Archive: yemen

24th April 2020
By: Brian Whitaker
Yemen is officially clear of coronavirus cases following the recovery of its first – and so far only – Covid-19 patient. A Yemeni man working in the port of ash-Shihr, on the Indian Ocean coast of Hadramaut province, was diagnosed with the virus on April 10. The town was immediately placed under… Read more
11th April 2020
While many countries are struggling to raise levels of testing for the Covid-19 virus, the UAE has been pressing ahead and has now carried out almost 600,000 tests. This is far more than any other country in the Middle East and, worldwide, it's surpassed only by the US, Germany, Russia and Italy.… Read more
10th April 2020
Coronavirus has now arrived in Yemen. The country's first case of Covid-19 was reported early today in ash-Shihr, a small port on the Indian Ocean coast of Hadramaut province. Reuters quotes a local official as saying the person diagnosed is a Yemeni who works in the port. Yemen is already in a… Read more
6th February 2020
By: Brian Whitaker
The war in Yemen is complicated and it can be difficult to keep track of what's happening on the ground, not to mention the related peace efforts. A new report from the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies is a useful starting point for anyone wanting a quick catch-up – well, relatively… Read more
9th August 2019
By: Brian Whitaker
Fighting between rival militias in Yemen's anti-Houthi coalition is continuing for a third day, according to reports this morning from the southern city of Aden. The clashes which broke out on Wednesday involve southern separatists on one side and supporters of Yemen's ousted but internationally… Read more
13th May 2019
By: Brian Whitaker
Yemen's Houthi rebels began pulling back their forces from three key ports at the weekend in what the UN hopes will start a gradual de-escalation of the conflict and improve the flow of humanitarian aid. However, the ousted Yemeni government – which is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition –… Read more
7th October 2018
By: Brian Whitaker
As the humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to worsen, there are signs that the Houthis who seized control of the capital in 2014 face a growing challenge in the form of public discontent. On Saturday more than 50 people were arrested outside Sana'a University while protesting against food… Read more
3rd October 2018
By: Brian Whitaker
Isa Blumi is a senior lecturer at Stockholm University and author of a book published earlier this year – "Destroying Yemen: What Chaos in Arabia Tells Us about the World". It's a "superb" book according to a commentator on RT, the Russian propaganda channel, and Vanessa Beeley, a prominent… Read more
10th September 2018
By: Brian Whitaker
Fighting near the Yemeni city of Hodeidah intensified at the weekend after peace talks in Geneva were abandoned before they had even begun. The talks foundered over a dispute about travel arrangements which meant that representatives of the Houthi rebels who control much of northern Yemen failed… Read more
4th August 2018
By: Brian Whitaker
Deadly explosions that hit the Yemeni city of Hodeidah on Thursday have been widely attributed to Saudi-led airstrikes but emerging evidence suggests they were probably the result of mortar fire. Hodeidah, on the Red Sea coast, is seen as a key battleground in the Yemen conflict. It is currently… Read more