WASHINGTON - In response to today’s Senate vote on the joint resolution to direct the president to withdraw US armed forces from participating in the Saudi-led coalition’s hostilities in Yemen, the Yemen Peace Project’s director of policy and advocacy, Eric Eikenberry, issued the following statement:
March 12-19: Secret Houthi-KSA talks revealed, Hadi redraws Shabwa borders
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.
The Case for Senate Joint Resolution 54
S.J.Res.54 invokes Congress’ Article I authority to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen’s civil war. This document counters superficial arguments some have made to oppose the resolution, demonstrates the larger implications S.J.Res.54 can have for future Congressional oversight over war-making, and explains how the resolution can play a positive role in pushing for an end to the coalition’s the intervention in Yemen.
March 7-14: MbS visits UK, Trump fires Tillerson
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.
YPP responds to DoD letter concerning S.J.Res.54
On February 27, 2018, Acting General Counsel of the Department of Defense (DoD) released a letter explaining the legal grounds for the DoD’s opposition to Senate Joint Resolution 54, binding legislation that directs the President to remove US armed forces from unauthorized hostilities in Yemen within 30 days. The DoD letter both misrepresents the content and constitutional basis of S.J.Res.54 and seeks to undermine longstanding congressional war powers more generally. The Yemen Peace Project’s advocacy director, in conjunction with the organization’s legal advisors, has prepared the following response to the DoD letter.
February 28- March 6: Senators introduce Joint Resolution 54; US, UK, France, and Germany condemn Iran
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.
S.J.Res.54 Latest in a Chain of Congressional Action on Yemen
Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced Senate Joint Resolution 54 on February 28, which, if passed, would require President Trump to remove all US personnel from their activities in support of the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen and halt US logistical support to coalition air raids--including in-flight refueling, intelligence sharing, and targeting assistance--that have consistently targeted civilian schools, markets, and homes. Furthermore, S.J.Res.54 reasserts Congress’ power to approve and oversee the president’s deployment of the armed forces, as mandated by the War Powers Resolution. This assertion is not only a welcome congressional effort, as multiple presidential administrations have failed to push for an end to the war in Yemen; S.J.Res.54 is also the latest manifestation of a positive upward trend in congressional engagement on ending US complicity in and perpetuation of Yemen’s catastrophe.
YPP Urges the Senate: End US Involvement in Yemen's Civil War
Washington, DC -- On Wednesday, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mike Lee (R-UT), Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced a joint resolution to force a congressional debate and vote on the United States’ involvement in Yemen’s civil war. The War Powers Resolution of 1973, passed in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, gives Congress the authority to end any military action ordered by the president without congressional authorization. This resolution directs the president to remove US personnel participating in Yemen’s hostilities within 30 days. The Yemen Peace Project urges all members of the Senate to vote in favor of the joint resolution.
February 20 - 27: Russia vetoes UNSC resolution condemning Iran; 14 killed in suicide bombing in Aden
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.
UN Panel of Experts' Report Describes a Fragmented Conflict, with Humanitarian Law Violations on All Sides
On January 26, the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen released its annual report on the conflict in Yemen. The report described several of the most significant events of the war in 2017, including the Houthis’ missile launch that landed near an airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the dissolution of the Houthi-Saleh alliance in December, and the Houthis’ consolidation of control in northern Yemen.
February 6-19: US Calls for UN action against Iran following Yemen report; UAE launches offensive against AQAP
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.
HRL & IHL Violations - January 2018
ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
Ta’iz Governorate
On January 22, Houthi fighters killed twelve people when they fired rockets at a parade being held by special security forces, including two journalists covering the event. This violates Rule 34 of Customary IHL.
Houthis reeducate civil servants with "cultural courses"
This guest post comes to us from a trusted contact in Houthi-controlled San'a, and it represents the author's own opinions. The YPP has not been able to independently verify the incidents reported herein.
The Houthis have left no chapter of human rights law unviolated. They have committed all kinds of violations from murder, intimidation and torture against intellectual and political opponents as well as activists. In most cases, the violation of human rights is a forced and compulsory act of power or of arms. The Houthis have gone beyond attacking opponents and activists to peaceful citizens under their authority. People in the Houthi controled areas can no longer show any kind of resistance or rejection, even in their most basic culture and ideological rights. The Houthis are not as backward and ignorant as some think, but they are a group with extensive experience in sociology. Therefore, their behavior can not be random, but is rather very deliberate. The Houthis are a radical ideological organization, not only a political or social group. Consequently, the most important concern of this group is to control the faith of people and their values nd beliefs.
Pomeps papers show the fractional nature of Yemen's war
In November, The Project on Middle East Political Science at George Washington University brought together scholars from Yemen, Europe, and the United States to discuss the situation in Yemen. This workshop produced a series of short papers that illustrate the fractional nature of Yemen’s war and contemplate the challenges behind any future negotiated settlement.
January 30 - February 5: Leaders try to subdue Southern conflict
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.
January 16-30: Separatists seize control of Aden, EU states halt arms sales to coalition
1/16
Yemen’s government publicly called on the UAE to “stop destroying” Soqotra island, and asked the UN Security Council to take action to curb the actions of the UAE “occupying forces.” The minister of tourism said in his statement that the UAE had, among other offenses, asked the residents of Soqotra to vote on a referendum to secede from Yemen and join the UAE.
1/17
Saudi Arabia deposited $2 billion to the Central Bank of Yemen to prevent further collapse of the Yemeni riyal, which has dropped to its lowest-ever rate of exchange.
1/18
Human Rights Watch released a new report detailing how all parties in Yemen’s war are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
"Just Enough": The Saudi-led Coalition's Humanitarian Plan for Yemen
Concise and insightful analyses of the Saudi-led coalition’s Yemen Comprehensive Humanitarian Operations (YCHO) plan swiftly followed its Monday announcement. Though the top line number -- a pledge of 1.5 billion USD to UN agencies in response to the 2.96 billion requested by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) from the international community -- is commendable, the YCHO’s fine print only underlines the contradictions shaping the plan for the worse: if Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other coalition governments want to be both warring parties in Yemen’s conflict and the country’s humanitarian saviors, the former will always subsume the latter.
January 8-15: US official optimistic about port access; WaPo previews UN Expert Panel report
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.
Chatham House encourages the incorporation of subnational and local groups in an expanded mediation process
In Yemen: National Chaos, Local Order, Chatham House's Peter Salisbury identifies Yemen as a “chaos state” characterized as “a nominal entity that exists largely as lines on a map and as a concept in newspaper reports and policymaker briefings" (p. 45). The traditional solution to restoring order in a “chaos state” is creating a centralized government that dictates legitimacy from the top down. According to Salisbury’s analysis, this approach is unlikely to work in Yemen. Yemen is not purely a contest for power between the Houthis and the government of President Hadi, or purely a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but rather “a region of mini-states at varying degrees of war with one another, and beset by their own complex internal politics and conflicts.”
January 1-7: Houthis launch another missile at KSA, UN reports on aid access
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.