Tag: Yemen

The Story: The US Senate held hearings on five of the President-elect's most important appointments on January 19, just the day before he was to...

As the war in Yemen enters its fifth year, the country is facing a humanitarian crisis that has led to countless civilian deaths and hundreds protesting against the United States' and Saudi Arabia's involvement in the conflict. CNN's Sam Kiley…

Houthi group in north protests marginalisation of the local Zaydi Shi’ite Muslim sect and fights six wars with Saleh’s forces and one with Saudi Arabia. Arab Spring protests undermine Saleh’s rule, lead to splits in the army and allow al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to seize swathes of territory in the east. Saleh steps down in a political transition plan backed by Gulf states. The Houthis rapidly advance south from Saadeh and seize Sanaa on September 21 with help from Saleh. Hunger grows as the coalition imposes a partial blockade on Yemen, accusing Iran of smuggling missiles to the Houthis through Hodeidah alongside food imports, something it denies. Coalition air strikes that kill civilians prompt warnings from rights groups, but Western support for the military campaign continues. The Houthis launch a growing number of missiles deep into Saudi Arabia, including at Riyadh. Seeing a chance to regain power for his family by reneging on his Houthi allies, Saleh switches sides, but is killed trying to escape them. Friction also develops between fighters in Aden backed by Saudi Arabia, and those backed by its Emirati coalition partners. Violence continues in parts of Yemen outside Hodeidah.

Graham Jones, a Labour MP and chair of the Commons committees on arms export controls (CAEC), also said that blame for the war in Yemen lay primarily with Iran, and not the west or Saudi Arabia. Jones is the most senior parliamentarian overseeing Britain’s arms control regime, including the lawfulness of UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Yemen’s UN-backed government, supported by Saudi and UAE forces, has been trying to dislodge a Houthi militia in the country. Jones told the defence select committee that NGOs were “dishonest” in their reporting. They insist they have also called out Houthi war crimes, but point out the UK is supplying weapons to the Saudis and not the Houthis. Jones told the Guardian that the NGOs misunderstood the region’s problems. It is a cuddly safe European response (or in some cases just a continuation of the cold war).” He said many civilian deaths were because Houthi forces placed human shields in the way of the west’s allies. More recently CAEC has focused on a sweeping review of the UK arms control regime, although it did also write to the Saudi embassy in London calling for an investigation into an airstrike on a market last August. One international arms control NGO, Control Arms, wrote to Jones in August urging CAEC to return to inquiring into specific licences. “The UK’s recent licensing practice has given more cause for concern than at any time since current legislation was adopted in 2002,” Control Arms explained.

At the very bottom of the region, Syria scores 13, followed by Yemen (14) and Libya (17). Political corruption remains a central challenge, despite the work of many governments across the region to focus their national priorities on fighting corruption and increasing transparency. A pillar of democratic practice, checks and balances serve an important function in keeping governments honest. As in previous years, Syria remains at the very bottom of the CPI, having experienced violent conflict in the last few years. Facing challenges of terrorism, war and conflict, Sudan remains at the bottom of the index. With a score of 49, Jordan increased a point on the CPI since last year. In a report published by our chapter, Rasheed for Transparency and Integrity, which reviewed Jordan’s commitment to SDG 16, the chapter made several recommendations to the government to improve its anti-corruption efforts. Specifically, the report recommends financial and administrative independence of all public institutions that serve anti-corruption functions, additional protections for civil society, and a legislative review to ensure freedom of expression is upheld. Political corruption and conflict of interest remain among the main challenges to any improvement in Lebanon. Recommendations For the region to fulfil its anti-corruption commitments, there needs to be a serious change in the way countries in the region approach institutions, political rights, checks and balances and other pillars of democracy.

The Senate vote to end U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen was also a strong statement against the unfettered power of American presidents to engage the U.S. military wherever they want, whenever they want. » Subscribe to MSNBC:…

In response to the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, senators vote to recommend U.S. stop aiding Saudi Arabia in Yemen war. #FoxNews FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as…

LIVE from the Senate Floor: The Senate gets ready to vote on a set of measures punishing Saudi Arabia for its murder of Washington Post columnist and American resident Jamal Khashoggi, targeting US involvment in the Saudi war in Yemen.…

After a briefing with the Senate, the secretary of state says a resolution limiting U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led war following the death of Jamal Khashoggi would undermine cease-fire efforts. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service…