Armies of Liberation

Jane Novak's blog about Yemen

Yemen China Military Weapons Deals

Filed under: China, Military, Proliferation, Yemen, govt budget — by Jane Novak at 8:51 am on Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Do they really have money for more weapons purchases? The rationalization of the government budget is not going well I see. Its about 7% of GDP on military and less than 2% on health care. (And even what is spent on health care is largely stolen and sold. )

Yemen, China discuss security cooperation

[11 November 2008]

SANA’A, Nov.11 (Saba) - Yemen and China held Tuesday talks on the aspects of security cooperation between the Interior Ministry and the Chinese company Chin Shida specialized in the exportation of military and security products.

Deputy Interior Minister Saleh al-Zawari affirmed here with assistant director of the Chinese company the importance of developing the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in areas of security cooperation.

Tanks on Highjacked Ukranian Ship were Enroute to Yemen

Filed under: Military, Proliferation, Russia, pirates — by Jane Novak at 11:21 am on Monday, October 20, 2008

from Russia, Yemen Post

Yemen announced that it will postpone the regional summit for fighting piracy, which was planned to be held in Sana’a next week. Participating countries were expected to sign a memorandum of understanding for mutual cooperation between them in fighting piracy.

From his part, Minster of Transportation, Khalid Al-Wazir, told media outlets that the postponing came in response to the Regional Center for Combating Piracy request, adding that the summit will be held later this year.

Al-Wazir assured that Yemen will establish a center in Sana’a for monitoring ships in collaboration with 20 countries and International Maritime Organization.

In the meantime, seven military ships from six different countries have headed to Bab Al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden in a mission to fight Somali pirates, and to protect trade ships and fisheries from pirates operations, whose attacks have risen over the last few months, especially in the international waters between Yemen and Somalia.

This comes within the country’s efforts to restrict piracy activities targeting ships off Yemen’s coasts, especially in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

Piracy activities have long been a headache for international navigation in the Gulf of Aden, which is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and connects Asia and Europe.

A Yemeni official who preferred not to reveal himself, told a Chinese agency that president Saleh’s visit to regional countries came as the result of the Yemeni government’s worry for business ships that pass by the Gulf of Aden.

The sudden movement by regional countries came after pirate’s hijacked a Ukrainian ship that was believed to be carrying seven tankers. Further, pirates warned that they would explode the ship if procedures were taken against them.

Sources who asked to be left anonymous mentioned to the Yemen Post that the tanks that were on the Ukrainian ship were on their way to Yemen, and were part of the military agreement signed between Russia and Yemen.

Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Mrs. Sergey Meronof said last Friday while visiting Yemen that her country intends to send more military ships soon to free the Ukrainian ship if needed.

Increased Russian Naval Presence, Increased Use of Yemen’s Ports for Military and other Goals

Russia could resume naval presence in Yemen

SANA, October 16 (RIA Novosti) - The speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament said on Thursday that Russia could resume a naval presence in Yemen.

Authorities in the Middle East country are calling on Moscow to help fight piracy and possible terrorist threats. The U.S.S.R. had a major naval base in the former socialist state of South Yemen, which merged with North Yemen in 1990 to form the present-day Yemen.

Speaking to journalists in Sana, the capital of Yemen, Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov said the new direction of Russia’s foreign and defense policies and an increase in its naval missions would be taken into consideration when making a decision on the request.

“It’s possible that the aspects of using Yemen ports not only for visits by Russian warships, but also for more strategic goals will be considered,” he said.

(Read on …)

3.7 million pills, 18 tons of drugs, 230 gun shops

Filed under: Proliferation, Security Forces, Yemen, drugs, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 11:15 am on Monday, October 13, 2008

Most of the arms dealers were released after signing a pledge

Almotamar.net - Interior Minister General Mutahar Rashad al-Misri revealed that security authorities on Tuesday seized 3 million and 700 thousand intoxicating pills and managed during the first half of this year 18 tons of drugs, saying it was a quantity enough to destroy the entire youth of the Arab homeland.

Minister al-Misri also said the security authorities also managed to capture the terrorist cell that was sending threatening messages to some embassies in Yemen. In addition, security authorities were able to carry out the campaign of prohibiting weapons and the closure of 230 shops for selling arms and munitions. They detained 270 arms dealers in a number of governorates.

Saudi Border Guards Capture Arms, Drugs; Weapons Dealers Released

Filed under: Proliferation, Saudi Arabia, drugs, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 8:22 pm on Monday, July 14, 2008

AFP

RIYADH (AFP) — Saudi border guards have seized almost a tonne of explosives and large quantities of arms and drugs on Yemen’s border over the past three months, making hundreds of arrests, Okaz newspaper said on Saturday.

The paper, quoting the guards, said 13 hand- and rocket-propelled grenades, 99 sticks of dynamite, 100 fuses, 12 detonators, more than 100 guns and 15,000 cartridges figured in the seizures.

Okaz praised security guards for their vigilance which had prevented the weapons and drugs from falling into the hands of “terrorists and other elements seeking to destabilise” the Saudi kingdom.

As many as 800 suspected arms and drugs dealers were arrested over the same period, along with 83 illegal immigrants, the report said.

Some 1,600 kilograms (2,640 pounds) of hashish, two million amphetamine pills and 280 bottles of alcohol, which is banned in the ultra-conservative Muslim country, were also seized.

Interior Ministry releases detained weapon dealers
Saturday, 12-July-2008
Almotamar.net - Yemen’s Ministry of Interior on Saturday released all merchants of weapon it has arrested in its campaign carried out by security authorities for closing own shops trading with weapons. The shops included in the campaign amounted to 234 until the end of last week.
Security sources said instructions of the Interior Ministry decided to keep weapons shops closed and continue the seizure of the weapons it captured in the campaign that covered all governorates of Yemen until to decide what to do about them later.

The Security Information Centre at the Ministry of interior sad that Ministry released weapons merchants after they submitted written pledges of not practicing again this type of activity that is violating the law and their pledge to report to security authorities whenever they are requested.

11 Houthis Arrested, Weapons Seized

Filed under: Military, Proliferation, Saada War, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:27 am on Sunday, June 1, 2008

al-Motamar

Capture of 11 persons wanted by security, foiling a shipment of weapons for rebels
Saturday, 14-June-2008
Almotamar.net - It has been learned on Saturday that security authorities arrested Friday four persons of those on a list of wanted by security in the capital and the governorate of Sana’a. Meanwhile, security authorities were able to abort transportation of quantities of arms to the insurgents before reaching them. Thus the number of the caught persons wanted by security rose to eleven. Security men announced Friday they had 7 other wanted persons for security cases, among them two of the most dangerous elements of insurgent al-Houthi arrested in Marib governorate.

Information centre of the Interior Ministry mentioned that security authorities in Sabeen district, in the capital have captured Mohammed Ahmed al-Dailami, 24, who is on the wanted list and caught in Bani Hushaish area, Sana’a governorate, Abdullah Mohammed al-Qaili, Ahmed Yahya Uthman al-Wazir and Abdullah Ali Saleh al-Bahr on charge of their affiliation to insurgency and sabotage and all of them were sent to for facing security measures.

Security authorities on Thursday caught vehicle carrying ammunition consisting of different calibers of bullets and arrested the three persons who were in the vehicle. Primary investigations disclosed that the amount of ammunition was bound to elements of insurgency.

In Shabwa governorate security men caught another vehicle carrying three persons and in their possession one-hundred cases machine-gun ammunition in addition to 10 pieces of weapons of which they claimed they had bought at he black-market in Albaidha governorate.

Shaher Abdelhaq (Abdulhak) Sold Yemeni Military Equipment to Saddam

Filed under: Iraq, Military, Presidency, Proliferation, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 9:29 am on Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Of course Saleh was in on it.

CIA website

Possible Yemeni Breaches of UN Sanctions

2001: Government of Yemen Offers to supply Military Goods to Iraq
Recovered documents refer to the Yemen Ambassador meeting with the Iraqi military to discuss a list of guaranteed military materials. According to the documents, the President of Yemen gave his blessing to support the effort to supply military goods to Iraq.

A letter from the Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashem Ahmed dated 23 March 2001 speaks of a meeting with the Republic of Yemen’s Ambassador, Mr. Abid Al-Malek Saeed. The letter states that Yemen had been helping the Iraqi Armed forces through a Yemeni business-man named Mr. Shaher Abid Al Haqq.

Reference is given to a meeting held 19 February 2001, were the Yemeni side was ready to export military materials from Yemen and Ethiopia to Iraq. The letter indicates the President of Yemen, Ali Abid Allah Salah, gave his blessing to the deal and that the Iraqis were given guarantees for the spare parts. These parts were specifically drawn from the stocks of the Yemeni armed forces, air force, army aviation and included armor, trucks, and weapons.

A follow-up meeting was held on 22 March 2001, which included the Yemeni Ambassador and Mr. Al-Haqq. Al-Haqq and the Ambassador provided the Iraqi military with a list of guaranteed available military materials and prices. Al-Haqq also revealed that he had met with the President Salah who had given his blessing for these efforts and support. The letter indicates that the President Salah, “believes that the support of Iraq with the proposed exports is necessary” and he had made calls to his brother, an Air Force Commander, asking him to present everything possible to Iraq, even if he has to take supplies from the Yemeni Air Force and ask Russia and others for replacement material.

Arab billionaire’s son: ‘I didn’t kill party girl’

Source: Metro

Tuesday, March 25, 2008- The son of an Arab billionaire businessman who left Britain hours before a Norwegian friend was found dead has denied killing her.

(Read on …)

Yemeni-Syrian Maritime Cooperation

Filed under: Proliferation, Syria, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 8:27 am on Monday, March 24, 2008
Yemen, Syria discuss preparations for joint committee meetings

SANA’A, March 23 (Saba) - Prime Minister Ali Mujawar and Syrian ambassador to Yemen Abdul Ghafor Sabouni discussed on Sunday topics related to the upcoming meetings of the Yemeni-Syrian committee to be held here in May co-chairing by the two countries’ premiers.

Mujawar underlined importance of the good preparation for the meetings by the two sides.

The upcoming meetings should focus on the activation of mechanisms of following up what have been realized by the two sides regularly, Mujawar said.

He also stressed necessity of finalizing the procedures pertaining to the joint maritime transport project due to its importance to promote the trade exchange between the two brotherly countries.

For his part, Sabouni said the arrangements for the meetings are going well, pointing out the meetings would deal with several topics topped by the issue of promoting the trade exchange and investment between both countries.

Hand Grenade Kills Two in Yemen

Filed under: Civil Unrest, Counter-terror, Proliferation, Qat, Security Forces, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 12:40 pm on Saturday, March 22, 2008

40 year old guy teaching three teen-agers how to use a hand grenade in Sana’a blows himself up, killing one of the teen agrers and wounding two others.

Saba describes it as a friendly Qat session.

26 September Net

SANA’A, (26 September Net0 - A hand grenade exploded in Sana’a on Friday, killing at least two people and wound two others.

Security sources in the capital Sana’a said to 26 September Net that the first victim Foa’ad Saleh Al-Bahloli, the bomb’s owner, aged 40, had taught Ibrahim Hasan Al-Masmari, the second victim, aged 18, how to separate, install and use the bomb in one of Qaa Al-Alifi’s maqi’ils (divan for qat chewing) in the capital Sana’a.

The sources added that the two injured others, Salah Hasan Abdullah, aged 20, and Yousif Hamoud, aged 15, who were among the attendees in the maqi’il, had been wounded on the left shoulders as a result of the bomb’s shatters and be hospitalized to Al-Jumhori hospital.

Yemen Sends Planes to Chad and Sudan

Filed under: Other Countries, Proliferation, Sudan, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 8:48 am on Thursday, March 20, 2008

????

(Excuse me if I think something may be up here. The recent weapons to Somalia were delivered by government aircraft. I get a little skeptical at claims of outright altruism.)

26 Sept
Yemeni plane have been arrived to Chad before last hours carrying aids and relief materials, while another plane will head to Sudan during coming few hours carrying relief materials and aids for the affected by the current events as a result of war erupted between the two countries.

The two planes included foodstuff, medical materials, clothes, etc. as expression of Yemeni people’s feelings towards the refugees in those areas to mitigate their suffers as a result of armed clashes sparked between the two countries.

Smuggling Drugs and Counterfeit Money and Weapons

Filed under: Other Countries, Proliferation, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, counterfeiting, drugs, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 8:22 pm on Monday, March 3, 2008

Just missing the antiquities Yemen Observer:

Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) security forces seized a large amount of drugs at the Arabian Sea on its way to be smuggled to the KSA on a boat coming from Pakistan last Tuesday, said security sources.

Security sources said that the joint security operations in the two countries resulted after numerous sailors were apprehended in possession of contraband.

In the beginning of February, Yemen and Saudi joint forces arrested a major international gang involved in producing counterfeit money, and drug dealing. Sources told the Sep 26 website that the members of the gang are from Yemen, Saudi, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Kenya, and that members of the gang were arrested In Sana’a, Aden, and Jeddah, possessing large amounts of drugs and counterfeit money. They were able to phish approximately million Saudi Rial into banks.

(Read on …)

Appeal Upholds Acquital of Dane and Yemeni Accused Weapons Smugglers

Filed under: Al-Qaeda, Counter-terror, Judicial, Proliferation, Somalia, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:05 pm on Saturday, March 1, 2008

Yemen Times

SANA’A, March 2 — Two men, Abdi Othman Soli, 28, a Danish citizen of Somali origin, and Abdullah Awadh Al-Masri, 37, a Yemeni national, were found not guilty this week of smuggling weapons to Somalia in 2006. However, the court gave Al-Masri a three-year prison sentence for other charges such as working with and providing shelter for Al-Qaeda operatives and illegal weapons trading.

Among other accusations, the two suspects were tried for smuggling anti-aircraft weapons and sniper rifles into Somalia for the Islamic Court, which was waging a coup at the time. Although Soli confessed to the charges, the court ignored his confession, according to the office of the Attorney General.

Besides Soli and Al-Masri, 12 other men, including four Yemenis and eight Western nationals, were arrested at the same time.

At the time of their arrest, Rashad Al-Alimi, Yemen’s Interior Minister, refused to transfer the men to the Guantanamo Bay prison facility and insisted on keeping the suspects in Yemen for trial.

Since the arrest, a German national was released in November 2007 after Yemeni interrogators said he had not been involved in any illegal activities. The other suspects, including three Australians, one British national, one Danish national and one Somali national, stayed in Yemen until they were extradited to their respective countries.

(Read on …)

Russian and Chinese Weapons

Filed under: Proliferation, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:42 am on Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Yes the weapons are still coming in. To tamp down on weapons prevalence requires control of the importation of the weapons and second, an effective police force.

The sale of guns in Yemen continues despite government efforts to close down weapons markets. There are an estimated 60 million guns in the country, which has a population of 18 million. It is traditional for Yemenis to keep a gun at home.

Everything from pistols and rifles to rocket-propelled grenades can be found at the Sanaa arms market. The most popular weapon is the “Russian Ali”. Most of the arms come from Russia and China, according to gun shop owners.

There are no records of who is buying weapons in Yemen as no license is required to own one. Guns are part of the tribal culture and are commonly used to resolve disputes, often causing injury and death. Statistics show that more than 23,000 people were injured or killed by guns between 2004 and 2006 in Yemen.

This video short looks at the effect guns are having on the local population as well as the deaths and injuries caused by them.

from IRIN

Yet Another Depot Explodes

Filed under: Proliferation, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:01 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2008

I think this is the sixth depot that exploded in the last several years, maybe the fifth. At least three held arms caches.

Sunday, 27-January-2008
almotamar.net - Seven persons got injured in explosion of explosives depot at Souq al-Rabou area in Thamar, three of them seriously injured. Director of criminal investigations in the governorate said security authorities are investigating into causes of the incident.

The explosion happened at 11 o’clock before noon of Sunday in a depot using explosives for breaking rocks.

Weapons Smugglers Within the Security Apparatus Attempt Assassinate to Chief of Security, Again

Filed under: Proliferation, Security Forces, Targeting, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 9:11 pm on Friday, January 4, 2008

Al-Sahwa

Hodaida’s security operations chief subjected to assassination attempt

January 2, 2008- Security sources told Alsahwa.net that the Hodaida’s security operations chief Bashir Hadad was subjected Wednesday to an assassination attempt in his office.

Furthermore, he was harshly beaten with rifle butts and weapons by a security official along with four soldiers, according to the sources.

“The chief of security operations is currently lying at the Military Hospital to which he was transferred.” they added.

The sources explained that those who carried out the attack today on the security operations chief are the same persons who were charged with attempting to assassinate deputy of the Criminal Investigation last month.

It is noteworthy that this is the second attempt that targeted security leaders within four weeks after smuggled modern weapons which were seized last month were disappeared by security officials.

January 3, 2008

– Security sources in Hodaida province have said that 25 gunmen from Amran province stormed Hodiada’s security building on Thursday and closed down its gate in new updates of trafficked weapons case .

Officers of Hodaida security expressed surprise as the security authorities have not yet captured the suspects who had tried to assassinate the Hodaida’s security operations chief, Bashir Hadad .

Hodaida’s security operations chief Bashir Hadad was subjected Wednesday to an assassination attempt in his office. He was harshly beaten with rifle butts and weapons by a security official along with four soldiers, according to the sources.

Hadad is currently lying at the Military Hospital to which he was transferred.” they added.

Those who carried out the attack on the security operations chief are the same persons who were charged with attempting to assassinate deputy of the Criminal Investigation, Mohammad al-Maqaleh tasked with investigating of the disappearance of automatic and sophisticated weapons were in way to Saada rebels last month.

The disappearance of automatic and sophisticated weapons had taken considerable attention from the President who authorized the Interior Ministry to form a committee to investigate this serious security issue.

Sa’ada Arms Market Explosion

Filed under: Ministries, Proliferation, Saada War, Security Forces, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 12:00 am on Thursday, December 20, 2007

Sana’a, Yemen - At least four people were killed and nine others injured after a powerful explosion rocked an arms market in the northern Yemeni region of Saada Thursday, witnesses said.

Witnesses said the explosion was caused by a cannon shell mishandled by a man trying to sell it at the al-Talh arms market in Saada, some 230 kilometres north of the capital Sana’a.

Al-Talh is the largest arms market in this poor country located at the south-western tip of the Arabian peninsula. Weapons are bought and sold openly in 12 markets and about 300 light weapon shops across the country.

(Read on …)

Crime Drops After Weapons Ban

Filed under: Ministries, Proliferation, Security Forces, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:46 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Yemen Observer

Arms-related crimes have decreased by 60 percent and arms in Yemen have decreased by 80 percent in the past two months due to the campaign to ban the carrying of arms that began on August 23, said Deputy Minister of Interior, Brigadier Mohammed Abdullah al-Qusi last week.

Al-Qusi renewed his call to all citizens to cooperate with security forces and report on any violations of this ban in all governorate capitals. He also praised other groups that are helping to enforce the ban such as the military police and other units.

“According to statistics, we see that the number of arms carried in major cities is decreasing week by week which reflects the level of awareness that citizens have reached in realizing the importance of the ban,” said al-Qusi.

Since the inception of the ban until November 1st, the number of arms confiscated has been more that 45,000.

(Read on …)

Weapons Smuggling Arrests Triggers Assassination Attempt

Filed under: Proliferation, Saudi Arabia, Security Forces, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 1:16 pm on Thursday, December 13, 2007

News Yemen

SANA’A, NewsYemen

The officer Mohammed Ameen al-Maqaleh, head of a committee formed by the Ministry of Interior to investigate smuggling weapons to Africa escaped an assassination attempt on Wednesday official source said.

Security sources accuse an officer involved in smuggling 77 pieces of guns and Kalashnikovs of planning for the assassination attempt.

Sources said that officers and security forces could spoil the attempt, but did not give details.

Security forces spoiled smuggling weapons to an African country days ago and arrested two persons. The African country was not identified.

The assassination attempt came one day after the government ordered to refer all involved in weapons smuggling operations through coasts and land borders to the Public Prosecution and military justice.

Land Mines in Yemen Kill Five per Month

Filed under: Donors, UN, Medical, Proliferation, Yemen, political violence — by Jane Novak at 8:41 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2007

They forgot to list the Sa’ada Wars as another instance of land mine use.

74,000 still on hand.

Yemen Times

SANA’A, Dec. 2 — An international report complained about a data clash between the number of victims and survivals from mines and explosives left behind from wars in Yemen. The ninth report concluded from the recording sector and land survey for mines that in 2000 there was a total of 4,904 victims because of mines and explosives: 2,560 dead and 2,344 injured.

“The new international report for the assembly in charge of watching over and taking care of mines and explosives, gave its appreciation to authorities in charge of removing mines, and Yemen’s commitment to clearing and dismantling hidden mines. These are the remains of the 1962-1975 war between the Royalists and Republicans, the Sept. 26th revolution against British Occupation in 1963-1967, a war known as the Armed National Battlefront from 1970-1983, and finally the Summer War in 1994.” The report noted.

The report recommended that Yemen commit to dismantling the mines by applying the fourth item, ‘the Mine Ban Treaty’ on the destruction of its stockpile of stored mines in Yemen, which amount to 74,000, recommending that Yemen destroy them by the end of March 2009. (Read on …)

Yemeni is Leader of Planned Rocket Terror Attack in Saudi Arabia

Filed under: Al-Qaeda, Proliferation, Saudi Arabia, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:55 pm on Saturday, December 1, 2007

By Adel Al-Malki at the Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH - Some 40 percent of the 208 terror suspects whose arrests were announced by the Ministry of Interior Wednesday were non-Saudis, a security source told the Saudi Gazette Thursday. The source also disclosed that the leader of a group of 18 people planning to smuggle eight missiles into the Kingdom to carry out terrorist operations was a Yemeni national. The Yemeni rocket expert had sneaked into the Kingdom across its southern frontier with Yemen.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Mansour Al-Turki told the Saudi Gazette that the six terror cells busted over a period of time were not linked to each other.

Chinese missles?

Kuwait Times

RIYADH: A Saudi Arabian newspaper said yesterday that suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists were allegedly able to smuggle eight Chinese-made missiles into the kingdom before they were arrested as part of a terror sweep. The daily Okaz, which is deemed close to the government, quoting unnamed officials as saying militants wanted to use the missiles to allegedly target hotels and other buildings in the kingdom.

The newspaper did not further describe the missiles. The Saudi Interior Ministry last week announced that it made its largest terror sweep to date, arresting 208 Al-Qaeda-linked militants in six separate arrests in recent months. One of the alleged terror cells was led by a non-Saudi missile expert, the ministry said. The ministry said members of that cell were planning to smuggle eight missiles into the kingdom to carry out terrorist operations, but it did not say what kind of missiles or what the targe
ts were.

Okaz reported yesterday that the missiles were already inside Saudi Arabia. The newspaper also quoted Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour Al-Turki as saying the leadership of another one of the alleged terror cells was based in another country. Al-Turki did not name the country. Last week, the Interior Ministry said authorities arrested 112 alleged members of that cell during the terror sweep. The ministry said the cell was trying to smuggle men to Iraq and Afghanistan for training, after which they woul
d be brought back to Saudi Arabia to try to carry out attacks in the kingdom. - AP

Daily Times:

The report also described the break-up of a second militant cell led by a 37-year-old Yemeni missile experts who had trained fighters in Afghanistan’s famed Al Qaeda affiliated al-Farouq training camp. “The ringleader planned to carry out operations targeting vital institutions in the kingdom and train members of his cell to launch missiles,” said the paper, adding that he planned to leave the country ahead of the operations.

In their initial announcement of the sweeps last week, the Interior Ministry said the attacks were aimed at oil installations in the country’s petroleum-rich east. ap

Smuggling Shoulder Fired Rockets from Yemen to Saudi Arabia

Filed under: Al-Qaeda, Iraq, Proliferation, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 8:34 am on Wednesday, November 28, 2007
(CNN) — More than 200 Saudi and foreign militants have been arrested over their alleged involvement in plots that included assassinations and an attack on an oil facility, Saudi officials say.

The arrests took place over the past few months but were kept secret so as not to jeopardize ongoing investigations, a Ministry of the Interior official said Wednesday.

The 208 militants were alleged to be plotting an attack on an oil facility in the Eastern Province, where much of the nation’s oil industry is based, and had set a date for the attack.

Another militant cell is alleged to have planned to assassinate Saudi religious figures and security officials, while a separate cell allegedly planned to smuggle eight shoulder-fired rockets into the kingdom from Yemen for terrorist operations.

The official said 112 of those arrested were “linked in with elements stationed abroad who facilitate the exit and travel of those to conflict zones” such as Iraq.

U.S. military officials have said that Saudis make up the largest contingent of foreign fighters in Iraq, while a Saudi counterterrorism official noted that fighters returning from Iraq to Saudi Arabia represent a “troubling” phenomenon.

Thirty-two individuals — Saudis and non-Saudis — were arrested for allegedly providing financial support to other militants; 16 others were arrested for alleged involvement in the publication of a militant newsletter called Sada Alrafidain.

According to the Saudi counter-terrorism official, the number of arrests is the largest ever announced by the ministry.

The Saudi official said the Saudi government released the information before the Hajj pilgrimage season, when 2 million pilgrims travel to the holy sites of Mecca and Medina, in order “to alert the public of the ongoing threat to security in the kingdom.”

When Burms Aren’t Enough

Filed under: Proliferation, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 7:19 am on Saturday, October 20, 2007

Its time to go high tech.

UPI

Now Saudi Arabia, like India, is building not one, but two separate border fences on different fronts. The first is on its southern border and is intended to try and get its illegal immigration of 400,000 people a year from neighboring Yemen under control. The second, far more ambitious one, is along the Saudi border with Iraq and is an attempt to prevent Islamist extremists in Iraq, both Sunni and Shiite, from exporting their violence and doctrines back into Saudi Arabia.

However, modern barriers are not just about orders for barbed wire and concrete: They are also about night-vision enhancers and sensors, and every kind of high-tech electronic gadgetry to detect explosives, weapons, drugs and whatever else terrorist organizations and drug gangs try to get across closely monitored borders.

Land Theft Down?

Filed under: Proliferation, Yemen, theft: land other — by Jane Novak at 8:39 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Thats good news.

7000 pieces of weapons seized and prevented in 20 days
Friday, 14-September-2007
almotamar.net - A security source at the interior ministry of Yemen affirmed Friday that the ongoing campaign on weapons in the capital Sana’a and provincial capitals had led to curb the acts of land illegal seizure by 80% since the beginning of the interior ministry application of its decision of preventing entrance of weapons to Sana’a and provincial capitals on 23 of last August.

(Read on …)

Bajammal Threatens to Provoke Civil War

Filed under: Civil Rights, GPC, Military, Proliferation, Security Forces, South, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 1:22 pm on Saturday, September 15, 2007

Will re-arm the citizenry and turn them against each other, oh my, what a brilliant plan.

Yahoo News

A senior Yemeni lawmaker reportedly said he was ready to reverse recent anti-gun legislation and arm people to combat secesionists demanding the separation of north and south Yemen.

Head of the ruling General People’s Congress party Abdel Kader Bajammal, who is also a former Yemeni prime minister, told the Emirati paper Al-Khaleej:

“I will arm the people to face them (secesionists). For the sake of the state and its unity we will re-introduce weapons to confront those corrupt people.”

(Read on …)

Demonstration Against Guns

Filed under: Crime, Proliferation, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 7:52 am on Saturday, September 1, 2007

Crime Stats

YT

Major General, Al-Qawsi, the Ministry of Interior’s deputy, confirmed that the ratio of crime had declined by 35 percent during the last week of August. “1522 weapons caches have been controlled, of which 48 percent are from the capital secretariat of Sana’a,” Al-Qawsi declared.

However, the Ministry of Interior had mentioned, in its annual report on mortality, that deaths and injuries due to the use of fire-arms during the period from 2004 to 2006 stands at 23, 577. .

According to the report, an astonishing 84,72% of these incidents and crimes are caused by the spread of fire-arms between people.

Moreover, in 2004, a law had been issued to regulate carrying,, as well as possessing weapons. However, the law faced strong objection by the parliamentarians as they have a significant number of bodyguards.

http://www.almotamar.net/en/3293.htm

Amotamar.net - Yemeni civil society organisations organised Tuesday a massive demonstration in the capital to denounce the phenomenon of carrying weapons and its negative impact on development and security and stability of Yemen.

Demonstrators who walked the streets of the capital and gathered at the square near the cabinet building raised banners with slogans denouncing and refusing carrying weapons and walk with them inside the cities.

At the gathering place addresses were delivered by representatives of the General Federation of Women in Yemen, political parties and organisations and civil society organisations, demanding cooperation of all official, party and people’s efforts for curbing spread of weapons among the citizens, regulating the citizens’ possession of light weapons and banning walking in the streets with them inside the cities.

The speeches warned against the danger of this phenomenon continuation without treatment in the possibility of using it for political purposes, feeding crime tendencies and destabilization of security and stability as well as public safety.
The speeches delivered at the gathering pointed out that the figures revealed in official reports of by the interior ministry that 69% of crimes committed in Yemen are caused by spread of firearms in addition to spread of different medium weapons.

The gathering blessed the serious steps taken by the government, especially the interior ministry for banning weapons inside the Yemeni cities beginning from the 1rst of next September. They stressed the importance that those steps are a beginning for more steps in this regard. The speeches also called on the parliament to speed up passing the draft law presented by the government concerning regulating carrying and possessing weapons in the manner treating shortcomings in the present law.

On the other hand the deputy premier, the minister of interior Dr Rashad al-Alimi met with representatives of civil society organisations organising the demonstration, expressing his appreciation of the organisations initiative for organising it for the purpose of calling the attention to danger of spread of weapons. He clarified that the ministry is about to take strict measures to ban carrying weapons inside the cities and would be carried out in a timetable.

Czech Weapons Imports Total 3 Million Euros

Filed under: Crime, Other Countries, Proliferation, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 8:13 am on Saturday, August 25, 2007

The weapons ban inthe capital and closing the shops wont have much effect on the weapons trade without clamping down on the imports which often wind up diverted to the black market.

Ceshenovitny

Czech companies have imported weapons worth 0.5 million euros to Nigeria, AI says, pointing to extra-court executions, torture and looting taking place in Nigeria where civilians are killed, for instance, during regular road checks.

AI says that the exports of Czech arms to Columbia reached 438,000 euros and 581,000 euros to Venezuela. Arms exports to Vietnam reached 2.7 million euros and to Jemen 3 million euros last year.

Guns Banned from Capital City

Filed under: Ministries, Parliament, Proliferation, Tribes, Yemen, political violence — by Jane Novak at 8:10 am on Saturday, August 25, 2007
Almotamar.net - The Yemen interior ministry on Thursday announced it will from today morning prevent carrying firearms inside the capital, indicating it will set stores at entrances of the capital and provincial capitals of governorates for keeping guns and give their owners receipts for them.

The ministry added it will beginning of next month carry out a decision preventing carrying licensed firearms, confirming that security authorities would arrest anyone carrying weapons in violation of the announcement and confiscate his gun.

An announcement issued by the interior ministry, a copy of it received by almotamar.net, mentioned that it is categorically prevented carrying weapons inside the capital and provincial capitals of governorates. The statement attributed that decision to increase of crimes and incidents resulting from the use of guns and to the negative impact which carrying firearms cause to development and investment as well as to tourism. It added that the aim is to protect the citizens life and achieve general security and safety for the citizen, social peace.

The statement mentioned that bodyguards of senior officials of the state and members of parliament and Shoura and local council will be allowed to carry only guns in an invisible way.

The interior ministry asked all political, security, military and administrative leaderships to commit to carrying out the decision, calling upon political parties and organisations and citizens to cooperate in implementation of the decision and report on any violations.

16 Missiles and 5 Mines Intercepted en Route to Saudi Arabia

Filed under: Crime, Proliferation, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 3:20 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Missiles? Where does one get missiles for export?

YemenTimes al-Wahadi

- Border guards foil attempt to smuggle consignment of weapons from Yemen into Saudi Arabia

According to the weekly newspaper, Media reports said on Monday that Saudi border guards at the Najran region on the Saudi-Yemeni border foiled an attempt to smuggle a consignment of weapons to the Kingdom. “The would-be smugglers, along with the consignment of weapons, fled back to Yemen,” the weekly paper quoted a Saudi official as saying.

The Saudi Okadh paper reported that Assistant Commander of Border Guards positioned in Najran said the consignment contains 16 missiles, 16 armored covers, five anti-tank mines and 3,000 bullets of heavy machineguns. The military official added that the rear border guards and patrols recorded the suspicious movements of unidentified individuals and found quantities of explosives and ammunition hidden beneath rocks. The official went on to say that the traffickers fled the scene toward Yemen after they were prevented from trafficking the consignment into the Saudi territory.

Weapons Market Closed

Filed under: Counter-terror, Proliferation, Security Forces, TI: Internal, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 3:48 pm on Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Jamil al-Jadabi Almotamar.net - Reliable sources at the ministry of interior have affirmed Tuesday the closure last week of one of the largest market for selling and buying weapons in Yemen.

In a statement to almotamar.net the sources made it clear that a security campaign has closed down Jahana market, 40km to the east of the capital Sana’a weeks after the government announcement of defining 6 months for the plan of gathering weapons in implementation of the cabinet decision in late April of this year stipulating closure of shops selling weapons, ammunition and explosives.

Sana’a is trying to collect specifically heavy and medium weapons in dependence on a strategy based on compensating their owners with sums of money for a period of six months after which there will be imposing ban on them and confiscating them in case they are found after termination of the period. The government has allocated for this file billions of riyals in a bid to end the phenomenon of weapons trade and limit the phenomenon of carrying weapons that is much spread among Yemeni citizens particularly at the areas of tribes.

The interior ministries of defence and interior have recently displayed stores of heavy and medium weapons collected from citizens as part of the government campaign in this regard. The interior ministry plan for collecting weapons is aimed at collecting heavy and medium weapons and it has drawn up a plan for regulating the process of owning and carrying personal weapons.

Weapons Law

Filed under: Parliament, Proliferation, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:06 am on Saturday, July 21, 2007
Sana’a, NewsYemen

The members of Shoura Council have demanded that the draft law of organizing weapons carrying prepared by the Defense and Security Council Committee at the council should be reviewed describing it as “meaningless”.

The members criticized at Tuesday’s session the repeated negligent shootings do occur in the capital Sana’a and called for replacing the military guards of the state’s institutions with civil guards.

Abdullah Ghanim hailed the report of the committee but said its recommendations are “meaningless”.

Ghanim pointed in his speech to a hidden difference between those who have personal interests from impeding the weapons law to be enacted.

(Read on …)

Weapons Seizures

Filed under: GPC, Proliferation, Tribes, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:54 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2007

I hope the weapons depot doesn’t explode, again.

Yemen Observer

About 1,000 mobile rockets and other weapons have been collected from Yemeni citizens by security authorities and destroyed by the government, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Rashad al-Alimi on Tuesday. The Yemeni government’s plan to collect heavy-duty and medium-sized weapons from citizens began in earnest earlier this year. Al-Alimi, who spoke to the Shura council, said that the weapons were destroyed under the supervision of international experts. “Those weapons in hands of citizens gave the Yemeni government and the international community much anxiety, because it was created a dangerous situation for the airlines,” he said.

“We are continuing to collect the weapons, and we have anther plan to limit the carrying of personal guns in the main cities, and it will reach the other areas soon,” he added. Some dramatic seizures were made this week. Security authorities in al-Mahara governorate in eastern Yemen discovered weapons stockpiles on Wednesday, after security forces raided a cave where they found more than 158 mortar rounds. Colonel Ahmed Saleh, Director of Criminal Investigation in the province, said that the security forces uncovered the weapons cache after the arrest of a gang of 11 people who were stealing bullets and hiding them.

“After we got the weapons, we followed-up on the rest of the gang members, and are still conducting investigations on the case,” Saleh said. “The preliminary investigations indicated that this gang aimed to sell these bullets for financial gain only, and that they are not tied to any violent organized group,” he said. The rest of the gang members are expected to be apprehended in the next 48 hours, he said Wednesday. Authorities think that there may be six or seven more men involved, in addition to the 11 already in custody. Some of these men may be soldiers, he said.

Colonel Mubarak Hussein, security director in al-Mahara, said that the gang had stolen the bullets from arms stores belonging to the security forces. “They purpose of this collecting of bullets was merely to sell them, and none of the gang members carried out armed actions against any state or against citizens,” he said. “Investigations are under way to resolve the rest of the details of the case,” he said. A recent report submitted to the Parliament by the Ministry of the Interior shows that weapons-related crimes have been increasing in Yemen.

“The crime rate is increasing wherever more weapons are carried,” the report said. According to the report, there were around 32,000 crimes from 2004 to 2006. Weapons were involved in more than 77 percent of them. In that same time period, there were 23,577 deaths and injuries in Yemen that involved weapons. Some 85 percent of those died because of guns. According to the report of the Interior Ministry, in the last three years, security agencies have seized numerous firearms. These weapons included 13,106 rifles, 3,115 handguns, 251 bombs, and 204 other weapons. They have also seized 41,573 bullets. The Ministries of Defense and the Interior recently began collecting medium-sized and heavy-duty weapons from the citizens.

In the context of the campaign, the ministry has collected rockets, ammunition, tanks, antiaircraft missiles, explosives, detonators, and anti-personnel mines. When the government seizes these weapons from people, they compensate them for them from the state treasury. They will continued to pay for arms turned in in the next six months. After that, they will begin to take weapons from citizens by force. The government as already spent billions of riyals on this effort to eliminate arms trade, and on the reduction of the possession and carrying of arms deployed in the parts of Yemen most beset by violence, particularly the tribal areas. Large parts of these tribal areas are still outside the scope of government control.

Al-Motamar

Almotamar.net - A security source said Sunday that police forces had seized 100 pieces of weapons in a new campaign of capturing unlicensed weapons began Sunday in fie Yemeni governorates.

The source told almotamar.net the campaign includes the governorates of Sana’a, Aden, Taiz, Hadramout and Hudeida. The seized weapons, found with citizens in the first day of the campaign, included Kalashnikov and other types of weapon pieces and that campaign is carried out by patrols of central security forces and emergency police.

It is worth mentioning that the government had presented the weapons law to the parliament in 2001 but a large-scale deliberation is until now going on inside the parliament and outside it about the law and its discussion has been suspended. The weapons law was coined the beginning of the nineties bearing No, 42 for the year 1992.

750 motars

Almotamar.net - Security authorities in Maharah governorate seized Sunday about 600 mortar gun 81 caliber shells just three day after detection of other 158 projectiles hidden inside a mountain cave in the governorate situated east of Yemen.

A high ranking security official told almotamar.net the shells were seized in Zumah district in a deserted unpopulated area before being transferred to the desert. He added that selling and buying operation was done by those involved in dealing with them.

The official also affirmed that seven persons were detained over their involvement in the operation.

Deputy Premier, minister of interior Dr Rashad al-Alimi said on 7 of this month at a meeting of the shoura council that committees had been set up that will carry out in the coming six months the process of counting and documenting weapon and ammunition assets of the armed forces and security as well as their serial numbers. The minister said the information will be included in database so that it will be easy to follow up those weapons and ammunition in case they were leaked in illegal ways.

Soldiers Smuggling Weapons from Sa’ada to Marib

Filed under: Military, Proliferation, Saada War, Security Forces, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 7:04 pm on Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Al-Sahwa

June 23, 2007 –The Yemeni authorities have arrested 4 soldiers in al-Safra district, Saada, under charges of smuggling weapons from a military camp in Saion, Hadramout province.

They said that the security officials followed up the suspects to Marib governorate and found that they had 4 vehicles carrying weapons.

The local sources also said that Saada province witnessed calmness in the wake of the agreements reached between the government and the al-Houthi rebels under a Qatri mediation.