Culture
Yemen stands out for its architecture. In the
lowlands, the older houses are usually built of clay,
brick and reeds while stones are usually used in the
highlands. Perhaps the most spectacular are the
traditional clay houses in northern Yemen.
The characteristic high-rise buildings in clay are
normally owned by an individual family. White decor on
the facade is made of plaster. The houses can be up to
nine floors and have a view room, mafraj, at the top.
There the men often gather to talk and chew qat (see
Agriculture and Fishing).
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Countryaah:
Latest population statistics of Yemen, including religious profiles and major languages spoken as well as population growth rates in next three decades.
The UNESCO World Heritage List includes the old
districts of Sanaa and Shibam in Hadramawt, as well as
Zabid, which was the capital from the 1200s to the 1500s
and is located near the Red Sea. In the old city center
of Sanaa many houses have now been damaged by war and
some have been completely demolished. A large part of
Zabid's old buildings is also considered to be in
danger, partly because there is no money for
renovations, and partly because the houses are
demolished to make room for more modern buildings.
Another problem is that antique art objects are smuggled
abroad for sale.
Yemen is known for its oral poetry, which is also
performed as music. Most notable in the Western world is
the Jewish musical tradition, thanks to Israeli artists
with a Yemeni break through internationally with
melodies and lyrics from folk music, especially the
singer Ofra Haza.
The silversmith is a very highly valued art form.
Even in that area, the Jewish element was large in the
past because many of the Jews were active as
blacksmiths, but this has decreased through emigration
to Israel.
 The most well-known object associated with Yemen is
janbiyyan, an artificially designed dagger the man
carries (see Customs and customs). Women's jewelry has
shown great diversity, such as necklaces, headbands,
earrings, nose and bracelets and belts. Small containers
for texts with Korancitat have always been popular, not
least as amulets.
2020
June
Saudi alliance avoids UN criticism
June 15
In the UN annual report on children in war, the
Saudi-led alliance that fights Yemen's hibels is not on
the "shame list" of those responsible. This is despite
the UN report saying that the war in Yemen required 222
children's lives in 2019 and that there were four
attacks against hospitals and schools. Organizations
such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) are upset and point out
that other major powers also avoid UN criticism for how
they treat children in armed conflicts.
Donor meeting meets half the need
June 2
The UN receives promises of assistance to Yemen at a
donor conference, but the pledges do not go so far as to
meet the needs year-round. Aid for $ 1.35 billion is
promised by 30 countries, but UN agencies have estimated
that just over $ 2.4 billion is needed. Saudi Arabia
hosts the virtual donor meeting, held more than five
years after the country entered the military in Yemen,
and promises half a billion dollars. The United Kingdom
and the United States, which are both major arms
suppliers to the Saudis, promise $ 200 million and $ 225
million respectively. According to the UN
Secretary-General, 30 of 41 major UN programs in Yemen
are jeopardized unless more money flows in.
May
UN appeal for Yemen
May 28
The fact that the corona pandemic reached Yemen has
devastating effects, not least for the children, warns
several UN organizations in a joint plea for support. $
2.4 billion is needed by the end of the year, including
$ 180 million for covid-19 operations, according to Mark
Lowcock, UN Secretary-General responsible for
humanitarian operations. More than twelve million
children need emergency help. In addition to the two
million Yemeni children who lose their schooling as a
result of the civil war, schools for another five
million students have been closed to reduce the risk of
transmission.
Fight between former alliance brothers
May 11
Southern Separatists and forces fighting for the
Yemeni government are at odds with Zinjibar, the capital
of Abyan on the south coast, east of Aden. Obituaries
must have been required in both camps. The clash comes
from the fact that the alliance between the government
and the Södern Transitional Council has once again
broken down (see April 26). It is
claimed from separatists that the opponents of Zinjibar
belong to the Islamist party al-Islah's armed branch,
which supports the government.
Both the Houthis and the government must deal with
infection
May 5th
The Huthi rebels confirm the first death victim in
the covid-19 viral disease in the capital Sanaa: a man
from Somalia found dead in a hotel. Thus, it is clear
that the corona center is found both in parts of Yemen
held by the Shiite Muslim rebels and in areas controlled
by the government side or its allies.
April
First deaths in coronary pandemic
April 30th
Yemen reports its first confirmed deaths in covid-19
viral disease. At the same time, new cases of infection
have been discovered in the port city of Aden, the
country's second largest city. Yemen's first infection
case was confirmed on April 10 in the Hadramawt oil
region, where nightly curfew was imposed and neighboring
regions closed the borders. Health care is in disarray
as a result of the war and Yemen has been plagued by
several infectious diseases during the war: cholera,
malaria and dengue fever. The World Health Organization
(WHO) is trying to arrange medical equipment and quick
training for people who are caring for coronary illness.
Separatists in the south proclaim self-government
26th of April
The South Transitional Council, which represents
separatists in southern Yemen, abandons its agreement
with Yemen's Saudi-backed government on power sharing
(see November 5, 2019). The separatists
proclaim autonomy and once again place soldiers in the
port city of Aden (see August 10, 2019).
The government has had Aden as its base since 2015 when
it was expelled from the capital Sanaa by its main
opponent, the skin movement. The Transitional Council
now justifies its decision to take control of the
government's inability to manage Aden, where floods have
recently claimed several lives and led to long power
outages. Six out of eight provincial governors in the
south declare that they do not support the transitional
council.
Journalists are sentenced to death
April 11
A court in Sanaa, controlled by the Huhtir rebels,
sentenced four journalists to death on charges of
treason and espionage. According to Amnesty
International, the Shi'a Bells have detained ten
journalists since 2015.
Unilateral ceasefire is dismissed
April 9
The Saudi-led alliance that runs counter to the
huthir bells in Yemen is launching a unilateral
ceasefire that will last for two weeks. The objectives
are stated to be two: to create space for UN-led peace
talks and to enable measures against the spread of the
pandemic covid-19. The Huthi movement dismisses the
ceasefire as "a ploy". When the two weeks expired on
April 24, the fighting has not ceased, but the
unilateral promise of ceasefire is extended for a month.
March
UN appeal on ceasefire in light of pandemic
March 26
Five years after the outbreak of the large-scale war
in Yemen, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has
called for the ceasefire (in Yemen and other countries
where war is raging) to protect civilians, especially in
light of the virus pandemic that is spreading across the
world. Positive reactions are coming from the warring
parties in Yemen. UN peace coordinator Martin Grifftihs
urges them to move from word to action and agree on a
ceasefire. As yet, no disease case in covid-19 has been
confirmed, but the infection can have disastrous
consequences in war-ravaged Yemen.
Bahailers doomed and pardoned
March 25th
A health-controlled court pardons a leader in the
Baha'i life-view and 20 of his faithful relatives who
have been held captive in Sanaa. Manager Hamid bin
Haydara, who was arrested in 2013, had previously been
sentenced to death by an appeals court. The message that
he is pardoned is left by Mahdi al-Mashat, who
represents the political branch of the Huthirebel. The
Huthis stand near Iran, where the Shi'ite religious
leaders dislike Bahai.
Huthier takes the city in a strategic position
March 1st
The Huthi rebels take control of al-Hazm, the capital
of al-Jawf province on the Saudi border. The city is of
strategic importance because a holding of power there
makes it easier for the Houthis to threaten the Marib
province just south of al-Jawf, where there is oil.
Marib is in the hands of the Saudi government. Both the
rebels and the government forces have been making
casualties for several days of fighting over al-Hazm.
February
The Minister of Defense escapes mine
February 19
The defense minister manages but eight of his
bodyguards are killed as the result runs on a land mine
east of the capital Sanaa, where the defense minister
has inspected a section of the front against the
huhirebells. The Huthis have recently been reported to
have advanced their positions against the government's
forces both north and east of Sanaa. The capital has
been in rebel hands since 2014.
Large catch exchanges are promised
February 16th
The government side and the huhire rebels have agreed
on the first major exchange of prisoners during the war.
Neither the number of prisoners nor when they are to be
exchanged emerges, but according to the UN and the
International Red Cross Committee, it is an important
step to fulfill the agreement that the parties concluded
in Sweden at the end of 2018.
Civilian casualties and armaments
February 14th
A Saudi fighter plane crashes in northern Yemen. The
Huthis say they shot down the plane with an air defense
robot. The following day, at least 31 civilians lost
their lives in air strikes described by UN sources as
Saudi revenge. The Saudi-led alliance fighting on the
government's side is criticized for not sparing
civilians. But the UN has previously reported that the
huhirebells have also gained access to advanced weapons,
which are likely to be of Iranian manufacture,
deliveries prohibited by the UN arms embargo.
Al Qaeda leader killed by US
February 7
US President Donald Trump states that Qasim al-Raymi,
designated as leader of the al-Qaeda terror group on the
Arabian Peninsula (Aqap), has been killed in a US
operation in Yemen. Trump does not say when it happened,
right. Aqap has carried out a series of attacks against
Western interests since the turn of the millennium, and
recently took on a deed performed on a base in Florida
in December 2019. The perpetrator at the base in
Pensacola was a Saudi military and had been sent to the
United States for education. The organization Site,
which tracks how extremist groups behave on the
Internet, confirms on February 23 that the leader was
killed. A successor is named: Khalid bin Umar Batarfi.
Medical air bridge from Sanaa
February 3
Seven children in critical need of care are being
evacuated from the capital Sanaa to Jordan's capital
Amman along with parents. Negotiations with the warring
parties to prevent the UN-labeled plane from being
reported have been going on for months. The UN hopes to
carry out many more similar patient transports, some to
care in Egypt, and six days later 24 seriously ill
Yemenites are being flown out. Since 2016, the capital's
airport has been closed for civil aviation. According to
the Houthis who control the city, 32,000 people want to
be evacuated to receive care abroad. The airspace, on
the other hand, is controlled by the Saudi-led alliance
that militarily combats skin movement.
January
Unicef takes care of child soldiers
January 27
The Huhis have handed over 64 child soldiers to the
UN organization Unicef, reports media that are close to
the rebel movement. The soldiers, under the age of 18,
must have been recruited to fight for the government
side but captured by the Huhtis. The young people must
undergo a rehabilitation program through the United
Nations. During the war years, the UN and other
organizations have accused all possible fighting groups,
including the Houthis, of using child soldiers.
Huthier bans new banknotes
January 19
The Huthi movement prohibits the use of banknotes
issued by the Yemeni National Bank. The central bank was
moved to Aden by the government side after the
huthirebels took the capital Sanaa in 2014. The Huthis
are now threatening Yemenis with ten years in prison if
they deal with the banknotes the Riksbank has issued in
recent years. For ordinary people, the hassle, which has
contributed to the collapse of Yemen's currency in
value, has led them to increasingly use dollars or Saudi
money.
High death rate in attack at evening prayer
January 18
A military training area in Marib east of the capital
Sanaa is attacked just as soldiers on the government
side have gathered for evening prayer. At least 111
people die, according to government data two days
afterwards, when many of those who did not die have died
directly from their injuries. This means that the attack
is one of the deadliest that has occurred since the
unrest in Yemen five years ago and several neighboring
states entered the war. The government side accuses the
Huthira rebels of carrying out the attack.
Warning for dengue fever
January 14
At least 78 children have died from diseases related
to the mosquito-borne dengue fever, says Save the
Children, which warns of an epidemic. 52,000 suspected
cases of illness have been registered, unclear for how
long. Last year, 192 deaths were confirmed, most in the
cities of al-Hudayda and Aden.
The Huthis release Saudis
January 1st
The Huthi rebels release six Saudis who have held
them captive. The International Red Cross Committee
(ICRC), which acts as an intermediary in the handing
over of prisoners of war, considers it hopeful that the
parties, step by step, fulfill promises that can help to
reduce the war (see November 28, 2019).
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