Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Reuters reports that Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has said that the offensive on Hudaydah that Saudi Arabia wants to launch would have heavy casualties for both Saudi-backed forces and their Houthi adversaries. The Washington Post, meanwhile, discusses the concern among U.S. lawmakers over the possibility of an attack on the port city.

AP focuses on statements by Prince Mohammed bin Salman dismissing the possibility of dialogue with Iran as unrealistic and stating that Saudi Arabia would not wait “until there becomes a battle in Saudi Arabia, so we will work so that it becomes a battle for them in Iran….”

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Middle East Eye quotes Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who said during a visit to San’a that Yemen is facing a “famine of Biblical proportions” and condemned the continuation of armed conflict in the country as millions face starvation.

Reuters reports that despite efforts by the UAE to fund and train Yemeni forces, rivalries within Yemen are threatening the unity among the troops.

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Gulf News notes that there were demonstrations in Aden today in support of former governor Aidaroos al-Zubaidi, who was recently replaced by President Hadi. AP also discusses the demonstrations, which were also in support of Yemen’s southern secessionist movement. President Hadi’s recent replacement of al-Zubaidi and today’s demonstration are part of the ongoing tensions between Hadi and the UAE.

In an NPR interview, Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, emphasized that millions of Yemeni lives are at risk due to short supply of food and medical care.

Friday, May 5, 2017

Reuters continues to follow the legal battle over President Trump’s attempted travel ban. Two US appeals courts will consider next week whether the ban is constitutional.

A new draft of the Trump administration’s counterterrorism strategy is discussed by Reuters as well, noting that the draft urges avoidance of open-ended military commitments and demands that US allies do more to combat Islamist extremists. Reuters highlights the disparity between this draft strategy and the policies that the Trump administration seems to be implementing in countries such as Yemen.

Saturday, May 6, 2017

The Telegraph focuses on the persecution of Yemen’s Baha’is by the Houthis. A number of Baha’is received threatening phone calls demanding that they hand themselves in for interrogation. Baha’is are a small and relatively new minority in Yemen. Members of the faith have long faced severe persecution in Iran.

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Al Jazeera reports that over 200 cases of cholera have been reported in San’a.

It was announced today that the Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF) won the first Sharjah International Award for Refugee Advocacy and Support.

Al Arabiya reports that UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed is pushing to revive the stalled peace process and bring the parties to the conflict to the table for negotiations.

Monday, May 8, 2017

According to Reuters, the WHO has reported that 25 people died from cholera this week in Yemen.

The ACLU is suing the US government in order to obtain documentation on the January Navy SEAL raid in Yakla, al-Baydha province. The organization questions the legal and factual basis for the raid and the accuracy of the information provided by the US government on the operation.