5/15
UK Aid just completed the first phase of a cholera vaccination campaign in five districts around Aden. The upcoming rainy season increases the risk of cholera, but these vaccines are expected to protect 455,000 people.
A US airstrike reportedly killed three alleged al-Qaeda agents in the southern province of Shabwa.
5/16
The coalition’s planned ground invasion of al-Hudaydah and increasing Houthi missile strikes on Saudi Arabia are decreasing the chances of peace negotiations. According to International Crisis Group, these military escalations increase the likelihood of direct confrontations between the US or coalition forces and Iran.
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said positive progress is being made on a framework for negotiations. Griffiths plans to present this framework to the UN Security Council in early June, and hopes peace negotiations will be re-launched shortly thereafter.
5/17
As the coalition attempts to regain control over Yemen’s western coast, tens of thousands of civilians are being displaced. In reaction to this escalation of violence, Amnesty International warns the worst humanitarian crisis of the war may be on the way.
Pro-coalition press report that pro-government and local “Tihamah Resistance” forces have advanced up Yemen’s western coast, forcing the Houthis to retreat from the Bajil and al-Tahita regions.
In response to widespread protests over their presence, UAE troops have left the island of Soqotra following negotiations with Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government
Anwar Eshki, a retired Saudi intelligence chief, called for southern Yemen’s independence, and said the future state should join the Gulf Cooperation Council.
5/18
PBS NewsHour has created a series called “Inside Yemen.” Thursday’s installment shows how the government of Yemen is failing to provide for Adenis, who face a lack of food, fuel, and services despite the city’s status as the government’s liberated provisional capital.
Yemen’s ambassador to UNESCO, Ahmad al-Sayyad, claimed Saudi Arabia and the UAE have a “hidden inclination to divide Yemen.” This comes amidst allegations that the UAE was attempting to “colonize” Soqotra.
5/19
The tropical cyclone Sagar has struck Yemen’s southern coast, and the severe flooding has forced sewage into the streets.
New installments of “Inside Yemen” explore how food is being used as a weapon of war, and how the war is impacting Yemeni children.
5/20
The government of Yemen and the Houthis cannot be the only participants in the UN’s planned peace negotiations, analysts say. Groups such as the Southern Transitional Council, and Saleh’s former party, the GPC, are also demanding seats at the table.