3/12
President Hadi has reportedly offered the Chinese government the opportunity to manage the port of Aden.
WHO, UNICEF, and Yemeni organizations have immunized 2.7 million children across the country. Since it was first reported in October 2017, the disease has spread quickly, killing more than 70 people so far.
3/7
CNN highlighted the recently introduced Senate Joint Resolution 54 as a long overdue effort to end US support to the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman embarked on a controversial three-day visit to the United Kingdom that was met with widespread protests over the ongoing Saudi military campaign in Yemen. During this visit, UK Prime Minister Theresa May urged the Saudis to allow full humanitarian access in Yemen.
2/28
Peter Salisbury outlined why the UN-led peace process in Yemen has been unsuccessful thus far, and what steps Martin Griffiths, a former British diplomat who takes over the post of UN special envoy at the end of this month, can take to be more successful than his predecessors.
2/21
The World Health Organization reported that 66 people have died of diphtheria in Yemen in the past several months. The diphtheria outbreak has coincided with the more widespread cholera epidemic.
Gulf News reported that the city of Marib has become an oil-rich boomtown and oasis of stability during a war that has fractured most of the rest of the country. Due to its oil and gas reserves and proximity to the Saudi border, Marib was spared from the worst of the conflict.
2/22
Fifteen people were killed after Saudi-led coalition airstrikes hit three vehicles traveling along the main road linking Sa’dah and San’a.
2/24
At least 14 people were killed and 40 were injured, many of them civilians, by a suicide bomb in Aden. IS claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred outside the headquarters of a counterterrorism unit.
The Houthi leadership submitted a proposal to the United Nations. The document, titled “An Initiative to End the Tragedies Caused by the Aggression in Yemen” called for a reconciliation committee and condemned the UN Security Council’s failure to act.
2/25
According to Mareb Press, the UAE has been importing toxic fuel into Yemen which could have negative economic and environmental ramifications.
Coalition-backed Yemeni forces reportedly made gains over AQAP in their continuing campaign in Hadhramawt. Al Arabiya reported 20 suspected AQAP members were killed during the operation to take the town of Wadi al-Misini.
2/26
Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that aimed to put pressure on Iran. The British-drafted UNSC resolution condemned Iran, after the recent report by the UN’s Panel of Experts on Yemen concluded Iran had broken the arms embargo by failing to prevent weapons of Iranian origin from arriving in the possession of the Houthis. The UK’s draft made no mention of violations by the Yemeni government or the Saudi-led coalition. A Russian-drafted resolution was approved on Monday instead, which renewed the arms embargo and the Panel of Experts’ mandate, but omitted any mention of Iran’s involvement in supplying arms to the Houthis.
Transportation Minister Saleh al-Gabwani of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government accused the UAE of setting up tribal and regional armies, fragmenting the country further. “We can’t accept a continuation of the situation,” he said in a government meeting, al-Jazeera reported.
Saudi Arabia replaced several key military commanders, including the chief of staff and the head of ground and air forces, offering no explanation for the overhaul.
The UAE-backed Shabwa Elite Forces launched “Operation Decisive Sword” on Monday against suspected AQAP members in the Upper Directorate of Shabwa province.
The Saudi-led coalition has announced plans to finance and install four cranes in the ports of Aden, Mukalla, and Mokha as part of its unilateral humanitarian plan for Yemen, which has been criticized by several NGOs. The YPP pointed out the plan’s shortcomings in a recent blog post.
1/30
In a new report, Stacey Philbrick Yadav argues southern fighting is evidence that Yemen’s civil war is actually a series of mini-wars. This fracturing is not considered in formal diplomatic processes, which is a major cause of the diplomatic standstill.
1/8
The Economist published an article on the recent movements of the Yemeni National Army. The Army had previously been trapped in a year-long stalemate, but have recently started making progress toward Hudaydah, as well as making gains in al-Jawf in the north and Shabwah in the south. The Economist attributed these recent movements to the opportunities that have been created from shifting alliances since Saleh’s death in December.
Afrah Nasser asserted in an article published by openDemocracy that Yemen continues to be the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. One point of particular concern to Nasser is the face that the number of civilian deaths reported is inconsistent with the level of suffering that is occurring on the ground.
1/1
Al Arabiya identified four members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard who have allegedly been advising the Houthis in San’a.
In the international arena, President Bashir of Sudan confirmed the Sudanese government's continued support of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
1/2
The Office of the Governor in al-Mahrah issued a statement asking local customs to refuse the entry of materials such as trucks, fertilizers, pipes, and motorcycles, which could have long-term negative economic effects on farmers as well as food production.
12/18
In another sign of the collapse of the Houthi-Saleh Alliance, Critical Threats reported that forces loyal to deceased President Saleh have stopped supporting the Houthis and have begun supporting the Emirati-led offensive to retake the Red Sea coast.
12/19
The Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Rupert Colville, released a statement claiming there were 136 verified civilian deaths caused by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes from December 6th to December 16th. These deaths took place in San’a, Sa’dah, al-Hudaydah, and Ta’iz governorates.
12/11
A pro-coalition article asserted that the United Arab Emirates is in command of the coalition/National Army/Southern Resistance offensive advancing toward Hudaydah.
Al Arabiya reported that Tehran evacuated 40 military advisors, as well as UN workers, from San’a following the death of an Iranian Missile expert who was killed last Saturday.
US Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Ted Poe (R-Texas), senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, are calling for new sanctions on Iran for its destabilizing activities in Yemen. They have introduced a bill they claim will hold Tehran accountable for their support of the Houthis.
12/4/2017
The US Supreme Court ruled that President Trump’s travel ban could be fully enforced while challenges to the ban proceed in lower courts. “The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, will be holding arguments on the legality of the ban this week.”
12/5
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis told reporters that the humanitarian situation in Yemen is likely to worsen following Saleh’s assassination. Mattis’ statements were vague, but signalled an increased concern among American officials for the humanitarian crisis.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
10/3
AP reports that the World Health Organization could have acted faster and sent more vaccines sooner in order to stave off the worst of Yemen’s cholera crisis.
ReliefWeb reports that FAO and the World Bank are launching a $36 million initiative to combat the famine conditions in Yemen, aiding 630,000 and strengthening rural communities.
The Intercept reports that four members of the House of Representatives will force a vote on whether the US should continue its military involvement in Yemen’s war, where it supports the Saudi- and Emirati-led intervention.
9/26
The AP reports that Saudi diplomats, lobbying at the UN Human Rights Council against the creation of a commission of inquiry into war crimes and rights violations in Yemen, has threatened economic consequences for states that support an inquiry.
Quartz reports that UN humanitarian coordinator Jamie McGoldrick sees little hope for Yemen, anticipating that conditions will get even worse due to a lack of political will to end the war. He anticipates the cholera epidemic will continue to spread, while further outbreaks of meningitis, Dengue fever, and other diseases will accompany January’s rainy season.
