Monday, May 15, 2017
PRI’s Stephen Snyder reports on Yemen’s current cholera outbreak, noting that the spread of the disease has been exacerbated by Saudi airstrikes on hospitals and blockades that block the flow of medical supplies into the country. The report also emphasizes that the disease is preventable and treatable, but that the destruction of civilian infrastructure and unpaid government salaries have made preventing and addressing outbreaks more difficult .
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, January 11The AP reported heavy fighting between coalition forces and Houthi-Saleh forces near the Bab al-Mandab, with dozens of casualties on both sides.
Monday, December 12: UNICEF reports that child malnutrition in Yemen is at an all time high, with nearly 2.2 million in need of urgent care.
This is a consolidated version of three posts on the role of the United Arab Emirates in southern Yemen, by our guest blogger in Aden, who writes anonymously for professional reasons and safety concerns. The perspective of the author does not necessarily represent the positions of the YPP. The YPP has been able to independently verify some, but not all, of the claims reported herein. The YPP’s Hannah Porter assisted with editing and translation.
Mid-July marks the first anniversary of the battle to retake control of Aden from Ansarullah (Houthi) and Saleh forces. With military and financial support from the Saudi- and Emirati-led Arab coalition forces, a mix of Salafi militias, the Southern Resistance, mercenaries loyal to President Hadi, and members of Ansar al-Shariah/al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AAS/AQAP) formed a united front against the Houthis.
A year on, the United Arab Emirates continues to play a prominent role in South Yemen, particularly in Aden. The Emirati Red Crescent promotes a polished image of the UAE across the world and within Yemen by providing increased aid to the country.
Yet a different image—that of the UAE’s military role in South Yemen—is still incomplete. Apart from the military training, weapons, and armed vehicles that the Emirates provides to their southern agents, specifically to Aden’s governor Aidrus al-Zubaydi and security director Shalal Ali Shayae, there is another side to the story that journalists and activists don’t dare to touch, possibly because of Emirati support for their media outlets and humanitarian organizations, or because of the security crackdown by al-Zubaydi and Shayae.
The UAE has presented itself in southern Yemen as a global partner in the war on terror. Emirati forces oversaw the security crackdown last March in Aden’s al-Mansurah district and in al-Mukalla, the capital of Hadhramawt province, which was under AQAP control until recently. As a result of the Emirati-led offensive, AQAP chose to withdraw from Mukalla in April following consultations with respected local figures.
The security crackdown overseen by Emirati security forces, including a string of arrests of those with suspected ties to AQAP and the Islamic State group (IS), has been conducted outside the rule of law, according to some local observers. Emirati forces allegedly operate seven secret prisons in southern Yemen, where dozens of Yemenis have been tortured and forced to confess to being members of AQAP or IS.
A former detainee in one of the prisons said, “They allowed us to go to the bathroom once a day and did not allow us to pray. They forced me to write a false confession to being a member of al-Qaeda after subjecting me to agonizing torture.”
Many families do not know the fate of their sons who are being illegally detained in prisons under Hadi’s authority and those seven prisons run by the UAE. Thus far, international organizations and foreign powers have paid little attention to this aspect of Emirati involvement in Yemen. Given the immense scope of human rights violations being committed by all parties to Yemen’s conflict, the plight of these detainees will likely continue to be ignored.
It is fair to say that the United Arab Emirates has control over matters of security in Aden province, especially with the help of Aden’s governor Aidrus al-Zubaydi and head of security Shalal Ali Shayae. It appears, however, that Hadi’s government has recently been experiencing some tension with the forces controlling its temporary capital.
More than 2,000 Yemeni citizens from northern provinces working in Aden have been expelled with the help of UAE forces. Those carrying out the expulsions believe that northern Yemenis working in the South are either spies working for the Houthis and Saleh or saboteurs seeking to thwart future attempts at self-determination in South Yemen.
Despite clear orders from President Hadi and Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr instructing al-Zubaydi and Shayae to end the campaigns of deportation, the author witnessed deportations as recently as June 20.
Northern Yemenis who are arrested for the purpose of deportation are mainly thrown in the central prison in Aden’s district of al-Mansurah.
Yemen’s state judiciary is not functioning at all in this part of the country, so security and law enforcement, such as it is, is in the hands of local authorities and foreign forces. In Aden and other parts of the south, some of these functions are being carried out by local armed forces trained and equipped by the UAE.
In Aden alone there are four extrajudicial prisons run by the UAE, where dozens of Yemenis are tortured and forced to confess to being members of AQAP or IS. One is located behind Sha’ab City, near the residences of the UAE forces. Another is at the presidential palace in the area of Maashiq in Sirah (Crater) District. A third can be found at the coast guard camp in Khormaksar’s al-Arish District. The final prison is located in the Ras Abbas area in the district of Buriqah.
In Lahj province, UAE forces also keep detainees at al-Anad air force base. Some sources claim that another UAE-run detention facility exists on the island of Soqotra.
In Hadhramawt province, UAE forces use the Khalef area of Mukalla as a locale for one of their prisons. As a result of the many extrajudicial campaigns to arrest suspects in and around Mukalla, UAE forces and their local allies may open additional prisons as well.
Many of the Yemenis accused of being members of IS or al-Qaeda were arrested by units trained by UAE forces to conduct raids. These forces are not subject to Yemeni authorities nor are their operations approved by Yemen’s prosecution or courts, which have recently been inoperable.
Aden’s so-called Security Belt Forces are considered the most powerful security unit overseen and trained by the UAE, primarily carrying out orders issued by the commander of UAE forces in Aden to conduct raids and make arrests.
Mohamed Ba Rwis, a famous soccer player for Yemen’s national team and Aden’s al-Wahda club, was unlawfully arrested in July by Security Belt Forces during a raid of his home in al-Mansurah. He was taken to an unknown location, causing his family, friends, and Yemen’s soccer fans to fear for his safety.
Setting a dangerous precedent, the Security Belt Forces also arrested al-Mansurah’s deputy police chief Ayman Alibah and, according to a security source, detained him at one of the UAE-operated prisons in the district of Buriqah. The reason for his arrest is still unknown.
His detention certainly came as a shock to the heads of al-Mansurah’s police force and other security personnel in Aden. The incident also reveals the weak leadership of Aden’s head of security, Shalal Ali Shayae, and the extent of his loyalty to the UAE forces in the area.
These units have carried out dozens of similar arrests of Southern Resistance commanders, including the arrest in early June of Haleem al-Shuaibi, from the Hazm Salman Battalion, and commander Osan al-Kazimi in April.
Aden’s local newspaper, Al-Omanaa, published a statement by Southern Resistance commander Abu Mesh’al al-Dheb who said, “The most painful thing imaginable is to see our national sovereignty violated and to undergo investigation at the hands of foreigners on southern land.”
In the article, al-Dheb delivered an important message to whoever supports these arrests and raids: “Know that you cannot impose your will on a revolutionary people. They may tolerate it for a brief time, but they will absolutely not accept any prolongment or subordination.”
This is the third of three posts on the role of the United Arab Emirates in southern Yemen, by our guest blogger in Aden, who writes anonymously for professional reasons and safety concerns. The perspective of the author does not necessarily represent the positions of the YPP. The YPP has been able to independently verify some, but not all, of the claims reported herein. The YPP’s Hannah Porter assisted with editing and translation.
Many of the Yemenis accused of being members of IS or al-Qaeda were arrested by units trained by UAE forces to conduct raids. These forces are not subject to Yemeni authorities nor are their operations approved by Yemen’s prosecution or courts, which have recently been inoperable.
Aden’s so-called Security Belt Forces are considered the most powerful security unit overseen and trained by the UAE, primarily carrying out orders issued by the commander of UAE forces in Aden to conduct raids and make arrests.
Mohamed Ba Rwis, a famous soccer player for Yemen’s national team and Aden’s al-Wahda club, was unlawfully arrested in July by Security Belt Forces during a raid of his home in al-Mansurah. He was taken to an unknown location, causing his family, friends, and Yemen’s soccer fans to fear for his safety.
Setting a dangerous precedent, the Security Belt Forces also arrested al-Mansurah’s deputy police chief Ayman Alibah and, according to a security source, detained him at one of the UAE-operated prisons in the district of Buriqah. The reason for his arrest is still unknown.
His detention certainly came as a shock to the heads of al-Mansurah’s police force and other security personnel in Aden. The incident also reveals the weak leadership of Aden’s head of security, Shalal Ali Shayae, and the extent of his loyalty to the UAE forces in the area.
These units have carried out dozens of similar arrests of Southern Resistance commanders, including the arrest in early June of Haleem al-Shuaibi, from the Hazm Salman Battalion, and commander Osan al-Kazimi in April.
Aden’s local newspaper, Al-Omanaa, published a statement by Southern Resistance commander Abu Mesh’al al-Dheb who said, “The most painful thing imaginable is to see our national sovereignty violated and to undergo investigation at the hands of foreigners on southern land.”
In the article, al-Dheb delivered an important message to whoever supports these arrests and raids: “Know that you cannot impose your will on a revolutionary people. They may tolerate it for a brief time, but they will absolutely not accept any prolongment or subordination.”
يتم القبض على الكثير منهم من خلال فرق دربت لعمليات المداهمات والاقتحامات تتبع القوات الاماراتية ولا تخضع للسلطات اليمنية ولا تستند الى إذن من النيابة والمحاكم التي جلها معطلة حتى هذه اللحظة.
وتعتبر قوات ما تسمى "الحزام الامني"، اهم الوحدات الامنية التي دربتها وتشرف عليها القوات الاماراتية وهي تنفذ بشكل رئيسي الاوامر التي تأتيها من قائد القوات الاماراتية الموجود في عدن للقيام بعمليات المداهمة والاعتقال.
محمد بارويس، لاعب كرة القدم الشهير في المنتخب اليمني. يلعب في صفوف نادي الوحدة في عدن. تعرض هو الاخر للأعتقال علي ايدي قوات الحزام الامني التي اقتحمت منزلة الواقع في مديرية المنصورة واقتاده الى مكان مجهول بعد ان اعتقلته خارج إطار القانون. مسببين في ذلك الخوف في اوساط اسرته ومحبيه من عشاق كرة القدم في اليمن.
هذا ليس كل شيء، فقوات الحزام الامني تعتبر اعلى سلطة امنية في محافظة عدن بسبب تبعيتها للقوات الاماراتية التي تتولى بدورها إدارة الملف الامني. ففي سابقة خطيره. اعتقلت تلك القوات نائب شرطة المنصورة، ايمن اللبه, اثناء تواجده في احد احياء مديرية المنصورة و زجت به بالسجن التابع للقوات الاماراتية في مديرية البريقة وفق مصدر خاص. وليس من الواضح حتى الان سبب الاعتقال.
دون شك، إن مثل هذا الاجراء يشكل صدمة لقيادة شرطة المنصورة وبقية الافراد المنتمين للأمن العام في عدن. وهو ايضاً يوضح ضعف قيادة الامن العام ممثلة باللواء شلال شائع و مدى ولائه للقوات الاماراتية المتواجدة في المدينة.
يذكر أن قوات الحزام الأمني نفذت عشرات الاعتقالات المشابهة بحق قادة ميدانين بالمقاومة الجنوبية كان آخرهم حليم الشعيبي القيادي بكتيبة حزم سلمان وقبله القيادي أوسان الكازمي.
وقد اوردت صحيفة الامناء، وهي صحيفة محلية تصدر في عدن تصريح لأحد قادة المقاومة الجنوبية اسمة ابو مشعل الذيب يقول فيه: قمة الالم هو عندما تنتهك السيادة الوطنية ويتم التحقيق مع الثوار على ارض جنوبية بأيدي خارجية.
وبحسب تعبير الصحيفة فإن القائد ابو مشعل الكازمي ارسل رسالة هامة إلى كل من يقفون وراء عمليات الاعتقالات والمداهمات التي طالت منازل قيادات المقاومة قائلاُ : ياهؤلاء عليكم أن تعلموا انه لايمكن فرض إملاءات على شعب ثائر قد يتقبل فترة مؤقتة لظروف هنا وهناك لكنه قطعآ لن يقبل أي تسويف او وصاية او خضوع.
Monday, July 11The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies released a report outlining the accomplishments and setbacks of the UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait. Although progress at the talks has been slow, some important steps have been taken to end hostilities including prisoner exchanges, the facilitation of commercial imports, and working towards building confidence between the warring sides.
The report was released while the parties to the talks were on break for Eid al-Fitr. The negotiations resumed on Saturday, but were preceded with threats by Hadi’s government to boycott the talks due to a lack of progress.
A report by Human Rights Watch documents seventeen airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition on factories, warehouses, and other civilian economic infrastructures. The strikes, which killed 130 civilians, injured many more, and left hundreds unemployed, likely amount to war crimes. Human Rights Watch is calling for the removal of Saudi Arabia from the UN Human Rights Council and demands that the coalition agree to an independent international inquiry into these and other unlawful attacks.
Tuesday, July 12 Yemen’s Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Malik al-Mekhlafi said that Hadi’s government will not return to negotiations with the Houthi delegation without “guarantees,” a timetable, and an acceptance of Hadi’s “legitimacy” as president.
Wednesday, July 13 The Guardian’s Owen Jones speaks to Yemeni refugees about the horrors they faced during the war, and questions Sir Alan Duncan, the UK's envoy to Yemen, about the UK's relationship with Saudi Arabia, including banned cluster bombs produced in the UK that have been found to be used by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
UN Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived in San’a to meet with Houthi and Saleh representatives in preparation for the resumption of talks in Kuwait following a two-week hiatus. Forty-four people were reportedly killed in clashes and airstrikes in the 24 hours leading up to the envoy’s visit.
The Popular Resistance in Ta’iz is seeking donations from the public to pay the salaries of their fighters who are battling the Houthis.
The Popular Resistance controls central Ta’iz as well as some rural areas but the Houthis still maintain control over the main entrances of the city and have imposed a crippling siege on it since last August.
One volunteer with the resistance who has been going door-to-door to collect donations told Middle East Eye that "It has become clear that the Yemeni government and the coalition countries have betrayed Ta’iz, so residents have to support the Resistance fighters, who are fighting for the sake of Ta’iz to protect our province from the invaders who came from Saada," referring to the Houthis.
Thursday, July 14 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked Saudi Arabia to provide information on actions the coalition is taking to prevent the killing and wounding of children in Yemen. Riyadh said it was conducting its military operations with "great care,” but last month’s UN report on children in conflict accused Saudi Arabia of being the group responsible for the most child deaths in Yemen. The kingdom was quickly removed from the list due to threats by Saudi officials to withdraw funding from UN-sponsored aid programs.
Many Yemenis are facing famine due to a shortage of food imports. Western banks have cut credit lines for traders importing food to Yemen out of fear that their loans will go unpaid because of Yemen’s fragile economic state. Approximately $260 million of funds are frozen due to civil war disruption.
Houthi delegates traveled to Kuwait to resume talks after a two week break for Eid al-Fitr. Al-Arabiya reports that the talks between the two sides will resume on Saturday, but Hadi’s government has threatened to boycott the talks if there are no “guarantees” or a timetable. His government demands that UN resolution 2216, which requires the Houthis to give up arms and withdraw from seized territory, be implemented before a government is formed. The Houthis are demanding a share of power in a new government, but Hadi recently said during his trip to Marib that he will not allow the United Nations to implement decisions that would form a coalition government, adding that he will not return to Kuwait if the UN issued such a decision.
Friday, July 15 According to US Army General Joseph Votel, who oversees the small group of American troops in Yemen, the US is contemplating increased military presence in the country to fight al-Qaeda. The few American troops currently in Yemen provided intelligence to the coalition, particularly the UAE, to help push AQAP out of Mukalla earlier this year.
"If we can continue to better understand what al-Qaeda's doing, regain the situational awareness that we lost when we all had to depart Yemen here some time ago, that's what I'm interested in doing," Votel said.
Despite years of US drone strikes on al-Qaeda members and leaders in Yemen, the group has managed to thrive, gaining territory and earning tens of millions of dollars by taking advantage of the security vacuum created by the ongoing war.
A suicide car bomb in Aden’s Inmaa district targeted the convoy of Governor Aidrus al-Zubaydi and police chief Shalal Ali Shayae. Both escaped unharmed. Zubaydi and Shayae have survived a number of previous assassination attempts.
Medecins Sans Frontieres reports that civilians are dying even in non-combat zones in Yemen due to the country’s crumbling health system and lack of medical supplies. Before the war erupted in March 2015, Yemen relied heavily on imported medical supplies and foreign doctors, many of whom have now fled. Yemenis who suffer from treatable conditions such as asthma, hypertension, and diabetes may die from lack of care.
Saturday, July 16 Peace talks resumed in Kuwait despite earlier threats by Hadi’s government to boycott the negotiations. UN Envoy Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the warring parties that, ““The time has come for you to take definitive decisions that demonstrate to the Yemeni people the sincerity of your intentions and your national obligations.” The envoy noted that the negotiations will continue for two weeks and will be centered around Security Resolution 2216, the Gulf Initiative, and the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference.
Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for Friday’s car bombing that unsuccessfully targeted Aden’s governor and police chief.
This is the second of three posts on the role of the United Arab Emirates in southern Yemen, by our guest blogger in Aden, who writes anonymously for professional reasons and safety concerns. The perspective of the author does not necessarily represent the positions of the YPP. The YPP has been able to independently verify some, but not all, of the claims reported herein. The YPP’s Hannah Porter assisted with editing and translation.
It is fair to say that the United Arab Emirates has control over matters of security in Aden province, especially with the help of Aden’s governor Aidrus al-Zubaydi and head of security Shalal Ali Shayae. It appears, however, that Hadi’s government has recently been experiencing some tension with the forces controlling its temporary capital.
More than 2,000 Yemeni citizens from northern provinces working in Aden have been expelled with the help of UAE forces. Those carrying out the expulsions believe that northern Yemenis working in the South are either spies working for the Houthis and Saleh or saboteurs seeking to thwart future attempts at self-determination in South Yemen.
Despite clear orders from President Hadi and Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr instructing al-Zubaydi and Shayae to end the campaigns of deportation, the author witnessed deportations as recently as June 20.
Northern Yemenis who are arrested for the purpose of deportation are mainly thrown in the central prison in Aden’s district of al-Mansurah.
Yemen’s state judiciary is not functioning at all in this part of the country, so security and law enforcement, such as it is, is in the hands of local authorities and foreign forces. In Aden and other parts of the south, some of these functions are being carried out by local armed forces trained and equipped by the UAE.
In Aden alone there are four extrajudicial prisons run by the UAE, where dozens of Yemenis are tortured and forced to confess to being members of AQAP or IS. One is located behind Sha’ab City, near the residences of the UAE forces. Another is at the presidential palace in the area of Maashiq in Sirah (Crater) District. A third can be found at the coast guard camp in Khormaksar’s al-Arish District. The final prison is located in the Ras Abbas area in the district of Buriqah.
In Lahj province, UAE forces also keep detainees at al-Anad air force base. Some sources claim that another UAE-run detention facility exists on the island of Soqotra.
In Hadhramawt province, UAE forces use the Khalef area of Mukalla as a locale for one of their prisons. As a result of the many extrajudicial campaigns to arrest suspects in and around Mukalla, UAE forces and their local allies may open additional prisons as well.
لا ابالغ ان قلت ان الامارات تتولى ادارة الملف الامني في محافظة عدن على وجه التحديد بواسطة وكلائها في الداخل وهم محافظ عدن ومدير الامن. ويبدو ان الحكومة الموالية لهادي قد بدءت تشعر بالانزعاج مؤخراً.
اكثر من 2000 مواطن يمني ينتمون الى المحافظات الشمالية ويعملون في عدن قد تم ترحيلهم الى خارج المحافظة بدعم من القوات الاماراتية المتواجدة في المدينة. يعتقد القائمون على عمليات الترحيل بأن المواطنين المنتميين الى المحافظات الشمالية الذين يعملون بعدن هم إما جواسيس يتبعون قوات انصار الله وصالح، او جماعات تخريبية قد ينبع منها ردات فعل عكسية تجاه اي خطوات مستقبلية تتعلق بتقرير مصير جنوب اليمن.
وبالرغم من الاوامر الصريحة من رئيس الجمهورية اليمنية ورئيس الوزراء التي توجه محافظ عدن ومدير امنها بوقف حملات الترحيل إلا ان كاتب المقال شاهد بعينية احد عمليات الترحيل في تاريخ يونيو 20.
يزج بالمواطنين الشماليين الذين يتم القبض عليهم لغرض ترحيلهم بشكل رئيسي في سجن المنصورة المركزي، في مديرية المنصورة.
وفي ذات الملف الامني، تدير القوات الإماراتية سبعة سجون خارج إطار القانون في جنوب اليمن، يعذب فيها العشرات بشكل مهين وتُنتزع منهم اعترافات بالإكراه تفيد بأنهم أعضاء في تنظيمي القاعدة والدولة الاسلامية باليمن.
في عدن وحدها توجد اربعة سجون تديرها القوات الإماراتية. اول هذه السجون يقع خلف مدينة الشعب وهو قريب من مقر إقامة القوات الإماراتية. بينما يقع السجن الثاني الذي تديره القوات الإماراتية في القصر الرئاسي بمنطقة معاشيق في مديرية صيرة. اما السجن الثالث فيوجد في معسكر قوات خفر السواحل، منطقة العريش في مديرية خورمكسر. والسجن الرابع يقع في منطقة رأس عباس، مديرية البريقة.
وفي محافظة لحج، تتخد القوات الأماراتية من قاعدة العند الجوية العسكرية سجن اخر تديرة بشكل سري.
وفي محافظة سقطرى ايضاً تتخد القوات الاماراتي موقعاً لأحد سجونها السرية.
وفي محافظة حضرموت، تتخد القوات الإماراتية من منطقة خلف في عاصمة المكلا مكاناً لأحد سجونها في اليمن. وهنا من المهم الحديث من ان نتيجه للحملات خارج إطار القانون الكبيرة تجاه الكثير من المشتبه بهم من سكان المكلا والمناطق القريبة منها. قد لجئت القوات الاماراتية لفتح سجون اخرى بشكل سري لم يسمح لي بالتعرف عليها حتى الان
يتم القبض على الكثير منهم من خلال فرق دربت لعمليات المداهمات والاقتحامات تتبع القوات الاماراتية ولا تخضع للسلطات اليمنية ولا تستند الى إذن من النيابة والمحاكم التي جلها معطلة حتى هذه اللحظة.
We are pleased to feature another piece by our guest blogger in Aden, who writes anonymously for professional reasons and safety concerns. The perspective of the author does not necessarily represent the positions of the YPP. The YPP has not been able to independently verify the facts reported herein. The YPP’s Hannah Porter assisted with editing and translation.
Mid-July marks the first anniversary of the battle to retake control of Aden from Ansarullah (Houthi) and Saleh forces. With military and financial support from the Saudi- and Emirati-led Arab coalition forces, a mix of Salafi militias, the Southern Resistance, mercenaries loyal to President Hadi, and members of Ansar al-Shariah/al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AAS/AQAP) formed a united front against the Houthis.
A year on, the United Arab Emirates continues to play a prominent role in South Yemen, particularly in Aden. The Emirati Red Crescent promotes a polished image of the UAE across the world and within Yemen by providing increased aid to the country.
Yet a different image—that of the UAE’s military role in South Yemen—is still incomplete. Apart from the military training, weapons, and armed vehicles that the Emirates provides to their southern agents, specifically to Aden’s governor Aidrus al-Zubaydi and security director Shalal Ali Shayae, there is another side to the story that journalists and activists don’t dare to touch, possibly because of Emirati support for their media outlets and humanitarian organizations, or because of the security crackdown by al-Zubaydi and Shayae.
The UAE has presented itself in southern Yemen as a global partner in the war on terror. Emirati forces oversaw the security crackdown last March in Aden’s al-Mansurah district and in al-Mukalla, the capital of Hadhramawt province, which was under AQAP control until recently. As a result of the Emirati-led offensive, AQAP chose to withdraw from Mukalla in April following consultations with respected local figures.
The security crackdown overseen by Emirati security forces, including a string of arrests of those with suspected ties to AQAP and the Islamic State group (IS), has been conducted outside the rule of law, according to some local observers. Emirati forces allegedly operate seven secret prisons in southern Yemen, where dozens of Yemenis have been tortured and forced to confess to being members of AQAP or IS.
A former detainee in one of the prisons said, “They allowed us to go to the bathroom once a day and did not allow us to pray. They forced me to write a false confession to being a member of al-Qaeda after subjecting me to agonizing torture.”
Many families do not know the fate of their sons who are being illegally detained in prisons under Hadi’s authority and those seven prisons run by the UAE. Thus far, international organizations and foreign powers have paid little attention to this aspect of Emirati involvement in Yemen. Given the immense scope of human rights violations being committed by all parties to Yemen’s conflict, the plight of these detainees will likely continue to be ignored.
يصادف منتصف يوليو/تموز الذكرى السنوية لبدء معارك استعادة السيطرة على مدينة عدن من قوات أنصار الله/ صالح. مزيج من مليشيات سلفية، إلى جانب المقاومة الجنوبية، وقلة من المرتزقة المواليين للرئيس هادي بالإضافة الى أنصار الشريعة جميعهم شكلوا جبهة موحدة دعمت بالمال والسلاح من قوات التحالف العربي بقيادة شقيه السعودي والإماراتي.
لعبت الإمارات العربية المتحدة دورًا بارزًا في عدن وجنوب اليمن بشكل عام ولا تزال تلعب ذلك الدور حتى الآن. فالهلال الأحمر الإماراتي ما زال يغذي الصورة الساطعة للإمارات في أوساط المجتمع اليمني والعالم من خلال الدعم الغذائي المتنامي الذي يقدم لليمنيين.
بينما الدور العسكري للإمارات العربية المتحدة في جنوب اليمن لا يزال غير مكتمل الصورة. بعيدًا عن العربات والأسلحة والتدريب الذي تقدمة الإمارات العربية المتحدة لوكلائها في جنوب اليمن وعلى رأسهم محافظ عدن ومدير أمنها, ثمة دور آخر لا يقترب منه إعلاميو وحقوقيو جنوب اليمن ولا يريدون الكتابة عنه ربما للدعم الإماراتي لوسائلهم الإعلامية ومنظماتهم المدنية وربما أيضًا للقمع الأمني الذي يقوده كل من محافظ عدن و مدير أمنه.
أعلنت الإمارات العربية المتحدة للعالم أن دورها في جنوب اليمن يأتي ضمن الجهود العالمية لمحاربة الإرهاب. اشتباكات خفيفة أشرفت عليها القوات الاماراتية في المنصورة بعدن وأخرى في مدينة المكلا, عاصمة محافظة حضرموت كبرى المحافظات اليمنية شرقي البلاد, على إثرها اختار أنصار الشريعة الانسحاب طواعية استجابة لوساطة مجتمعية من شخصيات تحظى باحترام المجتمع في كلا المنطقتين.
إلا أن حملات الاعتقالات التي تشرف عليها القوات الإماراتية في جنوب اليمن تجاه المشتبه بانتمائهم لتنظيمي القاعدة وداعش تمضي باستمرار خارج إطار القانون, بالإضافة إلى حملات الترحيل القسري للشماليين الذي يعملون في مناطق جنوب اليمن وخصوصًا عدن.
تدير القوات الإماراتية سبعة سجون في جنوب اليمن، يعذب فيها العشرات بشكل مهين وتُنتزع منهم اعترافات بالإكراه تفيد بأنهم أعضاء في تنظيمي القاعدة والدولة الاسلامية باليمن.
أحد الذين كانوا معتقلين قال: ((يسمح لنا الذهاب مرة واحدة في اليوم لدورة المياه، كما لا يسمح لنا بممارسة شعائرنا الدينية, وارغموني على تسجيل اعتراف كاذب بأني عضو في القاعدة بعدما تلقيتُ تعذيبًا مبرحًا)).
كثير من العائلات لا تعرف ما هو مصير أبنائها المحتجزين خارج إطار القانون في سجون جنوب اليمن التي تديرها سلطة الرئيس هادي, والسبعة السجون التي تديرها القوات الإماراتية. والسؤال الذي علينا أن نسأل ضمائرنا هو: "من يكترث لمصير هؤلاء!؟"
Monday, May 16A weekday ban on the sale of qat went into effect in Aden on Monday, with checkpoints set up around the city to block its shipment. The crackdown was reportedly due to social and health concerns. Qat was last banned 26 years ago in south Yemen, before unification in 1990.
An anonymous diplomatic source in Kuwait spoke to Reuters about progress in the negotiations, saying, "There is an agreement on the withdrawal from the cities and the (Houthi) handover of weapons, forming a government of all parties and preparing for new elections. The dispute now only centers around where to begin."
The wave of terrorist attacks in Yemen briefly appeared to have brought the two sides closer together, with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir tweeting last week, "Whether we agree or disagree with them, the Houthis are part of the social fabric of Yemen ... The Houthis are our neighbors. Al Qaeda and Daesh are terrorist entities that must be confronted in Yemen and everywhere else.”
Tuesday, May 17 Hadi’s government withdrew from peace talks on Tuesday in response to what it says is the refusal by the Houthis to implement UN resolution 2216, which would require them to withdraw from seized territory and hand over their arms. The resolution has been one of the major sticking points in the negotiations.
Only 16% of the $1.8 billion needed to provide humanitarian aid in Yemen has been funded, the UN reported on Tuesday. UN aid operations director John Ging said that over the past few months there has been “a shocking fall off in terms of donor funding for basic humanitarian support,” adding, “We're only asking for the minimum that is required to keep people alive in these awful circumstances."
Wednesday, May 18 Amnesty International says that Houthi forces have been arbitrarily arresting opposition activists, journalists, academics, and politicians. Those detained are often tortured and held without charge for as long as 18 months.
"Eighteen individuals featured in the report are still being held, including 21-year-old student Abdul Ilah Saylan, who was arrested outside a Sanaa cafe last August."
Thursday, May 19 The US added ISIS affiliates from Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen to its list of designated terrorist organizations on Thursday. These groups were previously considered sympathizers rather than formal affiliates of terrorist groups.
“The State Department, working with the Justice and Treasury departments, also placed the groups on a list of global terrorists that allows the Obama administration to sanction anyone who knowingly helps or provides material support to these groups -- freezing any property, bank accounts or other interests they might have in the US.”
Saturday, May 21 Yemen's government agreed to resume peace talks after Qatar's foreign minister and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon succeeded in convincing Hadi to return to the negotiating table following Tuesday’s suspension.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdul-Malik al-Mekhlafi said on Saturday that the Yemeni government will give the peace talks one last chance after receiving regional and international guarantees.
The move comes at the same time that the Saudi-led coalition carried out airstrikes on supposed military bases in San’a and Amran provinces, reportedly killing dozens of Houthi fighters.
Sunday May 22 UN Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that Kuwait talks are making progress as the truce largely holds. This is despite the previous days’ airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition.
Meanwhile, Ali Abdullah Saleh continues to reject Hadi’s legitimacy and called the talks a “waste of time.”
Yemeni troops backed by the Arab coalition reportedly killed 13 al-Qaeda fighters in a raid outside of Mukalla on Sunday.
"A search confirmed that these fighters were about to carry out a surprise terrorist attack on some military command centres at dawn this morning."
Three more fighters were later killed as a car bomb they were preparing detonated in the courtyard of a house in the Rawkab area where the raid had taken place, according to residents and a security official.
Police in Aden opened fire on protesters on Sunday who were demonstrating against the city’s recent power cuts. At least one protester was killed and others wounded.
"Our life is a real disaster," said 20-year-old Aden resident Mohammed Abdulhakim. "We are unable to sleep" because of the heat, which has reached over 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
"The war has destroyed everything and the aid arriving in Aden is not enough to restore power.”
Monday, May 9Over 800 workers were evicted from Aden by local pro-secessionist security forces on Sunday. Those forcibly removed from shops, restaurants, and homes in the southern city were mostly from Ta’iz, which is located in north Yemen according to the pre-1990 borders. The security forces, who were appointed by Hadi, deemed the northerners "a threat to security," but Hadi himself quickly condemned the evictions, calling them “unacceptable.”
Mukalla’s airport was reopened following the withdrawal of al-Qaeda forces, who occupied the port city for a year. The first flight reportedly arrived Sunday from the UAE carrying Red Crescent medical supplies.
Tuesday, May 10 US Central Command News Release announced recent drone strikes against al-Qaeda in Yemen. This update was issued at the same time as the Pentagon admitted to deploying “military advisors” in Yemen to assist the UAE in fighting al-Qaeda. “The U.S. military has conducted four counterterrorism airstrikes against the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula terrorist organization in Yemen in recent weeks, killing 10 al-Qaida operatives and injuring one…”
Saudi coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asiri has accused the Houthis and Saleh of direct cooperation with al-Qaeda. This is despite numerous reports within the last year that Saudi coalition forces have fought alongside al-Qaeda in their battle against the Houthis. Al-Asiri later said that if peace talks in Kuwait fail, the Saudi-led coalition is prepared to launch a military operation to enter San’a.
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that both sides to the Kuwait talks reached an agreement to exchange half of all prisoners within the next 20 days. The number of total prisoners involved is unclear, and may range from a few hundred to a few thousand.
Wednesday, May 11 At least 10 troops were killed in three different attacks by IS militants who detonated car bombs outside military and naval bases in Mukalla. The attacks come a month after the city was retaken from al-Qaeda by Yemeni and UAE forces.
Thursday, May 12 The UN reports that Yemen’s food situation is on the verge of humanitarian disaster unless urgent funding is accessible for the Food and Agriculture Organization. The report states that agriculture must be an integral part of the humanitarian response plan, as aid organizations will not be able to provide the amount of food needed for the 14.4 million Yemenis urgently in need of assistance.
Friday, May 13 UN Envoy Ould Cheikh Ahmed reported that the Houthi and government delegations discussed proposals to bridge the gap between their respective visions, reaching consensus on some issues. He added that “progress is being achieved, albeit at a relatively slow pace.”
Sunday, May 15 The second IS suicide bombing in Mukalla in one week targeted a police base Sunday morning, killing 31 recruits who were waiting outside the building. Sixty were left critically injured.
Monday, April 25The port city of Mukalla, which has been controlled by al-Qaeda for over a year, was recaptured on Monday by Saudi and UAE forces and local Yemeni fighters. The coalition forces claimed to have killed 800 al-Qaeda militants in the first hour of fighting in south Yemen, but these numbers are highly disputed. The campaign, however, does mark an unprecedented push by the coalition to expel the group from their southern Yemen strongholds. Reporting on this expulsion, pro-Houthi outlet Al-Masirah accused the coalition of using the fight against terrorism as a pretext to launch an operation that in fact aims to gain control of southern Yemen.
The body of Omar Mohammed Batawil, a young man from Aden who was abducted from his home on Sunday, was found with gunshot wounds in Sheikh Osman district on Monday. Batawil had received death threats and accusations of atheism because of comments "critical of religion" that he posted on Facebook.
Tuesday, April 26 Houthi representatives and the Hadi government agreed on Tuesday on an agenda for the UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait. Previous differences over the agenda had initially prevented the negotiations from taking place.
Wednesday, April 27 UK Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood has said that the Saudi inquiry into their own bombing campaign has been “frustratingly slow,” and that the Saudi government needs to admit to any mistakes made. “Ministers also said that they would not revoke any of the UK’s multi-billion arms exports licences to Saudi Arabia until the Saudi government has completed the report into repeated specific allegations that it has been bombing civilians indiscriminately.”
Thursday, April 28 A suicide car bomb targeted the home of Aden security chief Shelal Ali Shayyeh on Thursday. The police chief was not harmed in the attack, but two people were reportedly wounded after guards fired at the car, which then exploded.
Both the Hadi government and the Houthis began discussing key issues on Thursday following the approval by both parties of the agenda for the peace talks. "Besides discussing ways to firm up an ongoing cease-fire, delegates also tackled 'the issues related to the withdrawal of armed groups, handover of heavy weapons, resumption of the political transition and the release of prisoners and detainees,' UN envoy Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement."
Friday, April 29 Following Thursday’s attempted assassination of police chief Shelal Ali Shayyeh, an unidentified gunman fatally shot Colonel Marwan Abdulhalim on Friday in central Aden.
Saturday, April 30 Direct talks began on Saturday between the Houthi and Hadi government delegations. This is the first time the opposing parties have met face-to-face, as most of the negotiations up until this point were conducted by UN envoy Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdul-Salam said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia has handed over 40 prisoners as part of an agreement to quell border fighting. Twenty of those released had been captured in Yemen.
Thousands of residents reportedly marched in Ta’iz to call for enforcement of the ceasefire and an end to the country’s fighting. Hundreds were also said to have marched in Zinjibar to demand the withdrawal of al-Qaeda.
Sunday, May 1 During the direct negotiations, the Houthi and Hadi government delegations each presented their views on ending the conflict. The Houthis reportedly called for a political solution to be reached before UN resolution 2216 could be implemented, which requires the Houthis to hand over weapons and withdraw from seized territory. The Hadi government is said to see this move as another attempt by the Houthis to evade a resolution that would require them to give up their arms.
The Houthis reportedly seized Umaliqa base in Amran governorate north of San'a at dawn on Sunday. The Houthi forces stormed the base and seized its weapons. A number of the base's soldiers were killed during the assault. Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi, Hadi’s foreign minister and top delegate to the negotiations, said the move has "torpedoed" the talks. The Hadi government suspended direct talks shortly thereafter, but said that representatives would remain in Kuwait to conduct indirect talks with the Houthis.
Aden’s security chief Shelal Ali Shayyeh was the target of a second assassination attempt in less than a week after a car bomb in front of a government building in the city’s central square exploded on Sunday, killing four soldiers and wounding eight others. Shayyeh was not harmed in either attack.
Monday, March 28The Saudi-led coalition said on Monday that it swapped 109 Yemeni prisoners for nine Saudis held by Houthi forces. The Houthis announced the exchange on Sunday. This is the second prisoner swap in a month following the March 9 exchange of seven Yemenis for a Saudi lieutenant.
Tuesday, March 29 A UNICEF press release published on Tuesday highlights the toll that the year-long war has taken on Yemen’s children and pressures all parties to put an end to the fighting: “UNICEF verified more than 1,560 incidents of grave violations against children in Yemen. As a result, over 900 children were killed and more than 1,300 were injured in the past year alone. On average, at least six children have been killed or injured every day...These numbers represent the tip of the iceberg as they only indicate the cases that UNICEF was able to verify.”
Hadi published an opinion piece in the New York Times on Tuesday in an attempt to explain why the year-long war has in fact been beneficial to Yemen and the region. Hadi assures readers that a resolution is on the horizon and that “the country’s outlook is brighter today than at any time over the past year.” For insight into the evolution of Hadi’s rhetoric surrounding the conflict, see this piece he published in the New York Times a year earlier.
Wednesday, March 30 Pro-Hadi government forces claimed to have pushed al-Qaeda out of parts of Aden on Wednesday after a three-hour gun battle. Troops and militia were said to have retaken the central prison, deployed on main roads across the Mansourah district, and arrested a number of al-Qaeda members. The partial reclamation comes following coalition and US airstrikes on al-Qaeda targets in Mukalla and Zinjibar.
Thursday, March 31 A large weapons cache on a ship headed for Somalia was reportedly seized by French authorities on March 20. A spokesman for the US Navy’s 5th Fleet told CNN that the arms originated in Iran and their likely destination was Yemen, but he did not specify that the arms were intended for the Houthis. The ship’s crew was released by French authorities.
Houthis mounted a deadly counterattack on Tuesday and Wednesday against government troops advancing down the Red Sea coast from the Saudi border, AFP reported on Thursday. According to military sources, 45 loyalist troops and at least 15 Houthi fighters were killed during clashes in the coastal town of Midi.
Friday, April 1 The UN Special Envoy to Yemen welcomed Monday’s prisoner swap between the Houthis and the Saudis, saying "these initiatives reinforce the spirit of the confidence building measures...and there is no doubt that they can provide an important drive to the political process.” The comments come two and a half weeks ahead of planned talks in Kuwait.
Sunday, April 3 Hadi appointed a new prime minister and vice president on Sunday in a surprise shake-up of senior officials. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who was appointed deputy commander of the armed forces in late February, has been named Yemen's new vice president, while Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, a former official in Saleh's General People's Congress party, is replacing Khaled Bahah as Yemen’s prime minister. Bahah will reportedly now serve as presidential advisor. According to Hadi, the decision to replace Bahah was "due to the failures that have accompanied the performance of the government during the past period in the fields of economy, services and security.”
Monday March 7The spokesperson for Missionaries of Charity confirmed on Monday that Father Tom Uzhunnalil, an Indian Catholic priest, was abducted by gunmen during the March 4th storming of Aden’s retirement home. Attackers handcuffed 16 victims, including four nuns, and shot them in the head before reportedly destroying the chapel and the center. The Indian embassy in Djibouti was trying to determine the whereabouts of the priest, saying that they would “spare no efforts” to rescue him.
Tuesday March 8 A Houthi-controlled administrative body confirmed on Tuesday that group officials were in Saudi Arabia for talks on ending Yemen’s war. The meeting, which reportedly followed a week of secret preparatory talks, was the first between the two warring parties since the conflict began a year ago.
A UNHCR press release on Tuesday stated that 2.4 million people in Yemen have been displaced as a result of the conflict and the situation is likely to worsen. The statement “implores all sides to allow humanitarian access to the hardest hit-areas, where most of the displaced are located,” while also reporting that only 2% of its $1.8 billion aid request has yet been funded.
Wednesday March 9 Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday that Yemeni tribal meditators facilitated the release of seven Yemenis held by the kingdom in exchange for a detained Saudi lieutenant. The report also said that the border was calm, signaling the first steps towards a possible peace since the beginning of the 11-month-long conflict.
Thursday March 10 A number of Saudi and pro-Houthi outlets reported that coalition forces launched airstrikes on Ta’iz, San’a governorate, and Amran on Thursday. The Saudi report claimed the killing of 30 “Houthi fighters,” while a pro-Houthi outlet says that the shelling resulted in extensive damage to residential buildings and stores.
The Guardian reported on Thursday that a UK cross party committee is launching a full-scale inquiry into British arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. A high court is also examining whether the government’s actions break the UK’s arms export laws, which state that export licenses cannot be granted if there is a clear risk the arms will be used to break international humanitarian law.
Friday March 11 To accompany a documentary recently aired on HBO, VICE published a piece on the Saudi-led coalition’s violations of humanitarian law and the complicity of the US and the UK. The piece explains why it is so difficult to assign responsibility for, let alone punish, these violations.
John Kerry held talks in Saudi Arabia on Friday with King Salman and Foreign Minister Adel el-Jubeir, among others, to “reassure officials of US-Saudi ties” while also stressing the need to end the conflicts in Yemen and Syria. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-kerry-saudi-idUSKCN0WD26J
Saturday March 12 Pro-Hadi government forces reportedly reclaimed areas in the western and southern suburbs of Ta’iz on Saturday, reopening key roads and passages for humanitarian aid that the Houthis have been blocking for nine months. At least 48 people were killed and 120 wounded in the Ta’iz clashes.
Clashes between security forces and “unknown gunmen,” who were later reported to belong to al-Qaeda, broke out in Aden on Saturday. Mareb Press reported later that evening that coalition forces launched airstrikes on governmental buildings in the al-Mansurah district of Aden (for the first time since the temporary capital was “liberated”) in response to the clashes and the shooting by al-Qaeda militants of a coalition Apache helicopter. Over 20 people were reportedly killed in the fighting.
Sunday March 13 Human Rights Watch reported on Sunday that Houthi officials confiscated the passport of the executive director of the Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, Abdulrasheed al-Faqih, upon his arrival at San’a airport on March 4. Al-Faqih was returning from an international media conference in Amman when his passport was taken, preventing him from traveling outside Yemen. This is the second travel ban the Houthis have imposed on a rights advocate in the past six months.
February 28Militiamen reportedly clashed with soldiers guarding the presidential palace in Aden on Sunday. A local official said the attackers, affiliated with the Southern Movement, wanted to speak with officials inside the palace regarding compensation for guards killed in the previous month’s attack at the palace. The gun fight erupted when the guards refused their entry.
Ban Ki-moon called on Sunday for a prompt and impartial investigation into Saturday’s Saudi-led airstrike on a market in Nihm that killed at least 32 civilians--among the highest from a single bombing in recent months.
February 29 A comprehensive embargo on arms transfers that could be used by any of the warring parties in Yemen must be immediately imposed by all states, said Amnesty international on Monday, adding that "the world has not only turned its back on the people of Yemen; many states have actually contributed to their suffering, supplying the weapons and bombs that have been used to unlawfully kill and injure civilians and destroy homes and infrastructure."
March 1 A letter by Osama bin Laden denouncing Saleh’s government and his "collusion" with the US was published(PDF) on Tuesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In his letters, bin Laden refers to the Houthis as “the real danger to the area” and criticizes Saleh for “compliance with [America’s] request to stop the war against the Huthi...and to concentrate efforts on targeting the free Mujahidin.”
March 2 Saudi newspaper Okaz published an interview with Hadi on Wednesday in which he discusses his decision to appoint Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and the role of Western countries in Yemen’s conflict. Hadi also claims that his forces now control 85% of Yemen. He mentioned in the interview that Saudi’s King Salman has agreed to let Yemen join the GCC, “but only without Saleh and the Houthis.” He went on to cite four different occasions when Saleh tried to assassinate him.
Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said that its staffers are scared to continue working in one of its facilities in Sa'dah after two airstrikes were carried out nearby by the Saudi-led coalition. However, MSF confirmed on their Facebook page the next day that they are still operating at every facility in Yemen, including in Sa'dah.
March 3 Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin warned on Thursday that the war in Yemen could be “a very long conflict which will have even more dramatic results” due to the insistence of Hadi’s government on conditions for a ceasefire. Churkin said that the Saudi-backed resolution adopted last year, which demands that Houthi forces withdraw from all seized territory "is being used essentially to continue the military campaign."
UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien warned countries on Thursday to not take any steps that could reverse the recent increase in emergency aid provided to Yemen. "In recent months, there has been a significant increase of fuel and other life-saving imports through Yemeni ports, and it is critical that every effort be made by all member states concerned to encourage, and not hinder, that trend," O'Brien told the UN Security Council.
March 4 Gunmen stormed a retirement home on Friday in Aden’s Shaykh Othman district, killing 16, including four nuns. Pope Francis and Yemen’s UN mission condemned the attack, calling it “a cruel and heartless act.” The UN mission suggested that IS militants were responsible, but no one has yet claimed responsibility, although al-Qaeda denies any involvement.
It was reported on Friday that banks have cut credit lines for traders shipping food to Yemen. The shipments, sometimes worth millions of dollars, are now considered too risky for many lenders.
A Friday drone strike on a car in Shabwah province killed four suspected al-Qaeda militants on Friday. Al-Qaeda brochures were reportedly scattered across the road after the car burst into flames.
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UN Abdallah al-Mouallimi said on Friday that he is concerned about the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen but doesn’t see the need for a Security Council resolution addressing it. The ambassador claimed that the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs told his office that it doesn’t believe the council’s intervention is needed, but the OCHA said they could not comment on that. “There are reports here and there about what the Security Council is up to,” al-Mouallimi said. “We continue to believe that a political solution is the only way to resolve the Yemeni crisis.”
March 5 Gunmen in Aden’s al-Mansourah district opened fire on a vehicle on Saturday, killing police Colonel Salem al-Milqat and his aide.
March 6 Former US ambassador to Yemen Stephen Seche published an op-ed in the Boston Globe on Sunday explaining how the US-supported Saudi war in Yemen is in fact empowering the extremist Islamist groups that the US wants to defeat, especially IS. Seche argues that the ongoing war will have a profound impact on regional economy and global security.
Sunday February 14thA Saudi-led coalition air strike on a sewing workshop in San’a on Sunday killed at least two people, including a 14-year-old boy, and wounded 15, according to the shop’s owner. Houthi forces reported a death toll of 11 from the strike.
Human Rights Watch released a report on Sunday detailing the Saudi-led coalition’s use of internationally banned cluster munitions in Yemen. The munitions were manufactured in the United States and recently transferred to Saudi Arabia despite evidence that they do not meet US standards for weapons exports and have resulted in a number of civilian casualties.
Monday February 15th Mareb Press reported that the Houthi government has blocked access to most news and social media websites in Yemen, with Saba News being one of the few accessible sites. This comes as part of a larger crackdown by the Houthis on perceived opposition outlets since the rebel group seized control of San’a a year ago.
The World Food Programme announced on Monday that it managed to deliver much-needed food for 18,000 people in the Al-Qahirah area of Ta’iz on Saturday. The UN warned that residents of Ta’iz, one of ten Yemeni governorates facing an emergency-level food shortage, are in desperate need of external assistance.
Al Arabiya news reported that 59 Houthi fighters have been killed in recent Saudi-led airstrikes and clashes in Ta’iz, Marib, and eastern San’a. Those killed are said to include prominent Houthi leaders Yahya Al-Mutawakkil Taha and Yahya Zafran.
Tuesday February 16th The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Tuesday that the humanitarian IT equipment that Saudi Arabia stopped from entering Yemen on one of its chartered ships last week, fearing it was meant for the Houthi militia, belonged to the UN. The organization said it was carrying a cargo of humanitarian relief supplies bound for the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida, but was diverted by the coalition to the Saudi port of Jizan on February 11th.
Governor of Aden Aidarus al-Zubaidi and security director Shalal Ali Shayyeh escaped an assassination attempt when gunmen opened fire on their convoy in Aden on Tuesday, a security official said. Three of the gunmen were killed in an exchange of fire.
Armed men in Ta’iz fatally shot journalist Ahmed al-Shaibani on Tuesday. Al-Shaibani, who worked for the independent Yaman News website and state-run Yemen TV, was killed while reporting on fighting in Ta’iz by Houthi gunmen.
Wednesday February 17th In response to Saudi Arabia advising aid organizations to leave Houthi-controlled areas, Human Rights Watch released a statement saying that the warnings do not absolve the Saudi-led coalition from the legal obligation to protect humanitarian personnel and facilities from attack.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien announced that the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan will be launched on Thursday to raise some $1.8 billion required to save millions of Yemenis from humanitarian catastrophe.
A suicide bomber killed at least 10 recruits at an army camp run by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government in Buraiqah, Aden on Wednesday, medical sources and an official said. Al Arabiya reports that IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement circulated on Twitter.
A US federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the State Department wrongfully seized the passport of Mosed Shaye Omar, a naturalized US citizen, when he went to Yemen in 2013 to help his daughter apply for a US passport. The 64-year-old was accused of immigration fraud at the US embassy in San’a where he was detained, interrogated, deprived of food and water for a day, and coerced into signing a false confession. Shaye Omar is one of a number of Yemeni-Americans who have been subjected to similar treatment.
Thursday February 18th Amnesty says that financial figures from British-based defence contractor BAE reveal that the company’s net gain last year of close to £1 billion is due to sales made to the Royal Saudi Air Force, which has been bombing civilian targets in Yemen in violation of international humanitarian law.
Saturday February 20th Al Qaeda militants took control of the southern town of Ahwar on Saturday after clashing with Popular Resistance forces, killing three of them. The group controls several other towns in Abyan and Shabwah. However, local sources reported that, after taking control of government buildings in Ahwar, AQAP’s forces were confronted by armed tribesmen. AQAP reportedly pulled out of the town in exchange for promise of safe passage. A senior commander of the Southern Resistance, Shaykh Mazen al-Aqrabi was killed in Aden along with his bodyguard after two gunmen, presumably belonging to al Qaeda, opened fire on them.
The following piece was sent to us by a frequent guest blogger, who writes anonymously for professional reasons and safety concerns. The perspective of the author does not necessarily represent the positions of the YPP. The YPP's Hannah Porter assisted with editing and translation. Yemen’s internationally-recognized government and its allies—including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, local Yemeni salafi groups, and factions of al-Hirak (the Southern independence movement)—are trying to make real progress on the ground in the areas of southern Yemen they have retaken, although this appears to be an impossible task given the complex challenges facing them.
Granting the management and security of Yemen’s temporary capital Aden to the armed faction of al-Hirak led by Aydroos al-Zabidi (who was previously the chairperson of the Hatem movement) was an extremely clever move, one that may have been a result of President Hadi’s foresight into to Aden’s future. Hirak’s field leaders are experiencing a phase of infighting and disorder. After some of the leaders accepted administrative positions in the Hadi-Bahah government, they proved themselves unable to provide solutions to the people who supported them and listened to their speeches about reestablishing the southern nation.
This may be understandable, as the Hirak field leaders have nothing in the way of experience in governance or societal management, and the treasury of Yemen’s government is practically empty. The funding that the government talks about consists of bonds given to them by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other Gulf countries. It is true that a small amount of the money has been received, but the larger monetary influx comes as part of the war effort, which drains everything and is itself one of the biggest challenges to normalizing life in Aden.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have set their focus on security challenges in reclaimed areas, as well as promoting military operations against Ansar Allah (Houthi) and pro-Saleh forces. This means that development and normalizing life in the capital of Aden is a matter left to international and Gulf aid organizations, and to the Hirak leadership, which presides over Aden.
International and Gulf aid organizations active in liberated areas have discussed the difficulty of development occurring while security challenges disrupt normal life in Aden. Not only have assassinations increased since Hirak took charge of Aden’s security and administration (with Aden’s governor being subject to three assassination attempts since taking office) but Islamic State affiliates in Yemen have unleashed a tsunami of merciless attacks.
The utter incompetence that pervades Yemen’s government is one of its main challenges. The president and his vice president/prime minister cannot travel through Aden by private cars or even in convoys, but instead resort to helicopters to transport them to their destinations.
Even the services provided to citizens by the Southern Resistance in reclaimed areas are in decline after an initial period of relative stability. Sewage and garbage have begun to fill the streets of Shaykh Othman, al-Mansurah, and Dar Saʻad. Phone and Internet service is still weak and electric outages now last eight hours every day. Water threatens to be cut off due to the administration’s inability to pay their employees’ wages and petrol will sometimes be available for two weeks and then disappear for the next two weeks.
All the above-mentioned challenges may seem normal for areas recovering from armed conflict and still belonging to a country at war. However, these challenges can be used and manipulated as tools to remove an opposing power from the political scene. The search for improvement in current times is a difficult matter and there is nothing the people can do but be patient and hopeful.
تحاول الحكومة المعترف بها من قبل الأمم المتحدة ومن خلفها السعودية و الإمارات العربية المتحدة بالإضافة الى بعض قادة الحراك الجنوبي وايضاً سلفيي اليمن إنجاز تقدم حقيقي على الارض في المحافظات المسيطر عليها، إلا ان ذلك يبدو كمهمة مستحيلة امام التحديات المعقدة التي تواجههم.
إن إسناد ملف إدارة وأمن العاصمة المؤقته لليمن "عدن" لفصيل الحراك الجنوبي المسلح بقيادة "عيدروس الزبيدي" الذي كان فيما سبق يرأس حركة حتم "حركة تقرير المصير"، امر بالغ في الذكاء ! بالإمكان القول ان الرئيس هادي استخدمها وهو يتطلع الى مرحلة ما بعد ما تعيشه عدن حالياً.
إن القيادات الميدانية للحراك الجنوبي تعيش مرحلة من الإصطدام البيني و التوهان، فبعد ان قبل بعض قيادة الحراك الجنوبي بمناصب ادارية في السلطة الحالية للحكومة اليمنية قدمهم كعاجزين عن تقديم اي حلول للجماهير التي لطالما ايدتهم و انصتت الى حديثهم عن إستعادة الدولة الجنوبية.
وفي الحقيقية يمكن تفهم ذلك، فهؤلاء القادة الميدانيين لديهم لاشيء فيما يتعلق بالحوكمة وإدارة المجتمعات، بالإضافة الى ان الخزنة المالية للحكومة المعترف بها تقريباً لا شيء ! فالتمويلات التي تتحدث عنها الحكومة المعترف بها هي تعهدات قدمتها العربية السعودية و دولة الامارات العربية المتحدة وبعض الدول الخليجية، صحيح ان القليل جداً وصل الا ان التدفق المالي الاكبر يأتي للمجهود الحربي الذي يستنزف كل شيء وهو بذاته اكبر التحديات في تطبيع الحياة بعدن.
إن السعودية و الإمارات العربية المتحدة يضعون نصب اعينهم مسئلة التحدي الأمني في المناطق المسيطر عليها و تعزيز العمليات العسكرية ضد قوات انصار الله/صالح. وذلك يعني ان التنمية وتطبيع الحياة في العاصمة عدن ملف ترك لبعض المنظمات الدولية والخليجية بالإضافة الى قيادة الحراك الجنوبي المسلح التي اصبح على رأس السلطة في عدن.
والحقيقة التي تتحدث عنها المنظمات الدولية والخليجية العاملة في المناطق المحررة هي ان لا يمكن للتنمية ان تتقدم والتحديات الامنية تعصف بتطبيع الحياة في عدن، فعمليات الاغتيالات هي في إزدياد منذ تولي الحراك المسلح إدارة وامن عدن، بل وان الدولة الإسلامية في اليمن اطلقت تسونامي يضرب الجميع دون رحمة. فمحافظ عدن الحالي تعرض لـ 3 محاولات اغتيال منذ تولية حكم عدن !
العجز التام الذي يطبق على الحكومة اليمنية المعترف بها هو ايضاً احد التحديات، فكلاً من رئيس الجمهورية و ونأئب الرئيس رئيس الوزراء لايمكنهما التجوال في عدن بسيارتهم الخاصة او حتى بموكب ! عوضاً عن ذلك هم يتنقلون بطائرات هيلوكبتر للوصول الى بعض الاماكن !
حتى الخدمات المقدمة للمواطنين في المناطق المسيطر عليها من قبل المقاومة الجنوبية هي في تدهور بعد ان شهدت بعضها نوع من الاستقرار النسبي، فالمجاري والقمامة اصبح تملئ بعض المديريات كالشيخ عثمان والمنصورة ودار سعد. كما ان خدمة الإتصالات ما تزال رديئة كما الانترنت. الكهرباء التي اصبحت تنقطع لحوالي 8 ساعات يومياً والمياة التي اصبحت مهددة بالتوقف لعدم قدرة المؤسسة عن دفع رواتب العاملين. ايضاً البترول الذي يظهر لمدة اسبوعين ويختفي مرة اخرى لمدة اسبوعين !
إن هذه التحديات قد تبدو طبيعية لمناطق خرجت من النزاعات المسلحة وما تزال تعيش حالة حرب مستمرة في البلد الذي تنتمي له. وهي ايضاً ادوات تمسك بها القوة المتصارعة وتلعب بها بذكاء من اجل ازاحة اطراف من المشهد السياسي. إن البحث عن تحسن في الوقت الحالي امر صعب جداً وليس امام الناس إلا الصبر و الأمل.
January 31The Saudi-led coalition announced the formation of a “high-level independent committee” to examine charges of possible abuses against civilians in the conflict. The announcement came days after the AFP reported on a leaked report by the UN Sanctions Committee’s panel of experts, which documented 119 violations of international humanitarian law by the coalition. The formation of the committee has been met with understandable skepticism regarding the objectivity of the coalition’s investigation into its own crimes.
Also on Sunday, influential salafi cleric Samahan Abdel-Aziz was abducted and killed in Aden shortly after delivering a sermon against Al-Qaeda and ISIS. His assassination follows a string of attacks on government officials and local activists in the southern city, which is both the center of the Southern independence movement and the provisional capital of the Hadi government.
February 1 The minister of human rights for Hadi’s government in exile, Azzedine Al-Asbahi, announced preliminary statistics on the war that indicate the death of over 10,000 people, with 15,000 wounded, and 2.5 million displaced since the beginning of last year. In the minister’s interview with Al-Hayat, he states that pro-Houthi forces “have caused the largest societal fracture in Yemen, one that poses the threat of another war that could destroy the fabric of society.”
February 3
Forty Houthi fighters were reportedly killed and 30 captured, as clashes continued in Fardhat Nihm, near San’a. Six pro-Hadi fighters and five civilians were also killed. By Friday, pro-Hadi forces
Twelve alleged jihadi militants were killed in Shabwah and Abyan governorates late Wednesday night in two airstrikes apparently carried out by US drones. One of those killed was Jalal Bal’idi al-Marqashi, the commander of Ansar al-Shari'ah in Abyan and Shabwah. His death was reportedly mourned by Al-Qaeda members who distributed a statement on his death on social media.
February 6 The World Bank released a report on Saturday February 6 outlining the economic impacts of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Regarding Yemen, the report states that 80% of the country’s population--or 20 million out of a population of 24 million--is now considered poor, an increase of 30% since April 2015, when fighting escalated.
The past week in Yemen has seen an attempted Cabinet reshuffle, the seizure by al-Qaeda of two towns in Abyan Governorate and the 4th Military Region headquarters in Aden, and the assassination of Aden’s governor, an act which was quickly claimed by a local Islamic State affiliate. Meanwhile, airstrikes and ground combat have continued in central Yemen and beyond the borders with Saudi Arabia. On Monday, December 7, the UN special envoy for Yemen announced that a new round of peace talks will be held next week, beginning on December 15. A ceasefire is expected to be announced on the eve of the talks, although such announcements in the recent past have come to nothing. On December 1, President Abdu Rabbuh Mansur Hadi issued decrees appointing five ministers to the cabinet of PM/VP Khaled Bahah. The reshuffle exacerbated the lingering Hadi-Bahah dispute; PM/VP Bahah reportedly refused to recognize the new appointments, as the president has no legal authority to replace cabinet ministers. On December 2, AQAP militants captured the towns of Zinjibar and Jaʻar in Abyan, following a predawn swift attack that killed the brother of the commander of the local Popular Committees, which were formed to fight the militants.
Also on Tuesday, unidentified gunmen abducted a Tunisian staffer working for the ICRC’s office in Sanʻa while on the way to work in the early morning. Her whereabouts remain unknown to date. Some 30 aid workers reportedly left Yemen within 48 afterwards, including 10 ICRC staffers.
While airstrikes continued over the last week to pound positions on several fronts across Yemen, Saudi-led warplanes have targeted residential areas in the northern provinces of Saʻdah and Hajjah, as well as the coastal western province of al-Hudaydah, where another fish market has been hit by airstrikes.
The battles in the central provinces of Marib and Taʻiz continue to intensify.
In Taʻiz the western and eastern fronts have seen clashes escalating amid heavy airstrikes. Near the Red Sea port town of Mokha, pro-Houthi forces have claimed to hit a sixth warship from the coalition navy. In Marib, this week’s fighting has mostly taken place in the western district of Kuwfal.
On Sunday, Aden’s governor, Gen. Jaʻfar Muhammad Saʻad, was killed along with several members of his entourage, as a vehicle packed with explosives collided with his car in the al-Tawahi district of Aden. Local self-proclaimed IS affiliates took responsibility for the attack. Saʻad was tapped by President Hadi in October to take over the governorate. He had lived in exile prior to that, having fought against the Saleh regime in Yemen’s 1994 civil war.
In a new article for the European Council on Foreign Relations, Adam Baron examines the unstable situation in Yemen's southern port city of Aden. The city serves as the provisional capital for President Hadi's government-in-exile, but despite its "liberation" from Houthi-Saleh forces by southern resistance fighters and Gulf state troops, security in Aden is practically nonexistent. On December 6, Aden's recently-appointed governor (nominally loyal to the Hadi government) and several of his guards were assassinated in a car bomb attack in al-Tawahi District. The attack was claimed by a local branch of the Islamic State organization.
The violence and instability in Aden—and for that matter, the rest of the country—remains fueled by patterns of instability that are, at their essence, rooted in years, if not decades, of failure by Yemen’s political leaders. Exacerbated by the ongoing conflict, this power vacuum has only grown in Aden as efforts by the Hadi government and its international allies to bolster the port city’s security have yet to move beyond the nominal stage.
