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Following UAE, Sudan Withdraws Troops from Yemen, US Urges Saudis to Reach an Agreement with Houthis

November 3, 2019 

General Mohammed Hamdan, head of the Sudanese RSF, November 3, 2019

 

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The following news stories are from the Yemeni independent website Al-Masdar ( http://www.almasdaronline.com/category/42  ):

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Two alleged al-Qaeda gunmen killed in U.S. raid between Marib and Al-Jawf

November 2, 2019, ALMASDARONLINE ٠٢ نوفمبر ٢٠١٩

A tribal sources and witnesses said that two gunmen were killed Friday in a US drone strike in a desert area in northern Marib province,

The sources told Al-Masdar online, that a drone carried out an air raid today in the area of "Raydan" in Marib desert north of the center of the province.

The raid killed "Khamis bin Arfaj", (allegedly) belonging to al-Qaeda, and his brother Turki bin Arfaj, the sources said, without giving further details.

U.S. drones occasionally carry out airstrikes targeting militants the United States says belong to al-Qaeda, but Yemeni authorities usually do not comment on the strikes.

U.S. Pressure Saudi Arabia to reach peace deal with Houthis

October 30, 2019, ALMASDARONLINE ٣٠ أكتوبر ٢٠١٩

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Schenker, said his country is putting political pressure on Saudi Arabia over Yemen.

"We are putting pressure on our Saudi allies to reach a peace agreement with the Houthis," Schenker said at a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Last September, Schenker disclosed direct peace talks with pro-Iranian Houthis in Yemen.

During a tour of the region, during which he met with the Yemeni president and the Saudi leadership, David Schenker said his country's focus was "on ending the war in Yemen ... and we are in talks with the Houthis to try to find a negotiated solution to the conflict that is acceptable to both sides."

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military alliance that it says is to support the (recognized) Yemeni government against Houthi militias.

The ongoing war for the fifth year has left thousands dead and wounded, as well as more than four million internally and externally displaced persons, exacerbating the country's famine and poverty, causing the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to UN reports.

Sudanese newspaper: Sovereign Council withdraws 10,000 troops from Yemen and will not send new troops

October 31, 2019, ALMASDARONLINE ٣١ أكتوبر ٢٠١٩

A Sudanese opposition newspaper has revealed that 10,000 Sudanese troops have withdrawn from the Saudi-led Arab coalition forces in Yemen

The Sudanese newspaper "Al-Tayyar", in its issue on Wednesday, that the vice president of the Sovereign Council of Sudan, Mohammed Hamdan Daqlu "Hamidti" confirmed during a tripartite meeting held Tuesday, in the presence of representatives of the Sovereign Council and ministerial and forces of freedom and change, "Withdrawal of 10 thousand soldiers from his forces in Yemen and their return to their country."

The newspaper, quoting unnamed informed sources, saying that "Hamidti" indicated that he did not want to send new troops to Yemen alternative to the forces that arrived in the capital Khartoum, without further details.

Sudan, as part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition since March 2015, has been engaged in rapid support on three fronts in Yemen as well as the Saudi border.

The exact size of the Sudanese forces involved in the war in Yemen is not known, but over the past years full brigades have been involved in field operations on the west coast and Midi and Hayran fronts in northern Hajjah province.

In addition, units of Sudanese forces are stationed at al-Anad base in Lahj province, as well as other forces who were present at an Arab coalition camp in the interim capital Aden, while Houthi and Iranian media report Sudanese forces stationed at the Saudi border.

There was no denial from the official authorities in Sudan, nor did there issue any comment as of 6:10 p.m. from the Arab Coalition leadership on the withdrawal.

A military source told Al-Masdar Online at early October that Sudanese army forces, including a number of soldiers and some military vehicles, left Aden via the port of Al-Zeit.

This came a day after they left positions at the coalition headquarters in Buraiqa, Bir Ahmed Camp, and a number of coalition camps and positions on the west coast, which were handed over earlier this month to forces belonging to the pro-UAE Tarek Saleh.

In the middle of the month, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Sudanese Armed Forces Osman Mohammed Al-Hussein, during his meeting with the military attaché of the Yemeni embassy in Khartoum, confirmed the stay of his country's military forces and continued their participation in the coalition to support legitimacy in support of the legitimate government.

The president of the Sovereign Council, the Sudanese prime minister and a number of officials and ministers confirmed in repeated statements the continuation of their country's forces in Yemen and their participation in the Saudi-led coalition, despite calls by demonstrators who overthrew President Omar al-Bashir, and political forces to withdraw the forces Sudanese from Yemen.

UAE announces return of troops from Aden after handing over Saudi forces

October 31, 2019, ALMASDARONLINE ٣١ أكتوبر ٢٠١٩

The UAE's General Command announced Wednesday that the UAE joint force operating in Yemen's Aden province has returned to the country after fulfilling its tasks of "liberating and securing Aden" and handing it over to Saudi and Yemeni forces.

This was stated in a statement issued by the UAE armed forces published by the state-run WAM news agency.

"The handover of Aden to Saudi and Yemeni forces was carried out responsibly and in accordance with a systematic military strategy, to ensure the preservation of military achievements, and the handover process ended with complete success," the statement said.

The UAE General Command statement noted the role of its forces returning from Aden in liberating the city and surrounding areas "from the Houthi coup and preventing Iranian infiltration aimed at controlling the Yemeni state."

The UAE statement claimed that the withdrawal and handover of the city to Saudi forces was based on "strategic plans adopted by the Arab Coalition Command to hand Aden over Aden to Saudi and Yemeni forces."

"UAE forces, in cooperation with brotherly and friendly forces, will continue their war against terrorist organizations in southern Yemen and other regions," the statement said, without giving further details on the nature of the war that Abu Dhabi forces will continue to fight.

Over the past few days, Saudi forces have arrived in Aden and yesterday began deploying in the vicinity of the presidential palace and vital positions in the city, while forces from the presidential protection of the Yemeni government arrived in the city of Shabwa on their way to Abyan and then Aden according to Military sources."

On Sunday, the Arab Coalition said in a statement issued by the Joint Forces Command in Yemen, "The coalition forces have been repositioned in Aden to be Saudi-led and redeployed in accordance with the requirements of current operations."

The new arrangements were "part of their ongoing efforts to coordinate plans for military and security operations in Yemen and to strengthen humanitarian and relief efforts," the statement said.

Pro-UAE forces are in full control of the city, after the Abu Dhabi-backed Transitional Council led a military rebellion that led to the end of government forces on August 10.

According to several sources, the departure of the UAE forces and the handover of Saudi forces to the coalition missions in Aden, in accordance with understandings with the Yemeni and Saudi governments, as part of the consultations that led to the Riyadh agreement, which is to be officially signed tomorrow between the STC and the Yemeni government."

The Yemeni government has accused the UAE of executing and planning a military coup led by the Transitional Council in Aden, and President Hadi demanded in a presidential statement shortly after the army forces in Aden and Abyan were subjected to raids by the Saudi monarch and the kingdom's leadership to intervene and stop the blatant attacks on the Armed forces and on their way to extend state authority in liberated areas.

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The following news stories are from the pro-Houthi website Yemen Extra (http://www.yemenextra.net/):

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How do Saudi soldiers lose their lives in Yemen?

On Nov 3, 2019, YemenExtra, .A

Yemeni army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Committees have killed at least six Saudi soldiers during separate attacks in the kingdom’s southwestern border regions

The Qatari al-Jazeera television news network reported that Yemeni forces and their allies fatally shot the troopers during different exchanges of fire over the past two days.

Ansarullah politburo member Ali al-Qahoum told Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network last month that Yemeni soldiers and their allies are fairly committed to the truce, but will not stand idly by while the Saudi-led alliance continues to perpetrate crimes against Yemenis.

He added that whilst the Saudi-led aggression is pressing ahead with its crimes in Yemen, the international community behaves as if Yemeni people’s blood is worth nothing.

Qahoum noted that the opportunity is ripe for the Saudi-led aggression and the United States to review their calculations as Yemen is not a sitting duck for them.

In March 2015, the US -backed –Saudi-led aggression started  a war against Yemen with the declared aim of crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement, who had taken over from the staunch Riyadh ally, president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, while also seeking to secure the Saudi border with its southern neighbor.

 Three years and over 600,000 dead and injured Yemeni people and  prevented the patients from travelling abroad for treatment and blocked the entry of medicine into the war-torn country, the war has yielded little to that effect.

Despite the aggression claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi bombers are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

More than 2,200 others have died of cholera, and the crisis has triggered what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.

Armed Forces Spokesman says over 4,000 Sudanese militiamen face this in Saudi-led war against Yemen

On Nov 3, 2019, YemenExtra, Y.A

The Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman, Brigadier Yahya Sare’e, revealed the toll of killed Sudanese mercenaries involved in the aggression on Yemen, stressing that it exceeds 8,000 killed and injured.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital Sana’a on Saturday afternoon, Brigadier General Yahya Saree said 4,253 Sudanese militants have lost their lives in clashes with Yemeni forces, noting that the total number of the Saudi-paid Sudanese mercenaries killed in Yemen since the beginning of the current year stands at 459.

He pointed out at the press conference, in which he presented testimonies of Sudanese prisoners and pictures of bodies left in the deserts, and during the past two years recorded crimes and violations committed by Sudanese mercenaries amounted to rape, stressing that the inclusion of children in the fighting among the crimes and violations committed by the leadership of mercenaries of the Sudanese army.

He said 5,000 Sudanese fighters are now present in the al-Khobe area of Saudi Arabia’s southern border region of Jizan, located 967 kilometers (601 miles) southwest of the capital Riyadh, in the name of the so-called Fifth Brigade.

Brigadier Yahya Sare’e said that the aggression alliance depends on the Sudanese army mercenaries and does not deal with them like mercenaries working in foreign security companies, pointing out that all prisoners of the Sudanese army were treated with all humane in accordance with religion and ethics.

Saree underscored that the continued participation of Sudanese forces in the ongoing military aggression on Yemen serves only the agendas of the Saudi-led coalition, and that Yemeni forces reserve the right to take proper measures and force them out of the country.

He pledged that “the continued participation of Sudan in the aggression on Yemen will make our forces take serious steps to force them to leave.”

In March 2015, the US -backed –Saudi-led aggression started  a war against Yemen with the declared aim of crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement, who had taken over from the staunch Riyadh ally and fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, while also seeking to secure the Saudi border with its southern neighbor. Three years and over 600,000 dead and injured Yemeni people and  prevented the patients from travelling abroad for treatment and blocked the entry of medicine into the war-torn country, the war has yielded little to that effect.

Despite the aggression claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi bombers are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

More than 2,200 others have died of cholera, and the crisis has triggered what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.

Amid Heavy Defeat, Sudanese Official Announce Intentions to Stop New Deployments to Yemen

On Nov 3, 2019, YemenExtra,  M.A.

The Sudanese officials declined to disclose how many troops have left Yemen, but said “several thousand troops,” mainly from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, returned home over the past two months.

Gen. Mohammed Hamdan, head of the RSF, agreed with Saudi Arabia that he would not replace forces as fighting on the ground has dwindled in recent months. He said that a “few thousand troops” remain for training Yemeni government forces.

According to Sudanese media, Hamidi told the tripartite meeting held Monday night between the Councils of Sovereignty, Ministers and Forces for Freedom and Change, to withdraw 10,000 of his troops in Yemen.

A senior official in the Forces for Freedom and Change attended the tripartite meeting of the Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that talk of withdrawing troops from Yemen came in the context of deliberating on the assessment of the performance of the transitional government.

It is estimated that the number of (rapid support) forces participating in Yemen by 30 thousand, according to an earlier statement to its leader, Hamidi, described by Yemeni reports as (pawns and victims of war) in reference to their tasks on the one hand and being killed on the other.

Confirmed statistics are expected to be disclosed on Saturday by the spokesman of the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Serai at a press conference announced on Thursday, that he would publish in detail the losses of Sudanese forces.

Almasirah English

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