11/16
A recent report highlights the likelihood that an additional 5 million people in Yemen will starve if the fighting in al-Hudaydah continues and consequently drives up food prices.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly “threw a fit” over the draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a limited ceasefire and increase in humanitarian aid to Yemen when it was proposed to him by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
11/19
World Food Programme Chief David Beasley called the Houthis the greatest impediment to delivery of aid on the ground in Yemen, due to fighters taking up fighting positions in food warehouses in al-Hudaydah.
11/22
UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan has been sued over his involvement in the ongoing conflict in Yemen by a French rights group, the Alliance for the Defence of Rights and Freedoms (AIDL). The lawsuit was filed on grounds of complicity in torture and inhumane treatment in Yemen, citing a UN report on war crimes.
11/23
Martin Griffiths released a statement following his visit to San’a. The Special Envoy for Yemen welcomed recent calls for peace and referenced a recent meeting with the Ansar Allah leadership, where a more active UN role in managing the port of al-Hudaydah was discussed.
11/26
Several leaders of major international humanitarian NGOs released a joint statement urging the US government to take action in the humanitarian disaster that the US has contributed to in Yemen.
UN Envoy Martin Griffiths met with Yemeni officials, including Vice President Ali Muhsin al-Ahmar and Foreign Minister Khalid al-Yamani, in Riyadh in an effort to prepare for peace talks in Sweden in December.
The Mothers of Abductees Association is reporting that four journalists were physically assaulted by Houthis in the political security prison in San’a.
Houthi authorities have discontinued license renewal processes for civil society organizations and charities operating in San’a.
11/27
The US has blocked the introduction of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a limited ceasefire and increase in humanitarian aid to Yemen. While the US’ decision comes from fear of angering Saudi Arabia, multiple human rights groups have called the resolution disappointing in its limitations and lack of criticism of the coalition.
Yemeni women activists are pushing for their right to be involved in the upcoming peace talks, citing UN Resolution 1325 as well as their basic rights as Yemenis.
11/28
The US Senate voted 63 to 37 to bring a measure to the floor that would remove US forces from the war in Yemen. The vote is a signal of growing congressional frustration with the Trump administration over its handling of the relationship with Saudi Arabia, including not only Yemen but also the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
During the debate on the vote to discharge Senate Joint Resolution 54, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) revealed that the Department of Defense has not been properly collecting reimbursements for aerial refueling from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The White House has repeatedly used the fact that the coalition states pay for fuel provided by the US to defend its refueling support.
Cybersecurity researchers have written outlining strategies used by the Houthis to control internet infrastructure in Yemen in an effort to control narratives and restrict access to information across the country, as well as to gain intelligence from its users.
11/29
While the exchange rate in Yemen has continued to drop, currently standing at 342 YR to the dollar in Aden, local businesses have not readjusted their prices, which signals a lack of government enforcement and regulation during an already disastrous economic situation. The exchange rate remains above 400 YR to the dollar in San’a, and varies considerably throughout the country.
A local journalist reports that Houthi authorities have disappeared “dozens” of people in al-Hudaydah in recent days, and transported many of them to San’a.