Yemen Religion

Almost all Yemenis are Muslims. About a third are Zaydites, a small branch of Shia Islam that is found mainly in Yemen. The Zaydites live mainly in the northwest where they have dominated politics and culture for centuries. There is also a large minority that belongs to Islam’s greatest orientation, Sunni, and in the former South Yemen almost all residents are Sunni Muslims. Yemen’s Sunnis mainly belong to the Shafi’ite school of Sunni Islam. There are also various Sufi schools and ultra-Orthodox salafists.

The Zaydites are considered to be closer to Sunnis than other Shi’ites and historically there has not been strong hostility between Sunnis and Zaydis in Yemen. By contrast, regional tensions and conflicts between clans have recurred religiously. Northern Yemen is considered more conservative than southern Yemen. However, religion has a strong position throughout the country.

Fundamentalist Sunni Muslim groups have increased their political influence since the late 1970s, mainly in the north, but after Yemen’s reunification in 1990 also in the south. Some of these Salafist groups have close ties to the Islamist party Islah (see Political system) and many receive support from Saudi Arabia. The local branch of the militant network al-Qaeda, which claims to stand for a purely interpretive interpretation of Salafist Sunni Islam, has also had an influence in recent years (see Modern History). Partly as a reaction to this, fundamentalist groups have also been formed among Zaydites in northern Yemen. In 2004, a war broke out in the Saada province in northern Yemen between the government and the militant Zaydite hute movement (see Modern History). This, together with a generally increasing friction between Sunni and Shia Muslims in the Middle East, has created new tensions in relations between Sunnis and Zaydites in Yemen.

In the war that has raged with foreign involvement since 2015, the division has become sharp. Sunni neighboring countries, primarily Saudi Arabia, support a Sunni-led government in Yemen, while the Shiite Muslim Huthirbels are backed by religious kinsmen in Iran and Lebanon.

Yemen also has small minorities of Ismailite Shiites, Jews, Christians and Hindus. Non-Muslim ethnic groups are subjected to some discrimination, but are generally allowed to practice their religion in peace. In Yemen, there are a few thousand followers of the Baha’i life view, who have been accused of being heretics and spies by the Shiite skin movement.

Yemen also has a very old Jewish minority, but almost all Jews were evacuated from the country following anti-Jewish attacks in connection with Israel’s founding in 1948. The few remaining Jews in Saada in northern Yemen have been subjected to harassment and threats related to the rioting of the Holocaust during the 1990s.. Many have left the country.

• Countryaah: Population statistics for 2020 and next 30 years in Yemen, covering demographics, population graphs, and official data for growth rates, population density, and death rates.

Population composition

Most of the Yemeni Arabs live in the 17 provinces of the Republic of Yemen. In the Wadi Hadramaut the Malay influence of the population is unmistakable; Indians and Somali have settled on the coast of the Gulf of Aden.

Population distribution

The degree of urbanization is only around 34%. After the capital and the seat of government Sanaa / Sana’a (2200 m high, approx. 2.4 million residents), Taizz (1300-1500 m, approx. 600,000 residents) is the second largest city in the interior and the last seat of the Imam. As coastal cities (export ports), Aden, the old capital of the Protectorate of Aden and South Yemen, has approx. 507,000 residents and Al-Hudeidah approx. 550,000 residents.

2018

December

Emergency assistance on hibernation roads

December 31st

Emergency food for civilians is sold in markets in rebel-controlled areas, the UN Food Program WFP claims. Huthi representatives deny the information and claim that there are foods that are unprofitable as food in aid deliveries.

The UN sends observers

December 21

The UN Security Council – unanimously after many negotiating trips – votes for the UN to send an observer force to Yemen to see how the ceasefire in al-Hudayda is complied with. The first observers arrive the next day. Both the government side and the huhirebels should be represented on the observer team.

Agreement on a ceasefire in the port city

13th of December

The Huthirebels and Yemen’s internationally recognized government agree on a ceasefire in the city of al-Hudayda with ports. The port city is the gateway for two-thirds of all supplies to Yemen. Negotiations have been held in Sweden under the supervision of UN peace coordinator Martin Griffiths (see August 2 and September 6). Five days after the agreement, the ceasefire is reported to have come into force and is respected. The parties have also promised to withdraw their forces from al-Hudayda and exchange thousands of prisoners. The port and the capital Sanaa have been controlled by the rebels for several years. The government that fights them is supported by a Saudi-led military alliance, and the war causes severe hardships for civilians.

UN: The war favors human smugglers

December 4th

Despite the war situation in Yemen, migrants from other countries continue to try to reach Gulf states via Yemeni territory. With a few weeks left until the New Year, the UN estimates that around 150,000 migrants will have traveled to Yemen in 2018 – 50 percent more than last year. The war situation is considered to benefit the refugee smugglers (see 18 April and 6 June). More than 90 percent of migrants come from Ethiopia and many are from Somalia. One fifth are minors, according to the UN.

Wounded rebels fly out

December 3

About 50 wounded huthirebels flee out of care in Oman. The rebels demand security guarantees for both patients and peace negotiators before peace talks with the government side that the UN is planning in Sweden. Foreign Minister Margot Wallström visits Kuwait, which, like Oman, has taken on a mediator role in the Yemen war. Both countries were involved when negotiations failed in 2016. Iran, which supports the rebel side, has also given its blessing to new negotiations.

November

Alarming death rates among children

November 21st

According to estimates by Save the Children, which is based on statistics collected by the UN, 85,000 Yemeni children have died of starvation during the war years since 2015. Aid organizations emphasize that the death toll may be at a disadvantage. Many cases are not reported at all, as only half of the health clinics work and poverty makes it difficult for families to seek out the clinics that are still open. It is common for malnourished children to die from infections (see October 30 and November 8). Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which accounts for much of the war, are now pledging $ 250 million each to food, in addition to their previous contributions, through the UN and individual organizations.

Rebels take to mines in port city

November 14

The government side’s forces halt their attacks against al-Hudayda. There may be links to international diplomatic pressure against Saudi Arabia and its allies to stop the brutal war. It may also be because the huhire bells, which control the city and are used to guerrilla warfare, are difficult to combat in urban environments. In addition, the Houthis have started putting out mines in the port, port employees say.

Wounded huthies should be evacuated

November 13

The Saudi-led military alliance employing al-Hudayda has agreed to allow wounded huthier rebels to be evacuated from the port city to Oman for care. The message is left after the British Foreign Minister visited Riyadh and testified that Britain, like the United States, was trying to influence Saudi Arabia’s way of dealing with the Yemen conflict. Street fighting has occurred in the port city, whose population fears a complete siege.

Intensive trips to port city

November 12

In al-Hudayda, nearly 600 people have been killed during intense fighting and attacks against the city since the turn of the month. Hundreds of airstrikes have been carried out against the positions of the Saudi rulers by the Saudi-led alliance fighting for the Yemeni government. The government side’s forces are advancing in the city and have occupied its largest hospital. The United Nations Children’s Fund Unicef ​​warns that attacks on the port city are making the situation even more difficult for Yemenis who suffer severe food shortages.

US stops refueling plan on attack against Yemen

November 10

An agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia on refueling of fighter aircraft is concluded. It is claimed that it is the Saudis who want to conclude the agreement on refueling in the air of aircraft participating in aviation avenues against Yemen. But the agreement has been controversial as the suffering is great for civilian Yemenis during the Saudi-led air strikes (see October 30).

War Criminal Tribunal requirements

November 9

Peace Prize laureate Tawakkul Karman is one of the participants in a conference in Istanbul that calls for concrete measures to stop the war in Yemen. Participants also want a war criminal tribunal to try people – Yemenis and others – who are accused of war crimes. Tawakkul Karman, who was an activist during the Arab Spring of 2011, received the Nobel Peace Prize that year.

The UN expands food shipments

November 8

The United Nations Food Program, WFP, is to significantly increase its aid shipments to Yemen. Recently, daily food rations have been introduced to almost eight million people, but conditions have deteriorated – and the UN needs more money. In December, WFP presents a calculation: 20 million Yemenites (70 percent of the population) will need food assistance in 2019, at a cost of $ 4 billion. A donor conference is scheduled for February 26.

The government is ready to negotiate

November 1st

The Yemeni government says it is ready for immediate peace talks with the huthir bells. Priority measures – such as releasing prisoners and clarifying the fate of people who have been reported missing – should be given priority, the official statement states (see September 6 and October 30).

October

The US wants to see peace negotiations in Sweden

October 30th

The United States calls on the parties to the Yemen conflict to begin negotiations within a month. The initiative is being taken at the same time as Saudi Arabia sends troops reinforcements to Yemen for a new offensive against the port city of al-Hudayda, but it is seen in light of the fact that US’s close relations with Saudi Arabia are being questioned. In the United States, criticism has woken up after Saudi authorities’ assassination of regime critic Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. Defense Minister Jim Mattis proposes that Yemen negotiations should take place in Sweden.

Oil delivery during growing starvation

October 30th

A Saudi oil tanker adds to the port city of Aden, controlled by the Yemeni government. The idea is that the fuel will be used in Yemeni power plants and provide electricity supplies that help the country’s war-damaged economy. But the Saudi-led war effort in support of the government, against the Huthirbells, has not ceased even though the UN estimates that the war has left 14 million Yemenites in a state of emergency that is so severe that they are starving.

The Prime Minister gets fired

15 October

President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi fires Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher. The president is also ordering an investigation into how the country’s economy has been affected by the prime minister’s way of managing the country, reports the news agency Saba. Millions of Yemenis are threatened by famine, according to aid organizations (see September 19). One of the explanations is the blockade against the port of al-Hudayda, maintained by the president’s own ally, a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia. Muin Abd al-Malik Said, who had ministerial responsibility for roads and public works, becomes new prime minister.

Demands for independence in the south

October 3

The South Transitional Council, formed in May 2017, calls for independence for South Yemen along the borders that prevailed before 1990, when Yemen was divided into two countries. Representatives of the Council expect to be invited to the peace talks UN mediator Martin Griffith is trying to launch between the Hire Hire Believers and Yemen’s internationally supported government. For the Yemeni government, which is based in Aden since the rebels took over the capital Sanaa, it is important not to become disenchanted with separatists in the south. Support demonstrations for the independence claim have taken place in several cities.

The sons of the president are released

October 3

The Huthi rebels announce that they have released two sons to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was arrested in the wake of the father’s murder (see December 4, 2017). Transparent sources say that neighboring Oman, which is trying to stay neutral in the conflict, has mediated. The Huthis – who control the capital – have demanded that the two presidential sons go into exile and stay out of politics.

September

Humanitarian leads for civilians in rebel mounts

September 24th

The Saudi-led military alliance, in cooperation with the United Nations organization Ocha, will set up three protected corridors for the transportation of supplies between the port of al-Hudayda and the capital Sanaa, both held by rebels. Deliveries should, according to the plans, be made during the light hours of the day without being attacked.

Declining food prices create starvation risk

September 19

More than five million children in Yemen risk starvation, says Helle Thorning-Schmidt, head of the international Save the Children movement. The UN estimates that food prices have gone up by 68 percent since 2015 – and in recent days they have risen in parts of the country. The Saudi-led attacks on the rebel-controlled port of al-Hudayda threaten vital supplies of emergency aid. The UN organization WFP notes that food, or rather lack of food, can be used as a weapon of war. Household gas and fuel are also becoming increasingly expensive. The Huthi rebels’ political leadership warns traders who are taking advantage of the situation that they may be imprisoned.

Spain falters on arms supply

September 13

The Saudi war in Yemen has criticized Spain for a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia from 2015. After announcing that the 400 ordered laser-guided bombs would not be delivered, Spain is changing again: the contract must be fulfilled. Big deals for the Spanish defense industry are at stake. If Saudi Arabia withdraws an order for five warships from state-owned Navantia, 6,000 shipyards are threatened. Spanish engineering companies are also part of the construction of a high-speed rail line between Mecca and Medina and the metro in Riyadh.

Attempts at UN mediation fail

September 6

The UN has invited the Yemeni government and the huhirebells to talks in Switzerland, but the talks will not go away. Rebel representatives refuse to leave Sanaa because they believe the UN cannot guarantee that they will be able to return to the city. They also demand that wounded rebels be evacuated to Oman. Instead, new battles take place a few days later. In particular, Yemen’s Saudi-backed government seems to be moving in to take back the port city of al-Hudayda.

Exile government promises increased wages

September 3

Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi’s exile government has decided to raise the salaries of thousands of public servants, including pensioners, state news agency Saba. Demonstrations against higher living costs have taken place in Aden, where the exile government’s administration is located when the huthirebels hold the capital Sanaa. Yemen’s currency has plummeted in value and the government has had a hard time paying wages. The blockade that Hadi’s Saudi backers maintain against the largest port city of al-Hudayda also contributes to the shortage of goods. Saudi Arabia has previously promised financial support to the Hadi government’s central bank.

August

UN: War crimes from both sides

August 28th

UN investigators have concluded that there have been war actions in Yemen that could be classed as war crimes. Both the Saudi-led alliance and the Huthirbels have been guilty of abuse, according to the expert group appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2017. Not least is the lack of regard for civilians in war zones, but also about sexual abuse and the recruitment of child soldiers. There is a secret list of designated perpetrators. According to the UN, 6,660 civilians have lost their lives since the outbreak of the war in spring 2015. In total, the war has claimed almost 10,000 lives.

Children died in air strikes

August 23rd

At least 26 children and several women have lost their lives in two air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led alliance, UN sources say, reiterating the demand for an independent investigation of war efforts against civilians that occurred during just over three years of war. Both attacks took place in al-Durayhimi, south of the port city of al-Hudayda, which is held by the huhirebells.

USA: al-Qaeda bomb chief killed

20th of August

US sources claim that Saudi Ibrahim al-Asiri, who was designated as a bomb engineer for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was killed in a US drone attack in Yemen in 2017. He is believed to have engineered a bomb in an attempt to blast an airliner on its way to Detroit, which was carried out in 2009 by a man who has since been called the “turkey bomber.”

Bus with children hit in flight attack

9th of August

In Dahyan, located in a rebel-controlled area in northern Yemen, a bus has been hit at an air raid by the Saudi-led alliance. The Red Cross, which supports hospitals in the province of Saada where the affected are brought, announces a few days later that 51 people lost their lives and 40 of the victims were children. In addition, 56 children were injured. The Saudi Alliance promises an investigation into the incident, but the UN wants to see an independent investigation.

Oil and weapons in illicit trade with North Korea

August 3rd

North Korea has begun to apply large-scale transhipment of offshore oil to circumvent UN sanctions to prevent oil deliveries to the country. In addition, North Korea sells weapons to Yemen and Libya via a Syrian intermediary. Evidence of violation of the sanctions is presented by UN expertise in a report to the Security Council. The report also describes how North Korea, in violation of the sanctions, sells coal and steel, among other things, which give the regime large revenues.

High death toll in port city, UN peace initiative

August 2

At least 55 people die in air strikes against the port city of al-Hudayda, according to the Red Cross. UN peace coordinator Martin Griffiths invites to peace talks in Geneva in September. He wants the parties, especially the Yemeni government and its opponents, the Huhira rebels who hold al-Hudayda and the capital Sanaa, to discuss confidence-building measures and a framework for negotiations. UN-mediated peace talks broke down in 2016. Among other things, they fell on the fact that the rebels were required to retreat from important cities. One suggestion now being made is for the UN to take control of al-Hudayda.

July

Temporary cease-fire at important fairway

31 July

The Huthirebels announce two weeks of unilateral ceasefire at the disputed port city of al-Hudayda. At least two Saudi tankers have been shot the week before and the Saudis have decided to curb their oil exports via the Bab al-Mandab strait. Because the fairway is important for oil to the United States and Europe, analysts believe that Saudi Arabia’s purpose may be to get Western countries to show a greater understanding of Saudi war efforts, thereby putting pressure on the Yemen rebels.

Bombs against waterworks and robotic ramps

July 29

The Saudi-led military alliance announces that it has targeted sites in northern Yemen that the Huthirbells used to fire robots at Saudi Arabia. In addition, the alliance according to the UN air bomb has, among other things, an important waterworks outside the port city of al-Hudayda.

Concern about abuse of prisoners

July 11

Saudi Arabia, which is waging war in Yemen on the government side, collectively pardons all military personnel in participating Saudi forces, without stating what crimes have been committed. At the same time, Amnesty International fears that there are severe abuses in prisons run by the United Arab Emirates in Yemen; the emirate also participates in the fighting on the government side. Amnesty has examined 51 cases where people disappeared into the hands of Emirati forces between March 2016 and May 2018. 19 of the men are missing.

On the run from battles at the port city

July 5

The fights over the port city of al-Hudayda have prompted at least 121,000 people to seek safer areas, reports the UN organization Ocha. About 80,000 have received emergency relief.

June

The government side occupies an airport

June 20

Government-backed forces backed by Emirati troops occupy the airport in al-Hudayda, where a week of fierce fighting is now estimated to have claimed nearly 350 lives. The airport has served as the base for the huhirebells and has not been used for air traffic lately. The battles around the port city continue.

Hard fighting in strategic port city

June 13th

Government forces supported by the Saudi-led alliance launch a comprehensive offensive against al-Hudayda (see May 30). The UN has warned that fighting over the rebel-controlled port city could lead to a humanitarian disaster, as around 70 percent of all goods to crisis-hit Yemen will go that way. The UN Security Council has called for a crisis meeting on the occasion of the offensive.

Migrants are drowned at sea

6th June

In the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia, at least 46 migrants – 37 men and nine women – are killed as their boat capsizes en route from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. According to the IOM, passengers were Ethiopians. 16 people are missing.

May

Port city is threatened by siege

30 May

Forces fighting for the government of Yemen with Saudi and Emirati support are approaching the port city of al-Hudayda in the west to try to capture it. The port of the Red Sea is held by the Huthi, who also controls the capital Sanaa 23 miles away. Most of the humanitarian aid that goes to Yemen is taken in via al-Hudayda, but the Saudi-backed government claims that the Houthis also receive weapons supplies from Iran in that way.

Storm damage on scenic island

May 23

A cyclone ravages the island of Suqutra in the Indian Ocean which is known for its beauty and its unique animal and plant species. The island is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At least 17 people are missing and disaster situations are announced as a result of floods and demolished houses. Suqutra, who has escaped the civil war on the mainland, is under the control of Yemen’s internationally supported government, which calls for disaster relief.

Vaccination against cholera

May 7

A large vaccination campaign has been launched to protect against cholera. Several large aid organizations have begun distributing the vaccine, which is taken by mouth. Initially, it is hoped to reach 350,000 people in the Aden province. Over the past year, the waterborne infection, which causes severe diarrhea, has taken more than 2,200 lives.

April

Skin conductor killed in seizure

April 23

The Huthi rebels confirm that one of the movement’s top leaders was killed in an air raid four days earlier that claimed seven lives. Salih al-Sammad, who called 2018 the “robot year” aimed at the robots the Houthis are releasing to Saudi territory, was on a list of 40 skin leaders who Saudi Arabia called for. Via his news agency Saba, the Huthians threaten with revenge and announce that Mahdi Hussein al-Mashat succeeds al-Sammad as chairman of the Huthirebel’s highest political council.

Aerial attack against wedding party

April 22

In the event of an air raid against a wedding in Hutti-controlled Bani Qais in Hajjah province north of Sanaa, dozens of people lose their lives, according to health sources. A hospital in the area supported by Doctors Without Borders receives at least 65 injured, among them 13 children. Circumstances are unclear and the Saudi-led alliance that fights against the Huthirbels promises an investigation into the incident. Both weddings and funerals have previously become targets for attacks.

Abuse against refugees in Aden

April 18

Refugees from the Horn of Africa – children, women and men – have been assaulted by government officials in Yemen, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). Among other things, young boys have been raped, witnesses say. The abuses have taken place in the Buraika collection camp in Aden. Yemen’s interior minister announces that the head of the camp has been fired and that the remaining migrants have begun to move to another facility. HRW claims that an emiratic force, which participates in the Saudi-led intervention against the Huthirbels, also committed unjust treatment to migrants. Several groups of Africans have been forced aboard ships to Djibouti; in January, at least 30 deported migrants are believed to have drowned at sea.

UN envoy promises peace plan

April 17

UN new peace coordinator Martin Griffiths promises to the Security Council within two months to present a plan for how peace negotiations can be conducted. He warns that continued robbery against Saudi Arabia from the Yemeni Hut could disrupt efforts. Griffith’s representatives had great difficulties with the Houthis, who refused to receive the UN envoy in Sanaa.

Promises for help for billions

April 3

At a donor meeting organized by the UN, states and organizations pledge assistance to Yemen’s civilians for over $ 2 billion. The goal of the appeal was to raise nearly three billion, but the UN Secretary-General still describes the result as a success. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, accused of attacking civilian targets such as hospitals and markets during the military efforts against rebels in Yemen, account for half of the aid pledges given. According to the UN, 8.4 million Yemenis are at risk of starvation and food imports are vital.

March

Robot rain against Saudi Arabia

March 25th

Saudi Arabia says its air defense has shot down seven Yemeni robots, some near the capital Riyadh and the others near other cities in the south. In Riyadh, an Egyptian citizen is said to have died from falling robot scrap. Three years have passed since the Saudi-led alliance launched its military efforts against the Iran-backed huthirbel in Yemen, which still controls the capital, northern Yemen and the country’s largest port. The Huthis take responsibility for the robot rain via their television channel al-Masira. In Sanaa, they hold the day after a mass meeting on the occasion of the three-year anniversary. Saudi Arabia threatens to take action against Iran.

Drop off in protest against Saudi Arabia

21 March

Two ministers in Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s government resign in protest. Hadi i has been in Saudi Arabia again for several months, and it is according to the two Saudi ministers who are preventing Hadi from returning to Yemen.

USA and France under magnifying glass

March 20

The Washington Senate votes no on a proposal to limit US involvement in the war in Yemen. The initiative was represented by representatives of both major parties, thereby challenging the president’s right to take military action. The United States assists the Saudi-led alliance with, among other things, weapons equipment and intelligence reports. France’s involvement is also questioned. A report by law firm Ancile for the human rights organizations Amnesty and Acat states that France may have violated international agreements through arms exports to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Old enemies become friends

March 17

An appointment testifies to the fact that Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s hard-working government and groups loyal to the assassinated ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s circles are nearing an end. Saleh, who had been affiliated with the Huthirelees, was about to switch sides in the civil war when he was assassinated in December. Now Saleh’s half-brother Ali al-Humayri has been appointed by the government, the former enemies, as head of the army reserve.

The UN calls for grants for emergency aid

March 15th

A statement from the UN Security Council warns that the humanitarian situation is deteriorating. 22.2 million people are now estimated to need emergency aid, an increase of 3.4 million in one year. Warring parties are urged to protect residential areas and civilian institutions such as health care and schools, and UN member states are urged not to supply weapons to the warring. A donor conference is planned and the UN calls for grants: $ 2.96 billion is needed according to calculations this year.

IS takes action in Aden

the 13th of March

A suicide bombing in the port city of Aden requires six lives, including a child. The Islamic State (IS) claims to have carried out the attack, which is aimed at a Yemeni government supported by the United Arab Emirates but also striking passersby. Aden is controlled by the Yemeni government, but both IS and al-Qaeda have taken on attacks there in recent years.

February

Russian veto in the UN

February 26th

Russia veto against a resolution in the UN Security Council that is meant to pressure Iran and hinder the supply of arms to huthierna. Russia does not accept a UN report that sees Iranian manufacturing behind robots that the Shiites have shot at Saudi Arabia. Instead, the Council adopts a Russian proposal to extend UN sanctions on Yemen, without mentioning Iran.

New UN envoy and negotiation opening

February 15

Britten Martin Griffiths has been appointed by the Security Council as a new UN envoy to Yemen. He is the third in the post in seven years and has previously held several executive positions within the UN. According to representative Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed from Mauritania, who has held the Yemen mission since 2015, Oman has promised to host peace talks, even though no official date exists. A source in Sanaa with good contacts with the Huthi people tells the analysis company IHS Markit that secret negotiations have taken place in Oman since January.

Mediation and Reconciliation Promises

February 7

The South Yemeni separatists, after mediating Saudis and emirates, rescinded the siege of the presidential palace in Aden and returned three military missions to the government army, according to AFP security sources. But the separatists control the city in other and large parts of surrounding provinces. Pressed Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher, according to state-controlled media, promises to work for reconciliation.

The South aims for independence

February 1st

The so-called transitional council, which leads the separatists in southern Yemen and has taken control of the city of Aden, now advocates open independence. According to the AFP, the targets can be read by a statement from the Council published in January, without pukes and trumpets, although the word independence is not explicitly used.

January

New picket in Aden for refugees

January 31

Around 40,000 internally displaced people have been in new difficulties through the fighting in Aden. The UNHCR states that under the prevailing conditions, it is not possible to reach the internally displaced persons with aid broadcasts. Other aid organizations also say that they have been forced to cancel their work for security reasons. On the other hand, several of the ministers employed in the city by southern separatists in recent days have succeeded in putting themselves in safety in other areas.

The fighting hardens in Aden

30th of January

At least 38 dead and 185 injured have been reported during two days of fighting in Aden, the International Red Cross Committee said without presenting civilian death figures. Both artillery and armor are used in the battles between the government and its former allies, southern Yemen’s separatists. Schools and shops in the city are kept closed. The separatists have taken reinforcements from Marib and Abyan, taken in Aden’s military bases and, according to BBC ministers, are encamping in the presidential palace.

The government is losing grip on the south

January 28

Fighting rages in Aden and President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi’s forces lose their headquarters to separatists. They have fought together against the huthirbeles, and Aden has been the seat of the government since 2015, when the capital Sanaa fell to the huthis, but now the cooperation in the joints is cracking. The government is calling on its backers in Saudi Arabia and other neighboring countries to intervene, this time not against the Huhira rebels in the north but against the separatists who want an independent state to re-emerge in southern Yemen (as before 1990).

Migrant ships capsized

January 26

At least 30 African migrants have lost their lives since their boat capsized off the southern coast of Yemen. According to UN representatives, who received the information a few days after the incident, passengers must also have been shot at the refugee smuggler ship. More than 150 Somalis and Ethiopians are believed to have been on board. The boat would have brought them from Aden in Yemen to Djibouti.

Investment in emergency aid is promised

January 22

Saudi Arabia and its allies promise $ 1.5 billion in relief. It is a response to a US $ 3 billion appeal to help Yemen’s suffering population. Ports will be equipped to better receive deliveries, vehicle columns will receive military escorts and an air bridge will be set up for Hercules plan between Riyadh and Yemen, the Saudis and their allies promise in a communique.

Fighting drives civilians away

January 19

The last two months of fighting around Sanaa and the Red Sea have caused about 32,000 people to leave their homes, according to the UNHCR, which estimates that about two million Yemenites have previously lived as internal refugees as a result of the war. Government forces with the support of Saudis and emirates advance on the Red Sea coast with the goal of ejecting the huhirebells from the port city of al-Hudayda.

Saudi bank support to the government

January 17

Two billion dollars to be transferred to Yemen’s central bank, Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said. It is in support of the hard-working Yemeni government that the Saudis also assist with air strikes against the Huthirbells. One purpose of the transfer is to counteract the case of the Yemeni currency that collapsed during the war and expensive all commodity imports. The Government moved the Riksbank to Aden in 2016 and the Huthi have established their own central bank in the capital Sanaa. Both banks, for example, find it difficult to pay salaries to employees.

Growing need for emergency care

January 16

Several organizations have summarized the situation after almost three years of war. More than three-quarters of Yemenis, more than 22 million, need some kind of humanitarian aid. 8.4 million risk starvation compared to 6.8 million in 2017, according to the UN organization Ocha. The number of casualties since the Saudi-led alliance launched its war efforts in March 2015 is set at 9,245 by the WHO. More than 2,000 of a million infected with the cholera epidemic have died, according to the International Red Cross Committee. The UN Children’s Fund Unicef ​​emphasizes that three million children have been born into the war. Even before 2015, many children of school age did not receive education, but now the number is over two million.

New harbor cranes in place

January 15

The port of al-Hudayda has been equipped with four new cranes to facilitate emergency supplies. The equipment in the port, which is controlled by the huhirebells, was destroyed in 2015 by airstrikes by the Saudi-led alliance. Under reasonably normal conditions, 70 percent of Yemen’s imports pass through the port of al-Hudayda. The new mobile cranes have been financed by the USA. According to reports to the AFP news agency, Saudi Arabia has slowed the transport of the new cranes from a warehouse in Dubai.

Violation of the UN arms embargo

January 12

Iran has violated the UN arms embargo by not stopping deliveries of weapons to the Huthirbells, a UN expert committee has concluded. The group has investigated the debris of robots fired at Saudi Arabia from Yemen and concluded that the weapons were of Iranian manufacture.

Saleh commanders are believed to have survived

January 11

Tariq Saleh, nephew of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and longtime commander of his forces, appears in a video where he speaks to a small group of followers. Of all the judgments, the film was created after Tariq Saleh was allegedly killed by huthis in December.

Accused of cluster bombing

January 10

The Huthi rebels accuse the Saudis and their allies of using cluster bombs. In northern Yemen, at least 14 lives have been claimed in air strikes against, among other things, a market, witnesses and rebel news agency Saba said.

New leader in Saleh’s GPC

January 6

Sadiq Amin Aburas, former Deputy Prime Minister, is elected leader of the old ruling party, the General People’s Congress (GPC). He succeeds Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president who was killed by huthier rebels in early December after the alliance between Saleh and the huthiers broke down.