...and Yemen!

[teqniq]

'Only God can save us': Yemeni children starve as aid is held at border

 

[teqniq]

 

[hash tag]

Still hitting the news and not in a good way Saudi coalition 'to reopen Yemen ports'

 

[teqniq]

A crumb of good news.

 

[teqniq]

Saudi Arabia’s Stranglehold on Yemen Has Already Condemned Thousands to Die in the Coming Weeks

 

[donkyboy]

fucking bastard saudis. hate the country with a passion.

 

[teqniq]

The human toll of war in Yemen - CNN Video

 

[hash tag]

Still being discussed on the news. Will anything happen?

I want to discuss the humanitarian crisis the is Yemen...

May to demand Saudi Arabia ends blockade on Yemen's ports

I want to stremgthen our trading links with the middle east (sell more guns)

Theresa May arrives in Middle East to strengthen links with other trading partners as Brexit nears

 

[hash tag]

Just received this: Stop Arming Saudi Arabia

"The Saudi attacks are only getting worse: there were more air strikes on Yemen in the first half of 2017 than the whole of 2016"

 

[teqniq]

It would appear that Saleh and the Houthis have fallen out.





Yemen's Saleh says open to talks with Saudi-led coalition

 

[elbows]

Cant say I am that surprised, Saleh being notoriously slippery and a survivor whose luck is pretty resistant to running out. And it really deserves to run out on him one day.

 

[teqniq]

No I'm not surprised either, and yes his luck is long past overdue to run out.

 

[elbows]

Just catching up on detail. Sounds like the Houthis took over a Saleh-owned TV station, and the Saudis might be coordinating their bombing to assist Saleh.

Saudi-led coalition provides air support for Yemen's Saleh

Hard to know whats really happening in terms of who might be winning. Houthis have claimed to regain control over numerous key locations in the capital, but of course thats being denied by Salehs republican guard.

Saleh forces deny Houthi claims over control of Sanaa

 

[teqniq]

Reports now appearing on Twitter that Saleh is dead, killed in fighting with Houthis.

 

[elbows]

Reports now appearing on Twitter that Saleh is dead, killed in fighting with Houthis.

Ah yes, what a shame that would be

However the source appears to be a Houthi radio station so I will wait and see.

Houthi radio station says ex-president Saleh killed

edited to add another story:

Saleh's fate unknown after house bombed by Houthis

 

[teqniq]

Just seen a video, looks genuine.

 

[elbows]

Just seen a video, looks genuine.

I've now seen screenshots of someone with a strong resemblance to Sahel with a chunk of his head missing. Probably from the video you are referring to?

 

[teqniq]

Most probably, BBC along with other major news outlets running with the story he's dead now.

video here

also Al Jazeera backstory into how the break between Saleh and the Houthis came about.

Seems that the Saudis are/were looking for an exit strategy.

How did Yemen's Houthi-Saleh alliance collapse?

 

[elbows]

That video.

Spoiler

 

[teqniq]

Ah thanks, didn't think of using a spoiler.

 

[elbows]

One suggestion is that he wasn't killed in the bombing, but rather whilst fleeing the capital. No idea if its true but given that the video of his body appears to be from a location that is not built up, I will link to the tweet anyway.

 

[elbows]

And another one with helpful map and ID card.

 

[hipipol]

Saudi mouthpiece Al Arabiya has this on its front page

he deffo a goner
Yemen’s ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh killed during Sanaa clashes

 

[elbows]

lol at the desperate rumours that Saudi-backed forces were going to come to his aid.

A deal seems to have been brokered, contingent on Saleh announcing that he was splitting from the Houthis.

With the Houthis increasingly dominant on the ground that was always going to be a risk, but at first it seemed to be paying off.

Saleh allies took control of southern Sanaa relatively quickly and the Saudis announced their support for what they called a "revolution" against the Houthis.

Pro-Riyadh media switched from describing Saleh as a "deposed dictator" to Yemen's "former president". But the move backfired.

By Sunday, Houthi militias were in control of much of Sanaa and fierce battles were taking place around the homes of key Saleh family members.

Rumours that Saudi-backed Yemeni forces would soon cross front lines near the capital to come to Saleh's aid proved false.

The increasingly embattled Saleh was apparently fleeing the capital when his convoy was stopped at a Houthi checkpoint.

He was either killed in the ensuing gun battle, or - some of his supporters say - executed on the spot.

Anyway, this analysis repeatedly asks us to believe that although Saleh was a slippery fucker who was involved in causing this chaos, things must surely become worse now that this strong dealmaker is deceased.

Saleh will be remembered as the man who shaped modern Yemen in his own image, but who was more willing to burn the country to the ground than relinquish power.

Yet without his deal-making skills, the civil war he helped to spark and the devastating humanitarian crisis it caused are only likely to get worse.

With Saleh dead and his allied forces apparently crumbling in the face of a Houthi onslaught, the future of Yemen's conflict looks grim.

Saleh was a divisive figure, but he was also the person most likely to be able to broker some kind of settlement. His death will only lead to deeper polarisation in the conflict.

Yemen's future looks grim after Saleh's killing

Personally I doubt I shall mourn the loss of any Saleh-brokered solutions to the numerous woes of Yemen.

 

[teqniq]

 

[elbows]

There was certainly plenty of dodgy sentiments on display in the immediate aftermath of his death, hence my post highlighting Chatham house analysis that things will be worse without his deal-making.

The Guardian obituary did manage to touch on some of his dodgy antics like the 'Al Qaeda ambivalence' but not the Saddam stuff or much of the bloody dealing with opponents.

Ali Abdullah Saleh obituary

Fun detail:

For years, Saleh was reputedly a regular chewer of qat – Yemen’s national drug – and, since it causes wakefulness, would often follow it up with tipples of whisky in order to sleep. It was at the whisky stage that Saleh got most of his worst ideas, according to one former prime minister who used to unplug his phone at 10pm to avoid presidential calls.

 

[DotCommunist]

As you pair have been following this more closely than I would you care to venure an opinion on what this means for the ongoing conflict? Longer or shorter? (I realise these are simplistic questions but as I say, I've not looked beyon main stream newspaper articles). ta.

 

[teqniq]

Opinion on Twitter seems to suggest a prolongation of the fighting and indeed some residents of Sana'a have reported having to leave their homes because of the streetfighting which is the first time this has happened during the conflict. There was also news of a renewed intensity of bombing by the coalition on the news of Saleh's death. Whether or not you believe that Saleh could have been a potential deal maker is neither here nor there now. Houthis have reportedly rounded up tribal leaders who were loyal to Saleh presumably for leverage purposes. One thing that people here could do to help if they've got a few bob to spare is support the action by CAAT who are taking the UK government to court over our continued supply of weaponry and personnel to the Saudis. We are by far and away the largest supplier of both.

Stop Arming Saudi Arabia

 

[teqniq]

An update on the present situation from the perspective of aid organisations

 

[elbows]

As you pair have been following this more closely than I would you care to venure an opinion on what this means for the ongoing conflict? Longer or shorter? (I realise these are simplistic questions but as I say, I've not looked beyon main stream newspaper articles). ta.

What teqniq said. I would add that events prior to Salehs death did give credence to the idea that the Saudis are looking for an exit. I can't add much more until we find out what, if anything, remains of Salehs political party & fighting forces. The UAE still have Salehs most prominent son, who they had as a backup plan in case anything happened to Saleh, but Im not sure how much use he is if the Houthis retain control of the capital and/or if Salehs network of patronage and corruption is permanently smashed.