Weekly security briefing 08032020

UN special envoy

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths concluded two days of consultative meetings in Amman with Yemeni public and political figures on the prospect of resuming the peace process. In his closing remarks on 27 February, the special envoy expressed concern that the increasingly “dire” military situation could threaten any progress achieved to date, coming against a backdrop of aggressive rhetoric and expansive ambitions by both sides.

Griffiths said there is “no alternative to a negotiated solution”, as the recent escalations have shown the “vulnerability of such gains that were made in the absence […] of a political process”. He warned that if parties fail to progress towards a political settlement, the country will instead enter “a new phase of greater escalation”, making any return to the negotiating table more challenging. Griffiths also noted that the Stockholm and Riyadh agreements should not be treated as preconditions, lest they block a resumption in talks. Despite the sombre start, Griffiths reassured his audience that previous efforts had not been wasted, taking the recent medical flights and agreement on the large-scale exchange of prisoners as examples of this progress.

USAID

According to a report published by Foreign Policy this week, the US is pressuring the UN to scale-back aid to Houthi-controlled territory. The UN stance so far has been that while a tangible step-change is needed, this should be on a case-by-case basis, where specific instances of aid diversion can be proven, rather than the US approach of full-fledged cuts. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due to meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters on 6 March. According to Foreign Policy, Pompeo is expected to raise concerns about the reluctance among UN agencies to suspend aid deliveries, despite the ongoing barriers presented by Houthi authorities and US appeals for a more assertive approach, particularly over the role of UN relief coordinator Mark Lowcock.

While the US claims that the consensus for a wide-scale drawdown in assistance to Yemen came from the UN and INGOs, this has been disputed by the humanitarian community. Several relief organisations reportedly drafted a letter to the US State Department refuting claims that the decision to suspend aid had initially come from them. According to the Foreign Policy report, the US decision to freeze funding later this month has caused friction with other donor nations and INGOs that wish to keep aid channels open, especially since the Sana’a authorities offered to walk back some of the restrictive measures in mid-February following meetings with UN officials.

Riyadh Agreement

Security situation worsens in Aden as no progress on Riyadh Agreement

Despite reportedly positive meetings between the STC and UN Special Envoy’s office last week in Amman, there have been no reports of progress relating to the Riyadh Agreement. In the meantime, security incidents appear to be gradually picking up in Aden. The reporting period saw more targeted attacks against southern security figures. Armed men in a vehicle reportedly shot dead a Security Belt commander, Ali Al-Merfdi, in the Al-Areesh area of Khor Maksar in Aden city on 1 March. This would be the sixth attempted assassination of a southern military or security commander in the city this year and the twelfth since the signing of the Riyadh Agreement in November 2019. A soldier from the STC-affiliated 14th Brigade in Abyan was also reportedly shot dead in the Al-Hashid area of Al-Mansoura on 2 March.

Another round of clashes reportedly broke out between STC-affiliated security forces and AlMahariq armed men in Dar Sad district in Aden city on 3 March. Small arms fire and hand grenades were reportedly used in the confrontation, though so far there have been no reported casualties. Localised clashes in recent weeks have been frequently attributed to STC-affiliated forces. STC-affiliated forces were also accused of being responsible for two shooting incidents involving civilians. On 27 February, a civilian was reportedly killed by a Security Belt soldier in the coastal Al-Arish area in Khur Maksar, having criticised the soldier’s driving. And, armed men in a military vehicle, reportedly STC-affiliated, shot dead a civilian in Al-Sheikh Othman district on 29 February. The reason remains unclear

Sada'a

A couple of airstrikes hit Al Dhaher district in the south west of Saada governorate. In addition, intensive artillery and rocket shelling targeted populated areas in Razeh district. A child was reportedly killed in a village in Razeh district due to the Saudi artillery and rocket shelling. Apart from that, Sada'a governorate remained calm during the reporting week.

Al-Hudaydah

In Al-Hudaydah, the usual pattern of hostilities characterised the week. Focus, though, has increasingly been directed towards Ad Durayhimi since the attempted anti-Houthi offensive in mid-February. Pro-Houthi officials have repeatedly accused anti-Houthi forces of amassing in the area for another attempt to retake the city, while anti-Houthi media stress that pro-Houthi forces are blocking international organisations from reaching the beleaguered city, holding the civilian population hostage to ward off attacks. Should either side feel confident of successfully making gains, there is the risk of another attempt.

Al-Dhale

where pro-Houthi forces maintained pressure on the Qa’atabah frontlines, but despite repeated attacks, they failed to make any progress. They clashed in the usual areas of Al-Jub, Batar, and Al-Fakhir in the north-west of the governorate as there were reports of more pro-Houthi reinforcements being deployed to the front. Fighting also reerupted in Al-Husha district in the west of the governorate, reportedly instigated by pro-Houthi attacks on southern resistance positions in the eastern Al-Harrah area.

Taiz

In Taiz city, although hostilities have quietened in recent weeks, there were three more reported assassination incidents. Another soldier from the 22nd Mechanised Brigade was shot dead by masked gunmen aboard a motorcycle next to Al-Eisaei University in the AlQobba area of Al-Mudhaffar on 4 March. This was two days after Wasim Al-Qubati, a relative of Brigadier Mahran Al-Qubati, the commander of the 4th Presidential Protection Brigade, was shot dead by an armed man in the middle of Jamal Street. At the end of last week, another soldier survived a reported assassination attempt at Al-Zira’ah junction on 29 February.

On the outskirts of the city, the only reported hostilities was shelling by anti-Houthi forces that reportedly hit pro-Houthi vehicles in the Al-Hareer area of At Taiziyah on 3 March, leaving two fighters dead and five more injured. The anti-Houthi 35th Armoured Brigade also claimed to intercept weapons and ammunition being smuggled through the Al-Aqaroudh checkpoint to the east of the city reportedly destined for pro-Houthi forces on 4 March.