Archive: yemen
17th September 2009
Attacks by warplanes reportedly killed as many as 87 displaced civilians in northern Yemen yesterday. Details are sketchy but the Associated Press report cites several witnesses to the large number of casualties.
Human Rights Watch, which has called for an investigation, said in a statement:
The… Read more
15th September 2009
Under the headline "Areas outside state control", the Yemen Post has published a round-up of the country's multiple security problems, noting that in most governorates, the state controls only the main cities. Some key points:
Bani Dhabian, Sanaa: "Bani Dhabian is a tribal district… Read more
13th September 2009
"Operation Scorched Earth" against the Houthi rebels in Yemen has been going on for a month now, with no end in sight. The government media continues with its vague reports of military successes and "heavy losses" inflicted on the rebels (the latter may well be true).
The military are said to be "… Read more
12th September 2009
The Economist is the latest publication to raise serious questions about the future of Yemen.
It says (rightly, I think) that much of the reason for the Houthi rebels' success lies with the Yemeni army: "Its aerial bombing and artillery fire have proved better at enraging locals than at subduing… Read more
12th September 2009
Four men in two cars were stopped near the US embassy in Sanaa on Tuesday and found to have in their possession nine grenades, a machine gun, 296 bullets, five detonators, a siren device as used by ambulances and 20 fuel containers.
According to a security source they were just passing through and… Read more
8th September 2009
Socotra, Yemen’s exotic island outpost in the Indian Ocean, witnessed its first-ever riot on Sunday when hundreds of people took to the streets protesting about “an acute shortage of wheat and flour”.
The Yemen Post says they hurled stones at one of the Economic Corporation's stores and police… Read more
7th September 2009
A letter from President Obama confirming US support "for the unity and security of Yemen" was delivered to President Salih on Saturday, according to the official news agency, Saba.
The letter allegedly promised "an initiative to support Yemen to face all its development obstacles and enhance… Read more
6th September 2009
While the Houthi conflict dominates the news from Yemen there’s a risk of other issues being ignored. One that certainly should not be ignored is corruption, and last week Alistair Lyon wrote an excellent report about it for Reuters AlertNet.
As Lyon notes, “Corruption is rampant in Yemen, whether… Read more
5th September 2009
The Yemeni government announced yesterday that it "does not view any objection" to suspending military operations against the Houthi rebels if the rebels will do the same. The rebels appear to have responded positively.
The "suspension" offer came into effect at 9am on Friday, with no specified… Read more
4th September 2009
The war between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels, as regular readers will have gathered, has multiple dimensions: local grievances, tribal/religious conflicts and international rivalries among them. One further dimension – which I haven't mentioned so far – is a struggle to succeed… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
