[This is an ongoing post that will be updated regularly. It was first published on 6 December 2016. The updates appear at the bottom.]
The conflict in Yemen seems set to intensify as 2016 draws to a close. The deposed president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi returned to Aden from exile in mid-November after his government was reestablished in the southern city. This move, alongside a renewed ground campaign and the continued aerial bombardment throughout northern Yemen by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, prompted Ansar Allah—the movement commonly known as the Houthis—and the faction of the General People’s Congress party loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, to establish a “national salvation government” in Sanaa under the leadership of Abdelaziz bin Habtoor.
These latest developments seem sure to undermine whatever potential diplomatic efforts may still have had in orchestrating a sustained ceasefire. Meanwhile, the conflict in Yemen, and the peaceful attempts to end it, have been woefully underreported by both the alternative press (Jadaliyya included) and the mainstream media. When it has been covered, journalists—taking their cue from government spokespersons and think tank experts—have tended to reduce the conflict to a proxy war between Hadi’s internationally-recognized and Saudi-backed “legitimate” government and the Iranian-allied Ansar Allah rebels in an inherently unstable country.
This framework has the unfortunate consequence of 1) obscuring the role that US imperialism has played in destabilizing and impoverishing the country; 2) misrepresenting the influence of Iran and Saudi Arabia as equivalent in Yemen; and 3) erasing the internal historical conditions that led to the political crisis. Instead, what has transpired since Ansar Allah and its allies took control of the capital in September 2014 is more the unraveling of a northern-based historic bloc and the disastrous effects of the post-uprising counterrevolutionary “transition” plan that sought to shore up the interests of Gulf autocracies at the expense of the democratic aspirations of Yemen’s people. Those in the southern highlands and coastal regions have paid an especially high cost, as Ansar Allah and Saleh forces contend with Hadi loyalists, Salafi and Al-Qa‘ida in the Arabian Peninsula militants, popular resistance groups, and secessionist fighters (sometimes allied with each other, other times against) for control. The fulfillment of their desire for self rule, whether in a federated political system or as an independent state, seems further away than ever. In the wake of this frustration and suffering, an autochthonous politics is emerging, with hundreds of civilians of northern “origins” attacked and expelled from their homes in southern areas.
Without doubt, the Ansar Allah-Saleh alliance has caused its share of suffering, but Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen has transformed an internal political crisis into a full-fledged humanitarian emergency. Its bombing campaigns—for which the United States and United Kingdom continue to supply arms and provide intelligence and targeting information—have led to the majority of the over ten thousand deaths documented from this conflict, with attacks on funerals, weddings, hospitals, schools, markets, homes, and fishing ports killing thousands of civilians. Meanwhile, its air and sea blockade of the country has exacerbated the poverty and food insecurity of Yemen to such an extent that roughly twenty million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance.
In the coming months, a number of regional and global developments will have a significant impact on the course of events in Yemen:
- The inauguration of Donald Trump as US president on 20 January raises questions about how shifts in US foreign policy will affect the Yemeni conflict, especially with regard to US relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran.
- The role of Iran in the conflict has been small, despite the tremendously overblown claims by Saudi Arabia and certain segments of the mainstream media and political establishment. Ansar Allah itself has keenly refuted any accusation of undue influence and just last week publicly warned Iran of any regional designs it might have. However, a small Iranian naval fleet has now been deployed off the southern coast of Yemen after the United States targeted Ansar Allah sites with cruise missiles in late October—it is unclear to what extent the situation may escalate.
- The war in Syria and the geopolitical interests involved have largely overshadowed, and in part governed, how regional and global powers have operated in the Yemeni conflict. That will continue to be the case if and when those forces in Syria realign in the coming months.
With a number of other political developments on the horizon, the outcome of the Yemeni conflict is increasingly uncertain. We will continue to update this account as events unfold. Your comments on what we may have missed, or contributions in the form of links and developments, are welcome at ap@jadaliyya.com.
5 December 2016
“The Saudi-led coalition has been accused of bombing multiple international hospitals run by the charity Médecins Sans Frontières, as well as schools, funerals and wedding parties. Strikes on a wedding in September killed 131 people, including children, in the capital Sanaa.”
Boris Johnson says `we do not think the threshold has been crossed` by Saudi Arabia`s bombing of Yemen
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-threshold-crossed-saudi-arabia-yemen-british-weapons-bae-systems-arms-trade-andrew-a7454731.html
5 December 2016
“Every day children are perishing in rural Yemen, where two-thirds of the nation’s population lives. Parents are forced to decide between saving their sick children and preventing healthier ones from following the same perilous route. Cemeteries in this desperately poor and rugged stretch of villages in the northwest contain the bodies of children who have recently died of hunger and preventable diseases. Most are buried in unmarked graves, their deaths unreported to authorities.”
In Yemen’s war, trapped families ask: Which child should we save?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-yemens-war-trapped-families-ask-which-child-should-we-save/2016/11/30/c2240cf4-7d60-4132-989f-2128b077efbb_story.html?utm_term=.1b6a7733dd7e
5 December 2016
“It’s sad, because Yemen has never witnessed something like this, we are experiencing a humanitarian disaster because of this war. Innocent people are dying. The heart bleeds when you think of all the tragedies. And the bombing of the funeral hall was the worst, it was one of the ugliest crimes that I have seen.
I have been a photographer in Yemen since forever, so I’m quite plugged in. When something happens, I usually get a call very quickly. On that day in October, I got a call from my nephew who lives nearby and who told me that a hall holding a funeral appeared to have been hit.”
When the heart bleeds
https://correspondent.afp.com/when-heart-bleeds
5 December 2016
“For more than a year, the Houthis have besieged government-controlled districts from their positions around the city. They have been accused of indiscriminately shelling residential areas and medical facilities and restricting deliveries of aid. Meanwhile, the pro-government fighters who control the heart of Taiz are alleged to have tortured, kidnapped and summarily killed their opponents. Both sides, but particularly the Houthis, have been accused of using snipers against innocent civilians.”
Yemen conflict: Terror of life under siege in Taiz
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38152428
5 December 2016
“The U.S.-backed, Saudi-led war on Yemen continues to be largely ignored. One reason for this is that the near-famine conditions that exist throughout much of the country and the deaths that result from them are invisible in official accounts of how many have been killed by the war. Many of the war’s victims are killed by hunger or preventable disease, and yet the warring parties have caused their deaths all the same. The humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen is every bit as terrible as any in the world, and it is probably the worst of all in some respects, but because the victims are largely cut off from the outside world their plight remains mostly unknown. Even when it is made known, it tends to be greeted by indifference because the people suffering are perceived to be on the “wrong” side or because it is an embarrassment to the U.S., Britain, and their client governments.”
The Starvation of Yemen Continues
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-starvation-of-yemen-continues-2/
5 December 2016
تزامنت عودة هادي إلى عدن مع إصداره قرارات عسكرية شملت تغييرات كبيرة، منها تعيين اللواء الركن أحمد سيف اليافعي نائبا لرئيس «هيئة الأركان العامة»، إضافة إلى التوجيه بإرسال تعزيزات عسكرية إلى تعز تشمل «إمدادات وعتاداً عسكرياً ثقيلاً ودعماً بالمدرعات وبالجنود لحسم المعركة في المحافظة»، وفق تلك المصادر.
أما إسماعيل ولد الشيخ، فالتقى، أمس، أمير الكويت، صباح الأحمد الصباح، لبحث فرصة استكمال المشاورات التي كان للكويت دور كبير في استضافتها قبل شهور، رغم أنها لم تفض إلى نتيجة. كما التقى المبعوث الأممي، النائب الأول لرئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير الخارجية الكويتي، صباح خالد الصباح، في الشأن نفسه
ولد الشيخ في الكويت... ومعركة «استعادة تعز» طور التحشيد
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/269125
5 December 2016
استشهدت طفلة وأصيب والدها واثنين من إخوانها بجروح اليوم الأحد جراء غارة شنها طيران العدوان السعودي الأمريكي استهدفت منزلا في محافظة صعدة.
وأوضح مراسل "المسيرة نت" أن طيران العدوان استهدف منزلا في منطقة بني معين بمديرية رازح بالمحافظة ما أدى إلى استشهاد طفلة وجرح والدها واثنين من إخوانها، بالإضافة إلى تدمير المنزل وإلحاق أضرار مادية جسيمة في محيط المنزل.
وأشار المراسل إلى أن الطفلة تم انتشالها من تحت أنقاض منزلها المدمر.
وكانت قد استشهدت امرأة وأصيبت طفلتان، في وقت سابق اليوم الأحد، في خمس غارات شنها طيران العدوان السعودي الأمريكي على مديرية باقم بمحافظة صعدة شمالي اليمن
استشهاد طفلة وإصابة والدها وأخويها في غارة للعدوان استهدفت منزلا في صعدة
http://www.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=807&cat_id=3
6 December 2016
“The siege of Yemen has taken our country back of hundreds of years. Most of the country is out of work and there are shortages of electricity, gas, food and water. For almost 600 days children have gone to bed, every single night, fearing the sound of airplanes.
Cholera is spreading here and the threat of famine is looming over millions. We are seeing scenes that remind us of Biafra, Ethiopia in the 1970s and 1980s. We look back to the Yemen we used to know and so little stands. Memories clash with the reality.”
In Yemen children with cancer are dying in agony
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/dec/06/in-yemen-children-with-cancer-are-dying-in-agony
6 December 2016
“The explosion occurred in the remote desert area of al-Uqla in the southern province of Shabwa, the officials said, and severed the link between Yemen`s gas-producing Marib region and the export terminal of Balhaf on the Arabian Sea.
Oil and gas once accounted for most of Yemen`s state revenue before a civil war and military intervention led by Saudi Arabia halted their export and unleashed a humanitarian crisis.”
Qaeda militants blow up Yemen gas export pipeline: local officials
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-gas-idUSKBN13U2HA
6 December 2016
“It is one testimony from a war that has caused child malnutrition rates to jump by 200% in two years. Fifty per cent of medical facilities no longer function. Some have been bombed by the Saudi-led coalition, others have ground to a halt because there is no funding. Key roads and bridges are frequently attacked, making the delivery of assistance even more difficult.”
Yemen`s suffering knows no bounds as war drags on
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38220785
6 December 2016
"نقلت وكالة «فرانس برس» عن المصدر نفسه أن هادي عارض خلال اجتماعه مع مبعوث الأمم المتحدة الخاص إلى اليمن، إسماعيل ولد الشيخ أحمد، خلال لقائهما الخميس الماضي، «خريطة الطريق» التي تقدم بها الأخير.
وضمن السقوف العالية، طلب هادي، وفق المصدر نفسه، أن يعلن كل من الرئيس اليمني السابق علي عبد الله صالح، وزعيم «جماعة أنصار الله» عبد الملك الحوثي، «تخليهما عن العمل السياسي وإلزامهما الخروج من اليمن إلى منفى اختياري لمدة عشر سنوات، وتطبيق العقوبات الدولية الصادرة عن مجلس الأمن بحقهما."
هادي يرفع سقفه: أرحل بعد نفي صالح والحوثي
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/269189
6 December 2016
"نقلت رويترز عن المسؤولين أن الانفجار وقع في منطقة العقلة الصحراوية النائية بمحافظة شبوة في الجنوب وقطع الخط الواصل بين محافظة مأرب المنتجة للغاز ومرفأ بلحاف التصديري على بحر العرب.
ومثل النفط والغاز في وقت من الأوقات معظم إيرادات الدولة اليمنية قبل أن توقف الحرب الأهلية وتدخل عسكري تقوده السعودية تلك الصادرات وتتسبب في أزمة إنسانية"
مسلحو "القاعدة" يفجرون خط الأنابيب الوحيد لتصدير الغاز في اليمن
http://tinyurl.com/h48w5bq
6 December 2016
"تضرر قطاع الرياضة في اليمن كثيرا من الصراع الدائر بين حركة أنصار الله الحوثية وحكومة الرئيس عبد ربه منصور هادي
و تكبد هذا القطاع خسائر بمئات ملايين من الدولارات، ودُمرت عشرات المنشآت الرياضية.
ووجد كثير من الرياضيين، الذين حصدوا ألقابا لصالح اليمن في السابق، أنفسهم مضطرين إلى البحث عن عمل، بل إن بعضهم تحول إلى محاربين".
الصراع في اليمن: من بطل رياضي إلى حمال بضائع
http://www.bbc.com/arabic/media-38202373
6 December 2016
People in need by governorate (Acute and Moderate)
http://ochayemen.org/hno-2017/#resources
7 December 2016
“More than 7,000 people have been killed in Yemen`s war and three million people have been forced to flee their homes. The UN estimates 14 million are at risk of hunger with half of those on the brink of famine.”
Yemen`s war leaves children on the brink of famine
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38229955
7 December 2016
“The crisis in Yemen has been overshadowed by the wars in Syria and Iraq. Barely 50% of the funding promised by donors has actually been delivered. The senior UN official in the country, Jamie McGoldrick, is clearly exasperated at the international response.
‘The politics of the situation has overcome the humanity,’ he says. ‘The humanity doesn`t work anymore here. The world has turned a blind eye to what`s happening in Yemen... right now we are so under-resourced for this crisis, it`s extraordinary.’”
Yemen conflict: UN official accuses world of ignoring crisis
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38220785
7 December 2016
“Even before the start of the conflict in March 2015, Yemen was suffering a humanitarian crisis including widespread hunger, brought on by decades of poverty and internal strife.
Around half of Yemen`s 28 million people are "food insecure," according to the United Nations, and seven million of them do not know where they will get their next meal.”
The world has forgotten the Yemen war, says senior UN humanitarian official
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-war-saudi-arabia-world-forgotten-houthi-rebels-conflict-un-official-comments-a7460081.html
7 December 2016
“A 20 month long war, waged between a Saudi-led coalition of Gulf countries and the Government of Yemen against the Houthis, has killed and injured over 11,000 civilians, forced more than 3 million people to flee their homes and brought the economy to near collapse.
Oxfam is calling on the Saudi-led coalition to lift shipping restrictions to allow food and other vital imports to increase, and on all parties in the conflict to allow food to move freely around the country and agree a meaningful ceasefire and restart peace talks. It is also calling for rich countries to increase support to the UN aid effort which is currently only 58 per cent funded and short of over $686 million (£540m).”
Yemen: a few months away from running out of food
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-few-months-away-running-out-food
7 December 2016
“An investigative body set up by the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Tuesday it should apologize for a deadly attack on a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in August that the group said killed 11 people.
But the Joint Group to Assess Incidents found the coalition was not responsible for or had legitimately targeted fighters in four other incidents that rights groups blamed on Saudi-led bombings and together killed dozens of people.”
Investigation urges coalition apology for Yemen hospital attack
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi-idUSKBN13V2JC
7 December 2016
"اتهم مسؤول بارز في مجال الشؤون الإنسانية بالأمم المتحدة العالم بغض الطرف عن كارثة إنسانية متفاقمة يشهدها اليمن وقال منسق الأمم المتحدة للشؤون الإنسانية في اليمن جيمي ماغولدريك لبي بي سي إن الأطفال يموتون جوعا بسبب نقص التمويل الدولي الهائل للتعامل مع تداعيات الأزمة في اليمن..
وأوضح أن البنى التحتية في اليمن قد انهارت، وأكثر من نصف السكان لا يملكون الوسائل لتلبية احتياجاتهم الأساسية.
وقال إن العالم "سيندم لعدم فعل المزيد لمساعدة اليمن" في محنته."
مسؤول أممي يحذر من كارثة إنسانية متفاقمة في اليمن ويدعو العالم للتحرك
http://www.bbc.com/arabic/middleeast-38231755
7 December 2016
"وعند الحدود اليمنية السعودية حيث تحدث مصدر عسكري يمني عن مقتل 4 جنود سعوديين برصاص قناصة الجيش واللجان الشعبية في مواقع الضَبْرة والمُعَنّق وقائم زَبيد بجَيزان السعودية، يأتي ذلك بعد احراق مخزن اسلحة للجيش السعودي بالتزامن مع قصف تحصيناتهم بموقع الفَريضة بجيزان، كما القت طائرات التحالف السعودي قنبلة عنقودية على جبل الدُود بجيزان وفق ما تحدث به مصدر عسكري يمني".
مقاتلات التحالف السعودي تستهدف حي سكن الضباط شمال اليمن بالقنابل العنقودية
http://www.almayadeen.net/news/politics/47886/%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%81-%D8%AD%D9%8A-%D8%B3%D9%83%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B6%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7-%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82
8 December 2016
“The government says the incident took place five days ago, but it appears that it was only confirmed on Tuesday. The cause of the disaster is not clear, but a minister said it was an accident. The government has asked merchant vessels and warships in the area to help search for survivors, some of whom are believed to have escaped in lifeboats.”
Yemen ship sinking: 35 rescued off coast
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-38235043
8 December 2016
“Yemen appeared to reject the U.N. plan on Tuesday, calling it a `dangerous international precedent` that would legitimize the rebellion against the internationally recognised government. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a news briefing the United States was `disappointed` by Yemen`s reaction.”
U.S. urges Yemen to accept U.N.-drafted roadmap for peace talks
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-usa-idUKKBN13W2MR
8 December 2016
“The Treasury added Al-Hasan Ali Ali Abkar, Abdallah Faysal Sadiq al-Ahdal and the Rahmah Charitable Organization to its list of specially designated nationals and entities that support or engage in terrorism. It said the Rahmah Charitable Organization acted as a "front organization" for the group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).”
U.S. sanctions two Yemenis, charity tied to al Qaeda in Yemen
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-usa-terrorism-idUSKBN13W22G
8 December 2016
“(Beirut) – The Saudi Arabia-led coalition killed several dozen civilians in three apparently unlawful airstrikes in September and October 2016, Human Rights Watch said today. The coalition’s use of United States-supplied weapons in two of the strikes, including a bomb delivered to Saudi Arabia well into the conflict, puts the US at risk of complicity in unlawful attacks.”
Yemen: US-Made Bombs Used in Unlawful Airstrikes
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/12/08/yemen-us-made-bombs-used-unlawful-airstrikes
9 December 2016
“This is Sa’ada, ground zero of the 20-month Saudi campaign in Yemen, a largely forgotten conflict that has killed more than 10,000, uprooted 3 million and left perhaps 14 million – more than half the country – short of food, many on the brink of starvation.”
`Everything is over now`: the last survivors in Yemen`s ground zero
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/09/everything-is-over-now-the-last-survivors-in-yemens-ground-zero
9 December 2016
“Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is extremely concerned about the recent declaration made by the official spokesperson of the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) on Yemen, Mansour Ahmad Al-Mansour, about the bombing of Abs hospital, in Hajjah governorate, on 15 August 2016. This public declaration does not reflect the conversations MSF had in Saudi Arabia with the JIAT and military forces after the attack. MSF also conducted its own investigation into the incident, which has been shared with the Saudi authorities.”
Yemen: Saudi-led airstrike on Abs hospital cannot be justified as "unintentional error"
http://www.msf.org/en/article/yemen-saudi-led-airstrike-abs-hospital-cannot-be-justified-unintentional-error
9 December 2016
“The US knew that the Saudi-led coalition was committing abuses in Yemen, but they sold them this weapon anyway.
31 civilians were killed, including 3 children.”
Human Rights Watch
https://www.facebook.com/HumanRightsWatch/videos/10154733869264354/
9 December 2016
“Johnson lamented as a mistake Britain`s 1968 decision to shut its Gulf military bases, which had helped anchor its global empire for more than a century, and said Britain now sought to restore the influence he suggested it had lost in the decades since.
‘Britain is back east of Suez, not as the greatest military power on earth ... but as a nation that is active in and deeply committed to the region.’”
UK’s Johnson courts Gulf after Saudi comments draw putdown
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-gulf-johnson-idUSKBN13Y2HG
10 December 2016
“A suicide bomber killed at least 50 Yemeni soldiers at a base in the city of Aden, a local security official said, in another major attack claimed by Islamic State on forces allied to a Saudi-led military coalition.”
Suicide bomber kills at least 50 Yemeni troops in Aden
http://news.trust.org/item/20161210143958-lsmbh/
12 December 2016
“Nearly 2.2 million children in Yemen are acutely malnourished and require urgent care. At least 462,000 children suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), a drastic increase of almost 200 per cent since 2014. An additional 1.7 million children suffer from Moderate Acute Malnutrition.”
Malnutrition among children in Yemen at an all-time high, warns UNICEF
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/malnutrition-amongst-children-yemen-all-time-high-warns-unicef-enar
12 December 2016
“BBC Arabic`s Nawal al-Maghafi is one of the first journalists to report from the rebel stronghold of Saada, in the north - one of the places hardest hit by the Saudi-led air campaign, which began in March 2015.”
Yemen’s war: Inside the rebels’ battered stronghold
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38297304
12 December 2016
شهدت محافظة صعدة مؤخرا معارك ضارية بين الحوثيين والقوات الحكومية مدعومة بقوات التحالف العربي بقيادة السعودية.
بي بي سي ترصد الأوضاع في مدينة صعدة اليمنية
http://www.bbc.com/arabic/media-38300175
13 December 2016
“The United States has decided to limit military support to Saudi Arabia`s campaign in Yemen because of concerns over widespread civilian casualties and will halt a planned arms sale to the kingdom.”
U.S. to halt some arms sales to Saudi, citing civilian deaths in Yemen campaign
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudiarabia-yemen-exclusive-idUSKBN1421UK
14 December 2016
“It comes amid reported discoveries of Britain-made weapons in bombed parts of the country.
Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtour claimed the UK Government cared more about making profits from arms sales than the humanitarian crisis enveloping his country.”
Yemen`s Prime Minister accuses UK of war crimes
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/yemen-prime-minister-uk-war-crimes-abdulaziz-bin-habtour-a7473001.html
14 December 2016
“It was not immediately clear who killed the men and why, but Aden al-Ghad said the condition of the bodies suggested they had been dumped there more than a month ago.
Yemen`s second largest city has been suffering from lawlessness, as armed groups including Islamic State and al Qaeda continue to maintain influence nearly a year and-a-half after supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by Arab coalition troops, drove the Iran-aligned Houthis out.”
Eleven headless bodies found in Yemen`s port city Aden: news website
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-bodies-idUSKBN1430FP
14 December 2016
“It was the latest in a series of strikes by pilotless planes, believed to be operated by the United States, in war-torn Yemen.
The officials said the vehicle was traveling on a main road between the Marib governorate and al-Jawf when it was attacked.”
Four suspected al Qaeda members killed in drone strike in Yemen: officials
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN1422I7
14 December 2016
"وأضاف أنه في الوقت الذي تلغي واشنطن بعض مبيعات الأسلحة للسعودية، إلا أنها ستواصل تزويد الرياض بالمعلومات الاستخباراتية التي تركز على الأمن على حدود البلاد.
وأشار برايز إلى أن " الولايات المتحدة ستوفر تدريباً للطيارين المشاركين في الضربات الجوية في اليمن لتفادي سقوط ضحايا مدنيين".
وأردف أن الولايات المتحدة ستمضي قدماً في الكثير من العقود المبرمة بين البلدين ومنها، بيع طائرات هليكوبتر عسكرية تقدر قيمتها بثلاثة ملايين دولار أمريكي."
الولايات المتحدة ستحد من مبيعات الأسلحة للسعودية بسبب الضربات في اليمن
http://www.bbc.com/arabic/middleeast-38311421
14 December 2016
وقالت «اليونيسف» في بيان أمس الاول «يموت في اليمن على الأقل طفلاً واحداً كل عشر دقائق بسبب أمراض يمكن الوقاية منها، مثل الإسهال وسوء التغذية والتهاب الجهاز التنفسي».
وأضافت «يعاني حوالي 2,2 مليون طفل يمني من سوء التغذية الحاد ويحتاجون إلى العناية العاجلة»، موضحة أن «بين هؤلاء الأطفال 462 ألف طفل على الأقل يعانون «من سوء التغذية الحاد الوخيم»، في زيادة كبيرة «تصل إلى 200 في المئة مقارنة بالعام 2014».
اليمن: طفل يموت كل عشر دقائق
https://assafir.com/Article/1/520222
14 December 2016
عادت مقاتلات تحالف العدوان، الذي تقوده السعودية، إلى «حفلات القصف الهستيري» على العاصمة اليمنية، صنعاء، وذلك بعد انتهاء مهرجان حاشد بمناسبة ذكرى المولد النبوي، فيما كانت أبرز الاستهدافات لمنطقة السبعين المجاورة لدار الرئاسة، ومنصة الاحتفال ليلة انتهائه.
قصف «هستيري» على صنعاء... وهادي تحت مقصلة التفجيرات
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/269506
15 December 2016
“More than 400,000 children are at risk of starvation in Yemen, with nearly 2.2 million in need of urgent care, according to the UN children`s agency UNICEF.
New figures indicate that hunger among children has reached an "all-time high", with at least 462,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition - a drastic increase of about 200 percent since 2014.”
UNICEF: One child dies every 10 minutes in Yemen
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/unicef-child-dies-10-minutes-yemen-161212192354606.html
15 December 2016
“In October, more than 140 people were killed in a strike on a funeral in the country. BBC Arabic`s Nawal al-Maghafi reports from Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38324777
15 December 2016
“There’s another notable thing about Yemen, which makes its near-total lack of media attention all the more jarring: Washington is giving direct military support to the Saudi campaign, including providing aerial refueling of the Saudi warplanes that have hit schools, hospitals, and other civilian targets across the country. That’s raising serious questions about whether the US is complicit in potential Saudi war crimes.”
http://www.vox.com/2016/12/14/13902932/yemen-saudi-war-crimes
15 December 2016
“Instead of concentrating work on its possibly positive role at the UNSC, Britain appears to be more focused on pandering to the GCC states to ensure their continuing contribution to the British economy and finances post-Brexit. This strategy means that exporting arms to the GCC states, particularly Saudi Arabia takes priority over helping to bring peace and a viable state for millions of poor Yemenis.”
https://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-awakening/helen-lackner/in-yemen-war-goes-on-and-on-and-on
15 December 2016
“The ramifications of the conflict have pierced all aspects of day-to-day life in the country. Its lifelines – the medical infrastructure, water, electricity, economy, transportation, to name only a few – already weakened by decades of neglect and corruption, are on the cusp of a major collapse. Absolute catastrophe has only been averted by the modest work of the few international NGOs able to operate in the country, but calamity has mainly been held at bay by the stubborn dedication and perseverance of the Yemeni people, who are determined to keep the country functioning as best they can.”
http://raiinstitute.org/ri-insights/politics/yemen-the-needs-are-great-2
16 December 2016
“Trade and aid sources say the situation was compounded in September when Yemen`s exiled president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, ordered the central bank`s headquarters moved from the capital Sanaa, controlled by Houthi rebels in the north, to the southern port of Aden, the seat of the new government.”
Yemen traders halt new wheat imports as famine approaches
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-food-exclusive-idUSKBN1450H6
16 December 2016
"Saudi Arabia began bombing Yemen in March 2015, seven months after Houthi rebels overran the capital city Sanaa and deposed the Saudi-backed leader, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The U.S. has been a silent partner to the war ever since, supplying targeting intelligence, flying refueling missions for Saudi aircraft, and authorizing more than $20 billion in new weapons transfers. Since the beginning of his administration, President Barack Obama has sold $115 billion in weapons to the Saudis, more than any of his predecessors."
Banned in 116 Countries, US Cluster Bombs Continue to Orphan Yemeni Children
https://theintercept.com/2016/12/14/banned-by-119-countries-u-s-cluster-bombs-continue-to-orphan-yemeni-children/
16 December 2016
“Yemen is mired in conflict, with rebels holding the capital and Saudi Arabia bombing them, with American help. Our reporters witnessed the devastating effects.”
We Visited the Place the World Has Forgotten
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/16/world/middleeast/yemen-war-saudi-arabia-we-visited-the-place-the-world-has-forgotten.html?_r=0
16 December 2016
“كثّفت مقاتلات «التحالف» غاراتها في سماء العاصمة صنعاء وضواحيها، خلال اليومين الماضيين، بأكثر من خمس عشرة غارة متفرقة تلت أربع عشرة أخرى، واستهدفت مواقع عسكرية (مفترضة) وتعزيزات تابعة لمقاتلي «أنصار الله» والقوات المتحالفة معها. وكان طيران «التحالف» قد عاود، أول من أمس، قصف نقيل يسلح (طريق صنعاء ــ ذمار)، بخمس غارات متتالية، للمرة الثالثة على التوالي خلال الأيام القليلة الماضية”
تصاعد المواجهات وقصف العدوان... ومبادرات سياسية عالقة
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/269697
17 December 2016
“Armed groups belonging to the "Popular Resistance" have taken over the government of large areas of Taiz province, kicking out civil directors appointed by the internationally recognised Yemen government and claiming corruption and lack of support in the battle against the Houthi rebels.
In an interview with Middle East Eye in the battle-scarred government compound in al-Turbah, Abu Hamza, the local leader of the Salafi "Hasm" group, said loyalists of President Abd Rabbuh Monsour Hadi had diverted taxes back to his powerbase in Aden, refused to pay public workers, and had done nothing to support the Popular Resistance as it fought to break a Houthi siege earlier this year.”
Yemen Government Kicked Out of Taiz by Popular Resistance
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-taiz-rival-governments-888607796
18 December 2016
“The Sunday morning blast targeted soldiers waiting to collect their salaries outside a Yemeni coast guard installation near Aden’s Solaban military base, according to the officials. It followed a Dec. 10 car bombing outside the base, also claimed by Islamic State, that killed more than 50 soldiers who had also lined up to collect payments.”
Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Yemen Bombing that Kills at Least 48 People
http://www.wsj.com/articles/yemen-bombing-kills-at-least-23-people-1482046988
19 December 2016
The United States has been directing drone strikes against what it calls al-Qaeda targets in Yemen since 2002, but our military involvement in that country increased dramatically in 2015 when U.S. ally Saudi Arabia inserted itself into a civil war there. Since then, the United States has been supplying intelligence and mid-air refueling for Saudi bombers (many of them American-made F-15s sold to that country). The State Department has also approved sales to the Saudis of $1.29 billion worth of bombs — “smart” and otherwise — together with $1.15 billion worth of tanks, and half a billion dollars of ammunition. And that, in total, is only a small part of the $115 billion total in military sales the United States has offered Saudi Arabia since President Obama took power in 2009.
In Yemen, Yet Another Undeclared U.S. War
https://lobelog.com/in-yemen-yet-another-undeclared-u-s-war/
19 December 2016
“Women and girls constitute half of the 2.18 million people who have been internally displaced. Here are stories of some of them now living in the Dharwan settlement, outside the capital, Sanaa.”
In pictures: Yemen`s displaced women and girls
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-38305875
19 December 2016
“It is understood the government’s own investigations back up media reports that such cluster bombs have been deployed in the war, in which Britain is helping to train Saudi forces. A source told the Guardian that Fallon is among the ministers to have known about the analysis for about a month.
But it is understood ministers have still not been given definitive confirmation one way or the other by Saudi Arabia, which has publicly denied the allegations and claimed that UK-made cluster bombs found are the relics of old conflicts.”
UK cluster bombs used in Yemen by Saudi Arabia, finds research
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/18/uk-cluster-bombs-used-in-yemen-by-saudi-arabia-finds-research
19 December 2016
“Yemen`s 20-month-old war has killed more than 10,000 people and triggered humanitarian crises, including chronic food shortages, in the poorest country in the Arabian peninsula.
Jubeir, speaking in Arabic, told a joint news conference with Kerry: "This news that has been leaked contradicts reality. The reality is that converting regular bombs to smart bombs would be welcome because smart bombs are more accurate.
"The kingdom has received nothing official from the American government in this regard," he said in answer to a question on reported delays of U.S. weapons supplies.”
Saudi Arabia, U.S. play down reports of curbs on military support
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudiarabia-yemen-idUSKBN1470LB
19 December 2016
“Before dawn one morning, fighter jets from a U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition fired four missiles at Kawkaban, killing seven residents of the town that lies inside the citadel and pulverizing its ancient gateway. Behind the shattered walls, 700-year-old houses known for their spectacular architecture are now mounds of rubble.
Across this war-torn country, factories, hospitals and power plants have been leveled, threatening Yemen’s future. In Kawkaban and elsewhere, the past lies in ruins, too.”
‘Why is the world so quiet?’ Yemen suffers its own cruel losses, far from Aleppo.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/why-is-the-world-so-quiet-yemen-suffers-its-own-cruel-losses-far-from-aleppo/2016/12/18/0b13e0ab-b19d-447d-b93b-6c2807a5067d_story.html?utm_term=.d2544922ee8b
19 December 2016
“The effort to reinstate what Saudi King Salman, his son Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, and international sycophants deem the “internationally recognized” client Hadi government has been an abysmal failure, and instead has contributed to internecine bloodshed and even provoked blowback into the Kingdom itself.
So, for more than a year the objective seems to be to starve Yemen into submission.”
Quick Thoughts: Sheila Carapico on the Current State and Future Prospects of the War in Yemen
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/25716/quick-thoughts_sheila-carapico-on-the-current-stat
20 December 2016
“Saudi Arabia has finally admitted that it used UK-manufactured cluster bombs against Houthi rebels in Yemen, increasing pressure on the British government which has repeatedly refused to curb arms sales to Riyadh.
“Saudi Arabia said it would cease to use UK-manufactured cluster bombs and that it had informed the UK government of this decision.”
Saudi Arabia admits it used UK-made cluster bombs in Yemen
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/19/saudi-arabia-admits-use-uk-made-cluster-bombs-yemen
20 December 2016
“An estimated 2.2 million people are currently displaced, of whom 77 per cent are living either with host communities (1.2 million people) or in rented accommodation (480,000 people).(2) The rest are living in spontaneous settlements or collective centers. In addition, slightly more than 1 million people have provisionally returned to their areas of origin, although the sustainability of these returns remains precarious.(2) Over 3,000 locations were assessed, about 90 per cent in IDP and host communities and 10 per cent in areas of return with host communities, across the 333 districts of Yemen. The results are an in-depth understanding of the needs of this vulnerable population.”
Yemen: Humanitarian Snapshot - IDPs, returnees and host communities (as of December 2016)
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-snapshot-idps-returnees-and-host-communities-december-2016
20 December 2016
“ADEN: At least 22 people were killed in clashes between government forces and rebels on the outskirts of the flash point city of Taiz in southwest Yemen, military sources said Tuesday.”
At least 22 dead in clashes in Yemen`s Taiz
https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Dec-20/386064-at-least-22-dead-in-clashes-in-yemens-taez.ashx
20 December 2016
“At least 1,219 children have died as a direct result of the fighting but now a chronic lack of medical supplies and staff has caused an additional 10,000 preventable deaths since the start of the war– the invisible casualties of the Yemen crisis.
More than 270 health facilities have been damaged as a result of the conflict and recent estimates suggest that more than half of 3,500 assessed health facilities are now closed or only partially functioning. This has left eight million children without access to basic healthcare, according to the UN.
There are also critical shortages of qualified staff throughout the country, with many doctors and staff either leaving Yemen or forced to flee their homes and being internally displaced.”
Yemen hospitals on the brink of closure as health system collapses leaving 8 million children without access to healthcare
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-hospitals-brink-closure-health-system-collapses-leaving-8-million-children
20 December 2016
"Europe’s current approach is defined either by either acquiescence towards belligerent Gulf actors, or relative non-action. At a moment when the United States is likely to pull back from any meaningful engagement in resolving the conflict, European states ― with the exception of the United Kingdom, which is now seen by many as a direct conflict actor because of its support for the Saudi coalition ― need to step up their role in resolving the conflict and prevent the country from becoming a failed state that could take decades to function again."
Yemen’s Forgotten War: How Europe Can Lay the Foundations for Peace
http://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/yemens_forgotten_war_how_europe_can_lay_the_foundations_for_peace#_ftnref8
20 December 2016
"وفي بيان بهذا الصدد صادر عن قوات التحالف، وقدم على أنه تعليق "على مزاعم منظمة العفو الدولية أن الذخيرة العنقودية من نوع (BL-755) بريطانية الصنع استخدمت في الفترة بين ديسمبر 2015 ويناير 2016 بقرب مدينة الخضراء اليمنية" شدد على عدة
نقاط، قبل الإشارة إلى قرار وقف استخدام هذا النوع من الذخائر"
السعودية لبريطانيا: أوقفنا استخدام قنابلكم العنقودية في اليمن
https://arabic.rt.com/news/855216-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%82%D9%81%D9%86%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%82%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D9%83%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%86%D9%82%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86/
20 December 2016
“حذّر المجلس النرويجي للاجئين من أنّ اليمن سيشهد إضافة 2.5 مليون مواطن كمتضررين جدد من انعدام الأمن الغذائي في البلاد خلال العام الجديد 2017، إذا ما استمر الوضع الأمني والإنساني الكارثي على ما هو عليه اليوم”.
الجوع مقيم دائم في اليمن
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/society/2016/12/19/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%B9-%D9%85%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%85-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86-1#sthash.bY6IcvQ5.dpuf
21 December 2016
“An investigation into the worst attack in Yemen’s war.”
The Funeral Bombing
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0872zds/our-world-the-funeral-bombing
22 December 2016
“Since war broke out in Yemen in March 2015, the fabric of the country has been disintegrating and the population of 27.4 million suffering untold hardship and misery. The situation there has been described as a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ and without help many more people, especially children, will die from violence, lack of food and water, illness or disease. Ayman Gharaibeh, UNHCR’s Representative to Yemen, is leading the UN Refugee Agency’s humanitarian operations and response across the country. The experienced humanitarian aid worker previously served in Yemen with UNHCR from 1992 to 1994. Gharaibeh spoke to Public Information Officer Shabia Mantoo about the desperate situation there.”
Q&A: Yemenis face a ‘struggle for survival’
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/news/latest/2016/12/5858eb774/qa-yemenis-face-struggle-survival.html
22 December 2016
"منذ ﺳﻴﻄﺮﺓ دول التحالف على جنوب اليمن، في تموز 2015، ازداد نشاط عناصر تنظيمي «ﺍﻟﻘﺎﻋﺪﺓ» ﻭ«ﺩﺍﻋﺶ» في مختلف مدنه الرئيسية، وعمد الاثنان إلى تصفية ﺍﻟﻘﻴﺎﺩﺍﺕ ﺍﻷﻣﻨﻴﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﻌﺴﻜﺮﻳﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﻘﻀﺎﺋﻴﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﺴﻴﺎﺳﻴﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﺤﺰﺑﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﺒﺎﺭﺯﺓ، إما بإطلاق الرﺻﺎﺹ من على متن ﺍﻟﺪﺭاﺟﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺭﻳﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﺴﻴﺎﺭﺍت، وإما بعشرات الجرائم ﺍﻟﻤﻨﻈﻤﺔ التي ﺷﻤﻠﺖ عمليات الإعدام الجماعي، وليس أخيراً تنفيذ الهجمات ﺍﻻﻧﺘﺤﺎﺭﻳﺔ ﺑﺎﻷﺣﺰﻣﺔ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺳﻔﺔ وباﻟﺴﻴﺎﺭﺍﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﻔﺨﺨﺔ.
لا يزال أبناء الجنوب يسلمون رقابهم إلى السعودية، رغم أن المخطط الاستعماري الجديد/القديم الهادف إلى ﺇﻓﺮﺍﻍ ﺍﻟﺠﻨﻮﺏ ﻣﻦ ﻛﻮﺍﺩﺭﻩ ﻭﻗﻴﺎﺩﺍﺗﻪ الفعالة، واضح للعيان. حالياً، صارت محافظات الجنوب ومدنه مثل جزر معزولة عن كتلة المساحة الجنوبية الموحدة، فضلاً
على أن ممرات الجنوب المائية اﻻﺳﺘﺮﺍﺗﻴﺠﻴﺔ تحت سيطرة التحالفات الدولية وأدواتها المختلفة"
عودة مشاريع الموت إلى عدن
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/269906
22 December 2016
“What happens when you can’t leave? That’s the story of abandoned zoos in wartime. It’s the story unfolding now for the animals in Yemen’s Taiz Zoological Gardens, neglected in the cross fire of the country’s civil war. Here 28 Arabian leopards, critically endangered in the wild, haven’t eaten in six days. They and nearly 240 other animals face imminent death if they aren’t fed very soon.”
War-Torn Yemen Is Letting Its Zoo Animals Starve to Death
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/12/wildlife-watch-taiz-zoo-animals-starving-leopard-war/
22 December 2016
“Fighting in Yemen, already one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, has severely compounded needs arising from long years of poverty and insecurity. The worsening violence has disrupted millions of lives, resulting in widespread casualties and massive displacement, and the situation is rapidly deteriorating.
Civilians bear the brunt of the crisis, with 18.8 million Yemenis now in need of humanitarian assistance. Those forced to flee their homes are especially at risk. Over 2 million people now languish in desperate conditions, away from home and deprived of basic needs. The situation is so dire that 1 million displaced Yemenis have lost hope and tried to return home, even though it is not yet safe.
Yemen is facing a humanitarian catastrophe. Without help, many more lives will be lost to violence, treatable illnesses or lack of food, water and shelter.”
The world cannot afford to let Yemen slip into the abyss
http://www.unhcr.org/yemen-emergency.html
22 December 2016
“At Al-Salam Hospital in Khamir, MSF is involved in the emergency, surgery, maternity, pediatric, inpatient and intensive care departments, and collaborates closely with the Ministry of Health to improve medical services. We also support the blood bank and laboratory.
During my time there as Head Nurse, we treated many children for malnutrition and severe diarrhea, as well as respiratory infections and malaria. For women, we managed a lot of very complicated obstetric cases. For men, it was trauma: mostly gunshot wounds and road traffic accidents.”
Yemen: Six Months Inside a Forgotten War
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/yemen-six-months-inside-forgotten-war
23 December 2016
“The Saudi Arabia-led coalition fired Brazilian-made rockets containing banned cluster munitions that struck near two schools in the northern Yemeni city of Saada on December 6, 2016, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack on al-Dhubat neighborhood in Saada’s Old City at about 8 p.m. killed two civilians and wounded at least six, including a child.
The attack came a day after Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and the United States abstained from a vote in the United Nations General Assembly that overwhelmingly endorsed an already widely accepted international ban on cluster munition use. Brazil should join the Convention on Cluster Munitions and cease the production and transfer of cluster munitions, while Saudi Arabia and other coalition members should cease all use of cluster munitions, Human Rights Watch said.”
Yemen: Brazil-Made Cluster Munitions Harm Civilians
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/12/23/yemen-brazil-made-cluster-munitions-harm-civilians
23 December 2016
“All the crew members of the Iranian ship were Pakistani nationals, and it is believed the targeted blast has resulted in seven fatalities. Miraculously though, there was one survivor. A man identified as Officer Kabir managed to stay alive by fleeing the ship and swimming safely to the Hodeidah port, where he was later hospitalised. Kabir remains in a state of trauma.
One body so far has been recovered and identified as crew member Suhail Ahmed. The other six bodies are still unaccounted for.
As of now, nobody has taken responsibility for the attack although local insurgent groups in the area have been known to pledge allegiance to Daesh.”
Seven Dead After Rocket Sinks Cargo Ship
https://www.porttechnology.org/news/7_dead_after_rocket_sinks_cargo_ship
23 December 2016
“I hesitate to use the term ‘lie,’ but we have learned through experience that British ministers cannot be trusted to tell the truth when they make statements about the Yemen.
The latest manifestation of this pernicious culture of falsehood concerns Philip Dunne, then defence minister, who told parliament in May that ‘we assess that no UK-supplied cluster weapons have been used and no UK-supplied aircraft have been involved in the use of cluster weapons in the current conflict in Yemen.’
This Monday, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon was obliged to tell MPs that British-made cluster bombs had indeed been dropped on Yemen by Saudi Arabia.”
The Fake News the UK Government has Fed Us about Yemen
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/fake-news-british-government-has-fed-us-about-yemen-206628139
24 December 2016
“Amal is 13 years-old, a schoolgirl living a never ending nightmare of death, fear, destruction, horror and uncertainty.
In the past four months, the softly-spoken little girl has survived a missile attack on her school that killed a teacher and classmates, burying some alive.”
Hell of schoolgirl living in Yemen`s `forgotten conflict` revealed
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4048538/Hell-schoolgirl-living-Yemen-s-forgotten-conflict-revealed-Amal-13-crawls-dark-avoid-snipers-haunted-horror-seeing-teacher-blown-missile-strike.html
24 December 2016
“At least eight civilians died in an airstrike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in the central Yemeni province of Ibb.
The airstrike hit a village in the western part of the province, Sputnik quoted a local source as saying.
All the victims are members of one family, the source added.”
Saudi-led Strike Kills Eight People in Central Yemen
http://english.almanar.com.lb/144890
24 December 2016
“Yemen’s second largest city and once its commercial hub, Aden was intended to be a model of Hadi’s legitimacy.
Instead it has become a sign of Yemen’s woes. Multiple armed groups compete for influence, chief among them a force known as the Security Belt, created and funded by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and their allies.”
Yemen’s Would-Be Model, Aden plagued by bombs, instability
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/yemens-would-be-model-aden-plagued-by-bombs-instability/2016/12/24/abf91170-c9a4-11e6-acda-59924caa2450_story.html?utm_term=.2dd8ca0a7348
26 December 2016
“Yemeni army snipers claim they shot dead six Saudi soldiers in the kingdom`s Najran Province in "retaliatory attacks".
According to the Al Masirah television channel, which is owned by Yemen`s rebel Houthi government, the troops were killed in cross border fire at military bases inside Saudi Arabia, in Sharjah and Tal`a.”
Yemeni army claims snipers shot dead six Saudi soldiers
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemeni-army-claims-snipers-shot-dead-six-saudi-soldiers-a7495041.html
26 December 2016
“Child mortality rates — already unacceptably high before conflict broke out — have increased. An additional 10,000 preventable deaths per year are now occurring. These children are the invisible causalities of Yemen`s war. Another 1,219 children have died as a direct result of the fighting. The country`s fragile health system is collapsing. A fiscal crisis and the country`s failing economy have led to chronic shortages of essential drugs and equipment. Health workers and doctors have gone unpaid since August 2016.”
Struggling to survive: Stories from Yemen’s collapsing health system
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/struggling-survive-stories-yemen-s-collapsing-health-system
26 December 2016
“Accusing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of encouraging the Houthis to evade surrender, Hadi said he won’t accept any peace agreement that doesn’t also include a power transition deal from the Gulf Cooperation Council and national reconciliation talks, the government-controlled state Saba news agency reported.
Hadi was referring to a road map that emerged after a foreign ministers’ meeting in Oman suggesting that the president transfer his authority to a vice president agreed to by all actors, including the Houthis. Kerry was quoted as saying Saudi Arabia, which has backed Hadi’s government, and the Houthis had agreed on a plan to end the conflict -- without mentioning the government itself.”
Yemen President Warns of No Peace Without Houthis’ Withdrawal
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-26/yemen-president-warns-of-no-peace-without-houthis-withdrawal
26 December 2016
"أعلنت «جماعة أنصار الله» أنها قصفت الأحياء الجنوبية لمدينة نجران، جنوبي السعودية، بعشرات قذائف المدفعية والكاتيوشا، التي استهدفت محطة كهرباء في المدينة، فضلاً عن مهاجمة موقع السديس العسكري وتدمير ثلاث مدرعات سعودية."
أنصار الله تقصف نجران... وتقرير جديد عن قنابل عنقودية
http://al-akhbar.com/node/270124
27 December 2016
“Abdullah al-Haimi walked through the wasteland, pointing out the damage at a now-closed cement plant. A warehouse here, broken beams protruding. A quarry there, littered with shrapnel.
In total, he said, the complex had been bombed 53 times in the past year and a half — all by Saudi-led coalition warplanes, aided by the United States.
One strike at the main entrance killed 15 people, including an ice-cream vendor outside the gate.
But for Haimi, a manager at the plant in western central Yemen, the greatest destruction has occurred far beyond the perimeter of the state-owned facility. The lives of the 1,500 employees, and thousands of relatives who depended on them, have been shattered.”
The latest casualty of Yemen’s war? A small but vital middle class.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/the-latest-casualty-of-yemens-war-a-small-but-vital-middle-class/2016/12/26/07e051ba-e2a5-4f3f-b784-c4ed7a60fba2_story.html?utm_term=.766b1369ae36
28 December 2016
“The impact of the conflict on people’s physical and mental health cannot be overstated. In addition to tens of thousands of war-related injuries, MSF teams regularly treat large numbers of patients for acute post-violence stress syndrome. Patients report generalized symptoms such as body pain, headaches, and chest pains related to the physical and mental trauma they have endured. According to UNOCHA, nearly three million people were displaced by conflict within the country as of September 2016.”
Yemen: Escalating Conflict, Escalating Needs
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/yemen-escalating-conflict-escalating-needs
28 December 2016
“بعد واحد وعشرين شهراً من العدوان على اليمن، باتت الأرض في صعدة وحجة، وهما محافظتان حدوديتان، مثقلة بآلاف القنابل العنقودية وأطنان الذخائر والأسلحة المُحرّمة التي يُلقيها طيران تحالف العدوان يومياً على كل شيء يقع في مرماها. هذه القنابل، يقع الأطفال والنساء في رأس قائمة ضحاياها قتلاً أو إعاقة بسبب فقدان أعضاء في أجسامهم، فضلاً عمّن يُقتلون مباشرة بقنابل تُلقى بالعشرات على الأحياء السكنية والقرى”.
السعودية تردّ... بالمزيد من القنابل العنقودية
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/270179
29 December 2016
“The US-Saudi aggression fighter jets launched a series of raids on separated areas of Sana`a province overnight, a security official told Saba on Thursday.
The hostile strikes targeted the districts of Sanhan, Bani Matar, Alhayma Addakheliya and Nehm, causing severe damage to private property and farms of citizens, the official explained.”
Saudi aggression war jets wage raids on Sana`a
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news451075.htm
29 December 2016
“Fears about looting have also spread to Houthi-controlled areas of Taiz, where some residents told MEE they considered the Houthis to be their guards.
Anas al-Samei, a resident of Taiz`s al-Hawban neighbourhood said he did not want to see the area become a conflict zone or fall under the control of the resistance.
“When the Houthis took over al-Hawban in March 2015, they did not loot our houses, but if the resistance liberates it, its fighters will loot and destroy our houses," Samei told MEE.
He pointed out that he supports a political solution to Yemen’s war, hoping that the resistance will stop fighting while the warring sides negotiate a peace settlement.”
Shooting and looting: `Liberated` Taiz residents say they have lost everything
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-taiz-looting-2054344058
29 December 2016
“Ultimately, if I have a simple message as a Syrian to all the Yemenis I have met or haven’t met and for others to hear: We are unified in our misery, my friends, and despite that, I really do believe that just like in Syria, you and we will pick up the pieces together once the bullets and bombs have been silenced, and we will move forward towards something better.”
Yemen Through a Syrian Lens
http://aljumhuriya.net/en/yemen/yemen-through-a-syrian-lens
29 December 2016
“بعد مرور أكثر من 20 شهراً على اندلاع الحرب السعودية على اليمن في آذار/مارس 2015، تبدو جردة الحساب مُراوِحَة ضمن ما كان متوقعاً منذ ذلك التاريخ؛ حربٌ قياسية زمنياً، تُختبر فيها شتى أنواع التجارب العسكرية، ولا يتحقق أي من أهدافها الرئيسة، رغم ما يحظى به «التحالف العربي» الذي تقوده الرياض من دعم وتغطية من الولايات المتحدة وبريطانيا، منذ أكثر من 600 يوم على الحرب.”
اليمن 2016: السعودية هُزِمت
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/270234
29 December 2016
“The Yemeni army began a massive offensive yesterday to retake areas in Bayhan and Asilan districts in the southern province of Shabwa, as fighting continue in the mountainous region of Naham northeast of Sana’a continued.”
Yemen launches major offensive in Shabwa province
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161229-yemen-launches-major-offensive-in-shabwa-province/
29 December 2016
“منذ نحو خمسة أيام مضت، تشن قوات هادي هجوماً عنيفاً على عدد من مناطق مديرية نهم، التي تعد من أكبر مديريات محافظة صنعاء، وتزيد مساحتها على 1840 كلم مربع. شملت المواجهات منطقة محلي وجنوب وادي محلي، ثم امتدت إلى جبل المريحا والتلال المقابلة لجبل القتب الاستراتيجي، كذلك اشتدت الاشتباكات في منطقة وادي ملح القريبة من جبل هيلان الاستراتيجي، الذي يشرف على مدينة مأرب.
وفي ظل وصول تعزيزات كبيرة لقوات هادي من محافظة مأرب، اتسع نطاق المواجهات إلى منطقة المدفون وجبل المنارة الاستراتيجي القريب من نقيل بن غيلان، الذي يبعد قرابة 30 كلم عن العاصمة صنعاء. وللمرة الأولى، تشارك بجانب أنواع الأسلحة المختلفة، طائرات «الأباتشي» التابعة للسعودية، فضلاً عن طائرات «إف ــ 16»، لكنها كانت مشاركة محدودة لم تخرج من نطاق الكر والفر خاصة في حال اشتداد المعارك.”
التحالف ينكسر مجدداً على أبواب صنعاء
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/270236
30 December 2016
“Surviving even birth is a struggle in Yemen. After nearly two years of war, thousands of children and adults have died from easily treatable diseases, illnesses and injuries as the health-care system collapses.
The situation is deteriorating quickly. Vital drugs, vaccines and medical equipment often cannot enter the country because of an air, sea and land blockade imposed by the coalition. Because of a banking crisis, traders cannot afford to import wheat and other staple foods, triggering alarms that hunger and illness could soon worsen. Government medical workers have not been paid in four months.”
‘Sometimes the baby dies; sometimes the mother’: Life and death in Yemen’s hospitals
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/sometimes-the-baby-dies-sometimes-the-mother-life-and-death-in-yemens-hospitals/2016/12/29/cdbf853c-c6e3-11e6-acda-59924caa2450_story.html?utm_term=.8b063229426c
30 December 2016
“A drone strike in Yemen likely carried out by US forces yesterday has killed a local Al-Qaeda chief and his guard, according to a local security official.
The strike hit a car at Sawmaa in Al-Bayda province, killing Jalal Al-Seydi, who was the Emir of Al-Qaeda in the town of Lauder, situated in the neighbouring province of Abyan. Both Al-Bayda and Abyan are known for being Al-Qaeda strongholds. Yesterday, the US military said it killed 28 members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in nine strikes in Yemen since September.”
US drones killed 28 Al-Qaeda members in Yemen
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161230-us-drones-killed-28-al-qaeda-members-in-yemen/
01 January 2017
“The meeting discussed the challenges facing the company and direct or indirect damage left by the US-Saudi aggression war and the siege on the company and oil and gas sector.
The company revealed that nearly seven million barrels of oil and gas have been re-injected into wells due to preventing the export of crude oil and liquefied natural gas, which caused significant losses to Yemen.”
Oil Minister: Safer Company is biggest revenue facility in Yemen
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news451442.htm
01 January 2017
“As of 28 December, a cumulative total of 12 733 suspected cases of cholera, including 97 associated deaths have been reported across all affected governorates, with a case–fatality rate of 0.76%. To date, 163 stool samples have tested positive for Vibrio Cholerae 01.
The affected areas include 135 districts in the governorates of Abyan, Aden, Al-Bayda’a, Al-Dhale’a, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Amran, Dhamar, Hajjah, Ta’izz as well as Sana’a City. Recent cases have also been reported for additional districts in Ibb, Lahij, Raymah and Sana’a governorates.
The majority (nearly 60%) of cases and deaths reported so far have been in the governorates of Aden, Ibb, Ta’izz and Al Hudaydah.”
Yemen: 1,000 additional cholera cases reported
http://outbreaknewstoday.com/yemen-1000-additional-cholera-cases-reported-82682/
02 January 2017
“As the first light of dawn trickles in through the hospital window, 19-year-old Mohammed Ali learns that his two-year-old cousin has died of hunger. But he has to remain strong for his little brother Mohannad, who could be next.
He holds his brother`s hand as the five-year-old struggles to breathe, his skin stretched tight over tiny ribs. "I have already lost a cousin to malnutrition today, I can`t lose my little brother," he says.”
Yemen`s Children Starve as War Drags On
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/yemens-children-starve-war-drags-44508227
02 January 2017
“The group`s members were arrested on Sunday in Bani Matar district with at least 540 TNT explosive bars in their possessions.
Investigations revealed that the seized explosives have been stolen from an army warehouse, according to the official.”
TNT explosives captured in Sana`a
http://sabanews.net/en/news451473.htm
04 January 2017
“They said at least 10 other soldiers were wounded when troops were ambushed east of the coastal city of Shuqra on Tuesday. Intense clashes were continuing on Wednesday.
The sources said that Hadi forces, backed by aircraft of a Saudi-led coalition, were targeting Shuqra when they were surprised by the militants. One military vehicle overturned, another was destroyed and two were captured, they said.”
Three Yemeni soldiers killed in offensive against al Qaeda: sources
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN14O0V7?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29
04 January 2017
“Nine civilians, including five members of one family, have been killed in rebel bombing and an air strike by the pro-government coalition in war-torn Yemen, military and rebel sources said Monday.
An air strike by the Saudi-led coalition hit on Sunday a house in the province of Marib, east of the capital Sanaa, killing five members of the same family, military officials told AFP.”
Yemen: Bombing, air strike kill nine civilians
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/bombing-air-strike-kill-9-civilians-yemen-741746466
04 January 2017
“أفاد مصدر عسكري يمني الميادين الأربعاء بأن قوات التحالف السعودي كثّفت من قصفها الصاروخي والمدفعي على منازل المدنيين في منطقة عَيّاش بمديرية مُنَبِة الحدودية غرب محافظة صَعدة شمال اليمن، بالتزامن مع تكثيف متواصل للغارات الجوية حيث شنّت مقاتلات التحالف 12 غارة على منطقتي مَنْدَبة وآل الزَمّاح بمديرية بَاقِم الحدودية بالمحافظة ذاتها.
كذلك أفاد مصدر عسكري للميادين عن مقتل وجرح أعداد كبيرة من قوات التحالف السعودي وقوات الرئيس عبد ربه منصور هادي في كمين محكم بصحراء البقع
بصعدة والحدودية قبالة نجران السعودية خلال الساعات الماضية”
الجيش واللجان يدمرون زورقاً حربياً للتحالف السعودي
https://www.almayadeen.net/news/politics/49549/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b4-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%8a%d8%af%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%b2%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%82%d8%a7-%d8%ad%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d9%84%d9%84%d8%aa%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af%d9%8a
05 January 2017
“Abdullah al-Hindi, the head of the orphanage, said that almost two years of war had decimated the economy, and there have been severe cuts to public spending.
"The orphanage is at threat of closure and the children could face loss and displacement unless there are immediate solutions from National Salvation Government and well-wishers," he told the Reuters news agency.”
Yemen`s orphans face `catastrophe` as fighting rages
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/yemen-orphans-170105052409798.html
05 January 2017
“Though staple foods currently remain available on local markets, elevated food prices and reduced income from sources such as farming, fishing, government salaries, and the private service sector have significantly weakened the purchasing power of many households. While recent data on food security outcomes is limited, WFP’s mVAM data and various rapid assessments suggest severe levels of food insecurity, in line with Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or Emergency (IPC Phase 4), in western areas. Food security outcomes are likely most severe in Ta’izz, southern coastal areas of Al Hudaydah, and amongst IDP populations.”
Yemen Food Security Alert, January 4, 2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-food-security-alert-january-4-2017
06 January 2017
“Taiz, Yemen - A female charity worker, who campaigned to improve women`s literacy in Yemen, has been murdered in a drive-by shooting in central Taiz, sparking fears of a campaign of targeted assassinations against women by "extremists".
Amat al-Aleem al-Asbahi was shot dead on 25 December by two motorcycle riders as she walked on the busy 26 September Street. Her death sent shockwaves through Taiz`s activist community, who say they can no longer operate in the war-torn city in safety.”
Yemeni charity worker murdered, sparking fears of targeted campaign against women
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemeni-woman-activist-murdered-after-fatwa-issued-against-female-workers-189477989
06 January 2017
“وادعى المصدر أن القصف أسفر عن مقتل 6 عسكريين سعوديين وإصابة 9 آخرين بينهم ضباط.
“وأضاف أنه تم رصد عملية نقل القتلى والجرحى السعوديين إلى «مستشفى الملك خالد» بمدينة نجران
الحوثيون يزعمون مقتل وإصابة 15 عسكريا سعوديا بينهم ضباط في نجران
https://medium.com/thenewkhalij/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%B2%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84-%D9%88%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A9-15-%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%B6%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-60075316dc86#.rz1be9tra
06 January 2017
“The BBC`s Nawal Al-Maghafi has been granted access to the front line of the Yemen army`s battle for the capital Sanaa.”
Yemen conflict: The front line battle for capital Sanaa
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38504068
06 January 2017
“Unexploded remnants of cluster munitions have proved deadly for Yemenis, killing or injuring at least 85 civilians, including children. After 20 months of war, the British government has finally raised the issue with Saudi Arabia, which responded by vowing to stop using this particular weapon in its ongoing Yemen campaign. But the UK`s mea culpa doesn`t go far enough, especially as UK officials deny another, much larger accusation - the sale of other weapons, including precision-guided munitions, which the Saudis and their allies have used in unlawful strikes against civilians and civilian structures in Yemen.”
Theresa May Should Come Clean on UK Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/01/04/theresa-may-should-come-clean-uk-arms-sales-saudi-arabia
06 January 2017
“According to al-Masirah television, the Yemeni Army, backed by fighters from the allied Popular Committees, hit a headquarters controlling joint military operations, located in al-Khadhra, near Yemen’s northern borders on Friday.
6 Saudi soldiers have been killed in the attack, and 9 others were wounded.
The fresh attack came after a tragic Thursday for Saudi Arabia.”
6 Saudi Forces Killed in Yemeni Attack on Najran
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2017/01/06/1289213/6-saudi-forces-killed-in-yemeni-attack-on-najran
09 January 2017
“At least 68 fighters were killed in two days of fierce battles between Yemeni forces and Houthi rebels near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, military officials said on Sunday.
The clashes erupted amid a government assault to recapture the coastal Dhubab district, just 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Bab al-Mandab which links the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.”
Dozens killed in Yemen battle for strategic strait
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/1/8/dozens-killed-in-yemen-battle-for-strategic-strait?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=sf
09 January 2017
“Living in Sanaa`s Bait Bos neighbourhood, Abdulla roams the city daily, checking through rubbish piles to find something for himself and his family of 10 to eat.
`It is my daily attempt to stave off the death of my family by hunger,` he explained. `I have become a frequent visitor of the rubbish dump. There, I also see my likes.`”
Starving Yemenis resort to eating rubbish
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/01/starving-yemenis-resort-eating-rubbish-170102124800887.html
09 January 2017
“`Hunger is the most dominant thought on Yemenis minds during this period,` Yasser Rayes, an author at the Yemen Times, recently wrote.
Over the past few months, several humanitarian groups have launched appeals to tackle the issue of hunger in Yemen, largely aggravated by the Saudi-led coalition`s bombing of the country. As is often the case, children are the most severely affected by the crisis.”
Conflict in Yemen Takes Heavy Toll on Country`s Children
https://globalvoices.org/2017/01/08/conflict-in-yemen-takes-heavy-toll-on-countrys-children/
09 January 2017
“Amat al-Aleem al-Asbahi, who worked to improve female literacy in the war-torn country, was killed on 25 December by two motorcycle riders as she walked on a busy street in the city centre.
A fatwa issued by Islamic scholar Abdullah al-Odaini in September, banning women activists from mixing with men, had already curtailed Ms Asbahi and the aid community’s work, as has fierce air strikes and other violence."
Yemeni woman who campaigned for female literacy shot dead
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/yemen-female-literacy-campaigner-activist-amat-al-aleem-al-asbahi-woman-shot-dead-civil-war-taiz-a7513071.html
09 January 2017
“Dozens of civilians were killed and others wounded when Saudi aggression warplanes launched six strikes targeting residents near a water well in the residential area of Mocha coastal city in Taiz province, an official told Saba on Monday.
The air strikes took place late on Sunday.
The air strikes coincidently occurred with other heavy aerial attacks and continuing flying on neighboring Kahbob and Dhubab coastal areas.”
Saudi aggression kills residents in Mocha
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news452204.htm
10 January 2017
“A Saudi-led coalition airstrike has hit a primary school in the rebel held northern Yemeni district of Nihm, killing five people on Tuesday.
The school`s headmaster and two children were among those killed, medical and military sources said. The death toll was confirmed by a medical source at Sanaa`s Kuwait hospital.”
Staff and students killed in airstrike on Yemen school
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/1/10/staff-and-students-killed-in-airstrike-on-yemen-school
10 January 2017
“The British military has provided training to a Saudi war crimes investigations unit headed by a Bahraini judge accused of sentencing peaceful protesters to lengthy jail terms, where they were often tortured.
Campaigners say the training, which was detailed in Foreign Office documents released on Monday, make the British government complicit in both whitewashing abuses in Bahrain and the failure to properly investigate potential war crimes committed by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.”
UK helped train Saudi unit accused of whitewashing Yemen war crimes
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-helped-train-saudi-unit-accused-whitewashing-yemen-war-crimes-828179425
10 January 2017
“تحدّث مصدر محلي للميادين عن سقوط 8 شهداء بينهم 4 طالبات ووكيل مدرسة وجرح آخرين في غارة جوية للتحالف السعودي استهدفت مدرسة الفلاح بمديرية بَاطِنَة بمديرية نِهم شمال شرق العاصمة صنعاء.
وأضاف المصدر أنه تم نقل الجرحى جراء الغارة الجوية إلى أحد المستشفيات بالعاصمة صنعاء. ويأتي ذلك في ظل تكثيف طائرات التحالف السعودي من غاراتها الجوية على المديرية ذاتها منذ صباح الثلاثاء حيث استهدفت بسلسلة غارات جوية وادي العَصَرات ومنطقة الحَنَشَات بالمديرية”
اليمن: سقوط 8 شهداء بينهم 4 طالبات بقصف للتحالف السعودي شرق صنعاء
http://www.almayadeen.net/news/politics/49915/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86--%D8%B3%D9%82%D9%88%D8%B7-8-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%87%D9%85-4-%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%81-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%82
10 January 2017
“في ظل معاناة 14 مليون شخص في اليمن من انعدام الأمن الغذائي، خصص الاتحاد الأوربي 12 مليون يورو لدعم جهود منظمة الأمم المتحدة للأغذية والزراعة من أجل معالجة مشكلة الجوع في البلاد.
وذكرت المنظمة أن ذلك التمويل سيستخدم لتفادي تصاعد الأزمة، وتقديم الدعم الزراعي الفوري لأكثر من 150 ألف شخص لمساعدتهم على تحسين إنتاج الغذاء”
دعم مالي للفاو في ظل تدهور وضع الأمن الغذائي في اليمن
http://www.un.org/arabic/news/story.asp?NewsID=27919#.WHUR_vmLSUk
11 January 2017
“The battles are part of the so-called Golden Spear operation launched by the coalition and Hadi’s government and aimed at uprooting Houthis and allied forces from the western coast, starting from the strait of Bab al-Mandab and extending to the vital Red Sea ports of Mokha and Hodeida. The coalition accuses Houthis of using these ports to receive supplies of arms and ammunition from Iran.”
Dozens killed as fighting rages at Yemen’s Red Sea strait
http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/Dozens-killed-as-fighting-rages-at-Yemen-s-Red-10851229.php
13 January 2017
“There is abundant evidence that the high civilian death toll in Yemen is the result of deliberate--not accidental--strikes by Saudi Arabia. During its air campaign, Saudi Arabia has bombed endless civilian targets--including homes, farms, markets, factories, water infrastructure, hospitals, and children’s schools--and has even gone so far as to use internationally banned cluster weapons, which are designed to inflict damage over a wide area and often remain lethal years after being dropped.
But when secretary of state nominee and former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson was asked about Saudi Arabia’s use of cluster weapons during his confirmation hearing Wednesday, he declined to answer, and suggested that the way to discourage Saudi Arabia from hitting civilians in Yemen is to provide them with additional targeting intelligence.”
Rex Tillerson Wants to Provide Saudi Arabia With More Help to Bomb Yemen
https://theintercept.com/2017/01/12/rex-tillerson-wants-to-provide-saudi-arabia-with-more-help-to-bomb-yemen/
13 January 2017
“British politicians have called for an independent investigation into possible breaches in humanitarian law in Yemen’s civil war as Saudi Arabia cannot be expected to lead such an inquiry.
A debate in Parliament over the “ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen” saw members on both sides of the House of Commons urging for an end to British arms sales to Saudi Arabia.”
British MPs urge independent inquiry into claims of Saudi war crimes in Yemen
https://www.rt.com/uk/373494-saudi-yemen-inquiry-crimes/
13 January 2017
“Spain is planning to sell warships to Saudi Arabia despite opposition from major human rights groups, which call the potential sale illegal, as Riyadh may use them in their operation against Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians.
A spokesman for Navantia, a Spanish state-owned shipbuilding company, said that five Avante 2200 corvettes, which are small warships used primarily for offshore patrolling, could be sold for an estimated €2 billion ($2.1 billion), AFP reported on Thursday.”
Spain plans to sell warships to Saudi Arabia despite Yemen war crimes concerns
https://www.rt.com/news/373567-spain-saudi-warships-yemen/
13 January 2017
“(Beirut) – Parties to Yemen’s armed conflict violated the laws of war with impunity in 2016, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2017. Concerned governments should seek accountability for past and ongoing violations and immediately suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition has carried out military operations, supported by the United States and United Kingdom, against Houthi forces and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 2015. The coalition has unlawfully attacked homes, markets, hospitals, schools, civilian businesses, and mosques. As of October 10, 2016, at least 4,125 civilians had been killed and 6,711 wounded, the majority by coalition airstrikes, according to the United Nations human rights office.”
Yemen: No Accountability for War Crimes
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/01/12/yemen-no-accountability-war-crimes
13 January 2017
“In the midst of one of the world`s worst hunger crises, Yemen`s farmers urgently need support so they can grow more food and provide young people with jobs, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
Nearly two years of war between a Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Iran-allied Houthi movement has left more than half of Yemen`s 28 million people facing hunger, its economy in ruins and food supplies disrupted.
Nearly half of Yemen`s 22 governorates are officially rated as being in an emergency food situation, which is four on a five-point scale, where five is famine, the United Nations said last month.
`People`s access to food is rapidly worsening and urgent action is needed,` said Salah Hajj Hassan, FAO representative in Yemen.
About two-thirds of the population depends on agriculture for their survival, and it is one of the only sectors of the economy still functioning after years of war, according to FAO.”
Yemeni farmers urgently need support to help ease hunger crisis: U.N.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-hunger-idUSKBN14X1KQ
16 January 2017
“Human Rights Watch (HRW) has slammed the Saudi regime for the thousands of innocent deaths its coalition air force has perpetrated against the Yemeni`s, as well as significant infrastructure destruction it has engaged in.
The annual report found that at least 4,125 civilians were killed and a further 7,207 injured between March 26, 2015 when the Saudi campaign began, and October 10, 2016.
HRW identified `six types of air-dropped and ground-launched cluster munitions in multiple locations in Yemen, including those produced in the US and Brazil. Amnesty International has further documented the use of UK-made cluster munitions.`”
Human Rights Watch report identifies Saudi atrocities in Yemen
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/human-rights-watch-report-identifies-saudi-atrocities-in-yemen/
16 January 2017
“At the tip of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen’s disastrous war has been raging for nearly two years. Somewhat overshadowed by the devastating crisis in Syria, it is nonetheless a major calamity: according to the UN, more than 10,000 people have lost their lives, while more than 20 million (of a total population of some 27 million) are in need of humanitarian assistance. More than 3 million people are internally displaced, while hundreds of thousands have fled the country altogether. There are reports of looming famine as the conflict destroys food production in the country.”
Yemen: A calamity at the end of the Arabian Peninsula
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/yemen-a-calamity-at-the-end-of-the-arabian-peninsula-a7521841.html
16 January 2017
“A Yemeni army offensive near the Bab el-Mandeb region in the country`s southwest resulted in the death of 40 Saudi-backed fighters, including their commander, local media reported Monday.”
Yemeni Army Kills Over 40 Saudi-Backed Fighters Near Bab el-Mandeb
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201701161049634988-yemeni-army-saudi-fighters/
16 January 2017
“Pro-government forces backed by Saudi-led air strikes advanced closer towards the Yemeni port city of Mokha on Sunday, taking over the Al Maaqer and Al Gadeeda areas along the coastal road.
The latest offensive, launched from Bab Al Mandeb eight days ago, is aimed at liberating the area along the Red Sea coast from the Houthi rebels.
Yemeni forces drove out the Houthis from the Dhubab district in the southern province of Taez on Friday, and arrived in Al Gadeeda on Sunday. Their next target will be Mokha, about 30km away, according to a source in the military council of Taez province.”
Yemeni forces capture new areas in advance on Mokha
http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/yemeni-forces-capture-new-areas-in-advance-on-mokha
16 January 2017
“Four soldiers were killed and three wounded in a suspected Al-Qaeda attack on a checkpoint in southern Yemen, a security official said Monday. `Terrorist elements on Sunday evening attacked… soldiers at a checkpoint` in the town of Loder in Abyan province, the official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
`The exchange of fire lasted half an hour, killing four soldiers and wounding three along with an undetermined number of dead and wounded among the attackers,` he said.”
Yemen: Suspected Qaeda attack kills four soldiers
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/yemen-suspected-qaeda-attack-kills-four-soldiers-4476893/
16 January 2017
“Nearly 19 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN, but the worst of the civilian impact of the two-year civil war in the country has fallen on the district of Tuhayat on the Red Sea coast.
As RT’s Arabic-language crew visited the area, they witnessed scenes of chaos--as locals scrambled to acquire food--and quiet desperation, with many residents swollen with hunger, waiting for outside help, or resigned to their fate.
Salem is an eight-year-old boy, though like many in similar struggling areas around the world, he looks small enough to be mistaken for a toddler.”
`No food, no medicine, no money’: Yemeni town faces mass death by starvation
https://www.rt.com/news/373712-yemen-starvation-fishing-houthis/
16 January 2017
“Schools of Ibb province organized a protest rally to condemn the US-Saudi aggression air strikes the primary al-Falah school in Nehm district of Sana`a province last Tuesday.
The air raids killed eight students and injured 15 others early morning of Tuesday.
The protest rally took place on Monday.
The demonstrators expressed deep condemnations against the US-Saudi aggression air strikes, considering it a new war crime against the Yemeni people and calling for the international community to move to stop Saudi massacres against Yemenis.”
Schools of Ibb provinces condemn Saudi massacres against Yemen schools
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news453070.htm
16 January 2017
“Officials of the private sector met with Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, George Khoury, in Yemen.
In the meeting, the officials discussed UN efforts to lift the all-out blockade on Yemen that imposed by the Saudi-led aggression coalition.
The officials discussed possibilities to pressure the aggression countries to lift the economic siege and enable the Yemeni private sector to import goods to alleviate the suffering of the people.”
Private sector, UN official discuss lifting aggression blockade
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news453085.htm
19 January 2017
“Female fighters carrying babies, rocket launchers and machine guns took to the streets of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa to protest Saudi Arabia’s involvement in its brutal conflict.
Marching in support of the Houthi rebel movement, they shouted slogans against the multinational coalition forces led by oil rich Middle Eastern state, which support the government.
Their protest followed talks this week between a United Nations envoy and the Saudi-backed, internationally-recognised Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.”
Female Yemeni fighters carry babies and machine guns at anti-Saudi rally
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-female-fighters-conflict-huthi-rebels-anti-saudi-coalition-rally-sanaa-a7532486.html
19 January 2017
“The U.S. military has played a key role in the conflict for much of that time, supporting Saudi warplanes with intelligence and refueling even as their bombs have reportedly killed civilians.
Rep. Ted Lieu, a colonel in the Air Force Reserves from Malibu, has been on a sometimes-solitary quest to make the White House answer for its role.
`That is morally outrageous,` he told Josh Hersh in an interview. `If the U.S. was doing this with our own pilots, dropping bombs on civilians, they’d be getting court-martialed right now.`”
Fueling Yemen’s war
https://news.vice.com/story/this-congressman-is-calling-out-the-us-for-potential-war-crimes-in-yemen
19 January 2017
“At least 10,000 people have been killed in the war in Yemen between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition supporting the government, the UN says.
The organisation said the death toll "underscores the need to resolve the situation" that has lasted for more than 21 months.
The news came as a UN envoy met President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi on Monday in the southern city of Aden.”
Yemen conflict: At least 10,000 killed, says UN
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38646066
19 January 2017
“The United Nations Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative for Yemen Jamie McGoldrick reiterated on Monday that the blockade imposed on Sana`a international airport is unacceptable because it causes much suffering on the Yemeni people.
This came at a press conference held in Sana`a prior to his leaving for Brussels, Geneva and London in order to launch the Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen for the current year 2017.
Mr. McGoldrick said the United Nations is making efforts to unconditionally ensure humanitarian access to all those who are in need.”
UN: Blockade on Yemen capital airport unacceptable
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news453174.htm
19 January 2017
“Yemeni security officials say a rocket fired by Shiite rebels has killed six civilians in the war-torn city of Taiz.
They say the Wednesday strike hit a residential area inside Taiz. It comes one day after six civilians were also killed outside the city, which is known as the cultural center of Yemen. Clashes between rebels and forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi have been ongoing for nearly two years.”
6 civilians killed in rebel strike in Yemen’s Taiz
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/6-civilians-killed-in-rebel-strike-in-yemens-taiz/2017/01/18/d1f80dd8-ddc0-11e6-8902-610fe486791c_story.html?utm_term=.1744a8595b9f
19 January 2017
“And the Saudi-led attacks continue, striking Yemen’s hospitals, which are running out of medicine. All the while, these attacks have continued to receive backing from the Unite States and the United Kingdom since they began on March 26, 2015.
Even The New York Times admits that the deadly Saudi project in Yemen couldn’t go on without U.S. support.
But the Obama administration has said that while they may start halting some arms sales to Saudi Arabia, they’ll push ahead with training the Gulf kingdom’s air force to improve targeting.”
Genocide In Yemen: Media Complicit In US-Saudi War Crimes
https://www.mintpressnews.com/genocide-in-yemen-media-complicit-in-us-saudi-war-crimes/224106/
19 January 2017
“The Yemeni city of Taiz has been under siege since 2015 by Houthi rebels and troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The city and its outskirts are littered with the remains of shelling, sniper fire and explosions.
But a group of youth volunteers from the Challenge Convoy have decided to take the daily reminders of death and turn them into reminders of life.”
Yemen: `Life in the midst of all the death`
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38597469
19 January 2017
“أعلن وزير الخارجية الأميركي، جون كيري، موقفاً صريحاً ومتقدماً بعد أسابيع من تعرقل جهوده وقبيل يومين من انتهاء مهماته، عندما قال إن «هادي أخطأ بعدم قبوله مبادرة السلام»، التي طرحها قبل أشهر، داعياً إلى «تحريك عملية السلام في اليمن».
وأضاف كيري، في مقابلة بثتها قناة «سكاي نيوز عربية» أول من أمس، أن «السلام في اليمن لم يتحقق لأن الرئيس هادي لم يدعم خطته»، مؤكّداً أن «ذلك كان خطأ كبيراً». وتابع: «الرئيس هادي لم يدعم فوراً المبادرة التي تقدمنا بها، لكنه الآن وافق على الإطار
العام للمبادرة، ونتمنى لولد الشيخ أن ينجح».”
كيري وولد الشيخ لهادي: إقبل مبادرتنا
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/271153
19 January 2017
“تستمر أزمة الوقود التي تواجه سكان عدن، وهي كبرى مدن جنوب اليمن والواقعة تحت سيطرة حكومة هادي، وذلك بعد توقف المصفاة النفطية الرئيسية منذ أسبوع عن ضخّ الإمدادات إلى خزانات شركة النفط اليمنية في عدن.
ولم يصدر أي تعليق بعد من الرئيس المستقيل أو حكومته على هذه الأزمة المتفاقمة، فيما تصطف السيارات والشاحنات في طوابير طويلة لا تقل عن كيلومتر أمام محطات الوقود هناك، كذلك انخفضت الكثافة المرورية في شوارع المدينة، وسجلت أسعار المواصلات ارتفاعاً ملحوظاً وصل إلى 50%، وتزايدت أيضاً ساعات انقطاع التيار الكهربائي.
وكان عمال شركة مصافي عدن قد أعلنوا الدخول في إضراب احتجاجاً على توقف صرف رواتبهم. لكن مسؤولين في السلطة المحلية في عدن قالوا إن الأزمة الحالية سببها خلافات بين شركة النفط الحكومية والشركة التجارية المملوكة لرجل الأعمال اليمني أحمد العيسي، وهو المورد الوحيد للمشتقات النفطية إلى عدن والمحافظات المجاورة لها، وذلك بعدما طلبت «شركة العيسى من شركة النفط المختصة توزيع الوقود محلياً في المحافظات الجنوبية بأسعار أعلى، وهو ما رفضته الشركة الحكومية”
صنعاء: فتح المطار شرط لأي حوار
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/271101
22 January 2017
“Two suspected members of al Qaeda`s Yemen branch were killed on Sunday by what local officials believed was a U.S. drone strike.
If confirmed, it would be the first such attack since U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office on Friday. The men were killed when a missile hit the vehicle in which they were travelling in southern al-Bayda province, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The United States conducted dozens of drone strikes throughout Barack Obama`s presidency to combat al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.”
Two suspected al Qaeda members killed in drone strike in Yemen: officials
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN1560LH
22 January 2017
“Egypt`s National Defence Council on Sunday extended the military`s participation in a Saudi-led operation in Yemen, the presidency said in a statement. It did not specify how long the extension would be for.
"The National Defence Council agreed during the meeting to extend the participation of the required elements from the Egyptian armed forces in a combat operation outside the nation`s border to defend Egyptian and Arab national security in the Gulf, Red Sea, and Bab al-Mandab areas," the statement said.”
Egypt extends participation in Yemen conflict
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-egypt-idUKKBN1560R4
22 January 2017
“Two citizens were killed and many others injured in 45 air strikes by the US-Saudi aggression warplanes that hit several Yemeni provinces over the past 24 hour, officials told Saba on Sunday. In Taiz, a woman was killed and others were wounded in two air raids that targeted their home in Mocha district and a citizen was killed in an airstrike targeted Mageber area in Moza district, which also caused loss to a number of livestock.”
45 Saudi aggression airstrikes hit Yemen provinces over past 24 hours
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news453754.htm
22 January 2017
“As Yemen approaches marking two years since the start of the conflict, the country faces one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world. Around three million people -ten percent of the population- have been displaced, and ten million are uncertain of how they will provide food for themselves.
Over the past year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has worked against challenges and recurring security incidents in Yemen and was able to help around three million people across the country. Still, millions of Yemenis lack access to safe water and health care services and without an end to the conflict, no amount of assistance can cover the massive needs in Yemen.”
Massive humanitarian needs in Yemen as conflict continues
https://www.icrc.org/en/document/massive-humanitarian-needs-yemen-conflict-continues
22 January 2017
“The Yemeni navy, coastal defense and coastguard warned the Saudi aggression`s warships not to use of the international water lanes in the Red Sea to bomb civil targets in the country.
"The aggression`s warships use the international water lanes to bomb civil targets, which pose a serious threat to international navigation in the Red Sea," a statement issued on Saturday said.”
Navy warns Saudi warships of using int`l waters to bomb civil targets
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news453736.htm
23 January 2017
“The British government should increase diplomatic efforts with Saudi Arabia to defend children facing a desperate situation in Yemen, the head of Save the Children has said. Speaking on his return from Yemen, where civil war and a sea blockade has pushed the country to the brink of famine, Kevin Watkins said there had been a `singular failure to deploy British soft power to defend children’s rights that are being violated on a daily basis.`”
UK accused of failing to defend rights of Yemeni children against daily violations
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jan/23/uk-accused-of-failing-to-defend-rights-of-yemen-children-against-daily-violations
23 January 2017
“The report also added that the Houthis killed 14 of the Hadi government attackers.
On 21 and 22 January, more than 45 strikes were carried out across the country and its borders, with targets varying from a school north of the capital Sana`a and Saudi border military bases.
The intense attacks over the weekend were part of a vast offensive which began on 7 January by forces loyal to President Hadi to retake the Dhubab district near the Bab al-Mandab strait which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.”
75 people killed in renewed fighting and drone strikes in Yemen
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/75-people-killed-renewed-fighting-drone-strikes-yemen-1602484
23 January 2017
“Three citizens were killed on Monday by Saudi aggression airstrikes on Haydan district of Sa`ada province, a security official told Saba. The warplanes waged two airstrikes on cars in Marran area. One man was injured in the airstrikes. Meanwhile, the aggression fighter jets launched a raid on Ghafer area of al-Dhaher district, causing heavy damage to citizens` houses, the official said.”
Saudi airstrikes kill 3 in Sa`ada
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news453853.htm
23 January 2017
“Yemen has had a long and difficult history of neglect. Neglect by previous authorities, neglect by regional actors, and neglect by the so-called international community. This neglect continues in many ways. The greatest challenge currently facing Yemen is a war that was launched more than a year ago—a war in which all armed actors have, without exception, harmed people and vital civilian infrastructure like schools, hospitals, funeral halls, homes, and more. The reverberations of the violence have been widely felt. What has not been directly affected by the cruelty of the conflict is gradually decaying because of a lack of or restrictions on funds, resources and capabilities. The needs of the people are growing, and the country’s infrastructure strains and groans under this unceasing weight.”
Seventeen Vignettes from Sana’a and Amran
http://raseef22.com/en/blog/2017/01/20/seventeen-vignettes-sanaa-amran/
25 January 2017
“I’m inside `mission control` for the Saudi-led coalition bombing rebels in Yemen. On a bank of flickering screens, a fighter jet labelled `FRIEND` is tracked as it crosses the border. Television screens show mosques, hospitals and United Nations facilities inside Yemen - the locations that airstrikes must avoid. Officers from across the Middle East pace down the corridors outside the `war room` - the so-called "kitchen of the coalition" - from where bombing raids are monitored.
Inside, it looks exactly as you might imagine: except for one aspect. Three foreigners sit behind a glass screen at the back of the room. They are `liaison officers`, my Saudi government guide tells me. One is British, two are American. The union flag and Stars and Stripes are draped behind their desks.”
Yemen War Room: ITV News granted unprecedented access
http://www.itv.com/news/2017-01-24/yemen-war-room-itv-news-granted-unprecedented-access/
25 January 2017
“Women of Ibb province staged a protest rally to condemn US-Saudi aggression attacks against Yemeni children and women in the Yemeni provinces. The protest rally took place on Tuesday in al-Radhmah district. The participants called for boycotting pro-Saudi aggression media that target the unity of the Yemeni social fabric.”
Women protest rally condemns Saudi aggression crimes
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news454073.htm
25 January 2017
“Tens of thousands of new archaeological sites have been discovered in Yemen by researchers who are now drawing up candidates for a “no-strike list” for combatants in the latest attempt to protect its treasures from the war. Since 2015, the Yemen government, backed by a Saudi Arabian-led coalition, has been fighting Houthi rebels. The human toll reached at least 10,000 last week, according to the UN, and structures such as the Great Dam of Marib, the pre-Islamic walled town of Baraqish and the old cities of Sana’ and Zabid — both World Heritage Sites – have been damaged.”
A no-strike list may shield Yemen’s ancient treasures from war
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2118745-a-no-strike-list-may-shield-yemens-ancient-treasures-from-war/
25 January 2017
“Saudi aggression warplanes launched 13 strikes on Sanhan and Bani Bahloul district of Sana`a province overnight, an official told Saba on Wednesday. The airstrikes hit al-Sawad area, causing damage to citizens` houses, private and public properties.”
Saudi aggression fighter jets wage 13 strikes on Sana`a
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news454063.htm
26 January 2017
“The Ministry of Defence is "tracking" 252 allegations of humanitarian law violations by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, the BBC has learned.
The UN estimates that up to 10,000 people have died in the country since war began in March 2015.
The MoD declined to say if British-supplied arms were involved in any of the allegations.
Former Business Secretary Vince Cable said he was "staggered" by the number of potential breaches.
Mr Cable told the BBC if he were still in government, arms exports to the Saudis would have been stopped "a long time before now".”
Yemen human rights `breaches staggering`
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-38745454
26 January 2017
“Already suffering grievously under nearly two years of civil war, many thousands of Yemeni state workers now face destitution as their salaries have gone largely unpaid for months.
The immediate reason is a decision by the internationally-recognized government to shift Yemen`s central bank out of Sanaa, the capital city controlled by the armed Houthi movement with which it is at war.
Underlying the bank`s move to Aden, the southern port where the government is based, is a struggle for legitimacy between the two sides. The result is to deepen economic hardship when four-fifths of Yemen`s 28 million people already need some form of humanitarian aid, according to U.N. estimates.”
Unpaid state salaries deepen economic pain in Yemen`s war
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-salaries-idUSKBN15A1WW?il=0
26 January 2017
“Satellite imagery confirms that UAE Patriots departed from at least two of their three known deployment locations within the country. Equipment previously deployed at Aden International Airport and Al Anad airbase was not visible in recent imagery updates.
The site at the southern coastal airport, established in early 2016, previously featured four Patriot transporter erector launchers (or TELs) and associated equipment. The TELs were no longer in residence on the south side of the airport by late October, according to imagery available in Google Earth. However, UAE armor still remained near the parking apron at the time of capture, but accompanied by a much smaller air element than previously observed.
Similarly, Al Anad airbase, located approximately 30 miles to the north of the airport, had no Patriots on-site as of January 2017. The site, composed of four Patriot TELs, was likely established in early 2016 after the airbase was reportedly attacked by a Tochka ballistic missile in January. We last observed the Patriot system on imagery at the site in November 2016.”
UAE Relocates SAMs In Yemen
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2017/01/25/uae-relocates-sams-yemen/
27 January 2017
“"The conflict in Yemen is now the primary driver of the largest food security emergency in the world," Stephen O`Brien, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council.
"If there is no immediate action, famine is now a possible scenario for 2017."
About 14 million people -- nearly 80 percent of the entire Yemeni population -- are in need of food aid, half of whom are severely food insecure, O`Brien said.
At least 2 million people need emergency food assistance to survive, he added.
The situation is particularly dire for children with some 2.2 million infants now suffering from acute malnourishment -- an increase of 53 percent from late 2015.
"Overall, the plight of children remains grim: a child under the age of 10 dying every 10 minutes of preventable causes," O`Brien said.
The Saudi-led coalition`s shutdown of the Sanaa airport has had a heavy toll on civilians because medicine cannot be flown in and Yemenis cannot receive treatment abroad. O`Brien warned that Yemen could run out of wheat within months because foreign banks no longer accept financial transactions with many of the country`s commercial banks."
Yemen could face famine in 2017: UN
https://www.yahoo.com/news/yemen-could-face-famine-2017-un-214840570.html
27 January 2017
“دق تقرير أممي عن الوضع الإنساني في اليمن ناقوس الخطر، مشيرا إلى أن المجاعة تتربص بملايين اليمنيين خلال العام الجاري، مطالبا بضرورة إيصال المساعدات للمدنيين.
وحذّر وكيل الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة للشؤون الإنسانية، ستيفن أوبراين، من مجاعة في اليمن خلال العام الجاري (2017)، لافتا إلى أن 14 مليون شخص يحتاجون إلى مساعدات غذائية، نصفهم يعيشون انعداما شديدا من الأمن الغذائي. وأضاف أن مليوني شخص على الأقل في حاجة إلى مساعدة غذائية طارئة للبقاء على قيد الحياة”
تقرير أممي يقدم صورة مرعبة عن الوضع الإنساني باليمن
https://medium.com/arabi-21/%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%85%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B6%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86-b885329edd44#.ptf5y9cf1
30 January 2017
“At least 10 Yemeni women and children have been killed in the first US military operation in the country authorised by President Donald Trump, medics and local media have said.
The US military said it killed 14 members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Sunday`s dawn raid in the southern province of al-Bayda that involved missiles and helicopter machine guns.
In a statement, the Pentagon did not refer to any civilian casualties, although a US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they could not be ruled out. The official also said that one US commando died, three others were wounded and that military forces did not take any prisoners from the site.
AQAP said Abdulraouf al-Zahab, a senior leader of the group, was killed along with several other fighters in the raid on the area that has been a frequent target of US drone strikes.
Medics in al-Bayda`s rural Yakla district put the death toll at around 30, including 10 women and children. The eight-year-old daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born Yemeni preacher who was killed in a 2011 drone attack, was also among the victims, family members said. Her grandfather Nasser al-Awlaki, a former minister of agriculture said: "she was hit with a bullet in her neck and suffered for two hours."
Yemeni civilians killed in first US raid under Trump
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/yemen-170129101045539.html
30 January 2017
“In a hideous symbol of the bipartisan continuity of U.S. barbarism, Nasser al-Awlaki just lost another one of his young grandchildren to U.S. violence. On Sunday, the Navy’s SEAL Team 6, using armed Reaper drones for cover, carried out a commando raid on what it said was a compound harboring officials of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. A statement issued by President Trump lamented the death of an American service member and several others who were wounded, but made no mention of any civilian deaths. U.S. military officials initially denied any civilian deaths, and (therefore) the CNN report on the raid said nothing about any civilians being killed.
But reports from Yemen quickly surfaced that 30 people were killed, including 10 women and children. Among the dead: the 8-year-old granddaughter of Nasser al-Awlaki, Nawar, who was also the daughter of Anwar Awlaki.”
Obama Killed a 16-Year-Old American in Yemen. Trump Just Killed His 8-Year-Old Sister.
https://theintercept.com/2017/01/30/obama-killed-a-16-year-old-american-in-yemen-trump-just-killed-his-8-year-old-sister/
30 January 2017
“Twenty months since fighting started in Taiz, the city’s health services have largely collapsed – the result of physical damage to hospitals and of shortages of staff and medical supplies. At the same time, people’s living conditions have deteriorated and the price of essentials, including food and water, has soared. A crippled health system, combined with increasingly harsh living conditions, has prompted a decline in people’s health, with particularly acute consequences for vulnerable groups with low immunity such as pregnant women, new-born babies and young children.”
Yemen: Healthcare Under Siege
https://msf.exposure.co/yemen
30 January 2017
“Medical services in Taiz have been directly affected by violence, with hospitals repeatedly hit by shelling and gunfire, an MSF mobile clinic was hit by an airstrike, and ambulances shot at, confiscated or forcibly entered by armed men. Medical staff have been shot at on their way to work, harassed, detained, threatened and forced to work at gunpoint. Many health workers take great personal risks working in Taiz, and many fear for their lives while at work.”
Yemen: Healthcare Under Siege in Taiz
http://www.msf.org/en/article/yemen-healthcare-under-siege-taiz
31 January 2017
“A Saudi warship has been attacked off the coast of Yemen, causing a large explosion on board.
A video released by al-Masirah television which is run by the rebel Houthi movement claimed to show the moment of attack.
The Saudi state news agency SPA said the frigate had been on patrol west of the port of Hodeidah when it was attacked by three suicide boats belonging to the Houthi militias.”
Two killed as Houthis attack Saudi warship off Yemen coast
http://www.euronews.com/2017/01/31/two-killed-as-houthis-attack-saudi-warship-off-yemen-coast?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter&utm_term=Autofeed#link_time=1485853920
02 February 2017
“Yemen has lost a decade`s worth of gains in public health as a result of war and economic crisis, with an estimated 63,000 children dying last year of preventable causes often linked to malnutrition, the U.N. Children`s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
About 3.3 million people, including 2.2 million children, across the Arab peninsula`s poorest country are suffering from acute malnutrition, it said. They include nearly half a million children under the age of five with severe acute malnutrition.
The most severe form of malnutrition leaves young children vulnerable to life-threatening but preventable diarrhoeal diseases, malaria and respiratory infections.”
Yemen war erases decade of health gains, many children starving: UNICEF
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-unicef-idUSKBN15F0WC
02 February 2017
“After being dropped by aircraft near the compound, the US special forces members engaged in a fierce firefight with suspected AQAP militants inside, according to US officials.
Chief Petty Officer William Owens, a member of the elite US Navy special forces unit Seal Team 6, was killed in the battle, which is reported to have lasted about 50 minutes.
Three other US service members were injured when an Osprey MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft made a hard landing during the operation, Capt Davis said, adding that the inoperable Osprey was subsequently destroyed in place by a US air strike.
AQAP said in a statement that its fighters downed a US Apache helicopter, one of four it said were used in the raid, and that a total of 16 missiles were fired at three homes.”
US raid on al-Qaeda in Yemen: What we know so far
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38808631
02 February 2017
“اجرت القوات الحكومية اليمنية عملية تبادل للاسرى مع الحوثيين في وسط البلاد بعد وساطة قبلية، على ما اعلن احد المفاوضين.
وقال عبدالله الأشرف، وهو احد الوسطاء في تصريح: "تم الافراج عن 58 حوثيا اسروا في محافظة الجوف شمال البلاد، في مقابل الافراج عن 54 من انصارنا الموالين لقوات الشرعية ينتمون الى الجوف". وتمت عملية تبادل الاسرى في منطقة قانية على الحدود بين محافظتي البيضاء ومأرب في وسط اليمن.
في حزيران، اعلن المتمردون الحوثيون من جانب واحد اطلاق نحو 270 من المقاتلين الحكوميين الذين احتجزوا لمدة اشهر. وجاء ذلك بعد تبادل للاسرى في تعز جنوب غرب البلاد شمل 194 اسيرا من الطرفين بوساطة قبلية ايضا”.
اليمن: القوات الحكومية تتبادل الاسرى مع الحوثيين
http://www.annahar.com/article/448584-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%B1%D9%89-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86
02 February 2017
“تأكيد الجيش اليمني أنه يمتلك إمكانات لم يستخدمها بعد وقصفه بارجة عسكرية سعودية بعد يوم واحد من التوعد بالمفاجآت يشي بمستوى عالٍ من التحدي يتواصل مع استمرار المعارك في الجنوب السعودي، في وقت تحذر فيه المنظمات الدولية من كوارث إذا بقيت الحرب.”
الجيش: تحالف العدوان لم يأخذ تهديداتنا بجدية
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/271892
02 February 2017
“أما في اليمن، فيتشارك الطرفان السعودي والإمارتي هدف مواجهة «حركة أنصار الله»، لكنهما يتباعدان في إدارة الصراع الداخلي، إذ تحاول كل دولة العمل على محاولة إقصاء الطرف الآخر. ويستخدم الطرفان في صراعهما على مسك الورقة اليمنية، خصوصاً الجنوب، كل الوسائل المتاحة، بما فيها المحرمة، مع استعار للحرب الإعلامية بينهما عبر إعلام «الأدوات». فمن جانبها، تحتضن السعودية حزب «الإصلاح» الإسلامي («الإخوان المسلمون»)، وهو عدو الإمارات التاريخي، فتدعمه مالياً وتوفر له تسهيلات ميدانية، وتمكّنه من بسط النفوذ والسيطرة في الجنوب، كما أنها تؤمّن لقادته ملاذاً آمناً على أراضيها، ومنطلقاً لممارسة نشاطهم، إضافة إلى ضغوطها لإشراكه في «رأس الشرعية» عبر تنصيب علي محسن الأحمر نائباً للرئيس، وذلك بعد إقالة نائب الرئيس خالد بحاح المحسوب على الإمارات، وتوزير أعضاء الحزب في الحكومة، ولا سيما الوزارات السيادية، وأبرزها الداخلية التي يرأسها حسين عرب. كذلك تمارس السعودية الضغوط الناجحة على الرئيس المستقيل عبد ربه منصور هادي من أجل فتح مساحات واسعة من النشاط والحركة لـ«الإصلاح».”
السعودية والإمارات: صراع على «الوكالة» الأميركية في اليمن
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/271845
02 February 2017
“أول من أمس، صدر تحذير يمني (راجع عدد أمس: الجيش و«اللجان» في المخا: انتظروا المفاجآت) توعّد قوات العدوان بمفاجآت في حال استمر استهداف المدنيين، علماً بأن قصف السفينة كما قالت القناة تمّ بصاروخ موجّه، وبعد «رصد دقيق قبالة السواحل الغربية».
ونقلت «المسيرة» عن مصدر عسكري أن «البارجة السعودية كانت تحمل على متنها 176 جندياً وضابطاً وطائرة مروحية، وكانت قد شاركت في العدوان على السواحل الغربية والمدن والصيادين».”
استهداف بارجة سعودية
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/271848
02 February 2017
“Both the New York Times and Reuters carried quotes from unnamed military officials that seemed to shift blame for the mission to Trump and his inner team. It would be an extraordinary development for a president, who is commander-in-chief, to be briefed against in such detail.
The briefings suggested that one thing after another went wrong from the start of the mission, with the Yemen villagers seemingly alerted to the impending raid by drones flying lower than usual.
The special forces, apparently lacking full intelligence, were confronted by heavily-fortified positions, including landmines, and faced heavy gunfire from buildings all around during the 50-minute firefight. One of the US planes sent in to help had to be left behind and was deliberately destroyed.
US military officials told Reuters that Trump approved his first covert counterterrorism operation without sufficient intelligence, ground support or adequate backup preparations.”
Questions mount over botched Yemen raid approved by Trump
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/02/trump-approved-yemen-raid-five-days-after-inauguration
02 February 2017
“Saudi Arabia’s investigation of its own alleged humanitarian law violations in Yemen is “like marking your own homework”, said the former UK international development secretary Andrew Mitchell.
Mitchell, recently returned from Yemen, told MPs that an independent investigation of alleged abuses during the two-year conflict was necessary to maintain credibility and the rule of humanitarian law at a time when such law was under “extraordinary pressure.”
Yemen is one of seven countries subject to a White House executive order banning citizens of Muslim majority countries from entering the US. The Ministry of Defence is tracking 252 allegations of humanitarian law violations by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, according to a BBC report last week.
At a hearing on Yemen’s ongoing humanitarian crisis by Britain’s international development committee on Wednesday, Mitchell was asked if the time had come for a fully independent investigation.”
Saudi inquiry into Yemen abuse claims like `marking your own homework`
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/feb/01/saudi-arabia-inquiry-yemen-abuse-claims-marking-your-own-homework-andrew-mitchell
02 February 2017
“A Saudi border guard was killed in an exchange of fire on Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Thursday.
SPA quoted Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki as saying that a border checkpoint in the kingdom’s southwestern Jazan province had come under fire by "Houthi elements" inside Yemeni territory.”
Cross-border fire kills Saudi border guard near Yemen
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/cross-border-fire-kills-saudi-border-guard-near-yemen/740129
02 February 2017
“President Donald Trump personally approved a US commando raid in Yemen that left one elite serviceman dead and may have killed an eight-year-old American girl, the US military has told the Guardian.
At least 14 people died in Sunday’s raid by the elite Joint Special Operations Command, which was the subject of a preliminary inquiry to determine if allegations of civilian deaths were sufficiently credible to merit a full investigation.”
Eight-year-old American girl `killed in Yemen raid approved by Trump`
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/01/yemen-strike-eight-year-old-american-girl-killed-al-awlaki
02 February 2017
“Prior to US President Donald Trump`s recent Muslim ban, Murad Subay, a Yemeni artist, never had to worry about being able to see his wife, Hadil, who studies in the US on a scholarship.
Following the recent executive order, which placed a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries including Yemen, seeing his wife again has become a distant dream. Subay cannot travel to visit her and fears that if Hadil returns home, she will not be allowed back in the US. What was once a valuable opportunity for Hadil to study political science at Stanford University in California has now turned into a nightmare.
Subay is stuck in a war-ravaged country while his wife lives in a place where foreign Muslims are eyed with suspicion.
Here is Subay`s account of how the Muslim ban changed his life for ever.”
Ripped apart: Yemeni couple fearful after Muslim ban
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/02/ripped-yemeni-couple-fearful-muslim-ban-170202071736809.html
02 February 2017
“Democrat representative Nancy Pelosi has come under fire online for comments she made to a Yemeni refugee, blasting Donald Trump’s recent executive order on immigration and refugees as responsible for the plight of the woman’s family.
“Your family is suffering because our president is reckless and his administration is incompetent,” Pelosi told a Yemeni refugee who said her mother could no longer come to the US due to the ban.
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Pelosi was told by the Yemeni woman that her father died due to a lack of medicine in Yemen and that her mother was now unable to join her in the US.”
Blame Obama, not Trump: Twitter trolls Pelosi for Yemen policy memory loss
https://www.rt.com/usa/375901-pelosi-comments-yemen-refugee/
02 February 2017
“UNHCR is deeply concerned about the plight of thousands of Yemeni civilians fleeing or caught up in heavy confrontations between the warring parties in the Red Sea districts of Al Mokha and Dhubab in Taizz governorate.
Owing to ongoing military operations impeding humanitarian access, comprehensive displacement data is currently difficult to verify. Current estimates from various sources indicate that approximately 3,570 individuals have fled Al Mokha to districts in the neighboring governorate of Al Hudaydah, namely Jabal Ra’s, Hays, Al Garrahi, Al Khawkhah and At Tuhayat.
There are conflicting reports as to the number of people that remain within the town of Al Mokha. Reports from a range of sources, including recently arrived internally displaced people from Al Mokha who met with UNHCR field teams in Al Hudaydah, inform that as many as 30,000 people have fled the fighting, with displaced families also reported to be moving rapidly between various locations within Taizz governorate.
Whilst others caught up by in the violence remain trapped inside Al Mokha and Dhubab, intensified hostilities in Al Hudaydah are also making it difficult for those attempting to escape to safety. The area north of Al Mokha which includes the coastal road to Al Hudaydah is also a site of military operations and remains subject to attack, placing those trying to flee at great risk during flight.”
UNHCR gravely concerned by intensified hostilities in Al Mokha affecting Yemeni civilians
http://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2017/2/5892e8a94/unhcr-gravely-concerned-intensified-hostilities-al-mokha-affecting-yemeni.html
02 February 2017
“عبرت المفوضية السامية للأمم المتحدة لشؤون اللاجئين عن بالغ قلقها إزاء محنة آلاف المدنيين اليمنيين الفارين أو العالقين في المواجهات العنيفة بين الأطراف المتحاربة في مدينتي المخا وذباب الواقعتين على ساحل البحر الأحمر في محافظة تعز.
نظراً للعمليات العسكرية المستمرة التي تعوق وصول المساعدات الإنسانية، يصعب حالياً التحقق من البيانات الشاملة عن النزوح. وتشير التقديرات الحالية من مصادر مختلفة إلى أن حوالي 3,570 شخصاً فروا من المخا إلى مدن في محافظة الحديدة المجاورة، لا سيما إلى جبل راس وحيس والجراحي والخوخة والتحيتا.
وهناك تقارير متضاربة بشأن عدد الأشخاص الذين لا يزالون في مدينة المخا. وتفيد التقارير من مجموعة من المصادر، بما في ذلك النازحون داخلياً الواصلون مؤخراً من المخا والذين التقوا بالفرق الميدانية التابعة للمفوضية في الحديدة، أن أكثر من 300,000 شخص قد فروا من القتال، كما أفيد عن تنقل العائلات النازحة أيضاً بسرعة بين مواقع مختلفة في محافظة تعز.
وفي حين يبقى آخرون محاصرين في المخا وذباب حيث تدور معارك عنيفة، يصعّب القتال الكثيف في الحديدة أيضاً الوضع على الأشخاص الذين يحاولون الفرار إلى بر الأمان. وتدور عمليات عسكرية أيضاً في منطقة شمال مدينة المخا التي تشمل الطريق الساحلي إلى الحديدة وتبقى هذه المنطقة عرضة للهجوم، مما يشكل خطراً كبيراً على الأشخاص الذين يحاولون الفرار.
وداخل الحديدة، يسعى النازحون إلى إيجاد المأوى أينما استطاعوا. وتستضيف العائلات المحلية بسخاء الكثيرين منهم، إلا أنهم لا يزالون يواجهون ظروفاً غير مستقرة وهم بحاجة ملحة إلى المساعدة.”
المفوضية تعبّر عن بالغ قلقها إزاء اشتداد حدة القتال في المخا وتأثيره على المدنيين اليمنيين
http://www.unhcr.org/ar/news/press/2017/2/589326734.html
02 February 2017
“When war escalated in Yemen, Sana was abroad, having just qualified as a doctor. Hearing the news, she felt compelled to return to Taiz, scene of some of the conflict`s fiercest fighting. Now she works in the malnutrition ward of MSF`s mother and child hospital.
"I had just finished studying medicine in Cairo when the war at home in Yemen escalated. My family said that I should stay in Egypt to be safe, but I wanted to go home. I arrived back on 25 May 2015.
At first, I stayed with my family – my parents, my two brothers and my sister – at our house in the centre of Taiz.
One day, a bullet hit a metal frame just outside our window as my sister and I sat inside, discussing a book. We were saved by pure luck.
In July we had to move. By then, our road was full of soldiers and there was heavy fighting in the neighbourhood. There were tanks in the streets and the noise of heavy artillery and machine guns. We were facing death.”
Yemen: “Word had spread that I was a doctor, and people came to me for help all the time”
http://www.msf.org/en/article/yemen-%E2%80%9Cword-had-spread-i-was-doctor-and-people-came-me-help-all-time%E2%80%9D
06 February 2017
“According to emerging reports from Yemen, a surface-to-surface missile fired by the Yemeni Army has hit Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
The missile was launched on Sunday evening, and sources in Yemen have described the missile test as successful. It is unclear exactly what missile was used, and casualty figures, if any, are yet to be reported.
Update 1: More information has emerged, suggesting that the missile was a variant of a Russian Scud, known as the “Borkan” surface-to-surface missile.
Update 2: Sources indicate that the missile struck a military base West of Riyadh, in Mazahimiyah.
Update 3: On social media, a Saudi attempts to cover-up the attack, saying that the sound of the explosion in Riyadh was an earthquake or meteor.
Update 4: Co-Founder of Mona Relief, a Yemeni charity, Dr. RS Karim, has reported that his contacts in Riyadh told him that a state of emergency has been declared.”
Breaking: Ballistic missile strikes Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-ballistic-missile-strikes-riyadh-saudi-arabia/
06 February 2017
“A terrorist video released on Friday by the Pentagon to show what it called intelligence gleaned by the recent raid in Yemen actually was made about 10 years ago, it acknowledged.
Defense officials canceled a briefing they had called to discuss the value of the information recovered from Yemen and took the video off the website of the U.S. Central Command. They circulated clips from a video that showed how to prepare explosives without knowing it had already been public.”
That `Valuable Intel` From The Yemen Raid? It Was 10 Years Old
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/03/513305178/that-valuable-intel-from-the-yemen-raid-it-was-10-years-old
06 February 2017
“Questions are mounting about the first covert counterterrorism operation approved by President Donald Trump. Authorities say it was a success. The Pentagon now acknowledges that civilians were killed Sunday when members of the Navy’s SEAL Team 6 joined with commandos from the United Arab Emirates to raid a Yemeni village where members of al-Qaeda were said to live. But human rights groups say up to 24 civilians were killed, including a newborn baby and an American 8-year-old girl, Nawar al-Awlaki, the daughter of the U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in Yemen by a U.S. drone strike in 2011. The U.S. suffered one fatality: William `Ryan` Owens, a veteran member of SEAL Team 6.”
Yemen: Jeremy Scahill & Advocates Question "Success" of Trump Raid That Killed 24 Civilians
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/3/yemen_jeremy_scahill_advocates_question_success
06 February 2017
“A United Arab Emirates (UAE) soldier was killed Saturday in war-torn Yemen as part of a Saudi-led military campaign against Houthi rebels, the country’s army command said.
It, however, did not disclose the cause of the soldier`s death.
The UAE is a member of the Saudi-led coalition that launched a massive air campaign in 2015.”
UAE soldier killed in Yemen in anti-Houthi operation
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/uae-soldier-killed-in-yemen-in-anti-houthi-operation/741766
06 February 2017
" أعلنت «القوة الصاروخية»، التابعة للجيش اليمني و«اللجان الشعبية» إجراء «تجربة ناجحة بصاروخ بالستي بعيد المدى على هدف عسكري في العاصمة السعودية الرياض»، واعدة بإيراد المزيد من التفاصيل، في وقت قالت فيه مصادر عسكرية لـ«الأخبار» إن الإعلان جاء بعد التأكد من بلوغ الصاروخ هدفه.
وأضافت تلك المصادر أن الإعلان أعقب الإطلاق بمدة قصيرة في وقت متأخر مساء أمس، وأن الإطلاق موثّق بمشاهد ستعرض لاحقاً، مشيرة إلى أنه سبق لـ«الصاروخية أن استهدفت بعشرات الصواريخ المتوسطة المدى أهدافاً عسكرية داخل المملكة ردّاً على عدوانها المستمر».
في غضون ذلك، توالت الأنباء المنقولة عن حسابات سعوديين في موقع «تويتر» تفيد بسماع صوت انفجار ضخم في منطقة المزاحمية الواقعة غرب الرياض، على طريق الرياض ــ الطائف، في وقت متزامن مع إعلان «القوة الصاروخية"».
صاروخ بالستي «يطاول الرياض»... والمملكة تخسر مواقع إستراتيجية
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/272183
06 February 2017
“على الصعيد العام، شاركت المرأة اليمنية في غالبية الوقفات الاجتحاجية المناهضة للحصار الاقتصادي وجرائم طائرات العدوان بحق المدنيين، وكانت إلى جانب الرجل تتحدى التهديدات بقصف التجمعات، كذلك لعبت دوراً آخر في الجبهتين الإعلامية والثقافية، وذلك من على منابر الإذاعات والفضائيات، وهنّ اليوم صرن يطالبن بحمل السلاح والمشاركة في معارك الدفاع.
لكن، ثمة موانع اجتماعية تحول دون مشاركة المرأة في جبهات القتال، مع أنه صار من المتفق عليه بين عدد من القبائل أنه يمكنها استخدام السلاح في الدفاع عن نفسها ومنزلها من أي معتدٍ.
منذ منتصف العام الماضي، بدأ «القطاع النسوي لأنصار الله» في العاصمة صنعاء تنظيم عروض عسكرية لافتة، حملت فيها النساء السلاح، مبديات استعدادهن للمشاركة في القتال، كما ظهرت نساء يقدن مدرعات عسكرية، وأخريات حملن حتى السلاح المتوسط.
مع ذلك، لاقى العرض الأول ردود فعل لم يكن معظمها إيجابياً، خاصة أن هناك موانع تفرضها عادات وتقاليد القبيلة اليمنية التي ترفض مشاركة المرأة في القتال إلا في حالة واحدة: «عندما يفنى الرجال عن بكرة أبيهم”».
المرأة اليمنية: البندقية ليست حكراً على الرجال
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/272184
06 February 2017
“نشر مسؤولون عسكريون أميركيون، تسجيل فيديو قالوا إنه صور في اليمن أثناء استهداف تنظيم «القاعدة» بعملية الغنزال الأمريكي الأخيرة في اليمن، ثم قاموا بسحبه بعدما لاحظوا أنه يعود إلى عشر سنوات مضت.
ووضعت القيادة المركزية الأميركية للشرق الأوسط «سنتكوم»على موقعها الإلكتروني تسجيل فيديو يفترض أن يؤكد أهمية الوثائق والملفات التي صورت في المكان.
وقام عدد من مستخدمي الإنترنت بتوضيح أن التسجيل أنجز في الواقع قبل حوالي عشر سنوات ووضع على الإنترنت من قبل، قبل أن يتم سحبه على الفور.”
الجيش الأمريكي «يفبرك» فيديو إنزال باليمن.. ويسحبه بعد الفضيحة
https://medium.com/thenewkhalij/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%83-%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88-%D8%A5%D9%86%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B6%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%A9-98f798e5490e#.gi0sn0rj0
07 February 2017
“‘Rather than advancing a political solution that almost everyone agrees is the only way to solve the conflict, it seems the Trump administration`s actions are just adding fuel to the fire,’ said Adam Baron, a Yemen expert at the European Council on Foreign relation.
Reacting to the Navy SEAL raid, a Yemeni tribal leader said: ‘If they had just bombed the place it would have been much easier and less risky, but it looks like Trump is trying to say “I`m a man of action."’
‘It looks like the new President has watched a lot of Steven Seagal movies,’ he added, referring to the action film star.”
Trump risks deeper entanglement in Yemen’s murky war
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-trump-idUSKBN15M1HP?utm_source=34553&utm_medium=partner
08 February 2017
“Yemen has denied reports that it has withdrawn its permission for the US to conduct special operations missions in the country after the raid on an al-Qaeda base last month which killed up to 30 civilians and a US Navy Seal.
There has been widespread anger in Yemen at the reported loss of life in a ground raid in which “almost everything went wrong,” as one US military official described it, leading Yemeni officials to suspend the counter-terror programme.
Neither Yemen nor the US have officially announced the decision, which was reported by the New York Times, citing unnamed American officials, on Tuesday.
Representatives from the Yemeni government said on Wednesday that the report was erroneous.”
Yemen `withdraws permission for US ground raids` after Donald Trump’s first botched military operation
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-halt-us-ground-raids-donald-trump-first-botched-seal-operation-civilian-deaths-special-a7568291.html
08 February 2017
“The United Nations appealed on Wednesday for $2.1 billion to provide food and other life-saving assistance to 12 million people in Yemen who face the threat of famine after two years of war.
`The situation in Yemen is catastrophic and rapidly deteriorating,` Jamie McGoldrick, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, said in the appeal document.
`Nearly 3.3 million people - including 2.1 million children - are acutely malnourished.`”
U.N. seeks $2.1 billion to avert famine in Yemen
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-un-idUSKBN15N14Q
08 February 2017
“Sana`a, Yemen – Mention to someone the words “Yemen” and “refugees” and they will certainly have in mind people fleeing the war-torn state. Yemen is a country that has been ravaged by fighting since 2015, and the situation there has only worsened as third parties have contributed to that civil war.
So it is perhaps surprising that while thousands of people are indeed fleeing Yemen to the Horn of Africa (some 87,000 last year), more people still are going the other direction, with more than 117,000 reckoned to have travelled across the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea into this place of insecurity last year alone.
Since 2013, nearly 290,000 refugees and migrants have landed on the Yemeni coast. Nearly 80 per cent of these were Ethiopians, and most of the rest Somalis. Most journey to Yemen in the hope of using it as a transit point, while others look to stay in Yemen, often unaware of the dangers
The most recent figures represent a steady increase in irregular movements from Africa to Yemen – up from 65,000 in 2013, 91,600 in 2014 and 92,500 in 2015 respectively. And this notwithstanding a worsening environment in Yemen, where a full-scale war has been ongoing since 2015.”
Insecurity in Yemen threatens incoming refugees and migrants
http://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2017/2/5899a1524/insecurity-yemen-threatens-incoming-refugees-migrants.html
08 February 2017
“Yemeni government forces backed by Gulf Arab troops have secured the Red Sea coast city of al-Mokha, United Arab Emirates news agency WAM reported on Tuesday, in a push that paves the way for an advance on the country`s main port city of Hodeidah.
Supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi have been fighting for weeks to capture the small town, which once served as a main port for exporting coffee, from the Iran-aligned Houthi that has held it since early 2015.
The advance comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran since President Donald Trump came to office in January. U.S. officials said last week that the United States had deployed a Navy destroyer, the USS Cole, to patrol off the coast of Yemen to protect waterways from Houthis, including escorting vessels.”
Gulf-backed Yemeni forces capture Red Sea coast city - agency
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-idUKKBN15M2LU
08 February 2017
“Residents of Yakla, an impoverished Yemeni town that was targeted last month in the first US military raid in the country authorised by President Donald Trump, have said more than a dozen civilians were killed in the botched operation.
Locals told Al Jazeera that at least 16 civilians, including women and children, were killed in the raid in Bayda province that also resulted in the death of one US commando and injured three others.
The Pentagon said the raid, which included helicopter gunships and armed Reaper drones, targeted al-Qaeda leaders.
But local journalist Mujahid al-Selalee said Abdulraouf al-Dhahab, a tribal leader whose house was attacked in the raid, had repeatedly denied being a member of the armed group.”
Yakla residents speak of US raid that killed civilians
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/yemen-yakla-civilians-killed-170207043727800.html
08 February 2017
“Armed hostilities have increased substantially along Yemen’s western coast in recent weeks, including fierce fighting in the districts of Dhubab and Al Mukha in Taizz Governorate. Partners estimate that more than 34,000 individuals (as of 5 February) have been forced to flee their homes across Taizz in search of safety and protection. About 60 per cent ofrecent Taizz IDPs have fled affected areas of Al Mukha and Al Dhubab districts, including most residents of Dhubab town and an estimated two-thirds of residents of Al Mukha town.”
Yemen: Escalating Conflict - Yemen`s Western Coast Flash Update | 07 February 2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-escalating-conflict-yemens-western-coast-flash-update-07-february-2017
10 February 2017
“Famine in Yemen is considered a `real possibility` this year. More than three million people - including 460,000 children - are acutely malnourished and the situation is deteriorating on a daily basis.
The UN says 7.3 million Yemenis do not know where their next meal is coming from. The crisis has been brought on by nearly two years of civil war. Iran-backed Houthis have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition.
At least 10,000 people have been killed. The death toll from hunger and disease is much greater. A child under the age of five is dying every five minutes.
The international community is being urged to find $2.1bn to help ease the situation. The majority of the population has only limited access to food and medicine. The UN has described the crisis as `catastrophic` and rapidly deteriorating.”
Will international community help avert Yemen famine?
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2017/02/international-community-avert-yemen-famine-170209192836050.html
10 February 2017
“The government cannot plead ignorance. When I met Alan Duncan, the Tory special envoy on Yemen, last April, he denied that Saudi Arabia was a dictatorship. When I put it to him that the Saudi regime was dropping British-made cluster bombs – for which there was overwhelming evidence – he refused to accept it. `You are making that statement as if it is certain and definite,` he said. `I don’t know if I can or cannot accept that.` A few months later, the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, was forced to admit in parliament that it was true.”
Britain has blood on its hands over Yemen
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/08/britain-role-yemen-bombs-saudi-arabia-civilians-civil-war
10 February 2017
"Broom-maker Taie al-Nahari is kneeling on the sand, shirtless, outside his thatched hut in al-Qaza village in Yemen’s al-Hudaydah governorate. His bones show through his skin.
Before the conflict began in 2015, the 53-year-old was a fisherman. Now he makes two brooms a day, which earns him a daily income of $1. `The boats that we were working on were bombed [by Saudi jets]. Now my family and I don’t have enough to eat,` he says.
The conflict is the primary driver of a hunger crisis that the UN has warned could turn to famine this year if nothing is done."
Yemen`s food crisis: `We die either from the bombing or the hunger`
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/feb/08/yemen-food-crisis-we-are-broken-bombing-hunger
10 February 2017
“The Saudi-led coalition has intensified air strikes on the Yemen port of Hodeidah, potentially trapping civilians and endangering a humanitarian operation to import vital supplies, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday.
Yemeni government forces backed by Gulf Arab troops have secured the Red Sea coast city of al-Mokha, held by Iran-allied Houthi fighters for two years, the United Arab Emirates news agency WAM reported on Tuesday, in a push that paves the way for an advance on the country`s main port city of Hodeidah.
`Civilians were trapped during the fighting (in al-Mokha), there are real fears the situation will repeat itself in the port of Hodeidah where air strikes are apparently already intensifying,` Rupert Colville, U.N. human rights spokesman, told a Geneva news briefing.”
Saudi-led strikes on Yemen port, fears for civilians: U.N.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN15P12V
10 February 2017
“The number of food insecure people in Yemen has risen by three million in seven months, with an estimated 17.1 million people – more than two-thirds of the entire population of 27.4 million – now struggling to feed themselves, according to a joint assessment by three United Nations agencies.
“The speed at which the situation is deteriorating and the huge jump in food insecure people is extremely worrying,” said the Food and Agriculture Organization`s (FAO) Representative in Yemen, Salah Hajj Hassan, in a news release.
“Bearing in mind that agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the majority of the population, FAO is urgently calling for funds to scale up its agricultural livelihoods support to farmers, herders and fishing communities to improve their access to food in 2017 and prevent the dire food and livelihood security situation from deteriorating further,” he added.
Of the 17.1 million food-insecure people, about 7.3 million are considered to be in need of emergency food assistance, according to the preliminary results of the Emergency Food Security and Nutrition Assessment, which attributed the rapid deterioration of the conditions to the ongoing conflict.
The UN and humanitarian partners has recently launched an international appeal for $2.1 billion to provide life-saving assistance to 12 million people in Yemen in 2017 – the largest-ever humanitarian response plan for the war-torn country.
The joint assessment was conducted by FAO, the UN Children`s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in cooperation with the authorities in Yemen. It is the first national, household-level survey conducted in the country since the escalation of the conflict in mid-March 2015.
Rates of acute malnutrition were found to have passed the “critical” threshold in four governorates, while agricultural production is falling across the country.”
Yemen: As food crisis worsens, UN agencies call for urgent assistance to avert catastrophe
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56143#.WJ3yefmLSUk
10 February 2017
“Hisham al-Omeisy, a resident of Yemen`s capital Sanaa, talks of chronic shortages of food, medicine and electricity. The United Nations has warned that the war-torn country is facing a catastrophic famine.”
Yemen on the brink of famine
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04s94tb
13 February 2017
“Two Saudi-backed forces clashed at the Aden Airport on Sunday morning after one of the groups refused to hand over this governmental installation to the other.
According to local reports, a southern brigade led by Saleh Al-‘Amiri refused to hand over the Aden Airport to the Hadi loyalists; this resulted in a violent confrontation that is still ongoing.
Al-‘Amiri’s forces had been in control of the Aden Airport since they recapture this strategic port city from the Houthis in late 2015.”
Saudi-backed forces fight each other at Aden Airport in southern Yemen
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/saudi-backed-forces-fight-aden-airport-southern-yemen/
13 February 2017
“How did Nawar al-Awlaki, an 8-year-old child, die at the hands of a Navy Seal during last month’s nighttime raid in Yemen? We know from credible reports that she was shot in the neck at close range and received no medical aid throughout the remaining two hours of her life. Some questions come to mind: Was the shooting intentional? Did the soldier deliberately and with `malice aforethought` point his weapon at Nawar and squeeze the trigger, fully aware that he was murdering in cold blood an innocent child? For that matter, might he have been influenced, if only subliminally, by our Commander-in-Chief’s prescription for winning the so-called `war on terror`? During his campaign for the presidency, Trump announced that a sure-fire strategy for defeating ISIS had to involve eliminating their families as well as the terrorists themselves. Here are his exact words:
`When you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families. They care about their lives. Don`t kid yourself. But they say they don`t care about their lives. You have to take out their families.`”
Yemen: In the Shadow of Death
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/02/12/yemen-shadow-death
13 February 2017
“Thousands of cancer patients in Yemen are being forced to seek life-saving medicines on the black market as the health system buckles after two years of war.
The conflict between the armed Houthi movement and a Saudi-led military coalition has killed over 10,000 people and triggered a slow-motion economic collapse, forcing health staff to work without pay and undercutting patients` ability to afford their own treatment.
For patients of the National Oncology Center, who often wait hours to receive their chemotherapy treatment, hope has evaporated along with their livelihoods.
`There are no pensions any more, how are we supposed to pay?` pleaded Mohamed El Shamaa, a gaunt leukemia patient, reclining limply as he received chemotherapy via an intravenous tube.
`Most people seek charity - some give and others say they can`t help. Now, some people seek help from mosques. I`m one of those people,` he said.”
Yemen cancer patients struggle to survive war shortages
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-cancer-idUSKBN15S126
13 February 2017
“U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday the U.N. envoy to Yemen had his full support, days after Yemen`s Houthi group asked him not to renew the diplomat`s term due to what it said was bias against the Iranian-aligned movement.
`Our envoy has my full support and I believe that he is doing an impartial work, that he is doing it in a very professional way and independently of what other people may think, he has my full support,` said Guterres during a stop in Riyadh, part of a regional tour that also includes the United Arab Emirates.
In a joint news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh, Guterres appealed to the combatants in Yemen`s almost two-year-old war not to exploit the delivery of humanitarian aid, adding any such action was to be condemned.
A top official of the Houthi-led government which controls Yemen`s capital called on the world body on Friday not renew the term of U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, saying he had shown `lack of neutrality` and sympathy for a Saudi-led coalition that is fighting to reinstate Yemen`s internationally-recognized government.”
U.N. chief affirms full support for Yemen peace envoy
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-un-guterres-idUSKBN15R0MP
13 February 2017
“A Pakistani national was killed Sunday in Saudi Arabia when Yemeni rebels shelled the kingdom’s southern border region, the civil defense department said.
A rocket hit Arda, which is part of the southwestern region of Jazan, Civil Defense spokesman Yahya Al-Qahtani said in a report by the official Saudi Press Agency.
`As result, a Pakistani national was killed,` he said without naming the victim.
At least 115 civilians and soldiers have been killed in southern Saudi Arabia since a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes in Yemen against Houthi rebels in March 2015 to support Yemen’s government.”
Yemen shelling kills Pakistani in southern Saudi Arabia
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1053146/saudi-arabia
13 February 2017
“The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemeni dominant Houthi rebels killed a six-member family in an air strike on the family`s house in the Red Sea port city of Mokha on Sunday evening, a medic and security official told Xinhua.
`Doctor Molok Mahis, director of maternal and childhood center, a non-governmental organization, was critically injured in the air strike on her home in Mokha and she is being now treated at the intensive care in the hospital,` the medic told Xinhua by phone.
`Her leg was amputated in the air strike and six members of her family were killed,` the medic said.
The security official in the port city confirmed that all six members of social activist Mahis were killed in one of the evening air strike that flattened her house to the ground.
This is the latest in a series of air strikes hitting Yemeni civilians since the war began in 2015.”
Coalition airstrike kills 6-member family in Yemeni port city Mokha
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-02/13/c_136051284.htm
13 February 2017
“The US-backed Saudi-led coalition held five oil tankers heading to Hodeida province, an official told Saba on Monday.
The tankers, which carries gas and diesel, were designated to reach Ras Isa and Hodeida ports.
The aggression`s move intended to hinder the oil derivatives supplies from reaching the Yemeni people, the official said.
He condemned the UN and international community`s silence to the Saudi crimes against the Yemeni people, who have already suffered from all-out blockade imposed by Saudi aggression for almost two years.”
Saudi aggression deprives Yemen of oil supplies
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news456041.htm
13 February 2017
“KEY FIGURES
28,000 people estimated to have fled Al Mokha
2,600 people have fled to neighbouring governorate of Al Hudaydah
2,007,216 Internally displaced persons (IDPs) since onset of hostilities in March 2015.
1,027,674 IDP returnees since March 2015
SITUATION UPDATE
UNHCR is deeply concerned about the plight of thousands of Yemeni civilians fleeing or caught up in heavy confrontation in Taizz governorate. While hostilities have intensified in the Red Sea districts of Al Mokha and Dhubab, individuals are also being displaced further inland from Al Wazi`iyah and Mawza in Taizz as conflict engulfs key strategic locations across the governorate. Thousands of civilians are being caught in the crossfire, worsening the situation for an already vulnerable population. UNHCR is mobilizing rapid assistance together with partners to help those displaced. Challenges in response include heavy fighting and ongoing military operations which are impeding humanitarian access, and comprehensive displacement data is currently difficult to verify. Those trapped face serious risks in an effort to reach safety, including mined roads and ongoing hostilities.
The number of displaced is expected to increase as major confrontation continues.”
Yemen UNHCR Flash Update, 10 February 2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-flash-update-10-february-2017
13 February 2017
“The Houthi forces launched a decisive counter-offensive near the strategic Mocha Port on Saturday, striking the Saudi-backed `Southern Resistance` forces at the eastern flank.
The Houthi forces reportedly gathered east of Mocha on Friday evening in order to regroup for today’s offensive.
With the adequate men needed to launch the offensive, the Houthi forces began their swift counter-assault on Saturday morning; this attack resulted in a fierce battle between the two opposing parties.”
Houthi forces launch decisive counter-offensive in west Yemen
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/houthi-forces-launch-decisive-counter-offensive-west-yemen/
13 February 2017
“أزمة جديدة تقتحم حياة اليمنيين في الجنوب، تحديداً مدينة عدن، حيث العاصمة التي أعلنها الرئيس المستقيل عبد ربه منصور هادي، واحة للأمان. هذه المرة كان عنوان الاشتباكات مطار عدن الدولي الذي هدّد المؤتمن عليه وقائد قوات حمايته، العميد صالح العمري، المعروف بـ«أبو قحطان»، بوقف الملاحة الجوية فيه إذا لم تصرف «الشرعية» مرتبات قواته.
جراء هذا التهديد، أمر هادي ألوية الحماية الرئاسية، التي يقودها مهران القباطي وبسام المحضار، باستلام حماية المطار من العمري، لكن الأخير رفض التسليم. ورغم دخول وسطاء عديدين، تحوّل الخلاف كالعادة، إلى اشتباكات أظهرت بوضوح كل ما كان يقال عن الصراع الخفي بين السعودية من جهة، وبين الإمارات العربية من جهة أخرى، وحلفاء الطرفين.”
عدن ضحية معارك «الشرعية»... و«أنصار الله» تسترد مواقع في نهم
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/272505
13 February 2017
“لا يبدو الرجل يعبأ أبداً بمدى المأزق أو التخبط الذي تعانيه قواته العسكرية المشكلة من ألوية متفرقة ومتشتتة، بُنيَت على أسس مناطقية وحزبية وفصائلية ومحسوبيات وولاءات خليجية وأجنبية، وهي ــ الألوية ــ لا تحمل عقيدة عسكرية مبدئية، ولا تملك نظاماً قتالياً موحداً يمكن الركون إليهما في الجبهات التي تزج بها في الشمال اليمني.
الحرب لم تنته بعد، بل هي الآن في ضراوة العمليات العسكرية على الساحل الغربي وبقية الجبهات، حتى وقع الاحتراب الداخلي بين الفصائل السلفية المحسوبة على الإمارات وحزب «الإصلاح» الإخواني المدعوم من السعودية في محافظة تعز. وما إن توقفت المعارك بينهما بفعل ضغوط من وسطاء محليين، حتى أطلت الفتنة برأسها بينهما من جديد من خلال التهديدات المتبادلة بين الطرفين. ويجمع المطلعون على مجريات الأمور على أنه لو أتيح للحرب التي تشن حالياً على اليمن أن تتوقف، فإن حرباً ضارية ستقع وتلتهم بنيرانها البشر والحجر، ويشارك فيها جميع القوى المشكلة للسلطة.”
عبد ربه منصور هادي... «أنطوان لحد اليمن»
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/272448
13 February 2017
“خطاب تصعيدي وسقف تحدٍّ كبير أعلنه عبد الملك الحوثي وحمل عناوين، أبرزها زيادة وجوه المواجهة العسكرية، بدءاً من التوعد بـ«قصف الرياض وما بعد الرياض»، وصولاً إلى الكشف عن دور جديد لطائرات بلا طيار تسيرها «أنصار الله»، والتجهيز لإدخال عناصر «الدفاع الجوي» في المعركة بعدما أظهرت «القوة البحرية» أداءً مقلقاً للسفن الأميركية والسعودية على حد سواء”
«أنصار الله» إلى «ما بعد الرياض»... ودفاعات جوية قريباً
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/272449
13 February 2017
“قال شهود عيان في مدينة الحديدة (غرب اليمن) اليوم الاثنين، إن مقاتلات التحالف العربي الذي تقوده السعودية شنت غارتين على موقع عسكري للمسلحين الحوثيين والقوت الموالية لصالح بالقرب من الميناء.
وأفاد الشهود مراسل «المصدر أونلاين»، بأن الغارتين استهدفتا مبنى الانشاءات بالقرب من البوابة الشرقية لميناء الحديدة في شارع جيزان.
وأضافوا بأن سيارات الإسعاف وصلت إلى المواقع المستهدفة لإسعاف الضحايا.”
مقاتلات التحالف تشن غارتين على مواقع للحوثيين وقوات صالح بالقرب من ميناء الحديدة
http://almasdaronline.com/article/88830
13 February 2017
“نجا عميد كلية الإعلام السابق بجامعة صنعاء في وقوت متأخر من مساء أمس الأحد، من محاولة اغتيال نفذها مجهولون في شارع الرقاص وسط العاصمة، حسبما قال شهود عيان ومصدر.
وأوضح مصدر في نقابة هيئة التدريس بالجامعة لـ«المصدر أونلاين»، بأن مسلحين على متن دراجة نارية أطلقوا وابل من النيران على أستاذ الاتصال والإعلام بالجامعة الدكتور علي البريهي، لكنه نجا.
وأضاف إن الحادث جاء بعد تلقيه اتصالاً من مجهول، يتوعده ويهدده بالتصفية، على خلفية نشاطه النقابي في جامعة صنعاء.
وقال المصدر إن محاولة اغتيال البريهي، كانت رسالة إلى الأكاديميين في جامعة صنعاء، الذين ينفذون إضراباً عن الدراسة للشهر الثاني على التوالي، احتجاجاً على عدم تسلمهم رواتبهم منذ خمسة أشهر.”
شهود: نجاة عميد كلية الإعلام السابق بجامعة صنعاء من محاولة اغتيال نفذها مسلحون
http://almasdaronline.com/article/88825
15 February 2017
“At least seven Saudi soldiers have been killed in the past week in clashes with Yemeni rebels, state media has said.
In an unusual series of official reports, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported late on Monday that Mohammed al-Manjahi was the latest soldier to be killed `defending` the kingdom`s southern borders in the fight against Houthi rebels.”
Yemen conflict: Seven Saudi soldiers killed on border
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/yemen-conflict-saudi-soldiers-killed-border-170214095443697.html
15 February 2017
“Saudi Arabian coalition jets bombing Houthi rebel sites in Yemen increasingly turn to U.S. Air Force tankers for refueling support almost two years after the conflict began.
Since April 2015, the Air Force has logged 1,778 tanker sorties for the operation, Air Forces Central Command spokeswoman Capt. Kathleen Atanasoff told Military.com on Tuesday. That includes 1,069 over the past year, an increase of 360, or 50 percent, from the 709 in the previous period.
`These operations are ongoing, with aircraft refueling occurring daily,` Atanasoff said in an email. The service`s tankers such as KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-10 Extenders participated in 7,564 refueling `events` with coalition aircraft, with `about 54 million pounds of fuel off-loaded in support of Saudi operations in Yemen,` Atanasoff said.
Refueling numbers are tracked by the command but, unlike statistics on strikes and sorties against the Islamic State and the Taliban, aren`t publicly released via the command`s airpower summary factsheets.”
2 Years Into Yemen War, US Ramps Up Refueling of Saudi Jets
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/02/15/2-years-yemen-war-us-ramps-up-refueling-saudi-jets.html
15 February 2017
“A suicide car bomb attack in a rebel-held Yemeni town on Tuesday killed three people, including a child, and wounded eight others, a provincial official said.
The attack targeted a sports and culture club in the Houthi-controlled town of Radaa, he said, in the central province of Baida where Al-Qaeda fighters are present.
A security official said: `Houthi fighters opened fire on the car before it attacked the club, causing it to explode at the gate, leading to the deaths and injuries.`
A nearby school was also damaged, the source said.”
Yemen suicide car bombing kills 3: officials
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1054171/middle-east
15 February 2017
“At least twenty one civilians were killed, Including three children, and dozens wounded in 309 airstrikes launched by US-backed Saudi aggression warplanes on several Yemeni provinces over the past five days, officials and residents told Saba.
In Sana`a province, the aggression warplanes launched ten air strikes on Nehm district and six raids on Belad Alroos area.
In Sa`ada province, the aggression launched 33 airstrikes on several districts, targeting civilians and their properties. Eight civilians, including three children, were killed in an airstrike on Haidan district of Sa`ada.
Also three children were killed in Sa`ada in an airstrike on Husama residential area in Dhahir district.
Also in Sa`ada, the air strikes targeted telecommunication networks.
In Jawf province, the aggression warplanes launched two raids on Milhan directorate and al-Maslob district.
In Taiz province, the aggression fighter jets waged 68 air raids on large swaths of residential areas, particularly in Mokha coast city. In Mokha, a ten-member family, mostly children, were killed in one of the airstrike.
Also in Taiz, the air strikes targeted telecommunication networks.
In Mareb province, the aggression warplanes carried out 38 raids on several civilian regions, in which large-scale of farms were damaged.
In Hodeidah port city, the aggression launched 48 air strikes on different areas, particularly the port itself, hampering food and medical import supplies.
In Hajja province, the aggression warplanes launched 102 airstrikes, particularly on Medi port city and boirder crossing of Haradh.
In Mahweet governorate, the aggression fighter jets launched one air strike on AL-Khabt district.
In Shabw province, the Saudi aggression launched one air raid on Aselan district.”
309 airstrikes hit Yemen in five days
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news456263.htm
15 February 2017
“Inter-factional clashes erupted around Aden’s international airport on Sunday, prompting Saudi-led coalition Apache helicopters to fire a missile at a military vehicle, Yemeni security officials said, without confirming the number of casualties.
The attack marks the first time the Arab coalition intervenes militarily in power struggles between the forces from the presidential guards – led by President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s son – and a UAE-backed rival faction group.
“The fighting around Aden airport was not spur of the moment. There has been sporadic intra-factions since Aden liberation, it just escalated today,” local journalist Saleh al-Batati told The New Arab.”
Boiling tensions: Yemen`s pro-coalition forces fight for Aden Airport
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/2/13/boiling-tensions-yemens-pro-coalition-forces-fight-for-aden-airport
15 February 2017
“Yemen has no plans to request US ground troops to fight on its behalf in the country’s civil war, the permanent representative of Yemen to the United Nations, Khaled Alyemany, said on Monday.
"We will never invite American soldiers on the ground," Alyemany stated during an Atlantic Council event in Washington, DC. "We will never invite Americans. And Americans, they understand that."
Khaled Alyemany also stated that the administration of former US President Barack Obama and the efforts of former Secretary of State John Kerry caused setbacks to the peace process in Yemen.”
Yemen to Never Invite US Ground Troops to Help Resolve Conflict - UN Envoy
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702131050637475-us-yemen-troops-alyemany/
15 February 2017
“Yemen`s wheat supplies will run out at the end of March, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation predicted in a report, adding that the war-torn country, which is currently on the brink of famine, is in a more desperate position than previously thought.
At the end of January, the UN`s top official in the impoverished country told Reuters that there were roughly three months` supply of wheat left in the country.
`Yemen is facing the largest food security emergency in the world. Without immediate action, the situation is likely to worsen in 2017,` the FAO report said.”
Yemen`s wheat stocks to be `depleted by April`
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/society/2017/2/11/yemens-wheat-stocks-to-be-depleted-by-april
15 February 2017
“صعّد التحالف السعودي من هجماته الجوية على محيط ميناء الحديدة غربي اليمن، في خلال الأيام القليلة الماضية، وذلك برغم المخاوف المحلية والدولية من تداعيات استهداف المرفأ البحري الوحيد الذي تمرّ منه معظم المساعدات الإنسانية و70 في المئة من واردات الغذاء والدواء و80 في المئة من واردات الوقود.
وكانت السعودية قد استغلت استهداف فرقاطتها في المياه الإقليمية اليمنية قبالة الحديدة نهاية الشهر الماضي، لتبرر تحويل الميناء إلى هدف جدي لها. ونتيجةً لذلك، بات الميناء الذي استقبل العام الماضي أكثر من 270 ألف طن من المساعدات الإنسانية المقدمة من الأمم المتحدة، يواجه تصاعداً في التهديدات، من قبل طيران العدوان وبوارجه الحربية.”
صراع الساحل يصل إلى الحُديدة
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/272587
15 February 2017
“أزمة جديدة تقتحم حياة اليمنيين في الجنوب، تحديداً مدينة عدن، حيث العاصمة التي أعلنها الرئيس المستقيل عبد ربه منصور هادي، واحة للأمان. هذه المرة كان عنوان الاشتباكات مطار عدن الدولي الذي هدّد المؤتمن عليه وقائد قوات حمايته، العميد صالح العمري، المعروف بـ«أبو قحطان»، بوقف الملاحة الجوية فيه إذا لم تصرف «الشرعية» مرتبات قواته.
جراء هذا التهديد، أمر هادي ألوية الحماية الرئاسية، التي يقودها مهران القباطي وبسام المحضار، باستلام حماية المطار من العمري، لكن الأخير رفض التسليم. ورغم دخول وسطاء عديدين، تحوّل الخلاف كالعادة، إلى اشتباكات أظهرت بوضوح كل ما كان يقال عن الصراع الخفي بين السعودية من جهة، وبين الإمارات العربية من جهة أخرى، وحلفاء الطرفين.”
عدن ضحية معارك «الشرعية»... و«أنصار الله» تسترد مواقع في نهم
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/272505
15 February 2017
“قال محافظ محافظة تعز (جنوب غرب اليمن) علي المعمري اليوم الأربعاء، إن السلطة المحلية قاربت من استكمال كافة الإجراءات المتعلقة بصرف مرتبات الموظفين في القطاع المدني.
ونقلت وكالة الأنباء اليمنية «سبأ» عن المعمري قوله، إن مرتبات موظفي القطاع المدني ستصرف قريباً، وإن عملية توقيع الكشوفات الخاصة بعملية الصرف قد انتهت، وإن موعد الصرف سيتحدد في وقت لاحق.
وأرجع المعمري أسباب التأخير إلى عدم استكمال بيانات الموظفين في بعض الأجهزة والمؤسسات والمكاتب في المحافظة”
محافظ تعز يقول إن موعد صرف المرتبات سيتم قريباً بعد الانتهاء من توقيع الشيكات
http://almasdaronline.com/article/88880
15 February 2017
“شهد الريال اليمني تحسناً أمام العملات الأجنبية بعد إجراءات اتخذتها الحكومة التي تعمل من العاصمة المؤقتة عدن (جنوب البلاد)، بالتوازي مع اجراءات لسلطات الحوثيين في العاصمة صنعاء.
وتراجع سعر الصرف من 365 الى 310 ريالاً للدولار بالعاصمة المؤقتة عدن (جنوبي البلاد)، ومن 390 الى 330 ريالاً للدولار الواحد في العاصمة صنعاء وأمام الريال السعودي من 102 الى 80 ريالا.
وقال صرافون، ان اجتماعاً لقيادة البنك المركزي مع الصرافين في عدن، خرج باتفاق على بيع الدولار بنحو 300 ريال للدولار الواحد والريال السعودي ب75 ريالاً.
من جانبها أكدت مصادر حكومية، أن البنك المركزي تعهد للصرافين بضخ كميات كافية من العملة الصعبة في السوق للحفاظ على استقرار العملة بما يكفي ليتساوى العرض مع الطلب.”
إجراءات حكومية تنجح مؤقتاً في كبح جماح العملة الخضراء أمام الريال اليمني
http://almasdaronline.com/article/88881
16 February 2017
“It’s impossible to get hard numbers, but child marriage appears to be on the rise in Yemen: a consequence of the extreme poverty caused by nearly two years of devastating war in what was already one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world.
Parents are becoming increasingly unable to provide for their families, and interviews conducted by IRIN suggest some are opting to marry their daughters off younger than planned, reversing previous progress towards ending the practice.”
Shattered war economy encourages child marriage in Yemen
http://www.irinnews.org/2017/02/15/shattered-war-economy-encourages-child-marriage-yemen?utm_source=IRIN+-+the+inside+story+on+emergencies&utm_campaign=142c77ded4-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_ENGLISH_MIDDLE_EAST&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d842d98289-142c77ded4-75451173
16 February 2017
“Warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition struck a house north of Yemen`s capital where a crowd of mourners was gathered, residents said on Thursday, killing nine women and a child and injuring dozens.
The Saudi-led coalition said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties in the area.
The air strike hit the house of a local tribal leader in Ashira, a village north of Sanaa, on Wednesday night, a resident told Reuters. Mourners had gathered there to offer condolences after a woman died.
"People heard the sound of planes and started running from the house but then the bombs hit the house directly. The roof collapsed. Blood was everywhere," a second resident of Ashira, who gave his name as Hamid Ali, told a Reuters cameraman.”
Plane strike hits Yemen mourners, killing 9 women, 1 child: residents
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN15V0Q8
20 February 2017
“Amid no letup in Saudi carnage of Yemen’s civilians, counter-strikes by Yemeni forces have hit a military base inside Saudi Arabia close to the common border.
They targeted the outpost in the ‘Asir region in the kingdom’s extreme southwest with an unknown number of projectiles on Sunday, Yemen’s War Media outlet reported.
It also carried extended footage of the counter-raid after Saudi officials denied that such retaliatory attack had ever taken place.
Yemeni soldiers and allied fighters have been hitting targets in the kingdom’s border area in response to its March 2015-present invasion of the impoverished country.”
Watch video of Saudi base hit by Yemeni rockets
http://presstv.ir/Detail/2017/02/19/511174/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-Asir
20 February 2017
“The UK trained an air force at the centre of war crime allegations in Yemen how to carry out airstrikes with smart bombs.
Evidence submitted during a legal case into UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia reveals the RAF trained the country’s air force how to use Paveway IV missiles.
The documents also reveal that only a `very, very small` number of airstrikes were tracked and the UK knew little about the Saudis’ targeting practices.
Despite being kept in the dark over airstrikes, the UK Government claimed last year that no war crimes had been committed by the Saudis.”
Smart bombs made in Scotland were dropped in Yemen by UK-trained Saudi air force
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/smart-bombs-made-scotland-were-9848386
20 February 2017
“They call him the Banksy of Yemen. But Murad Subay, a 29-year-old street artist based in the capital Sanaa, shrugs off such comparisons.
Subay has transformed the streets of an active war zone into his own vibrant gallery. His canvases are often the ruins of war - crumbling, abandoned houses with gaping holes caused by mortar explosions.
`It is three letters only: W-A-R,` said Subay of his work, which continually shines a light on Yemen`s horrific humanitarian situation.
`It`s just to show the ugliness of war - this is what happens by war. This is my way to to protest against the injustice of this war and for peace.`
Subay`s work also focuses on Yemen`s dire economic situation, political corruption, disappeared persons, and US drone strikes.”
Yemen`s most prolific street artist copes with Donald Trump`s immigration ban.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/02/yemen-art-love-bombs-bans-170213090154650.html
20 February 2017
“Nine women and one child have died after a Saudi-led coalition war plane struck a funeral gathering in Yemen, officials have said.
A strike which hit a house in which mourners were gathered north of the capital on Wednesday also injured dozens more civilians, witnesses said.
The home of a local tribal leader in Ashira, a village north of Sanaa, was destroyed in the strike, a resident told Reuters. Locals had gathered there to offer condolences after a woman in the family died.”
Saudi air strike kills 10 women and children in Yemen
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-air-strike-saudi-arabia-10-women-children-dead-funeral-bombing-sanaa-a7585886.html
20 February 2017
“Four Yemenis working with the Norwegian Refugee Council have been detained in a rebel-held part of the country, the NGO said Monday, after they distributed aid insurgents allege is linked to Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, the NRC said authorities in the rebel-controlled Red Sea district of Hodeida detained three Yemeni staff and a contracted driver on Tuesday last week.
`Due to the security sensitivities regarding our staff, we cannot comment any further on the matter at this time,`said the Oslo-based non-governmental organisation.”
Norwegian Refugee Council staff held in Yemen
https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/34455690/norwegian-refugee-council-staff-abducted-in-yemen-minister/#page1
20 February 2017
“The United Arab Emirates says an Emirati soldier has been killed while taking part in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
The state-run WAM news agency reported the soldier`s death on Friday. It identified the slain soldier as Sgt. Nader Mubarak Issa Suleiman.”
UAE says Emirati soldier killed in Saudi-led war in Yemen
http://www.njherald.com/article/20170217/AP/302179938#
20 February 2017
“UNHCR is mobilizing rapid assistance with partners to help those displaced principally from Mokha and Dhubab in Taizz governorate. Challenges in response include heavy fighting and ongoing military operations which are impeding humanitarian access, and comprehensive displacement data is currently difficult to verify. Assessment missions and distributions are underway, and UNHCR has pre-positioned emergency stocks in Al Hudaydah, comprising of emergency shelter kits and household assistance consisting of mattresses, sleeping mats, blankets, kitchen utensils and wash buckets.
Latest figures released by the 12th Task Force on Population Movement, coled by UNHCR and IOM, identify 2,007,216 IDPs and 1,027,674 IDP returnees in Yemen. There is a slight decrease in the numbers of displacement figures overall due to further data collection and validation procedures. The report continues to identify food as the overwhelmingly reported need by IDPs, with 75% of informants reporting it as the priority when compared to 66% in the previous report, in addition to access to income (7%), Shelter/Housing (7%) and cooking/washing water (4%). Priority needs for returnees also continue to be reported as food (36%), financial support (19%), psychosocial support (18%).”
Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, February 14 2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-february-14-2017
20 February 2017
“White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has warned journalists and lawmakers against criticizing a botched raid by U.S. commandos on a Yemeni village last month that left 25 civilians and one U.S. Navy SEAL dead. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports the January 28 assault killed nine children under the age of 13, with five other children wounded. The attack came as the United Nations appealed for $2.1 billion in emergency aid to Yemen, warning 12 million people face the threat of famine brought on by a U.S.-supported, Saudi-led war and naval blockade.”
Glenn Greenwald: Trump Seems to Be Committed to Escalating Violence in Yemen
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/16/glenn_greenwald_trump_seems_to_be
22 February 2017
“Maj Gen Ahmed Saif al-Yafei is said to have died in the attack outside the port city of Mokha. His death will be seen as a major setback for government forces, which are backed by a Saudi-led coalition. The Yemeni government has yet to recapture the capital, Sanaa, after two years of civil war.
Maj Gen Yafei was killed along with several others when the missile hit the army camp near Mokha early on Wednesday, the military source, who is also a member of the general`s family, told Reuters news agency.”
Yemen crisis: Army chief killed in missile strike on camp
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-39050802
22 February 2017
“Seven million Yemenis are closer than ever to starvation, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country warned on Tuesday, almost two years since a conflict escalated between the government and rebels.
"Seven million Yemenis do not know where their next meal will come from and are ever closer to starvation" in a country of 27 million people, Jamie McGoldrick said.
"Over 17 million people are currently unable to adequately feed themselves and are frequently forced to skip meals - women and girls eat the least and last," he said in a statement.”
Seven million people `ever closer` to starvation in Yemen: UN
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/seven-million-people-ever-closer-starvation-yemen-un-940004872
24 February 2017
“شنت مقاتلات التحالف العربي الذي تقوده السعودية فجر اليوم الخميس، غارات على مواقع لمسلحي جماعة الحوثيين والقوات الموالية للرئيس السابق، في منطقة رمة شمال محافظة الضالع (جنوب اليمن).
وقال مصدر ميداني لـ«المصدر أونلاين»، إن خمسة من المسلحين الحوثيين سقطوا في القصف الجوي.
وبموازاة ذلك، تجددت المعارك بين القوات الحكومية والمقاومة من جهة، والحوثيين وقوات صالح من جهة أخرى، في منطقة يعيس، وقُتل فيها أحد عناصر القوات الحكومية وهو الملازم ثاني أحمد محمد علوان."
غارات على مواقع الحوثيين شمال الضالع ومقتل جندي في القوات الحكومية إثر تجدد المعارك
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89062/amp
24 February 2017
“Britain is tracking 257 alleged breaches of international humanitarian law committed in Yemen by Saudi Arabia, a major UK arms customer, the government has admitted.
The numbers emerged in response to a parliamentary question put to Defense Secretary Michael Fallon by Scottish National Party (SNP) MP Margaret Ferrier.
“The Ministry of Defense (MoD) is tracking 257 allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen,” said Fallon.”
UK tracking 257 possible Saudi war crimes in Yemen
https://www.rt.com/uk/378396-saudi-war-crimes-yemen/
24 February 2017
“The Saudi-backed Southern Resistance forces, alongside Hadi loyalists and Sudanese Army personnel, seized a new village north of the strategic Mocha Port in southwestern Yemen.
According to pro-government media, the Saudi-backed forces seized the village of Yakhtoul near the Mocha Port after a short battle with the Houthi forces this morning.
As a result of today’s advance, the Saudi-backed forces and their foreign allies have cleared the area north of the Mocha Port.
Intense clashes are still ongoing in the Al-Jadid area east of the Mocha Port, as the Houthi forces attempt to regain control of this strategic site.”
Saudi-backed forces, Sudanese Army advance north of Yemen’s Mocha Port
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/saudi-backed-forces-sudanese-army-advance-north-yemens-mocha-port/
24 February 2017
“Hundreds of thousands of Yemeni children languishing in refugee camps and remote villages are nearing starvation. Families who fled airstrikes are being forced to return to war-shattered homes, risking their lives again.
The United Nations and other humanitarian groups are describing alarming scenes in the Middle East’s poorest country as a humanitarian crisis and conflict deepen after nearly two years of war.
In recent weeks, clashes between rebels known as Houthis and forces loyal to the U.S.-backed government have intensified, especially along the western coast of the country. Airstrikes near a major port in the city of Hodeida — the main entry point for food, medicine and humanitarian aid into northern Yemen — have slowed the delivery of supplies and exacerbated the misery.”
Hundreds of thousands of Yemeni children are nearing starvation
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/hundreds-of-thousands-of-yemeni-children-are-nearing-starvation/2017/02/23/f01ead8a-f850-11e6-aa1e-5f735ee31334_story.html?utm_term=.78a960094360
24 February 2017
“The Ikea Foundation has given over £2m to Médecins Sans Frontières and Save the Children for their work in Yemen, and is calling on other funders to do the same. The Ikea Foundation gave £1.7m (€2m) to MSF, and another £0.4m (€500,000) to Save the Children to save lives and protect children and families in Yemen. The foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of the owners of the Swedish furniture giant Ikea, is calling on other funders to do the same to ensure that the people of Yemen get the help that they need. Per Heggenes, chief executive of the Ikea Foundation, said: “The Ikea Foundation is proud to support MSF and Save the Children’s work in Yemen, and it’s why we’re encouraging other funders to do the same. The international community has not done enough to prevent children and families in Yemen from suffering. If we don’t act now, the consequences are unthinkable.”
Ikea Foundation gives over £2m to charities working in Yemen
https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/ikea-foundation-donates-over-2m-to-m-decins-sans-fronti-res-and-save-the-children.html
24 February 2017
“A suicide bomber killed at least eight soldiers in an attack on a military camp in Yemen`s southern city of Zinjibar at dawn on Friday, a local official and residents said.
The bomber, wearing a military uniform, struck Najda Camp in the Abyan provincial capital along the coast from second city Aden where the government has its headquarters.
He failed to get through the gate and heavy exchanges of gunfire ensued as other attackers tried to penetrate the base.
Residents said they heard a loud explosion at dawn in the city, the capital of Abyan province. The bomber was suspected to be an al-Qaeda member, the local official said.”
Suicide bomber kills at least five soldiers in Yemen
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/suicide-bomber-kills-soldiers-yemen-170224080159429.html
24 February 2017
“The US government should credibly investigate the raid on Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in central Yemen in late January 2017, that killed at least 14 civilians, including nine children, and make its findings public, Human Rights Watch said today.
The high number of civilian casualties raises concerns that US forces and the armed group failed to take all necessary measures to minimize loss of civilian life, as required by the laws of war. The US government reported that 14 AQAP fighters and a US service member were killed in the fighting and, three days after the attack, that civilians, including children, were likely killed.”
Yemen: US Should Investigate Civilian Deaths in Raid
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/02/24/yemen-us-should-investigate-civilian-deaths-raid
24 February 2017
“One Emirati soldier deployed as part of a Saudi-led Arab coalition against the Shia Houthi rebel group has been killed in Yemen, the UAE’s official WAM news agency reported Friday.
The news agency carried an announcement by the UAE Armed Forces’ General Command confirming the death of UAE Army Sergeant Khaled Ali Gharib al-Blushi, who had been participating in a Saudi-led air campaign against the Houthis and their allies.
The statement did not provide any additional details regarding the soldier’s death, which brought the total number of Emirati soldiers killed in Yemen this month to four.
Another Emirati soldier was killed in Yemen last Friday, while a third reportedly died the same day of a heart attack.
The UAE is the second largest contributor -- in terms of air power -- to Saudi Arabia’s anti-Houthi coalition.”
Emirati soldier killed in war-wracked Yemen
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/emirati-soldier-killed-in-war-wracked-yemen/758644
24 February 2017
“Acute shortage of critical medicines, limited fuel for electricity and specialized medical staff such as intensive care doctors and nurses having left Yemen have put innocent lives in danger, the United Nations health agency has warned.
According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO), only 45 per cent of the country`s health facilities remain fully functional and accessible and at least 274 have been damaged or destroyed during the conflict.
On top of this, drastic budget cuts have left health facilities without funds for operational costs and health care workers without regular salaries since September 2016.
One such example is the 320-bed Al-Thawra Hospital, the main functioning health facility in Al-Hudaydah (Yemen`s third largest city) and neighbouring governorates. Many health facilities in the area have already closed.
Staffed by more than 1,200 employees – many of whom have not received their salaries for the past five months – the hospital provides care to some 1,500 people every day. This is a five-fold increase over the numbers in 2012 due to the influx of people displaced by ongoing conflict.
Most of the patients who arrive are unable to pay the minimal fees for hospital services.”
Yemen`s health system another victim of the conflict – UN health agency
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56227#.WLBa5PnyiUk
27 February 2017
“The world is in the grip of an astonishing and acute crisis: More than 20 million people in South Sudan, Somalia, northern Nigeria and Yemen face starvation in the next six months, according to the United Nations. Nearly 1.4 million children are at "imminent risk" of death. The scale of the hunger epidemic was described last month by U.S.-based researchers as "unprecedented in recent decades."
The crises are in large part man-made, stoked by ruinous conflicts, collapsing governance and international indifference. Only in one country, Somalia, which is recovering from years of war, is drought the main cause of the current food shortages.
"The situation is dire," warned U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres earlier this week, in a desperate appeal for funds. "We need $4.4 billion by the end of March to avert a catastrophe." So far, his organization has raised only $90 million, a drop in the bucket. At a time when the Trump administration has already threatened funding cuts to the U.N., the prospects for global relief look dim.”
The world is ignoring an ‘unprecedented’ starvation crisis
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/02/24/the-world-is-ignoring-an-unprecedented-starvation-crisis/?utm_term=.58e0e32f4c17
27 February 2017
“On Thursday, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres held a press conference in New York to issue an urgent warning that more than 20 million people in Yemen, north Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan were at risk of dying from starvation within the six months.
`We are facing a tragedy,` he told reporters. `This is preventable if the international community takes decisive action.`
Yemen is listed as the worst-affected country facing potential famine, where more than 7 million people require emergency food assistance."
Humanitarian catastrophe unfolds in Yemen as world refuses to act
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-26/humanitarian-crisis-unfolds-in-yemen-as-world-refuses-to-act/8304896
27 February 2017
“As the war gets complicated, salvation seems impossible to reach. Warring parties have failed to reach an agreement during several past peace talks. One reason is that, bearing in mind how the cycle of revolutions go, the counter-revolution (Saleh-Houthis’ alliance) Yemen is going through has no easy quick fix. More importantly, in light of the war, Yemen has become a great market for weapons deals and mercenaries trade. Countries like the UK, US, Germany and others are some of the major suppliers to Saudi Arabia with weapons which include drones, bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles. Moreover, soldiers from several countries such as Colombia and Sudan have been recruited by some of the members of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen war. Seemingly, the continuation of the war is of a great interest as many are benefiting from the war."
Yemen War: Between Internal and External Interests
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/yemen-war-between-internal-and-external-interests_us_58b06766e4b0658fc20f9462
27 February 2017
“One hundred and six Somali refugees returned to Somalia today after fleeing the ongoing conflict in Yemen.
The returnees, who consisted of the elderly, women and children, arrived at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport on Thursday morning on a commercial flight from Berbera, Somaliland, thus ending a difficult journey that began by boat in the Yemeni port of Aden.
Their return was facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with the support of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The refugees’ arrival occurred three months after another group of 127 Somali evacuees was repatriated from Yemen last year.”
Over 100 Somali refugees fleeing conflict in Yemen arrive in Mogadishu
http://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/over-100-somali-refugees-fleeing-conflict-yemen-arrive-mogadishu
27 February 2017
“Taiz, Yemen - Abdulwasse Mohammed wakes at 5am every day and is at his checkpoint near the Taiz frontline, Kalashnikov in hand, by 6am. In the slow hours he waves through cars and eats his meals in the sun. At busier times, he is rushed to the front to blaze away at the Houthis with a heavy machine gun.
This is not Mohammed`s first war, nor his second. Mohammed is a veteran of three conflicts in Yemen, stretching over 30 years. Now in his 50s, this weather-beaten soldier has, like many his age, been dragged back into war as a member of the Popular Resistance."
`No one wants to fight at this age`: Yemen`s old soldiers battle into their dotage
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/taiz-old-fighters-yemen-445503599
27 February 2017
“The military operation on the Western Coast continues to intensify, with frontlines shifting north of Al Mukha City. The conflict has resulted in at least 25,000 people fleeing the districts of Al Mukha and Dhubab in search of safety. During the same period, over 44,000 people have been displaced throughout Taizz Governorate.
The displaced are mainly fleeing within Taizz Governorate or to the governorates of Al Hudaydah, Lahj, Ibb, Aden and Al Dhale’e. Most of Al Mukha’s population has now fled the town, with reports indicating that there are only between 80 and 300 families remaining. The remaining are unable to flee due to the costs of transportation, with displaced families indicating that they had to pay as much as US$200 for transportation to other villages within the district."
Escalating Conflict on Yemen’s Western Coast - Flash Update # 2
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/escalating-conflict-yemen-s-western-coast-flash-update-2-25-february-2017-enar
27 February 2017
“Around 3,000 sorties have been conducted by 12 Kuwaiti fighter jets as part of the Arab Coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen, Commander of the Kuwaiti Air Force Major General Abdullah Al Foudari has said.
The sorties were in addition to other operations by the fighter jets that included manoeuvring, air refuelling, positioning and communication, he added.”
Kuwait fighter jets conducted 3,000 sorties in Yemen
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-fighter-jets-conducted-3-000-sorties-in-yemen-1.1984318
27 February 2017
“The US-Saudi aggression fighter jets on Sunday launched two strikes on Nehm district of Sana`a province, a local official told Saba.
The warplanes hit al-Hawla area two times, causing heavy damage to citizens` properties and farms, the official added.”
US-Saudi fighter jets wage 2 strikes on Nehm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news457431.htm
27 February 2017
“The US-Saudi aggression warplanes on Sunday renewed strike on Utmah district of Dhamar province, a local official told Saba.
The warplanes hit Asoh area in Bani Sawid in the district, the official added.”
Saudi fighter jets renew strike on Dhamar
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news457424.htm
27 February 2017
“Hodeida residents on Monday staged a protest rally to condemn war crimes committed by US-Saudi aggression against the Yemeni people.
The rally called for mobilizing troops to the fronts for facing US-Saudi aggression.
The rally was attended by chairman of the Revolutionary Committees, Mohammed Ail al-Houthi, and Secretary General of the local council Ali al-Qawzi."
Hodeida condemn US-Saudi war crimes against civilians
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news457458.htm
27 February 2017
“The army and popular forces shot dead a Saudi soldier in Raqabat al-Hanjer military site in Asir province, a military official told Saba on Monday.
The army and popular forces fired a guide missile on a military vehicle in al-Khadhra border crossing in Najran province, killing its crew of mercenaries.
Moreover, the official said the artillery and missile forces targeted positions of Saudi soldiers in military sites of al-Jabanah, al-Khubah, al-Sawdaniah, al-Abadaih Borj and al-Bait al-Abaidh in Jizan province.”
Army shoots dead Saudi soldier in Asir
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news457447.htm
27 February 2017
“بدأت القوات الموالية للرئيس اليمني، بمساندة من طيران التحالف العربي الأحد 26 فبراير/شباط، عملية عسكرية برية في محافظة الحديدة على ساحل اليمن الغربي، وسط احتدام المعارك مع الحوثيين.
وذكرت مصادر عسكرية أن القوات الموالية للرئيس اليمني، عبد ربه منصور هادي، استعادت قرية الزهاري على الطريق المؤدي إلى منطقة الخوخة، أولى مديريات محافظة الحديدة.
كما تستمر المواجهات في محيط معسكر خالد الواقع عند مفترق الطريق الرابط بين تعز والحديدة، حيث تقترب قوات الشرعية من استعادة السيطرة عليه.
وشنت مقاتلات التحالف العربي، خلال الساعات الماضية، غارات على مواقع الحوثيين في معسكر خالد ومديرية الخوخة، ومواقع شمال وشرق المخا.
ونقلت وكالة الأنباء اليمنية "سبأ"، عن مصدر عسكري، قوله: "إن معارك عنيفة تدور في مشارف منطقة الزهاري شمال المخا باتجاه الخوخة بالتزامن مع مواجهات مستمرة شرقا بعد جبل النار الاستراتيجي الذي يسيطر عليه أبطال الجيش الوطني بشكل كامل".
وأضاف المصدر: "المليشيا الانقلابية تتكبد خسائر فادحة تضطر معها إلى التراجع والفرار، ومعنوياتها منهارة نتيجة الهزائم المتوالية".
اليمن.. انطلاق عملية عسكرية لاستعادة الحديدة
https://arabic.rt.com/middle_east/865317-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9/
27 February 2017
“كان صحافيون سودانيون يشيرون إلى أنه "من غير المستبعد، وفي اللحظة التي كان فيها (بن زايد وبن راشد) يحتفيان بالبشير، كانت بعض الطائرات الخليجية تنقل مئات الجنود السودانيين من مطار نيالا غرب البلاد إلى بعض المطارات السعودية القريبة من الحدود اليمنية، إيذاناً بحدوث تحوّل نوعي في الحرب التي تشنها قوات التحالف العربي بقيادة السعودية والإمارات في اليمن"، ليُضاف هؤلاء إلى جنود سودانيين موجودين ضمن قوات "التحالف".
ميليشيات البشير... إلى اليمن
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/273096
01 March 2017
“New evidence has emerged of how the Huthi armed group is actively recruiting boys as young as 15 to fight as child soldiers on the front lines of the conflict in Yemen, said Amnesty International today after speaking to the families of three boys targeted this month by the appalling practice which violates international law. The families also confirmed the recruitment of a fourth local boy.”
Yemen: Huthi forces recruiting child soldiers for front-line combat
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/02/yemen-huthi-forces-recruiting-child-soldiers-for-front-line-combat/
01 March 2017
“Weeks after a U.S. Navy SEAL was killed in a covert mission in Yemen, Trump has resisted accepting responsibility for authorizing the mission and the subsequent death of Senior Chief Petty Officer William ‘Ryan’ Owens.”
Trump passes blame for Yemen raid to his generals: ‘They lost Ryan’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/02/28/trump-passes-blame-for-yemen-raid-to-his-generals-they-lost-ryan/?utm_term=.e8bdf735c8a3
01 March 2017
“Aid workers say fighting in Yemen has made it virtually impossible to ship humanitarian supplies to a key harbour when the country is at risk of famine…The port has also been targeted by warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition which is backing Yemen`s government in its war with the rebel Houthi movement.”
Yemen conflict: Red Cross appeals for access to key port
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-39114349
01 March 2017
“Russia could be the latest diplomatic player looking to end the two-year war in Yemen, as the UN`s envoy to the war-torn country Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed paid a visit to Moscow on Monday.
Ahmad held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov concerning the ongoing conflict in Yemen, according Moscow`s foreign ministry.”
Russian intrigue: UN Yemen envoy visits Moscow for talks
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/2/28/russian-intrigue-un-yemen-envoy-visits-moscow-for-talks
01 March 2017
“More than 100 Somali refugees have returned to their homeland after fleeing ongoing conflict in Yemen…
Some of the returning Somalis wept openly as they recounted the harrowing experiences they endured in Yemen.”
Somali refugees fleeing conflict in Yemen arrive in Mogadishu
http://www.africanews.com/2017/02/28/somali-refugees-fleeing-conflict-in-yemen-arrive-in-mogadishu/
01 March 2017
“Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi arrived in Riyadh Monday evening to enhance coordination of efforts to defeat Yemeni rebels and carry out reconstruction in liberated areas…
Hadi last week said Saudi Arabia has allocated $10 billion in aid ‘for the reconstruction of liberated provinces, including $2 billion as a deposit in the central bank to shore up the (Yemeni) riyal.’ Hadi has called on his government to focus on power, water, roads, health and education in liberated areas.”
Yemen president in Riyadh for talks on reconstruction, military effort
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1061441/saudi-arabia
01 March 2017
“وقف مجلس النواب في جلسته المنعقدة اليوم الأربعاء برئاسة رئيس المجلس يحيى الراعي أمام ما تداولته وكالات الأنباء العالمية من اتفاق بين الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية ودولة الأمارات العربية المتحدة وجمهورية مصر العربية لإنشاء قاعدة عسكرية أمريكية في جزيرة ميون اليمنية الواقعة بباب المندب محافظة تعز.
وأصدر مجلس النواب بياناً حول ذلك عبر فيه عن رفضه واستنكاره لمثل هذا الاتفاق أو غيره من الاتفاقات التي تنتقص من سيادة اليمن في أي مكان من أرض الجمهورية اليمنية والجزر التابعة لها .
ورأى مجلس النواب في بيانه أنه لا يحق لأي بلد أن يجري اتفاقات تخص بلداً أخر لأن في ذلك تدخلاً سافراً في الشؤون الداخلية
ومخالف للقوانين والاتفاقيات والأعراف الدولية” .
بيان هام للبرلمان اليمني يستنكر “اتفاق أمريكي – إماراتي” بإنشاء قاعدة عسكرية في جزيرة ميون اليمنية
http://www.sahafah24.net/show836931.html
01 March 2017
“نظمت السلطة المحلية بمديرية شرس بمحافظة حجة اليوم وقفة إحتجاجية للتنديد بإستمرار العدوان السعودي الأمريكي الهمجي وما يرتكبه من جرائم بحق الشعب اليمني وآخرها إستهداف مجلس عزاء للنساء بمديرية أرحب بصنعاء .
وأعلن مشائخ وأعيان ووجهاء وأبناء المديرية النفير العام في مواجهة العدوان وإستعدادهم رفد جبهات العزة والكرامة والشرف بالرجال والعتاد للدفاع عن الوطن .
واستنكروا المشاركون في الوقفة الجرائم التي يرتكبها تحالف العدوان بحق أبناء الشعب اليمني والتي تتنافى مع كل الأعراف والقوانين الدولية والإنسانية .. مؤكدين أن هذه الجرائم والمجازر جرائم حرب ضد الإنسانية لن تسقط بالتقادم.
وأكدوا الحرص على إستمرار تسيير قوافل الدعم للجيش واللجان الشعبية .. مشيدين بالملاحم البطولية التي يسطرها المرابطين في كل مواقع العزة والشرف .
تخلل الوقفة عرض لوحدات رمزية من الجيش والأمن واللجان الشعبية للتأكيد على جهوزيتهم للدفاع عن الوطن والإلتحاق بجبهات العزة والشرف.”
أبناء مديرية شرس بحجة ينددون بجرائم العدوان ويعلنون النفير العام في مواجهته
http://www.sahafah24.net/show836930.html
01 March 2017
“شنت مقاتلات التحالف العربي الذي تقوده السعودية اليوم الأربعاء، سلسلة غارات على تجمعات لمسلحي جماعة الحوثيين والقوات الموالية لصالح، في مدينتي حرض وميدي بمحافظة حجة (شمال غرب اليمن).
وقال المركز الإعلامي للمنطقة العسكرية الخامسة على صفحته بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي «فيسبوك»، إن نحو 25 مسلحاً من الحوثيين سقطوا قتلى وجرحى على الأقل، إثر الغارات التي استهدفت مواقعا جنوب مزارع النسيم ومنطقة المغافلة”
مقاتلات التحالف تشن سلسلة غارات على مواقع الحوثيين في مدينتي حرض وميدي
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89214
01 March 2017
“قال شهود عيان بأن معاركاً تجددت بين المسلحين الحوثيين وقوات صالح من جهة، والقوات السعودية من جهة أخرى، على المناطق الحدودية بين اليمن والسعودية اليوم الأربعاء.
وذكر الشهود لـ«المصدر أونلاين»، إن قصفاً مدفعياً متبادلاً يدور بين الجيش السعودي والحوثيين، في منطقة المثلث بمديرية شدا بمحافظة صعدة (أقصى شمال اليمن)، والمواقع المقابلة لها من الجانب السعودي.
وأضافوا بأن مقاتلات التحالف العربي الذي تقوده السعودية شنت غارات استهدفت مواقع وتعزيزات للحوثيين.
وبحسب الشهود فإن الحوثيين والقوات الموالية للرئيس السابق علي عبدالله صالح، يقصفون بمدافع مختلفة، وقال أحد الشهود «دوي القصف بالمدافع التي يطلقها الحوثيون باتجاه الأراضي السعودية قوية، ولم نسمع مثلها من قبل».
شهود: قصف متبادل ومعارك بين الحوثيين والقوات السعودية في المناطق الحدودية
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89211
01 March 2017
“نقلت وكالة الأنباء السعودية «واس» عن مصادر لها، إن نحو 700 مدنياً سعودياً ومن المقيمين سقطوا قتلى وجرحى، جراء سقوط 40 ألف قذيفة وصاروخ أطلقها الحوثيون وقوات صالح على منطقتي نجران وجيزان، منذ بدء الحرب.
وقالت «واس» إن من بين الضحايا 80 قتيلاً، منهم 20 طفلاً وتسع نساء.
وكان وزير الخارجية السعودي عادل الجبير، قد قال إن «المملكة تحتفظ بحقها في الدفاع عن نفسها ضد أي اعتداءات، في إشارة إلى قصف الحدود السعودية من قبل مليشيا الحوثيين وصالح”».
700 قتيل وجريح سعودي جراء قصف الحوثيين منطقتي نجران وجيزان بـ40 ألف قذيفة
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89210
06 March 2017
“Yemen was already the poorest country in the Middle East before the intensification in early 2015 of a proxy war between rival powers plunged the Yemeni people into even more horrific circumstances. Now, the United Nations is warning that urgent action is needed to avert famine. As part of its war strategy, Saudi Arabia, with military and political backing from the U.S., has imposed a siege on Yemen, which depends on imports for 90 percent of its food supply. As a result, more than 7.3 million people today need food assistance, and 460,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition.”
We stand with the Yemeni people
https://socialistworker.org/2017/03/06/we-stand-with-the-yemeni-people?quicktabs_sw-recent-articles=3-1
06 March 2017
“Suspected U.S. drones fired missiles at al Qaeda targets in two separate attacks in Yemen on Monday, residents said, extending several days of U.S. strikes against the militants.”
Suspected U.S. drones hit al Qaeda targets in Yemen: residents
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN16D0SW
06 March 2017
“Eight tonnes of medicine have been delivered to hospitals in government-held Taiz, Yemen`s third largest city under Houthi rebel siege, according to the UN health agency.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was the first time since the conflict began that the UN negotiated access by direct route to Taiz city.”
UN delivers medicine to Yemen`s besieged Taiz city
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/delivers-medicine-yemen-besieged-taiz-city-170304153737729.html
06 March 2017
“In the besieged city of Taiz, zookeeper and sub-manager Showky al-Haj is desperately trying to save 281 animals, which are on the brink of starvation…
For nearly two years the Taiz Zoo has deteriorated under the pressure of Yemen`s civil war. An international coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, has imposed a sea blockade on the country targeting Houthi forces. It has resulted in a widespread humanitarian and environmental catastrophe.”
Ark of endangered species on the brink in Yemen
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2017/3/4/ark-of-endangered-species-on-the-brink-in-yemen
06 March 2017
“The bald statistics state that 14 million people are hungry while nearly 19 million (70% of the population) are in need of humanitarian assistance. It broke my heart to see so many undernourished children. Their skin worn thin and barely covering their bones, they could only make their distress known with thin, reedy cries. They were so weak they could barely stand…
The resilience of communities is at breaking point and the infrastructure of survival is breaking down. When people invited us into their kitchens, all they had were empty bags of grain.”
Horror and uncertainty are part of life in Yemen. We must act to prevent famine
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/mar/03/yemen-horror-uncertainty-act-prevent-famine-saleh-saeed-disasters-emeregency-committee
06 March 2017
“But as the devastated country grapples with a massive humanitarian crisis, many Yemenis have become suspicious of one another. The country`s economic, urban and societal fabrics have been ravaged.”
Yemen`s war: `No one knows when he is going to die`
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2017/02/yemen-war-die-170228103727624.html
06 March 2017
“The Supreme Revolutionary Committee on Monday strongly rejected US direct military intervention in Yemen`s soil, internal affairs and violation of national sovereignty.”
Revolutionary Committee rejects US military intervention in Yemen
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458133.htm
06 March 2017
“In Yemen, I was welcomed to share meals and take tea with total strangers. But America is different: We do not welcome strangers as honored guests. We barely welcome them at all.”
What Yemen Can Teach America About Hospitality
https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/what-yemen-can-teach-america-about-hospitality
06 March 2017
“With nearly 274,000 people displaced, Yemen’s Taiz is now among the crisis-torn country’s top five hosting governorates for such populations, a United Nations report has found.
For nearly 20 months, Taiz has been the centre of intense ground clashes, military confrontations and aerial strikes between warring parties in Yemen.”
Yemen: UN migration agency reports displacement spike in Taiz Governorate
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56282#.WL1PcvnyiUk
06 March 2017
“ترى الأوساط الإماراتية في المرحلة اليمنية الراهنة أن عودة تنظيم «القاعدة» إلى محافظة أبين وظهوره العلني في بعض مناطق حضرموت رسالة دموية من الرياض رداً على تمادي أبوظبي وتفردها في قرار جنوب اليمن. وفي حال الاستمرار بلعب ورقة «القاعدة» سعودياً مع حلفاء الرياض في اليمن، فإن الإمارات ستكون جدياً أمام خيار الانسحاب من الحرب، وهذا ما يلمح إليه قادتها بصورة لافتة عقب الأحداث الأخيرة.
لا تصح مقاربة الأحداث الأخيرة جنوب اليمن بمعزل عن الخريطة الجديدة التي ترسم للمنطقة عبر الحرب القائمة حالياً على الشعب اليمني وتشنها دول التحالف العربي، بالإضافة إلى السيطرة على المنافذ البحرية وإقامة القواعد العسكرية، أو تحت ساتر الاستفادة الاقتصادية من الموانئ البحرية والجوية في القرن الأفريقي، حيث تؤجر دوله الفقيرة مساحات واسعة من أراضيها تحت ذريعة زيادة الموارد المالية لتلك الدول، أو بسبب تبعية قادتها للدول الغربية والخليجية. كذلك يبدو الحضور الأميركي في تلك التموضعات كقطب الرحى في إدارة الصراع لجهة إدارته بين حلفائه أو إدارة الحرب نفسها
اندفاعة إماراتية في وجه السعودية التهديد بالانسحاب من الحرب
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/273380
06 March 2017
“مضى شهر شباط الماضي بالحصيلة الأكبر من أرقام خسائر الجيش السعودي على صعيد عمليات القنص المُنفّذة على أيدي وحدة القناصة اليمنيين، وبأسلحة من بينها تلك القنّاصات المُغتنمة من مواقع ومخازن الجيش (أميركية وبريطانية وكندية الصنع).
هذه هي المُفارقة المرّة بالنسبة إلى الجانب السعودي الذي لا يُطيق سماع أخبار هزائم جيشه المتتالية على الحدود الجنوبية، فضلاً عن الاعتراف بها. ولولا مشاهد «الإعلام الحربي» اليمني التي تفضح أداء الجيش السعودي لحظة فراره أمام المقاتلين اليمنيين، لنجحت السعودية عبر ماكينتها الإعلامية الضخمة في تضليل الرأي العام وتقديم معارك اليمنيين داخل المملكة على أنها محض خيال لا واقع له.”
إحصاءات شباط... شهر آخر مرير على الجيش السعودي
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/273453
06 March 2017
“لمرة الثانية، تقدم الولايات المتحدة على إنزال لقواتها في اليمن تحت دعوى محاربة تنظيم «القاعدة». ووفق شهود عيان ومصادر إعلامية ومحلية، نفذت صباح أمس قوات أميركية عملية إنزال جوي، في بلدة موجان على ساحل بحر العرب شرقي محافظة أبين، جنوبي اليمن. وقال الشهود إن طائرة مروحية نفذت عملية الإنزال في بلدة موجان، شرق عاصمة أبين زنجبار، واشتبكت مع بعض المسلحين في المنطقة، وذلك في وقت قصفت فيه طائرة حربية مواقع في البلدة.
ولم تسارع واشنطن إلى إصدار بيان يؤكد العملية، مثلما حدث في نهاية في كانون الثاني الماضي، خلال عملية سابقة في محافظة البيضاء.
في غضون ذلك، نقل موقع «العربي» عن مصادر أمنية مقتل 13 عنصراً من «القاعدة» عرف منهم قيادي يُدعى الشيخ مهاجر الإبي، وذلك في هجوم وصفته المصادر بأنه «واسع» عبر 25 غارة، استهدفت الأولى منها مواقع التنظيم في أبين وشبوة والبيضاء. وعدّدت المصادر أن أربعة قتلوا في شبوة، إثر استهداف سيارة كانوا يستقلونها باتجاه الطريق الرابط بين بلدتي أحور وشقرة، التابعتين لأبين، فيما قتل التسعة الآخرون بصواريخ أطلقتها طائرة من دون طيار على مواقع الجسيمة وزعج ونوفان، على طريق منطقة يكلا، في البيضاء.”
إنزال ثانٍ فاشل للأميركيين؟
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/273452
06 March 2017
“تسعى كل من الولايات المتحدة ومصر والإمارات إلى إنشاء قاعدة عسكرية في جزيرة ميون الواقعة في باب المندب، وذلك في وقت تواصل فيه البارجة الأميركية «يو اس اس كول» الإبحار بالقرب من الساحل نفسه، في تحرك رأى فيه مجلس النواب اليمني «انتهاكاً سافراً للسيادة اليمنية وتدخلاً في الشؤون الداخلية».
الرفض البارز لهذه الخطوة دولياً أتى من الصين، التي أكد المتحدث باسمها جنغ شوانغ، أن إنشاء هذه القاعدة «يعرض أمن المياه الدولية للخطر ويتعارض مع مصالح الحكومة الصينية ودول الاتحاد الأوروبي»، وقال إنه «يتعارض مع القوانين الدولية بسبب عدم وجود حكومة مستقرة في اليمن».
في خطّ موازٍ، رحّب رئيس «اللجنة الثورية العليا»، محمد علي الحوثي، بالموقف الصيني «الرافض لانتهاك السيادة اليمنية»، مشيراً إلى أن قرار «تحالف العدوان ببناء قاعدة في ميون يعكس حقيقة عدوانهم المبني على السيطرة والترهيب».”
سعي دولي إلى إنشاء قاعدة عسكرية قرب باب المندب
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/273533
06 March 2017
“أظهرت وثائق صادرتها الولايات المتحدة الأميركية بعد هجومها على منزل زعيم تنظيم «القاعدة»، أسامة بن لادن، في أبوت أباد في باكستان عام ٢٠١١، اهتمامه الخاص بالانتفاضة القائمة في اليمن على حكم علي عبد الله صالح. وتبيّن الوثائق أنَّ الانتفاضة على صالح خلطت الأوراق بالنسبة إلى التنظيم في اليمن، الذي طلب رأي زعيمه ومشورته.
وفي رسالة موجهة من ابن لادن، إلى زعيم التنظيم في اليمن أنور العولقي، الذي قتل قبل سنوات، قال الأول إنَّ «الحرب في الیمن وفي جزیرة العرب مع النظام المحلي المرتد فیهما لیس مناسباً الآن، والواجب هو أنَّ نوجه كل طاقتنا وقدراتنا وإمكاناتنا إلى ضرب الرأس، وهو أميركا، والتركیز على العمل الخارجي».
كذلك، ركز ابن لادن على ضرورة «الاشتغال بضرب الرأس وتفادي أي معارك جانبیة یجرنا إلیها الأميركان عبر وكلائهم»، مضيفاً: «على كل سهم وكل لغم یمكن أن يستهدف الأميركیون به وهناك غیرهم ینبغي صرفه نحو الأميركیین دون غیرهم». وذكر في رسالته أنَّ «حرب العراق هي حرب الأمس، وحرب أفغانستان هي حرب الیوم... وإنَّ حرب الغد هي حرب الیمن»، لأنها «أكبر مخزون نفطي في العالم كما تعلمون، إضافة إلى أنَّ أهلنا وعشائرنا هناك».”
ابن لادن: الفوضى في اليمن لا تخدم مصالحنا
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/273534
06 March 2017
“أتي الضربات الجوية والإنزالات الأميركية المتتالية في سياق متصاعد تحت ذريعة محاربة الإرهاب، وصولاً إلى تحقيق الحضور المباشر والدائم في اليمن. يُلاحظ من المؤشر البياني ارتفاع في نسبة التدخل الأميركي منذ تسلّم دونالد ترامب إدارة البيت الأبيض، واتخاذه منحىً أكثر عدائية تجاه اليمن. يبرر مسؤولو مكافحة الإرهاب الأميركيين هذا التدخل بأنَّ فرع تنظيم «القاعدة» في اليمن هو أحد الأفرع الأكثر دموية في العالم، ويشكل أكبر تهديد فوري للولايات المتحدة، مضيفين أنه قام بثلاث محاولات غير ناجحة لتنفيذ هجمات بطائرات فوق الولايات المتحدة.
رغم ذلك، صدر عدد من التحذيرات لخبراء أميركيين وغربيين موجهة إلى الإدارة الجديدة من الانجرار إلى «مستنقع اليمن»، خاصة أنه لا يبدو أن الضربات العسكرية التي نفذت على محافظات البيضاء وشبوة وأبين حققت كامل الأهداف المرسومة لها، على خلاف الضجة الإعلامية الضخمة التي روجت أنها حققت الأهداف، مع العلم بأنَّ الطائرات الأميركية من دون طيار تستهدف منذ سنة تقريباً قادة وعناصر «القاعدة» في المحافظات الجنوبية، بالإضافة إلى البيضاء ومأرب الشماليتين.”
ضربات واشنطن على «القاعدة»... وعينها على اليمن
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/273541
06 March 2017
“قتل عدد من الجنود السعوديين، اليوم الاثنين، جراء استهداف آلية عسكرية سعودية في منطقة نجران.
وقال مصدر عسكري لـ"المسيرة نت" أن ثلاثة جنود سعوديين لقوا مصارعهم عندما تمكن أبطال الجيش من تدمير آلية كانوا على متنها قرب موقع العش العسكري.
وشهدت نجران أمس الأحد عملية قنص أدت لمقتل جندي سعودي في موقع الطلعة العسكري، فيما دكت مدفعية الجيش واللجان الشعبية تجمعات للجنود السعوديين خلف موقع الشبكة.”
مقتل 3 جنود سعوديين بتدمير آلية عسكري في نجران
http://almasirah.net/~newmassirah/details.php?es_id=4715&cat_id=3
06 March 2017
“قال تقرير لفرقة العمل التابعة للمنظمة الدولية للهجرة، اليوم الاثنين، إن نحو 273,780 شخصاً نزحوا من منازلهم في محافظة تعز (جنوب غرب اليمن)، مما يضعها بين أكبر خمس محافظات في استضافة النازحين.
وبحسب مركز إعلام الأمم المتحدة الذي أورد ملخصاً للتقرير، فإن المنظمة تتبعت مصفوفة النزوح، في أعقاب نزوح جماعي من مدينة المخا، وهي ميناء رئيسي على ساحل البحر الأحمر في فبراير الماضي.
وذكر إنه «حتى الآن، تم الإبلاغ عما مجموعه 34,920 شخص في مخيمات النازحين من مدينة المخا».”
المنظمة الدولية للهجرة: نحو 273 ألف شخصاً نزحوا من منازلهم في محافظة تعز
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89356
07 March 2017
“Saudi Arabia and its coalition allies are delaying Save the Children’s shipments of aid for Yemen by months, despite a looming famine that threatens to grip much of the country and a healthcare system on the brink of collapse.
In just two months, the Saudi-led coalition has prevented three shipments of medical aid from arriving at the port of Hodeida.
The cargo, intended to reach 300,000 people, included essential supplies such as antibiotics, surgical equipment, medicine and equipment to support malnourished children.
With famine looming and a healthcare system approaching collapse, these shipments mean survival for hundreds of thousands of families in Yemen.”
Saudi Arabia and allies delaying urgently needed medical aid to Yemen
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/saudi-arabia-and-allies-delaying-urgently-needed-medical-aid-yemen?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shared&utm_source=twitter.com
08 March 2017
“At the end of a five-day mission to Yemen, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, said there is still time to avert famine and alleviate the suffering of millions of Yemenis.
Mr. O’Brien undertook the mission to assess the humanitarian situation in Yemen a week after UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen are at risk of falling into famine if action is not taken now, while two counties of South Sudan are in famine. In Yemen, US$2.1 billion is required to meet the urgent humanitarian and protection needs of 12 million people in 2017. With only US$63 million – or 3 per cent of the requirement – received, Mr. O’Brien encourages donors to contribute now so that life-saving humanitarian programmes can be implemented immediately.
`We need more than funds. We also need all parties to the conflict to immediately facilitate timely, full and unimpeded humanitarian access,` Mr. O’Brien said."
Yemen: Action now can avert famine - UN Humanitarian Chief
http://www.unocha.org/top-stories/all-stories/yemen-action-now-can-avert-famine-un-humanitarian-chief#.WL57SEFo45o.twitter
08 March 2017
“Cruise missiles, floating mines and a remote-controlled boat have been deployed to attack ships in Yemen in recent months, changing the dynamic of the two-year-old war and pushing the country closer to famine, shipping and aid officials say.
The weapons have targeted military vessels from a Saudi-led coalition which is fighting Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in the impoverished state on the tip of the Arabian peninsula, part of the same regional power struggle that is fueling Syria’s war…
Increasingly innovative maritime raids near the narrow Bab al-Mandab maritime passage, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, add to already severe difficulties getting aid and commercial supplies to a country that imports 90 percent of its food and fuel by sea.
Saudi-led air strikes close to vital ports in the Houthi-controlled north are also curbing imports, shipping sources say. Both sides deny hampering aid.”
Escalation in ship attacks pushes Yemen towards famine
http://shipsandports.com.ng/escalation-ship-attacks-pushes-yemen-towards-famine/
08 March 2017
“Two Yemeni boys were killed in a drone strike while walking on a road in central Yemen used by al Qaeda militants who have been subject to repeated strikes by U.S. forces in recent days, residents said on Tuesday.
They named the boys as Ahmed and Mohammed al-Khobze, two brothers both under 15.”
Two children killed in Yemen drone strike: residents
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-attacks-idUSKBN16E1QK?il=0
“وقال مصدر نقلاً عن طلاب في مدرسة أنس بن مالك لـ«المصدر أونلاين»، إن نائب مدير قسم شرطة 7 يوليو، اقتحم المدرسة برفقة عدد من المسلحين، ثم اتجه إلى الفصل الذي يُدرّس فيه الأستاذ عبدالملك الفقيه.
وأضافوا بأن الضابط أعتدى على الأستاذ وأهانه بصورة بالغة، واقتاده بشكل غير إنساني إلى ادارة القسم”
ضابط يقتحم مدرسة في مديرية الظهار بإب وبهين مُعلماً ثم يخطفه إلى جهة غير معلومة
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89393/amp
11 March 2017
“Sana’a, - Six months after withdrawing its staff from northern Yemen following the bombing of its hospital in Abs, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has restarted work in Haydan district hospital, in Sa’ada governorate.
Following the 15 August airstrike on Abs hospital which killed 19 people and injured 24 and in the wake of a row of attacks on several medical facilities in Northern Yemen, MSF decided to evacuate most of its staff from both Hajjah and Sa’ada governorates. On 19 February, an MSF team returned to work in Haydan hospital. Up to 200,000 people in this mountainous region rely on Haydan hospital for medical care.”
Yemen: MSF resumes medical work in Haydan hospital
http://www.msf.org/en/article/yemen-msf-resumes-medical-work-haydan-hospital
11 March 2017
“At least 22 civilians were killed on Friday and dozens wounded when a Saudi-led coalition air strike hit a market in western Yemen causing a fire to break out, a local official said.
Missiles launched by fighter jets of the Arab alliance hit a market selling the mild narcotic leaf qat, which is popular among Yemenis, near the Red Sea fishing town of Khoukha.
Rescue workers on Friday night were battling a blaze in the market caused by the attack and pulling bodies out of the rubble some of which were burned beyond recognition, according to Hashim Azazi, deputy governor of Hodeidah province.
‘All of those killed were civilians, none were holding weapons,’ said Azazi.”
Saudi-led coalition air strike kills 22 in Yemen: official
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-hodeidah-idUSKBN16I072
11 March 2017
“The world faces the largest humanitarian crisis since the end of the second world war with more than 20 million people in four countries facing starvation and famine, a senior United Nations official has warned.
Without collective and coordinated global efforts, ‘people will simply starve to death’ and ‘many more will suffer and die from disease’, Stephen O’Brien, the UN under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told the security council in New York on Friday.
He urged an immediate injection of funds for Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and northeast Nigeria plus safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid ‘to avert a catastrophe.’”
World faces worst humanitarian crisis since 1945, says UN official
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/11/world-faces-worst-humanitarian-crisis-since-1945-says-un-official
11 March 2017
“أرتفع عدد شهداء مجزرة طيران العدوان السعودي الأمريكي المروعة بسوق بمديرية الخوخة بمحافظة الحديدة اليوم إلى 22 شهيدا وثمانية جرحى في حصيلة أولية.
وأوضح مصدر محلي بالمحافظة لوكالة الأنباء اليمنية (سبأ) أن طيران العدوان شن غارة على سوق الدوار بمديرية الخوخة ما أدى إلى استشهاد 22 مواطنا وجرح ثمانية أخرين.. مشيرا إلى أن عدد الشهداء مرشح للزيادة جراء الإصابات البالغة.
وأشار المصدر إلى أن طيران العدوان حلق بكثافة بعد قصف السوق لمنع المسعفين من إنقاذ الجرحى مما زاد من عدد الشهداء.
وأدان المصدر بشدة إمعان تحالف العدوان في استهداف المواطنين والمنازل والأسواق في ظل صمت دولي مخجل ومعيب.. مؤكدا أن هذه المجزرة المروعة وصمة عار في جبين الإنسانية.”
حصيلة أولية: 22 شهيدا وثمانية جرحى بمجزرة العدوان المروعة بسوق بالخوخة(مرفق صور)
http://www.saba.ye/ar/news458564.htm
11 March 2017
“ونقلت وكالة أسوشيتد برس الأمريكية عن رئيس إدارة الأمم المتحدة للشؤون الإنسانية، ستيفن اوبراين، قوله إن العالم يشهد حاليا الأزمة الإنسانية الأشد وقعا والأكثر جديّة منذ العام 1945، حيث يعاني أكثر من 20 مليون شخص من الجوع في أربعة بلدان تشهد حروبا.
وأوضح المسؤول الأممي أن هؤلاء الناس قد يتعرضون للموت ببساطة دون "جهد عالمي منسق" من جانب المنظمات الدولية.
ووفقا له، فمن الضروري، للحيلولة دون وقوع كارثة إنسانية، تقديم مساعدات مالية في أسرع وقت ممكن لليمن وجنوب السودان والصومال ونيجيريا، ويجب جمع ما لا يقل عن 4.4 مليار دولار قبل حلول يوليو/تموز المقبل.
واضاف اوبراين: " من دون هذا التمويل الضروري، فإن نمو الأطفال وتطورهم في هذه الدول سيتأثر سلبا بشكل كبير، حيث لن يكونوا قادرين على الذهاب إلى المدرسة ومستقبلهم يمكن أن يضيع".”
الأمم المتحدة تكشف عن أسوأ أزمة إنسانية منذ العام 1945
https://arabic.rt.com/world/867460-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85-%D9%8A%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%AF-%D8%A3%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%A3-%D8%A3%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A5%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B0-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85-1945/
13 March 2017
“Two years since the launch of the Saudi-led campaign, peace in the troubled country seems as far off as ever. President Hadi and his prime minister, Ahmed Obaid bin Daghir, now govern from the port city of Aden, which they declared the temporary capital. The bulk of Yemen’s northern highlands, and the capital city of Sanaa, remain under the control of the Houthis and their allies. Amid ongoing fighting, conditions in the country continue to deteriorate. The country’s infrastructure and industrial capacity are in ruins, and the humanitarian crisis is edging toward famine. Even areas now under the control of the Hadi government are riven with instability.
The unrest in Yemen is not a single conflict but is instead a mosaic of multifaceted regional, local, and international power struggles which are the legacy of recent and long-past events. The following maps aim to illustrate key aspects of this civil war and Yemen’s historical divisions.”
Mapping the Yemen conflict
http://www.ecfr.eu/mena/yemen?utm_content=buffer0d745&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
13 March 2017
“U.S. officials disagree over whether the weapons and greater hands-on support for the Saudi air campaign would result in diminished danger to civilians, arguing that the larger problem has been Riyadh’s choice of targets.
`Urging the Saudis to end the war while continuing to provide the weapons they’re using is like trying to persuade a friend not to rob a bank while driving his getaway car,` Malinowski said."
Trump administration looks to resume Saudi arms sale criticized as endangering civilians in Yemen
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-looks-to-resume-saudi-arms-sale-criticized-as-endangering-civilians-in-yemen/2017/03/08/a259090a-040e-11e7-b1e9-a05d3c21f7cf_story.html?utm_term=.2083b0387ab8
13 March 2017
“أطلق مركز الأمل لعلاج الأورام السرطانية بالحديدة نداء استغاثة للمنظمات الإنسانية والحقوقية جراء ما يتعرض له المرضى من معاناة بسبب منع دول العدوان دخول العلاجات الطبية.
وأكد المرضى الذين يعانون من أورام سرطانية أن الحصار المفروض على البلد تسبب في انعدام الأدوية ما زاد من معاناتهم.
يذكر أن مركز الأمل الذي يقدم العلاج المجاني للمرضى من محافظة الحديدة وما جاورها كان قد وجه نداءً إنسانيًا إلى المنظمات المحلية والدولية بنفاد الأدوية بسبب شحة الموارد وتأخر وصول الأدوية جراء الحصار المفروض من قبل العدوان.”
مركز الأمل لعلاج الأورام السرطانية بالحديدة يعلن نداء استغاثة للمنظمات الإنسانية
http://almasirah.net/~newmassirah/details.php?es_id=4955&cat_id=3
13 March 2017
“تـُواصل الأعمال العدائية المتصاعدة في أنحاء غرب ووسط اليمن إجبار عشرات آلاف الأشخاص على الفرار من ديارهم. وأفادت التقارير بأن أكثر من 62 ألف شخص قد شردوا خلال الأسابيع الستة الأخيرة.
ويليام سبيندلر المتحدث باسم مفوضية الأمم المتحدة السامية لشؤون اللاجئين قال إن القتال الأخير في محافظة تعز أدى إلى نزوح أكثر من 48 ألف شخص، توجه معظمهم إلى مناطق أخرى بالمحافظة وإلى الحديدة.”
القتال يشرد 62 ألف يمني خلال 6 أسابيع
http://www.unmultimedia.org/arabic/radio/archives/235718/#.WMZ1KH_7GUl
13 March 2017
“Human Rights Watch Organization (HRW) confirmed that the airstrikes of Saudi-led military aggression coalition in Yemen, which have killed thousands of civilians, amount to war crimes.
"Yemen has plunged into a deep humanitarian catastrophe," RT quoted Ahmed Benchemsi, communications and advocacy director at Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa as saying.”
Saudi Coalition strikes in Yemen amount to war crimes – HRW
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458816.htm
13 March 2017
“Dozens of Saudi soldiers were killed and others wounded when the artillery of the army and popular forces shelled on Monday several Saudi military sites in Jizan and Najran provinces, a military official told Saba."
Dozens of Saudi soldiers killed in Najran, Jizan
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458805.htm
13 March 2017
“The Trump administration is making its first radical policy change in the Middle East by escalating American involvement in the civil war in Yemen. Wrecked by years of conflict, the unfortunate country will supposedly be the place where the US will start to confront and roll back Iranian influence in the region as a whole.
To this end, the US is to increase military support for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and local Yemeni allies in a bid to overthrow the Houthis – a militarised Shia movement strong in northern Yemen – fighting alongside much of the Yemeni army, which remains loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
If ever there was a complicated and unwinnable war to keep out of, it is this one."
Yemen is a complicated and unwinnable war. Donald Trump should stay out of it
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/yemen-war-donald-trump-us-military-iran-middle-east-isis-counter-terror-operation-william-owens-seal-a7622471.html
13 March 2017
“The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that nearly 65 percent of the population in Yemen is facing food insecurity due to the lack of access to affordable and quality food commodities. The number of food-insecure people in Yemen has increased by 3 million from August–February, bringing the total to 17.1 million food-insecure people as of February 21.
Food prices increased in January amidst food and fuel shortages, which could exacerbate the already dire food security situation, according to USAID/FFP partner the UN World Food Program (WFP)."
Yemen - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #7, Fiscal Year (FY) 2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-complex-emergency-fact-sheet-7-fiscal-year-fy-2017
13 March 2017
“Seven Yemeni soldiers and eight rebels were killed in heavy fighting over the past 24 hours near the Red Sea coastal town of Mokha, medical and security sources said Saturday. The historic port was captured by government forces on Feb. 10 as part of a major offensive launched in January to try to recapture Yemen’s 450-kilometer Red Sea coastline, which had previously been almost entirely in rebel hands."
Fifteen killed in fighting near Yemen Red Sea port
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2017/Mar-13/397240-fifteen-killed-in-fighting-near-yemen-red-sea-port.ashx
13 March 2017
“In recent months, with internally displaced people flooding into Al-Hudaydah governorate, the number of patients receiving haemodialysis treatment in the centre has risen to over 600, despite the fact that the centre’s capacity is 400. Day and night dozens of patients are crowded in the corridors of the centre, waiting for their turn.
“We are working around the clock in 5 shifts to provide some 145 haemodialysis sessions per day but unexpected delays are inevitable as our machines are obsolete and frequently break down,” explains the Director of the Centre, Dr Maher Majam.
`Already 9 machines have broken down and it is getting more difficult to repair them as there are no spare parts for these old models. The schedule often has to be re-arranged, leading to delays of up to 3 days.`”
Kidney patients struggle as Yemeni health crisis worsens
http://www.emro.who.int/yem/yemen-news/kidney-patients-struggle-as-yemeni-health-crisis-worsens.html
13 March 2017
“A former Guantanamo Bay detainee was killed by a US airstrike on Yemen, as an American bombing campaign targeting one of al Qaeda`s strongest branches struck more targets in the country over a week than it had in any previous year.
Yasir al-Silmi died alongside, Usayd al-Adnani, an emir with al Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP) within the Abyan governorate, the Pentagon said.
Mr al-Silmi, a Yemeni citizen, spent several months in extrajudicial detainment at the Cuban naval base after being apprehended in Pakistan. But he was repatriated to his homeland in 2009.”
Former Guantanamo Bay inmate killed in Yemen by escalating US airstrike campaign
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/guantanamo-bay-yasir-al-silmi-killed-yemen-us-airstrike-campaign-al-qaeda-aqap-pentagon-a7615771.html
13 March 2017
“Intensified hostilities across western and central Yemen continue to force tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, with many now struggling to cope in abysmal conditions. More than 62,000 have been reported to be displaced within the last six weeks.
On Yemen’s western coast, recent fighting in Taizz governorate has left more than 48,400 people displaced. The majority, some 35,226 people, have fled within Taizz or to neighbouring Hudaydah (9,822). Others have also been displaced to the nearby governorates of Ibb (1,068 people), Aden (900 people), and smaller numbers to Al Dhale’e, Lahj, Abyan and Shabwah.
Most of those displaced are in dire need of assistance and have found shelter in communal and public spaces, including schools and health facilities, whilst others are living in unfinished buildings or even out in the open.
A number of those displaced, including many children, have been reported as suffering from malnutrition, while others are distressed and in need of psycho-social assistance. Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in areas of displacement are also leading to outbreaks of diseases, including skin ailments.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with partners, has quickly responded to the needs of the newly-displaced people from Taizz, including through the provision of shelter and relief items for those that arriving in districts of Hudaydah and Ibb.
UNHCR’s relief assistance - including mattresses, sleeping mats, blankets, kitchen sets and buckets - has so far reached over 14,000 people, whilst emergency shelter kits and tents have also been provided to cover the needs of more than 18,000. Additional distributions are planned, which will assist over 3,800 newly-displaced individuals from Taizz.”
Renewed fighting displaces tens of thousands more across Yemen
http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2017/3/58c270074/renewed-fighting-displaces-tens-thousands-across-yemen.html
13 March 2017
“With tens of thousands of civilians forced to flee their homes following a spike in fighting across western and central Yemen, the United Nations refugee agency today appealed for more international support, as well as unrestricted access within the country so that it can reach those now facing `abysmal conditions.`
According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 62,000 Yemenis have been displaced over the last six weeks."
As fresh violence in Yemen sends thousands fleeing their homes, UN agency urges support
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56333#.WMZ9ZPnyiUk
13 March 2017
“It has been one year since Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) started providing life-saving health services at the general rural hospital of Thi As Sufal district in Ibb governorate, Yemen.
The general rural hospital of Thi As Sufal, locally known as Al-Kaida Hospital, is one of the numerous health facilities in Yemen to have been financially crippled by the war that started in March 2015. The hospital is located in an area that is home to nearly 500,000 people in addition to the internally displaced people who fled the active frontline just 20 kilometres away in Taiz governorate. In this hospital, MSF receives patients from both Ibb and Taiz governorates and provides an average of 250 emergency consultations each week. “Since the beginning of the war, medical needs in the country have exploded,” says Satoru Ida, MSF head of mission in Yemen. “In response, MSF has increased its assistance to those who have difficulty accessing emergency and basic medical care. Our new project in Thi As Sufal district is part of this expansion. Our aim is to ensure free access to good quality emergency health care, improving the hospital’s mass casualty management and providing lifesaving surgery as well as hospitalisation for the most severe medical conditions.”
Yemen: A year of life-saving activities in Ibb
http://www.msf.org/en/article-yemen-msf-life-saving-activities-ibb-e2-80-93-one-year
13 March 2017
“انسحاب «حزم» جاء بعد يومين من تأكيد قيادات عسكرية موالية لـ«التحالف» اختفاء كتيبة تابعة للّواء، لكن مصدراً عسكرياً مقرباً من «حركة أنصار الله» وحلفائها الذين يمثلون الجبهة المقابلة في التصدي، أكد أن تلك الكتيبة «اختفت شرق المخا بأفرادها وبمعداتها بعدما تعرضت لكمين محكم من الجيش واللجان الشعبية أثناء محاولتها التقدم في جبل حوزان الواقع بالقرب من منطقة الجديد» التابعة لذوباب في محافظة تعز.
وتروي مصادر أخرى في الجيش و«اللجان الشعبية» حادثة الكمين، بالقول، إن «قوات التحالف تقدمت شرق المخا عبر إحدى أقوى الكتائب العسكرية المدربة في جيبوتي، كما أعيد تدريبها على حرب العصابات في السعودية... أثناء محاولتها التقدم بغطاء جوي كثيف، انسحب الجيش واللجان، فتقدمت الكتيبة التي كان عدد أفرادها 200 مقاتل بعتادها الثقيل والمتوسط والخفيف نحو منطقة حوزان، وهنا تمت عملية التفاف عليهم ومحاصرتهم ثم الالتحام معهم لأكثر من ساعة تم خلالها إنهاك الكتيبة وتكبيدها خسائر كبيرة في الأرواح والمعدات».”
لواء «إماراتي» ينحسب من معركة الساحل
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/273959
14 March 2017
“The Saudi-led coalition’s plans to launch an assault on Yemen’s biggest port-city, Al Hudaydah, have caused concern in the Russian Foreign Ministry, which warns the operation would significantly worsen the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country.
The coalition’s `plans to storm Yemen’s biggest port of Hudaydah give rise to serious concerns,` Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement published on the ministry’s official website.
She added that battles in this area `would not only inevitably lead to a mass exodus of the [local] population but would also de facto cut the [Yemeni] capital of Sanaa from… food and humanitarian aid supplies.`”
Saudi-led coalition`s port op would cut off Yemen from food & aid supplies, Russia warns
https://www.rt.com/news/380524-russia-yemen-saudi-op/
14 March 2017
“How many highway lanes could be paved, how many bridges repaired, how many illnesses averted, how many opiate addicts saved from overdoses, how many veterans given better care with the hundreds of millions of dollars that the Trump administration is spending on discretionary military operations in impoverished Yemen?
The United States is allied with Saudi Arabia as it prosecutes a brutal military campaign there. `The U.S. role in the war is substantial,` Michael Brendan Dougherty explains. `Saudi Arabia buys most of its weapons from the U.S. Its pilots are trained by the United States. And the United States refuels Saudi planes in the air. The U.S. military is widely believed to be helping the Saudis choose targets. And U.S. special [operations] forces are on the ground in Yemen, ostensibly to fight local al Qaeda outfits.` He adds:
`But just as in Syria, the U.S. finds itself committed to the downfall of a Shia government, while at the same time working to degrade the ability of al Qaeda to benefit from the fall of that same government. The Saudi coalition routinely bomb civilian targets like hospitals or food production facilities. In turn, the Houthis have resorted to extreme tactics as well.
It’s just the sort of messy intervention that an establishment hawk like Hillary Clinton would’ve hubristically prosecuted and that populists are understandably tired of financing. (Some hawks regard it as a proxy war against Iran, a view many dispute).`”
Trump`s Yemen Policy Serves Saudi Royals Better Than Americans
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/03/trump-yemen-saudi-arabia-counterterrorism/519324/
14 March 2017
“According to the latest United Nations figures, two-thirds of the population - 18.8 million people - need aid and more than seven million people are now facing famine. The war in the Arab world`s poorest nation will soon reach its second anniversary. The fighting has already claimed more than 10,000 lives. But it`s the effects of hunger and the threat of famine driven by that conflict which now loom large.”
Fighting Famine: How Yemen is facing the `world`s largest humanitarian crisis`
http://www.itv.com/news/2017-03-14/fighting-famine-yemen-facing-worlds-largest-humanitarian-crisis/
14 March 2017
“The conflict in Yemen has killed nearly 7,700 people, including at least 1,564 children, since a Saudi-led coalition intervened on the government`s side two years ago, UN agencies said Monday.
The UN children`s agency UNICEF said that by March 10, at least 1,546 children were killed and 2,450 others maimed in Yemen.”
More than 1,500 children dead in two years of Yemen war: UN
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-4310082/More-1-500-children-dead-two-years-Yemen-war-UN.html
15 March 2017
“Amnesty International has corroborated new evidence showing that the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition recently fired Brazilian-manufactured rockets containing banned cluster munitions in the middle of Sa’da city in Yemen, injuring two civilians and causing material damage.
The attack, striking three residential areas and surrounding farmland at 10.30pm on 15 February, is the third confirmed use of Brazilian cluster munitions documented by Amnesty in the last 16 months.PR
Following the attack, Amnesty interviewed eight local residents - including two witnesses - one of whom was injured in the incident. Amnesty also spoke to a local activist and analysed photographic and video evidence provided by Yemen’s munitions watchdog, the Yemen Executive Mining Action Centre (YEMAC), which inspected the site witda cityhin 30 minutes of the attack. YEMAC staff also confirmed the use of the same type of cluster munitions in a separate attack in late January in the directorate of Abdeen, three miles south of Sa’da city.”
Fresh evidence of cluster bombs being used by Saudi coalition forces in Yemen
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/fresh-evidence-cluster-bombs-being-used-saudi-coalition-forces-yemen?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=20170309124754&utm_campaign=Amnesty
17 March 2017
“Severe food insecurity threatens more than 17 million people in conflict-ridden Yemen, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released by the United Nations and humanitarian partners today.
Twenty of the country`s 22 governorates are in ‘emergency` or ‘crisis` food insecurity phases and almost two-thirds of the population are now facing hunger and urgently require life and livelihood-saving assistance. Without additional humanitarian and livelihoods support, Taiz and Al Hudaydah, two governorates accounting for almost a quarter of Yemen`s population, risk slipping into famine.”
Yemen Needs Urgent Assistance to Prevent Famine
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/26213/yemen-needs-urgent-assistance-to-prevent-famine
17 March 2017
“Navy SEALs attempted to conduct another raid inside Yemen earlier this month but aborted the mission at the last minute, according to a senior U.S. military official.
Members of SEAL Team 6 deployed to Yemen in early March for a ground assault targeting suspected members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a group U.S. officials view as the most dangerous branch of the terrorist organization. The aborted mission followed a botched January 29 raid in the village of al Ghayil, in al Bayda province. That raid left a Navy SEAL dead and two others seriously injured, and killed more than two dozen Yemeni civilians, including at least 16 women and children. The leader of AQAP, Qassim al Rimi, released a statement mocking Donald Trump and stating that 14 men died in the assault.
General Joseph Votel, who leads U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services committee last week, `We lost a lot in this operation. We lost a valued operator, we had people wounded, we caused civilian casualties, lost an expensive aircraft.`”
Seal Team 6 Attempted a Second Yemen Raid One Month After Botched Operation
https://theintercept.com/2017/03/16/seal-team-6-attempted-a-second-yemen-raid-one-month-after-botched-operation/
17 March 2017
“Thirty-one Somali refugees were killed off the coast of Yemen late on Thursday when a helicopter reportedly attacked the boat they were travelling in.
Coastguard Mohamed al-Alay said the refugees, carrying official UN refugee agency (UNHCR) documents, were travelling from Yemen to Sudan when they were attacked by an Apache helicopter near the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
As international organisations confirmed an attack, the head of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Sana’a, Laurent De Boeck, added that 77 survivors who were pulled out of the water were taken to a detention centre in Hudaydah."
31 Somali refugees killed in helicopter attack off Yemen coast
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/17/somali-refugees-killed-helicopter-attack-off-yemen-coast
17 March 2017
“New evidence of babies starving to death in Yemen has emerged as the United Nations (UN) and aid agencies issue urgent calls for increased aid deliveries to feed 7 million people at risk of famine.
Charity Save the Children took the images this week in the Yemeni Capital Sanaa, in the wards of the Al Sabeen Hospital.
The NGO says its teams are seeing skeletal children in Yemen`s hospitals on the brink of death, so hungry they do not even have the energy to cry."
Yemen: Agencies call for aid as skeletal starving children on brink of death
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-17/odds-are-stacked-against-us:-yemen-calls-for-aid-amid-famine/8362352
17 March 2017
“Aid agencies have warned that Yemen is “at the point of no return” after new figures released by the UN indicated 17 million people are facing severe food insecurity and will fall prey to famine without urgent humanitarian assistance.
A total of 6.8 million people are deemed to be in a state of emergency – one step from famine on the five-point integrated food security phase classification (IPC), the standard international measure – with a further 10.2 million in crisis. The numbers reflect a 21% increase in hunger levels in the Arab world’s poorest state since June 2016.”
Yemen at `point of no return` as conflict leaves almost 7 million close to famine
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/mar/16/yemen-conflict-7-million-close-to-famine
17 March 2017
“The Saudi-led coalition launched Brazilian-made cluster munition rockets that struck a farm in northern Yemen in late February 2017, wounding two boys, Human Rights Watch said today.
`The Saudi-led coalition’s continued use of widely banned cluster munitions in Yemen shows callous disregard for civilian lives,` said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch and chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition, the international coalition of groups working to eradicate cluster munitions. `Saudi Arabia, its coalition partners, and Brazil, as a producer, should immediately join the widely endorsed international treaty that bans cluster munitions.`
Cluster munitions are delivered from the ground by artillery and rockets, or dropped from aircraft and contain multiple smaller explosive submunitions that spread out indiscriminately over a wide area. Many fail to detonate and leave unexploded submunitions that become de facto landmines, posing a threat long after a conflict ends.”
Yemen: Cluster Munitions Wound Children
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cluster-munitions-wound-children
17 March 2017
“Donald Trump has reportedly given the Pentagon permission to carry out more raids in Yemen – despite a botched mission in January that resulted in the deaths of 20 civilians and a US Navy Seal.
The White House told military leaders they can carry out missions in the Gulf state without specific presidential approval.
Negotiations about extending similar permissions to raids in Libya and Somalia are also taking place, CNN reported.”
Donald Trump gives Pentagon permission to carry out more raids in Yemen after botched operation
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-yemen-raids-permission-botched-death-navy-seal-ryan-owens-a7631126.html
17 March 2017
“Yemeni army soldiers and fighters from Popular Committees have shot down an Apache helicopter operated by Saudi Arabia in the western province of Hudaydah, a report says.
The chopper was brought down in Hudaydah’s Bayt al-Faqih district on Thursday, Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported.
On January 25, the Yemeni forces shot down another Apache helicopter belonging to the so-called Saudi-led coalition in Dhubab neighborhood of Yemen`s Ta`izz province.”
Yemeni forces down Saudi helicopter in Hudaydah province: TV
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/03/16/514582/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-Hudaydah
17 March 2017
“An Emirati soldier has died in Yemen, where the UAE is taking part in a Saudi-led coalition intervention against rebels, the country`s armed forces announced on Thursday.
The soldier was named as Zakariya Suleiman al-Zaabi in a statement carried by state news agency WAM, but it did not provide details of the circumstances of his death.
Some 85 Emirati soldiers have been killed since the coalition launched its intervention in support of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi in March 2015.”
UAE soldier killed fighting with Saudi-led coalition in Yemen
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/3/16/uae-soldier-killed-fighting-with-saudi-led-coalition-in-yemen
19 March 2017
“Saudi forces backed by the United States are intentionally targeting food production and the agricultural sector in their bombing campaign in Yemen, according to a leading expert. In some parts of the impoverished country, the Saudi-led coalition is using a `scorched-earth strategy,`says a scholar who specializes in agriculture in Yemen.
‘The coalition was and is targeting intentionally food production, not simply agriculture in the fields,’ Martha Mundy, a professor emeritus at the London School of Economics, told Salon.”
Famine looms in Yemen, as U.S.-backed Saudi bombing intentionally targets food
http://www.salon.com/2016/10/27/famine-looms-in-yemen-as-u-s-backed-saudi-bombing-intentionally-targets-food-production/
20 March 2017
“The UNHCR said on its Twitter account that 42 refugees were reported dead and 39 wounded were being treated in hospitals. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had earlier said 33 were dead, 29 wounded and other passengers were missing.
‘We do not know who carried it out but survivors said they came under attack from another boat at 9 p.m., the crew used lights and shouted to signal this is a civilian boat,’ ICRC spokeswoman Iolanda Jaquemet said.
‘Nevertheless, it did not have any effect and a helicopter joined in the attack,` she said.
Somalia`s Foreign Affairs Minister Abdusalam Hadliye Omar expressed sorrow at what he described as a `horrific attack’.”
Air strike kills 42 refugees off Yemen, Somalia demands investigation
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-refugees-idUSKBN16O0UI
20 March 2017
“We are in a bind where UK humanitarian organisations try to get aid and medicines, paid for by the British taxpayer, into Yemen while a Saudi-led coalition, of which Britain is a part, is pounding the very port facilities through which British support needs to pass.”
We are complicit in the suffering of Yemen`s children – we cannot ignore their starvation any longer
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/yemen-saudi-arabia-famine-starvation-uk-arms-sales-a7636586.html
20 March 2017
“At least 20 Houthi rebels were reportedly killed in a failed attempt to attack government positions in Yemen’s northern Saada province near Saudi border, according to the Yemeni army.
Houthi militants on Sunday attempted to sneak into army positions in Souq al-Buqaa area in northern Saada, the army said in a statement cited by the pro-army September 26 website.
The statement cited a military source saying 20 Houthi rebels were killed when government forces aborted the attack.”
Yemen: 20 Houthi rebels killed near Saudi border
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-20-houthi-rebels-killed-near-saudi-border/775381
20 March 2017
“With an estimated 17 million people at ‘emergency’ or ‘crisis’ levels of food insecurity, conflict-ridden Yemen is currently one of the worst hunger crises in the world. Twenty of the country’s 22 governorates are in ‘emergency’ or ‘crisis’ food insecurity phases and almost two-thirds of the population are now facing hunger and urgently require life and livelihood-saving assistance.
Without additional humanitarian and livelihoods support, Taiz and Hodeidah, two governorates accounting for almost a quarter of Yemen’s population, risk slipping into famine. The intensified conflict persisted for the past two years, coupled with restrictions and disruptions of commercial and humanitarian imports, mass population displacements, loss of livelihoods and income, scarcity and high prices of essential commodities including food and fuel, disrupted market systems, and suspension of safety net programmes and salaries for government employees have all contributed to the widespread food insecurity and malnutrition situation in Yemen.”
Yemen Market Watch Report, Issue No. 10, February 2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-market-watch-report-issue-no-10-february-2017
20 March 2017
“With the country`s business in petroleum and currency trading decreasing, black market traders have stepped in to take full advantage of the situation.
On the streets of the capital Sana`a, petrol in bottles and small containers is sold openly, so is foreign currency.
‘Black market trading has become more prominent, while official business has decreased. The black market traders have taken advantage especially the fuel and money traders,’ said Ahmed Shamakh, an economic analyst.”
Yemen conflict gives local black market a boost
http://www.trtworld.com/mea/yemen-conflict-gives-local-black-market-a-boost-319713
22 March 2017
“Similarly, the US sold a record amount of arms to Saudi Arabia under Obama’s administration, with sales set to continue under Trump. Earlier this month the State Department approved a resumption in the $300m sale of US-made precision-guided missiles, a deal blocked late in Obama’s administration due to concerns over civilian casualties.”
The UK has made 10 times more in arms sales to Saudi Arabia than it`s given in aid to Yemen
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/saudi-arabia-arms-sales-yemen-war-uk-government-us-donald-trump-obama-aid-a7643066.html#r3z-addoor
22 March 2017
“After two years of war, orphans in the Yemeni capital Sanaa have only one dream - to survive. The al-Shawkani Foundation for Orphan Care is located around 100 meters (yards) from the al-Nahdain mountain, widely believed to be an arms depot that has been repeatedly bombarded by Saudi-led coalition`s fighter jets. Bombardment of the explosive-laden peak send huge mushroom clouds erupting into Sanaa`s skies and shake the whole city. As the war rages on, the orphans suffer through a constant state of fear and trauma.”
Yemen orphanage braves nearby air strikes
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN16T1HV-OCATP
22 March 2017
“Three intelligence sources told The Daily Beast that the ban on carry-on electronics aboard U.S.-bound flights from 10 airports in North Africa and the Middle East was the result of information seized during a U.S. raid on Al Qaeda in Yemen in January. The United Kingdom joined the U.S. ban Tuesday.
Information from the raid shows al Qaeda`s successful development of compact, battery bombs that fit inside laptops or other devices believed to be strong enough to bring down an aircraft, the sources said. The battery bombs would need to be manually triggered, a source explained, which is why the electronics ban is only for the aircraft cabin not checked luggage.”
U.S. Raid on Al Qaeda in Yemen Led to Laptop Ban on Flights, Officials Say
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/03/21/what-triggered-the-laptop-ban-on-flights-answers-don-t-add-up-yet.html
22 March 2017
“Dozens of Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed and others wounded when the Yemeni army and popular forces hit on Tuesday their gatherings in the north of Mokha district of Taiz province, a military official told Saba.
Moreover, the national army bombed a military vehicle of the mercenaries in the operation, the official added. The Yemeni Army and Popular Committees also struck the Saudi sites in Najran in response to Saudi air raids on various residential areas in Yemen.”
Yemeni Army, Popular Committees Kill Dozens of Saudi-led Mercenaries in Taiz
http://english.almanar.com.lb/218161
22 March 2017
“The US-backed Saudi aggression warplanes launched four airstrikes on Arhab district of Sana`a province, a security official told Saba on Wednesday.
The warplanes hit Yahis area four times, causing heavy damages to citizen`s farms and properties.”
Saudi aggression warplanes wage 4 strikes on Sana`a
https://www.sabanews.net/en/news459759.htm
23 March 2017
“Sajjad Mohamed Sajid, Oxfam`s Country Director in Yemen, said: ‘If the parties to the conflict – and those fuelling it with arm sales – continue to ignore Yemen’s food crisis, they will be responsible for a famine. The people of Yemen are being starved to death and may not survive the situation much longer.
‘A fully funded humanitarian response is vital to prevent countless people dying needlessly but ultimately what Yemenis need is an end to the fighting. All sides to the conflict need to understand that famine is the real enemy of Yemen. Preventing famine must take priority over any side’s military aims. The world cannot wait for famine to be declared in Yemen or it will be too late.’”
Millions in Yemen are being knowingly pushed to the brink of famine
https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-03-23/millions-yemen-are-being-knowingly-pushed-brink-famine
27 March 2017
“In a memo this month to national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Mattis said that ‘limited support’ for Yemen operations being conducted by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — including a planned Emirati offensive to retake a key Red Sea port — would help combat a ‘common threat.’
Approval of the request would mark a significant policy shift. U.S. military activity in Yemen until now has been confined mainly to counterterrorism operations against al-Qaeda’s affiliate there, with limited indirect backing for gulf state efforts in a two-year-old war that has yielded significant civilian casualties.
It would also be a clear signal of the administration’s intention to move more aggressively against Iran. The Trump White House, in far stronger terms than its predecessor, has echoed Saudi and Emirati charges that Iran is training, arming and directing the Shiite Houthis in a proxy war to increase its regional clout against the Gulf’s Sunni monarchies.
The administration is in the midst of a larger review of overall Yemen policy that is not expected to be completed until next month.”
Trump administration weighs deeper involvement in Yemen war
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-weighs-deeper-involvement-in-yemen-war/2017/03/26/b81eecd8-0e49-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html?utm_term=.693fbee69085
27 March 2017
“As a Yemeni journalist working in international news, I have had to monitor every twist and turn of the civil war in my country, even when I wanted to look away.
Truthfully, the thought of coming face-to-face with the new reality shaped by the furious conflict in Yemen has terrified me.
But living through the war from outside Yemen was isolating.
As we make our way to the capital, Sanaa, on a rugged 10-hour car journey from Aden, I think back to the number of times I quietly broke down after hearing news coming out of Yemen. Working in a newsroom, this happened often.
This trip takes me from the south to the north - two parts of a country divided by more than mere miles.
In simple terms, the south is under government control, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, and the north is controlled by the Houthi rebels. But the reality is more complicated.”
Yemen conflict: How my country has changed
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-39365164
27 March 2017
“Over the course of the war, British and American military forces have supported the Saudi war machine through major arms deals. They have also admitted to training Saudi pilots and providing them with intelligence on their targets in Yemen.
On Sunday, groups of protesters met at Marble Arch, near London’s Hyde Park, and condemned the ongoing weapons deals between Saudis and their Western allies.
Carrying signs that read, ‘End Yemen Siege’ and ‘Hands Off Yemen,’ the protesters then marched outside the BBC offices to protest the mainstream media’s way of reporting the conflict.”
UK activists call for end to Saudi war on Yemen
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/03/27/515732/UK-Yemen-Saudi-war-protest
27 March 2017
“Tens of thousands of Yemenis have rallied in the capital, Sanaa, to mark the second anniversary of a war between a Saudi-led military coalition and rebels who had overthrown the government.
The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people and pushed the impoverished country to the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.
The gathering on Sunday, which was organised by Houthi rebels, was the biggest event since an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia entered the conflict in March 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power.”
Sanaa protest marks second Yemen conflict anniversary
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/sanaa-protest-marks-yemen-conflict-anniversary-170326175737641.html
27 March 2017
“As the war in Yemen enters its third year more than 1,500 children have been killed, while a similar number have been recruited in the fighting.
In total more than 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting.
The latest figures released by UNICEF also reveal that 2,450 children have been injured in the war, while violence has created a food security emergency.
In total around 19 million people in the country are in need of humanitarian assistance.”
More than 1,500 children killed in Yemen`s war as it enters third year
http://www.itv.com/news/2017-03-27/more-than-1-500-children-killed-in-yemens-war-as-it-enters-third-year/
27 March 2017
“The war has also tipped the country, already the poorest of the Arab states, into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with the UN predicting a famine and some aid agencies saying that parts of Yemen are already starving to death. The war has put the UK and US, who have lent, to differing degrees, political and military support to the Saudi-led campaign, in a difficult position, with rights groups accusing them of helping facilitate breaches of international law by the Saudi air force and of not doing enough to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.”
The Arab Gulf states plan to `win` the war in Yemen – we should be wary about what their victory would look like
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/yemen-war-saudi-arabia-united-arab-emirates-islamist-groups-win-war-victory-a7650516.html
27 March 2017
“UNICEF estimates that every 10 minutes, at least one child dies of preventable causes like malnutrition, diarrhoea, and respiratory tract infections. The country’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been ravaged, posing serious health risks, especially to young children who quickly become malnourished from diarrhoeal diseases caused by the lack of clean water and proper sanitation. Basic social services are plunging towards total collapse in many parts of the country as authorities run out of money and can no longer pay salaries and operate health facilities, schools, water supply and sanitation systems and social welfare programmes. Imposed restrictions on imports, movements and financial transactions are crippling the private sector and compromising the delivery of humanitarian aid.”
THE CHILDREN OF YEMEN
https://www.unicef.org/yemen/Yemen2Years-children_falling_through_the_cracks.pdf
27 March 2017
“An apparent Saudi-led coalition attack on a boat carrying Somali civilians off the coast of Yemen highlights the need for accountability on the second anniversary of the Yemeni armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. Several witnesses reported that on March 16, 2017, a helicopter fired on the boat, killing at least 32 of the 145 Somali migrants and refugees on board and one Yemeni civilian. Another 29, including six children, were wounded, and 10 more remain missing. Photos of the boat taken the next day show damage consistent with gunfire from an aerial attack."
Yemen: Attack on Refugee Boat Likely War Crime
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/03/26/yemen-attack-refugee-boat-likely-war-crime
27 March 2017
"قالت منظمة الأمم المتحدة للطفولة `يونيسيف` إن عدد الأطفال الذين قتلوا أو أصيبوا أو أجبروا على حمل السلاح في اليمن تضاعف تقريبا خلال العام الثاني للحرب، مقارنة بالعام الأول.
وربما يشير تقرير اليونيسف إلى أن الحوثيين فقدوا العشرات من مقاتليهم في العام الأول من الحرب، بفعل ضربات التحالف العربي الذي تقوده السعودية، مما دفع بهم إلى تجنيد الأطفال."
تقرير يشير إلى أن الحوثيين أجبروا الأطفال على حمل السلاح بعد مقتل العشرات من مسلحيهم
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89903
27 March 2017
"شهدت عدد من المدن الأوروبية والأمريكية تظاهرات ووقفات تضامنية مع الشعب اليمني جراء ما يتعرض له عدوان ظالم والمطالبة بإيقاف الحرب ورفع الحصار.
رفع المشاركون في التظاهرات والوقفات في كل من السويد وألمانيا وفرنسا ونيويورك لافتات وشعارات طالبت بالوقف الفوري للمذبحة المروعة التي يتعرض لها أبناء اليمن ورفع الحصار المفروض عليهم منذ عامين ووقف بيع الأسلحة لدول العدوان."
تظاهرات في عدة مدن أوروبية وأمريكية تضامناً مع الشعب اليمني
http://www.saba.ye/ar/news460274.htm
27 March 2017
"أعلنت القوات الحكومية اليوم الأحد، قصفها بالمدفعية الثقيلة من مواقعها في نهم (شرق صنعاء)، مواقع للحوثيين وقوات صالح فيمحيط دار الرئاسة وميدان السبعين في العاصمة صنعاء، في عملية نوعية هي الأولى منذ اندلاع الحرب."
القوات الحكومية في نهم شرق صنعاء تعلن قصفها مواقع في محيط دار الرئاسة
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89880
27 March 2017
"أن حقائق الزمان والمكان تؤكد أن السعودية وحلفاءها هم بالفعل من يهددون سلامة الملاحة البحرية في باب المندب وعلى طول ساحل البحر الأحمر بمغامراتهم العسكرية التي صاحبت العدوان على اليمن وآخرها الهجوم على مناطق باب المندب وساحل ومدينة المخا، والتهديد بتحويل ميناء الحديدة إليّ منطقة عسكرية."
مصدر مسئول بوزارة الخارجية: السعودية وحلفاءها هم من يهددون سلامة الملاحة البحرية في البحر الأحمر
http://www.saba.ye/ar/news460231.htm
29 March 2017
“Similar to US counterterrorism efforts in Yemen under President Barack Obama, the newly minted White House administration of Donald Trump has shown little appetite to explore non-military policy options to supplement the use of American firepower in Yemen. Indeed, shortly after taking office President Trump authorized the escalation of drone strikes and special forces operations in Yemen. The Trump administration’s 2017 budget proposal to congress also outlines massive cuts in US diplomatic and humanitarian spending, even as the UN declared last month that Yemen faces the largest food security emergency in the world. Such a myopic focus on the military option in the battle against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) indicates a failure to grasp why AQAP has expanded so successfully in Yemen despite well more than a decade of US counterterrorism efforts in the country.
Among AQAP’s core strengths is its membership’s understanding of the historical context and socio-political, tribal, security and economic dynamics at play in the areas in which the group embeds itself; this allows the group to tailor its tactics and leverage local circumstances to expand its support base, operational capacity, and absorb losses. Since the onset of civil war in Yemen, AQAP has exploited the country’s sectarian polarization, the collapse of the state and security institutions, and the catastrophic humanitarian crisis such that today AQAP is a more potent force than ever before.”
The Limits of US Military Power in Yemen: Why Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula continues to thrive
http://sanaacenter.org/publications/item/86-the-limits-of-us-military-power-in-yemen.html
30 March 2017
“In October 2011, Meqdad’s father, Saleh, and his 17-year-old brother Jalal were killed in a drone strike after they drove into the desert to find some missing camels. Another brother who was with them – Ezzaldeen, 14 – escaped the blast and hid until morning, when he found the two shattered bodies.
In 2014, the Guardian gave Meqdad’s 13-year-old brother a camera to record his daily life. In January 2015, he too was killed in a drone strike.
US drone strikes in Yemen are a key part of the campaign against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), but the Tuaiman family denies any links to terrorism and say the family has never received any explanation from either US authorities or their Yemeni government allies.”
`They`re going to kill me next`: Yemen family fears drone strikes under Trump
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/30/yemen-drone-strikes-trump-escalate
30 March 2017
“As MPs prepare to debate the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen, the tragic suffering of some of the conflict`s youngest victims has come to the fore.
Two years since the civil war began, at least 1,546 children have been killed and 2,450 maimed.
Nine-year-old Ali wears two hearing aids and barely speaks after an airstrike hit a building near his home in Sa’ada Governorate. The blast threw him from a window and he fell two stories, before landing on his neck.
‘Blood was coming out of Ali’s ears and nose,’ his mother Enas said. ‘Blood was even coming out from his mouth… it was hard for him to even breathe.’”
`My wounds still hurt and I am very afraid`: Yemen`s civil war in the words of its forgotten children
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-civil-war-forgotten-children-conflict-mp-debate-saudi-arabia-airstrikes-a7652966.html
30 March 2017
“Four-fifths of Yemen`s children are in need of humanitarian help and the health care system is on the verge of collapse. According to a UNICEF report, more than 2.2 million children are malnourished.”
Yemen`s children pay the price of war
http://www.dw.com/en/yemens-children-pay-the-price-of-war/av-38195328
01 April 2017
“The UN has warned of a catastrophe in Yemen, where some 18 million people need food assistance and face starvation.
Sam Walton, who attempted the citizen`s arrest - which is an arrest carried out by a regular citizen and not a law-enforcement official - said that Asiri shouldn’t be welcomed in the UK.”
Yemen war: Saudi general hit by egg, arrest attempt in London
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/activist-attempts-citizens-arrest-saudi-general-yemen-role-1657959688
01 April 2017
“The U.S. is also rapidly expanding military operations in Yemen. The U.S. has reportedly launched more than 49 strikes across the country this month—according to The New York Times, that’s more strikes than the U.S. has ever carried out in a single year in Yemen. While the U.S. airstrikes have been targeting suspected al-Qaeda operations in Yemen, The Wall Street Journal is reporting the U.S. is now offering even more logistical and intelligence support for the Saudi-led war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are accused of being linked to Iran. More than 10,000 people have been killed since the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen began two years ago this month.”
Yemen: Trump Expands U.S. Military Role in Saudi War as Yemenis Brace for Famine
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/3/30/yemen_trump_expands_us_military_role
01 April 2017
“Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, has for years been plagued by instability and economic deprivation, and the civil war there has exacerbated the situation.
Fighting on the ground and air strikes on areas held by Houthi rebels, targeted by a Saudi-led coalition backed by the US and UK, have displaced more than three million people.
Before 2015, almost half of all Yemenis lived below the poverty line, two-thirds of youths were unemployed, and social services were on the verge of collapse.”
UN warns of catastrophe as 18m face famine in Yemen
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/world-facing-greatest-humanitarian-crisis-1945-un-1826175092
01 April 2017
“More than 14 million people in Yemen have no access to health services, the United Nations health agency today said, warning that transportation of medical personnel and treatment for the injured is getting increasingly difficult as this week the fighting enters its third year.
At least 7,719 people have been killed and 42,922 injured since 19 March 2015, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported, but the actual numbers are believed to be higher.
‘More than half of all health facilities are closed or functioning only partially,’ Tarik Jasarevic, a WHO spokesperson, told journalists in Geneva.
Mr. Jasarevic, who was in Yemen in February, said that at least 274 health facilities had been damaged or destroyed as a result of the conflict, and some 44 health workers either killed or injured.
He noted also a shortage of medicines and specialized staff, such as surgeons, many of whom have fled the country.
‘For more than six months, health facilities in Yemen had received no financial support to cover operational costs and staff salaries,’ the spokesperson said.
As a result, health facilities such as the chemo-dialysis centre in Hudaydah, is on the brink of ceasing operations, as there was no more fuel to run the obsolete chemo-dialysis machines, Mr. Jasarevic noted. Without the facility 600 people with kidney failure would likely die.”
Half of all health facilities in war-torn Yemen now closed; medicines urgently needed – UN
https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56446&Cr=yemen&Cr1=#.WN-4WaIo-Ul
01 April 2017
“Human Rights Watch this week said Saudi Arabia may have committed a war crime on 16 March when a helicopter fired on a boat, killing at least 32 of the 145 Somali migrants and refugees on board and one Yemeni civilian. The attack occurred off the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah.
Asiri said Saudi helicopters did not hold the ammunition found at the site and told campaigners from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch: ‘Stop communicating what the Houthi people put in the social media. To be constructive, give us evidence and we will engage with you.’
He said campaign groups were being bluffed by people on the ground and relaying Houthi social media propaganda.”
Egg thrown at Saudi general in protest against military campaign in Yemen
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/31/saudi-arabia-yemen-military-campaign-general-ahmed-aisir-clashes-with-critics?CMP=share_btn_tw
03 April 2017
“A number of Schools of Raimah province organized Saturday a protest to condemned US-Saudi war crimes against the Yemeni people.
At the rally, the students denounced the brutal crimes committed by Saudi-led aggression coalition against Yemenis.
The protesters called on stopping the Saudi aggression and lift the siege which prevents from an access of the food and medicine supplies to civilians.”
Protest rally against US-Saudi war crimes on Yemen
http://sabanews.net/en/news460785.htm
03 April 2017
“Unpaid teachers demonstrated in Yemen’s southern city of Taiz as the war-shattered country facing an economic collapse is unable to pay salaries to educators and other government employees.
Abdel Rahman al Moktary, the head of the Teacher`s Union in Taiz, said educators are struggling to feed their families.”
Teachers in Yemen protest over unpaid wages
http://www.trtworld.com/mea/teachers-in-yemen-protest-over-unpaid-wages-328689
03 April 2017
“Scotland Yard is examining allegations of war crimes by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, the Guardian can reveal, triggering a possible diplomatic row with Britain on the eve of Theresa May’s visit to the Arab state.
The Metropolitan police confirmed that their war crimes unit was assessing whether criminal prosecutions could be brought over Saudi Arabia’s devastating aerial campaign in Yemen.
The force’s SO15 counter-terrorism unit revealed to a London human rights lawyer that it had launched a ‘scoping exercise’ into the claims before Maj Gen Ahmed al-Asiri’s visit to the capital last week.”
Met police look at allegations of Saudi war crimes in Yemen
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/02/met-police-examine-allegations-saudi-arabia-war-crimes-yemen
03 April 2017
“Conflict has been raging in Yemen since 2015, yet people from Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea remain undeterred to thread on the perilous routes only to encounter dangerous conditions when they get there. To paraphrase the Somali-British poet Warsan Shire, they continue to flee their lands, as home won`t let them stay.
Just how dangerous this journey can be was made clear last month, when a boat carrying 150 Somali refugees was attacked by a helicopter and a military ship near the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. At least 42 were killed.”
Why are African men and women still fleeing to Yemen?
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/04/african-men-women-fleeing-yemen-170401081941703.html
03 April 2017
"تبحث الشرطة البريطانية في لندن في ادعاءات بأن السعودية ارتكبت جرائم حرب في اليمن.
وكانت وحدة مكافحة الإرهاب في قوات الشرطة قد أبلغت دانيل ماكوفر، محامي حقوق الإنسان في بريطانيا، أنها تقيم مدى إمكانية رفع دعوى قضائية بشأن حملة السعودية الجوية في اليمن.
وتقول الشرطة إنه لا يوجد حاليا أي تحقيق.
ووجهت تهم للسعودية بقتل آلاف المدنيين، والتسبب في حدوث كارثة إنسانية في أحد أفقر البلدان في المنطقة.
وتنفي السعودية أن قواتها تستهدف المدنيين في اليمن. وتقول إنها تتخذ إجراءات إضافية لتجنب سقوط ضحايا من المدنيين وتتهم الحوثيين بالاحتماء بأهداف مدنية.
وتقول الأمم المتحدة إن الحرب في اليمن قتلت ما يزيد على عشرة آلاف شخص نصفهم من المدنيين وتسببت في أزمة إنسانية في البلاد."
الشرطة البريطانية تبحث ادعاءات بارتكاب السعودية جرائم حرب في اليمن
http://www.bbc.com/arabic/world-39477477
03 April 2017
"يعتبر ميناء مدينة الحديدة البحري المرفأ الدولي الوحيد لمناطق شمال اليمن التي تضم 70 في المائة من سكان البلاد، وتسيطر جماعة ‘أنصار الله’ (الحوثيون) والرئيس السابق علي عبد الله صالح على أجزاء كبيرة منها، بينما تتخذ المكاتب الإقليمية ومقرات الطوارئ للمنظمات الإنسانية من الحديدة مركزاً لعملياتها. ومع ازدياد الحديث عن عملية عسكرية للتحالف الذي تقوده السعودية باتجاه المدينة، تحذر المنظمات من الاقتراب منها كونها مدخل معظم المؤن الأساسية للسكان."
هل تنتقل عمليات الإغاثة من الحديدة إلى عدن؟
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/society/2017/4/2/%D9%87%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84-%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%AB%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%86-1
03 April 2017
"قال ولد الشيخ: «نحن، منظمة الأمم المتحدة، نرى أنه لا ينبغي تنفيذ عمليات عسكرية في الحديدة»، مستدركاً: «يحق للسعودية والإمارات الشعور بالقلق من استمرار واردات الأسلحة عبر الحديدة وفرض الحوثيين ضرائب غير قانونية على الواردات التجارية»، لكنه حذر من أن أي عمل عسكري في المنطقة ينبغي أن «يأخذ في الاعتبار ضرورة تجنب المزيد من تدهور الوضع الإنساني»."
معركة الحديدة «تقترب»... وملف الأسرى قيد التداول
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/275194
03 April 2017
" خطوة احتجاجية صغيرة استفزت المتحدث العسكري باسم مملكة من المفترض أنها واثقة بأسباب حرب كبيرة تخوضها منذ عامين. لم يستطع أحمد عسيري أن يتحمل مجرد الاحتجاج، في وقت تنفذ فيه السعودية ومن معها مجازر تستحق محاكمات عادلة... على الأقل."
"إصبع العسيري"... في عين العالم
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/275126
03 April 2017
"في الوقت الذي كان فيه الرئيس اليمني المستقيل عبد ربه منصور هادي، يبتسم أمام عدسات الكاميرات في منطقة البحر الميت غرب العاصمة الأردنية، تناقلت مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي صوراً لضحايا من الأطفال والنساء، قتلوا في غارة جوية شنتها طائرات تحالف العدوان الذي تقوده السعودية على اليمن."
مجزرة في صعدة... وهادي يرقّي قيادات سلفية
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/274982
03 April 2017
"مع دخول العدوان السعودي على اليمن عامه الثالث، كشفت «القوّة الصاروخية» التابعة للجيش و«اللجان الشعبية» أمس، عن نوع جديد من الصواريخ الباليستية المتوسطة المدى، وذلك عقب استهدافها قاعدة جوية جنوب السعودية.
وأعلنت أنها «استكملت بنجاح سلسلة تجاربها على صاروخ قاهر إم2 الباليستي المتوسط المدى»، الذي استخدمته في استهدافها «قاعدة الملك خالد» الجوية في خميس مشيط في منطقة عسير، جنوب غرب المملكة."
صواريخ باليستية جديدة... وتلميح إلى الاستغناء عن «الحديدة»
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/274909
04 April 2017
Steve Bell on Easter and Theresa May`s Trip to Saudi Arabia
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2017/apr/04/steve-bell-on-easter-and-theresa-mays-trip-to-saudi-arabia-cartoon
05 April 2017
“Saudi fighter pilots are to receive a pay rises of up to 60 percent, as a military campaign led by the kingdom in neighbouring Yemen entered its third year.
Saudi Arabia and its mostly Gulf Arab allies have launched thousands of air strikes in an attempt to dislodge Yemen`s armed Houthi movement from the capital Sanaa.
The kingdom is also a member of the US-led alliance against Islamic State in Syria.”
Saudi pilots get 60 percent pay rise as Yemen war rages
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-fighter-pilots-get-60-pay-rise-war-rages-yemen-1088259958
05 April 2017
“A new report by Mwatana on the fall of civilian victims by landmines, revealed that landmines planted by Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis), and forces of former president Saleh have killed 57 civilians including 24 children and 4 women, and injured other 47 civilians including 21 children and 6 women, in six Yemeni governorates.
The report ‘Concealed killer’ included 33 incidents as samples of landmines explosions onto civilians. Mwatana has verified these incidents through its field researches during the period July 2015 – October 2016, in governorates of Aden, Taiz, Marib, Sana’a, Al-Baydha and Lahj.”
Mwatana: Dozens of Civilian Victims of Landmines Planted by Ansar Allah group (Houthis) and Saleh Forces in Yemen
http://mwatana.org/en/442017610
07 April 2017
“For mother`s like Ohradir there`s no escape. She can only watch as her baby daughter fights severe malnutrition.
Like Yemen she is held hostage by fear and despair.
The doctors and staff here haven`t been paid in six months. Yemen`s economy has become another weapon in this war.
One of the managers tells me there are no medicines now for women giving birth.”
Fear and despair in Yemen as life hangs by a thread
http://www.itv.com/news/2017-04-04/fear-and-despair-in-yemen-as-life-hangs-by-a-thread/
07 April 2017
“A Downing Street spokesperson has played down the significance of a report saying Scotland Yard is examining allegations of war crimes by Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
The Metropolitan Police do have powers to invest allegations of war crimes, but when asked specifically about claims that it was, the spokesperson said: ‘There is no Met investigation. What has happened is that they received an allegation of war crimes. They are now conducting what is known as a scoping exercise, which is a different thing entirely to an investigation.’”
Metropolitan Police are not investigating Saudi war crimes in Yemen, Downing Street insists
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/metropolitan-police-are-not-investigating-saudi-war-crimes-in-yemen-downing-street-insists-a7664686.html
07 April 2017
“Indeed the UK, which officially ‘holds the pen’ on the Yemen issue, circulated a draft resolution proposing a ceasefire and a roadmap for lasting peace back in October.
However, this was the subject of an immediate veto and has not seen the light of day since, despite the UK chairing a security council meeting on Yemen just last week.
The draft was vetoed not by Russia or any other members of the security council with the actual power to do so, but by Saudi Arabia, whose UN ambassador explained: ‘There is a continuous and joint agreement with Britain concerning the draft resolution and whether there is a need for it or not.’”
Saudi bombs are decimating Yemen. Yet May’s glad-handing goes on
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/05/saudi-arabia-bombs-yemen-theresa-may-trade
07 April 2017
“Giorgio Trombatore, Yemen country director for the International Medical Corps, said the famine fails to get the same attention as the armed conflicts across the Middle East, particularly Syria.
‘I think one of the reasons might be the fact people are not directly reaching European seashores,’ Mr Trombatore said. ‘It seems more disconnected from what is happening in Europe.
‘Half the country is now suffering from food insecurity and malnutrition, and this is something that could have been prevented.’”
Europeans forgetting about Yemen famine because they don`t feel it affects them, NGO director warns
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-famine-humanitarian-crisis-civil-war-forgotten-children-international-medical-corps-a7668931.html
07 April 2017
“The army and popular forces killed a number of Saudi soldiers in several military sites in Asir, Jizan and Najran provinces, a military official said to Saba on Wednesday.
The artillery of the army and popular forces shelled groups of Saudi soldiers in Malhamah, Al Rawmaih, Sharqn and Al Mawraidhah in Jizan.”
Army kills number of Saudi soldiers in Asir, Jizan, Najran
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461137.htm
07 April 2017
"According to a report issued by the United Nations on March 27, Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen’s Houthi rebels has resulted in what is quickly becoming a humanitarian catastrophe, with nearly 7 million people at risk of famine and more than 14 million people without access to medical care. According to the World Health Organization, 7,719 people have been killed and 42,922 have been injured since the start of the conflict in March 2015. And yet the savage war against Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and aided to a significant degree by American weapons and intelligence, shows no sign of letting up.
Disturbingly, the US has been acting as a de facto co-belligerent since at least October 2015, when President Obama gave the green light to Lockheed Martin to sell the Saudis four ‘multi-mission’ warships totaling about $11.25 billion. This came only a month after the Saudi-led military coalition earned worldwide censure for its bombing of a wedding party in southern Yemen, killing 135 people. At the time, the Obama administration issued a routine and hypocritical ‘expression of concern’ over the incident."
America’s Support for Saudi Arabia’s War on Yemen Must End
https://www.thenation.com/article/americas-support-for-saudi-arabias-war-on-yemen-must-end/
07 April 2017
“There’s no mistaking it: The government is bent upon pushing the Pakistan military deeper into this empire-driven coalition. At a time when we should be single-mindedly strengthening our military cooperation with China, Russia, Iran and Central Asian countries to stabilise Afghanistan, the epicentre of terrorism and instability in our region, when we should be focusing on internal and external terrorist threats to Pakistan, our government would like to send our soldiers to join the US-Saudi war against Yemen.
Clearly, at a time when the tectonic plates of geopolitics are shifting to favour our freedom, Nawaz Sharif would rather slither back into old familiar grooves of subservience, singing songs of devotion to the House of Saud, swaying to the do-more imperial tune. The important question is: Where does the military stand on this issue?”
Saving Yemen
ttp://nation.com.pk/columns/06-Apr-2017/saving-yemen
07 April 2017
“There is no doubt that there are many unmet needs. The lack of security due to the fighting and bombing makes it difficult to provide assistance, and the problems of access, due to restrictions or delays in permits for some humanitarian workers, is also a disadvantage.
People are totally dependent on aid, as economic activity has been greatly reduced.
Another very worrying issue is that cases of preventable infections such as whooping cough are appearing more frequently. This is a reflection of the collapse of the health system, which has left vaccination coverage well below standards.
The combined factors of fighting, import restrictions and non-payment of salaries to public officials in the north are having a serious effect on access to food. Distributions of food are irregular and erratic and there is a lack of access to nutritional treatments.”
Yemen: "The war is taking a very high toll on the civilian population"
http://www.msf.org/en/article/yemen-war-taking-very-high-toll-civilian-population
10 April 2017
“At least 13 people were killed in a fire that broke out near an oil pipeline damaged by sabotage in the west of war-torn Yemen, a government official said Saturday.
‘Dozens of people had gathered at the site of the pipeline with bowls and other containers to fill with petrol spilling from the pipeline’ in Hodeidah on the Red Sea, the official in Yemen’s recognised government said.
He said the fire broke out because of the use of an electricity generator, leaving 13 dead and 26 others with burns, while eight people remain missing.
Yemeni government forces are preparing for an assault on the nearby port of Hodeidah held by Houthi rebels.”
Fire near sabotaged Yemen oil pipeline kills 13
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/4/9/fire-near-sabotaged-yemen-oil-pipeline-kills-13
10 April 2017
“The Saudi coalition has pursued a war strategy of maximizing pressure on the Houthi resistance by destroying agricultural, health and transportation infrastructure and by choking off access to food and fuel for most of Yemen’s population. The United States has enabled the Saudis to pursue that strategy by refueling the Saudi-led coalition planes bombing Yemen and selling the bombs. Equally important, however, the US has provided the political-diplomatic cover that the Saudis need to carry out this ruthless endeavor without massive international blowback.”
US Provided Cover for the Saudi Starvation Strategy in Yemen
http://original.antiwar.com/porter/2017/04/09/us-provided-cover-for-the-saudi-starvation-strategy-in-yemen/
10 April 2017
“Yemeni authorities released footage on Sunday of the killing of a would-be suicide bomber moments before he detonated his explosives at a checkpoint in the southern city of Aden.
In the video posted online, Aden’s anti-terrorism squad documented its surveillance of the assailant as he approached his target on Saturday in the Tawahi district of the port city.”
Yemen police foil suicide attack on Aden checkpoint
http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/yemen-police-foil-suicide-attack-on-aden-checkpoint
10 April 2017
"ذكرت المصادر أن رئيس حكومة الانقلابيين، بن حبتور، لوّح فعلاً بتقديم استقالته، الأسبوع الماضي، فيما قالت بعض المصادر، إنه قدمها بالفعل لما يسمى بـ"المجلس السياسي الأعلى" المؤلف بالمناصفة بين الطرفين. وأوضحت أن الأمر كان بمثابة مناورة للضغط على الحوثيين، بعدما وجد بن حبتور نفسه عاجزاً عن التصرف كرئيس حكومة. في المقابل، أشارت العديد من المصادر إلى أن الحوثيين لا يزالون يسيطرون بشكل شبه كامل على المؤسسات الحكومية، ويرفضون التوجيهات الصادرة عن وزراء محسوبين على حزب صالح، وفق المصادر."
خلافات الحوثيين وصالح: تحالف الانقلاب اليمني مهدّد بصراع
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/2017/4/8/%D8%AE%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%B5%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B0
10 April 2017
"أمام هذا الواقع، يتواصل السؤال عن جدوى الحرب، والنتيجة من تكرار إعلان عمليات تلو عمليات، لكن هذه الأسئلة تصطدم بالنظرة الشاملة للمعركة، أي أنها إقليمية قبل أن تكون بين بلد من جهة، وبلدين من جهة أخرى بصورة رئيسية. لذلك، لا يبدو أن الحرب يحسمها الميدان بدرجة أولى، وإنما يقدم الأخير أوراق قوة في جيب الأطراف الإقليمية والدولية. فهل ستكون جغرافية الساحل السياسية والاقتصادية نهايةً للحرب، أو على الأقل، للعمليات العسكرية التي تحقق إنجازات في الإعلام فقط؟"
معارك الساحل اليمني نموذجاً عن الحرب غير المحسومة
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/275572
10 April 2017
"سعى تحالف العدوان عبر أتباعه اليمنيين إلى التواصل مع عدد من مشايخ ووجهاء محافظة الحديدة في محاولة للحصول على دعم للعمليات العسكرية في الساحل الغربي. كما جاء ذلك بالتزامن مع اعترافات بثها «الإعلام الأمني» لمن سمّاهم «عناصر أمنية تابعة لحزب الإصلاح» كانت تعمل لمصلحة العدوان. ووفق الاعترافات، زرعت تلك العناصر شرائح إرشادية للطيران، إضافة إلى تزويد «التحالف» بمعلومات وإحداثيات لعدد من المواقع والمنشآت ومنازل المواطنين.
بالعودة إلى الموقف الشعبي الرافض لعمليات «التحالف»، خرج الآلاف من أبناء الحديدة في تظاهرة شعبية، الخميس الماضي، أكدوا خلالها وقوفهم إلى جانب الجيش و«اللجان» في التصدي لأي عدوان قد تتعرض له الحديدة."
تحضيرات لجولة الساحل الثانية: الحديدة أمّ المعارك
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/275509
10 April 2017
"على الصعيد السياسي، قال وليّ وليّ العهد السعودي، وزير الدفاع، محمد بن سلمان، إن الرياض تنظر إلى اليمن على أنه «العمق الاستراتيجي للأمة العربية... وأساس العرب»، مضيفاً إن «أكبر خطأ قام به العدو أنه يحاول المس بعمق وصلب العرب». ولفت أثناء استقباله مشايخ القبائل اليمنية في الديوان الملكي في العاصمة، حيث تحاول المملكة أن تعتمد عليهم لتفكيك طوق صنعاء، إلى أن «المسّ باليمن دعا كل العالم العربي إلى أن يستنفر». كما قال إن «رجال اليمن ليسوا في حاجة إلى مساعدة أشقائهم... لا نستطيع نحن إخوانكم في السعودية ودول الخليج العربي ومصر والسودان والأردن والمغرب أو جميع العالم العربي والإسلامي، أن نرى استنفار ووقفة الرجل اليمني، من دون أن نكون بجانبه».
وأبدى ولي ولي العهد السعودي «الاعتزاز» بالعمل مع القبائل اليمنية، واعداً بأن يكون «المستقبل مزدهراً»، وقائلاً لمشايخ القبائل: «نحن معكم في كل خطوة إلى آخر يوم في حياتنا»."
واشنطن تواصل ضرب «القاعدة»... وابن سلمان يجتمع بمشايخ قبليين
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/275451
12 April 2017
“Five Sudanese soldiers have been killed while fighting for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition against Houthi forces in Yemen, a spokesman for Sudan`s armed forces said on Wednesday.
The statement was a rare acknowledgement of casualties suffered by Sudan since the east African nation sent hundreds of its soldiers to Yemen in 2015 to bolster Gulf Arab troops in the southern port city of Aden trying to keep out the Iran-allied Houthis.”
Five Sudanese soldiers killed in Yemen conflict
http://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/d/311469/five-sudanese-soldiers-killed-in-yemen-conflict/en
12 April 2017
“Compared to the last time I was in the city over 9 months ago – and in spite of its current status as an active conflict zone – markets seemed busier with more people, more vehicles were on the roads and many more shops and restaurants were open. Local relief committee members and hospital managers stressed that a recent reduction in the fighting has allowed some semblance of normalcy to return to this hard hit city, allowing some of the partially functioning hospitals to conduct minor repairs.
However, they also stressed that lives are being lost to preventable diseases. Hospitals and feeding centers struggle to cope due to problems with salary payments, insufficient essential supplies, and lack of medicines. Increasing malnutrition rates, particularly in children, are worsening the already difficult humanitarian situation.”
Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick,on the need to improve humanitarian access to Taizz City
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-yemen-jamie-mcgoldrickon-need-improve-humanitarian?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shared&utm_source=twitter.com
14 April 2017
“Yemenis are starving because of war. No natural disaster is responsible. No amount of humanitarian aid can solve the underlying problem. Without an immediate, significant course change, portions of the country, in the 21st century and under the watch of the Security Council, will likely tip into famine. The projected disaster is a direct consequence of decisions by all belligerents to weaponise the economy, coupled with indifference and at times a facilitating role played by the international community, including key members of the Security Council such as the U.S., UK and France.”
Instruments of Pain (I): Conflict and Famine in Yemen
https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/yemen/b052-instruments-pain-i-conflict-and-famine-yemen
14 April 2017
“More than 20 inmates escaped from a prison in Yemen`s southern city of Aden on Thursday after gunmen demanding the release of detainees imprisoned without trial blocked roads and clashed with security forces.
The officials said one person was killed and four police conscripts were wounded in the violence. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters, said the 23 inmates who escaped were being held on criminal charges and that it was not clear who the gunmen were.”
More than 20 inmates escape in Yemen prison break
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_YEMEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
14 April 2017
“In response to the news that Huthi forces in control of the Yemeni capital Sana’a yesterday sentenced journalist Yahya al-Jubaihi, who has been arbitrarily detained since September 2016, to death for allegedly communicating with Saudi Arabia-led coalition forces, Samah Hadid, Director of Campaigns at Amnesty International’s Beirut Office said:
‘The Huthis’ shameful death sentence, after a flagrantly unfair trial, against journalist Yahya al-Jubaihi must immediately be quashed. They must ensure he is retried in proceedings that conform to international fair trial standards and without the possibility of a death sentence, or released.’”
Yemen: Journalist Yahia al-Jubaihi sentenced to death by Huthi forces
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/04/yemen-journalist-yahia-al-jubaihi-sentenced-to-death-by-huthi-forces/
14 April 2017
“Since taking office, Trump has rapidly expanded U.S. military operations in Yemen. Last month, the U.S. reportedly launched more than 49 strikes across the country—more strikes than the U.S. has ever carried out in a single year in Yemen. The U.S. has also resumed some weapons sales to the Saudis, after the transfers were frozen by President Obama amid concerns about mounting civilian casualties in Yemen.”
Trump Is Moving "Full Speed Ahead" in War in Yemen, Despite Massive Civilian Casualties
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/12/allan_nairn_trump_is_moving_full
14 April 2017
“UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning today that the risk of mass deaths from starvation among populations in the Horn of Africa, Yemen and Nigeria is growing. This warning is in light of droughts that are also affecting many neighbouring countries and a funding shortfall that has become so severe that an avoidable humanitarian crisis in the region, possibly worse than that of 2011, is fast becoming an inevitability.”
UNHCR says death risk from starvation in Horn of Africa, Yemen, Nigeria growing, displacement already rising
http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2017/4/58ec9d464/unhcr-says-death-risk-starvation-horn-africa-yemen-nigeria-growing-displacement.html
14 April 2017
“Peace activists are holding a week-long vigil and hunger strike at United Nations headquarters in New York City to demand an end to the U.S.-backed, Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen and humanitarian aid for the country`s starving population.
The hunger strike and vigil, organized by Creative Voices for NonViolence, the New York Catholic Worker community, the Upstate Coalition to End the Wars and Ground the Drones, Friends of Franz and Ben, and CodePink, will also include a demonstration at the White House Thursday.”
Hunger Strikers at UN Headquarters Call for End to Yemen War
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/13/hunger-strikers-un-headquarters-call-end-yemen-war
14 April 2017
“The U.S. military has provided support to the Saudi-led air campaign since 2015, including a U.S. advisory mission in the Saudi operations headquarters and aerial refueling for Saudi jets, but the Obama administration sought to scale back that support last year.
Since the start of fiscal 2017, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency has seen the State Department clear two major weapons requests for Saudi Arabia: a request for aerostat surveillance systems, worth an estimated $525 million, and a request for CH-47F Chinook helicopters, estimated at $3.51 billion. The helicopter sale is important to the U.S. Army because it brings down the per-cost for the helicopter and keeps the Chinook line warm during an upcoming production gap.”
Trump considers military push in Yemen war. US lawmakers push back
http://www.defensenews.com/articles/trump-considers-military-push-in-yemen-war-and-us-lawmakers-push-back
14 April 2017
“The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up its emergency operations in war-torn Yemen to provide urgently needed food assistance to some nine million people, the agency said today.
‘We are in a race against time to save lives and prevent a full-scale famine unfolding in the country, but we urgently need resources to do this,’ said the WFP Representative and Country Director in Yemen, Stephen Anderson.”
Millions in Yemen on brink of famine, situation ‘close to a breaking point,’ warns UN agency
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56550#.WPCgt9LyuUk
14 April 2017
“Jamal Aidarows used to teach his students about the heroism of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers on the battlefield. But he did not think that one day he would be forced to take up arms himself.
Before the war, Aidarows taught at al-Fawz school in Bani Shaiba area, 50km south of Taiz city. A graduate in Islamic education, the 39-year old has been in the profession for 12 years. But during the past year the authorities have stopped paying many public sector salaries, including those of teachers. So Aidarows turned to one of the few professions still paying well – that of a soldier.”
Swapping class for Kalashnikovs: Yemen`s teachers go to war
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/i-swapped-my-classroom-kalashnikov-teachers-who-fight-yemen-1588844568
14 April 2017
“In the last two years, an estimated three million people have been displaced from their homes. One million of those displaced have provisionally returned home, although often to precarious living conditions. As the conflict drags on, the length of displacement has become prolonged and intensified fighting has resulted in new waves of displacement, especially in western coastal areas. Half of Yemen’s population lacks clean water, sanitation and hygiene services, thereby increasing the risk of infectious diseases.
Medicines for diabetes, hypertension, cancer and other chronic diseases are in short supply and there are acute shortages of critical medical equipment. For more than six months, health facilities in Yemen like all public sector services, have received irregular financial support to cover operational costs and staff salaries.
The conflict continues to claim children’s lives and their futures. Data shows that the number of children killed in conflict increased by 70 per cent, and nearly twice as many children were injured and recruited into the fighting since March 2016 compared to the same period the previous year.”
Yemen Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 22 | 14 April 2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-bulletin-issue-22-14-april-2017
14 April 2017
“Aid agencies fear that a major assult on Hodeida would cut supply lines to the rebel-held north, including Sana’a. That would be devastating for the two-thirds of Yemenis dependent on food aid. The coalition argues that supplies could instead pass through ports under their control in the south, particularly Aden. Indeed, since Yemen’s southern ports remain under the control of coalition-backed forces and operate freely, that is already beginning to happen. But aid agencies protest that Aden’s current capacity is insufficient to feed the entire country. The road north is also dotted with checkpoints, where armed groups, including al-Qaeda, demand heavy bribes. For the poor, the prices of staples are increasingly beyond reach.”
Yemen’s worsening humanitarian crisis
http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2017/04/economist-explains-3?cid1=cust/ddnew/n/n/n/20170413n/owned/n/n/nwl/n/n/na/Daily_Dispatch/email&etear=dailydispatch
14 April 2017
"دعا مجلس حقوق الإنسان التابع للأمم المتحدة، قوات التحالف بقيادة السعودية رفع الحصار الجوي والبحري المفروض على اليمن منذ أكثر من عامين، فوراً، والسماح بدخول الإمدادات الإغاثية لتفادي كارثة إنسانية ومجاعة شاملة، مؤكداً أن الحصار كان أحد الأسباب الرئيسة للكارثة الإنسانية."
مجلس حقوق الإنسان التابع للأمم المتحدة: الحصار السعودي على اليمن إجراء تعسفي قسري وغير قانوني
http://www.khabaragency.net/news77874.html?platform=hootsuite
17 April 2017
“Thousands of the Yemeni people took to the streets to take part in a mass demonstration organized in the capital of Sanaa to protest against US-Saudi-paid mercenaries and collaborators and Saudi airstrikes that continue to claim the lives on Yemeni civilians.”
Mass protest demonstration against US-Saudi-paid mercenaries, collaborators
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news462207.htm
17 April 2017
“The US-Saudi aggression warplanes launched on Monday seven strikes on several areas of Taiz province, a security official told Saba.
The security official said that the warplanes waged three raids on Maoza`a district and other three on Yakhtal area of of Mokha district, as well as a strike.”
US-Saudi warplanes wage seven raids on Mokha
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news462212.htm
17 April 2017
“Germany is supplying more weapons to belligerents in the Yemen conflict, even though the ongoing war in the Middle East`s poorest country has triggered a famine and a refugee crisis.
Citing an Economy Ministry document delivered to parliament, both ‘Der Spiegel’ and the ‘taz’ newspaper reported this week that the German government approved the sale to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of 203,448 detonators for 40-mm shells by the Rottweil-based company Junghans Microtec, as well as 126 million euros ($134 million) worth of armor-plating for military vehicles by Dynamit Nobel Defence, located in Burbach, North Rhine-Westphalia.”
Germany sells arms to UAE despite Yemen conflict
http://www.dw.com/en/germany-sells-arms-to-uae-despite-yemen-conflict/a-38430841
17 April 2017
“Reporters Without Borders says it is ‘appalled’ at a death sentence handed to a veteran journalist by a court in Yemen`s rebel-held capital.
The court in Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthi insurgents, found Yahya al-Jubaihi guilty of spying for neighbouring Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it was the first death sentence issued against a journalist in Yemen.”
Rights group slams Yemen journalist`s death sentence
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/4/15/rights-group-slams-yemen-journalists-death-sentence
17 April 2017
"تفاوتت تفسيرات الموقف الإماراتي بين الاكتفاء بالإشارة إلى موقف شيوخ الإمارات المعادي لحركة الإخوان المسلمين والخشية مِن أن يقود التسرع في إنهاء الحرب إلى تقوي ’ حزب الإصلاح‘ــ الذراع اليمني للحركة، بينما هناك من اعتبر الموقف الإماراتي مؤشراً على عملها من وراء ظهر شركائها في الحرب اليمنية بسبب رغبتها في ’احتكار جنوب اليمن تحت نفوذها وهيمنتها‘."
عاصفة الحزم وأرخبيل سُقطرى
http://arabi.assafir.com/Article/3/7981
17 April 2017
"تتشرّد عشرات الآلاف من الأسر الفقيرة بسبب الحرب في مناطق اليمن ولا يجد أفرادها مكاناً ملائماً للمأوى يحفظ كرامة النساء ويحمي خصوصياتهن، لتبقى حريتهن مقيدة خارج وداخل سكنهن. وتقدم منظمتان إنسانيتان فقط أغطية بلاستيكية لصنع المأوى للنازحين، إلا أنها لا توفر أدنى شروط حفظ خصوصية النساء."
المأوى المؤقت يحاصر خصوصيات اليمنيات
https://aabb99.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A4%D9%82%D8%AA-%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D8%AE%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA/
24 April 2017
“A military helicopter crash in Yemen that killed 12 Saudi soldiers was reportedly caused by friendly fire.
The Black Hawk crashed in Marib Province, east of the capital Sanaa.
The Yemen defence ministry`s news website said the helicopter had ’misread’ the air defence system, which ‘resulted in the destruction of the aircraft before it landed’.
But Saudi Arabia says it is too early to tell what caused the crash and it is still investigating.”
Twelve Saudi soldiers die in Yemen `friendly fire` helicopter crash
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-39633701
24 April 2017
“The Sudanese military attaché in Abu Dhabi Thursday visited the Sudanese soldiers wounded during the military operations in Yemen treated at the Sheikh Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
Several thousands of the Sudanese army troops and militiamen are taking part in the Saudi-led military operations in Yemen. But, Khartoum used to not communicate on the human causalities.
Earlier this week, for the first time the army admitted the death of five soldiers in Yemen. Also, military sources disclosed to Sudan Tribune the transfer of 22 wounded soldiers to the Emirates hospitals where they are receiving medical treatment.”
Sudanese military official visits wounded soldiers in UAE hospitals
http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article62245
24 April 2017
“Five soldiers were killed and 20 others injured in two explosions at military barracks in Yemen’s Aden city, security officials said on Sunday.
The explosions in Aden, which is a provisional capital for the government of Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, took place accidentally, the officials told Efe news.”
5 soldiers killed in Yemen explosions
http://www.india.com/news/agencies/5-soldiers-killed-in-yemen-explosions-2058961/
24 April 2017
“Tribal and security officials said on Sunday a suspected US airstrike had killed three al-Qaida operatives on Yemen’s southern coast.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, said the operatives killed in Shabwa province on Sunday were driving a car when an unmanned aircraft targeted their vehicle. Their bodies were not immediately identified.”
Suspected US drone strike kills three al-Qaida operatives in Yemen – report
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/23/us-drone-strike-al-qaida-yemen
24 April 2017
“The UN should put Saudi Arabia back on a list of violators of children`s rights because of attacks on hospitals in Yemen, two rights groups say.
In a report, Save the Children and Watchlist detail how attacks on hospitals and doctors, and the blocking of aid, are affecting children.”
Saudi `should be blacklisted` over Yemen hospital attacks
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-39651265
24 April 2017
“Prince Khaled is an Air Force pilot who has taken part in operations in Yemen and against ISIS, AP reports. The prince, who studied military aviation in the US and briefly attended both Harvard University and Georgetown, has been working as an adviser at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington since last year.
Khaled’s position will allow Trump a direct line to the Saudi monarchy, further signalling warmer relations between the two powers after a cooling following the Obama administration’s nuclear agreement with regional rival Iran.”
Saudi king’s son who ‘bombed ISIS & Yemen’ named as ambassador to US
https://www.rt.com/news/385886-saudi-ambassador-pilot-isis/
24 April 2017
“With an alarming 18.8 million people in need of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 10.3 million who require immediate assistance to save or sustain their lives, Yemen is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. More worrying, the conflict in Yemen and its economic consequences are driving the largest food security emergency in the world. Over 17 million people are currently food insecure, of whom 6.8 million are severely food insecure and require immediate food assistance.”
High-level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
http://www.unocha.org/yemen/high-level-pledging-event
24 April 2017
“People in Yemen are currently suffering from the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
More than 17 million people around Yemen’s rugged landscape are acutely food insecure, and the figure is likely to increase as the ongoing conflict continues to erode the ability to grow, import, distribute and pay for food. More than 7 million people are on the verge of famine, while the rest are marginally meeting the minimum day-to-day nutritional needs thanks to external humanitarian and livelihoods support. Large-scale famine is a real risk that will cast an awful shadow for generations to come.
Only a political solution can end the suffering in Yemen, as there can be no food security without peace. And the longer the delay to draft an adequately funded recovery plan, the more expensive the burden will be in terms of resources and human livelihood.”
Building resilient rural livelihoods is key to helping Yemen
http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/04/building-resilient-rural-livelihoods-is-key-to-helping-yemen/
24 April 2017
“This development puts Hodeida at a genuine risk of an all-out attack, given its proximity to the current scene of the fighting. Hodeida - a city already devastated by poverty - is now anticipating military clashes.
In 2015, Aden, Yemen`s second largest city, was reduced to rubble and became almost deserted. This of course was the fallout of the bloody battles between the Houthi militias and pro-government Saudi-backed forces at the time.
Today, Hodeida is a potential Aden-like tragedy. It could face a similar destiny if the Saudi-led coalition gives the green light for their forces in Yemen to set the city alight and drive the Houthis out.”
Will Hodeida become Yemen`s next tragedy?
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2017/4/19/will-hodeida-become-yemens-next-tragedy
24 April 2017
“As many as five thousand troops of Pakistan Army would likely be joining Islamic Military Alliance to help Saudi Arabia safeguard its southern region which borders Yemen, it emerged on Monday.
Although the former military head General Raheel Sharif has already departed to Saudi Arabia after securing No Objection Certificate to head the 41-nation military alliance but reports are rife that a brigade of Pak Army would now be joining the alliance.”
Yemen conflict: 5,000 Pakistani troops likely to join Saudi-led coalition
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/yemen-conflict-5000-pakistani-troops-likely-to-join-saudi-led-islamic-military-alliance/
24 April 2017
“The conflict and humanitarian crisis appear to be converging as Saudi-allied forces mass around the Houthi-controlled city of Hodeidah. An estimated 70 percent of Yemen’s food supplies enters the port city, but the surrounding region, one of Yemen’s poorest, is already at severe risk for famine, and relief organizations worry that widespread fighting there could have catastrophic humanitarian implications. The Trump administration has yet to decide whether it plans to support this coalition attack.
If the Saudis and their partners had hoped their intervention would project strength, in fact, the opposite has happened. Iran has exploited, on the cheap, the Saudi-led campaign, and thus made the expansion of Iranian influence in Yemen a Saudi self-fulfilling prophecy. The costs of the Saudi air campaign, which makes heavy use of expensive air-to-ground munitions, have been estimated at $200 million a day. By contrast, Iranian support for the Houthis is more cost effective, consisting mostly of training, advisors, and ground munitions. While this support has certainly increased over time, the vast majority of the Houthi arsenal — notwithstanding occasional reports of Houthi use of Iranian-supplied cruise missiles and drones — was seized from Yemeni army stockpiles, including its large Soviet-era SCUD inventories.”
DOUBLING DOWN ON AMERICA’S MISADVENTURE IN YEMEN
https://warontherocks.com/2017/04/doubling-down-on-americas-misadventure-in-yemen/
05 May 2017
“When Bin Zayed reminded Hadi of how much the UAE had sacrificed in the fight to liberate Yemen, Hadi responded by saying the Emiratis were behaving ‘like an occupation power in Yemen rather than a force of liberation’. This enraged Bin Zayed even more, the sources said.
The feud between the two men has stymied at least two attempts by the Saudis at mediation and now Hadi has sacked two men close to the Emiratis.”
EXCLUSIVE: Yemen president says UAE acting like occupiers
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-yemeni-president-says-emiratis-acting-occupiers-1965874493
05 May 2017
“Now Saudi coalition forces plan on seizing Hodeidah in an ambitious amphibious assault they say will cut off supplies to the Houthis while also facilitating a massive increase in aid to the country. Human rights groups and NGOs, however, worry that the attack would actually act as a trigger for the long warned-of famine. On April 27, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators sent a letter to the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. arguing that ‘a military campaign against Hodeidah would make a horrible humanitarian situation in Yemen catastrophic.’
Yet the Trump administration appears increasingly inclined to not only allow the assault but also lend it direct military support.”
Saudi Arabia’s expected military assault on Yemen will almost certainly cause mass starvation
https://news.vice.com/story/saudi-arabias-expected-military-assault-on-major-yemen-port-will-almost-certainly-cause-mass-starvation
05 May 2017
“Saudi fighter jets dropped leaflets over Houthi-controlled Hodeida in recent days warning its hundreds of thousands of residents of an impending offensive, according to the United Nations and aid agencies. Yemen imports 90 percent of its food, and Hodeida`s already-damaged port is the entry point for the vast majority of it. A two-year-long civil war has destroyed Yemen`s economy, and more than 7 million people rely on humanitarian aid for survival.
Human rights activists have accused the Saudis of indiscriminate bombing in its campaign, saying it has killed thousands of civilians and reduced much of Yemen`s vital infrastructure to rubble.”
Alarm grows in Washington as Saudi coalition attack on Yemen port appears imminent
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/05/02/alarm-grows-in-washington-as-saudi-coalition-attack-on-yemen-port-appears-imminent/
05 May 2017
“In April, the World Food Programme could only afford to feed 3 million men, women and children in Yemen – a country said to be on the brink of famine – due to a lack of resources and the late arrival of food shipments, the organisation said.
The secretary general of the NRC is on a five-day visit to the country. ‘I am shocked to my bones by what I have seen and heard here in war- and hunger-stricken Yemen. The world is letting some 7 million men, women and children slowly but surely be engulfed by unprecedented famine. It is not a drought that is at fault. This preventable catastrophe is man-made from A to Z.’”
Yemen hunger crisis leaves refugee chief `shocked to the bones`
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/may/03/yemen-hunger-norwegian-refugee-council-chief-jan-egeland-shocked-to-the-bones
05 May 2017
“More recently, however, the Houthis have begun issuing death sentences through their de-facto Central Security’s Counterterrorism Unit. One such case was the death sentencing of journalist Yahya al-Jubaihi, further institutionalising the Houthis war on media.”
The Houthis war on words in Yemen
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2017/5/4/the-houthis-war-on-words-in-yemen
05 May 2017
“The United Nations is continuing to receive signals that the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen could attack the key port of Hodeidah, causing humanitarian suffering and loss of life, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra`ad al Hussein said on Monday.
A Saudi-led military coalition backing the internationally-recognized government in its war against the Houthi rebels has been preparing an assault on Hodeidah.”
U.N. rights chief warns against Saudi-led attack on Yemen port
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-un-idUSKBN17X1F1
05 May 2017
“Basic services and institutions, including the public education system, are buckling under the pressure of war. Though public education in Yemen remains free for local and refugee children, more than 1,600 schools are now damaged and unfit for use while others remain close to the frontlines, jeopardizing the safety of students.”
Braving bombs and bullets to stay in school in Yemen
http://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2017/5/59085a314/braving-bombs-bullets-stay-school-yemen.html
05 May 2017
“The dozen spindly corpses, curled into the fetal position or swaddled in baskets, belong to a lost pagan civilization around 2 1/2 millennia ago - long before the advent of Islam.
Lying beneath glass panes within the archaeology department in the capital Sanaa`s main university, the mummies might have spent their eternal slumber blissfully unaware of the otherworldly warplanes pounding their homeland.
A Saudi-led military coalition has carried out thousands of air strikes in a bid to dislodge Yemen`s armed Houthi movement from the capital. The conflict has killed at least 10,000 people and unleashed a humanitarian crisis.”
Ancient mummies rot as Yemen war vexes even the dead
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-mummies-idUSKBN17Y16M
08 May 2017
“Almost two-thirds of the nation’s 26 million people are suffering from food shortages, with more than 7 million acutely malnourished, according to United Nations officials. A child dies every 10 minutes in Yemen, UNICEF said, for reasons including diarrhea, breathing infections and malnutrition.
A comprehensive embargo by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition has ground the economy to a halt. Coalition airstrikes are blamed by humanitarian groups and activists for the majority of the more than 10,000 civilians killed during the fighting and for leaving the country’s already shaky infrastructure in tatters.”
In war-torn Yemen, battling a devastating food shortage depends on a key Red Sea port
http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-yemen-houthis-port-20170505-story.html
08 May 2017
“More than 200 cholera cases have been reported in Yemen`s capital Sanaa as contaminated water and poor sanitation have led to a sharp rise in the transmission of the deadly disease.
Cholera is one of several risks to civilians, but a rapid advance of the disease would add a new dimension to an unfolding humanitarian disaster.”
Sanaa reels from `more than 200 cholera cases`
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/yemen-sanaa-reels-200-cholera-cases-170507043636328.html
08 May 2017
“Another very worrying issue is that cases of preventable infections such as whooping cough are appearing more frequently. This is a reflection of the collapse of the health system, which has left vaccination coverage well below standards.
The combined factors of fighting, import restrictions and non-payment of salaries to public officials in the north are having a serious effect on access to food. Distributions of food are irregular and erratic and there is a lack of access to nutritional treatments.”
Yemen: "The war is taking a very high toll on the civilian population"
http://www.msf.org/en/article/yemen-war-taking-very-high-toll-civilian-population
08 May 2017
“Jan Egeland, the current head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, condemned ‘this gigantic failure of international diplomacy’ and said that only 3 million people out of the 7 million people who were starving had been fed last month.
‘Men with guns and power inside Yemen as well as in regional and international capitals are undermining every effort to avert an entirely preventable famine,’ he said, ‘as well as the collapse of health and education services for millions of children.’”
Yemen hunger crisis leaves refugee chief `shocked to the bones`
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/may/03/yemen-hunger-norwegian-refugee-council-chief-jan-egeland-shocked-to-the-bones
08 May 2017
“Even as Defense Secretary James Mattis calls for a political solution to the war in Yemen, he has not warned Saudi Arabia and the UAE against taking the critical Yemeni port city of Houdeidah, which is currently controlled by Houthi forces. Although debated within US policy-making circles, attacking Houdeidah would be a catastrophic error because it would expand the war and deepen the humanitarian crisis. It would allow al-Qaida and Isis to expand their influence in Yemen’s coastal areas. For the United States, that would amount to a strategic defeat.”
This Yemeni city risks becoming the next Aleppo. Will America be complicit?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/28/yemen-saudi-united-arab-emirates-us-support-syria
12 May 2017
“Al-Qaida is attempting to recruit new members in Yemen by holding a quiz, with an AK-47 assault rifle as top prize, according to local residents and media.Militants have been touring the south-west city of Taiz in the build-up to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, putting up posters advertising the contest, residents reported.
They encourage people to pick up the sheets from group members. Most of the questions focus on Al-Qaida’s extreme interpretation of Islam.”
Al-Qaida tempts Yemen recruits with quiz offering AK-47 as top prize
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/11/al-qaida-yemen-recruits-quiz-ak47
12 May 2017
“A cholera outbreak in Yemen has killed 51 people since April 27, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, more than double the toll of 25 reported three days ago.
WHO said there are 2,752 suspected cholera cases and 58 more people have been confirmed as having the diarrheal disease.
A epidemic late last year faded but outbreaks are frequent and made worse by the degrading of health and sanitation systems by more than two years of civil war that has also killed at least 10,000 people and displaced millions.
Only a few medical facilities are still functioning and two-thirds of the population are without access to safe drinking water, the United Nations has said.”
Yemen`s cholera outbreak kills 51 people in two weeks: WHO
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-cholera-idUSKBN18728K
12 May 2017
“A growing cholera outbreak in Yemen is threatening to spread further in the war-torn country, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today, reporting a drastic increase in the number of patients its teams are treating in recent weeks.
In response to the outbreak, MSF set up cholera treatment centers in five hospitals and is supporting other structures run by health authorities. MSF teams have received or treated more than 780 patients since March 30 in the governorates of Amran, Hajjah, Al-Dhale`, Taiz, and Ibb, with a sharp increase in the past two weeks.
In addition, the Yemeni Ministry of Public Health and Population has reported about 310 cases in Sana`a.
With the Yemeni health system severely weakened by war, MSF fears that health authorities alone will not be able to deal with the outbreak.”
Yemen: Increased Response Needed as Cholera Spreads
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/yemen-increased-response-needed-cholera-spreads
12 May 2017
“On May 11, key southern political leaders in Yemen declared a Transitional Political Council to represent the south in a step toward independence from the north. A week earlier, thousands of southern secession supporters rallied in Yemen’s port city of Aden against President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and his recent decision to remove Aden’s governor, Aidarous al-Zubaidi from office. Al-Zubaidi is now the head of the new Political Council and the highest political authority in the south. Before that, leaders in the Hadramout region in the south announced their independence as a federal region.”
How diplomacy failed in Yemen and why it will again
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/05/11/how-diplomacy-failed-in-yemen-and-why-it-will-again/
12 May 2017
“Senior tribal, military and political leaders have formed a new council seeking the secession of southern Yemen, the former governor of the area`s main city Aden said on Thursday, threatening to bring more turmoil to a two-year-old civil war.
Aidaroos al-Zubaidi made his announcement in a televised address in front of the flag of the former nation of South Yemen, whose forces were defeated by the north in 1994 and brought into a reunified country.
Zubaidi said a ‘national political leadership’ under his presidency would administer and represent the south - a region which holds much of Yemen`s modest oil deposits, the backbone of its economy.”
Southern Yemen leaders launch body seeking split from north
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-south-idUSKBN18724T
12 May 2017
“British officials don’t care much about Yemeni blood and innocent children starved to death; human rights and democracy don’t matter as long as the Saudi war in Yemen is making the UK money, says Middle East political commentator Catherine Shakdam.
Britain`s Defense Minister Sir Michael Fallon says Saudi Arabia has the right to defend itself and call on its friends to help, referring to the Saudi operation in Yemen and UK arms sales to the Gulf monarchy during a BBC interview.”
Follow the money: `UK ignores Yemeni slaughter as Riyadh spends more on British military equipment`
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/388016-uk-yemen-war-saudi-military-sales/
15 May 2017
“The ministry, after meeting in Sanaa with U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick and other international officials, called on humanitarian organizations and aid donors to help it avert an ‘unprecedented disaster’.
It declared a ‘state of health emergency in the capital,’ the agency said.
Saba said 8,595 suspected cholera cases were recorded in Sanaa and other Yemeni provinces between April 27 and May 13, while laboratory confirmed cases were 213.
The acute diarrhoeal disease, which can be fatal within hours if left untreated, has killed 115 people, the agency said.”
Cholera strikes Yemen`s Sanaa; state of emergency called
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-cholera-idUSKCN18A10M
15 May 2017
“Through March 2017 the TFPM has observed a overall decrease in the conflict-related displacement of 2,394 individuals (-0.12%). In addition, there has been an overall decrease in the conflict-affected return population by 148,638 individuals (-14%). Food was reported as the top priority need among 76% of identified IDP locations and 49% of returnee locations.”
Yemen | Task Force on Population Movement | TFPM 14th Report - Dashboard - May 2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-task-force-population-movement-tfpm-14th-report-dashboard-may-2017
15 May 2017
“Sudanese state news agency reported on Saturday that two Sudanese Army soldiers died while taking part in a Saudi-led military operation in Yemen. Clarifying the circumstances of their death, the agency added that they were carrying out operations in Yemen against Houthis.”
Two Sudanese soldiers killed in Yemen fighting against Houthis
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/two-sudanese-soldiers-killed-yemen-fighting-houthis/
15 May 2017
“’A minimum of 400,000 people will flee the city eastwards, once Al Hudaydah is under attack [adding to] the already desperate situation of more than two million displaced people and their conflict-affected host communities,’ said Mohammed Abdiker, the Director of Operations and Emergencies at IOM, in a news release today.
In addition to that number, the attack will also severely hamper the UN agency`s efforts to evacuate vulnerable migrants through Al Hudaydah Port.
Even without the attack, emergency response in Yemen has been facing immense challenges relating to access, financial resources and the sheer scale of humanitarian need – nearly 19 million people require assistance, more than half of them depend on it for their lives.”
Attack on Yemeni city could overwhelm humanitarian capacity, warns UN migration agency
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56737#.WRl4xhOGP8M
15 May 2017
“The move would be a shift for the Labour Party, given its history of backing imperialist wars, especially under the leadership of former PM and war criminal Tony Blair.
Under the leadership of long-time anti-war activist Jeremy Corbyn, the United Kingdom’s social democratic party, the UK Labour Party, promised Friday to suspend all arms sales to Saudi Arabia should they be elected during the June 8 elections.”
Labour Party Promises to End UK Funding of US-Backed, Saudi-Led War Crimes in Yemen
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Labour-Party-Promises-to-End-UK-Funding-of-US-Backed-Saudi-Led-War-Crimes-in-Yemen-20170514-0012.html
22 May 2017
“As cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhea rise across Yemen, international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns that the outbreak is threatening to get out of control and calls for an urgent and appropriate response.
The number of suspected cases has more than doubled in the past five days, from 11,000 on 14 May to more than 23,500 on 19 May, according to World Health Organization figures. The disease has now spread across 18 of Yemen’s 22 governorates, according to Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population.”
Yemen: Cholera outbreak threatens to get out of control
http://www.msf.org/en/article/yemen-cholera-outbreak-threatens-get-out-control
22 May 2017
“Hostilities in Taiz escalated in January, with nearly 50,000 people displaced, about 27 per cent of the internally displaced people in Yemen. The governorate also hosts about 304,000 additional displaced people.
The spokesperson said that UNHCR teams observed worsening conditions, ‘Many people are living out in the open in harsh conditions and without adequate shelter, protection and material assistance.’”
UN aids Yemenis in embattled Mokha; warns of cholera’s spread amid crippled health systems
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56763#.WSKfd1KB38N
22 May 2017
“The war between the self-proclaimed Houthi government in Sanaa and the Saudi Arabian-led coalition has thus far resulted in the loss of 10,000 lives. Hisham-Sharaf Abdullah, 60, was once a minister in the cabinet of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, the country`s elected president. Today, Sharaf is the foreign minister of self-proclaimed Houthi government, which is not internationally recognized. The Houthis are fighting against Hadi, elements of the divided Yemeni army and the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.”
`Our Enemies Want to Starve Us`
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/yemen-civil-war-an-interview-with-foreign-minister-sharaf-a-1148303.html
22 May 2017
“Last October the Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombed a funeral hall in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, killing and wounding hundreds of people. ‘The scene was catastrophic,’ one survivor told me. ‘Beyond what I can explain to you or describe… There were burned bodies and dead bodies all over the hall.’
Soon after that unlawful bombing, the Obama administration suspended the sale of nearly $400 million in weapons to Saudi Arabia. It was a recognition, a long time in coming, that the coalition’s military campaign in Yemen had devastated the country, killed thousands of civilians, and brought it to the brink of famine.
After the funeral bombing, unlawful airstrikes continued, but the decision to suspend arms sales sent an important message to the Saudis. President Donald Trump, in his first trip abroad as president, is going to send an alternative, deeply troublesome message.”
Trump to Reward Saudi War Crimes with Weapons
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/20/trump-reward-saudi-war-crimes-weapons
22 May 2017
“The Saudis have gifted Conservative ministers 20 luxury food hampers costing around £200 each since the party came to power in 2010, according to official government records analysed by The Independent.
Campaigners said the hampers were a ‘garish sign of friendship’ between the autocracy and Whitehall, noting the irony of food hampers being given while millions starved due to Saudi bombs.”
Tory ministers accept 20 luxury food hampers from Saudi Arabian regime worsening famine in Yemen
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-saudi-arabia-food-hampers-boris-johnson-liam-fox-general-election-2017-conservatives-theresa-a7745206.html
22 May 2017
“As cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhea rise across Yemen, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns that the outbreak is threatening to spiral out of control and calls for an urgent and appropriate response.
The number of suspected cases has more than doubled in the past five days, from 11,000 on May 14 to more than 23,500 on May 19, according to World Health Organization figures. The disease has now spread across 18 of Yemen’s 22 governorates, according to Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population.”
Yemen: Cholera Outbreak Threatens to Spiral Out of Control
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cholera-outbreak-threatens-spiral-out-control
22 May 2017
“Thousands of Yemenis who back southern secession demonstrated in second city Aden on Sunday as a self-proclaimed autonomous body said it would press for the south`s ‘liberation’ from the north.
The protest was the second since 4 May when thousands of southerners marched in support of former Aden governor Aidarous al-Zoubeidi after he was sacked by President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.”
Yemen: Thousands protest for southern secession
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-thousands-protest-southern-secession-1300260773
22 May 2017
“Yemen`s Houthi movement said on Friday it had fired a ballistic missile toward the Saudi capital Riyadh and the Arab coalition waging war in Yemen said it had intercepted and destroyed a projectile around 200 km (120 miles) west of the city.”
Yemen`s Houthis say fire ballistic missile toward Saudi capital
http://m.todayonline.com/world/yemens-houthis-say-fired-ballistic-missile-toward-saudi-capital
22 May 2017
“According to Al-Sahat TV, the pilot managed to fly his jet to Saudi airspace. Its fate remains unknown, with some sources saying pilot was able to land the aircraft at a Saudi airbase, while others claim that pilot ejected from the plane which consequently crashed over the territory of Saudi Arabia.”
Yemeni air defense forces target Saudi F-15 fighter jet (VIDEO)
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/yemeni-air-defense-forces-target-saudi-f-15-fighter-jet-video/
22 May 2017
“The mostly Gulf Arab coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and backed by U.S. arms and intelligence, has waged a nearly two-year-old campaign on behalf of Yemen`s internationally recognized government, which the Houthi movement - allied with Saudi`s arch-foe Iran - is battling to dislodge.
Trump has signaled a tough new line on Tehran by choosing Riyadh for his first visit abroad.
But the Yemeni government`s authority is fast eroding and, though nominally based in Aden, it resides mostly in Riyadh to avoid incessant bombings by Islamist militant groups al Qaeda and Islamic State.”
Yemen sets chaotic backdrop for Trump`s Saudi visit
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-yemen-aden-idUSKCN18E1YK
22 May 2017
“Some 30,600 Somalis have reportedly returned to Somalia from Yemen since the beginning of war in Yemen in 2015, the UN refugee agency said on Friday.
The UNHCR said an increasing number of Somalis are approaching the agency for assistance to support their return, citing safety concerns and limited access to services in Yemen.”
Somalia: Over 30,000 Somalis Return From Conflict-Hit Yemen – UNHCR
http://allafrica.com/stories/201705210017.html
25 May 2017
“Saudi Arabia got praise and an arms deal from President Trump last weekend. But there was little mention of Yemen, where a Saudi-led military campaign is causing civilian casualties.”
Aid Workers In Yemen Express Alarm At U.S.-Saudi Arms Deal
http://www.npr.org/2017/05/23/529730650/aid-workers-in-yemen-express-alarm-at-u-s-saudi-arms-deal
25 May 2017
“Third, and perhaps most perniciously, the deal means that the United States is stepping up its support for Saudi Arabia’s proxy war against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, in which more than ten thousand civilians have already been killed, an unknown number of whom were blown to pieces by American-supplied bombs. In a piece published at the Hill, Kristine Beckerle, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, said her organization had documented eighty-one attacks by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen over the last two years, many of which were ‘possible war crimes. In almost two dozen of these cases . . . we were able to identify the U.S. weapons that were used.’”
TRUMP’S BIG SAUDI ARMS DEAL WILL CAUSE MORE MISERY FOR YEMEN
http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/trumps-big-saudi-arms-deal-will-cause-more-misery-for-yemen
25 May 2017
“The joint forces of Houthis and Yemeni Republican Guard continue their military operations deep inside Saudi Arabia’s regions along Yemen’s border, targeting the positions and barracks of the Saudi army and destroying its vehicles and military equipment.”
Yemeni forces continue raiding border regions of Saudi Arabia
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/yemeni-forces-continue-raiding-border-regions-saudi-arabia/
25 May 2017
“Prior to Sana’a, he visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where he met with government officials as part of his efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Yemen.
In Sana’a, he met with political leaders from Ansar’Allah and the General People’s Congress and Representatives of other political parties, the note said, adding that the talks focused on possible agreements which would prevent the spread of military activities to Hudeidah and practical ways to ensure the resumption of salaries to all Yemeni civil servants nationwide.”
Yemen: UN envoy raises concern over attack on his convoy during visit to Sana’a
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56838#.WSa3OROGP8M
25 May 2017
“Five civilians were killed in a US navy Seal raid in Yemen against al-Qaida militants, a human rights organisation said on Wednesday.
US central command said that the raid on Tuesday had killed seven members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap) in Marib governorate, ‘through a combination of small arms fire and precision airstrikes.’
However, Reprieve, a London-based human rights group, said it had talked to two sources from the raided village, al-Jubah, who dispute that account.”
US raid killed five Yemen civilians, says rights group disputing official story
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/24/us-military-yemen-raid-al-qaida-civilian-deaths
25 May 2017
“In the last three weeks, health authorities have reported over 35,500 suspected cholera cases, a third of whom are children, and 361 associated deaths in 19 of 22 governorates.
Malnutrition and cholera are interconnected; weakened and hungry people are more likely to contract cholera and cholera is more likely to flourish in places where malnutrition exists. Seventeen million people in Yemen are food insecure, including 462,000 children in the grip of acute malnutrition. Seven million people in Yemen face the possibility of famine and now over one hundred thousand people are estimated to be at risk of contracting cholera.”
Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Mr. Jamie McGoldrick, on the Urgent need for Funding to Halt the Spread of Cholera
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-yemen-mr-jamie-mcgoldrick-urgent-need-funding-halt
29 May 2017
“The escalation of violence over the last four days has resulted in tens of war-wounded arriving at medical facilities and multiple deaths. Most people affected by the recent clashes are innocent civilians trying to go about their daily lives, but are being swept up in the violence and indiscriminate shelling that is all too frequent in Taizz City and its surrounding. Approximately 70 per cent of the war-wounded are women and children. They bear most of the consequences of the war and the continuing disregard for the protection of civilians.”
Statement by the humanitarian coordinator in Yemen Mr. Jamie McGoldrick on the recent escalation of violence in Taizz city
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-yemen-mr-jamie-mcgoldrick-recent-escalation-violence
29 May 2017
“Houthi-Saleh forces, Yemeni-government forces, and forces backed by the United Arab Emirates should free those arbitrarily held, ensure detainees have access to lawyers and family members, and reveal the fate or whereabouts of those forcibly disappeared. The forces should also release children and others being needlessly held and hold to account officials responsible for mistreatment. It is common for governments in predominantly Muslim countries to release or pardon prisoners during Ramadan.”
Yemen: Ramadan an Opportunity for Detainees
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/26/yemen-ramadan-opportunity-detainees
29 May 2017
"The Yemeni Houthi group (Ansar Allah movement) claimed Saturday that its forces had killed a commander of Sudanese Army unit participating in Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. The incident reportedly took place in Midi district in Hajjah province, northwestern Yemen.
Citing a military source, Yemen’s state news agency, Saba, wrote, ‘The Yemeni army and popular committees have targeted Sudanese forces in the outskirts of Midi desert by means of rockets and artillery shelling, killing the commander of these forces.’”
Sudanese commander reportedly killed in Yemen
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sudanese-commander-reportedly-killed-yemen/
29 May 2017
“The number of acute watery diarrhea (AWD)/ suspected cholera cases continue to increase at unprecedented level in Yemen. More than half of the total cases have been reported in Sana’a City (Amanat Al-Asimah), Hajjah, Amran and Sana’a governorates.
From 27 April to 24 May 2017, a total of 42,207 suspected cholera/ AWD cases were reported from 19 governorate. Out of the total reported cases, 420 deaths were reported (1% case fatality rate).
The number of deaths reported over the last four weeks is almost three times higher than deaths reported from October 2016 to March 2017.
A total of 313 cholera cases have been confirmed by laboratory testing.”
Yemen: Acute Watery Diarrhea / Cholera Outbreak - Situation Report #3 (25 May 2017)
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-acute-watery-diarrhea-cholera-outbreak-situation-report-3-25-may-2017
29 May 2017
“As the fighting grinds on into its third year, millions of families are unable to make ends meet, and more than 3 million people have been driven from their homes, ending up in camps. For families desperate for cash, unable to support their children or afraid they cannot protect their daughter’s ‘virtue’, marrying off a girl becomes the solution.
Unicef said in March that early marriage in Yemen has become ‘alarmingly widespread.’”
Desperate parents in Yemen are increasingly marrying off their young girls for cash
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-crisis-civil-war-parents-marrying-selling-off-children-girls-cash-a7759981.html
29 May 2017
“FIVE CIVILIANS INCLUDING a child were killed and another five were wounded in the latest U.S. Navy SEAL raid in Yemen, according to eyewitness accounts gathered by The Intercept.
The raid by U.S. commandos in the hamlet of al Adhlan, in the Yemeni province of Mareb on May 23, also destroyed at least four homes. Navy SEALs, with air support from more than half a dozen attack helicopters and aircraft, were locked in a firefight with Yemeni tribesmen for over an hour, according to local residents.”
VILLAGERS SAY YEMENI CHILD WAS SHOT AS HE TRIED TO FLEE NAVY SEAL RAID
https://theintercept.com/2017/05/28/villagers-say-yemeni-child-was-shot-as-he-tried-to-flee-navy-seal-raid/
29 May 2017
“Human Rights Watch has urged all warring sides in Yemen, the Houthi-Saleh fighters, the government troops and forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to seize the advent of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to remedy the wrongful treatment of detainees and to free those who were arbitrarily held.
HRW said in a statement that detainees should have access to lawyers and family members, and urged warring sides to reveal the fate or whereabouts of those forcibly disappeared.”
Yemen rivals urged to free wrongfully held detainees
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/yemen-rivals-urged-free-wrongfully-held-detainees-170527193511605.html
01 June 2017
“Speaking to the UN Security Council, Stephen O`Brien said ‘the time is now’ to end the world`s largest food emergency and put Yemen back on the path to survival.
‘Crisis is not coming, it is not looming, it is here today - on our watch and ordinary people are paying the price,’ said O`Brien, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs.
‘The people of Yemen are being subjected to deprivation, disease and death as the world watches.’
The crisis is spiralling towards ‘total social, economic and institutional collapse’ in the poor Arab country, O`Brien added.”
World watches as Yemen descends into total collapse: UN
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/05/31/world-watches-yemen-descends-total-collapse-un
01 June 2017
“Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have vowed to crush the Houthis, seeing them as proxies for Iran’s influence in the region. The Saudis have pledged to retake all territory seized by the Houthis, who are from the north of Yemen, and reinstate the Saudi-backed government that was forced to flee the capital, Sana, in 2015.
Although widely criticized for indiscriminate bombings in Yemen, the Saudis have also suggested they are in no rush to end a war that has ravaged their neighbor, leaving roughly 10,000 Yemenis dead and millions destitute and at risk of disease.”
Cholera, Famine and Girls Sold Into Marriage for Food: Yemen’s Dire Picture
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/30/world/middleeast/yemen-civil-war-cholera-famine-girls-marriage-united-nations.html
01 June 2017
“The number of people who have died in a cholera epidemic affecting Yemen has risen to at least 471, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures released on Monday.
But the latest WHO bulletin covering the period from April 27, said that there was a ‘significant decrease’ in the daily average number of cases recorded in the week up to May 27 compared to the previous seven-day period.
The epidemic began in October and grew until December. It then dwindled but was never brought fully under control, and a new surge in cases began in April.”
Yemen cholera death toll rises, but number of infections drop: WHO
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-cholera-idUSKBN18P1CU
01 June 2017
“Yemen is in the grip of a cholera outbreak. With more than 30,000 suspected cases of cholera and 300 associated deaths from acute watery diarrhoea reported across the country so far, Yemenis are staring at yet another public health crisis in the making.
Hospitals and treatment centres are struggling to cope with the large number of patients coming in from all corners of the country. Children, who are the most vulnerable, are seen sprawled on the floor of wards, twisting and turning with discomfort. Many of the cases are critical.
To make matters worse, there is a shortage of doctors and nursing staff, many of whom haven’t been paid in months. There is also a shortage of medicines and intravenous fluids.”
Children of Yemen are in the grip of the second cholera outbreak in six months
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/children-yemen-are-grip-second-cholera-outbreak-six-months
01 June 2017
“Unknown assailants attacked an oil tanker on Wednesday in a strategic Red Sea waterway near Yemen in the latest flare-up in an area through which much of the world`s oil passes.
The EU Naval Force said in a statement that the attackers fired rocket-propelled grenades before breaking off their assault on the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MT MUSKIE in the southern Bab al-Mandab Strait. The tanker is 70,362 tons deadweight.”
Oil tanker attacked in key shipping lane off Yemen
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-shipping-attack-idUSKBN18R2N9
01 June 2017
“While Muslims worldwide celebrate Ramadan with special meals and tasty treats, millions of Yemenis are suffering from an acute lack of food as the country`s two-year war rages on.
According to aid agencies, 17 million people do not have enough to eat, in what the UN calls the ‘largest humanitarian crisis in the world’.
Typically, people shop throughout Ramadan, but Yemeni storekeepers have nothing to celebrate.”
Millions of Yemenis face hunger during Ramadan
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/news/2017/05/millions-yemenis-starving-ramadan-170529080752822.html