President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi issued a decree announcing several new appointments to his cabinet and administration. Among the appointees is Yemen’s Envoy to the UN, Ambassador Jamal al-Sallal, who was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Yemen.
NEW ANALYSIS | POLITICAL PROCESS | SECURITY | INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT | THE SOUTH | ECONOMIC & HUMANITARIAN ISSUES
The unwarranted embrace of decentralization in Yemen
Farea al-Muslimi writes in Executive that the recent focus on decentralization in Yemen is a misdiagnosis of the source of the country’s problems. Devolving power to local groups is difficult and may unleash new violence as groups try to reassert control in the face of new provincial authorities. Governing a territory as large and complex as Yemen requires much more than mere bureaucratic efficiency, and the severe economic and political challenges facing Yemen and other states in the Arab region will not be resolved by a simple move to decentralize power. [Executive, 6/10/2014]
How the Gulf Initiative worsened Yemen’s crisis
Maysaa Shuja al-Deen writes in Al Monitor that Yemen has been stuck in a transitional phase while the state is collapsing as a result of failing government performance and a decline in basic services for citizens. The Gulf Initiative, signed in November 2011, was unable to achieve the minimum of the people’s aspirations. It has lowered the ceiling of the 2011 Yemeni events, turned a revolution into a mere crisis, as written in the agreement, and granted legal immunity for all crimes committed during former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s rule for three decades. [Al Monitor, 6/13/2014]
President Hadi makes changes to his cabinet and administration
President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi issued a decree announcing several new appointments to his cabinet and administration. Among the appointees is Yemen’s Envoy to the UN, Ambassador Jamal al-Sallal, who was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Yemen. In a separate issue, newly-appointed Minister of Oil and Minerals Ahmad Abdulkader Shaie rejected his ministerial position, claiming that Hadi did not consult him about his appointment. Shaie was not sworn in with the rest of the ministers last Wednesday, with sources saying Shaie rejected his appointment due to health reasons. In another issue, sources say that President Hadi refused to meet with members of the Yemeni Islah Party only moments before his announcement. [Sahafa (Arabic), 6/11/2014, Sahafa (Arabic) 6/14/2014, Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/16/2014]
Yemen Today taken off air
In an unexpected move, President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi ordered authorities to shut down Yemen Today offices on Wednesday, setting a dangerous precedent. Forces belonging to the presidential guard entered the television and newspaper headquarters and seized their equipment. Yemen Today media group is owned by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and has often been subject to controversy as its reporting and editorial approach are openly biased toward the coalition government and critical of President Hadi. [Yemen Post, 6/13/2014]
Protesters block road over fuel shortages in Dhamar
Last Monday, protesters in Dhamar, a northern province located directly south of Sana’a, blocked a road in protest of the ongoing fuel shortages that have lasted well over a month. Residents are faced with long queues at petrol stations, power cuts and, a sharp rise in prices. Protesters cut off a main road in central Dhamar that connects the capital Sana’a to Ibb and Taiz provinces. Fights erupted between demonstrators and police as the latter attempted to break off the barricade. [Yemen Post, 6/10/2014] By Wednesday, the situation in Sana’a died down following mass protests; despite this, witnesses have reported that policemen are stationed in Sana’a in anticipation of violence. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/12/2014]
Armed tribesmen kidnap seven oil companies employees
Armed tribesmen kidnapped seven employees of oil companies in Marib governorate in the northeastern outskirts of Yemen on Monday. Local sources confirmed that the men responsible for the kidnapping belong to Jahm tribe. Kidnappers demand the government reconsider the case of sheikh Amin al-Zabala, who died years ago from a gas explosion after he failed to prevent a terrorist attack against the pipeline. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/10/2014]
Military troops attack hijackers in Marib
Military troops targeted tribal militants responsible for attacking on an electric grid and kidnapping several employees of the Yemeni oil company, including a Saudi engineer. The military is still unable to reach the power grid and rescue the abductees. This is the fourth attack on the electric grid in Mareb in less than twenty-four hours. [Saba (Arabic), Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/11/2014]
Protesters burn tires over electricity blackout
Protesters angry over fuel shortages took to the streets on Wednesday. Protesters blocked several main roads in Sana’a and burned car tires in front of President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi’s house. Witnesses say the military succeeded in clearing the roads. Shortly after, the Yemeni oil company announced the arrival of petroleum products to the port of Hodeidah. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/11/2014]
Drone strikes kill five suspected militants in Yemen
A drone strike killed five suspected al-Qaeda militants in Yemen late on Friday. The strike targeted a vehicle in the Mafraq al-Saeed area located in Shabwa province in southern Yemen. Of the five men killed in the vehicle, two were Saudis. Two soldiers also died in southern Abyan province when al-Qaeda militants targeted the military truck they were in with a missile. [Reuters, 6/14/2014]
New US Ambassador to Yemen officially assumes post in Sana’a
President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi accepted credentials from US Ambassador to Yemen MathewTueller. Ambassador Tueller assumed his responsibilities as chief of mission in Sana’a, Yemen on May 27, 2014. He was sworn in as US Ambassador to Yemen by Secretary of State John Kerry on May 8, 2014. Ambassador Tueller stressed at the meeting the importance of working together with Yemen towards achieving a successful and peaceful transition. [Saba (Arabic), 6/10/2014]
Yemen and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization sign $2.5 million agreement
On Thursday, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Farid Mujawar and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) representative, Salah al-Hajj Hassan signed a $2.5 million agreement for the implementation of cooperation programs in the field of food sovereignty and security. The first project aims to support displaced families in Jawf province through the distribution of seeds, fertilizers, forages, poultry and goats to more than 550 households.The second project, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to support over fifty organizations working in food security and agriculture.[Saba (Arabic), 6/13/2014]
Body of Egyptian diplomat found three days after she was reported missing in Aden
Assistant to the Egyptian Administrative Attaché, Huda Mohamed al-Ghobari was found dead in her apartment in Aden province on Sunday evening. Signs indicate that al-Ghobari may have been attacked and died as a result of a head injury. Forensics have not determined the cause of death. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/16/2014]
Former South Yemen president says situation worsening every day
In an interview with Al Monitor, former President of South Yemen Ali Nasser Mohamed said that while southerners initially supported unity with the north, neglect has led them to call for secession. Ali Nasser said the demand by some for independence reflects a general state that rejects the conditions and circumstances suffered by the southerners, and he notes this comes as a result of the failure of the regime to address the injustice and exclusion the southerners continue to suffer to this day. [Al Monitor, 6/13/2014]
ECONOMIC & HUMANITARIAN ISSUES
Yemen in total blackout after power lines sabotaged
Yemen suffered a total blackout on Tuesday after gunmen in Marib governorate sabotaged key power lines, suspending the entire national power and energy grid. Technical teams repaired the lines after the first assault before gunmen sabotaged them a second time and prevented technicians from fixing them. Tuesday’s attack was the third of its kind this month. [Al Masdar (Arabic), Ahram Onlline, 6/10/2014]
Oil spill off the coast of al-Mukalla
Local residents report that a ship carrying fuel in Yemen called ‘Champion 1’ leaked Mazut fuel off the coast of al-Mukalla in Hadramawt governorate. The extent of the leakage remains unknown. Despite an environmental disaster caused by an oil spill over in July 2013, the government has not put into place emergency procedures for reporting and managing oil spills. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/12/2014]
UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia launches meetings to discuss Yemen
On Wednesday, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia launched a new series of discussions addressing the steps necessary to achieve and implement the National Dialogue Conference’s outputs. At the meeting’s sidelines, a workshop on the National Democratic Conference will be held targeting Arab and foreign countries due to its success in reaching positive results despite the many challenges facing the country. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/12/2014]
Electricity back on in Yemen after three days in the dark
A series of attacks on power lines left Yemen without electricity, prompting mass protests and a cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday. An official at the ministry of electricity and energy announced that technicians have repaired power lines in Marib after the Yemeni army launched a military campaign against the attackers, killing and wounding several of them. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/13/2014]