At the end of April, Professor Martha Mundy, an LSE anthropologist with over 40 years’ experience in Yemeni affairs, published “The war on Yemen and its agricultural sector,” a paper on the historical development of the agricultural sector in Yemen and how it stands currently in the midst of the war. It is widely accepted that Yemen is facing the worst humanitarian and food security crisis in the world, but Mundy argues that this food security crisis “is not solely the result of the war,” but also of the crippling of the agricultural sector since 1970.
May 8-14: Tensions rise in Soqotra; Coalition launches Hudaydah Offensive
5/8
Turki al-Maliki, Spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition, gave a lengthy press briefing claiming that the strike on the Yemeni Presidential Palace was aimed at taking out prominent Houthi leaders Mahdi al-Mashat and Mohammed al-Houthi. Okaz believes both of these men to be dead alongside sixty-six other Houthis. Local sources reported mainly civilian casualties from the strike.
HRL & IHL Violations - April 2018
ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
San’a Governorate
On April 1, Houthis released a civilian detainee who was reportedly tortured until he became totally paralyzed in their detention facility. Torture and cruel or inhuman treatment violates Rule 90 of Customary IHL.
May 1-7: Yemen-UAE tensions build over Soqotra, controversy in US over role of Green Berets
5/1
Pro-government sources say that the Yemeni National Army has regained control of all official government buildings in the city of Ta’iz, including military and financial offices. According to the Middle East Monitor, these buildings were previously controlled by Salafist groups led by Abu al-Abbas.
UAE Foreign Minister Dr. Anwar Gargash met with UN special envoy Martin Griffiths. During the meeting, they discussed political developments in Yemen and ongoing efforts to reach a peaceful resolution to the crisis in accord with legitimate international referents, according to the UAE state press.
The US Department of State issued a statement confirming its continued support to the Central Bank of Yemen and applauded the efforts by the bank’s management to improve their technical capacity.
April 16-30: Yemeni-American immigration woes, fighting in Ta'iz, Aden detention center hunger strike
4/16
The Prime Minister of Yemen, Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, claimed his return to Aden will bring stability to the city because government forces will use all of their capabilities to combat threats to security. High-level government officials have been largely absent from the city that officially serves as their provisional capital.
Trump defunds aid and diplomacy in 2019 budget
The Trump Administration's Fiscal Year 2019 budget request would boost defense spending to $686 billion, a seven percent increase, while slashing funding to the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to $39.3 billion, a twenty-four percent decrease. When examining these changes at face value, it is easy to see where the priorities of the Trump Administration lie; these budgets cuts further emphasize defense and military action in lieu of diplomacy, while directing another blow toward the already struggling State Department. Despite the proposed severity of the cuts to the State Department, this move by Trump should come as a shock to no one, as he has consistently prioritized defense initiatives and belittled diplomatic efforts.
Criminal Complaint Filed in Italy over Italian Arms Sale to the Coalition
In Italy, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the Yemen-based Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, and the Italian-based Rete Italiana per Il Disarmo jointly filed a criminal complaint in a public prosecutor's office. The complaint names both an Italian arms manufacturer and the Italian government agency that approves arms exports. The organizations want to prove that Italian weapons were used in an illegal airstrike in Yemen and investigate Italy’s criminal liability for the attack.
Horrifying Conditions Await African Migrants in Yemen, HRW Report Finds
A Human Rights Watch report found that Yemeni government officials have tortured, raped, and executed migrants and asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa in a detention center in Aden.
Senate hearing and CRS report show two sides to congressional engagement on Yemen
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) held a hearing this morning on US policy in Yemen, the first such hearing in over a year. To help prepare committee members for today’s hearing, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) produced a special report on the situation in Yemen, authored by the CRS’ long-time Yemen specialist, Jeremy Sharp. The report begins with a sober overview of the war in Yemen and a measured assessment of Iran’s limited role as the Houthis’ main foreign supporter, which is a welcome contrast from the rhetoric both the Trump administration and the Saudi-led coalition employ concerning Iran’s involvement. However, Sharp’s analysis, while couched in the voice of objective expertise for which the CRS is known, has several shortcomings that, perhaps unintentionally, obscure the nature of Yemen’s crisis and the context of increasing congressional dissatisfaction over US participation in the conflict.
April 9-15: Intense fighting in Hajjah, New Analysis of Iran's Objectives in Yemen
4/9
Last week, the Houthis killed dozens of Sudanese troops in an ambush, which provoked intense fighting between the coalition and the rebel group. The coalition now claims it is close to driving the Houthis completely out of Midi, a district in Hajjah. The Coalition made this same claim in 2016.
FAO'S PLAN OF ACTION FOR YEMEN 2018-2020
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) recently released a plan of action to enhance food security in Yemen between 2018 and 2020. Right now, 17.8 million Yemenis are food insecure and 8.4 million are severely food insecure.
Just Security Article Analyzes How the US Might Be Found Liable for Aiding and Abetting War Crimes
As part of a series of articles on international law and the war in Yemen, Just Security recently published a piece by several legal scholars regarding the War Crimes Act and the US federal statute on aiding and abetting. The authors conclude that US government personnel face limited legal risk of prosecution for aiding and abetting violations by the Saudi-led coalition under the War Crimes Act. It would likely be difficult to establish the requisite mens rea--proof of intent--due to the fact that US military support for the Saudi-led coalition is ostensibly accompanied by training on law-of-war compliance and civilian protection. This is debatable, however, because some observers argue that the deep, systemic problems in the Saudi military render it incapable of carrying out independent air operations without violating international humanitarian law principles. The applicability of these federal laws is important because, although other international venues exist for the prosecution of war crimes, the US generally will not allow foreign or international courts to try US officials or military personnel. The article concludes that another case, the participation of US personnel in the torture and abuse of detainees held by the UAE at sites in southern Yemen, would be easier to prosecute. Those US personnel face greater potential liability for violating the War Crimes Act by aiding and abetting UAE crimes.
HRL & IHL Violations - March 2018
ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
Ta'iz Governorate
On March 16, the Houthis reportedly shelled a residential area in Ta’iz. No casualties were reported. Attacks on residential areas violate IHL Chapter 3.
HRL & IHL Violations - February 2018
ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
San'a Governorate
On February 15, Amnesty International reported that the Houthi-controlled Specialized Penal Court in San’a imposed death sentences on three civilians accused of spying for the coalition.
April 2-8: COALITION AIRSTRIKE KILLS 14 CIVILIANS, UN PLEDGING CONFERENCE RAISES $2.01 BILLION FOR YEMEN
4/2
A coalition airstrike killed 14 civilians and wounded 9 in a residential area in al-Hudaydah. The majority of the victims were women and children trying to escape the heat in their homes. The coalition said these strikes targeted a Houthi military gathering.
POMED Report Claims Yemeni Tribes, Rather Than Providing a Safe Haven for AQAP, Oppose the Group
March 26-April 2: US & UN respond to Houthi missiles, new UN envoy begins work
3/26
“If the warring sides care about Yemen, they should make concessions and save us from this plight,” says Suha Salem, a Yemeni woman, in an al-Jazeera article reporting female civilians’ experiences with the war.
A YouGov poll in France showed that 75% of French people want President Macron to suspend arms exports to Saudi Arabia and other countries involved in the Yemeni war.
An International Rescue Committee report found that the Saudi-led coalition is depriving civilians in Yemen of basic healthcare, killing far more than the fighting itself. According to the report, 9.3 million Yemenis are denied life-saving health services, while only half of health facilities in Yemen are operational.
Chatham House Urges the International Community to Make The South A Higher Priority
Peter Salisbury warns about growing southern autonomy in a new Chatham House report titled “Yemen’s Southern Powder Keg.” He urges the international community to integrate southern voices into the peace process. He classifies Yemen as a “chaos state,” which means it consists of warring mini-states. One such de-facto state is the south, which has gained greater autonomy as the war has progressed.
March 18-25: MbS visits US, Senate votes on SJRes54
3/18
Kristine Beckerle, Yemen and UAE researcher at Human Rights Watch, wrote an op-ed in the Huffington Post urging Congress to call out Saudi Arabia for their human rights violations while Mohammed bin Salman is in Washington.
On Anniversaries
Originally, we at the Yemen Peace Project had decided to refrain from commenting on the third “anniversary” of the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen. Mostly this is because we recognize March 26, 2015 as the severe escalation, but not the beginning, of Yemen’s civil war. That dishonor goes to the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Saleh, who took a faltering transitional government hostage by occupying San’a on September 21, 2014.