2008 Headlines in Yemen [Archives:2009/1221/Reportage]

archive
January 1 2009
Suoad Qassim Saleh
Suoad Qassim Saleh
JMP demonstration near Sana
JMP demonstration near Sana’a University. The protestors raised banners calling on the government to quit playing games and to stop corrupting the elections.
Hundreds are rendered homeless in Hadramout, Al-Mahra and Shabwa governorates.  Photo by Abdulaziz Omar / SABA
Hundreds are rendered homeless in Hadramout, Al-Mahra and Shabwa governorates. Photo by Abdulaziz Omar / SABA
After four years of war president declares fighting with Houthis in Saada, Amran and Sanaa governorates has ended.  YTphoto by Saddam Al-Ashmoi
After four years of war president declares fighting with Houthis in Saada, Amran and Sanaa governorates has ended. YTphoto by Saddam Al-Ashmoi
Complied by: Salma Ismail
The year 2008 witnessed much conflict such as the setback of freedom of expression, a drop in the gender gap index, much environmental devastation due to natural and man-made catastrophes and of course the conflicting situation in Sa'ada. On the bright side there were a number of positive events such as a number of Yemeni women obtaining international recognition, strong stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza on a number of occasions and a drop in the crime rate and the child mortality rate.



JANUARY



– World Bank: Without agricultural growth, poverty in Yemen will increase

The World Bank resented its 2008 World Development Report which featured plans for more investment in the agriculture sector of Yemen's economy.



– Yemenis protest Israeli blockade of Gaza

Thousands of Yemenis marched in the streets of Sana'a to protest Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.



– Arms carrying ban leads to a 39 percent decrease in crime

New strategy to ban weapons results in 87 percent increase of weapons collected bringing the number up to 70,000 in a four month period from August 2007.



– Online freedom of speech suffers setback in Yemen

Several Yemeni websites were blocked by the government-controlled ISPs, preventing thousands of residents in Yemen from accessing the sites.



FEBRUARY

– Oil spill in Hudeidah kills large numbers of marine life

Six tons of exhaust oil leaks from the central power station in Hodeidah over an area spanning 14-kms along the Al-Erge tourist coats killing large quantities of fish.



– Humanitarian situation is Sa'ada worsens amid indicators of relative calm

As the government approves a schedule to implement an agreement reached with the Houthis, a humanitarian study reveals shocking statistics related to post trauma stress disorders among children.



MARCH

– Government officials involved in marketing banned pesticides

The Committee of Agriculture and Irrigation in the parliament discloses the implication of officials from the ministry and Hodeidah governorate in allowing banned pesticides to enter the country through the Hodeidah Port



– Houthis urges mediation committee to investigate jail massacre

Houthi representative claims presidential mediation committee should immediately respond to his request that a committee be formed to visit Fakhra central prison in Sa'ada and investigate an alleged massacre committed against jailed Houthi representatives.



– Yemen allows transport of rare plants to Saudi Arabia

Subjecting the Dragon's Blood Tree to extinction, the Ministry allows for more than 100 saplings to be transported on a private jet to Saudi Arabia to be planted in the Royal Garden



– Yemeni children at risk due to Chinese toys

Experts warn that although many Chinese toys have been banned, their widespread presence, due to illegal smuggling, continues to negatively affect children.



– American embassy in Sana'a under attack

At least sixteen people have been killed, after two cars carrying a suicide bomber and armed fighters attacked the US Embassy in Sana'a. The attack killed four civilians including an Indian, six security guards and six of the attackers.



APRIL

– Saudi authorities burn 18 Yemeni immigrants

Saudi officials scathed with diesel the bodies of 18 Yemenis who were hiding in a hole while they were trying to cross into a Saudi village bordering Yemen.



– 8 year-old girl's divorce is finalized while law to prevent early marriage stalls

Nojoud, with the support of her lawyer Shatha Mohammed Nasser and uncle pays her way out of marriage with YR 100, 000 from an anonymous donor in the Emirates.



MAY

– Yemeni prisoners at Gitmo become clinically insane

Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Sami Al-Hajj reveals that certain Yemeni inmates at Guantanamo have gone clinically insane because of hallucinogenic pills they were forced to take by guards.



– Ruling party wins majority of governor seats amid absent rivalry

Gubernatorial elections in Yemen's 20 governorates witnesses over 6500 out of a total of 7484 local councilors elected governors.



JUNE

– Yemeni woman wins InterAction's Humanitarian of the Year Award

Suoad Qassim Saleh, program coordinator of Basic Health Services is awarded by the US-based coalition representing more than 165 humanitarian and development organizations worldwide.



– State Security Court sentences Al-Shoura editor to 6 years in jail

The State Security Court which handles terrorist cases, on Monday sentenced journalist and human rights activist Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani, who is editor of chief of Al-Shoura weekly newspaper to six years in prison.



– Houthi fighters threaten to hit Sana'a Airport

Amid Defense Ministry's announcements that the army has driven Houthis from Bani Hushaish and taken over strategic mountain top positions in the area Houthis which are deployed excessively in Sana'a are threatening to hit Sana'a Airport.



JULY

– Saleh calls for recruiting tribesmen to fight Houthis

During a meeting with trial sheiks and leaders fom Saada governorate, President Ali Abdullah Saleh called for recruiting pro-government tribesmen to back the state in its fight against Houthis



– Saleh declares end to Sa'ada fighting

President announces that fighting with Houthi supporters in Sa'ada, Amran and Sana'a governorates has ended



AUGUST

– Parliament report discloses corruption at government's Aden Oil Refineries

A parliamentary report reveals corruption over the past two years at Aden Oil Refineries, a company belonging to the Yemeni government. Prepared by the Parliament-affiliated Oil and Minerals Development Committee, the report indicates that corruption at Aden Oil Refineries “consumed $200 million from public finances.



– Tarim operation death toll increases, Yemeni-Saudi contacts to face Al-Qaeda The Ministry of Interior declared last Tuesday that it had killed the Al-Qaeda leader Hamza Al-Kuwaiti along with four others in a “qualitative security operation” in Tarim region of the Hadhramout governorate.



– World Bank study: COCA should be independent

The World Bank recently stressed the necessity of the Central Organization for Control and Auditing, or COCA, and the Anti-Corruption Authority being fully and truly independent in their work, maintaining that their current supposed independence is merely ink on paper.



– Al-Qaeda vows revenge

The Al-Qaeda Jihad Organization in Yemen yesterday confirmed the death of its leader, Hamza Al-Qa'iti, along with four other elements in confrontations with security forces in Tarim, Hadramout governorate, on Aug. 11.



– Economists warn of impact from Somali pirating acts on Yemeni economy

Yemeni economists warned that the Somali pirating acts that target international marine ships and commercial tankers in the international waters of the African Horn and Gulf of Aden will have a negative effect on the Yemeni economy, demanding that security measures should be taken to maintain “the national economic security.



SEPTEMBER

– Malaysian-Yemeni cooperation to release the two tankers

Malaysia asked Yemen and Somalia to cooperate with it to release the two tankers hijacked last month in the Gulf of Aden near the Yemeni coast. To release the tankers, the Somali pirates demanded US $4.7 million.



– Yemen among the world's most vulnerable states

Seven Arab countries, including Yemen, head a list of the world's 60 most vulnerable states in the Failed States Index 2008, an annual index published by the Fund for Peace think-tank and Foreign Policy magazine.



– Doing Business 2009 report: Yemen holds record development in business regulations

Yemen jumped 25 places in the global rankings on the ease of doing business and was listed as the world's 98th business reformer this year, according to the World Bank's Doing Business 2009 report, released on Wednesday.



– Yemen to establish three regional anti-piracy centers along the Gulf of Aden

The Yemeni government approved last Tuesday the establishment of three regional centers to combat maritime piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Bab Al-Mandab Strait and to protect international maritime traffic in these areas.



– JMP demands re-forming the election committee

The ruling General People's Congress (GPC) has confirmed that the upcoming parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in April 2009. In the meantime, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) have demanded that the Supreme Commission for Election and Referendum (SCER) be re-elected “on an impartial basis”.



– Colombian hostages released

After three days of captivity at the hands of armed tribesmen of the powerful Ba Kazem tribe, Colombian engineers Hector Marin and Rafael Ayala have been released in good health.



OCTOBER

– Al-Khaiwani vows to continue defending press freedom

Journalist Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani narrated his ordeal while serving a five-month imprisonment term for his writing and undertook to continue his activities in defense of human rights and press freedoms in Yemen.



– Amid fears of foreign plan to internationalize the Red Sea, Yemen seeks Arab efforts to combating piracy

Yemen's efforts in combating piracy in the Red Sea has seen President Abdullah Saleh pay visits to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan over the past couple of weeks to discuss pervasive piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden.



– Pro-government tribesmen trigger clashes with Houthi followers

The situation in Sa'ada has been calm with the exception of some localized disputes triggered by pro-government tribesmen against Houthi supporters in more than one district, tribal sources from the governorate said.



– Yemen's child mortality rate drops

The mortality rate for children under five years old in Yemen decreased from 102 to 78 per 1000 cases during the seven years up to 2006, according to results of a survey by the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) released on Sunday.

Government declares Hadramout and Al-Maharah devastated areas

58 have been killed, dozens of citizens are missing and over 20,000 people are homeless due to flash floods that resulted from heavy rains in the eastern areas of Yemen including Hadramout and Al-Maharah.



– Yemen drops thirteen places in RSF Index

Independent and opposition journalists battled major restrictions and prosecution in 2007, with a dozen arrested and others physically attacked in the street, causing Yemen to slip thirteen places in the fifth annual Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index which covers the 12 months from September 2007 to September 2008.



NOVEMBER

– Health warning and potential environmental disaster in Hadramout

Damage inflicted by flash floods in the governorates of Hadramout and Al-Maharah late last month is not limited to material and human loss, but includes the threat of an environmental disaster, particularly in districts of the Hadramout Valley.



– Yemenis hopeful for Obama's “change” in the Middle East

Although most Yemenis admire first African-American president-elect Barak Obama and hope that he will re-think American foreign policy in the Middle East, they do not expect sweeping change in the region during his first term.



– Yemeni girl selected as one of sixty Global Changemakers

Although she is not your typical Yemeni girl, she is very much a Yemeni at heart. Needa Al-Qadasi, 17, is Yemen's participant in the British Council's Global Changemakers project to take place at the Guildford Forum near London in January 2009.



– Protests against voter registration process

Protests against the voter registration process organized by supporters of the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) have spread to most Yemeni governorates. The JMP have finally announced that they will boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections in April 2009.



– JMP confirms objection to elections unless demands are met

The Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) held a consultative meeting on Friday during which the opposition coalition's leaders confirmed their objection to the upcoming parliamentary elections unless their demands are fulfilled.



– Psychological impact of Sa'ada war on children

Post-traumatic stress disorders affect up to 45.5 percent of children in Sa'ada due to the devastating wars that they have experienced during the past four years, according to a study released by SEYAJ, the Organization for Childhood Protection



DECEMBER

– Yemen comes last in Global Gender Gap report for the third year in a row

For the third consecutive year, Yemen ranks last in the Global Gender Gap Report 2008 published by the World Economic Forum with a slight improvement in its score compared to last year.



– Security measures for Yemeni Jews increased after the murder of a Jewish teacher

The trial of the air force officer who shot a prominent Yemeni Jew last week in Raidah, Amran, is to start on Tuesday. The murderer was dismissed from work four years ago, and was not imprisoned for the murder of his own wife two years ago because of being mentally unstable.



– Bani Dhabyan release German hostages but keep 8-year-old Yemeni child

The three German hostages who were kidnapped by an armed group from the Bani Dhabyan, Khawlan tribe, were released peacefully and without conditions on Friday, bringing to an end their five-day ordeal.



– Malaysian Businessmen to Help Yemen Join GCC

Malaysia and Yemen signed several agreements and Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) during the sideline of the “Industry, The Country's Future” conference held in Mukallah Hadhramaut on Dec 22 and 23, 2008 in the presence of former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammed.



– Tens of thousands of Yemenis protest in solidarity with the people of Gaza

The wave of anger that continues to sweep across the Arab and Muslim world was evident on the faces of the tens of thousands of Yemeni demonstrators that stood under the blazing sun in protest of the ongoing Israeli massacre of the Palestinians in Gaza which has so far killed over 300 people and injured over 800.
——
[archive-e:1221-v:16-y:2009-d:2009-01-01-p:report]