Monthly Briefing / Aril – 2023

Political Scene

The visit by the Saudi ambassador to Sana’a was widely discussed as a step by Riyadh toward ending its military intervention in Yemen, despite the reservations of the Presidential Leadership Council and Yemeni parties.

• Members of the United Nations Security Council confirmed their support for the efforts to secure a ceasefire in Yemen and work to hold comprehensive political talks under the aegis of the United Nations, based on international principles and Security Council decisions. (4)
• Two delegations, one from Saudi Arabia and one from Oman, arrived in Sana’a under the leadership of the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Yemen, Muhammad Al Jabir, to complete discussions with the Houthi militia leadership concerning a ceasefire. It is the first declared visit by a Saudi official to Sana’a since the coup by the Houthi militia began at the end of 2014 (8).
• Hans Grundberg, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, stated that the Yemeni Omani talks that took place in Sana’a with the Houthi militia have now brought Yemen closer to permanent peace than at any other previous time. (10)
• The Houthi authorities admitted — for the first time — that they are holding the prominent Yemeni politician, Muhammad Qahtan, for eight years after his kidnapping and are silent on his whereabouts. (14)
• The head of the Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Muhammad Al-Alimi, and members of it visited former president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in his place of residence in the Saudi capital of Riyadh for the first time since the council took power. (14)
• The Saudi foreign ministry stated that its delegation’s meetings and discussions with the Houthi leadership in Sana’a were “positive” and characterized by transparency and that other meetings to be held later will be toward a comprehensive solution. (15)
• G7 called the Houthi militia to secure a permanent ceasefire in Yemen and work toward a comprehensive political process. (19)
• The president of the PLC, Dr. Rashad Muhammad Al-Alimi, left the city of Aden three days after returning to the city, by himself via Aden International Airport, accompanied by Aidarus Al-Zubaidi, a member of the council and the president of the Emirati-supported “transitional council”. (23)

Military scene

The exchange of hostages and prisoners between the internationally recognized government and the Houthi militia, supervised by the Red Cross, represented a glimmer of hope toward concluding this giant humanitarian issue, even though the deal remains modest when compared to the extent of those disappeared in prisons, such as the military leader Faisal Rajab, the prominent politician Muhammad Qahtan and hundreds of civilians, most of whom are from the “Islah” party.

• The International Committee of the Red Cross oversaw the release and transport of 787 people, with a prisoner-swap deal between the internationally recognized government and the Houthi militia, including Saudi Arabian and Sudanese nationals and journalists who had been given the death sentence. (14)

Security scene

The tragic stampede incident in the capital of Sana’a led to the deaths of hundreds of victims. The stampede can be traced back to the continual conflict between the Houthi militia, which wants complete and comprehensive control over zakat and charity distribution and the giant economic leaders in the country who refuse this takeover. There were also incidents of assassinations witnessed in Taiz.

• In the city of Taiz, unknown armed men assassinated Colonel Yasir Al-Hashadi, the head of the Third Brigade Operations Guard, in Sa’ada Governorate on the Saudi borders, while he was driving home late at night in the Wadi Al-Qadi region, north of the city. (1)
• The leader of the Southern Transitional Council forces and the security director of the Lahj Governorate, Colonel Salih Al-Sayyid, passed away under mysterious circumstances. It was said that his passing away was a result of a sudden heart attack. Al-Sayyid is considered to be one of the figures implicated in the human rights violations in Yemen. (6)
• 85 civilians passed away, and 300 others were injured in a violent stampede after an electrical fire caused an explosion inside the Ma’in school in Bab Al-Yemen in central Sana’a while receiving zakat alms at the end of Ramadan, provided by the businessman Hasan Al-Kabus. There are accusations that the Houthi militia caused the incident to monopolize the collection and distribution of zakat and charity alms. (20)

The Economic Realm

Permission was granted so ships could enter Yemen via the ports in the government-controlled Aden and Houthi-controlled Al-Hodeidah ports without inspection. Both the Houthi military and internationally recognized government welcomed this step.

• The Yemeni government welcomed the launching of a system and direct embarkment of ships back and forth between the liberated ports — the most prominent of which is the port at Aden — without inspection by the two Arab Coalition nations, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which was the situation before the launching of “Decisive Storm” on March 26, 2015. (8)

Violations

Mines and human rights violations in Yemen remain a serious issue, despite the reduction in the level of conflict in light of the fragile truce. Likewise, the status of prisons has not yet been determined, nor have all prisoners been freed due to the conflict, not to mention there is still the continuation of daily violations against civilians.

• The United States of America, the United Kingdom and the European Union called on the Houthi militia to submit maps of their minefields and to commit to following the international humanitarian law, as the percentage of civilian injuries from mines and explosions has risen to 9,000 victims throughout the eight years of war. (5)
• The Saudi authorities released Yemeni journalist Marwan Al-Marisi and deported him directly to Yemen, after he spent five years behind bars, and closed his confirmed account on Twitter, which was followed by more than 100,000 people. (14)

Humanitarian scene

• The United Nations Population Fund indicated that a pregnant woman dies every two hours in Yemen, as a result of the deteriorating health system in the country, and that about 5.5 million women have limited or no access to reproductive health services. (1)
• The International Organization for Migration (IOM) monitored the increase of African migrants who entered Yemen during March, an increase of 87% over February 2023. The matrix recorded the entry of 20,000 immigrants to Yemen in March, while it recorded the entry of 10,726 immigrants in February.
• The United Nations announced the death of 77 children and the infection of more than 9,000 in Yemen, as a result of the spread of measles since the beginning of 2023. (17)
• The World Health Organization announced that more than 21 million people in Yemen live in areas at risk of contracting malaria and that there are more than one million cases of infection every year in Yemen. (25)

Statistics

Report on human rights violations in Yemen on child recruitment (2015-2022)

 248 cases of recruitment and exploitation in 10 Yemeni governorates.

Sana’a, Al-Hodeidah, Amran, Ma’rib, Saada, Dhamar, Ibb, Aden, Hajjah, and Al-Mahweet, Ibb 55 cases, Amran 46 cases.

Entities responsible for recruiting children:

• the Houthi group 231
• military formation 9.

Recruitment methods

• 238 children were recruited, using encouraging means
• 10 children were recruited by intimidating means
• 43 were recruited by attracting them with a salary
• 26 were recruited after attending cultural courses
• 41 were taken to camps without their knowledge
• 6 were recruited without being tempted to receive weapons
• 3 children’s families pushed them to enlist
• 7 were recruited at security points
• 98 recruits’ motives are not known
• 142 were killed while recruiting
• 82 children continue to be recruited
• 13 children returned home
• 5 of them were detained by another party
• 4 children recruits’ fates are unknown.click to download monthly briefing