Armies of Liberation

Relief Web

Committee on Rights of Child examines report of Yemen on sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
Source: UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

Date: 30 Sep 2009
(Read on …)

News Yemen

The Oxfam agency calls on all parties to the conflict to implement an immediate and lasting ceasefire to the fighting that started 11 August, and for the international community to intervene diplomatically to that end. The agency has also appealed for the provision of safe passage to deliver humanitarian aid to an estimated 90,000 displaced civilians facing extreme insecurity in Sa’ada city, Sa’ada governorate as a whole and parts of Al Jawf governorate. (Read on …)

Its used to be called The Peaceful Southern Movement, but they are starting to shoot back. Nine soldiers injured.

Sahwa Net – Nearly nine soldiers and 11 protestors were wounded on Wednesday in clashes between security forces and the followers of what is called the “Southern Movement” in Al-Dhala city, local sources said.

The sources said that the supporters of Southern Movement took into streets to demand the Yemeni authorities to release political detainees and Alayyam newspaper.

Arbitrary arrests have been a constant sore point since protests began in May 2007. The continuing embargo on al Ayyam is another flash point. Casualties among the security forces were rare prior to the last six months. (Read on …)

Taking a page from its genocidal ally, The Sudan, genocidal Yemen threatens to expel foreign aid organizations (including Oxfam and the UN) unless they stop publicizing the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are impacted by indiscriminate government bombing of cities and villages and by the governmental blockade of food and relief supplies.

Update- its a threat not a plan, oh OK:(Bernama) — Yemen has denied reports that it planned to expel the international aid group Oxfam…Yemen news agency (Saba) reported Wednesday…

In this regard, minister of Public Health and Population Abdul Karim Ras’a has said that Yemen welcomes any agency working in the field through providing aid for the affected, but warned Yemen may expel any agency or organisation that makes unreliable statements.

al Tagheer: Threatened the Yemeni Health Minister Abdul-Karim Rasa’a withdraw the licenses of the work of a number of international organizations working in Yemen in the field of relief to the displaced of the Sa’ada war, and attacked Rasa’a in a press conference held today, together with the official spokesman for the Yemeni government and the Minister of Information Hassan al-Lawzi attacked organizations, including organizations (Oxfam ) mentioned by name and said, “It’s just weeping and looking for the media hype .. and their representative in Yemen remains busy in meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Health in Yemen.” (Read on …)

From al-Sharq al-Awsat’s 20 September 2009 edition: (Read on …)

Yemeni President Saleh has never actually engaged in authentic power sharing, reform or corruption control (but he discussed it a lot). Yemen never enacted stringent measures against al Qaeda, and its counter-terror program is a grudging, reactionary response to US pressure, often carried out by officials with ties and loyalty to Usama bin Laden. Currently the Yemeni government is overtly bombing and starving its own people in Sa’ada. These genocidal policies began five years ago. Saleh’s government also has the demonstrated propensity to shoot southern protesters on the street and engage in mass arbitrary arrests. The abduction of editor Mohammed al Maqaleh is one of a thousand actions that belie Saleh’s stated commitment to democracy. Yemen may have become an intractable problem, and there is no a good alternative to Saleh waiting in the wings, but pretending the current Yemeni regime has the will or ability to reform but is just too busy at the moment is a lunatic’s bet that flies in the face of history. If “the response of the government of Yemen to the terrorist threat was intermittent due to its focus on internal security concerns”, then what was its excuse before the current unrest? Ah, I remember-lack of capacity! Sometimes- domestic sentiment prohibits strong actions. There’s been a long string of varied explanations and excuses for Saleh’s counter-terror failures, but the most obvious one is the most likely.

State.gov

The Ministers further noted their concern for the situation in Yemen. The Ministers expressed full support for the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh; for the unity, security, and stability of Yemen; and for efforts for a peaceful dialogue. The Ministers underscored the importance of ensuring the security of civilians and relief workers, and the provision for the safe passage of emergency relief supplies to civilians affected by the conflict. The Ministers reiterated their support for the Yemeni government’s economic and governance reform initiatives, and their willingness to continue to assist Yemen in improving the lives of its people.

and…

Bloomberg: Obama promised earlier this month to provide U.S. support to Yemen’s government to bolster security. In a letter to President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Obama said the U.S. will soon present an initiative to provide more aid for Yemen through the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and Gulf countries, Yemeni officials said.

The Sa’ada War in Yemen re-erupted on August 12, 2009 for the sixth time since 2004. The war expanded to parts of Amran province as well as most districts in Sa’ada. Both provinces border Saudi Arabia. The war is primarily a political dispute between Zaidi Shia rebels (Houthis) and the Salafi leaning government of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in power since 1978.

The Yemeni government terms the rebels “Satanic” and says their aim is to re-institute a Zaidi theocracy in Yemen. The rebels insist they are fighting a defensive war with demands for political inclusion and religious equality. With journalists excluded from the region since 2004, both sides are skewing battlefield reports in their favor. There are a few things we know:

The Yemeni military is engaged in a bombing campaign (termed “Operation Scorched Earth”) that is targeting mountainous rebel hide outs. Villages and major cities such as Dhayan were also subject to repeated and intense bombing in the last two weeks.

The bombing and fighting forced 35,000 civilians to flee their homes, in addition to the estimated 100,000 civilians displaced during the last rounds of war. There are nearly 150,000 war refugees in total, the vast majority women and children.

The UN, EU, US, ICRC, OIC and a Yemeni civil society coalition have all appealed for a humanitarian cease fire so that aid can reach the displaced civilians. In prior wars, the ICRC had very limited access to Sa’ada town, but was denied access to the tens of thousands of outlying refugees. In the current conflict, assessment teams report thousands of women and children literally wandering the roads with no food, water or shelter. Others are sheltering with in the mountains, with host families or in poorly supplied refugee camps.

Food, water and medicine shortages are at “critical” levels in northern Yemen. Amnesty International urged the government to avoid the “gross violations of human rights” that occurred in other outbreaks. Previously, Human Rights Watch found the denial of access by aid organizations to civilian refugees appeared to constitute illegal collective punishment. Arbitrary arrests of Hashimites occurred throughout Yemen (2005-2009) and their continued detention, in violation of a 2007 settlement mediated by Qatar and an earlier 2005 cease-fire, is one of the triggers for the new fighting.

Although some have framed the war as a Saudi-Iranian proxy war, this is an over simplification. The Iranian media is cheerleading for the rebels, infuriating the Yemeni government which responded with heated rhetoric. Evidence of Iranian logistical support is weak. Although the Yemeni government found a few Iranian made weapons, the countries of origin of the rebels’ armaments are varied. Research by the International Crisis Group among others indicates that the rebels buy their weapons from the robust weapons markets in Yemen or obtained them from the Yemeni military, either through capture or sale.

Saudi support for the Yemeni government effort is prompted by fears of regional instability and incitement of its own oppressed Shia population on the other side of the border, but the level of monetary and military support is unclear. The rebels have alleged the Saudis are flying sorties over Sa’ada, allowed Yemeni troops to attack from Saudi territory and are funding Yemen’s military efforts.

Regionally, Iraqi Shiite MPs suggested opening a headquarters for the Houthi rebels in retaliation for Yemen’s hosting wanted Iraqi Baathist insurgent leaders. A Bahraini Sunni MP accused a Bahraini Shiite party of contacts with the rebels, which they denied. Reportedly Egypt offered to mediate between the rebels and the government through back channels.

Both sides have claimed significant battlefield victories. The rebels posted Youtube videos of the military fleeing an attack, captured vehicles and skirmishes. Some reports indicate the Houthis have control of a substantial part of the governorate. As in prior outbreaks, the Yemeni military is utilizing tribal militias, calling them volunteers. Rebels have alleged the use of white phosphorous as a weapon. As in prior outbreaks, the Yemeni government has vowed to crush the rebels.

The Sa’ada War is only one of the major challenges to Yemeni stability. Last month, sixteen protesters were killed by police during a protest in Abyan, South Yemen where a separatist movement is gaining strength. Southern demonstrations began in 2007, protesting institutionalized discrimination after the north’s victory in Yemen’s 1994 civil war. As in the Sa’ada war, southern grievances of political exclusion were met with government violence against civilians and attempts at co-option. Authentic power sharing is anathema to the Saleh regime. Additionally, Western concerns center on al Qaeda which conducted over a dozen attacks on tourists and foreign targets since 2007, including the September 2008 attack on the US Embassy.

For more, see my category Sa’ada War.

WARNING: Extremely graphic photos of civilian casualties aned body parts below the fold. The photos are from the August 18th bombing of Dhayan City and are not for the faint of heart or anyone under 13. (Read on …)

Newsroom

The United Nations human rights chief has called on the Yemeni Government to launch an investigation into recent air raids that have resulted in civilian deaths, saying she is “deeply disturbed” in particular at a strike two days ago against a camp for displaced persons.

Dozens of internally displaced persons (IDPs) were killed in the September 16 air attack on the camp in northern Yemen, which houses some of the 150,000 people uprooted by the latest round of fighting between the Government and Al Houthi rebels that began on August 12. (Read on …)