8/30
A UN report stated that nearly “120,000 suspected cases of cholera were reported” in Yemen between January and Mid-August, with the number of cases steadily increasing. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric worried that “the increasing rate of infections” could signify a “possible third wave of the epidemic.”
The UN released a report which suggests that “the parties to the armed conflict have perpetrated, and continue to perpetrate, violations and crimes under international law.” The report explained that coalition forces have not only committed acts that amount to international crimes, but that coalition airstrikes have also “caused the most direct civilian casualties.”
Abu al-Abbas, the commander of powerful salafi militias in Ta’iz, announced that he was retracting his earlier promise to pull his forces and their families out of the city. Abu al-Abbas claimed that his rivals in the Islah Party, as well as President Hadi, had called on his brigades to stay and lead the defense of Ta’iz against Houthi forces, despite weeks of clashes between different factions of the anti-Houthi resistance.
8/31
The US Navy confiscated over “1,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles being smuggled by small ships in the gulf of Aden.” While the military did not say which group was smuggling these arms, this sea-bound seizure of weapons is one of the first in years for the US military.
9/2
President Hadi was transported to the United States in order to receive medical treatment, according to Reuters.
A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition admitted to “mistakes” surrounding an airstrike on a school bus that lead to the deaths of 51 people, 40 of them children, on the 9th of August. The coalition maintained, however, that the school bus was a “legitimate target.”
In an attempt to protect the national currency, the Yemeni government ordered a temporary halt to the import of luxury goods, including automobiles. The government also set a 30% increase in public sector salaries, including salaries for pensioners and contractors. Most government salaries have gone unpaid for well over a year, however; it is unclear whether the announced increase will actually be implemented.
9/4
Spain backed out of an arms sale of “400 laser guided bombs purchased by Saudi Arabia,” citing concerns that the weapons might be deployed “against Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen.”
Dissident Saudi Prince Ahmed bin Abdelaziz told reporters in London that “there are specific people that are responsible” for the conflict in Yemen, that it "was the king and his heir apparent" who were to blame.
9/6
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith, Rep. Ro Khanna, and Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Mark Pocan announced their intention to put forward a resolution in the US House of Representatives to invoke the War Powers Resolution of 1973. This resolution would withdraw the US armed forces from deployments supporting the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia admitted that “there might have been collateral damage and civilian casualties” in an air raid carried out south of the port of Hodeidah on the 23rd of August. This strike killed 26 children and four women.
9/9
The Saudi-UAE-led coalition resumed its attack on Hudaydah following the refusal of the Houthi delegation to attend UN consultations in Geneva, Switzerland.
A suspected US drone strike is thought to have killed “four alleged al-Qaida militants, including a field leader in the country’s south.”
9/10
Save the Children reported that “35,000 malnourished children could die in Yemen” as a result of barriers to aid distribution created by the coalition’s blockade.
9/11
The Trump administration faced a deadline, imposed by section 1290 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, to certify whether Saudi Arabia and the UAE are taking adequate measures to prevent harm to civilians in Yemen. Failure to certify would force a reduction of U.S. military support to the coalition. The administration was expected to endorse the coalition’s behavior.
In a statement to the UN Security Council, the Special Envoy for Yemen lamented the failure of the Houthi delegation to attend peace talks. Griffiths placed emphasis on the importance “of [salvaging] what is left of state institutions as quickly as possible” and working to mitigate the ever-rising humanitarian costs of the conflict.
9/12
The Amaliqah Brigades--a salafi force aligned with the UAE and Yemeni government--claimed to have captured Kilo 16, the Houthi’s main supply route from San’a to Hudaydah. Other sources reported only limited progress toward the key highway.
The Trump administration stood firm with the Saudi coalition, asserting to Congress that the coalition is taking sufficient action to avoid civilian casualties. This endorsement comes despite the fact that “August was the deadliest month this year for civilian casualties in the war.”
9/13
Spain reversed its earlier decision to cancel the sale of “400 laser guided bombs” to Saudi Arabia. Motivations for this reversal are unclear at the moment, however shipbuilders in southern Spain had been concerned that Saudi Arabia would retaliate by canceling a “$2.1 billion purchase of five navy corvettes.”