Al Jazeera reports that the UK has made over $8 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, with the government receiving about $40 million in corporate taxes as a result - only a small portion of the profit, most of which is taken by private arms corporations.
September 12 - 18: Houthis and coalition kill children in illegal attacks
Human Rights Watch said that recent coalition airstrikes that killed children in Yemen likely constitute war crimes. The human rights organizations specifically cites four air strikes that struck civilian homes and one that destroyed a grocery store.
Human Rights Watch also urged Congress to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia and help curb the proliferation of war crimes in Yemen.
September 5-12: UN Urges Independent Inquiry
9/5
In a meeting with the Saudi foreign minister, UK Prime Minister Theresa May emphasized the importance of ending the Yemen conflict and complying with international humanitarian law. Activists have called the UK government complicit in the Saudi-led coalition’s alleged crimes in Yemen.
August 28-September 5: Floods Increase Rate of Cholera; NGOs Urge Independent International Inquiry in Yemen
8/28
Saudi Arabia campaigned at the United Nations in an attempt to emphasize its humanitarian role in Yemen, stating that the country has donated over $8 billion to assist Yemen. Saudi Arabia is concerned about the UN child rights blacklist and a possible UN human rights inquiry into crimes in Yemen.
August 21-28: Saudi-Led Coalition Strikes Hotel, Residential Neighborhood in San'a
8/21
The Norwegian Refugee Council wrote a letter to the UN asking that they work towards a ceasefire and increase humanitarian aid in Yemen to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
August 14-21: Reports that war has intensified; leaked memo acknowledges that coalition targeted civilians
Monday, August 14
Yemeni Central Bank Governor Mansr al-Qaiti accused the Saudi-led coalition of disrupting the flow of cash into Yemen. According to a report by The Independent, al-Qaiti said the coalition was “strangling” the Yemeni economy by preventing the government of Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi from paying the salaries of a million civil servants. He mentioned 13 instances of the coalition blocking flights from transporting cash via Aden.
August 7-14: Conversation over San'a Airport continues; further clashes between AQAP and pro-Hadi forces
Monday, August 7
The State Department released a report on terrorism in Yemen, which argued that the ongoing civil war benefits al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Read more here.
Science News published an article describing the work of Rowa Mohammed Assayaghi, a medical microbiologist at San’a University, in combating the spread of cholera in Yemen.
July 31-August 6: Military offensive opens against AQAP in Shabwah; civilians killed in Sa'dah
Monday, July 31
Yemen expert Peter Salisbury penned an article for Chatham House warning that the country’s war economy, in which President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, militia leaders, and others have stakes, is undermining efforts toward a diplomatic solution to the ongoing civil war. Read more here.
Tuesday, August 1
Reuters reported that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has begun using a new route to transport weapons to the Houthis. The route, which was selected in order to evade the blockade on Yemen, reportedly runs through Kuwaiti waters. The Kuwaiti foreign minister denied the report.
July 23 - July 31: UN Blames Saudi Arabia for March Attack on Refugees
Balkan Insight reports that Saudi Arabia continues to be the top destination for Montenegrin sales of ex-Yugoslav arms, despite an investigation by a prosecutor of organized crime into the end-use of the weapons.
July 17 - July 23: US Congress Ups Criticism of Saudi-led Coalition; Airstrike in Ta'iz Kills 20
A suicide bomber killed 5 Yemeni soldiers outside a government army compound. A local security official blamed the attack on AQAP.
July 10 - July 16 : Cholera Continues to Wreak Havoc in Yemen
July 10
Yemen’s cholera cases have passed the 300,000 mark, according to the ICRC. Though the daily growth rate of the epidemic has halved, outbreaks in new areas have spread rapidly. Yemen’s economic collapse means over 30,000 healthcare workers remain unpaid, and the UN has stepped in with “incentive” payments as part of an emergency campaign.
Doctors Without Borders published an article detailing the conditions of a hospital in Abs as it attempts to deal with the cholera epidemic.
A UK high court ruled that arms sales to Saudi Arabia are lawful despite concerns from multiple human rights organizations.
July 3 - July 8 : Cholera Death Toll Exceeds 1,500 & Secessionists Hold Large Rally in Aden
July 3
At least 1,560 people have died of cholera in Yemen as the nation continues to battle what the World Health Organization has called “the worst cholera outbreak in the world.”
June 26-July 2: Hadi & Southern Council clash over firing of governors
June 26
Reuters reported on the death of a secular activist in the Yemeni city of Aden. The murder comes as a part of growing prosecution of secular Yemenis in Aden.
June 19-25: HRW reveals torture of Yemenis in UAE-run prisons
Monday, June 19
Abdul-Raqib Saif Fath, Yemen’s minister of local administration, stated that Houthi forces and their allies have been blocking humanitarian aid from entering Yemen. The minister alleged that Houthi militias have previously burned trucks carrying humanitarian cargo, and in other cases they have allegedly blocked dozens of aid ships and have stolen aid supplies. These actions are regarded as violations of international humanitarian law and raise the concerns of the international community, the minister stressed.
June 12-19: Senate Resolution of Disapproval Nearly Passes; Airstrikes on Market Kill 25
Monday, June 12
The Intercept reported that the Trump administration made its argument in favor of an arms sale of over $500 million to Saudi Arabia in a top-secret briefing organized by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Yemen Peace Project Advocacy Director Kate Kizer said of the meeting, “It’s really unfortunate that Senate majority leadership decided to hold this briefing in secret. Americans deserve to know the conduct of our allies, especially when the U.S. is intimately involved in starving potentially millions of Yemeni civilians by continuing to provide unconditional support to the Saudi-led coalition.”
June 5-June 12: Support for Senate Resolution of Disapproval Grows; Houthis Declare Boycott of UN Envoy
Monday, June 5
The Yemeni government cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting its opponents, the Houthis, and extremist groups.
May 30-June 5: Government blocks press access; intra-coalition skirmish in Aden
Tuesday, May 30
Adam Baron of the European Council on Foreign Relations writes about the state of affairs in southern Yemen, and listed three actions that European governments can take to help stabilize Yemen. The first is reaching out to the secessionists in the south of Yemen, and recognizing them as key players in the conflict. The second is to bolster law and order in the city of Aden.Finally, Europe should increase coordination with the Gulf States on both stabilization and mediation efforts.
May 23-29: Cholera on the rise, US kills civilians in Marib raid
Tuesday, May 23
The Associated Press reports that US special operations forces raided a suspected al-Qaeda hideout in the al-Sarim area of Marib Governorate. US Central Command claimed that at least seven militants were killed, possibly more. Later, it came to light that at least five civilians were killed, including an elderly man and a teenaged boy. It was the second publicly-acknowledged ground raid US forces have conducted in Yemen this year. The first, conducted in January, killed 25 civilians and sparked international outrage.
May 15-23: US signs arms deal with Saudi Arabia, pro-secessionist protest in Aden
Monday, May 15, 2017
PRI’s Stephen Snyder reports on Yemen’s current cholera outbreak, noting that the spread of the disease has been exacerbated by Saudi airstrikes on hospitals and blockades that block the flow of medical supplies into the country. The report also emphasizes that the disease is preventable and treatable, but that the destruction of civilian infrastructure and unpaid government salaries have made preventing and addressing outbreaks more difficult .
May 9-15: Cholera outbreak, controversial formation of southern Transitional Political Council
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
The New York Times reports that cholera has begun to spread rapidly in Yemen during the last weeks.