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UN Warns of Devastating Impact of Mines, Explosive Ordnance on Yemen’s Population

Safer tanker off the coast of Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Safer tanker off the coast of Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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UN Warns of Devastating Impact of Mines, Explosive Ordnance on Yemen’s Population

Safer tanker off the coast of Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Safer tanker off the coast of Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed bin Mubarak discussed on Tuesday with Resident Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen, David Gressly, the importance of expanding the application of decentralization in humanitarian work and the permanent presence of international organizations in the Yemeni governorates.

During a meeting in The Hague, the two sides reviewed the progress made in implementing the UN plan to address the issue of the Safer tanker, the floating oil storage and offloading vessel that is moored in the Red Sea north of the Yemeni city of Hodeidah.

Two weeks ago, the UN said it sent technical support to soon begin salvage 1.1 million barrels of oil from the Safer tanker moored off Yemen's coasts of Ras El-Ain.

The salvage operation is expected to cost $129 million. The UN said that $75 million had been received and another $20 million had been pledged.

The UN said it could still suspend the operation if it does not secure the remaining funds.

On Tuesday, Bin Mubarak appreciated the efforts being made and the contributions offered by the international community to avert an environmental catastrophe whose effects could last for decades.

An oil spill from the FSO Safer would destroy coral reefs and other sea life in the Red Sea, jeopardize hundreds of thousands of jobs in the fishing industry, and cut Yemen off from supplies of food and fuel, the United Nations and other organizations have warned.

During the meeting with Gressly, bin Mubarak tackled the mobilization of resources to deal with the issues of internal displacement and mine clearance.

Meanwhile, Chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) and Head of the United Nations Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), Major General Michael Beary, briefed Tuesday, in a closed session, the Security Council on the situation in Hodeidah.

The General drew attention to the devastating impact of mines and explosive ordnance on the local population and assured the Council that UNMHA will continue to strengthen mine action coordination towards improving the situation.

Beary then reiterated commitment to furthering the UN's collective efforts toward stability and peace in Yemen.

The Saudi MASAM project in Yemen, overseen by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, has seen a milestone 400,000 landmines and unexploded ordnance cleared in more than five years.

 

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Arab World

Palestinian Authority Suspends Al Jazeera Broadcasts

A photographer shoots the closed door of Al Jazeera TV's office in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah following a suspension order from the Palestinian Authority - AFP
A photographer shoots the closed door of Al Jazeera TV's office in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah following a suspension order from the Palestinian Authority - AFP
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Palestinian Authority Suspends Al Jazeera Broadcasts

A photographer shoots the closed door of Al Jazeera TV's office in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah following a suspension order from the Palestinian Authority - AFP
A photographer shoots the closed door of Al Jazeera TV's office in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah following a suspension order from the Palestinian Authority - AFP

The Palestinian Authority has ordered the suspension of broadcasts by Qatar-based Al Jazeera and on Thursday accused it of incitement, which the news channel compared to Israeli practices.

Al Jazeera is already banned from broadcasting from Israel amid a long-running feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

In September, armed and masked Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah also raided the Al Jazeera office, saying it was "used to incite terror."

The military issued an initial 45-day closure order, prompting the Palestinian foreign ministry at the time to condemn "a flagrant violation" of press freedom, AFP reported.
On Thursday, the PA insisted its own suspension measure was "temporary," adding its decision followed a complaint from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate concerning the network's coverage.

"These measures shall be applied until Al Jazeera chooses to act in accordance with basic media ethics, including its duty to prevent deliberate disinformation, ban the glorification of violence, and end the incitement to armed mutiny," the PA said.

The syndicate, which represents about 3,000 Palestinian journalists, said several had filed complaints against Al Jazeera for "biased media coverage on its platforms, including incitement, misleading reports, and content that stirs internal discord".

The PA's decision includes "temporarily freezing the work of all journalists, employees, crews and affiliated channels until their legal status is rectified due to Al Jazeera's violations of the laws and regulations in force in Palestine", the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported late Wednesday.

The channel aired images of what appeared to be Palestinian security officers entering the network's office in Ramallah and handing over the suspension orders.

Al Jazeera condemned the decision, saying it "aligns with Israeli occupation practices targeting its media teams".

It accused the PA, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank, of "attempting to deter Al Jazeera from covering escalating events in the occupied Palestinian territories" including in Jenin and its refugee camp.

The PA's security forces have been engaged in weeks of deadly clashes with armed militants in Jenin, in the northern West Bank.

Hamas, rivals of Fatah which dominates the PA, condemned the decision to ban the network.

"This decision aligns with a series of recent arbitrary actions taken by the Authority to curtail public rights and freedoms, and to reinforce its security grip on the Palestinian people," Hamas said in a statement.

"We call on the Palestinian Authority to immediately reverse this decision ... It is crucial to ensure the continuation of media coverage that exposes the occupation and supports the steadfastness of our people."

Islamic Jihad, allied with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, also criticized the decision.

"We condemn the authority's decision to close Al Jazeera's office in Palestine when our people and our cause are in dire need to convey their suffering to the world," the group said in a statement.

Tensions between the network and the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas have risen in recent weeks following the channel's coverage of the clashes in Jenin.

In late December, the channel condemned what it said was an "incitement campaign" by Fatah against the network in some areas of the occupied West Bank.

"This campaign follows the network's coverage of clashes between Palestinian security forces and resistance fighters in Jenin," it said in a statement at the time.

The security forces of the PA have been engaged in deadly clashes with gunmen since early December, triggered by the arrests of several militants.

They are fighting members of the Jenin Battalion, most of whom are affiliated with either Islamic Jihad or Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

Fatah's rivals have accused PA forces of aiding Israel.

Al Jazeera continues to work in Gaza, where Hamas seized control in 2007.

The violence in Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of armed groups and a frequent target of Israeli military raids, has killed 11 people including PA security personnel, militants and civilians.