Yemen in March 2023

2 March 2023

1. Top al-Qaeda Figure Killed in Yemen Air Strike (Al Arabiya English). Hamad bin Hamoud al-Tamimi, a top leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which Washington regards as among the global extremist network’s most dangerous branches, died in the strike along with a bodyguard, a security official said, requesting anonymity. Tamimi, also known as Abdel Aziz al-Adnani, headed up AQAP’s leadership council and acted as the militant group’s “judge,” the sources said.

3 March 2023

1. Sources in Sanaa Reveal New Houthi Regulations to Ban the US Dollar (Yemen Window). The Houthi militia in Yemen, which is backed by Iran, has refused to hand over money transfers to citizens in US dollars, instructing exchange shops to distribute the funds in Yemeni riyals instead. This has caused problems for Yemeni citizens who receive money transfers in dollars, as exchange shops refuse to give them the currency.

6 March 2023

1. UN Says Most of Yemen’s Relief Restrictions are in Houthi Areas (Al Sharq Al Awsat). The United Nations World Food Program has reported that most of the restrictions that hinder the work of relief organizations in Yemen are concentrated in areas controlled by the Houthi militia. The program has reduced its ability to monitor and evaluate relief aid by up to 81 percent due to the militia raiding and closing the local data company that was working for it. The report asserts that restrictions on the movement of workers in the relief field are the main type that is faced, with most of the restrictions occurring in Houthi-controlled areas.
2. Yemeni Government Warns Houthis Plan to Bring Demographic Change in Sana’a (Al Hadath). The Yemeni government has raised concerns over the Houthi militia’s plans to bring about demographic change in the capital, Sana’a, which is under its control. The Minister of Information, Muammar Al-Eryani, accused the militia of conducting military campaigns to systematically loot citizens’ lands, real estate, and farms in Sana’a, and of trying to establish a sectarian belt around the capital that owes allegiance to the regime of the Guardian Jurist in Tehran.

10 March 2023

1. UN Announces ‘Major Breakthrough’ to Prevent Oil Spill Disaster in Yemen (Al Arabiya English). The United Nations said Thursday it had bought a ship to remove oil and avoid a potentially catastrophic spill from a tanker decaying for years off the coast of war-ravaged Yemen…The decaying 47-year-old ship has not been serviced since Yemen’s devastating civil war broke out in 2015 and was left abandoned off the rebel-held port of Hodeida, a critical gateway for shipments into the country heavily dependent on emergency foreign aid.

13 March 2023

1. Less Than 24 Hours After Chinese-Brokered Iran-Saudi Deal, Houthis Launch New Attack on Yemeni Government Forces (Al Bilad Press). Residents also said that the Houthi militia targeted civilian homes in the village of Al-Balayli, in the Hays district, with artillery shells. The joint forces responded by bombing a center of fixed and moving targets of the Houthi militia, inflicting direct human and material losses on its ranks, according to the “NewsYum” news site.

14 March 2023

13. Houthi Militias Actions Threaten to Confiscate the Deposits of a Million Yemenis (Al Sharq Al Awsat). Yemeni banks and merchants in areas controlled by the Houthi militia face the risk of bankruptcy as the militia is insisting on confiscating over three billion dollars, which are the interests of the internal debt, under the pretext of preventing usury in commercial transactions and loans. Economic sources warn that this step will result in the confiscation of deposits of over a million people.
14. Yemeni Prisoner Exchange Talks Commence in Geneva (Al Sharq Al Awsat). Representatives of the legitimate Yemeni government and the Houthis began talks on a prisoner exchange in Geneva on Sunday. The United Nations has urged both parties in the conflict to engage in “serious” negotiations. According to the United Nations, the talks in Geneva marked the seventh meeting aimed at implementing a prisoner exchange agreement that was concluded in Stockholm five years ago.

16 March 2023

1. UN Yemen Envoy Travels to Iran to Discuss Yemen Crisis (Al Sharq Al Awsat). The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, capitalized on the recent Saudi-Iranian agreement and visited Tehran to break the deadlock in the Yemeni crisis and push for a renewed push for peace. Yemeni parties have emphasized that dismantling and disarming the Iranian-backed Houthi militias is necessary to achieve national consensus and restore stability.

21 March 2023

1. Yemeni Government and Houthis Agree to Prisoner Exchange (Al Arabiya). The Yemeni government and the Houthis on Monday agreed to release 887 detainees, following 10 days of negotiations in Geneva, the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

22 March 2023

1. World Health Organization Announces Outbreaks of Measles and Polio in Yemen (Al Jazeera). The UN agency announced on its Twitter account that Yemen is currently experiencing outbreaks of measles and polio. It reported that over 80% of children affected by measles did not receive the vaccine. The organization emphasized the urgent need for vaccination efforts in Yemen.

23 March 2023

1. Houthi Militia Passes Law Authorizing Seizure of Bank Deposits (Al Hadath). Despite concerns about the potential impact on the banking system, the Houthi militia passed a “dangerous” bill on Tuesday, granting themselves the authority to seize and control all bank deposits. The unrecognized “House of Representatives” in Sana’a approved the “Law to Prevent Usurious Transactions,” which had previously been sanctioned by the militia government in September 2022.

24 March 2023

1. Yemeni Activists Urge Halt of Houthi Plan to Demolish 500 Buildings in Old Sana’a (Al Sharq Al Awsat). Yemeni intellectuals and activists have issued distress calls to halt the Houthi militia’s plan to demolish 500 archaeological buildings in the Old City of Sana’a, listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The planned demolition includes four of the city’s most important craft markets to construct a sectarian shrine.

27 March 2023

1. Yemeni Defense Minister and Army Chief of Staff Survive Houthi Drone Attack (Al Hadath). On Saturday, Yemeni Defense Minister Mohsen Al-Daari and Army Chief of Staff Sagheer bin Aziz survived a drone attack launched by the Houthi militia. The attack targeted their convoy in the Al-Kadha area, south of the city of Taiz. According to military sources, the Houthi-led attack resulted in the death of one soldier and left three others wounded, according to initial figures…The Houthi terrorist militia has increased its threats to resume the war, as evidenced by recent statements made by its leaders and movements on the ground.
2. Houthi Militias Restrict Flights of International Organizations via Sana’a Airport (Al Hadath). The Houthi militia has declared limitations on the flights of all international organizations operating in Yemen via Sana’a International Airport. These restrictions went into effect on Saturday in response to the Yemeni Airways Company’s decision to stop selling tickets for its flights in areas of the north under Houthi influence. According to pro-Houthi media sources, the group’s controlled General Authority of Civil Aviation has decided to permit international organization flights to land at Sana’a International Airport only on Fridays starting from March 31.

29 March 2023

1. Yemeni Leaders Vow to resist Renewed Houthi Assault (Arab News). Yemen’s presidential council has promised to confront the “terrorist” Houthis and called for resistance as international envoys criticized the militia’s renewed assault. The commission, chaired by Rashad Al-Alimi, said the latest Houthi attacks, primarily in Marib and Shabwa, demonstrated that the militia had no wish to end the war… The Houthis have made minor advances in Shabwa and Marib since early last week, targeting government forces with heavy weaponry and explosive drones.