Monthly Briefing / November – 2022

Political Scene 

The Yemeni file was present in most of the statements made by regional and foreign countries, where two main issues were discussed. The first issue is related to the return of the military escalation between the government and the Houthis, and the second is related to the widespread condemnation of the drone attacks, as the Houthis claimed responsibility for targeting the oil ports in Hadhramaut and Shabwa, which caused the halt in oil exports.

• The Wall Street Journal: Saudi Arabia shared information with the U.S., warning of an imminent Iranian attack on targets in the kingdom, putting the U.S. military and others in the Middle East on an elevated alert level (November 1)

• The chairman of the Presidential Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, called on Arab countries to classify the Houthis as a terrorist organization, supporting the decision of the National Defense Council, and the decision of the Arab League Council. (November 2)

• The Ambassador of the United States to Yemen, Stephen Harris Fagin, visited Hadhramaut for the second time since his appointment in the middle of this year. (November 8)

• The U.S. and Oman affirmed in a joint statement that the political solution is the way to end the conflict, emphasizing Yemen’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. (November 9)

• The U.S., France, and the UK condemned the terrorist attack, which was carried out by the Houthis on Shabwa’s port of Qena. (November 10)

• The National Alliance of Political Parties said that the code of professional conduct announced by the Houthis creates a toxic atmosphere, and it expressed racism, sectarianism and a totalitarian approach. (November 16)

• During his meeting with the minister of transport Dr. Abd al-Salam Hamid in Aden, the UN representative in Yemen, David Gresley, said, “The fieldwork to unload the oil tanker Safer will begin in the first quarter of next year, and the work will take four months, according to the UN plan, for $100 million.” (November 17)

• The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the drones that were used in the attack on an oil ship in the Gulf of Oman on November 16 were previously used in an attack launched by the Houthis on Abu Dhabi in January 2022. (November 20)

• Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik received Ambassador to Yemen Stephen Fagin in Aden. They discussed the targeting of oil ports by the Houthis and its effect on maritime navigation and the security of the region. (November 21)

• The British ambassador to Yemen, Richard Oppenheim, said that the restrictions imposed by the Houthis on women in the areas under its control are “worrying”. (November 25)

Military Scene

Although the armistice was not renewed, the military escalation between the government and the Houthis is still at a minimum. The most prominent event of this month was drones targeting economic facilities, with the Presidential Council promising a military escalation if the truce collapsed.

– Drones affiliated with the Houthis targeted the Qena oil port in Shabwa, while a ship was unloading its cargo at the port. (November 9)

– The Yemeni Coast Guard announced that three of its personnel were injured in a drone attack carried out by the Houthis in the Red Sea. (November 10)

– The Houthis announced the death of seven of its militants, in clashes with government forces on several fronts, most notably Marib, Taiz, Al-Dhalea and Al-Jawf, bringing the death toll this month to 71. (November 10)

Security Scene:

During the months of October and November, ships and boats were seized at the ports of Al-Mahra and Shabwa, carrying large quantities of weapons and contraband, along with ships heading to the areas controlled by Houthis.

– The International Organization for Migration said, “Twenty-eight out of 30 African migrants were lost in a shipwreck, off the coast of Yemen.” (November 7)

– Unidentified gunmen assassinated the advisor of the Minister of Defense, Brigadier General, Muhammad Al-Jaradi, in Al-Wadi District, Ma’rib. 

(November 8)

– The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet said it had intercepted a fishing vessel that was smuggling large quantities of explosive materials while it was crossing from Iran to the Houthis. (November 15)

– The Ministry of Interior announced the seizure of a ship smuggling weapons to the Houthis coming from Somalia, near the port of Mocha. (November 19)

–  Mocha Airport received the first flight from the International Committee of the Red Cross, after completing the first phase of the construction and preparation process. (November 24)

Economic Scene:

Fears of the deterioration of the country’s economic conditions, after the Houthis attacks on economic ports, especially since these attacks, resulted in stopping the export of oil, which heralds a severe economic crisis that will worsen the economic conditions for the population.

• Closing the port of Dhaba in Hadhramaut and halting oil exports as a result of the Houthis threats to target oil tankers (November 22)

• The Yemeni riyal recorded an improvement against foreign currencies, in the areas controlled by the government, after the prime minister announced the arrival of a payment from the UAE deposit to the Central Bank. (November 23)

• An economic report revealed that Yemen spends about $3 million/per day to import fuel for generating electric power. (November 27)

• Yemen signed an agreement with the Arab Monetary Fund in Riyadh, to support the economic, financial and monetary reform program worth $1 billion, for 2022 to 2025. (November 27)

Human Scene

• The International Organization for Migration announced it had monitored a wave of displacement — from early 2022 until November 5,2022 — of 9,276,000 families representing 55,656,000 individuals. (November 8)

• The International Organization for Migration said that it recorded the entry of 6,381 immigrants to Yemen during the month of October 2022, an increase of 6% compared to last September. (November 9)

• The local authority in Hodeidah said that 100 families were affected by the fire that destroyed 60 tents, in the IDP camp in the Khawkhah district. No injuries were recorded, and the causes of the fire were not disclosed. (November 13)

• The UN announced assigning $35 million to support food in Yemen, as part of urgent aid worth 210 million euros in several countries of the world. (November 14)

• The International Organization for Migration revealed that the majority of the displaced in Ma’rib do not intend to return to their cities, due to fears of insecurity and lack of income-earning opportunities. (November 16)

Violations 

The UN recorded 343 civilian casualties caused by mines, including 95 deaths and 248 injuries, between April 2022 and September 2022. (November 3)

• The National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms (HOOD) accused the UN offices of supporting the Houthis in planting mines, by providing 15 financial grants, in its development program, with an amount of $167,221,136 between 2016 and 2022. (November 7)

• Four civilians were killed and 28 were injured (including women and children) as a result of drone attacks launched by the Houthis targeting a weapons depot of the national army in Ma’rib. (November 8)

• The Houthis issued instructions for the employees, called “a code of professional conduct”, which restricts their access to social media and prohibits them from publishing any information. (November 8)

Statistics 

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms said: The Zainabiyat* carried out 1,400 incidents of violations against civilians during the period from December 1, 2017, to October 30, 2022,

• 9 cases of killing [6 killed by severe beating and 3 by gunshots].

• 172 incidents of violation.

• 31 raids on service and health facilities.

• 76 raids and invading of educational facilities (schools and universities).

• 65 raids on places of worship and religious centers.

• 571 arrests and kidnappings.

• 231 female detainees are currently in prisons [62 detainees who were forcibly disappeared have been subjected to psychological and physical torture]. (November 11)

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Liberties documented that the Houthis arrested and kidnapped 16,800 Yemenis, during the period from September 2014 to August 2022, while 4,201 detainees are still in prisons:

• 389 politicians

• 464 activists

• 340 journalists 

• 176 children

• 374 women

Out of the 4,201 still in prisons, they are 2,458 kidnapped people, including:

• 342 educators

• 512 sheikhs and social figures

• 216 preachers

• 154 academics

• 217 students

• 96 lawyers and judges

• 93 doctors

• 376 employees

• 293 Sanitation worker

• 78 merchants

• 81 foreigners and refugees

There are 1,317 people who were forcibly disappeared, including:

• 84 women

• 76 children

4,012 people were subjected to psychological and physical torture, including:

• 463 people that were used as human shields.

• 147 were killed inside prisons.

• 282 died due to negligence in prisons.

• 92 detainees died from heart attacks.

• 52 people died of kidney failure or paralysis (total or half) as a result of the torture.

• 98 died a few days after they were released from prison. (November 16)

* a women’s military wing affiliated with the Houthis