Opening of Roads and the Start of the Yemeni Air Crisis

Khulasat - June 2024 Harvest

In June 2024, the aviation sector in Yemen faced consecutive crises. The situation began when Yemenia Airways suspended flight bookings from the capital, Sana'a. The crisis peaked when Sana'a detained four Yemenia planes. Kuwait intervened by providing three aircraft to support Yemenia’s fleet. The crisis was resolved following diplomatic efforts led by Oman, a country where negotiations between the Houthis and the internationally recognized Yemeni government stalled over the prisoner file. This coincided with diplomatic moves by the United States aimed at addressing Yemen’s political stagnation. Yemeni politicians accused the U.S. of sabotaging any efforts towards a comprehensive resolution to the conflict, targeting the Houthi group, which continued its attacks on Israeli interests in the Red Sea throughout June. The group also continued its policy of harsh punishment against opponents, issuing death sentences to several citizens accused of collaborating with the “aggression,” referring to the Arab coalition. “Harvest” summarizes the key events in Yemen throughout June 2024:

Politics:

June extended the crisis of Yemenia Airways into Yemen’s political battles. After the airline split into two factions—one loyal to Sana'a and the other to Aden—a new dispute emerged. The company halted flights from Sana'a to Amman and travel agencies and companies in Sana'a, under Houthi control, were banned from booking tickets. The situation escalated when the Houthis detained four Yemenia planes at Sana'a International Airport to pressure the airline to reverse its decisions. Kuwait intervened, offering three civilian aircraft and two spare engines. Some view the aviation crisis as a continuation of the maritime navigation crisis, particularly in the Red Sea. On June 29, U.S. intelligence officials reported that attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea caused a 90% decline in container shipping through the region between December 2023 and February 2024. These attacks affected at least 65 countries and forced 29 major energy and shipping companies to alter their routes, according to a rare Pentagon Defense Intelligence Agency assessment.

The Red Sea’s issues also impacted negotiations between the Yemeni government and the Houthis, leading to stalled talks in Muscat despite United Nations and International Red Cross sponsorship.

Battlefronts:

The Red Sea has become an open battlefield. On June 28, the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority reported that a ship’s captain reported five missiles falling near his vessel 150 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah. On June 29, the Houthis announced they had conducted four offensive operations with an Iraqi faction using drones against commercial shipping in the Mediterranean and Red Seas and a military operation targeting a U.S. ship in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles. On the land front, clashes occurred on June 29 between Houthi fighters and forces in the Asifera front. In a report on mine victims, a thirty-year-old man and his wife were killed on June 29 due to landmine explosions in Hodeidah. In Hajjah, a child named Ibrahim Haddadi was injured by a landmine while tending sheep. Late June, the Masam project, which clears Yemeni landmines, reported that its teams had removed approximately 450,000 explosive materials over six years. The project’s operations room announced that between June 2018 and June 2024, 449,068 mines, unexploded ordnance, and IEDs were removed.

Incidents:

On June 5, a child died when an old residential building collapsed in the Al-Sira district of Aden. On June 10, four workers died while repairing a wall at the Al-Mahdi Mosque in Old Sana'a. On June 13, Eritrean authorities released Yemeni fishermen held for over a month in the Ras Terma prison on the Eritrean island of Assab. On June 17, armed tribal militants blocked the main road in the Al-Mahfad district of Abyan Governorate, demanding the disclosure of the fate of their military leader, Ali Ashaal. On June 25, seven people died, and five others were injured when a vehicle overturned in the Dhi Al-Jinan area of Jabal Habashi district, west of Taiz, under government control.

Finance and Business:

In the Taiz Governorate, under government control, bakery owners began a general strike on June 3. In Sana'a, the Houthis, through their judicial guardian, completed their control of Al-Hudaydah Pharmaceutical Company and the Global Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company. They also abducted several employees, including a woman. On June 26, the Central Bank of Yemen issued a directive banning dealings with unlicensed entities, wallets, and electronic payment services in all banks and exchange facilities across the republic. On June 28, the World Bank predicted that Yemen’s GDP would continue to contract in 2024, decreasing by 1.0%, down from 2.0% in 2023, after recording a growth of 1.5% in 2022.

Rights and Freedoms:

In early June, the Penal Court issued a death sentence for Adnan Al-Harazi, director and owner of Prodigy Systems, a company involved in humanitarian monitoring. On June 12, the Specialized Penal Court in Sana'a sentenced 44 individuals to death for alleged espionage with the Arab coalition, who had been detained from Sana'a, Dhamar, and Amran. On June 3, the Khorba-Al-Sahi road, a crucial route for commercial goods between Lahj and Taiz Governorates, was closed. On June 7, the Al-Hoban and Al-Qasr roundabout road was opened east of Taiz City. On June 9, the Marib-Al-Bayda-Sana'a road was officially opened for travelers. On June 12, the Houthis released Judge Abdul Wahab Qatran after six months of imprisonment. On June 28, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that over 400 displaced families in Yemen received eviction threats in May. In Hadramout, police arrested model Khulood Bashraheel for appearing in a set of photos without a hijab.

Health:

Several Yemeni governorates experienced outbreaks of diseases in June 2024. In Amran Governorate, cholera caused 22 deaths, with over 8,000 suspected cases from March 14 to June 3, 2024. In areas under the internationally recognized Yemeni government’s control, over 3,700 cases of dengue fever were reported since the beginning of 2024. According to the Electronic Integrated Disease Early Warning System (EIDEWS), a total of 3,708 dengue fever cases were reported in Aden, Al-Dhale, Lahj, Taiz, Al-Hudaydah, Abyan, Marib, Hadramout, Al-Bayda, Shabwa, Socotra, and Al-Mahra from the start of the year until the third week of June (June 3-9, 2024). Five deaths related to the epidemic were recorded, three in Aden, one in Mukalla, Hadramout, and one in Al-Dhale Governorate. On June 21, the European Union announced it provided over 300 tons of medical supplies to Yemen in response to the health emergency. On June 27, the Yemeni government reported over 9,000 cases of malnutrition among children and pregnant and lactating women in Marib Governorate in the first half of 2024. On June 27, a Yemeni medical team successfully performed the first pediatric cardiac catheterization in Taiz.

Environment:

On June 21, the United Nations revealed that nearly 53,000 displaced people were affected by heavy rains and severe flooding in the first five months of 2024.

In this context, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned of excessive heat in nine Yemeni governorates, including seven coastal ones, over the coming days. The organization’s early warning bulletin, issued on Tuesday, forecasted temperatures exceeding 42°C in these governorates from June 21 to 30, 2024. On June 23, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) approved over $4 million for environmental projects and biodiversity conservation in Yemen.

On June 30, five people died, and others were injured by lightning strikes resulting from heavy rains in several Yemeni governorates. In Al-Dhale, two people were killed and two others were injured by severe lightning. In Ibb City, two women died from lightning in the Rababah area of Al-Qafr District. In Bani Saad District, Al-Mahwit Governorate, a woman died from a lightning strike.

Youth and Sports:

On June 4, Yemeni player Abdullah Mustafa Nasr won the ADCC martial arts championship held in Stockholm, Sweden. On June 29, about 90,000 students in areas under the internationally recognized Yemeni government began their general secondary school exams for the current academic year.

Culture and Arts:

On June 12, three Yemeni novels advanced to the list of the top 18 works nominated for the 10th Katara Prize for Arabic Fiction. On June 19, the annual Al-Qara Heritage Festival began at Al-Qara Castle in Yafa’a, Lahj Governorate, featuring performances by Yemeni singers. On June 25, the Tareem Open Art Exhibition was inaugurated at the historic Asha Palace in Hadramout, featuring 60 paintings by 18 participants. On June 21, UNESCO approved funding for several projects supporting journalism in Yemen in the coming period.

Community:

On June 20, the number of migrants arriving in Yemen in May increased by 14% compared to the previous month. All of them entered through the Shabwa coast, which has remained their primary entry point for about nine months, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In its Migrant Flow Monitoring report issued on Thursday, IOM recorded a total of 1,685 migrants from the Horn of Africa entering Yemen in May 2024. On June 20, more than 4,000 Yemeni expatriates returned from Saudi Arabia in May, a decrease of over 20% compared to the previous month. On June 22, the second batch of Yemeni pilgrims, totaling 1,277, arrived at Sana'a International Airport via Yemenia Airways after performing the Hajj and Umrah rituals.