U.S.-trained Yemeni Coast Guard stops piratesin Gulf of Aden

CAIRO, August 26, 2011 — The Yemen Coast Guard has reported foiling a piracy attack.

The U.S.-trained coast guard said its ships prevented the piracy of a Yemeni oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden. The coast guard said the attack took place on Aug. 23 and the tanker eventually reached Aden.

"The naval forces and coastal defense forces are vigilantly protecting all Yemeni territorial waters and attempts to intercept navigation shall not be tolerated," a Yemeni coast guard commander said on Aug. 24.

Britain and the United States have helped form a 40-ship coast guard for Yemen. The force was meant to protect against both Al Qaida and Somali piracy attacks in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.

Officials said the Yemen Coast Guard has been working with an international force to protect commercial shipping through the Gulf of Aden. Over the last year, Somali pirates have expanded operations to the Gulf and Sea of Oman.

"Our forces are running round-the-clock patrols to detect any pirate ships and fishing vessels that enter our waters without permission," the commander, who was not named, said.

Twelve Jews Leave Yemen; Rabbi Calls them Outlaws

Sana'a, August 26, 2011- Yahya Yousof, Leading Rabbi of the Jewish community in Yemen said that the 12 Jews that left Yemen more than two months ago are outlaws and left the country illegally.

He said that they are now in Egypt and are expected to be deported back to Yemen soon due to false information given to Yemeni immigration authorities.

The 12 Jews are now being held in Egypt. He said that the twelve could face legal actions due to them not having the correct paper work.

“The Yemeni government has been treating Yemeni Jews with great respect and that very few Jews are planning to leave the country,” said Yousof.

“Why would Jews leave Yemen when they are respected by the people and its government,” concluded Yousof.

Source: Yemen Post

Yemen Hosts Growing Number of Somali Refugees

August 26th, 2011

The United Nations refugee agency says some 3,700 Somali refugees have arrived in Yemen in August to seek refuge from the Horn of Africa drought, and more are expected in the coming months.

U.N. Spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters Friday that the number of refugees crossing the Gulf of Aden in rickety boats is rising as Somalis flee famine, instability, and unemployment in their own country.

He said August has seen the highest monthly rate arriving in Yemen this year. Edwards said it marks an early start to the normal peak season for smugglers' boats arriving from the northern Somalia coastal town of Bossaso.

He also said aid workers believe many more refugees who have fled their homes are waiting in Bossaso for calmer seas before making the journey to Yemen. He said it is a testament to the refugees' desperation that they choose to flee to another nation that is affected by “serious unrest.”

Yemen hosts the second-largest Somali refugee population in the region, numbering some 192,000. Some 15,000 have arrived in Yemen since January.

Kenya, the largest host country, shelters nearly 498,000 Somali refugees.

Rallies for and against Yemeni government expected Friday

Aug 26, 2011

Sana'a - Protestors from both sides were to take to the streets of Yemen Friday, with anti-government groups planning a 'Friday of Victory Promise,' and loyalists a 'Friday of Martyr.'

Two anti-regime protestors were wounded and five arrested late Thursday when police broke up a sit-in in the southern province of Taiz.

Yemen has been embroiled in political conflict since February when protests erupted around the country calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.

The opposition formed an interim national council on August 17 seeking to prevent Saleh from resuming his presidential duties.

Saleh has been in Saudi Arabia for about two months, receiving treatment for injuries sustained in an attack on his palace on June 3, which left 12 dead and 87 wounded.

The president, who has been in power for 33 years, would return once the investigation into the attack was complete, government spokesman Abdu al-Janadi told reporters Thursday.

Also Thursday, the interim council in its second meeting called on Gulf Cooperation Council states and others to support the uprising, and not to collude with the regime's violence against its own people.

The council's statement urged the military to join the anti-Saleh movement.

Airstrike kills 8 suspected militants in Yemen

Yemeni military and medical officials say an airstrike has killed eight suspected al-Qaida militants, including a group leader, in the south of the country.
By AHMED AL-HAJ , 08.25.11
SANAA, Yemen — Yemeni military and medical officials say an airstrike has killed eight suspected al-Qaida militants, including a group leader, in the south of the country.
The Yemeni government is waging a military campaign to drive out Islamic fighters who overran several southern towns months ago. The militant takeover took place as the government was trying to suppress a nationwide protest movement seeking the ouster of the longtime president.
The officials say Thursday's airstrike targeted the Ansar al-Sharia group, which is suspected of links to al-Qaida in Yemen. One official identified one of the slain militants as a leader of the group named Abu Jaber al-Sanaai.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the press.