Yemen's Crisis: Witnesses' Testimonies

"Basma Qassim, a 20-year sociology student who grew up in New York and now lives in the southern port city of Aden, describes hearing explosions and hiding with her family in the basement as army units loyal to president Hadi battled with Houthi militants advancing on the city. "We haven't been sleeping... I have to admit it's psycholigically damaging. Death is closer to us than ever before," she said......", Middle East Eye.

Roundup on Yemen's Crisis by Yemen Peace Project

The escalating conflict is already exacerbating Yemen’s very serious humanitarian crisis. With roads cut by rival military forces, and power and fuel unavailable, life is only getting harder for the millions of Yemenis facing food insecurity and water shortages...... read more. 

Dozens killed as warplanes strike Houthi targets in Sanaa

Saudi-led air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen's capital Sanaa have killed at least 39 civilians, officials from the rebel-controlled ministry say.

Saudi Arabia and allies hit Houthi positions for second night

Non-State Actors in Yemen Fightings

By Abubakr Al-Shamahi

Saudi Arabia launches Yemen air strikes

"The US has confirmed its support for an extraordinary international military alliance that is emerging to counter Houthi rebel advances in Yemen. 

As Saudi Arabia began pounding the rebels with airstrikes, countries from the Middle East to Pakistan were said to be prepared to commit troops for a ground assault. The US was providing “logistical and intelligence support” to the Saudi-led forces attacking the rebels, the White House announced. Meanwhile the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel said the kingdom had lined up 150,000 soldiers in preparation for a ground offensive, with Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan and Sudan also ready to commit troops."

Saudi Arabia bombs residential neighborhood in Sana'a

"Al-Wadhahi, a residential neighborhood in the capital Sana'a, was severely damaged by air strikes in the early hours of March 26. The neighborhood is located next to Sana'a International Airport. The bodies of the dead were taken away in the middle of the night. Locals told the Yemen Times that two families, a total of six to eight people, were killed, and eight houses were destroyed. More bodies are feared to be hidden under the rubble."-YT

Yemen's Houthi TV airs video of airstrikes' aftermath

Mentalizing Yemen's Chaos

Hussein is 9 or 11 years old. His slim body holds a smiley face with glowing eyes. As he lays on his bed at the hospital, he finds joy in describing how he miraculously survived the the twin-bombing attacks in Sana'a, last Friday, 20 March. "as we just finished praying, I found myself thrown into the wall," Hussein recalls to his uncle the moment the suicide bomber exploded, "as if a strong wind blew me away 'boom'. Then, I tried to get up and I saw my hands and legs full of blood."

Hussein survived to be a witness of that day and to tell us with a big smile and despite the pain how he was given a second chance to live..

Death is no longer looming in Yemen; it is definite. Each Yemeni house has at least one who was killed, injured or at least knows of someone who was killed injured during the course of the latest violent upheavals. I lost a distant relative myself in this mosque bombing. It makes you realize how death is so close and God knows who'll be the next victim of the next bomb? or strike? or..?

Maybe that explains why instead of talking to the press, I always prefer to spend my time vibering and talking to family and friends in Yemen – there is always that slight possibility that this might be the last time we'd be talking to each other.

Few weeks ago, it hit me so hard what's like to be a Syrian refugee; what's like to understand that you can never go home. Here I am, in Sweden; waiting since May, 2011, waiting to the time I can go home, to Al-Dairi Street in Sana'a, to walk again on my favorite pavement; trying to escape the men who would be always leaning against the parked cars whistling at the passing girls. I now understand you, Syrians – I know what's like to be displaced with no way to return home. It hurts so much that you feel so numb.

Why ponder on my Syrian fellows when I can turn to my Palestinian fellows! Then, I skype a Palestinian friend and I get very helpful tips.

* * *

My first and last war experience was during the Civil War 1994. I was nine. We were in Sana'a. I think that war was more merciful than this one; even though I'm only mentally at today's war. In 94, there was no competitions in how many likes you get, how many shares you get, how many retweets you get and how many TV appearances you make, and so on... overall, I had no fucking blog. I was a kid; living the war with mom & my sister. My parents were separated at that time. I blamed my father for not protecting us. I still do, even though he passed away a year ago. That war lasted for a couple of months; thousands were killed – strangely, we survived and I didn't really comprehend what we had gone through.


Who will survive this war? and how many civilians would pay the price? should I keep blogging about the war? does it make any difference? would it help me clear my mind so I can focus on writing my thesis. No Yemeni can focus these days, inside and outside Yemen. Our eyes are glued into our TVs, computers, mobiles, as if following the situation can make it get any better.


No, it's not getting any better. Yemen is at war and it's like hell. He who got us into this rotten war would shape its end as well. The father would present his son, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh as the savior. Don't tell me Houthis are the big boss today. No. He who laughs last, laughs longest.

Yemen crisis: Islamic State claims Sanaa mosque attacks

"Islamic State (IS) say its militants carried out suicide bombings on two mosques in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which killed at least 137 people."

Yemen: Dozens die in suicide attacks on Sanaa mosques - BBC News

"Isis, the extremist group which has seized swathes of Iraq and Syria since last summer, quickly claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement released on Twitter.

Conflicting death and injury tolls have emerged from the scene in Sanaa, with a medical source telling Reuters that 126 people have died. Press Association cited Shia television channel reports stating there were as many as 137 fatalities and 345 wounded."

In Pictures: 4th Anniversary of Friday of Dignity Massacre

Prominent Yemeni journalist and Houthi activist killed

"Assailants on a motorbike on Wednesday shot dead one of Yemen's top journalists, Abdul Kareem al-Khaiwani, who is also an activist close to the country's dominant Houthi group.... "He was one of the godfathers of Yemen's tradition of saying no to those in authority," said his friend, Yemeni writer Farea al-Muslimi."

"A supporter of the Houthi rebels, Al-Khaiwani was a visceral critic of the former Yemeni regime. Arrested in late 2004, he was convicted of insulting former President Ali Abdullah Saleh before receiving a presidential pardon. 

Arrested again in June 2007, he was accused of links with the Shiite rebels in the north of the country and was placed in pre-trial detention on a charge of “disseminating and publishing information liable to undermine army moral.” 

Released on health grounds after a month, he continued to work with independent and opposition media outlets. After writing an article about prison conditions, he was briefly abducted and beaten in August 2007 by gunmen widely suspected of being members of the state security services. 

Al-Khaiwani is the second journalist to be murdered in Yemen since the start of 2015. Khaled Al-Washaly, a reporter for the Houthi TV station Al-Masira in Dhamar province, was killed on 4 January 2015." 

An eyewitness recalls the unfortunate assassination incident, in Arabic:

"Al Khaiwani was named earlier this month as a nominee for international journalist of the year in the British Press Awards, which are due to be announced on March 31."

One Take: Yemen

THE ONE TAKE PROJECT : Yemen from Ash Hamdi on Vimeo.

Yemen: Human Rights and Democracy

"Human rights violations in Yemen continued on a large-scale in 2014, including widespread conflict affecting civilians; the use of child soldiers; child marriage and discrimination against women; restrictions on the media; religious persecution; use of the death penalty; and serious delays in drafting the new constitution and preparing for elections." —The 2014 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report

Yemen's Haraz Mountains

"Built like a castle on a peak in the Haraz Mountains of Yemen, a town nearly blends in with its surroundings," – National Geographic.

How a Yemeni Man was Recruited by CIA in Sweden then Got Executed by Al Qaeda in Yemen

How one Yemeni man who resided in Sweden for ten years and was father of two Swedish children ended up being killed and crucified in Yemen by Al-Qaeda, for being a suspected CIA spy? the incredible story of Ameen Al Mua'almi was detailed by the investigative Swedish journalist, Kenan Habul working with the Aftonbladet Swedish newspaper earlier this month. Habul sharply picked up the previously published piece of news on Reuters about Al Mua'almi's involvement with Sweden, CIA, Yemen and AQ, to provide us today with more fascinating details. I was delighted to do a tiny translation work on the story.


"Ameen was a father of two boys, divorced, with a semi-criminal background and he was socializing with Islamists. But Aftonbladet can reveal his double-life," reports Habul.

"A year ago, Ameen got crucified on a dusty soccer field in Yemen by Al Qaeda. He had have confessed about him spying on the terrorist group for the USA's behalf, "I was recruited in Sweden by the American security service," says Ameen in a video filmed by al-Qaeda before his death.


They hung up Ameen at a soccer yard. His face was swollen, blindfolded and his clothes tainted with blood. They had shot him in the forehead. In a video of a local news website shows a dozen men taking pictures of his lifeless body with their mobiles. Ameen's life ended on a gravel pitch in the city Shahar in southern Yemen exactly one year ago.


You may read the rest of the story here, in Swedish.

In Video: Ameen confessing about his spy work. Following is a transcript of Ameen's talk in English:

Fail Better, Yemeni Women!

Photograph: Abdulrahman Jaber

It’s no longer Spring in Yemen. The consecutive upheavals have been nothing but stormy for all. Yemen is stuck in a vicious circle of failures. My generation has had to live with periodical armed conflicts and is trying to deal with the trauma. The trauma impacting women is especially complex because women suffer not only from everyday human rights violations but also gender-based violence and discrimination.

Photographs: Bushra Al-Fusail

For Yemen — the country ranked absolutely worst in the Global Gender Gap reportevery year since 2006 – the old imperfect reality for women might be considered the old good days.

Today’s reality is quite possibly the bleakest.

The latest upheaval is Houthi takeover of most of Yemen’s large cities. This has created an extreme sense of insecurity, fear and economic frustration. President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi hardly protected himself from the Houthi’s aggression, let alone ordinary citizens. Unquestionably, a critical implication of the Houthi’s new imposed social order is that all human rights are under threat in the cities controlled by them. Women’s rights are particularly endangered, unless Yemeni women reorganize with a clear (Islamic/secular) feminist conscious.

Dr. Raufa
Hassan. Photograph:
Abdulrahman Al-Ghabri

The F word, feminism, is taboo in Yemen. So is the word equality. And it’s really time to change that. I grew up being taught in primary school that equality was not in keeping with our culture and society; hence we must not discuss it. At mosques in the main Yemeni cities, brochures are distributed warning how equality is a sinful concept. As an adult, I was introduced to the concept of equality by local female pioneers such as Amal Basha and the late Dr. Raufa Hassan during seminars hosted by their organizations in Sana’a. I also realized how discussing gender equality was inconvenient for many. To talk about women’s rights, whether in times of stability or crisis, is considered irrelevant not only to anti-feminist groups, but also to those who consider themselves progressive leftist groups. I am certain that this essay won’t be attractive to many.

Yet women were the ones leading the uprising in 2011. Nobel laureate Tawakkol Karman is the most well-known example. The uprising represented an opportunity for female opinion leaders, activists, writers and intellectuals to challenge the social construction that was boxing them in and demeaning them.

Yemeni Women Speaking Up

Photography/ Bushra Al-Fusail.

A number of Yemeni women, including me were interviewed by Lydia James for the New Internationalist magazine. Each spoke, giving a general overview on women's status in the country. The following is the entire feature which you can find here:



Yemeni rapper Amani Yahya’s dress sense is raising as many eyebrows as her lyrics in Yemen’s capital city, Sana’a. The 21-year-old swaps the traditional abaya and veil to busk in jeans, a t-shirt and a cap.

After spending her childhood in Saudi Arabia, she returned to Yemen in 2010 and started rapping two years later. A Dentistry student at the University of Sana’a, Yahya uses the art form to express her thoughts – in English – on women’s rights and issues. Her latest work, ‘Mary’, is about child marriage, based on a true story.


Finding her voice in a society where creativity has long been suppressed, but not quashed, by dictatorial regimes is not without its challenges. ‘People don’t accept the fact that I’m a rapper, they think rap is just a foreign kind of art and I’m copying Western styles, but art has no nationality,’ says Yahya.



A perfect storm

Yahya is breaking taboos in a country often spoken about in unflattering superlatives: ranked in 2014’s Global Gender Gap Report as the least gender-equal nation in the world, outdoing Pakistan, Syria and Afghanistan, Yemen is also the poorest state in the Middle East.


Half of the 25-million population is below the age of 15 and, due to a high birth rate, the number of people is expected to double by 2033. Some 13 million Yemenis lack access to safe water or sanitation, with water supplies set to disappear in urban areas within 15 years. Only five nations are more food insecure than Yemen and 334,000 people are internally displaced due to droughts and conflict.

Since 2002, US air and drone strikes have wreaked havoc in areas often hit, increasing support for and reliance on Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsular (AQAP). In 2011, when then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh was clinging to power in Sana’a, rival parties began to fill the power vacuum in other regions. The political instability has worsened since the Houthis gained control of the capital last September.


It is in this context that Yemeni girls and women experience inequality and a double hardship. According to the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) 32 per cent of Yemeni girls are married before their 18th birthday. A quarter of women aged between 15-49 have undergone Female Genital Mutiliation (FGM) and intimate partner violence is common.



'We cannot voice our opinions freely’

‘Yemen’s new draft constitution [launched days before the Houthi rebel government takeover on 22 January] passed two important issues,’ says Yemeni social researcher Rasha Jarhum. ‘The first was a 30-per-cent quota for women’s political participation; the second was to set a minimum age of marriage.’ Both pieces of legislation faced resistance from within the Constitution Drafting Committee but feminist groups came together to lobby for their implementation. If this constitution had seen the light it would have been a great victory for Yemeni women.

‘Since the coup by the Houthis, it feels like the status of women has gone back to the dark ages,’ says Jarhum, currently living in Beirut. ‘We hear about these new imposed codes of conducts like no going out after 7pm and music not being allowed.

Recently Yemeni Shirin Makawi and her French colleague [Isabelle Prime] were kidnapped. This is not only unacceptable by international and national human rights standards but also unacceptable by the tribal code of conduct and norms.’

Amal Al Yarisi is a journalist for the Yemen Times. ‘We cannot voice our opinions freely, especially regarding political matters. Most Yemenis believe that women shouldn’t occupy any political positions or even participate in the decision-making process.’

‘What other challenges do women face in 2015?’ I ask. ‘Illiteracy is prevalent among women and girls, especially in rural areas,’ responds Al Yarisi.

‘More than 80 per cent of women work in agriculture. Rural women have no forms of social protection and often their work is not economically accounted for,’ explains Jurham. ‘They work long hours and their rights are often disregarded, sometimes even by feminist groups.’

(Post) revolution through a lens

Yemen’s 2011 Arab Spring presented an opportunity for women to become more politically active. ‘The revolution was not just a political one,’ describes blogger Afrah Nasser over Skype. ‘My friends revolted inside their homes: they rebelled against the tradition that says you shouldn’t speak up as a woman. For women to literally walk on the street and shout and then to say to their parents, “I’m going to be part of the uprising”, was a revolution in itself. There were consequences. Women got divorced because they went against the will of their husbands.’


And now? ‘There were, and still are, political powers that use women solely as decoration to polish their image,’ Nasser believes. ‘The problem is that sometimes even women themselves don’t think that it’s a problem. Yemen is a conservative society with a lot of patriarchy. This is one of the reasons why I continue in media – if I let life’s problems get me out of there, I am going to give away a place for another macho guy talking as if he knows best about women’s issues.

‘I think we need more women in the media because their history gets vanished. If it is only men that are represented in the public eye, we will see fewer stories about women.’