Yemen update 1/22/2016.. "Heinous Massacre" Of Civilians, Rescue Workers By Saudi Warplanes

NEWS IN YEMEN 22 1 2016

Saudi airstrike in Yemen kills at least 20 civilians incl rescuers, MSF paramedic

UN urges protection of Yemen’s medical facilities

Dramatic Footage Depicts “Heinous Massacre” Of Civilians, Rescue Workers By Saudi Warplanes

March will mark a year since Saudi Arabia began its air campaign in Yemen, where Iran-backed militiamen drove President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi into exile in Riyadh.

The Houthi advance was a decidedly unwelcome event for the Saudis who aren’t keen on permitting Tehran to establish what would amount to an Iranian colony with a cozy view of the Bab-el-Mandeb on the kingdom’s southern border.

As the conflict drags on, it’s become abundantly clear that there will be no swift resolution and apparently, Riyadh is willing to sacrifice the kingdom’s financial stability if it means rolling back Iranian influence and restoring the Hadi government.

The Saudi-led campaign (which also involves Qatar and the UAE) has been successful at driving the Houthis from Aden, but the push north has proven to be quite arduous and retaking Sana’a remains an elusive goal. The situation is complicated immeasurably by the activities of AQAP and of course, by the presence of ISIS who, as usual, thinks everyone involved are apostates.

Needless to say, the conflict has wreaked unspeakable havoc on Yemen’s population and has imperiled its cultural heritage. A UNESCO world heritage site in Sana’a’s Old City has been flattened by Saudi airstrikes and on at least two occasions, Saudi warplanes have “accidentally” bombed Doctors Without Borders hospitals.

On Thursday, we got still more evidence that Riyadh’s relentless aerial bombardment of Yemen is taking its toll on the country’s beleaguered populace when a “double-tap” Saudi airstrike killed nearly two dozen people including an MSF ambulance driver, rescue workers, and multiple civilians in Sadaa.

Video footage of the strikes is below as is confirmation from MSF that the ambulance driver was “on his way to help.”

Yemen’s Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Nashwan Attab called the strikes a “heinous massacre” and an attempt on Saudi Arabia’s part to completely eliminate the few remaining medical staff in the province.

Yemeni women call on the UN to take serious action and end Saudi genocide

Yemeni forces retaliate against Saudi attacks

Saudi soldiers fell into a Yemeni trap in Shorfah, Najran, Saudi

Rights group condemn UK arms sales to Saudis

Who is Responsible for the Suffering of Yemen?

By Martin Berger – New Eastern Outlook – 22.01.2016

As noted by numerous commentators on the Middle East, the situation in Yemen remains very grave. The country has been devastated by the armed conflict being waged between the Houthis and the troops of ousted President Mansour Hadi, which in turn are being heavily supported by the air forces of the so-called Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

The ongoing airstrikes claim civilians lives, leave districts in ruin, and destroy the country’s infrastructure. Earlier this month at least three people were killed in an air raid on the hospital of Doctors Without Borders in the governorate of Saada. It’s been reported that hospitals are closing their doors, unable to operate under the current circumstances.

This is not the first medical facility to be bombed in Yemen – the so-called Arab coalition has even destroyed the Center for Care and Rehabilitation of the blind in the Yemeni capital Sana’a. Moreover, the international Human Rights Watch organization reported that the coalition was using cluster bombs to destroy certain facilities in Sana’a back in January.

One should note that massive civil unrest began in Yemen in 2011 as the direct result of so-called the Arab Spring, orchestrated by the US and its allies. In 2014, Shia tribesmen that are known today as the Houthis started fighting government forces and consequently managed to capture a significant part of the country due to the massive support that was shown for them by the Yemeni population. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia launched its first airstrikes against the Houthis, which were, according to various human rights organizations, badly coordinated and resulted in massive civilian casualties.

Concerned by the grave state of affairs in Yemen, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein announced at a meeting of the UN Security Council back in December that it is the so-called Arab coalition that is responsible for the absolute majority of attacks on residential areas and civilian targets in Yemen. According to Reuters, the UN High Commissioner announced that he:

“observed with extreme concern heavy shelling from the ground and air in areas of Yemen with a high concentration of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools.”

It is curious to note that in pursuit of its criminal goals in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has been using weapons that were bought from the UK in 2012. Moreover, it keeps on restocking its supply of deadly British-made weapons. For this reason, at the end of last year, leading British diplomats and lawyers warned David Cameron that he was running the risk of facing an international tribunal for war crimes due to the fact that the weapons that his government supplies to Saudi Arabia are being extensively used against civilian targets in Yemen…………..https://alethonews.wordpress.com/2016/01/22/who-is-responsible-for-the-suffering-of-yemen/