Le YEMEN en voie de "Somalisation"

[Dino]

La coalition annonce que 800 militants d'AQ on été tué. Le chiffre me semble très élevé pour une opération débuté il y a quelques jours non ?

[Barristan-Selmy]

Clairement, je serais étonné qu'ils en aient tués déjà 80.
Y'a peu de doute qu'AQPA a pu retirer la quasi totalité de ses hommes et matériels intacts.
Ils ont juste laissés derrière quelques combattants/snipers, kamikaze ( http://www.france24.com/fr/20160424-yemen-sept-soldats-tues-attentat-le-sud-pays ), IED etc...

[Wallaby]

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2016/05/12/triple-attentat-dans-le-sud-est-du-yemen_4918272_3212.html (12 mai 2016)

Triple attentat-suicide à la voiture piégée perpétré à l’est de Moukalla

[Brenan95]

Les contre-performances des armées du Golfe au Yémen

http://orientxxi.info/magazine/les-contre-performances-des-armees-du-golfe-au-yemen,1341,1341

[Barristan-Selmy]

White House Blocks Transfer of Cluster Bombs to Saudi Arabia

Révélation

Riyadh’s air war in Yemen has killed and injured hundreds of civilians. Washington is finally trying to stem the carnage.

 

Frustrated by a growing death toll, the White House has quietly placed a hold on the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia as the Sunni ally continues its bloody war on Shiite rebels in Yemen, U.S. officials tell Foreign Policy. It’s the first concrete step the United States has taken to demonstrate its unease with the Saudi bombing campaign that human rights activists say has killed and injured hundreds of Yemeni civilians, many of them children.

The move follows rising criticism by U.S. lawmakers of America’s support for the oil-rich monarchy in the year-long conflict. Washington has sold weapons and provided training, targeting information, and aerial refueling support to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. It has also sold Riyadh millions of dollars’ worth of cluster bombs in recent years.

Asked about the hold on the shipments, a senior U.S. official cited reports that the Saudi-led coalition used cluster bombs “in areas in which civilians are alleged to have been present or in the vicinity.”

“We take such concerns seriously and are seeking additional information,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The hold applies to CBU-105 cluster bombs manufactured by the U.S.-based firm Textron Systems. According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Saudi-led forces have dropped CBU-105 munitions in multiple locations around Yemen, including Al-Amar, Sanhan, Amran, and the Al-Hayma port.

Cluster bombs contain bomblets that scatter widely and kill or injure indiscriminately. Sometimes bomblets fail to detonate immediately and can kill civilians months or even years later. The weapons were banned in a 2008 international treaty that arms sales giants, including the United States and Russia, refused to sign.

Responding to humanitarian concerns, the U.S. has scaled back exports of cluster bombs and demanded changes in the munitions’ performance, such as banning those with a higher fraction of submunitions that do not explode on impact. A 2009 U.S. law prohibits exporting cluster bombs that have a failure rate of above 1 percent. It also says the weapons cannot be used “where civilians are known to be present,” and only against “clearly defined military targets.”

The CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon has been touted for meeting the 1 percent requirement. But a February report by Human Rights Watch cited evidence the weapon was used in two attacks in Yemen, and had a failure rate that exceeded 1 percent. “The evidence raises serious questions about compliance with U.S. cluster munition policy and export rules,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch.

The group has investigated at least five attacks in Yemen involving CBU-105s in four governorates since the war began. In December, the group documented an attack on the Yemeni port of Hodaida that injured a woman and two children in their homes. Two other civilians were wounded in a CBU-105 attack near Al-Amar village, according to local residents and medical staff interviewed by Human Rights Watch.

The Obama administration has issued several statements of “concern” about the violence in Yemen, but has yet to formally announce any reduction in military or tactical support for the coalition. A U.S. official touted the fact that Washington’s “engagement” with Riyadh has led to the kingdom committing to conducting an inquiry into civilian deaths in the conflict.

“Saudi Arabia has also pledged to create an investigations commission to evaluate military targeting, ensure the protection of civilians, and investigate incidents of civilian harm during the conflict in Yemen,” said the U.S. official. “This is a vital step towards protecting civilians, and also avoiding future civilian harm.”

While praising the decision to the hold the sale of cluster bombs to Riyadh, prominent humanitarian groups told FP it’s not enough.

“Any step toward ending the production and sale of cluster bomb munitions by the United States government is a good thing, but much much more needs to be done,” said Sunjeev Bery, advocacy director at Amnesty International. He said his organization pushed — unsuccessfully —  to block a $1.3 billion sale of smart bombs to Riyadh that the U.S. approved in November.

It remains unclear if the Obama administration’s hold will affect an existing tranche of cluster bombs poised for shipment to Saudi Arabia, or simply all future requests. The U.S. concluded a contract for the manufacture of 1,300 CBU-105 weapons to Saudi Arabia in 2013. The final shipment of such weapons can take years to complete, but U.S. officials have repeatedly refused to clarify if the order’s final tranche was delivered.

Matthew Colpitts, a spokesman for Textron Systems, also declined to comment on the status of the shipment. “Textron Systems does not comment on delivery dates with our customers,” he said.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Since March 2015, when Saudi Arabia launched its military campaign against the Houthi rebellion in Yemen, at least 6,200 people have died and nearly three million have been displaced from their homes. The conflict is often viewed as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government in exile, and Iran, which has provided some support to Houthi rebels, who are part of a Shiite sect. While aid workers have stressed Yemen’s dire humanitarian situation, counterterrorism experts note the protracted fighting and chaos has allowed al Qaeda’s affiliate in the Arabian peninsula to strengthen its position in the country.

Though the conflict is in its second year, it is only now beginning to be eyed skeptically by U.S. lawmakers.

A proposed defense spending bill approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee calls for creating a capital fund to expedite the supply of precision guided bombs for “partner and allied forces.”

Although the bill does not specify which allies lawmakers have in mind, human rights groups and at least one senator are concerned the provision could be used to make it easier to deliver more sophisticated bombs to Saudi Arabia.

 Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) proposed an amendment Thursday to strip the language out of the defense bill on grounds the provision could enable Saudi Arabia to expand its air campaign despite the mounting civilian toll, his office said.

The senator was also concerned that the provision in the defense bill could make it easier for an administration to involve the United States “in other foreign entanglements with limited oversight,” Murphy spokesman Chris Harris told FP.

And Murphy on Thursday also proposed another amendment, along with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, to impose stricter conditions on future sales of bombs to Saudi Arabia. The proposal would require the U.S. president to certify that the Saudi government is demonstrating an effort to target terrorist groups, minimize harm to civilians, and enable the delivery of humanitarian assistance before Congress can consider selling or transferring air-to-ground munitions.

“Saudi Arabia is an important partner, but the United States needs to recognize when a friend’s actions are not in our national interest,” Murphy said in a statement.

“There’s no evidence that the Saudi campaign in Yemen, enabled by the United States, advances our interests or makes us any safer,” Murphy said. “In fact, the civil war in Yemen is prolonging human suffering and playing into the hands of the same terrorist groups that are working to attack Americans.”

The United Nations is currently trying to broker a peace deal between the internationally-recognized Yemeni government and Houthi rebels.

On Thursday, after a series of delays and theatrics, U.N. special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said peace talks were back on track in the host city of Kuwait after being suspended last week.

Ahmed said both sides indicated willingness to hold talks to reach a resolution, though similar promises have been made in the past.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/27/exclusive-white-house-blocks-transfer-of-cluster-bombs-to-saudi-arabia/

Modifié le 27 mai 2016 par Barristan-Selmy

[Yankev]

Il y a 1 heure, Barristan-Selmy a dit :

White House Blocks Transfer of Cluster Bombs to Saudi Arabia

  Révéler le texte masqué

Riyadh’s air war in Yemen has killed and injured hundreds of civilians. Washington is finally trying to stem the carnage.

 

Frustrated by a growing death toll, the White House has quietly placed a hold on the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia as the Sunni ally continues its bloody war on Shiite rebels in Yemen, U.S. officials tell Foreign Policy. It’s the first concrete step the United States has taken to demonstrate its unease with the Saudi bombing campaign that human rights activists say has killed and injured hundreds of Yemeni civilians, many of them children.

The move follows rising criticism by U.S. lawmakers of America’s support for the oil-rich monarchy in the year-long conflict. Washington has sold weapons and provided training, targeting information, and aerial refueling support to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. It has also sold Riyadh millions of dollars’ worth of cluster bombs in recent years.

Asked about the hold on the shipments, a senior U.S. official cited reports that the Saudi-led coalition used cluster bombs “in areas in which civilians are alleged to have been present or in the vicinity.”

“We take such concerns seriously and are seeking additional information,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The hold applies to CBU-105 cluster bombs manufactured by the U.S.-based firm Textron Systems. According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Saudi-led forces have dropped CBU-105 munitions in multiple locations around Yemen, including Al-Amar, Sanhan, Amran, and the Al-Hayma port.

Cluster bombs contain bomblets that scatter widely and kill or injure indiscriminately. Sometimes bomblets fail to detonate immediately and can kill civilians months or even years later. The weapons were banned in a 2008 international treaty that arms sales giants, including the United States and Russia, refused to sign.

Responding to humanitarian concerns, the U.S. has scaled back exports of cluster bombs and demanded changes in the munitions’ performance, such as banning those with a higher fraction of submunitions that do not explode on impact. A 2009 U.S. law prohibits exporting cluster bombs that have a failure rate of above 1 percent. It also says the weapons cannot be used “where civilians are known to be present,” and only against “clearly defined military targets.”

The CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon has been touted for meeting the 1 percent requirement. But a February report by Human Rights Watch cited evidence the weapon was used in two attacks in Yemen, and had a failure rate that exceeded 1 percent. “The evidence raises serious questions about compliance with U.S. cluster munition policy and export rules,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch.

The group has investigated at least five attacks in Yemen involving CBU-105s in four governorates since the war began. In December, the group documented an attack on the Yemeni port of Hodaida that injured a woman and two children in their homes. Two other civilians were wounded in a CBU-105 attack near Al-Amar village, according to local residents and medical staff interviewed by Human Rights Watch.

The Obama administration has issued several statements of “concern” about the violence in Yemen, but has yet to formally announce any reduction in military or tactical support for the coalition. A U.S. official touted the fact that Washington’s “engagement” with Riyadh has led to the kingdom committing to conducting an inquiry into civilian deaths in the conflict.

“Saudi Arabia has also pledged to create an investigations commission to evaluate military targeting, ensure the protection of civilians, and investigate incidents of civilian harm during the conflict in Yemen,” said the U.S. official. “This is a vital step towards protecting civilians, and also avoiding future civilian harm.”

While praising the decision to the hold the sale of cluster bombs to Riyadh, prominent humanitarian groups told FP it’s not enough.

“Any step toward ending the production and sale of cluster bomb munitions by the United States government is a good thing, but much much more needs to be done,” said Sunjeev Bery, advocacy director at Amnesty International. He said his organization pushed — unsuccessfully —  to block a $1.3 billion sale of smart bombs to Riyadh that the U.S. approved in November.

It remains unclear if the Obama administration’s hold will affect an existing tranche of cluster bombs poised for shipment to Saudi Arabia, or simply all future requests. The U.S. concluded a contract for the manufacture of 1,300 CBU-105 weapons to Saudi Arabia in 2013. The final shipment of such weapons can take years to complete, but U.S. officials have repeatedly refused to clarify if the order’s final tranche was delivered.

Matthew Colpitts, a spokesman for Textron Systems, also declined to comment on the status of the shipment. “Textron Systems does not comment on delivery dates with our customers,” he said.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Since March 2015, when Saudi Arabia launched its military campaign against the Houthi rebellion in Yemen, at least 6,200 people have died and nearly three million have been displaced from their homes. The conflict is often viewed as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government in exile, and Iran, which has provided some support to Houthi rebels, who are part of a Shiite sect. While aid workers have stressed Yemen’s dire humanitarian situation, counterterrorism experts note the protracted fighting and chaos has allowed al Qaeda’s affiliate in the Arabian peninsula to strengthen its position in the country.

Though the conflict is in its second year, it is only now beginning to be eyed skeptically by U.S. lawmakers.

A proposed defense spending bill approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee calls for creating a capital fund to expedite the supply of precision guided bombs for “partner and allied forces.”

Although the bill does not specify which allies lawmakers have in mind, human rights groups and at least one senator are concerned the provision could be used to make it easier to deliver more sophisticated bombs to Saudi Arabia.

 Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) proposed an amendment Thursday to strip the language out of the defense bill on grounds the provision could enable Saudi Arabia to expand its air campaign despite the mounting civilian toll, his office said.

The senator was also concerned that the provision in the defense bill could make it easier for an administration to involve the United States “in other foreign entanglements with limited oversight,” Murphy spokesman Chris Harris told FP.

And Murphy on Thursday also proposed another amendment, along with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, to impose stricter conditions on future sales of bombs to Saudi Arabia. The proposal would require the U.S. president to certify that the Saudi government is demonstrating an effort to target terrorist groups, minimize harm to civilians, and enable the delivery of humanitarian assistance before Congress can consider selling or transferring air-to-ground munitions.

“Saudi Arabia is an important partner, but the United States needs to recognize when a friend’s actions are not in our national interest,” Murphy said in a statement.

“There’s no evidence that the Saudi campaign in Yemen, enabled by the United States, advances our interests or makes us any safer,” Murphy said. “In fact, the civil war in Yemen is prolonging human suffering and playing into the hands of the same terrorist groups that are working to attack Americans.”

The United Nations is currently trying to broker a peace deal between the internationally-recognized Yemeni government and Houthi rebels.

On Thursday, after a series of delays and theatrics, U.N. special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said peace talks were back on track in the host city of Kuwait after being suspended last week.

Ahmed said both sides indicated willingness to hold talks to reach a resolution, though similar promises have been made in the past.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/27/exclusive-white-house-blocks-transfer-of-cluster-bombs-to-saudi-arabia/

Merci pour cet article.

Une question me turlupine: dans l'article, il est question d'un contrat de 1,3Md$ pour 1300 bombes, ce qui correspond à 1milion$/unité. Pourtant le prix annoncé pour la CBU-105, est de 700 000 $. Où sont passés les 30% de différence?

Il y a bien la formation, mais à hauteur de 390M$, ça fait beaucoup... Je verrai bien quelques pots de vin...

A+/Yankev

Modifié le 27 mai 2016 par Yankev

[collectionneur]

Tiens, c'est peut être pour les réservé aux forces US qui semblent être un peu à courts de munitions ? :

http://www.opex360.com/2016/05/27/iraksyrie-laviation-americaine-fait-les-fonds-de-tiroir-pour-trouver-des-bombes-guidage-gpslaser/

 

[Barristan-Selmy]

Guerre au Yémen: l'ONU épingle la coalition arabe pour les morts d'enfants

http://www.lapresse.ca/international/moyen-orient/201606/02/01-4987868-guerre-au-yemen-lonu-epingle-la-coalition-arabe-pour-les-morts-denfants.php

[Barristan-Selmy]

Yémen/droit des enfants: l'Onu retire la coalition menée par Riyad de sa liste noire

http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/989898/yemen-droit-des-enfants-lonu-retire-la-coalition-menee-par-riyad-de-sa-liste-noire.html

Pathétique.

[rendbo]

Il y a 2 heures, Barristan-Selmy a dit :

Yémen/droit des enfants: l'Onu retire la coalition menée par Riyad de sa liste noire

http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/989898/yemen-droit-des-enfants-lonu-retire-la-coalition-menee-par-riyad-de-sa-liste-noire.html

Pathétique.

Assez vrai à première vue, mais il faut lire le rapport pour se faire une opinion. Cette coalition, quoique pas fine, ne cible pas des enfants, qui restent in fine des dégâts collatéraux (ce qui n'est pas forcément acceptable). Il faut aussi voir quels sont les pays qui sont et ne sont pas dans ce rapport, et à quel titre.... Je soupçonne qu'il y avait déjà pas des exceptions pathétiques.

[Barristan-Selmy]

Ce que je trouve pathétique c'est surtout que cela a eu lieu suite aux menaces saoudiennes et non en lien avec la méthodologie du rapport qui peut en effet être débattu.

 

Saudi Arabia Threatened to Break Relations With U.N. Over Human Rights Criticism in Yemen

Révélation

Riyadh warned Turtle Bay it would pull hundreds of millions of dollars from U.N. programs if it was singled out for killing and maiming children in Yemen.

 

Saudi Arabia threatened this week to break relations with the United Nations and cut hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance to its humanitarian relief and counterterrorism programs to strong-arm the U.N. into removing Riyadh and its allies from a blacklist of groups that are accused of harming children in armed conflict.

The threat — which has not been previously reported — worked, and the U.N. subsequently dropped the Saudis from a rogues’ gallery of the world’s worst violators of children’s rights in conflict zones.

In their Monday warning, senior Saudi diplomats told top U.N. officials Riyadh would use its influence to convince other Arab governments and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to sever ties with the United Nations, the officials said. The threats were issued in a series of exchanges between top Saudi officials in Riyadh, including Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, according to U.N.-based officials. The Saudi mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Riyadh was enraged after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon included the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen on a list of countries, rebel movements, and terrorist organizations that killed, maimed, or otherwise abused children in conflict. The 40-page report — which was issued last week and primarily written by Leila Zerrougui, the U.N. chief’s special representative for children and armed conflict — claimed the coalition was responsible for about 60 percent of 1,953 child deaths and injuries in Yemen since last year.

Hoping to mollify the Saudis, Ban issued a statement Monday saying he would remove the Saudi-led coalition from the list, pending a review of the matter by a joint U.N. and Saudi panel. The reversal triggered a wave of criticism of the U.N. from human rights groups, who accused Ban of caving to Saudi intimidation.

“It appears that political power and diplomatic clout have been allowed to trump the U.N.’s duty to expose those responsible for the killing and maiming of more than 1,000 of Yemen’s children,” Sajjad Mohammad Sajid, Oxfam’s country director in Yemen, said in a statement. “The decision to retract its finding is a moral failure and goes against everything the U.N. is meant to stand for.”

The Saudi threat reflects a growing trend by U.N. member states to threaten retaliation against Turtle Bay for challenging their human rights records.

In March, Morocco expelled 84 international staffers from a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the disputed Western Sahara region after Ban characterized the territory as “occupied.” Last year, the United States warned that Congress might cut off funding to the U.N. if it included Israel on the same blacklist of armed entities that killed or injured children in conflict, according to two U.N. diplomatic officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. In that case, Ban removed Israel from a draft blacklist before it was made public.

Pushing Monday for Riyadh to be delisted, Saudi Arabia’s U.N. ambassador, Abdallah al-Mouallimi, said it was unfair for Israel to be quietly let off the hook, while the kingdom initially was not.

“We have to ask the question: Why was Israel removed from the list last year?” Mouallimi said. “Israel has been guilty of crimes against children that are far in excess of even the inaccurate numbers that report contains about Yemen.”

At the time, Israel said it should not be part of a list that also included outlawed extremist groups like the Islamic State, al Qaeda, and the Taliban. Israel also maintained it continually sought to protect civilians from its warfare with Palestinian armed groups.

Mouallimi said he protested Saudi Arabia’s inclusion on the 2016 list in a face-to-face meeting Monday morning with U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson and said Ban had shown “wisdom” in striking Israel from the tally in 2015. “We fail to see why he has not exercised the same wisdom in this report this year,” Mouallimi said.

But hours later, Mouallimi praised Ban for seeing the light and reversing his position.

Taking Riyadh off the list “clearly vindicates” the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, he told reporters. The U.N. decision, he insisted, is “irreversible and unconditional.”

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/06/07/saudi-arabia-threatened-to-break-relations-with-un-over-human-rights-criticism-in-yemen/

 

 

Le rapport de l'ONU avec la liste à la fin si ça en intéresse certains : http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=s/2016/360&referer=/english/&Lang=E

Modifié le 8 juin 2016 par Barristan-Selmy

[Coriace]

Bref on constate que l'ONU ne représente plus grand chose et que sa seule richesse, sa légitimité internationale fonds comme neige au soleil. Y adjoindre le Brésil ou l'inde au CS n'y changera rien. Le monde de demain sera un monde sans ONU mais est ce si surprenant ?

[Boule75]

Retrait des troupes au sol des EAU de la coalition au Yémen, reste leur aviation.

[Barristan-Selmy]

Yémen: les rebelles se rapprochent d'une base aérienne stratégique

http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/992346/yemen-les-rebelles-se-rapprochent-de-la-base-aerienne-dal-anad.html

[Barristan-Selmy]

Nouvelle escalade militaire au Yémen, 41 morts

http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/993313/nouvelle-escalade-militaire-au-yemen-41-morts.html

[collectionneur]

Les loyalistes ''En manque d'arme et de munitions'' ? C'est étrange...

[collectionneur]

Et la poudre continue de parlé au Yémen, combat de 8 heures à la frontière avec l'Arabie Saoudite, 5 gardes frontières saoudiens tués :

http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/998346/arabie-cinq-gardes-frontieres-tues-dans-des-combats-a-la-frontiere-avec-le-yemen.html

[Kurssad]

Les pays de la coalition ont l'air d'intensifié leurs opérations au Yémen.

 

[Libanais_75]

Les Houthis ont pris d'assaut plusieurs checkpoint autour de la ville de Najran, en Arabie Saoudite, faisant plusieurs morts dans les rangs saoudiens (au moins deux d'après les vidéos que j'ai pu apercevoir ci-et-là).

La vue des Houthis sur la ville :

 

 

[karim1218]

les combats ont repris a najran

 

 

[Barristan-Selmy]

Un hôpital touché par des frappes au Yémen: six morts

http://www.lapresse.ca/international/moyen-orient/201608/15/01-5010664-un-hopital-touche-par-des-frappes-au-yemen-six-morts.php

[Barristan-Selmy]

Arabie saoudite: 7 civils tués par le tir d'une roquette depuis le Yémen

http://www.bfmtv.com/international/arabie-saoudite-7-civils-tues-par-le-tir-d-une-roquette-depuis-le-yemen-1026701.html#page/contribution/index

 

 

Yémen : l'armée fait reculer Al-Qaïda et récupère une ville capitale

http://www.lepoint.fr/monde/yemen-l-armee-fait-reculer-al-qaida-et-recupere-une-ville-capitale-14-08-2016-2061237_24.php

 

 

Modifié le 16 août 2016 par Barristan-Selmy

[Barristan-Selmy]

Infographie intéressante sur les tirs de missiles balistiques des Houthis et alliés contre la coalition saoudienne et alliés : 

http://missilethreat.csis.org/the-missile-war-in-yemen/

 

[ascromis]

Les batteries Patriot Émiraties et Saoudiennes n'ont pas chômé apparemment. 

[collectionneur]

Seulement 2 tirs réussi ? Je pensais avoir lu bien plus... Mais bon, avec la propagande des uns et des autres, il faut être prudent