At least seventy-eight people died in a stampede during a Ramadan charity event in the capital, Sanaa; the stampede was apparently triggered by gunfire and an electrical explosion, the Associated Press reported (AP)
Yemen’s Pro-government Forces, Houthi Rebels Begin Prisoner Swap
Some nine hundred prisoners will be exchanged over the next three days as part of a deal between Yemen’s warring parties, the International Committee of the Red Cross said; the UN-brokered swap is part of efforts to negotiate an end to Yemen’s civil war (AP)
United States Praises “Remarkable Progress” in Peace Talks
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan praised Saudi efforts to work toward an end to Yemen’s yearslong civil war in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; Saudi officials met with Yemen’s Houthi rebels over the weekend in an attempt to accelerate peace talks (AP)
Oman Mediates Peace Talks in Yemen
Omani and Saudi envoys met with the Houthi rebel group in Yemen’s capital Sanaa over the weekend for talks in a peace process that runs parallel to UN-mediated efforts to negotiate an end to Yemen’s years-long civil war (Al Jazeera)
Houthis Impose Restrictions on Flights
Iran-backed Houthi rebels will not allow United Nations and other humanitarian flights to land in the capital, Sanaa, between March 25-30; the Houthis claim the restriction is in response to a Saudi-led ban on booking flights from Sana (AP)
Deadly Clashes in Yemen Threaten Peace Efforts
At least sixteen combatants from Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels died in clashes between the two sides in the central province of Marib (France 24)
Until this week, fighting had largely come to a lull even though a truce between the adversaries ended in October (AP)
Yemen’s Warring Sides Hold Talks Following Warming of Saudi-Iran Ties
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels began talks in Geneva regarding a possible prisoner swap; on Friday, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations in a China-mediated deal (Al Jazeera)
Saudi Arabia Moves $1 Billion Into Yemen’s Central Bank
The deposit is intended to boost the internationally backed government in Sanaa; Riyadh and Abu Dhabi had promised to deliver the Sanaa government $3 billion in aid in April 2022, but it is unclear if the new deposit is part of that pledge (AP)
UN Extends Sanctions on Houthis
The UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend the arms embargo and asset freeze on Houthi rebels, as well as a travel ban on Houthi leaders and top officials, until November 15 (AP)
Local Yemeni State Department Employees Remain Imprisoned by Houthis
Eleven Yemeni employees remain imprisoned after Houthi rebels arrested local personnel of the U.S. Embassy in Yemen in October 2021 (FP)
French Special Forces Intercept Smuggled Iranian Weapons Bound For Yemen
French military forces intercepted Iranian weapons bound for Yemen, unnamed French officials told the Wall Street Journal(WSJ).
British Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia Under Scrutiny
The Campaign Against Arms Trade told London’s High Court that the British government is unlawfully facilitating arms sales to Saudi Arabia for possible use in the war in Yemen; the campaigners also claim the weapons are worsening a major humanitarian disaster in Yemen and contributing to the deaths of thousands of civilians (Reuters; Al Jazeera)
Saudis, Houthis Reportedly in Talks to Build On Unofficial Truce
Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels are in back-channel talks to seek a potential negotiated end to Yemen’s civil war, the Associated Press reported; the two sides have maintained an unofficial truce since October, when they failed to renew a UN-brokered cease-fire (AP)
Yemen’s Houthis Crack Down on YouTubers
The Houthi rebels have detained three dissident YouTube personalities since late December and transferred their cases to a court in the capital, Sanaa, local media reported; YouTube has been a rare space for dissent in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen (Al Jazeera)
UNICEF: Nearly Four Thousand Children Killed in Yemen’s Civil War
More than eleven thousand children have been killed or injured in the last eight years of the war, and at least sixty-two children have been killed since a truce between the government and Houthi rebels collapsed on October 2, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said (AFP)
Arab Monetary Fund Signs $1 Billion Aid Deal With Yemeni Government
The money from the fund, a suborganization of the twenty-two-country Arab League, is meant to help Yemen’s internationally recognized government stabilize the country’s economy as the war against the Houthi rebels enters its eighth year (AP)
US Intercepts Shipment of Explosive Material in Gulf of Oman
On November 8, U.S. Naval Forces found more than seventy tons of explosive material on a fishing vessel traveling from Iran to Yemen along a route typically used to traffic weapons to Houthi rebels (CNN)
Houthi Rebels Continue to Target Oil Ports as Truce Talks Stall
Houthi rebels launched a drone attack on Yemen’s Qena port in Shabwa after a previous attack targeting the al-Dhabba oil terminal last month, halting all exports in both locations; these attacks come amid UN-led talks to re-establish a truce between the Houthi Rebels and Saudi-backed Yemeni government (Reuters)
The U.S. has sent Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to urge more constructive Houthi engagement (Reuters)
Yemeni Government Intercepts Drone Attack on Oil Terminal
Government officials announced the successful aversion of a drone attack launched by Houthi rebels on an oil tanker preparing to dock at the al-Dhabba oil terminal (Reuters)
Meanwhile, two former German soldiers were convicted of attempting to form a terrorist organization to intervene in the civil war (AP)
Heavy Clashes in Yemen Kill at Least Six
Local military officials claimed Houthis launched heavy shelling and attacks on government forces in Lahj province, killing at least six Yemeni troops and an unknown number of Houthis (Arab News)
U.S. Envoy Blames Houthis for Expired Ceasefire
U.S. Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking stated during a news conference that the Houthis “hijacked” negotiations due to last-minute demands, scuttling constructive peace talks (AP)
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Yemeni rivals to avoid further escalation and renew negotiations after a ceasefire expired on October 1 (AP)
Houthi Rebels Announce End of Ceasefire
The Houthi rebels declared a six-month cease-fire in the country to be at a “dead end” as no agreement was made to renew it before it expired yesterday (The National)
UN Envoys Warns Fighting May Resume
After meeting with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels, the UN envoy to the country warned that the warring parties could resume fighting. A monthslong cease-fire is due to expire on October 2 (AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Urges Extension of UN-Mediated Truce in Yemen
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the Yemeni Chairman of the Presidential Council Rashsad Al-Alimi on Monday to discuss extending the UN-mediated truce that expires on October 2 (Reuters)
Meanwhile, divisions within Yemen’s new presidential council are preventing the passage of reforms stipulated by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to receive their promised $3 billion in financial aid (Reuters)
Suspected Al-Qaeda Attack on Security Post Kills Twenty-Seven
Yemeni military officials reported a suspected al-Qaeda attack on a security post in southern Yemen staffed by the Security Belt, loyal to the Southern Transition Council, that killed twenty one soldiers and six militants (Associated Press)
Earlier, a Yemeni Supreme Court judge was gunned down in Sanaa by Houthi rebels, said Yemeni officials (Associated Press)