Yemen

The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen carried out several air strikes on the Houthi-held capital Sanaa on Thursday after the Iranian-aligned movement claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Saudi oil installations. The Sanaa strikes targeted nine military sites in and around the city, residents said. Rubble filled a populated street …

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will provide US$70 million towards the salaries of teachers in Yemen, in cooperation with the UNICEF, with each country paying half of the sum. An agreement toward this effect was signed in Riyadh today by Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabiah, Advisor to the …

Yemen’s government wants the United Nations to give time-frames for next steps of a peace deal after Houthi forces began withdrawing from key ports in the most significant advance yet for efforts to end the four-year war and relieve hunger. In line with an accord in Sweden last year, the …

Yemen’s Houthi movement called on the United Nations on Saturday to press the Saudi-led coalition to implement the Hodeidah agreement, al-Masirah TV said, citing the movement’s political office. The movement, which a Reuters witness said had started withdrawing from Saleef port in Hodeidah under a U.N.-sponsored deal, added that the …

The UAE has launched its Ramadan campaign in Yemen, which will include a package of charity and humanitarian initiatives that will benefit over 2.5 million people, including 1.5 million children and 500,000 women. The Director of UAE Humanitarian Operations in Yemen said that the campaign is the latest in a …

At least six civilians, including children, were killed in Yemen on Friday when a roadside bomb believed to be planted by al Qaeda went off in the country’s southeast, a Yemeni security official said. At least six others were wounded in the blast, the second attack in less than a …

Yemen’s Houthi forces have missiles that could be fired at Riyadh, Dubai and Abu Dhabi should violence escalate in the main Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, where a fragile ceasefire is now in place, the leader of the Houthi movement said on Monday. Yemen’s four-year war pits the Iran-aligned Houthis …

American president Donald Trump remains a strong supporter of the Saudi-led war in Yemen. At the same time the military intervention garners unconditional support at the home front. By Arthur Blok* Trump issued the second veto of his presidency earlier this week halting a congressional resolution that would have sought …

Kuwait has renewed its call for all Yemeni parties to fully implement the Stockholm Agreement on Hodeidah and its three ports, as well as the agreement on the exchange of prisoners, and the Taiz memorandum of understanding. The Kuwait News Agency, KUNA, reported that the country’s permanent representative to the …

In a joint effort, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have pledged US$200 million in relief assistance for Yemenis for the Holy Month of Ramadan. During a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents Club of the UAE on Monday, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, …

The UAE has sent, through its humanitarian arm, the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, an aid convoy carrying 80 tonnes of food aid, to assist 14,000 people in Al Namsa, Deir Abdullah, Wal Hawareth and Qaza in Ad Duraihimi District on Yemen’s Red Sea Coast, as part of its projects, activities …

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, has categorically rejected a report by the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen, and urged the Human Rights Council, HRC, to instead refocus on providing support to the Government of Yemen in building institutions to …

For months since the peace deal on Yemen reached in Sweden last December, Houthis have been stalling to implement it, said the Gulf News in an editorial on Saturday. “Under the deal, the Houthis agreed to a ceasefire and to pull out all their forces from the port city of …

Yemen’s Houthi group said they were building their ballistic capabilities and their forces stand ready to strike Riyadh and Abu Dhabi if implementation of a U.N. peace deal in the port city of Hodeidah is breached. A spokesman of the Houthi forces said the group has a “stockpile of missiles” …

British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Sunday that a peace process in Yemen’s main port city “could be dead within weeks” without more committed effort from both sides. The agreement to implement a troop withdrawal in Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions facing famine, by Jan. 7 was intended to …

The Emirates Red Crescent is stepping up its efforts to start execution of a number of projects to overhaul the medical sector in Hadramaut, under an AED66.2 million finance allocated by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) for the rehabilitation of primary sectors in Yemen. The new schemes include …

The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has opened the final phase of the Sheikh Khalifa’s Residential City for those affected by the floods that swept through the Hadramaut Governorate in Yemen during the past years. The move follows the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The …

The United Arab Emirates awarded 20 billion dirhams worth ($5.5 billion) of military procurement contracts during a defense show this week, at a time when arms sales to the country are under scrutiny due to its role in Yemen’s devastating war. The majority were awarded to international companies such as …

The Saudi-backed government in Yemen hopes to scale up its crude production to 110,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2019, with exports touching about 75,000 bpd, its oil minister told Reuters on Sunday. The government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi controls the southern port city of Aden and areas holding Yemen’s …

Pope Francis will become the first pontiff to visit the Arabian Peninsula on Sunday, just hours after issuing his strongest condemnation yet of the war in Yemen, where his host the United Arab Emirates has a leading military role. The pope said in his regular Sunday address in Vatican City …

Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers will try again to pass a resolution ending U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, with a greater chance of success than when a similar measure passed the Senate last month. Republican Senator Mike Lee, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, …

A fire at a refinery in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden spread to a second storage tank on Saturday, injuring six people, sources at the refinery said. They told Reuters that civil defense forces had failed to contain the fire sparked by an explosion on Friday. The cause of …

Houthi drones on Thursday attacked a Yemeni government military parade in Lahaj province, killing several people, Saudi and Houthi media reported. The Houthis said in November they were halting drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their Yemeni allies, but tensions have risen recently over …

A U.N. advance team arrived in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah on Sunday to start monitoring a ceasefire and withdrawal of forces agreed by the Iranian-aligned Houthi group and Saudi-backed government forces, the United Nations said. The warring parties in Yemen’s nearly four-year war reached the deal at U.N.-sponsored peace …

The Big Heart Foundation, TBHF, the UAE-based global humanitarian organisation, has renewed its support with a financial grant of over US$700,000 to three projects undertaken by leading UN agencies, UNHCR and UNICEF, in Jordan, Syria and Yemen. According to the 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview Report, HNO, 13.1 million people in …

Yemen’s warring parties have traded accusations of breaching a ceasefire in Hodeidah that was mediated by the United Nations to avert a full-scale assault on a port city vital for food and aid supplies, and pave the way for peace negotiations. Residents reported shelling late on Tuesday, the first day …

Right from the beginning, the Saudi-led Arab Coalition’s sole intent has been to spread justice and uphold the legitimacy in Yemen, said The Gulf Today in an editorial on Saturday. “The sustained military pressure against the Houthi militants along the Red Sea Coast and surrounding areas in Hodeidah has paid …

The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has distributed 63 tonnes of food aid, commodities and basic food items to the population of Markha Al Sofla District in the Governorate of Shabwa for the benefit of 15,000 most of them women and children. The aid is part of ERC’s efforts to alleviate …

Iran welcomed on Friday initial agreements reached at talks in Sweden by the opposing sides in Yemen’s war, which include the Iran-aligned Houthi group, were a step toward a final peace accord, Iranian state TV reported on Friday. The war in Yemen is seen as a proxy war between Iran …

The UAE has welcomed the announcement by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of the establishing of the Arab and African Coastal States of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden grouping, describing it as a pioneering initiative to develop common Arab and regional action and safeguard security and protection …

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government is willing to accept a U.N. role in Hodeidah’s seaport, a lifeline for millions of people during the country’s war, but not a long-term presence in the city itself, Foreign Minister Khalid al Yamani said on Monday. Mediator Martin Griffiths, who opened United Nations-sponsored peace talks between …

Yemen’s main port city should be declared a “neutral zone” and the United Nations could play a role in Sanaa airport, the Iran-aligned Houthis’ main negotiator said on Saturday on the sidelines of talks aimed at ending the Yemeni war. Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions of people that is now …

The Saudi-led coalition said it approved evacuating wounded Houthi fighters from Yemen for treatment on Monday, meeting a main condition for the group to attend U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Sweden this week aimed at ending the nearly four-year-old war. Prospects for convening talks have increased as Western allies press Saudi …

The United Nations is ready to play a supervisory role in managing Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah, U.N. spokesman Rheal LeBlanc said. LeBlanc’s statement, made at a briefing with reporters in Geneva, came as the U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, arrived in Hodeidah, the focus of the …

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that peace talks between Yemen’s warring parties were likely to take place in early December in Sweden. Western countries are pressing for a ceasefire and renewed peace efforts to end the more than three-year conflict, which is seen as a proxy war …

Houthi rebels in Yemen said on Monday they were halting drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their Yemeni allies, responding to a demand from the United Nations. The Iranian-aligned group, which has been battling the Saudi-backed government for nearly four years, also said it was ready for a broader ceasefire if …

Saudi Arabia and the United States have agreed to end U.S. refueling of aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition battling Houthi insurgents in Yemen, halting a divisive aspect of U.S. support to a war that has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. The move, announced by the coalition on Saturday …

The UAE-Saudi Coordinating Council in charge of following up the joint US$1 billion financial contribution to Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) held their third meeting at the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the UAE capital. The meeting, held in the presence of representatives of …

Norway announced on Friday that it was suspending new licenses for arms exports to Saudi Arabia following recent developments in the Gulf kingdom and the situation in Yemen. A foreign ministry spokesman declined to say whether the decision was partly motivated by the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at …

Yemeni forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition inched closer to the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Sunday as they battled Iranian-aligned Houthi fighters entrenched there, local military sources and residents said on Sunday. The coalition has deployed thousands of troops to retake Hodeidah, a vital entry point for …

Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who are leading an Arab alliance fighting Iran-allied Al Houthi militants in Yemen, will donate $70 million (Dh256.9 million) to pay the war-devastated country’s teachers in cooperation with the Unicef, a Saudi official has said. “The alliance led by Saudi Arabia is following with concern …

The member countries of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen have provided a total of US$17.6 billion worth of assistance in three years. ”Out of this assistance, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, accounted for more than $11.5 billion,” said Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, the Supervisor-General of the …

Saudi Arabia confirmed one cholera infection and three other suspected cases in an area bordering Yemen, where an epidemic has killed more than 2,300 people, state TV reported on Sunday, citing a health ministry official. The report said the patient, identified only as non-Saudis, were receiving care at Mauwassem General …

A team from Yemen’s Al Houthis on Thursday failed to leave for UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva, although an Arab coalition fighting them gave the go-ahead for their plane to depart. The Geneva consultations, aimed at restarting Yemen’s long-stalled peace process, had been originally scheduled to start on Thursday. But …