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 27-December 4; Former President Saleh is Killed Amidst Violence Between Houthi and Saleh Forces
11/27
The UN, after completing a delivery of 1.9 million diphtheria vaccines shortly after the Saudi-led coalition reopened Yemen’s airspace to humanitarian flights, stated that the successful delivery through the San’a airport “cannot be a one-off,” because nearly every Yemeni child is in need of further humanitarian assistance.
Statement on the Death of Ali Abdullah Saleh
Ali Abdullah Saleh, president of the Yemen Arab Republic and then the Republic of Yemen from 1978 to 2011, was apparently killed by Houthi forces today in San’a. His death has been confirmed by members of his General People’s Congress (GPC). It follows five days of heavy fighting in San’a between forces loyal to Saleh and the Houthi militias, clashes that have killed over 100 civilians. The Yemen Peace Project calls on all sides to cease hostilities and encourages internal and international parties to renew their commitment to a negotiated end to the civil war instead of responding to the weekend’s events with further military escalation.
Deep Root Report Describes How the Conflict in Yemen Has Impacted the Food Pipeline
Deep Root, a consulting firm focused on development in Yemen, recently published a report that details how the conflict has impacted the food pipeline. Around 60% of Yemenis are food insecure, and pockets of areas hardest-hit by the food insecurity crisis have reached the point of famine. This humanitarian disaster is caused by a multitude of factors; the livelihoods of civilians have been negatively impacted by the conflict, and many people are unable to pay for the increased prices of food and fuel.
November 20-27: Aid Slowly Trickles Into Yemen As Blockade Continues
11/20
Reuters reports on a statement made by the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The group claims it has not sent any weapons to Yemen and also denies involvement in the firing of a ballistic missile toward Riyadh that originated from Yemen.
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.
We need your help to end this war!
The people of Yemen are trapped in the world’s worst humanitarian emergency. As the Houthi-Saleh alliance and the Saudi-led coalition continue to kill civilians with impunity, and Saudi Arabia maintains an illegal blockade, seven million Yemenis are at risk of starvation, and 17 million don’t know where their next meal will come from. Yemen’s grain supplies will run out in roughly 100 days. The worst cholera epidemic in history continues to rage, alongside other deadly diseases. And this entire disaster is man-made. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States are deliberately starving Yemen.
Humanitarian aid alone can’t solve this crisis. As the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Yemen said earlier this year, the only way to prevent widespread famine “is for weapons to fall silent across the country and for the parties to the conflict to return to the negotiating table.” And that will only happen when the United States withdraws its military support for the Saudis and their allies and pressures them to make peace.
Congress Establishes Oversight Over US Role in Yemen
On November 14, the House passed the conference bill of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018. The finalized bill includes two provisions led by Congressman Ted Lieu that provide much-needed congressional oversight over the US’ role in Yemen, seeking to limit US participation in the war. The YPP applauds the passage of these provisions and thanks Representative Lieu for his tireless efforts to rein in US military involvement in Yemen’s civil war.
November 6-13; Coalition Institutes Full Blockade on Yemen, Exacerbates Humanitarian Crisis
11/6
In a phone call on Saturday, President Trump and King Salman discussed the attempted Houthi missile attack on the Riyadh airport, and Trump stated that he supported selling more military equipment to Saudi Arabia.
HRL and IHL Violations - October 2017
HOUTHI-SALEH ALLIANCE
Najran, Saudi Arabia
On October 27, 2017, Houthi forces fired a ballistic missile towards civilian populations in the Saudi village of Najran. This incident violates Customary IHL Chapter 3 and Chapter 6.
San’a Governorate
On October 22, 2017, the bicentenary of the birth of Baha’u’llah, Houthi authorities raided a Baha’i home and arrested a local Baha’i. This incident violates Customary IHL Rule 88.
The Houthis have been accused of severe, on-going torture within their Habra prison. This incident violates Customary IHL Chapter 37 and Chapter 90.
YEMENI GOVERNMENT AND SAUDI-LED COALITION
Ports on the Red Sea
The Saudi-led coalition maintains a de facto blockade of Yemen’s ports on the Red Sea, which has blocked essential aid from entering the country. The denial of humanitarian relief to civilians in need violates customary IHL Rule 55.
Governor of Ta'iz: Lack of Funds Exacerbates Deteriorating Economic and Security Situation
The governor of Ta’iz, Ali al-Mamari, recently described the economic and military conditions of Ta’iz in an interview with Farea al-Muslimi of the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies. The Houthis stormed Ta’iz in 2015, and fighting between Houthi-Saleh forces and local resistance groups supported by the Hadi government and the Saudi-led coalition has continued since. The Houthis control Ta’iz’s industrial areas of major economic activity, and in order to keep control of these revenue-generating areas, the Houthis blockade and shell Ta’iz. Al-Mamari details how the central government, particularly the Central Bank of Yemen, neglects Ta’iz - and how the lack of funds contributes to the deteriorating security, education, and public health situation.
November 1-6: Coalition bombs market, Saudis blame Iran for Houthi missile
Joint Statement on House Leadership's Decision to De-privilege H.Con.Res.81
On November 1, the House leadership removed the "privileged" status of H.Con.Res.81, the Khanna-Massie-Pocan-Jones resolution invoking the War Powers Resolution to end unauthorized U.S. participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. That privileged status, as mandated by the War Powers Resolution, would have guaranteed H.Con.Res.81 a floor vote. It is now expected that this resolution will not get a vote on the House floor this month.
October 23-31: Widespread Use of Child Soldiers in Yemen
A new report from the Congressional Research Service shows that the Trump administration has relaxed government standards for arms sales to countries with dubious human rights records. A recent arms sale to Saudi Arabia, despite the country’s role in Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, is one example of the Trump administration’s willingness to ignore human rights concerns.
Congress Must End US Involvement in Yemen's War
Today the Yemen Peace Project (YPP), along with 64 other organizations, sent a letter to the United States House of Representatives to express their support for House Concurrent Resolution 81. The Resolution directs the President of the United States to end US military involvement in Yemen’s civil war, pursuant to the War Powers Resolution. Currently, the United States provides logistical, technical, and advisory military support to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen without authorization from Congress. The coalition has perpetrated war crimes, targeted civilians repeatedly using US-sold weapons, and created the conditions necessary for Yemen to become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Ending the United States military role in the conflict is essential to ending the notion that the coalition can win this war in the battlefield and push for peace.
Trump's New Iran Policy is Misguided
A policy analysis by Jay Solomon of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy describes how President Trump places Yemen “front and center” in his new strategy to counter Iran. The Trump administration’s plan focuses on limiting Iran’s regional influence, which it exerts by providing weapons and training to militias in other countries. Regarding Yemen, Trump is concerned about Iranian weapon transfers to the Houthis, the increasing danger the Houthis pose to neighboring countries, and Iran’s ability to threaten energy trade routes in the Red Sea. Since the Houthis have already fired missiles into Saudi Arabia, Trump views the Houthi threat as imminent, and his plan to counter the group includes further assisting the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, especially through intelligence and logistics support, reducing conditions on arms transfers to the coalition, and guarding the Red Sea against Iranian hostilities more forcefully.
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.
Atlantic Council: Iran's Fingerprints in Yemen Real or Imagined?
Elisabeth Kendall recently published an issue brief for the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security regarding Iranian involvement in Yemen. She begins by criticizing those who misinterpret the available data to confirm pre-existing biases or conclusions regarding Iranian support for Houthi forces. Kendall states that her goal is to examine the conflict in Yemen in a more neutral manner by eschewing any particular predisposition toward one conclusion or another.
International Crisis Group: Saudi Arabia Must Promote Political Settlement During Houthi-Saleh Tensions
International Crisis Group published a report on October 11, 2017 explaining that the ongoing tensions within the Houthi-Saleh alliance provide the opportunity for Saudi Arabia to resolve the war in Yemen with an inclusive regional initiative. The report suggests that Saudi Arabia should capitalize on this moment of heightened strain in the Houthi-Saleh relationship and promote peace, ending a war that is economically and diplomatically costly for Saudi Arabia itself and disastrous for the Yemenis.
Stimson Center Panel Discussion on US Drone Policy
On October 11, 2017, the Stimson Center and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Clinic hosted a panel discussion on past US drone practices, recent developments, and future drone policy under the Trump administration. The discussion was moderated by Rachel Stohl, Senior Associate for the Conventional Defense Program at the Stimson Center. The panelists included Waleed Alhariri from the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, Alex Moorehead from the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute, and Luke Hartig from the National Journal’s Network Science Initiative.