What’s happening in Yemen today
4.8.2015 edition
By the Reported.ly Team
We are creating a daily rundown of events in Yemen as Saudi Arabian-led airstrikes against Houthis that began March 26 continue. The Houthi militia has been fighting the Yemeni government for nearly a decade, and in recent months has made enormous gains across the country, including capturing the capital, Sana’a.
For an explanation of what happened in the first few days of the military action, read our synopsis.
Update 5:34 p.m. PT (12:34 a.m. GMT)
Schools resume Sunday in Sana’a, Saudi school suspension ends
A statement released by Yemen’s Ministry of Education says that schools in Sana’a will begin again on Sunday.
A meeting at the Ministry of Education decided the continuation of schools, but also focused on “effects of the Saudi aggression on the educational process in the schools of the capital“ and consequences to students.
The decision is not going over well with everyone, according to some in Sana’a.
Iranian ships show up near Yemeni waters
The Associated Press reported that two Iranian vessels have showed up in the international waters near Yemen.
Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, a coalition spokesperson, said those waters are international and free and there have been no hostile movements from any ships in the region.
Confirmed: The U.S. is sending more equipment to the coalition
The U.S. State Department confirmed statements it denied yesterday on the U.S sending more arms to the Saudi-led coalition.
Yesterday, Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said that the U.S. was looking to deliver weapons to the coalition more quickly.
Group plans on suing U.S. State Department
The group of advocacy organizations who formulated the StuckInYemen campaign to help stranded U.S. citizens is planning on suing the State Department. We reported on the campaign last week.
In a press release, the group announced a press conference for tomorrow, April 9, to unveil the lawsuit.
Plaintiffs are asking the court to order the Department of State and the Department of Defense to evacuate U.S. citizens by all means available and to request a cease-fire during the evacuation.
The organizations involved include: the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus (ALC).
At a daily press briefing, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said she was unaware of the lawsuit and did not know if a court can order the executive branch to comply with the demand.
India delays ending evacuations by one day
In order to get 140 Indian nurses out, India will continue evacuations from Yemen for one more day.
As reported below, India has helped 26 nations evacuate citizens and had planned on its last flight being today.
Update 9:30 a.m. PT ( 4:30 p.m. GMT)
India wrapping up evacuations
BBC correspondent Orla Guerin tweeted from an Air India plane, whose crew accommodated evacuees over capacity, pledging to return on Thursday to complete the process. Hundreds have been left behind in Sana’a.
After helping 26 countries evacuate their nationals, India announced that it would extend planned evacuations by air until Thursday, after evacuating 325 of its own nationals Wednesday.
Medical aid arrives in Aden
Both the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders reported they succeeded in distributing medical aid in Yemen. The ICRC published an account of the 12-hour trip in a simple wooden boat.
Despite intense difficulties, both organizations are making headway in delivering crucial medical aid to the embattled population. MSF teams have treated over 780 injuries since March 19, in Aden, Al Mazraq and Ad Dhale. The ICRC donated medical supplies to hospitals in Ibb, Razeh, and Saada, and is about to supply health facilities in Aden and Lahj.
Intense clashes in Aden, calls for jihad
The reported.ly team geolocated a video uploaded yesterday, of clashes next to the Aden airport control tower. Intense clashes between the Houthis and Hadi loyalists, in addition to coalition airstrikes, have rendered Yemen’s second biggest city a “ghost town”.
Also yesterday, Aden mosques broadcast calls for jihad against the Houthis, as they advanced into the city’s portside Crater district.
Daytime bombings in Sana’a, school hit in Ibb
On the second week of the Saudi-led offensive, airstrikes on Sana’a are now taking place at all hours of the day and night. The location of this morning’s bombing was reportedly a building housing Houthi-controlled ministries in a residential area of Sana’a’s Jeraf district.
On Tuesday, students heading to their lunch break were injured, and up to three reportedly killed, by an airstrike at a school close to a military base in Ibb.
Stakes upped in the bounty game
Al Qaeda in Yemen announced a bounty in gold for the kill or capture of Yemen’s ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the leader of the Houthis, Abdelmalek al-Houthi. In late March, the Houthis had also put a bounty of $100,000 on president Hadi’s head, as he was leaving the country. The Houthi leader reportedly also has a bounty of $10,000,000 on his head.
Jordan circulates UN resolution draft
After evacuating almost 300 of its’ nationals earlier this week, Jordan circulated a UN resolution draft to end the conflict. The text condemns the Houthis’ aggression, urges a political solution and a targeted arms embargo.
