Aden

August 3-9: Investigations find corruption in UN offices, STC and government battle in Aden

Saturday, August 3

Two corruption scandals have rocked the international humanitarian aid sectors in Yemen. More than a dozen UNICEF workers have been accused of embezzlement and malpractice. More controversy surrounds a staffer who allowed a Houthi rebel leader to travel in agency vehicles, shielding him from potential airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition.

The World Health Organization also released a statement regarding its Office of Internal Oversight Services’ (IOS) audit of the WHO Yemen Country Office from July to October 2018. IOS rated the effectiveness of controls in the administration and finance areas as unsatisfactory. The WHO promised that "this issue is an on-going priority for the senior leadership of the organization."

Sunday, August 4

The United Nations' World Food Programme and Yemen's Houthi rebels say they have reached a deal to resume food deliveries to rebel-controlled parts of the war-torn country after suspending the aid in June. The partial suspension of aid had affected around 850,000 people, according to the UN. 

Pro-Hadi source Yemen Now tweeted that Houthi shelling killed an eleven-year-old girl and injured her grandfather in Hajjah province today.

Al-Masdar Online notes that gunmen believed to be members of AQAP attacked a headquarters belonging to UAE-backed forces in southeast Abyan province. 

Monday, August 5

According to Aden al-Ghad, fierce battles have been ongoing in al-Dhali’ province after a Houthi attack was launched in the northern part of the province.

Tuesday, August 6

Two international aid groups, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE, reported that the Saudi-led coalition’s closure of the San'a airport has prevented thousands of sick civilians from traveling abroad for urgent medical treatment. Both aid groups said in a joint statement that this policy has amounted to a “death sentence” for many sick Yemenis.

Wednesday, August 7

The separatist Southern Transitional Council, who want an independent southern Yemeni state, tried without success to seize the presidential palace in the southern city of Aden. Clashes began after Presidential Guards fired on a crowd of hundreds of separatists attending a funeral march for some of the southern soldiers and a prominent commander killed in last week’s Houthi missile attack. Three people were killed and nine injured.

Thursday, August 8

Southern news outlet Aden al-Ghad reports an ongoing battle between government forces and the Southern Transitional Council in the streets of Crater, a district in the city of Aden. 

Military sources say that Saudi forces are stationed alongside pro-Hadi forces in Aden, reports al-Masdar Online. 

Al-Masdar Online reports progress by pro-government forces on the ground in Aden, although the article notes that due to the ongoing conflict reports are difficult to verify.

At least 20 Houthi rebels have been killed in clashes with government forces in al-Dhali’. The Yemeni army’s official website September Net said the violence took place when Houthi rebels attempted to advance on military positions in Maris district.

Friday, August 9

Former UK Defense Minister Tobias Ellwood said Boris Johnson, the new Prime Minister of the UK, will want to take action in Yemen during his tenure. He had previously been supportive of a plan to send a commando brigade to Yemen as a humanitarian mission, and "avert an appalling catastrophe."

July 24-31: US defense budget conditions support for coalition; Griffiths continues shuttle diplomacy

7/24

Middle East Eye reports that the Yemeni government is offering high salaries, paid in Saudi riyals, to people displaced from Hudaydah who are willing to fight on the front lines. Fighting is often the only feasible way for displaced people living in government camps to earn an income.

An apparent roadside bomb killed four people and injured five, including a senior security official, in Aden.

US House and Senate leadership have released the final version of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The annual defense budget bill will include two provisions relating to Yemen, one of which requires the administration to investigate US involvement in the torture of detainees by UAE forces; the other provision will place conditions on US refueling for coalition air operations. The YPP and our partner organizations have been working for several months to ensure that these amendments make it into the final law.

An apparent US airstrike killed 4 suspected AQAP operatives in Yemen.

The Saudi-led coalition forced a plane belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross to land in Saudi Arabia after the plane made a sudden change of course. The flight was later allowed to continue to its final destination.

The role of women transforms during wartime, AWAM Development Foundation study finds

In May 2018, the Awam Development Foundation, in partnership with Oxfam and the Youth Leadership Development Foundation, produced a report titled The  Impacts of War on the Participation of Women in Civil Society Organizations and Peacebuilding. The study explores the ways in which the war in Yemen is affecting women across various industries and regions. A study team conducted interviews in the San’a, Aden, Hudaydah and Ibb governorates, examining the life of average Yemeni women and their roles, or lack thereof, as peace builders in their communities. The evidence gathered from these interviews culminated in new recommendations intended for both national and international policymakers.

Human Rights Watch Recommends Sanctions Against Coalition Officials Over Blockade

Human Rights Watch recommends that the UN Security Council impose asset freezes and travel bans on senior coalition officials, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, unless the coalition fully lifts its blockade on Yemen. The coalition is currently restricting humanitarian aid and commercial imports from reaching civilians living in Houthi-controlled territory. The blockade contributes to the massive humanitarian crisis, causing a fuel shortage and widespread food insecurity. These actions may amount to using starvation as a tool of warfare, a war crime under international law.

November 13-20; US House Says US Military Assistance to the Coalition is Unauthorized; Saudi Blockade Continues

11/13

Saudi Arabia announced that the Saudi-led coalition would open the ports controlled by the Hadi government, including Aden, Mokha, and Mukalla. However, the coalition wouldn’t open ports such as al-Hudaydah in Houthi-controlled territory until the UN sends experts to ensure that weapons aren’t being smuggled through them. Leaders of the Houthi organization vowed to retaliate against the Saudi-led coalition over the blockade.

October 17-23: US court blocks travel ban again, US strikes IS camp in Baydha

10/17

A federal judge in Hawaii issued a temporary restraining order preventing the government from implementing the Trump administration’s third attempted travel ban. The decision came just hours before the new policy was due to go into effect.