Archive: yemen

13th October 2009
By: Brian Whitaker
There are further developments regarding Yahya al-Houthi, a relative of the Yemeni rebel leader, Abd al-Malik al-Houth, who is also an absentee member of the Yemeni parliament living in Germany. On Sunday, I noted that he has been stripped of his parliamentary immunity in Yemen (temporarily, at… Read more
11th October 2009
By: Brian Whitaker
The leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi,said yesterday he is “ready for dialogue” to “save the country from corruption and injustice”. His statement seemed to suggest he is seeking to engage with the opposition Joint Meeting Parties, which has called for a ceasefire, rather than… Read more
10th October 2009
By: Brian Whitaker
The first UN aid convoy from Saudi Arabia to northern Yemen –delayed for several weeks – is expected to set off today carrying tents, mattresses, blankets and other items for about 2,000 people stranded in the border area as a result of the Houthi conflict. It had been due to leave on Friday but… Read more
9th October 2009
By: Brian Whitaker
The Houthi rebels in northern Yemen claim to have captured Munabbih (Munabah), a district bordering Saudi Arabia. Reuters quotes a rebel statement saying local residents had turned against the authorities because of rights abuses and "citizens took full control of government buildings".  AFP adds … Read more
8th October 2009
By: Brian Whitaker
Yemen's parliament yesterday called on the government to bring the Houthi rebellion to a swift end (reports: Yemen Postand Almotamar). Although this can be interpreted as support for the government's policy (since ending the rebellion is the declared intention of Operation Scorched Earth), The… Read more
7th October 2009
By: Brian Whitaker
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of southern Yemen yesterday, calling for independence and waving flags of the former southern state which merged with the north in 1990. (Reports: AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa.) The protests were timed to coincide with a visit to Yemen by Amr Moussa, head of… Read more
6th October 2009
By: Brian Whitaker
The Yemeni government has taken the unusual step of publishing the names of several illegal arms dealers. Most prominent among them is Faris Mana’a, who headed the committee mediating with the Houthi rebels and is also brother of the governor of Saada. Others named are mostly well-known tribal… Read more
4th October 2009
By: Brian Whitaker
A briefing note from the UN refugee agency highlights the extraordinary numbers of people who risk their lives crossing the sea from the Horn of Africa, hoping to find safety in Yemen: September and October are the height of the sailing season and the number of arrivals by sea is staggering. More… Read more
3rd October 2009
By: Brian Whitaker
The Yemeni military lost a MiG21 warplane over Saada province yesterday.  The Houthi rebels said they shot it down, and named the pilot as Lieutenant Shamsan Mohammed Abdo Mufleh (it is unclear if he survived). The government said the aircraft was flying at low altitude and carshed “because of a… Read more
1st October 2009
By: Brian Whitaker
Anti-government and separatist protests continued in several cities of southern Yemen yesterday. Reuters talks of thousands of demonstrators and some idea of the scale can be gleaned from the pictures on News Yemen’s website (report in Arabic). The most serious trouble occurred in ad-Dhali’ where… Read more