Yemeni Digest for January 2024

Khulasat – The Digest:

January 2024 was a month laden with events, developments, and challenges for Yemenis across various regions. The political landscape is becoming increasingly complex, with movements in the southern regions pushing towards secession, while some members of the Presidential Leadership Council are attempting to distract the Southern Transitional Council’s efforts in the eastern and southern areas. At the same time, the same council is striving to consolidate its fragmented security apparatus to confront the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, whose leaders claim they are "engaging in new battles with the United States and UK in the Red Sea, coinciding with attacks launched by Sana’a on commercial ships under the pretext that they serve Israeli interests and in support of the people of Gaza." Here, Khalasat provides an overview of the most significant developments related to Yemeni affairs across all political, security, economic, social, and cultural aspects during January 2024. The details of these events are as follows:

Politics:

In Aden, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) continued its efforts to separate the southern regions from the north. On January 2, 2024, the inaugural meeting of the Southern House of Commons was held, where several STC leaders discussed how to achieve their aspirations for secession in the current and future periods. This was followed by movements from factions loyal to the Al-Alimi government, which were described as countermeasures to the STC's activities. In Seiyun, the establishment of the Preparatory Committee, stemming from the Founding Council of the United Council of the Eastern Provinces, was announced as a political entity. It was stated that this entity was formed to help meet the demands of the residents of Hadhramaut, Al-Mahra, Shabwah, and Socotra provinces. Simultaneously, the President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, issued a decision to merge several security and intelligence agencies affiliated with the internationally recognized Yemeni government, including the National Security, Political Security, and other agencies associated with the STC, the Islah Party, and the Giants Brigades, under the name "Central Agency for State Security." These decisions came after a meeting of the members of the Presidential Leadership Council in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The decisions also included the establishment of an independent counter-terrorism agency and the appointment of a commander for it, with its headquarters in Aden.

Regarding the negotiations between the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group and the internationally recognized government, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, held a meeting with the President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, which was preceded by a meeting in the Iranian capital, Tehran, between Mohammed Abdulsalam, the head of Sana’a’s negotiating delegation, and the Iranian Foreign Minister's advisor to discuss progress in the political negotiations on the Yemeni file. On January 18, 2024, the U.S. administration announced the reclassification of the Ansar Allah movement as a terrorist organization after it had previously been removed from the terrorism list.

Battlefronts:

In January 2024, Yemen witnessed unprecedented armed clashes. For the first time, Sanaa and several areas under the control of the "Supreme Political Council" were subjected to more than 70 airstrikes by American and British aircraft as part of a joint military operation involving Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, and UK. This operation was in response to attacks by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group on ships linked to Israeli interests. Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for Sanaa's forces, announced that the group had targeted American and Israeli ships in the Red Sea with cruise missiles. On January 24, Saree reported clashes with U.S. Navy vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait that lasted for more than two hours, involving ballistic missiles. This month saw intense battles in the Red Sea, extending to the Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden. In the southern regions, renewed fighting broke out between Ansar Allah forces and the Yemeni government, particularly in the Bayhan District. Additionally, Ansar Allah fighters launched missile attacks on targets in the Dhale and Lahj governorates.

Incidents and Developments:

In January 2024, southern Yemen witnessed politically motivated killings, including the deaths of Ammar Hammadi and Aref Al-Hazmi, officers of the Sixth Brigade of the STC's Support and Reinforcement Forces, who were killed by an IED targeting their patrol in the Mudiyah area of Abyan Governorate. This attack was followed by the killing of the civilian Abdul Rahman Al-Subaihi by soldiers from the Security Belt Forces in the Bir Ahmed area of Aden Governorate. In the areas under the control of the Sanaa government, criminal incidents were predominant. In Ibb Governorate, a person was killed, and another was injured in the Al-Odain District due to a land dispute involving the Al-Mazhani family. In the Al-Saddah District of the same governorate, a man in his thirties was killed under mysterious circumstances. In Al-Hudaydah Governorate, landmines continue to claim the lives of hundreds of people; farmer Mohammed Abduh Zaid was killed by a landmine explosion while working on his farm in the Al-Jah area.

Business and Finance:

The military escalation in the Red Sea dominated Yemen’s economic landscape. In this context, 26 Yemeni and international organizations expressed their "grave concern" over the humanitarian impact of this escalation in a joint statement on January 17. On January 3, the United Nations' International Maritime Organization announced that 18 shipping companies had rerouted their vessels around South Africa to avoid attacks in the Red Sea. On January 31, 2024, the United Nations announced that the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group had agreed to its decision to exclude 3 million people from the list of monthly food aid recipients, adding to the 1 million already excluded in areas under the internationally recognized government due to funding shortages. As a result, the number of beneficiaries of aid has been reduced to 6.5 million, down from the previous 9.5 million Yemenis.

In a new economic indicator, the volume of trade between Oman and Yemen reached around 112 million Omani riyals by October 2023. This statistic prompted the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry to organize a business forum where Yemeni and Omani businessmen discussed ways to enhance and capitalize on the investment opportunities available in both countries. In Sanaa, the Ministry of Agriculture approved a ban on the import of 16 types of crops and plant and animal products, including dried onions, ground garlic, maize, chicken sausages, lamb and beef liver, lamb dust, boneless meat, potato chips, chicken strips, and natural roses and flowers. The reason behind this decision is to protect local agricultural products and encourage their production to support the growth of the national economy.

Rights and Freedoms:

In early January 2024, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate released its annual report on the state of press freedoms in the country for 2023. The syndicate reported 82 violations against journalists, photographers, media offices, media outlets, and journalists' private property. The report documented 17 cases of deprivation of liberty, accounting for 20.7% of the total violations, followed by 14 cases of prosecution or summoning of journalists, representing 14.6%. Additionally, there were 10 cases of preventing journalists from practicing their profession and closing media outlets. Other violations included withholding journalists' entitlements, dismissing them from their jobs, confiscating property, and hacking websites. In other news related to protests and demonstrations, employees of Al-Thawra General Hospital in Ibb Governorate staged a protest demanding the payment of their overdue salaries, which had been delayed for four months, accusing the hospital administration of corruption. In Lahj Governorate, hundreds of government employees demonstrated, condemning the delay in the payment of their December 2023 salaries.

Health:

In January 2024, several epidemics and diseases re-emerged in various Yemeni governorates. In Hadhramaut Governorate, the Epidemiological Surveillance Center reported a rise in suspected cholera cases to 298, up from 260 at the end of December 2023. In Taiz Governorate, residents complained about the spread of tuberculosis, with 663 reported cases, according to the Tuberculosis Control Program in the governorate, which is under the control of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. In the same governorate, health authorities announced the deaths of two children due to the outbreak of diphtheria, while two other children are still undergoing treatment. Additionally, residents in Taiz reported a shortage of rabies vaccines, as stated by Amer Al-Bousi, the coordinator of the Rabies Control Program in Taiz Governorate.

In Marib Governorate, the local branch of the Supreme Board of Drugs and Medical Appliances destroyed five tons of expired medicines, following the disposal of four tons of expired medicines in the same governorate a week earlier. In a new report, the World Health Organization estimated that around 7 million people in Yemen are suffering from psychological trauma and stress due to the ongoing conflict, all of whom are in need of mental health support.

Youth and Sports:

On January 23, 2024, Yemeni boxer Abdulrahman Al-Hassani won the title of the Fitbox Fighting Championship (FFC) in its second edition, held in the Omani capital, Muscat.

Culture and Arts:

On January 6, 2024, Yemeni poet Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Jaberi passed away at the age of 87. Al-Jabri was considered one of the prominent figures in Yemeni colloquial poetry. He authored 200 poems, many of which were performed by stars of Yemeni music, such as the singer Mohammed Murshid Naji. Al-Jabrei was particularly famous for his poem "Limn Kul Hadhi Al-Qanadeel" (For Whom Are All These Lanterns?) which was sung by Ayoub Tarish.

Society:

At the end of January 2024, a group of farmers established a Yemeni Sesame Club in the Al-Khawkhah area. According to the club's organizers, the purpose of its establishment is to promote the quality of Yemeni sesame, highlight its health benefits, and increase its production and export. The organizers also announced that January 30 of each year will be celebrated as Yemeni Sesame Day.