, covering the period from 1 to 9 June
A total of 1,593 refugees, asylum seekers, and Yemeni nationals were attended to at the UNHCR-supported- clinics in Basateen and Kharaz.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-covering-period-1-9-june
(A H)
Migrants Depart on First Ever Return Flight from Conflict-Affected Ma’rib
Today, 126 Ethiopian stranded migrants are flying to Addis Ababa on the first-ever Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) flight from conflict-affected Ma’rib to Addis Ababa. It is the first of several flights the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has planned to help 900 Ethiopians move out of Ma’rib in the coming month.
Thousands of others are waiting in dire conditions for this same chance to return. IOM requires USD 7.5 million to keep these flights running from Ma’rib and Aden.
https://yemen.iom.int/news/migrants-depart-first-ever-return-flight-conflict-affected-marib
(* B H)
DTM flow Monitoring Registry Dashboard: Non-Yemeni migrant arrivals and Yemeni returnees in May 2022 [EN/AR]
In May 2022, IOM Yemen DTM recorded 3,228 migrants entering Yemen, similar to 5,212 in April 2022. The decrease migration flow, in comparison to previous months, is likely related to seasonal changes including difficult weather conditions and high tides. Furthermore, the drop might also be associated with the tightening of security measures on the borders of Djibouti and Yemen.
Due to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the challenges in moving towards KSA, many migrants opted to return to the Horn of Africa. DTM teams in Djibouti recorded that during May 2022, a total of 496 migrants (489 Ethiopian and 7 Somali nationals) took the risky return by boat from Yemen to travel home. Moreover, DTM recorded 5,440 Yemeni returns from KSA during the month of May 2022, compared to 5,898 in April 2022. Between 1 January and 31 May 2022, DTM recorded 28,092 migrants and 29,390 Yemeni migrant returnees to Yemen.
During May 2022, IOM Protection conducted Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) to assist stranded migrants wishing to return home from Aden, Yemen to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, including over 8 other nationalities. The total number of assisted individuals was 1,018 migrants; 823 (81%) men, 48 (5%) women, 108 (11%) boys and 39 (4%) girls.
The migrant caseload was around 75 per cent Ethiopian nationals, and around 25 per cent Somali nationals. The migrants are predominantly male (67%), with (22%) women, six per cent boys and five per cent girls also among the travelers.
Through May’s reporting period, 1,256 migrants arrived from Somalia and were recorded 1,210 at Ber Ali and 46 at Eyn Bamabad flow monitoring points in Shabwah governorate. In Lahj governorate, 1,972 migrants arrived from Djibouti, wherein 731 were recorded at Al Makhabah flow monitoring point (FMP), 576 at Al Karoob FMP, 455 at Al Azaf FMP, 210 at Al Cawhah FMP.
(A H P)
Marib authority & OCHA approve mechanism to correct reduction of IDPs in response plan
The meeting of the local authority in Marib Governorate, headed by Deputy Governor Dr. Abd Rabbo Miftah, and the team of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Yemen, which is visiting the governorate headed by the Deputy Director of the OCHA office in Aden have approved a number of measures and steps to correct the error of dropping one million and 200 thousand displaced from the lists of the humanitarian response plan prepared by OCHA for the current year 2022, and reducing the negative impacts on their humanitarian situation.
Among the most prominent measures that were agreed upon to determine the size of the IDPs and those affected by the war in the governorate, and to bridge the gap between the official figures of the local authority and the government that were raised based on previous surveys, and what was approved by OCHA in the response plan, with a very low number, is arranging for a joint survey between the offices concerned with the authority.
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-57285 6
(B H)
IOM Yemen: Rapid Displacement Tracking - Yemen IDP Dashboard Reporting Period: 29 May to 4 June 2022
From 1 January to 4 June 2022, IOM Yemen DTM tracked 6,328 households (HH) (37,968 Individuals) who experienced displacement at least once.
Between 29 May and 4 June 2022, IOM Yemen DTM tracked 113 households (678 individuals) displaced at least once. The majority of people moved into/within the following governorates and districts:
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A P)
Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi meets with delegation of Hodeidah province
Addressing the people of Hodeidah, the Leader of the Revolution said: “You have proven your loyalty to Allah, your people and your nation, and you have disappointed the enemies with your steadfastness and sacrifices.”
Al-Houthi pointed out that Hodeidah, with its dear people, is a great address for the injustices of the Yemeni people, stressing that the practices of the coalition of aggression in Hodeidah and elsewhere are writing the worst pages of history for this coalition.
He pointed out that the coalition of aggression caused great suffering after targeting the port of Hodeidah and the fishermen.
(A P)
Houthi court sentences Yemeni to death for killing three relatives
https://debriefer.net/en/news-29928.html
(B H K P)
Film: The child Mohammed Al-Aslami in this video recording gives his last will to the rhythm of enthusiastic melodies and sound effects before going to die in the war.. This is one of the ways of the Houthi group to lure children for recruitment and decorate the love of death and..
https://twitter.com/MayyunMedia/status/1537084329242906629
(A P)
Houthis launch campaign to recruit 800 prisoners to the warfronts: press summary
The Houthi militia have launched a campaign to recruit 800 new fighters from prisons in different Yemeni areas under the militia's control to brainwash them with sectarian ideologies and deploy them to the warfronts. The militia promised them acquittal from sentences against them and freedom in return/Multiple websites
Houthis start a campaign to recruit women and children in Sana'a/Almahra Online
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-57411
(A P)
Film: #Yemeni father crying out in pain & anger as his 17-year-old child has bn forcibly taken to frontlines by Houthi supervisor. He says nothing is known about child sine then & Houthis told him to go look 4 him! Adding he's ready 2 go 2 frontlines if they bring his child back home!
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1536183332047933440
(A P)
The Houthis launch an arbitrary detention campaign against people who demanded electricity in #Hodeida, under the guise of BS "electricity diversion" charges in a city that has no proper electricity, especially during à summer of over 40C. Detentions of RIGHTS!
https://twitter.com/Ibrahim4Yemen/status/1536093530506027010
Did you know that there is a closed area for the so-called Mujahideen’s homes in the Rightly-Guided Caliphs Mosque between the Seventh of July and the Martyrs and its environs, and electricity is provided to them from the hotline 24 hours a day, half a megabyte, free of charge and without interruption. And the transfer station from which the connection was made, next to the prayer hall, and from line 3080 in particular.
https://twitter.com/Basem_Ganani/status/1535366027185377280
and, from the Houthi side:
(A P)
Sanaa government announces provision of free electricity to poor of Hodeida
Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Finance – Head of the Hodeida Support and Development Fund, Rashid Abu Lahoum, on Tuesday revealed that the poor of Hodeida province will be provided with free electricity.
Presenting explanations to the House of Representatives, Abu Lahoum confirmed that the fund had conducted surveys for a number of districts in Hodeida, including citizens’ homes, in cooperation with the Central Bureau of Statistics and citizens in those districts.
Dr. Abu Lahoum referred to the number of beneficiaries and the projected maps of those surveys for those eligible in those districts, affirming that consumer devices were counted in those homes that were included in the survey.
He explained that the Ministry of Electricity and the Public Electricity Corporation were informed of the fund’s readiness to meet the consumption costs of the aforementioned poor beneficiaries by giving them pre-paid meters.
The head of the fund added that a number of solar energy systems have been provided to a number of centers and facilities.
https://en.ypagency.net/263951/
(A P)
Shia militants storm Yemen mosque, destroy sound system
Houthis stormed a mosque in Ibb (a central Yemen province) and destroyed its sound system , the latest in the Shia militants vandalism of mosques./Multiple websites
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-57372
(A P)
The Houthi militia in Sana'a impose a telecom tax allocated for the families of the militia's slain fighters/Multiple websites
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-57342
(A P)
PM: Saudi Arabia, UAE Exploiting Yemen's Strategic Islands
The Prime Minister of Yemen’s National Salvation Government blamed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the deterioration of security situation in areas under the occupation of the Saudi-led coalition forces and their allied militants, saying the two countries are trying to perpetuate chaos, devastation and destruction in those regions
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010322000535/PM-Sadi-Arabia-UAE-Expliing-Yemen
(A P)
The Houthi militia have launched a crackdown and arrest campaigns in Sana'a on the militia's own members on regionalist and sectarian basis/Yemen Voice
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-57321
(A P)
A young man (pictured) has committed suicide in a Houthi jail in Radda district in the province of Baydha after failing to pay an amount of money to the jail officers to be set free, sources said on Thursday Nasim Al-Shakhfit (in his twenties) was jailed in a civil lawsuit and cleared but the court but the jail officers still required YR 200 thousand to set him free/Yemeni Sport.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-57321
(A P)
Fourteen tribesmen have been killed and injured have been killed and injured in a conflict between two tribes (Bani Rashed ans Bani Eesa) in the [central Yemen] Dhamar province. The conflict is fueled by the Houthi militia after the tribes refused to send more of their children to the militia's military camps and anti-government camps/Almashehad Alyemeni
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-57321
(A P)
SAM Urges the International Community to Intervene Immediately and Exert Pressure on the Houthi Group to Release 4 Yemeni Journalists Detained for 7 years
https://samrl.org/l.php?l=e,10,A,c,1,74,77,4466,html
(A K P)
15 deceived individuals' returns homeland, including a leader
The National Center for Returnees in Sana'a on Thursday received 15 of the deceived individuals, including Colonel Abdul Rashid Muthanna al-Sanbari, a member of the so-called 81st Brigade of Marib, who returned to the national row from a number of areas and camps of the mercenaries in the border areas.
https://saba.ye/en/news3190297.htm
and also https://en.ypagency.net/263435/
(A K P)
Two battles erupted in Houthi-controlled areas in less than a week. The first btw sub-tribes of "Habar and Bait Baias" in Arhab east of the capital Sana'a (still raging). The other btw tribes from Sufayn, Amran governorate, & Dahm of al-Aljawf, dozens killed & injured.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1533989391844114441
(A P)
Days ago Abu Hussein al-Qahum, a Houthi (Hashemite) supervisor, detained 3 (Hashemite) grooms in Thula, #Yemen's Amran, coz they're affiliated with anthr Zaydi (Hashemite) leadder, Moh al-Moayadi, who isn't in total agrmnt w/ Houthis, locals told me.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1533890317656723457
(A P)
Film: This is how Iran-backed Houthis militarize schools these days during what they call "summer camps", turning Yemeni children into time bombs. Video of a Houthi while teaching children to use Ak-47 inside a school in Amran governorate, north #Yemen, accor to jrnlst Yosuf al-Quhmi.
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1534265885401272321
(A P)
Freiheit und Unabhängigkeit des Jemen nicht verhandelbar
Der Anführer der jemenitischen Ansarullah betonte bei einem Treffen mit den Scheichs von Taiz und prominenten Persönlichkeiten der Provinz die Notwendigkeit, der Aggression entgegenzutreten: „Wir werden niemals um die Freiheit und Unabhängigkeit unseres Heimatlandes verhandeln.“
„Wir werden die Last der Besatzung und der Annahme einer fremden Vormundschaft nicht an zukünftige Generationen vererben", sagte er. „Der Zweck der Aggression ist es die israelische Seite in Bezug auf den Jemen zu beruhigen."
Laut al-Houthi sind die Aggressoren im Jemen diejenigen die das Banner der Normalisierung der Beziehungen, des Engagements, der Partnerschaft und des Bündnisses mit dem zionistischen Regime tragen.
Der jemenitische Ansarullah-Führer betonte: „Niemand auf dieser Welt kann die Freiheit, Unabhängigkeit und Würde des jemenitischen Volkes verletzen.
https://iqna.ir/de/news/3006273/freiheit-und-unabh%C3%A4ngigkeit-des-jemen-nicht-verhandelbar
(A P)
Yemen equipped with advanced missile with very high precision
Leader of Yemeni Ansarullah Movement said that Yemen is equipped with long-range missiles with very high precision that modern US military systems are unable to intercept and counter these missiles.
Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi emphasized the reopening of roads to render relief services to Yemeni citizens and said that even if there is no agreement with the other side, “We are ready for a unilateral initiative to reopen roads and offer quality relief services to citizens as Saudi aggressor coalition is blocking roads to send aid to Yemeni people."
The invading Saudi aggressor coalition has besieged Taiz and other provinces in Yemen, he said, adding that Yemeni people have been besieged by Saudi-led coalition forces.
“We are thinking of rendering relief services to Yemeni citizens in Taiz province with all available facilities and are ready to cooperate with the initiative of social actions,” he stressed.
The Leader of Ansarullah Movement in Yemen emphasized that no one in this world is at a level to seize freedom, independence and dignity of Yemeni peopl
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/187743/Yemen-equipped-with-advanced-missile-with-very-high-precision
and also https://en.ypagency.net/263342/
and, longer, from Saba: https://www.saba.ye/en/news3190202.htm
(B K P)
Houth militants have committed more than 31 thousand human rights abuses in Taiz during the seven year siege of the city, an NGO (the Human Rights Information and Training) has said./Alsahwa Net
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-57285
(B P)
Around a million children are studying in Houthi radicalization summer centers. A threat for the present and the future./Balqees
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-57285
Houthis bury three military leaders amid ambiguous death circumstances
The Houthi group on Sunday paid three of its military leaders the last honors as a formal ceremony attended by senior officials in Sana'a City, with the where and when of their death unknown.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-29839.html
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp6 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-810b-yemen-war-mosaic-810b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-809-yemen-war-mosaic-809
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-809 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-809:
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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